Family Tree (Björk album)
Family Tree | ||||
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Box set by Björk | ||||
Released | 4 November 2002 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 141:09 | |||
Label | One Little Indian | |||
Producer | Various | |||
Björk chronology | ||||
|
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Blender | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | C+[3] |
Pitchfork Media | (3.6/10)[4] |
Stylus Magazine | A−[5] |
Family Tree is a boxed set of musical material by Icelandic singer Björk. The set consists of a book of lyrics entitled "Words", five 3-inch compact discs of rare and previously unreleased material, and a regular-sized compact disc of "Greatest Hits" selected by Björk herself.
Family Tree was released in November 2002, concurrent with the release of Björk's Greatest Hits album, in which the tracks were selected by her fans.
The five 3-inch compact discs include: "Roots CD 1", which features songs recorded before Björk's "second solo debut" (i.e. previous to her 1993 album Debut). This compact disc features songs by her previous bands: KUKL, The Elgar Sisters, and The Sugarcubes. "Roots CD 2" features b-sides and alternate versions of album tracks; "Beats", which focuses on both new and old songs with a heavier electronica influence; and finally "Strings", CDs 1 and 2, which feature live and studio recordings of Björk with the Brodsky Quartet through 1999 and 2000.
The artwork on the CD was designed by M/M Paris in collaboration with Icelandic contemporary artist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir. The cover consists of a tree with letter on the upper part.
A music video for the song Nature is Ancient, directed by Lynn Fox, was released in November 2002 to promote the compilation, even though the song was originally released in 1997.
Björk's notes for the project, as featured on the individual CD artworks, reveal that "Immature" and "My Spine" were initially considered to feature on the compilation, as well as track(s) recorded with British composer John Tavener.
Track listing
CD 1: Roots 1
Time length: 14:05.
- "Síðasta Ég" (The Elgar Sisters) - 3.00 (Originally released on the Big Time Sensuality single)
- "Glóra" (The Elgar Sisters) - 1.42 (Flute instrumental, originally released on the Big Time Sensuality single)
- "Fuglar" (KUKL) - 3.00 (also known as "Seagull" on the album The Eye)
- "Ammæli" (The Sugarcubes) - 3:55 (First time on CD)
- "Mamma" (The Sugarcubes) - 02:57
CD 2: Roots 2
Time length: 17:28.
- "Immature" - 02:53 (Björk's version, originally released on the Jóga single)
- "Cover Me" - 03:07 (Cave version, originally released on the Army of Me single)
- "Generous Palmstroke" - 04:42 (Live, also appears on later release Vespertine Live album)
- "Jóga" (Strings and vocals) - 04:42 (Originally released on the Jóga single)
- "Mother Heroic" - 02:44 (B-side, originally released on the Hidden Place single)
CD 3: Beats
Time length: 16:28.
- "The Modern Things" - 04:11 (Demo version, previously unreleased)
- "Karvel" - 04:30 (Originally released on the I Miss You single)
- "I Go Humble" - 04:47 (Originally released on the Isobel single)
- "Nature Is Ancient" - 03:40 (Originally released, titled as "My Snare", on the Bachelorette single)
CD 4: Strings 1
Time length: 18:18.
All the tracks are string version of the original songs recorded live at Union Chapel.
- "Unravel" - 03:38
- "Cover Me" - 02.50
- "Possibly Maybe" - 04:55
- "The Anchor Song" - 03:44
- "Hunter" - 04:31
CD 5: Strings 2
Time length: 19:00.
All the tracks are string version of the original songs recorded live at Union Chapel.
- "All Neon Like" - 05:07
- "I've Seen It All" - 05:59
- "Bachelorette" - 05:09
- "Play Dead" - 03:25
CD 6: Greatest Hits as Chosen by Björk
Time length: 59:25.
- "Venus as a Boy" - 04:41
- "Hyperballad" - 05:23
- "You've Been Flirting Again" - 02:29
- "Isobel" - 05:23
- "Jóga" - 05:04
- "Unravel" - 03:18
- "Bachelorette" - 05:17
- "All Is Full of Love" - 04:46 (Video version)
- "Scatterheart" - 06:39
- "I've Seen It All" - 05:29
- "Pagan Poetry" - 05:14
- "It's Not Up To You" - 05:08
Booklet - Words
- "All is Full of Love" (Björk)
- "Aurora" (Björk)
- "Cocoon" (Björk and Thomas Knak)
- "Cover Me" (Björk)
- "Headphones" (Björk and Tricky)
- "Human Behaviour" (Björk)
- "Hyperballad" (Björk)
- "Jóga" (Björk and Sjón)
- "Pagan Poetry" (Björk)
- "Pluto" (Björk and Mark Bell)
- "Scatterheart" (Björk, Sjón and Lars von Trier)
- "The Anchor Song" (Björk)
- "The Modern Things" (Björk)
- "Unravel" (Björk)
- "Venus as a Boy" (Björk)
- "All Neon Like" (Björk)
"Nature Is Ancient"
"Nature Is Ancient" was a promotional song taken from the compilation. Originally, it was a B-side to the "Bachelorette" single, but it was later included on Family Tree. A music video for the song, directed by Lynn Fox, was released in November 2002 to promote the compilation, even though the song was originally released in 1997.[6] The video was also released on the compilation Greatest Hits - Volumen 1993–2003.
Charts
Chart (2003) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Top Electronic Albums | 6[7] |
France | 100[8] |
Denmark | 39[9] |
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Blender review Archived October 24, 2004, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Feliciano, Kristina (18 November 2002). ""Family Tree"; "Greatest Hits" Review". Entertainment Weekly: 106. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
- ↑ Pitchfork Media review
- ↑ Stylus Magazine review
- ↑ http://unit.bjork.com/specials/gh/extra/index.html
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/2003-01-11/dance-electronic-albums
- ↑ http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?key=36221&cat=a
- ↑ http://danishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Bj%F6rk&titel=Family+Tree&cat=a