Beetroot (album)

Beetroot
Studio album by Cast
Released	30 July 2001 (2001-07-30)
Recorded	Astoria, London; Real World, Box, Wiltshire
Genre	Rock
Length	44:01
Label	Polydor
Producer	Tristin Norwell, John Power
Cast chronology
Magic Hour (1999) Beetroot (2001) The Collection (2004)
Singles from Beetroot
"Desert Drought" Released: 16 July 2001

Beetroot is the fourth album by the English band Cast, released on 30 July 2001. From the album, a single was released, "Desert Drought", which reached #45 in the UK Singles Chart. Two further intended singles, "Kingdoms And Crowns" and "Giving It All Away" were cancelled due to the album and first single's poor sales.

Background

In the run up to the album's release, the band ran a competition via their then-official website, appealing to fans to submit their own ideas for possible album titles, as the band proposed that they would choose a title from all of the entries received. However, despite the many suggestions, John ultimately decided to stick with his own working title for the project, 'Beetroot'.[1]

Although the band chose not to use any of the names suggested, they did make a Top 10 list of alternate album titles:[1]

• '4Cast'
• 'All of Us Are'
• 'Out From Within'
• 'Pyramid'
• 'Recreativity'
• 'Reflector'
• 'Sense & Sensemilia'
• 'So It Goes'
• 'Spirit Level'
• 'What Remains To Be Discovered?'

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Gigslutz	4/5[3]
God Is in the TV	1.5/5[4]
The Guardian	[5]
Is this music?	[6]
NME	[7]
Record Collector	[8]

In a retrospective review, Jamie Atkins of Record Collector said the album and its predecessor showcase a band attempting to "break new ground," while Beetroot "in particular containing their most adventurous work [...] It all just lacks wit, imagination and conviction".[8]

Track listing

All songs written by John Power.

1. "Desert Drought" – 2:47
2. "Heal Me" – 1:36
3. "Curtains" – 3:25
4. "Kingdoms and Crowns" – 3:41
5. "Giving It All Away" – 4:17
6. "Lose Myself" – 4:09
7. "I Never Can Say" – 4:31
8. "High Wire" – 3:56
9. "Meditations" – 3:49
10. "JetSteam" – 4:32
11. "U-Turn" – 3:12
12. "Universal Grinding Wheel" – 3:59

Personnel

Cast

• John Power – vocals, guitar, backing vocals, producer, mixing, arrangements
• Peter Wilkinson – bass, backing vocals
• Liam "Skin" Tyson – guitar, backing vocals
• Keith O'Neill – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Production

• Tristin Norwell – producer, engineer, mixing, arrangements
• Simon B. Sheridan – engineer
• Claire Lewis – assistant engineer
• Damon Iddins – assistant engineer
• Adrian Hall – assistant engineer
• The Weathermen – Pro Tools operator
• Lawrence Johnson – additional vocal arrangements
• Kevin Metcalfe – mastering

Additional musicians

• Lurine Cato – backing vocals
• Michelle John – backing vocals
• Rachel McFarlane – backing vocals
• David Farmer – brass
• David Vines – brass
• David Williamson – brass
• James Watson – brass
• Richard Brown – brass
• Tom Edwards – brass
• Tom Watson – brass
• William Watson – brass
• Paul Ellison – piano, flute

Additional personnel

• Matthew Sankey – design
• Barry Dawson – photography
• Martyn Goodacre – photography
• Brian Cannon – photography

Chart performance

Chart (2001)	Peak position
UK Albums Chart	78

References

1. "ALBUM TITLE COMP NEWS", cast.co.uk, 1 June 2001
2. Sendra, Tim. "Beetroot – Cast". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
3. Bull, Dan (28 February 2014). "Album Review: 'Deluxe Remasters' Cast". Gigslutz. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
4. Scott, Ben P (4 February 2001). "BritPop Month: Cast – Deluxe Editions: 'All Change'/'Mother Nature Calls'/'Magic Hour'/'Beetroot' (Edsel Records)". God Is in the TV. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
5. Clarke, Betty (27 July 2001). "Stay conscious". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
6. Jupp, Ed (28 February 2014). "Cast All Change / Mother Nature Calls / Magic Hour'/ Beetroot". Is this music?. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
7. Pattison, Louis. "Cast : Beetroot". NME. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
8. Atkins, Jamie (March 2014). "Reviews". Record Collector (425): 90. ISSN 0261-250X.

External links

• Beetroot at Billboard Archived 6 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine