BCB 100 - Beck

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Davey the Fat Boy
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Postby Davey the Fat Boy » 19 Jul 2006, 00:16

toomanyhatz wrote:A brilliant pastiche artist, the kind that engages my mind but rarely my soul.


I'd tend to agree, but he has his moments. Mostly when he is covering the work of others. A good example is "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime." His early songs were inventive, but so clever they hardly qualified as songs at all. He rectified that in Sea Change, though I don't find those songs all that memorable. But much as I want to writ him off, he manages to mix in just enough humanity to keep it all interesting.

Beyond that, I actually think his greatest gift is similar to Madonna's. He seems to have a tremendous facility to reinvent himself, always finding striking visual cues to frame his music within.

He's not an artist I make an effort to follow. I own most of his albums but seldom play them. But I almost always enjoy the incidental exposure I get to his work. I seem to get just the right amount of him by not taking a more active interest.

Album: Odelay

Song: Devil's Haricut
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Postby The Write Profile » 19 Jul 2006, 00:31

It's all about Odelay really, isn't it? If ever an LP hit the zeitgeist hard, it was that one, I remember it being particularly huge amongst my friends at the time. I suppose you could make decent cases for his other work, but Odelay seems to have the eclecticism, reach and good humour to fit everything together, even when it's deliberately frayed.

More to the point, its world is summed up within the first few minutes of "Devil's Haircut"- his insouciant drawl, the free-associative lyrics, the sense that nothing and everything is important to him, the way that all the samples totally jarr together..."Jackass" is another that seems to anticipate some of his later, more accoustic work, too. I suppose the title was intended as something of a deflection, because it's one of his more affecting vocals, even if the lyrics seem to be deliberate gibberish.

"Where It's At" still swaggers though, one of those tracks that actually makes a lot more sense when one sees the video. I like his timing on the verses.Unfortunately, his latest album was hugely disappointing, for once he sounds like he's trapped in his own schtick, rather than trying to move it forward.

Album: Odelay (though Sea Change and Mutations are both worthy)
Song: "Devil's Haircut," predictably
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B
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Postby B » 19 Jul 2006, 01:41

Album: Odelay! but One Foot in the Grave is one of my very favorites.

Song: Too many good ones to pick just one. One of my personal favorites is "Jackass"
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mentalist (slight return)
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Postby mentalist (slight return) » 19 Jul 2006, 01:42

Album: Odelay, Mutations is a great album though.

Song: Nobody's Fault But My Own, one of the best songs ever in my personal canon, he was doing the reflective personal stuff before Sea Change.
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Postby mentalist (slight return) » 19 Jul 2006, 01:45

django wrote:Song - Jackass

I used to love Jackass but whenI found out he was sampling portions of Them's cover of Dylan's It's All Over Now Baby Blue, it was a bit of a shock, the song's never been the same since.
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Postby king feeb » 19 Jul 2006, 02:34

Album: Odelay

Song: "Cold Brains"
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Postby The Red Heifer » 19 Jul 2006, 09:08

Album - Midnite Vultures by a million miles

Song - "Beercan"
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Postby The Modernist » 19 Jul 2006, 09:11

Album: Sea Change
Song: New Pollution
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Postby Leg of lamb » 19 Jul 2006, 13:04

Davey The Fat Boy wrote:
toomanyhatz wrote:A brilliant pastiche artist, the kind that engages my mind but rarely my soul.


I'd tend to agree, but he has his moments. Mostly when he is covering the work of others. A good example is "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime." His early songs were inventive, but so clever they hardly qualified as songs at all. He rectified that in Sea Change, though I don't find those songs all that memorable. But much as I want to writ him off, he manages to mix in just enough humanity to keep it all interesting.

Beyond that, I actually think his greatest gift is similar to Madonna's. He seems to have a tremendous facility to reinvent himself, always finding striking visual cues to frame his music within.

He's not an artist I make an effort to follow. I own most of his albums but seldom play them. But I almost always enjoy the incidental exposure I get to his work. I seem to get just the right amount of him by not taking a more active interest.

