I met you...at JC POLLney - ILM Artist Poll #97 - BECK - the Results Thread

Paper Tiger is very nice to listen to but after I heard Melody Nelson it seemed a bit shameless.

It's about the most overt homage I've ever heard in music--so what's shameless? Haven't read interviews form the era, but I feel like Beck would've practically used it as an excuse to talk up Serge/Vannier?

Looking up interviews, there’s this:

But when we were making the record, I wanted to do something with strings that was very dramatic. And we were listening to that. And (he chuckles) we ended up with something that sounded exactly like it (Melody Nelson). I didn't intend that. But we did it and it came out so good, in my opinon, it sounded like a tribute. But it transcended that. And it was a good song. I remember, my producer is very particular about that kind of thing. I was like: 'I don't know, can we put this out?' And he said: 'It?' fine. It's a good piece of work.' But yeah, I love the way Gainsbourg uses the orchestras. It's not afraid to be dramatic and bold and emotional. There's something really cool about the sound too."

I’m not sure he’s right that it transcends being a tribute. The chorus sounds great on listening again though.

Catching up with today's tunes, magazines and free soda, trying hard not to think.

"Get Real Paid" way too low -- a top 20 Beck song that becomes a top 5 Beck song in its final 30 seconds (if that makes sense).

Recap:
36. Paper Tiger 198 6
37. I Won’t Be Long 192 7 (Extended)
38. Truckdrivin' Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat) 191 7
39. Get Real Paid 189 6
40. Soul Suckin Jerk 182 6
41. Mutherfucker 181 5
42. Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997 180 6
43. Blackhole 179 5
44. Sing It Again 163 5
45. Sunday Sun 162 6
46. High 5 (Rock the Catskills) 161 6
47. Little One 146 5
48. Chemtrails 140 6
49. Thunder Peel 136 5
50. Peaches & Cream 133 5

Quite clearly I need to revisit Mellow Gold.

a lot of great tracks so far:
-Brad really captured the appeal of "peaches & cream" in the voting thread - a prince song sung over a mellow gold groove - but it's even more than that with the glorious outro with all the overlapping vocals and the horns! way too low
-"chemtrails" is a late period highlight - i love the drumming and bass playing and the guitar solo that fades back in at the end
-"sunday sun" is really pretty and a great arrangement, i love the slow build and the way it sort of falls apart at the end
-"i won't be long" just missed my ballot but i'm really glad to see it show up
-"paper tiger" was in my top 10 - i don't really care if it's derivative but those immense strings over the rest of the track's relaxed groove works wonderfully

also fantastic work on the images One Eye Open!

The thing I love about Beck that he seems like someone who had an extensive run of bootleg Celebrity Bowling videotapes taped off 3 AM showings on the Z Channel or something.

Yeah, Soulmanure's version of "thunder peel" rules. They have it on YouTube if you don't have the CD.

RockTheFuckOut

ready for another day? let's get rolling...

https://i.imgur.com/XlZ3bYq.jpg
35. Sweet Sunshine
From: Mellow Gold
Released: March 1, 1994
202 Points, 6 Votes, 1 Number One

lets roll up the windows and let the nitrous go

hey, it's my no. 1

way too fuckin low

i see from the top 6 albums i havent missed much post-2002

I love that it got a #1. How do you even describe this song? Tribal folk-metal?

there are a few highlights but not a lot

xpost

https://i.imgur.com/NVAHPQ3.jpg
34. Lost Cause
From: Sea Change
Released: September 24, 2002
205 Points, 6 Votes

pfft too high

yup

Yeah sea change is generally a dirge.

we need some coffee...

https://i.imgur.com/qPypaeq.jpg
33. Tropicalia
From: Mutations
Single Released: 7 December 1998 (UK)

213 Points, 9 Votes

did not vote for this song i love

i love the way "sweet sunshine" is the bones of a really good pop song fed through an industrial nightmare machine

same, great song that didn't make my ballot.

xpost

yeah for all the damaged/junkyard/thrift store aesthetics of mellow gold, sweet sunshine is the only song on it that sounds like it is literally being sung & performed by some kind of living trash pile

"Lost Cause" is the only SC track to make my ballot.

Beck said that "Tropicalia"'s inspiration was "I've always loved a lot of different exotic music. I've been listening to Brazilian music since I was a kid, but I haven't really felt it was something that would come naturally until the last few years. I think for something like 'Tropicalia' I needed to go to places where that music existed in order to get to the point where I could do it myself. I wrote it in the back of the bus on tour, and then later I put lyrics to it. A lot of times I write the melody and the chords of the songs sometimes years before I ever get around it writing lyrics, so it just sits there incubating."

Beck does not play any instrument in the song.

"Love is a poverty you couldn't sell" is a wonderful line that makes no sense.

https://i.imgur.com/bPJBdjZ.jpg
32. We Live Again
From: Mutations
ReleasedL November 3, 1998
214 Points, 7 Votes

for a while this stately little thing was my favorite Mutations track.

ended up voting for this one. #teamharpsichord

I haven't revisted Sea Change but I remember Lost Cause was far and away my favorite thing on there back when it came out, nice to see it place.

It's the only track that belongs on Mutations because he sings with an ironic lilt. The rest is a travesty against sincerity.

Sweet Sunshine was quite high for me, it's pretty staggering

"we live again" was on my ballot til the very end, beautiful song

I always loved the way We Live Again goes into Tropicalia on Mutations, they sound perfect sequenced together like that

"We Live Again" ended the first side iirc

https://i.imgur.com/E6l2su8.jpg
31. Lonesome Tears
From: Sea Change
Released: September 24, 2002
215 Points, 8 Votes

oh for fuck's sake

this better be the last one

Sea Change is a plague
in a mixmatch parade

By far my favourite on SC and was my #8, sorry everyone. Sweet Sunshine was my #7 at least

It's all about that keyboard that sounds like a cross between ship's horn in fog and a sad computer

Ha, yes! This was the highest Sea Change track on my ballot too.

("Ha, yes" to Imago's description of that synth sound btw)

speaking of...

https://i.imgur.com/tTz8riy.jpg
30. The Golden Age
From: Sea Change
Released: September 24, 2002
218 Points, 8 Votes