Beck album by album

Beck appeared on the global music scene in 1994 with the quirky single  "Loser", which had been re-released by the major label Geffen, along with the album Mellow Gold. The single was catchy, and the album was interesting, but Beck didn't really gain traction until his next major label release, the Odelay  album in 1996. The blend of country and pop and hip-hop while not totally original or unique (the Fun Lovin' Criminals' debut album, Come Find Yourself, and the excellent "Scooby Snacks" single, and the Eels' Beautiful Freaks, and their single "Novocaine for the Soul", were released around the same time and with similar approaches to music), but was done in an audacious and brilliant manner with a firm grasp on music principles and harmonies. Beck gained huge respect, which, while it has diminished with successive releases (due to those albums not being as musically brilliant or knowledgeable as Odelay), has not quite been lost in the hope that one day he will again do something as worthwhile as Odelay.  A huge amount of good will has been expended on 2002's  Sea Change, a rather mundane and old fashioned country rock album with swooshing strings and a slick production. While lesser, good will has also been applied to other Beck album releases, but - with the exception of Sea Change, critics and public have not been as excited and pleased with Beck's output as they were with Odelay.  After listening to his output in chronological order my opinion is that Beck released an astonishing work of art with Odelay,  and that the albums and other works released leading up to that album show the same fearless, iconoclastic, individualistic, and musically fascinating approach that made Odelay, one of the peaks of human creativity,  but Beck has done nothing of lasting interest since. He went away from a creative and iconoclastic focus on music, instead seeming to want to present himself as a rather straighter, more mainstream artist. Whatever. The closest he gets, for me, to returning to making interesting music is Morning Phase in 2014, when he dabbles a bit in Pink Floyd ambience. 

My recommendation is to listen to Odelay, and try one or two of his earlier releases, such as Stereopathetic Soulmanure  (Feb 1994), to get a feel for how he got to Odelay, and to ignore the later output completely - unless you want to dip into Sea Change to see if you are in line with majority opinion. 


Wikipedia:


Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical collages of wide genre styles. Today, he musically encompasses folk, funk, soul, hip hop, electronic, alternative rock, country, and psychedelia. He has released 13 studio albums, as well as several non-album singles and a book of sheet music.
Born in Los Angeles in 1970, Beck grew towards hip-hop and folk in his teens and began to perform locally at coffeehouses and clubs. He moved to New York City in 1989 and became involved in the city's small and fiery anti-folk movement. Returning to Los Angeles in the early 1990s, he cut his breakthrough single "Loser," which became a worldwide hit in 1994, and released his first major album, Mellow Gold, the same year. Odelay, released in 1996, topped critic polls and won several awards. He released the country-influenced, twangy Mutations in 1998, and the funk-infused Midnite Vultures in 1999. The soft-acoustic Sea Change in 2002 showcased a more serious Beck, and 2005's Guero returned to Odelay's sample-based production. The Information in 2006 was inspired by electro-funk, hip hop, and psychedelia; 2008's Modern Guilt was inspired by '60s pop music; and 2014's folk-infused Morning Phase won Album of the Year at the 57th Grammy Awards on February 8, 2015. His thirteenth studio album, Colors, was released in October 2017 after a long production process, and won awards for Best Alternative Album and Best Engineered Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. His fourteenth album titled Hyperspace was released on November 22, 2019.
With a pop art collage of musical styles, oblique and ironic lyrics, and postmodern arrangements incorporating samples, drum machines, live instrumentation and sound effects, Beck has been hailed by critics and the public throughout his musical career as being among the most idiosyncratically creative musicians of 1990s and 2000s alternative rock. Two of Beck's most popular and acclaimed recordings are Odelay and Sea Change, both of which were ranked on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The four-time platinum artist has collaborated with several artists and has made several contributions to soundtracks.


 AllMusic:

