wait there's an Odelay version ?!?!?
that song rules, definitely making my ballot
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 17:47 (four years ago) link
check out the deluxe version of odelay!
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 17:47 (four years ago) link
just looked it up, whoa man I have gotta get that!
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 17:48 (four years ago) link
never heard either "Inferno" or "Gold Chains", this makes my day
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 17:49 (four years ago) link
gahh so many tracks I've never heard, all those radio show one-offs
https://www.discogs.com/robot-jazz-vol-1-6/release/11220708
YSI?
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 18:04 (four years ago) link
I was v excited to hear "Inferno" and "Gold Chains" when the deluxe odelay came out but ended up finding them a bit disappointing, I guess they each contained samples that were deemed too expensive to clear, and so were reworked/rerecorded to a certain extent supposedly? I feel like I can hear it, they each sound like theyre missing a little something compared to the dense sound of the other odelay party jams. "Inferno" fairly wild but still sounds like a dress rehearsal for "High 5" to me.
― One Eye Open, Thursday, 23 May 2019 19:24 (four years ago) link
reading up on our friend Beck while listening to his catalogue last night and learned he just split with his wife of 15 years (Giovani Ribisi's twin sister), that's a drag.
― Evans on Hammond (evol j), Thursday, 23 May 2019 19:37 (four years ago) link
Apparently he released a new single with Pharrell last month?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXrlWw3yhW4
― One Eye Open, Thursday, 23 May 2019 19:48 (four years ago) link
love that odelay is one of those cd-era albums that informs you when the first side ends and the second side starts
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 20:02 (four years ago) link
stuck together like a readymade!
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 May 2019 20:05 (four years ago) link
"inferno" is absolutely amazing but i can barely evaluate it as a "song" to "vote" "for"
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 20:48 (four years ago) link
"where it's at" song/video combo weirded me out pretty hard when i was a kid, like i couldn't even figure the song out enough to know if i liked it, but when "the new pollution" video hit mtv it was like nothing i had ever seen or heard before (of course it was actually several things that had been seen or heard before combined) and i looooved dancing along to it in my room
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 21:18 (four years ago) link
he also played some sort of mtv show that year (vmas? probably?) and i spent the whole time thinking "this music is great and he's dancing so much but how is this guy considered cool? he looks like a huge dork like me!" tbf i was in elementary school and did not know what cool was
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 21:21 (four years ago) link
But you knew what a dork was, right?
― Mark G, Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:36 (four years ago) link
yeah it was me
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:37 (four years ago) link
Have we as a board discussed how Beck would be beyond cancelled if he released Mixed Bizness today?
― dragged across concrète (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:41 (four years ago) link
have we as a board decided we're not going to debate National Review headlines?
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:42 (four years ago) link
Midnite Vultures I mean
― dragged across concrète (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:42 (four years ago) link
it sucked then and it still sucks
― brimstead, Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:46 (four years ago) link
lol I respectfully disagree
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:49 (four years ago) link
The second half (except "Debra") >>> first half
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:50 (four years ago) link
just gonna leave this here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EksGJTUaTuc
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 22:53 (four years ago) link
midnite vultures rules so much, i have no idea how he made some of the ridiculous ideas on it work
― ufo, Thursday, 23 May 2019 23:11 (four years ago) link
huh one foot in the grave is a really good album
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 23:25 (four years ago) link
yes, it really is, I think "Hollow Log" placed in the recent "Best Songs Under 120 Seconds" poll?
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Thursday, 23 May 2019 23:37 (four years ago) link
thirded
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 May 2019 23:39 (four years ago) link
"forcefield" is prob gonna be high on my ballot but it's early
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 23 May 2019 23:41 (four years ago) link
“Beautiful way” is niceThe backing track of “Hollywood freaks” is niceThe chorus of “milk and honey” is pretty slammin
― brimstead, Friday, 24 May 2019 00:26 (four years ago) link
Re:Midnite Vultures, I think about that sometimes. I was young so I could be wrong, but I feel like I remember a vibe of some corners of white altrock people reading it, approvingly, as a joke/parody. Like "LOL Beck the wacky loser guy doing an R&B album, that guy'll do anything, what a laff!" (Or maybe thats just me remembering the reactions of my dumbass white suburban friends.) Where today obviously the criticism would come from the opposite angle, like "how dare he not treat these musics reverentially".
― One Eye Open, Friday, 24 May 2019 00:41 (four years ago) link
Beautiful Way will be on my ballot for sure
― Simon H., Friday, 24 May 2019 00:44 (four years ago) link
I remember a 30 second snippet of "Beautiful Way" being included as part of Windows 2000, playing it in Windows Media Player and the cover art coming up, and being like "wow i am truly living in the future"
― One Eye Open, Friday, 24 May 2019 00:55 (four years ago) link
"nicotine & gravy" will be in my top 5 for sure
― ufo, Friday, 24 May 2019 00:57 (four years ago) link
I've been listening to Beck in the car the past few days...well, Mellow Gold. A Beck poll is not the best place for misgivings, but:
1) I think half of Mellow Gold is good to great to borderline genius ("Loser").2) I tried Odelay!, too. Two songs I still love ("Devil's Haircut," "Jackass"), another good, lengthy, low-key closer, and past that a whole lot of nothing. Which I think is what I thought at the time. It won Pazz & Jop (I think it did, anyway) on sheer momentum from Mellow Gold.3) I voted for a couple of later songs in Pazz & Jop that I keep on my hard drive, "Chemtrails" and "Don't Let It Go." Listening to them right now, especially next to Mellow Gold's best songs, they seem quite marginal.
