The Private Press is the second studio album by American hip hop producer DJ Shadow, released by MCA Records on June 4, 2002. It peaked at number 44 on the Billboard 200 chart.[2]

The Private Press
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 4, 2002 (2002-06-04)
StudioThe Parlor of Mystery
GenreInstrumental hip hop[1]
Length56:57
LabelMCA
ProducerDJ Shadow
DJ Shadow chronology
Preemptive Strike
(1998)
The Private Press
(2002)
The Private Repress
(2003)
Singles from The Private Press
  1. "You Can't Go Home Again"
    Released: 2002
  2. "Six Days"
    Released: 2002
  3. "Mashin' on the Motorway"
    Released: 2003

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[5]
The Guardian     [6]
Los Angeles Times    [7]
NME6/10[8]
Pitchfork7.0/10[9]
Q     [10]
Rolling Stone     [11]
Uncut     [12]
The Village VoiceA[13]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]

David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "When Shadow incorporates a bit of '80s synth-pop here or industrial grind there, he's like a conductor waving in new instrumentalists with the flick of his wrist."[5] Pascal Wyse of The Guardian commented that "It is strange for someone who 'creates' so few of his own sounds to have such a distinctive voice, but Shadow finds little ghosts in other people's music and sets them free."[6] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called it "an album full of playful experiments."[11]

Spin included the album on the "40 Best Albums of 2002" list.[14]

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."(Letter from Home)"
  • Josh Davis
1:09
2."Fixed Income"
  • Davis
  • Steve Cataldo
4:49
3."Un Autre Introduction"
  • Davis
  • François Bernard
  • Michaël Larcanche
0:44
4."Walkie Talkie"
  • Davis
2:27
5."Giving Up the Ghost"
  • Davis
6:30
6."Six Days"
  • Davis
  • Brian Farrell
  • Dennis Oliveri
5:02
7."Mongrel..."
  • Davis
  • Franco Falsini
2:20
8."...Meets His Maker"
  • Davis
  • Falsini
3:02
9."Right Thing/GDMFSOB"
  • Davis
4:20
10."Monosylabik"
  • Davis
6:46
11."Mashin' on the Motorway"
  • Davis
  • Lateef Daumont
2:58
12."Blood on the Motorway"
  • Davis
9:12
13."You Can't Go Home Again"
  • Davis
7:03
14."(Letter from Home)"
  • Davis
0:57
Japanese edition CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
15."Flashback"3:51
16."Dark Days (Main Theme)"4:30
Limited edition CD bonus track
No.TitleLength
15."Giving Up the Ghost" (original version)6:14
Limited edition CD bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Pushin' Buttons Live" (featuring Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark)12:41
Tour edition CD bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Right Thing" (Z-Trip 'get the party off mix' in three parts)6:18
2."Six Days" (Soulwax mix)5:18
3."GDMFSOB" (Unkle uncensored)6:26
4."Six Days" (remix)3:52
5."Walkie Talkie" (radio edit)3:16
6."Mashin' on the Motorway" (radio edit)2:39

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from liner notes.

  • DJ Shadow – production, arrangement, art direction
  • Tim Young – mastering
  • Keith Tamashiro – art direction
  • B+ – photography

Charts edit

Chart Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 20
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 54
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] 37
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 75
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[21] 16
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 8
US Billboard 200[2] 44
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[23] 3

Year-end charts edit

Chart (2002) Position
Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[24] 161

References edit

  1. ^ Levy, Doug (June 3, 2002). "Beat Master". CMJ New Music Report: 10.
  2. ^ a b "DJ Shadow Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Reviews for The Private Press by DJ Shadow". Metacritic. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
  4. ^ Bush, John. "The Private Press – DJ Shadow". AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Browne, David (June 14, 2002). "The Private Press". Entertainment Weekly. No. 658. ISSN 1049-0434. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Wyse, Pascal (May 31, 2002). "Spin doctor". The Guardian. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  7. ^ Hochman, Steve (June 9, 2002). "Caught on Tape: Echoes of Lives and Dreams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  8. ^ Segal, Victoria (May 18, 2002). "DJ Shadow : The Private Press". NME. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  9. ^ Pecoraro, David M. (June 5, 2002). "DJ Shadow: The Private Press". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  10. ^ "DJ Shadow: The Private Press". Q (190): 107. May 2002.
  11. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (May 22, 2002). "DJ Shadow : The Private Press". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  12. ^ "DJ Shadow: The Private Press". Uncut (61): 127. June 2002.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert (July 16, 2002). "Consumer Guide: Spreading the Net". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  14. ^ "The 40 Best Albums of 2002: DJ Shadow, The Private Press (MCA)". Spin. December 31, 2002. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – DJ Shadow – The Private Press". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – DJ Shadow – The Private Press" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – DJ Shadow – The Private Press" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  18. ^ "DJ Shadow: The Private Press" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  19. ^ "Lescharts.com – DJ Shadow – The Private Press". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – DJ Shadow – The Private Press" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  21. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – DJ Shadow – The Private Press". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  23. ^ "DJ Shadow Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  24. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 2, 2004. Retrieved March 28, 2022.

External links edit