Initially pegged as the voice of a generation when "Loser" turned into a smash crossover success, Beck wound up crystallizing much of the postmodern ruckus inherent in the '90s alternative explosion, but in unexpected ways. Based in the underground anti-folk and noise rock worlds, Beck encompassed all manner of modern music, drawing on hip-hop, blues, trash rock, pop, soul, lounge music -- pretty much any found sound or vinyl dug up from a dusty crate -- blurring boundaries and encapsulating how '90s hipsters looked toward the future by foraging through the past. In another time, Beck might have stayed in the province of the underground, but he surfaced just as alternative rock turned mainstream, with his 1994 debut Mellow Gold launching "Loser," a hit that crossed over with the velocity of a novelty -- a notion Beck quickly punctured with a succession of indie LPs delivered in the wake of Mellow Gold, including the lo-fi folk of One Foot in the Grave, delivered on the K imprint. But the album that truly cemented Beck's place in the pantheon was 1996's Odelay, a co-production with the Dust Brothers that touched upon all of his obsessions, providing a cultural keystone for the decade while telegraphing all his future moves, from the soul prankster of Midnite Vultures to the melancholy troubadour of Sea Change. Beck moved between the extremes of satire and sincerity throughout the 21st century, sometimes fusing the two emotions -- as he did on 2008's Modern Guilt -- and slowly becoming a fixture in the music industry, a status underscored by his 2015 album Morning Phase taking home the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Albums

Golden Feelings (1993)

Gosh, this is a little different! This was a limited cassette release in 1993 which has since been disowned by Beck, so it's hard to get hold of copies. It consists, mostly, of Beck accompanying himself on guitar though some odd songs, along with extra oddities and noises now and again. There's no attempt to be commercial. It's low-fi, odd, experimental, free-thought, random, occasionally not good, but always quite compelling. It is clear there's a talent and an intelligence working here. This is a throwaway pot-pourri that is unlikely to be something you put on to dance on a Saturday night, or to enrich you on a Sunday morning, but will reassure you that there are mad fucking artists out there who don't give a shit. 

Released	1993
Recorded	1992
Genre	Anti-folk  lo-fi  country  blues
Length	42:35
Label	Sonic Enemy
Producer	Beck Hansen

All songs written by Beck.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Fucked Up Blues"	2:11
2.	"Special People"	1:42
3.	"Magic Stationwagon"	1:36
4.	"No Money No Honey"	2:35
5.	"Trouble All My Days"	2:07
6.	"Bad Energy"	1:39
7.	"Schmoozer"	2:38
8.	"Heartland Feeling"	7:11
9.	"Super Golden Black Sunchild"	2:11
10.	"Soul Sucked Dry"	1:49
11.	"Feelings"	1:35
12.	"Gettin' Home"	4:14
13.	"Will I Be Ignored by the Lord?"	1:59
14.	"Bogus Soul"	1:15
15.	"Totally Confused"	2:00
16.	"Mutherfukka"	2:44
17.	"People Gettin' Busy"	3:09

UDiscoverMusic
AllMusic: 6
Wikipedia
Score: 6

A Western Harvest Field by Moonlight (1994)

In the same vein as Golden Feelings, but a little less lo-fi and little more developed. Thoughts of Frank Zappa and Tom Waits and Faust creep in. This is less random, more controlled, and more interesting than Golden Feelings.  Yes. Interesting. Compelling. Fascinating. And with more melody, this is something you can listen to more than once.

Released	January 1994
Recorded	1993
Genre	Anti-folk  lo-fi  country
Length	22:46
Label	Fingerpaint

BIC SIDE

1. "Totally Confused" – 3:23
2. "Mayonaise Salad" – 1:08
3. "Gettin' Home" – 1:56
4. "Blackfire Choked Our Death" – 1:46
5. "Feel Like a Piece of Shit (Mind Control)" – 1:27
6. "She Is All (Gimme Something to Eat)" – 1:15

BEEK SIDE

1. "Pinefresh" – 1:23
2. "Lampshade" – 4:04
3. "Feel Like a Piece of Shit (Crossover Potential)" – 1:34
4. "Mango (Vader Rocks!)" – 2:49
5. "Feel Like a Piece of Shit (Cheetos Time)" – 0:58
6. "Styrofoam Chicken (Quality Time)" – ∞ (loop)

Wikipedia
AllMusic: 6
Score: 7

Stereopathetic Soulmanure  (Feb 1994)

There's a bit of grunge and angst in here alongside the country and the Zappa and the Beefheart and the hip-hop and the Sonic Youth and the Tom Waits and the George Gerdes. Bloody fascinating.  This man throws everything in. He has no fear. And he has the talent and the intelligence to keep it all together and keep it totally compelling.

