BE (stylised as BE) is the second and final studio album by English rock band Beady Eye, released on . It was recorded between November 2012 and March 2013 and produced by Dave Sitek. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, behind Black Sabbath's 13. Contemporary reviews were mixed, often focusing on Sitek's production and the band's shift toward more overtly psychedelic textures compared to their debut.
After releasing Different Gear, Still Speeding (2011), Beady Eye looked for a producer who could push them further than their debut had. In a 2013 interview with The Quietus, Gem Archer said that Dan Auerbach and Nick Launay were both considered before "Dave's name came up". In the same interview, Liam Gallagher said the band did not want "a run of the mill" producer and were looking for something "a little bit leftfield", while Andy Bell said "the fact that we took chances musically" developed from the band's rapport with Sitek. Chris Sharrock joked that the only thing he had previously heard associated with TV on the Radio was "Tommy Vance".
Gallagher said that Sitek had already begun reworking "Flick of the Finger" before the rest of the band had properly settled into the sessions, and that hearing what he did with that song and "Soul Love" persuaded Beady Eye to let him keep reshaping the material. Bell added that Sitek's fast working method suited the band because they were "quite impatient", and contrasted the sessions with an earlier, slower attempted collaboration between Oasis and Death in Vegas. In a separate ShortList track-by-track feature, Gallagher described "Second Bite of the Apple" as the song Sitek changed the most and said, "There's a lot more magic on this album."
Gallagher later said he had wanted the album to be titled Universal Gleam, but was outvoted by the rest of the band and label. The phrase was later used for the title of a track on Gallagher's debut solo album As You Were.
Reviewers frequently characterised BE as a rock album with prominent psychedelic colouring, and as a deliberate departure from the comparatively straight-ahead approach of Beady Eye's debut. The Guardian highlighted motorik and Velvet Underground-like impulses in the rhythm section and arrangements, while noting brass and disorienting guitar textures across the record. Pitchfork argued that Sitek's cleaner, more detailed production emphasised the band's songwriting strengths and weaknesses more starkly than on earlier work. Paste described the record as darker and more brooding overall, while also pointing to moments of warmth and uplift in the sequencing.
The first track released from the album was "Flick of the Finger", premiered via the band's official website alongside a music video. Although it charted in the UK, it was not billed as the lead single.
The first official single was "Second Bite of the Apple". The song was originally scheduled for first UK radio play on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 programme on 15 April 2013 before being rescheduled to 29 April. It was later performed on The Voice UK during the semi-final broadcast on 15 June 2013.
The double A-side "Shine a Light" / "The World's Not Set in Stone" was released on 19 August 2013, followed by the double A-side "Iz Rite" / "Soul Love" on 25 November 2013.
The band used an internet-based promotional campaign in which users could unlock stems for "Flick of the Finger" by sharing the group's website. On 4 June 2013, NME reported that the album was streaming in full online via iTunes ahead of release. BE was issued in standard and deluxe editions, with deluxe and Japanese editions featuring additional tracks.
The album (and subsequent single) artwork was designed by Trevor Jackson and features photographs by Harry Peccinotti, originally shot for NOVA magazine. The cover was reportedly banned in several outlets due to visible nudity; Gallagher criticised the ban in interviews. Later physical copies used a sticker to obscure the image, and some digital versions cropped it.
BE received a mixed critical reception. Several reviewers praised the band for attempting to broaden their sound through Sitek's production choices, while detractors criticised the lyrics and the coherence of the experimentation.
Some later fan discussion has treated the album as a stronger statement than the group's debut, particularly for its more adventurous production approach.
All tracks produced by Dave Sitek and Beady Eye.
Beady Eye
Production