If you want to hear a weird stylistic evolution, listen to the way he attempts to sing folk on some of his 1991-92 demos (thinking Don't Get Bent Out of Shape and/or Fresh Meat and Old Slabs here) -- he does just fine as a screaming anti-folk Fluxus psycho ("Fume") but some of the songs which seem to be geared more towards a straight-faced folk/blues/roots sound are almost unbearable; stuff like "Why Can't I Believe In You" are halfway competent but just croaky and nasal enough to make it somewhat grating. It's a voice more suited for singing weird songs about getting cut in half than it is for Woody Guthrie-style folk. Fortunately he got his shit together around '93 or so, when he recorded parts of Stereopathetic Soulmanure and One Foot in the Grave and sung those sorts of songs with a more subdued and controlled voice. (All you have to do is compare his '92 recording of "Hollow Log" from Fresh Meat with the one from One Foot -- though maybe it's part in the recording technique.) Now compare that '93/'94 stuff -- and songs like "Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997" and "Ramshackle" (recorded in '94, tacked onto the end of Odelay) -- to "Jack-Ass"... and then compare "Jack-Ass" to anything from Sea Change.
― nate detritus (natedetritus), Saturday, 20 December 2003 19:11 (twenty years ago) link
― Stupid (Stupid), Saturday, 20 December 2003 19:30 (twenty years ago) link
― 47% stupid, Monday, 6 September 2004 16:03 (nineteen years ago) link
― Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Monday, 6 September 2004 21:56 (nineteen years ago) link
anyone dare argue?
...well founded criticism more than welcome..
― peter pumpkins pie, Wednesday, 27 October 2004 12:54 (nineteen years ago) link
So did he, apparently.
― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:08 (nineteen years ago) link
purist.i say 'odelay', of course. 'sea change' is a great record, too, despite the fact that some critics couldn't manage that he was being serious all of a sudden. it didn't fit in with their preconceptions of him so they slagged it with the usual "he's just wearing another mask" type of bla bla.
looking forward to the next one. i hear it's a really upbeat, messed-up record. great!
― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― sometimes i like to pretend i am very small and warm (ex machina), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― B.A.R.M.S. (Barima), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― sometimes i like to pretend i am very small and warm (ex machina), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:15 (nineteen years ago) link
1.) I'm trying to figure out what song I recently saw Beck perform on an old SNL. It was with a backing band of about 5 or 6 people (with female vocalist(s)) and was really funky-like. My guess is that it was definitely post-Odelay but pre-Sea Change. It was very good.
2.) Does anyone remember that NY Times Magazine article a few years back that had a graphic of what songs were on Beck's iPod? By chance does anyone know if it is posted somewhere online?
I thank you.
― PB, Thursday, 28 July 2005 16:39 (eighteen years ago) link
Beck's 198-Track MindPublished: March 17, 2002, Sunday
― Rob Upt1ght., Thursday, 28 July 2005 17:21 (eighteen years ago) link
His appearance on MTV's 120 Minutes. The one where he and Thurston Moore smash up a phone.
No, that's not being ironic. That's being retarded.
― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 28 July 2005 19:19 (eighteen years ago) link
― YouBETTERKnow, Friday, 18 November 2005 03:09 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Friday, 18 November 2005 03:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― bart vandever, Wednesday, 10 May 2006 04:49 (eighteen years ago) link
― jäxøñ (jaxon), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 04:58 (eighteen years ago) link
― bart garfunkel, Wednesday, 10 May 2006 05:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 05:30 (eighteen years ago) link
― lady river (la pecheur reine), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 09:57 (eighteen years ago) link
uh, he was pretty much born into scientology
― jäxøñ (jaxon), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 15:25 (eighteen years ago) link
― lady river (la pecheur reine), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 21:46 (eighteen years ago) link
― gear (gear), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 21:49 (eighteen years ago) link
― lady river (la pecheur reine), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 21:53 (eighteen years ago) link
― gear (gear), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 21:55 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 21:57 (eighteen years ago) link
Candycane Shim-sham
by Beck
Candy-cane shimshamlove to make the door jamup until the sun risethinking 'bout fruit pies
planning for the end daystaking in some heat raysmaking all the girls crywaiting til the pearls dry
ETC. WHATEVA
and the remix album? yipes.