Released	February 22, 1994
Recorded	1992–93
Genre	Anti-folk  lo-fi  country  noise
Length	64:35
Label	Flipside[1]
Producer	Tom Grimley  Beck Hansen  Gus Hudson

All songs were written by Beck, except "Waitin' for a Train", written by Jimmie Rodgers.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Pink Noise (Rock Me Amadeus)"	2:57
2.	"Rowboat"	3:45
3.	"Thunder Peel"	1:48
4.	"Waitin' for a Train"	1:08
5.	"The Spirit Moves Me"	2:10
6.	"Crystal Clear (Beer)"	2:29
7.	"No Money No Honey"	2:13
8.	"8.6.82"	0:37
9.	"Total Soul Future (Eat It)"	1:48
10.	"One Foot in the Grave"	2:14
11.	"Aphid Manure Heist"	1:29
12.	"Today Has Been a Fucked Up Day"	2:34
13.	"Rollins Power Sauce"	1:54
14.	"Puttin It Down"	2:23
15.	"11.6.45"	0:30
16.	"Cut 1/2 Blues"	2:37
17.	"Jagermeister Pie"	1:07
18.	"Ozzy"	2:05
19.	"Dead Wild Cat"	0:25
20.	"Satan Gave Me a Taco"	3:46
21.	"8.4.82"	0:26
22.	"Tasergun"	3:51
23.	"Modesto"	3:27
24.	"Ken" (unlisted)	0:12
25.	"Bonus Noise" (unlisted)

• Beck – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, banjo, composer, sound effects
• Rachel Haden – drums
• Leo LeBlanc – pedal steel
• Bobby Hecksher – guitar

UDiscoverMusic
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 6
Score: 8

One Foot In The Grave (June 1994)

This is more like later Beck, though was recorded late 1993 / early 1994. The album is somewhat more focused that others of the period, and concentrates on doing grunge versions of folk and country, taking ideas from the Meat Puppets ("Plateau" from II comes to mind).  Though recorded before Mellow Gold, it was released afterwards. It's a good album, but for me doesn't quite carry the interest that other early Beck releases have. Though this is probably the album that is easiest and most pleasant to listen to.

Released	June 27, 1994
Recorded	October 1993 and January 1994
Studio	Dub Narcotic Studio, Olympia, Washington
Genre	Anti-folk  indie rock  lo-fi  alternative country
Length	37:05 72:57 (deluxe edition)
Label	K, Iliad, Geffen
Producer	Calvin Johnson

All songs written by Beck, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"He's a Mighty Good Leader"	Skip James, credited to "Traditional"	2:41
2.	"Sleeping Bag"		2:15
3.	"I Get Lonesome"		2:50
4.	"Burnt Orange Peel"		1:39
5.	"Cyanide Breath Mint"		1:37
6.	"See Water"		2:22
7.	"Ziplock Bag"		1:44
8.	"Hollow Log"		1:53
9.	"Forcefield"	Beck, Sam Jayne	3:31
10.	"Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods"		2:54
11.	"Asshole"		2:32
12.	"I've Seen the Land Beyond"		1:40
13.	"Outcome"		2:10
14.	"Girl Dreams"	The Carter Family, Beck	2:02
15.	"Painted Eyelids"		3:06
16.	"Atmospheric Conditions"	Beck, Calvin Johnson	2:09

• Beck – bass, guitar, drums, vocals
• Calvin Johnson – vocals
• Chris Ballew – bass, guitar
• James Bertram – bass
• Sam Jayne – vocals
• Scott Plouf – drums
• Mario Prietto – bongos

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic: 8
Score: 6 1/2 

Mellow Gold (March 1994)

This was Beck's major label release and contained the mind-blowingly awesome "Loser".  "Loser" had been an independent single release in 1993, and when it gained attention, Geffen signed him and re-released it along with the album. Just as vivid and varied as the previous releases, though more polished and commercial, and with less of the oddness. This is a proper album that can be listened to with ease and pleasure. As such it is less quirky and fascinating. What you lose on the roundabout you win on the swings, and on the whole the swings are more popular and more enduring.

Released	March 1, 1994
Recorded	1992–1993
Genre	Alternative rock  anti-folk  experimental rock  lo-fi
Length	45:31 (with hidden track)
Label	DGC Bong Load
Producer	Beck Hansen  Tom Rothrock  Rob Schnapf  Carl Stephenson

All tracks are written by Beck (Hansen), except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Loser"	Hansen, Carl Stephenson	3:55
2.	"Pay No Mind (Snoozer)"		3:15
3.	"Fuckin with My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)"		3:41
4.	"Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997"		3:28
5.	"Soul Suckin' Jerk"	Hansen, Stephenson	3:57
6.	"Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat)"		2:55
7.	"Sweet Sunshine"	Hansen, Stephenson	4:14
8.	"Beercan"	Hansen, Stephenson	4:00
9.	"Steal My Body Home"		5:34
10.	"Nitemare Hippy Girl"		2:55
11.	"Mutherfuker"		2:04
12.	"Blackhole" (includes hidden track, "Analog Odyssey")		7:33

