In Search of... (N.E.R.D. album)
In Search of... is the debut studio album by American funk rock band N.E.R.D. The group originally released the album on August 6, 2001 in Europe, where Kelis' Wanderland—produced by The Neptunes, consisting of N.E.R.D. members Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo—was better received. Similarly to Kelis' early work, the original version of In Search of... juxtaposes hip hop and rock influences and styles. The album is named after the TV series In Search of..., hosted by Leonard Nimoy.
On March 12, 2002, In Search of... was re-released worldwide, with the largely electronic production backing of the album replaced by live backing provided by 1960s-style power pop band Spymob, giving the new version of the album a more rock-oriented sound. The skits and the intro from the original album were also dropped, significantly shortening the play length.
First release
The 2001 version of In Search of..., also known as the "electronic version", features prominent digital-based production, including drum machines and synthesizers, as the backing tracks, with a sound more typical of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo's production work as The Neptunes.The album features three skits book-ended to the tracks "Things Are Getting Better", "Stay Together" and "Tape You" telling the loose story of N.E.R.D. member Shay Haley meeting two female high-school groupies in a locker room, ludicrously calling in an escort, and taping them during sexual acts.
After the ending of "Bobby James", an unnamed 1:37 instrumental track starts with a child-like voice saying something unintelligible before being joined by a warp sound followed by a repetition of drums and futuristic sounds. Pharrell can be heard in the background doing ad libs as the drums pick up. A saxophone joins the melody three quarters of the way through and then dominates toward the end. At the outro, Pharrell ad libs one last time as the drums end, the futuristic wails wind down and the saxophone plays a few extra notes before fading out.
Re-release
For its 2002 worldwide release, N.E.R.D. withdrew the original European version of In Search of... and in its place issued a re-recorded version of the album, also known as the "rock version", with the electronic backings of the original version being replaced by a more rock-oriented sound with the use of live drums and guitars played by American funk rock band Spymob. After the making of this version, Chad Hugo learned to play the guitar and the band have since kept to this style, now mostly playing their own instruments. Explaining the creation of the new version, Pharrell Williams has stated that as N.E.R.D. was to be an entirely different venture to his and Hugo's work with the Neptunes, the band's music should also sound different, hence the decision to re-record the album.The 2002 version cuts the intro and three skits found on the original album and features a slightly re-arranged track listing. The change of tactics in the re-release also allowed the group to tour and play live as N.E.R.D. more easily. It was released as an enhanced CD with extra CD-ROM material as well.