Human Being (album)
| Human Being | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 16 November 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1996–1998 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:35 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Trevor Horn | |||
| Seal chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Human Being | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[2] |
| Rolling Stone |  [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Human Being is the third studio album by Seal, released in 1998. The title track was written about late rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.[1] Human Being received mixed reviews ranging from being panned for its overtly dark and moody feel,[3] to being described in terms such as "pop perfection".[1] The album failed to sell in the same way as his 1994 multi-platinum album, Seal. However, it is a fan favourite and was inspired by his then-girlfriend, Tyra Banks and their breakup.[citation needed]
A remix of "Lost My Faith" was featured over the closing credits of the 1999 film Entrapment, and the song's single release was accompanied by a music video in which Seal is integrated into scenes from the film alongside Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones.[citation needed]
The cover art for the album was shot by French fashion photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino.[5]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Human Beings" | Seal | 4:47 |
| 2. | "State of Grace" |
| 5:00 |
| 3. | "Latest Craze" |
| 4:28 |
| 4. | "Just Like You Said" |
| 4:17 |
| 5. | "Princess" | Seal | 1:58 |
| 6. | "Lost My Faith" |
| 4:38 |
| 7. | "Excerpt From" | Seal | 3:04 |
| 8. | "When a Man Is Wrong" | Seal | 4:21 |
| 9. | "Colour" | Seal | 5:22 |
| 10. | "Still Love Remains" | Seal | 5:54 |
| 11. | "No Easy Way" | Seal | 4:48 |
| 12. | "Human Beings (Reprise)" | Seal | 3:28 |
| Total length: | 52:05 | ||
Personnel
[edit]- Seal – vocals, guitars, bass
- Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards, programming, bass
- Lisa Coleman – additional keyboards
- George De Angelis – additional keyboards
- Mike Garson – additional keyboards
- Grant Mitchell – additional keyboards, programming
- Dave Palmer – additional keyboards
- David Sancious – additional keyboards
- Dave McCracken – programming
- William Orbit – programming
- Andy Richards – programming
- Danny Saber – programming, additional guitars
- Chris Bruce – guitars, bass
- Earl Harvin – guitars, bass, drums
- Gregg Arreguin – additional guitars
- Gus Isadore – additional guitars
- Chester Kamen – additional guitars
- Wendy Melvoin – additional guitars
- Ramón Stagnaro – additional guitars
- Alex Acuña – percussion
- Andy Duncan – percussion
- Anne Dudley – string arrangements
- Nick Ingman – string arrangements
- Wil Malone – string arrangements
- Aaron Zigman – string arrangements
Production
[edit]- Trevor Horn – producer
- Steve Fitzmaurice – recording, mixing
- Tim Weidner – recording, mixing
- Michael Perfitt – recording assistant, additional engineer
- Tom Elmhirst – additional engineer
- Gregg Jackman – additional engineer
- Richard Lowe – additional engineer, mixing (7)
- Steve Orchard – additional engineer
- Mike Ross-Trevor – additional engineer
- Alex Black – assistant engineer
- Stuart Brawley – assistant engineer
- Rob Brill – assistant engineer
- Andre Coulam – assistant engineer
- Andy Davies – assistant engineer
- Tony Flores – assistant engineer
- Gordon Fordyce – assistant engineer
- Billy Gibson – assistant engineer
- Barry Goldberg – assistant engineer
- Mark Lane – assistant engineer
- Luis Quine – assistant engineer
- Iain Roberson – assistant engineer
- Paul Silveira – assistant engineer
- Dan Vickers – assistant engineer
- Tim Wills – assistant engineer
- Don C. Tyler – digital editing
- Alexander Areteos – technical assistant
- Justin Fraser – technical assistant
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, California)
- Debbie Caponetta – production coordinator
- Pat Dorn – production coordinator
- Tom Mayhue – production coordinator
- Augusta Quiney – production coordinator
- Melanie Niessen – art direction
- Matt Coonrod – design
- Jean-Baptiste Mondino – photography
- Bob Cavallo – management
- Rebecca Mostow – management
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] | 82 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] | 21 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] | 25 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] | 24 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] | 14 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] | 18 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 44 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 22 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[14] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[15] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Prato, Greg (17 November 1998). "Human Being - Seal". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ David Browne (16 November 1998). "Human Being Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ a b Evelyn McDonnell (17 November 1998). "Seal: Human Being : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Seal". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 723. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ "SEAL on Instagram: "'Human Beings' (My Favourite of My Album Covers) #jeanbaptistemondino #albumcover"". Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2019 – via Instagram.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 246.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Seal – Human Being" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Human Being" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Seal – Human Being" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Seal – Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Human Being". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Seal – Human Being". Recorded Music NZ.
- ^ "British album certifications – Seal – Human Being". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Seal – Human Being". Recording Industry Association of America.
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