diff --git a/beets/mediafile.py b/beets/mediafile.py
index 99615203c..c5f88d929 100644
--- a/beets/mediafile.py
+++ b/beets/mediafile.py
@@ -1016,11 +1016,15 @@ class DateField(MediaField):
         datestring = MediaField.__get__(self, mediafile, None)
         datestring = re.sub(r'[Tt ].*$', '', unicode(datestring))
         items = unicode(datestring).split('-')
+        # A date with more than 3 components is not a date we understand.  In
+        # that case, act like we saw no date components.
+        if len(items) > 3:
+            items = []
         items = items + [None] * (3 - len(items))
         if not items[0] and hasattr(self, '_year_field'):
             # Fallback to addition year field
             items[0] = self._year_field.__get__(mediafile)
-        return [int(item or 0) for item in items]
+        return [_safe_cast(int, item) for item in items]
 
     def _set_date_tuple(self, mediafile, year, month=None, day=None):
         date = [year or 0]
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.alac.m4a b/test/rsrc/unparseable.alac.m4a
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..41af16953
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.alac.m4a differ
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.ape b/test/rsrc/unparseable.ape
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7c4fa260f
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.ape differ
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.flac b/test/rsrc/unparseable.flac
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c587ab0d3
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.flac differ
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.m4a b/test/rsrc/unparseable.m4a
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..766439636
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.m4a differ
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.mp3 b/test/rsrc/unparseable.mp3
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bff454ef7
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.mp3 differ
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.mpc b/test/rsrc/unparseable.mpc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3dd7d5798
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.mpc differ
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.ogg b/test/rsrc/unparseable.ogg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8cdc0e2b0
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.ogg differ
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.opus b/test/rsrc/unparseable.opus
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ca26834e8
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.opus differ
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.wma b/test/rsrc/unparseable.wma
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5df6fbee2
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.wma differ
diff --git a/test/rsrc/unparseable.wv b/test/rsrc/unparseable.wv
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7a141bc2a
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/rsrc/unparseable.wv differ
diff --git a/test/test_mediafile.py b/test/test_mediafile.py
index e8ec31ed2..92035825b 100644
--- a/test/test_mediafile.py
+++ b/test/test_mediafile.py
@@ -467,6 +467,11 @@ class ReadWriteTestBase(ArtTestMixin, GenreListTestMixin):
         self.assertEqual(mediafile.disc, 10)
         self.assertEqual(mediafile.disctotal, 0)
 
+    def test_unparseable_date(self):
+        mediafile = self._mediafile_fixture('unparseable')
+
+        self.assertEqual(mediafile.year, 0)
+        self.assertEqual(mediafile.date, datetime.date.min)
 
     def assertTags(self, mediafile, tags):
         __unittest = True