The Three E.P.'s is a compilation album of the first three releases by Scottish musical group The Beta Band, comprising the EPs Champion Versions, The Patty Patty Sound and Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos. The album was released on 28 September 1998 in the United Kingdom by Regal and on 26 January 1999 in the United States by Astralwerks. Its cover art includes the main image from each of the EPs.

The Three E.P.'s
Compilation album by
Released28 September 1998 (1998-09-28)
Recorded1997–1998
Genre
Length78:12
LabelRegal
Producer
The Beta Band chronology
Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos
(1998)
The Three E.P.'s
(1998)
The Beta Band
(1999)

The Three E.P.'s was prominently featured in a scene from the 2000 film High Fidelity, in which record store owner Rob Gordon (John Cusack) tells his co-workers that he would sell five copies of the album, and plays "Dry the Rain" in his store for his customers.[3] Astralwerks, the band's American label, reported that sales of The Three E.P.'s had quadrupled within a month of the film's March 2000 release.[3]

Front man Steve Mason later said, "At the time I just thought this is the way all music should be made. I hated the people who were just in bands; who the fuck wants to be in a band with a guitarist and a bassist and a lead singer? All this Britpop shit had been rammed down everyone's throats. Honesty and experimentation were our weapons of choice."[4]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[6]
The Guardian     [7]
Los Angeles Times    [8]
NME8/10[9]
Pitchfork8.4/10[10]
Record Collector     [11]
Rolling Stone     [12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [13]
Uncut8/10[14]

In 2000, Q magazine placed The Three E.P.'s at number 74 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.[15] Pitchfork placed the album at number 23 in its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s.[16]

Track listing

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Champion Versions
No.TitleLength
1."Dry the Rain"6:05
2."I Know"3:58
3."B + A"6:35
4."Dogs Got a Bone"5:58
The Patty Patty Sound
No.TitleLength
5."Inner Meet Me"6:20
6."The House Song"7:15
7."Monolith"15:48
8."She's the One"8:21
Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos
No.TitleLength
9."Push It Out"5:22
10."It's Over"3:50
11."Dr. Baker"4:08
12."Needles in My Eyes"4:32
Total length:78:12

Charts

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Chart (1998) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] 38
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 35
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[19] 4

Notes

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  1. ^ Southall, Nick (27 April 2007). "Top Ten Postrock Albums". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  2. ^ Williams, Martin (8 February 2019). "Review: Ex-Beta Band front man Steve Mason brighter with 4th album About The Light". The Herald. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "'High Fidelity' Boosts Beta Band Sales". MTV News. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  4. ^ Daryl Easlea (1 May 2023). "Fife Star". Record Collector. p. 65.
  5. ^ Warshaw, Aaron. "The Three E.P.'s – The Beta Band". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  6. ^ Browne, David (22 January 1999). "The Three E.P.'s". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  7. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (2 October 1998). "The Beta Band: The 3 EPs (Regal)". The Guardian.
  8. ^ Weingarten, Marc (30 January 1999). "The Beta Band, 'The Three E.P.'s,' Caroline/Astralwerks". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  9. ^ Cameron, Keith (15 September 1998). "The Beta Band – The 3 EPs". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  10. ^ Thompson, Paul (24 September 2018). "The Beta Band: The Three EPs". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  11. ^ Easlea, Daryl (October 2018). "The Beta Band – The Three EPs". Record Collector (484). Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  12. ^ Fricke, David (12 January 1999). "The Beta Band: The Three EPs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 May 2006. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  13. ^ Randall, Mac (2004). "The Beta Band". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 67. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  14. ^ Pattison, Louis (November 2018). "The Beta Band: The Three EPs". Uncut (258): 43.
  15. ^ "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever". Q (165). June 2000.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. 17 November 2003. p. 8. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  19. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 September 2018.