just wanna say how much I love Midnite Vultures, well most of it, there are some overlooked songs at the end that could almost be on Mutations. "Nicotine & Gravy" is my fave deep cut and works really well in DJ sets if you tweak the weird atonal crescendo part to be less overwhelming
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 02:31 (one year ago) link
It's infuriating that the guy who made Midnite Vultures recently covered "Old Man" to promote fucking Tom Brady and Sunday Night Football. Even Neil took a shot at him for that, rightly so.
― Chris L, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 02:50 (one year ago) link
just wanna say how much I love Midnite Vultures, well most of it, there are some overlooked songs at the end that could almost be on Mutations.
I love the second side: "Milkshake and Honey," "Beautiful Thing."
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 03:03 (one year ago) link
idk i saw some 'beck and pharrell collab!' headlines when hyperspace was announced but the music was so boring no one cared. don't think the pandemic had anything to do with it when the album came out a few months earlier
― ufo, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 03:10 (one year ago) link
a shame because it's a pairing that could have produced something really inspired two decades earlier
― ufo, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 03:11 (one year ago) link
Re: Midnite Vultures, the first four tracks really grew on me - they kind of feel like they should've been the soundtrack to some great Cartoon Network show. When the Flaming Lips toured with Beck, they performed "Get Real Paid" especially well.
Hyperspace felt like such a non-event, it made the letdown less surprising. I gave it one good listen and never felt like putting it on ever again. I don't think it was horrible, just very unmemorable.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 03:12 (one year ago) link
Listening to Mutations after (many) many years, I'm struck by its melodic grace: its gentle surrealism and mock psychedelic touches -- Donovan meets Gainsborough and Caetano Veloso -- have a lightness that later acoustic "sincere" work can't match. He made Sea Change when Mutations existed. I remember the mild surprise when this was Odelay's follow-up, but within a few days I accepted it as his Bowie gesture.― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, February 20, 2023 6:09 PM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, February 20, 2023 6:09 PM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
So true re: Mutations (contra Sea Change). For me the whole Mutations era, b-sides included, has a halo of gold over it. I also love Midnite Vultures, but I don't think surrealist Beck ever really came back after that one.
― J. Sam, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 03:34 (one year ago) link
“Oh Maria” is my favorite on mutations these days, spooky kinks-y perfection
― not too strange just bad audio (brimstead), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 03:40 (one year ago) link
√
lol pun intended?
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 03:53 (one year ago) link
oh ffs that was an xp re: "halo of gold"
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 03:54 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WfjPtVQl_Y
;)
― J. Sam, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 03:54 (one year ago) link
sincere thx to ilm for reminding me of diamond bollocks. in a world where i felt beck was overindulged/overappreciated, there are many v good things.
― liberal with a capital LIE (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 04:07 (one year ago) link
Mutations is up there with Mellow Gold as his best imo, it would be EASILY his best if it kept up the quality of the first 3-5 tracks and the bonuses (I often think of the first three as his great Achievement, as we're on the subject of great chords, Lazy Flies has fucking ascended chords)
― imago, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 07:33 (one year ago) link
First side of Midnite Vultures works best for me, whereas after Peaches & Cream I lose interest a bit.
― you can see me from westbury white horse, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 10:52 (one year ago) link
Still my fav album of his tho
― you can see me from westbury white horse, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 10:53 (one year ago) link
b b but Milk & Honey!
― imago, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 11:00 (one year ago) link
Squirreled away somewhere I have a rip of a Mutations Promo CD that was doing the rounds and that has slightly different mixes and extended versions of a few tracks, I can dig it out if anyone would like to hear it.
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 11:59 (one year ago) link
would love that!
he had some fun free-CD promo discs around then. clearly remember Clock/The Little Drum Machine Boy being a blast
― imago, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 12:03 (one year ago) link
― better than whoever you are (gyac), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 12:08 (one year ago) link
(I also like Pressure Zone and have time for Debra although hmm it's one of those should I, well I guess I have now things isn't it)
― imago, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 12:09 (one year ago) link
I don’t really rate Sexx Laws hugely besides the “I’m a full grown man, but I’m not afraid to cryyyyyyyy” end line which I used to do a great impression of in school (but now it’s gone!). Debra is also very good.
― better than whoever you are (gyac), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 12:38 (one year ago) link
Mutations (promo) - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/75edybsj27alzebvd57u0/h?dl=0&rlkey=5g33p4z2l46ioez2vl6oxbch6
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 13:05 (one year ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/qifM1e1.jpgGuys this new beck album is so good
― calstars, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 15:17 (one year ago) link
wow thanks Maresnest
"Clock" does indeed rule, forgot that in my list
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 16:02 (one year ago) link
you guys are gonna make me revisit mutations again, aren't you? let us not forget nigel "I JUST MADE OK COMPUTER!!!" godrich is around and about for those sessions as well.
i know i've posted it before but i'm nothing if not consistently redundant, so i want everyone to go listen to "one of these days", which was the b-side for "cold brains." ahh... dreamy beck is my favorite!
also the 2013 singles!!! "i won't be long" is such a damn fine groove. the 10+ minute versions are kind lolzy but still very fun every so often.