• Beck – vocals, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, electric guitar, bass (except tracks 1, 12), harmonica, synthesizers, percussion
• Petra Haden – violin (track 12)
• David Harte – drums (tracks 2, 10, 11)
• Mike O'Connor – drums

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic: 10 
Score: 7 

Odelay (1996)

Awesome! Much more hip-hop than anything he had done before, this is sparkling and crackling with ideas, energy and a brilliant understanding of music. It was released a few months after the Fun Lovin' Criminals' debut, Come Find Yourself, which included the excellent "Scooby Snacks", which similarly utilised hip-hop, country and indie music, and the two albums have a similar sound.  And it was followed by the Eels' Beautiful Freaks, and their single "Novocaine for the Soul", which was in a similar area, just not as diverse and energetic. But there must have been something in the water in 1996 for three albums mixing hip-hop, indie and country to be released. I think that Nirvana's 1994 Unplugged album in which Kurt Cobain covered three tracks by the Meat Puppets must have suggested something.

Released	June 18, 1996
Recorded	1994–96
Studio	Conway Studios, G-Son Studios, Sunset Sound (Los Angeles), The Shop (Arcata)
Genre	Alternative rock  folk rock  rap rock  neo-psychedelia  alternative hip hop  sampledelia  garage rock
Length	51:26 (without hidden track) 54:13 (with hidden track) 135:00 (deluxe edition)
Label	DGC  Bong Load
Producer	Beck,  The Dust Brothers,  Mario Caldato, Jr,  Brian Paulson,  Tom Rothrock,  Rob Schnapf

All songs written by Beck, John King and Michael Simpson, except where noted.
Produced by Beck Hansen and The Dust Brothers, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Devils Haircut"		3:14
2.	"Hotwax"		3:49
3.	"Lord Only Knows"	Beck	4:14
4.	"The New Pollution"		3:39
5.	"Derelict"		4:12
6.	"Novacane"		4:37
7.	"Jack-Ass"		4:11
8.	"Where It's At"		5:30
9.	"Minus"	Beck  produced by Beck, Caldato Jr. and Brian Paulson.	2:32
10.	"Sissyneck"		3:52
11.	"Readymade"		2:37
12.	"High 5 (Rock the Catskills)"		4:10
13.	"Ramshackle"	Beck; produced by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf.	7:29

UDiscoverMusic
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10 
Score: 10

Mutations (1998)

An OK album, accomplished, but not ground-breaking, and it feels not so much as though Beck is treading water, but that he's lost direction and is going round in circles not getting anywhere, and delivering something quite empty, inoffensive, and quietly appealing in the meantime, just to keep the record executives happy. It could be Beck's attempt to do a Bowie album, but if so it fails. It's boring.

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic:  8
Score: 4 1/2

Midnite Vultures (1999)

This is corporate Beck. While still utilising a dazzling array of musical influences, some funk, some country, some jazz, some Beatles, the whole is rather slick and commercial and rather poppy. If Beck hadn't released Odelay I doubt if critics would have paid this much attention, nor given it the credit they did. It's an OK album, but not in the same vein as his earlier material. It's more Prince than Beck.

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic:  6
Score: 5

Sea Change (2002)

O dear..... This is dreary old fashioned country rock with big commercial swooshing strings and a big film production. Where's the ideas, the music content, the clever lyrics? This is a very poor album from anyone. I'm seriously struggling with this one. This is an album for those who like stuff to be very much middle of the road and safe. I like the opening track "The Golden Age", it is very pleasant - some of the feel of later Radiohead about it, but more structured and harmonious; however, the rest of the album doesn't quite lift for me. There is a slight Meat Puppets feel about this, but lost under middle of the road country pop.

All tracks are written by Beck Hansen.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Golden Age"	4:35
2.	"Paper Tiger"	4:36
3.	"Guess I'm Doing Fine"	4:49
4.	"Lonesome Tears"	5:38
5.	"Lost Cause"	3:47
6.	"End of the Day"	5:03
7.	"It's All in Your Mind"	3:06
8.	"Round the Bend"	5:15
9.	"Already Dead"	2:59
10.	"Sunday Sun"	4:44
11.	"Little One"	4:27
12.	"Side of the Road"	3:23

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic:  9
Score: 3 1/2

Guero (2005)

T

his returns to some of the style of Odelay, but without the magic touch. It's an OK album, quite listenable, but it's a Beck tribute album rather than the real thing. This is one of his best selling albums, but this is not the album on which his reputation rests, nor will be the album for which he is remember - that will be Odelay.