Album: Odelay

Song: Devil's Haricut


Change the favourite song to Hotwax and yer man Davey has spoken for me. I find the idea of people loving him a bit weird but there's so much to like and Odelay still plays like a seamless party record. Having said that, I haven't investigated Mutations and it appears to be the key for quite a few of his big fans.
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Postby Maxwell's Golden Pickaxe » 19 Jul 2006, 13:10

Ooh, really difficult to choose which album I like best.

Maybe Mutations just shades it.

Album: Mutations

Song: Girl
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Postby brassneck.. » 19 Jul 2006, 13:11

Beck is a great artist and i think Mutations and Midnite Vultures are terrific albums but his zenith has to be Odelay.

Best song is a tough one because every album bar Guero has highlights with claims but i'm going to go with Debra, because i always forget how insane my love for it is, when it finally sneaks on at the end of MV.
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Postby My name is Spaulding » 19 Jul 2006, 13:22

The Red Heifer wrote:Album - Midnite Vultures by a million miles


Same here. It was the only time he let the wonderful band he had (with Justin Madel Johnson on bass and the brilliant Roge Manning -he of Jellyfish "fame"- on the keyboards) play on a dance oriented studio album of his, and it really made a difference for me.
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Maxwell's Golden Pickaxe
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Postby Maxwell's Golden Pickaxe » 19 Jul 2006, 13:42

Brassneck.. wrote:Best song is a tough one because every album bar Guero has highlights with claims....


Maxwell's Golden Pickaxe wrote:Song: Girl


:)
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Postby Django » 19 Jul 2006, 13:51

Brassneck.. wrote:Beck is a great artist and i think Mutations and Midnite Vultures are terrific albums but his zenith has to be Odelay.

Best song is a tough one because every album bar Guero has highlights with claims


Brassneck, I just decided I don't trust you anymore.

Girl? Black Tambourine? Definitely his weakest record, but a couple of corkers on there nonetheless.


Brassneck.. wrote:but i'm going to go with Debra, because i always forget how insane my love for it is, when it finally sneaks on at the end of MV.


But I couldn't agree more with this.
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Postby nathan » 19 Jul 2006, 16:14

For me, Odelay is one of the finest LP's ever crafted. It's damn near perfect in it's inventiveness, hooks, melodies, humor, warmth and the overall sense that he's having a blast creating it with the Dust Brothers. I'm just astonished every time I listen to it at how incredibly playful it is. That is the one aspect that Guero lacks that keeps it from surpassing Odelay. I don't think he has ever made a substandard LP though.

Album: Odelay
Song: Feather In Your Cap (better than any track on Mutations or Sea Change, in my opinion)
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brassneck..
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Postby brassneck.. » 19 Jul 2006, 17:27

django wrote:
Brassneck.. wrote:Beck is a great artist and i think Mutations and Midnite Vultures are terrific albums but his zenith has to be Odelay.

Best song is a tough one because every album bar Guero has highlights with claims


Brassneck, I just decided I don't trust you anymore. :(

Girl? Black Tambourine? Definitely his weakest record, but a couple of corkers on there nonetheless.


Brassneck.. wrote:but i'm going to go with Debra, because i always forget how insane my love for it is, when it finally sneaks on at the end of MV.


But I couldn't agree more with this.
:D

I didn't say i didn't like Guero, i do; but the highlights you rightly mention wouldn't be bubbling under a Beck top 10.

Ok? :P
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Postby Insouciant Western People » 19 Jul 2006, 17:35

Album - Mellow Gold

Song - MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack
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Postby Tactful Cactus » 19 Jul 2006, 17:36

Nick wrote:Album - Mellow Gold

Song - MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack


Fake it 'til you make it!
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Postby McBastard » 19 Jul 2006, 18:45

Album - Mutations

Song - Asshole

Don't like him as much as I used to.
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Postby Zombeels » 20 Jul 2006, 04:56

Album - Mutations

Song - Cold Brains
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