Biography of Eels

Several years before he formed the Eels in 1995, vocalist/guitarist (E) (born Mark Oliver Everett) released two underrated solo albums for Polydor. Taking the same idiocratic pop sensibility but with an increased use of trip-hop technology, the eels -- (E) plus Tommy Walter and Butch Norton -- signed to the Dreamworks label and released Beautiful Freak in mid-1996. The single "Novocaine for the Soul" became a number one hit on alternative radio and received three MTV Video Music Awards in 1997. The multi-faceted Electro-Shock Blues followed in 1998. This particular album captured the haunting loss of E's mother and the tragic suicide of his sister. Adam Siegel (bass) joined the eels at this time and two years later the group returned with Daisies of the Galaxy. Taking on the same tones as the previous album, Daisies of the Galaxy featured collaborations with R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Grant Lee Phillips. "I Like Birds" and "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues were mainstays among college radio and the Eels Orchestra 2000 toured across the globe. E didn't stop, for he joined Fiona Apple for a solo tour in fall 2000 and contributed "Christmas Is Going to the Dogs" to the How the Grinch Stole Christmas soundtrack. A fourth album, Souljacker, which featured production work by John Parish (PJ Harvey), was issued on Dreamworks in spring 2002. ~ John Bush