(also yeah, the information is an album i hardly ever get the urge to listen to — but when i do! it's such an impenetrable, oddly catchy mashup of funky beats and sci-fi anxiety. i think he only sounded more convincingly paranoid on modern guilt [which is good, but inconsistent]. anyway i highly recommend revisiting if you haven't jammed it in a while.)
stereopathic / one foot = 3.5mellow gold = 4.5odelay! = 4.5mutations = 5midnite vultures = 3sea change = 4.5guero = 4the information = 4modern guilt = 3morning phase = 3
haven't heard anything past that. in time!
― up and down. SO FAST! stay together.💙 (Austin), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 16:17 (one year ago) link
Pretty much my ratings too, though I'd probably round up the 4.5's to 5's.(That may be just me - I have a tough time rating anything 4.5. Like once it clears that "4" threshhold by a solid margin, it's essentially a great album to me, i.e. a 5.)
FWIW, the promo of Odelay is worth tracking down. It's kind of like the "director's cut" of the album, with no brickwall compression and a few samples they couldn't clear - now when I hear the released version, it feels like there's a hole in those spots.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 17:04 (one year ago) link
whaaaat
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 17:05 (one year ago) link
FWIW, I want to say Beck is kind of where Bowie was at in the mid '80s. His stretch of greatness seems behind him and he's consciously making more commercial records that aren't as interesting and don't add much if anything to his legacy. I hope he has it in him to surprise us with a late-career comeback.
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 17:09 (one year ago) link
he has no Tonights in his catalog though
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 17:16 (one year ago) link
also thank you mares that is a completely rad thing to share!!
(just now finishing up "diamond bullocks" on my revisit to the proper release and... big sigh. that mellotron outro. just... oh yeah.)
― up and down. SO FAST! stay together.💙 (Austin), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 17:33 (one year ago) link
i now remember why i have such a hard time getting all the way through the information: i always get to "think i'm in love" and hit repeat. was that a single? serious business.
― up and down. SO FAST! stay together.💙 (Austin), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 17:54 (one year ago) link
I wanna hear the Odelay promo, now! And thank you MaresNest
I can't rate Beck albums, they're all so different. Odelay and Mellow Gold are 10/10s for me though
His bassist really is god's gift to the instrument!! I haven't heard a Beck song with anything less than a classic bassline
― pee change (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 18:58 (one year ago) link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Meldal-Johnsen
this is an astonishing credits list
― imago, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 19:01 (one year ago) link
best rock producer atm
― flamenco drop (BradNelson), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 19:04 (one year ago) link
Lost track of Beck after Guero but my daughter is a big fan; last summer she went with a pal to see him at Brixton, her first proper rock gig. Maybe I should ask her for her ratings on all the LPs.
― Michael Jones, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 19:07 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWeln4AYzTQ
Trigger warning, contains Jack Conte
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 19:08 (one year ago) link
Jesus Christ what a credits list for Justin Meldal-Johnsen; he'd never been anything other than "a name I'd read sometimes"
Reading that list had me googling some things
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWahO6rIW6s
This is the result
Please enjoy it haha I've never heard it before and it's great
― pee change (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 19:19 (one year ago) link
I mentioned that song earlier!!!! it's great yes
― imago, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 19:20 (one year ago) link
Ok, the 18yo has given me her ratings, be nice. mellow gold 4Odelay 5Mutations 4.5Midnite vultures 5Sea change 3Guero 4.5The Information 2Modern guilt 4Morning Phase 3.5Colors 3Hyperspace 3.5 “Stereopathetic soulmanure and one foot in the grave I haven’t heard enough of”I managed to avoid saying I Don’t Belieeeeve It like I do every time she mentions that last one, hope you’re proud of me.
― Michael Jones, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 19:21 (one year ago) link
daughter otm
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 19:31 (one year ago) link
how have I never heard "The Little Drum Machine Boy" before?!?!?!
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 19:34 (one year ago) link
Here are two cuts from the Odelay promo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts3kkEdpz0A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffnDxUoHcuQ
― birdistheword, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 20:31 (one year ago) link
holy moly @ that Novacane version, love it
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 20:34 (one year ago) link
Yes, daughter otm, though I enjoy The Information more than a 2 and Midnite Vultures less than a 5
― pee change (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 20:41 (one year ago) link
I can't discern any difference between Novocane (promo version) and Novocane (album version) but man what a perfect song
The jam at 3:45 onward is so great. iirc doesn't it reprise on "Hi-5" and somebody yells "turn that shit off, man!" hahahaha
― pee change (flamboyant goon tie included), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 20:49 (one year ago) link
there's this high pitched melody/sound thing riding over the main riff? idk
― obsidian crocogolem (sleeve), Tuesday, 21 February 2023 21:30 (one year ago) link
JMJ is a lifelong scientologist and his parents are very high level scinos.
― kurt schwitterz, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 23:41 (one year ago) link
and it's weird in like every interview he has a different story about how him and beck met instead of just saying "we grew up in scientology together" theres shady shit goin on there
― kurt schwitterz, Tuesday, 21 February 2023 23:43 (one year ago) link
i saw the performance of the new single and yeah, what a snoozer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA3WkCpABYo
also he looks older for maybe the first time here. he's not TOOM yet but he did get get dylan's oh mercy era leather jacketalso, i don't know the band Phoenix well enough to recognize them, and kimmel's intro was ambiguous - is phoenix his backing band or are they opening for him on tour?
― z_tbd, Wednesday, 22 February 2023 00:34 (one year ago) link