― banana cruiseship (dayvidday), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 21:59 (eighteen years ago) link
making all the girls crywaiting til the pearls dry
no one's ever heard of a pearl necklace? it does take some time to dry.
― lady river (la pecheur reine), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 22:09 (eighteen years ago) link
― gear (gear), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 22:14 (eighteen years ago) link
A generation of kids embracing a song whose refrain is "I'm a loser" seems pretty ironic to me. And I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm pretty sure Beck is not calling himself a loser in this song, but rather he's being "tongue in cheek," which some people like to refer to as "irony." However I don't think Beck's music has ever strived specifically for irony. But yeah, you asked for one thing, and there it is.
Mutations remains one of the most beautiful and perfect records I've ever heard.
― billstevejim (billstevejim), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 22:50 (eighteen years ago) link
― gear (gear), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 22:51 (eighteen years ago) link
http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/663/threeboobs0xr.jpg
― jäxøñ (jaxon), Wednesday, 10 May 2006 23:52 (eighteen years ago) link
― Harrison Barr (Petar), Thursday, 11 May 2006 00:22 (eighteen years ago) link
i guess sarcasm doesn't transfer in print gear
― lady river (la pecheur reine), Thursday, 11 May 2006 02:09 (eighteen years ago) link
― eedd, Thursday, 11 May 2006 13:29 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dave Depper (Dave Depper), Saturday, 23 September 2006 23:00 (seventeen years ago) link
!I'm gonna have to hear that. Here is Information thread:
is the new Beck album "The Information" going under the radar?
― Marmot (marmotwolof), Saturday, 23 September 2006 23:16 (seventeen years ago) link
― Dave Depper (Dave Depper), Saturday, 23 September 2006 23:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― JB Young (JB Young), Sunday, 24 September 2006 15:07 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 24 September 2006 17:56 (seventeen years ago) link
Liking the new album a lot.
― Bob Six, Sunday, 6 July 2008 23:48 (fifteen years ago) link
there is a whole thread for that album:
Beck - Modern Guilt
― Bee OK, Monday, 7 July 2008 00:26 (fifteen years ago) link
his remake of diamond dogs with timbo is one of the best things either have ever done. shame they didnt do more together.
― titchyschneiderMk2, Sunday, 23 November 2008 19:07 (fifteen years ago) link
Never saw the pants-wetting deal about this schmuck. Ween is far better and funnier. Mixing genres of music is nothing new and it's NOT an indication of genius.
― ilxor, Thursday, 26 March 2009 03:22 (fifteen years ago) link
Two Beck questions:1.) I'm trying to figure out what song I recently saw Beck perform on an old SNL. It was with a backing band of about 5 or 6 people (with female vocalist(s)) and was really funky-like. My guess is that it was definitely post-Odelay but pre-Sea Change. It was very good.
Belatedly, here is the answer to question 2 (a graphic in PDF):
Out of the 8,000 songs Beck has downloaded onto his hard drive, he's got a rotating mix of hundreds on his iPod that he updates daily. This is what Beck was listening to on Feb. 27, 2002
― Bob Six, Sunday, 7 February 2010 13:59 (fourteen years ago) link
this thread is sad.
― max buzzword (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 13 February 2012 22:46 (twelve years ago) link
Standing in your office trying to talk to anacondasEking solace from the sawdust while your doppelganger stands topless
― calstars, Sunday, 3 June 2012 14:56 (eleven years ago) link
The Charlotte Gainsbourg album is really good
― poxen, Sunday, 3 June 2012 16:33 (eleven years ago) link