He'll make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (next year?), which he should.
― clemenza, Friday, 24 May 2019 01:12 (four years ago) link
yeah that's maybe my favorite Beck deep cut when I DJ out
― Emperor Tonetta Ketchup (sleeve), Friday, 24 May 2019 01:45 (four years ago) link
i don't think i've ever heard all of mutations before today. production on that album is really something. timelessness is not a quality i care about v much but there's a really beautiful out of time feeling to the whole record
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 24 May 2019 02:59 (four years ago) link
Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass, percussion, background vocalsRoger Manning – synthesizer, organ, keyboards, harpsichord, background vocals, percussion
ah i see this album marks the appearance of my main dudes
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 24 May 2019 03:05 (four years ago) link
I'm not sure about the whole 'Momentum from Mellow Gold' thing. Prior to Odelay, a lot of people were ready to write him off as a one-hit wonder even though he had cultivated a bit of a cult following (and accrued more indie cred) thanks to OFITG. Then Odelay and "Where It's At" arrived, and suddenly HE WAS THE GUY. I remember reading some article about another artist (Garbage maybe?) in Spin wherein the writer was talking about the '97 Grammies w/Beck as "The Appointed 'Cool Guest'". To me, this was less about surfing momentum, and more like beating the odds by delivering the goods.
It's kind of forgotten now, but according to Beck, he claimed* that prior to the Dust Bros. sessions, he actually had recorded another album of what he described as guitar rock songs (of which, I think only "Minus" was released), but elected to not release it as he felt that style was passe`. I get the feeling if he had put that record out, we wouldn't be talking about him as much now (or then).
*I say 'claimed' because I just checked wiki and the unreleased album mentioned there doesn't match the stylistic description. Also: Beck is a world-class bullshitter.
― a large tuna called “Justice” (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 24 May 2019 03:48 (four years ago) link
a lot of people were ready to write him off as a one-hit wonder
I think there's some truth to that, and I used to find the parallel there to Eminem really interesting: he went from the novelty of "My Name Is" to perennial Pazz & Jop guy a year later. But I also remember critical excitement over "Where's It At" (which for me was a mildly amusing cipher at best) and thinking yes, he was the guy all of sudden, but seemingly because a lot of critics had decided that in advance. Which is not unusual with follow-ups to much-discussed breakthrough albums. Except for the three songs I mentioned above, I just don't hear anything else on the album.
― clemenza, Friday, 24 May 2019 05:01 (four years ago) link
i don't think i've ever heard all of mutations before today
WHAT
Waronker does a great job on that one when he's called upon, also ("Diamond Bollocks" mostly)
― Simon H., Friday, 24 May 2019 05:10 (four years ago) link
Mutations has always been my fave and nothing will budge it
― Simon H., Friday, 24 May 2019 05:14 (four years ago) link
Same -- Lazy Flies is all-time for me, partly because of the vocab (magistrate, debris, mangroves, sulphur, trawlers, opiates, syphilis, matrons, gigolos) but also because of whatever Waronker is doing in the second half.
― orifex, Friday, 24 May 2019 05:52 (four years ago) link
Sunday Sun!
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Friday, 24 May 2019 05:56 (four years ago) link
He did "Debra" on the Odelay tour in the UK, saw it in Brixton. I remarked that he could do that high-singing (not falsetto, don't know what you'd call it) better than Prince. Too well, to be a parody as such.
― Mark G, Friday, 24 May 2019 10:07 (four years ago) link
midnite vultures is still my favorite maximalist r&b kazoo party
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 24 May 2019 12:06 (four years ago) link
the banjo in "sexx laws" alone
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 24 May 2019 12:08 (four years ago) link
i did not know that eye from boredoms designed the album art
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 24 May 2019 12:12 (four years ago) link
xp yeah and all the slide guitar!
i really love those dissonant strings in the middle of "nicotine & gravy" and the arabic-sounding (? what's the name for that scale anyway?) breakdown at the end of it. it's a real kitchen sink sort of album in the best way
― ufo, Friday, 24 May 2019 12:21 (four years ago) link
"get real paid" is an astonishing soundworld and yet also lean and funky, i guess beck can have it both ways!!!!
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 24 May 2019 12:23 (four years ago) link
did not completely understand whiney's "canceled" comment until i remembered what "hollywood freaks" is like
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 24 May 2019 12:24 (four years ago) link
I was one of those listeners put off by the air of one hit wonder to avoid buying Mellow Gold but jumped on board with Mellow Gold -- with reservations. Relistening last night, I admired its commitment to get-fresh flow and the range of samples and, like in 1996-1997, never quite warmed to it. I still like Mutations as a winningly secondhand channeling of folk and tropicalia tropes; he's connecting with sound and skill, not with lyrics. Midnite Vultures impressed a lot of my friends who had never heard an Oran "Juice" Jones record. Like I posted yesterday, the more traditional Beck songs on the second side ("Milk and Honey," "Beautiful Way") boasted a tightness made possible only by the mostly failed electrofunk approximations on the first side. By the time he released Sea Change he so disgusted me with this accommodation to the sincerity market that not even the decent Guero (which people tend to forget saved his ass commercially) was enough to win me back.
I still admire him as a producer, most recently on the Jenny Lewis album.
― recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 24 May 2019 12:28 (four years ago) link