| Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 January 2004 | |||
| Recorded | September 2003 | |||
| Studio | Bryn Derwen, Wales | |||
| Genre | Neo-psychedelia | |||
| Length | 27:59 | |||
| Label | Deltasonic | |||
| Producer |
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| the Coral chronology | ||||
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Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker is a mini album and third studio album by English rock band the Coral, released on 26 January 2004 by Deltasonic. The Coral began writing the record less than a month after releasing their second studio album, Magic and Medicine (2003). Recording for the album took place over 12 days at Bryn Derwen Studios in Wales with producer Ian Broudie, frontman for the Lightning Seeds; the Coral served as co-producers. Described as a lo-fi neo-psychedelia release, Nightfreak is a concept album about German tennis player Boris Becker.
Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker received generally favourable reviews from music critics, with particular compliments for the songwriting. Comparisons have been made to the work of Captain Beefheart and to the Mwng (2000) era of Super Furry Animals. Commercially, the album reached number four on the Scottish Albums Charts and number five on the UK Albums Chart, while also charting in France, Ireland, and Japan. The album received little promotion and no single releases, as the Coral viewed it as a stop-gap release between Magic and Medicine and their next full-length studio album. Only 75,000 copies of Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker were initially released in the UK.