THE GREY ALBUM Praise for the series: It was only a matter of time before a clever publisher realized that there is an audience for whom Exile on Main Street or Electric Ladyland are as significant and worthy of study as The Catcher in the Rye or Middlemarch … The series … is freewheeling and eclectic, ranging from minute rock-geek analysis to idiosyncratic personal celebration — The New York Times Book Review Ideal for the rock geek who thinks liner notes just aren’t enough — Rolling Stone One of the coolest publishing imprints on the planet — Bookslut These are for the insane collectors out there who appreciate fantastic design, well-executed thinking, and things that make your house look cool. Each volume in this series takes a seminal album and breaks it down in startling minutiae. We love these. We are huge nerds — Vice A brilliant series … each one a work of real love — NME (UK) Passionate, obsessive, and smart — Nylon Religious tracts for the rock ’n’ roll faithful — Boldtype [A] consistently excellent series — Uncut (UK) We … aren’t naive enough to think that we’re your only source for reading about music (but if we had our way … watch out). For those of you who really like to know everything there is to know about an album, you’d do well to check out Bloomsbury’s “33 1/3” series of books — Pitchfork For reviews of individual titles in the series, please visit our blog at 333sound.com and our website at http://www.bloomsbury.com/ musicandsoundstudies Follow us on Twitter: @333books Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/33.3books For a complete list of books in this series, see the back of this book 9781623566609_txt_print.indd 1 25/07/2014 12:12 For more information about the series, please visit our new blog: www.333sound.com Where you’ll find: – Author and artist interviews – Author profiles – News about the series – How to submit a proposal to our open call – Things we find amusing 9781623566609_txt_print.indd 2 25/07/2014 12:12 The Grey Album Charles Fairchild 9781623566609_txt_print.indd 3 25/07/2014 12:12 Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc. 1385 Broadway 50 Bedford Square New York London NY 10018 WC1B 3DP USA UK www.bloomsbury.com Bloomsbury is a registered trade mark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published 2014 © Charles Fairchild, 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the author. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fairchild, Charles, 1967- author. The grey album / Charles Fairchild. pages cm. -- (33 1/3 ; 98) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-62356-660-9 (paperback) 1. Danger Mouse (Musician). Grey album. 2. Danger Mouse (Musician)--Criticism and interpretation. 3. Rock music--History and criticism. I. Title. ML420.D1436F35 2014 781.64--dc23 2014013574 ISBN: ePDF: 978-1-6235-6123-9 Typeset by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 8NN 9781623566609_txt_print.indd 4 25/07/2014 12:12 Track Listing 1. “Public Service Announcement” (2:45) Beatles song: “Long, Long, Long” 2. “What More Can I Say” (4:25) Beatles song: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” 3. “Encore” (2:40) Beatles song: “Savoy Truffle” 4. “December 4th” (3:35) Beatles song: “Mother Nature’s Son” 5. “99 Problems” (4:07) Beatles song: “Helter Skelter” 6. “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” (3:59) Beatles song: “Julia” 7. “Moment of Clarity” (4:00) Beatles song: “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” 8. “Change Clothes” (4:04) Beatles songs: “Piggies” and “Dear Prudence” 9. “Allure” (4:05) Beatles song: “Dear Prudence” 10. “Justify My Thug” (4:13) Beatles song: “Rocky Raccoon” 11. “Lucifer 9 (Interlude)” (2:04) Beatles songs: “Revolution 9” and “I’m So Tired” 12. “My 1st Song” (4:45) Beatles songs: “Cry Baby Cry,” “Savoy Truffle” and “Helter Skelter” 9781623566609_txt_print.indd 5 25/07/2014 12:12 9781623566609_txt_print.indd 6 25/07/2014 12:12 Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: The Grey Album in a Post-Album World 1 1 Music, Incorporated 16 New world, old industry 18 Selling the album, destroying the single 25 Crowds, clouds and idols 33 2 Danger Mouse v. Capitol, Capitol v. Music 43 The aesthetic practices of the powerful 44 From fair use to safe harbors 50 Ownership rights, authorship rights and natural rights to music 53 3 The Aesthetics of The Grey Album 57 The aesthetic legitimacy of The Grey Album 59 The musical traditions that shaped The Grey Album 63 Musical fidelity and sample-based music 77 4 The Music of The Grey Album 82 The legacies of The Beatles and The Black Album 84 • vii • 9781623566609_txt_print.indd 7 25/07/2014 12:12 THE GREY ALBUM The making of The Grey Album 89 The flow of The Grey Album 93 Conclusion 111 Notes 119 Bibliography 131 • viii • 9781623566609_txt_print.indd 8 25/07/2014 12:12 Acknowledgments I would like to offer my thanks to a number of people whose enthusiasm, insight and feedback made this a better book. The editorial staff at Bloomsbury continually responded to my ideas with care and professionalism. From the proposal through to the final draft, their understanding of who might read this book and why helped me shape my writing beyond my usual (perhaps slightly too academic) assumptions about why we write about music. I would like to thank my peers, colleagues and friends who have offered their honest assessments of my ideas in all manner of fora, formal and informal, social and professional. I would like to particularly thank Chris Coady, David Larkin, Alon Ilsar and the inimi- table Richard Toop. I would also like to thank above all, Rachel Campbell for the constancy of her intellect and boundless willingness to dig into ideas about music simply because they matter. You have made all of this possible. • ix • 9781623566609_txt_print.indd 9 25/07/2014 12:12