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic: 8
Score: 3 1/2

The Information (2006)

This is Beck sounding like a parody of himself, or even a bit like Fun Lovin' Criminals. Gee. Yes, it's listenable and all that, and well crafted, but there's nothing here that really stands out. Beck has done and said all he has to say on Odelay, and has struggled to match that since.

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic: 8
Score: 4 1/2

Modern Guilt (2008)

Not much going on here. It's a listenable but small album.  A bit sort of sub-Radiohead.

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic: 8
Score: 4

Morning Phase (2014)

 

A bit like Pink Floyd. "Comfortably Numb" springs to mind. It's slow burner. Slightly ambient and atmospheric, there's stuff here to get your mind teeth into and enjoy.

All tracks are written by Beck Hansen.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cycle"	0:40
2.	"Morning"	5:20
3.	"Heart Is a Drum"	4:32
4.	"Say Goodbye"	3:30
5.	"Blue Moon"	4:03
6.	"Unforgiven"	4:35
7.	"Wave"	3:41
8.	"Don't Let It Go"	3:10
9.	"Blackbird Chain"	4:27
10.	"Phase"	1:08
11.	"Turn Away"	3:06
12.	"Country Down"	4:01
13.	"Waking Light"	5:01

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic: 7
Score: 5 1/2

Colors (2017)

This has got the sound of an Eighties pop-rock album, like something by Duran Duran. It's trivial and boring and out of date mainstream pop. This is a world away from the Beck of the early 90s.

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic:7
Score: 3

Hyperspace (2019)

More 80s style boring mainstream music. A bit of U2 thrown in.

Wikipedia
UDiscoverMusic 
AllMusic:7
Score: 3

Discography

• Golden Feelings (1993)
• Stereopathetic Soulmanure (1994)
• Mellow Gold (1994)
• One Foot in the Grave (1994)
• Odelay (1996)
• Mutations (1998)
• Midnite Vultures (1999)
• Sea Change (2002)
• Guero (2005)
• The Information (2006)
• Modern Guilt (2008)
• Morning Phase (2014)
• Colors (2017)
• Hyperspace (2019)

Albums ranked

Odelay 41  
Sea Change 30   
Midnite Vultures 16    
Mellow Gold 11  
Mutations 11  
Guero 11
Morning Phase 4
Modern Guilt 2
The Information 1 

Sources:

* Diffuser 
* Stereogum
* PasteMagazine
* Vulture
* BEA
* RYM
* SoundBlab
* CheatSheet   
* Ranker
* UTR
* PopMatters

My ranking

Odelay (1996) 10
Stereopathetic Soulmanure  (Feb 1994)  8
Mellow Gold (March 1994)  7

A Western Harvest Field by Moonlight (1994)  7 

One Foot In The Grave (June 1994)  6 1/2  
Golden Feelings (1993)  6 
Morning Phase (2014)  5 1/2
Midnite Vultures (1999) 5
Mutations (1998) 4 1/2
The Information (2006)  4 1/2
Modern Guilt (2008)   4
Guero (2005)  3 1/2
Colors (2017) 3
Hyperspace (2019)  3
Sea Change (2002)  2 1/2


Album guide
* VinylFactory 


Influences observed:

Meat Puppets
Nirvana
Sonic Youth
Frank Zappa
Captain Beefheart
Radiohead
Neil Young
Tom Waits
Faust (?)
Hip-hop 

George Gerdes 
Robert Johnson
Johnny Cash
Mississippi John Hurt

Conclusion

Summary 

Voice/Musicianship 

Attractive and distinctive voice. A little flat and limited, but that in itself is part of the appeal - a somewhat indifferent drawl. He tends to play all the instruments himself in a very competent session musician manner.  Also getting involved in the production as well.  Score: 8/15 

Image/Star quality 

He has a cool image of someone a little different and iconoclastic.  He was a star in 1996. His light has steadily dimmed since.  3/5

Lyrics/Music

The lyrics are inventive but, other than "Loser", don't quite stay in the mind, or say anything meaningful or universal or interesting.  OK though.  Music is attractive - melding together various styles in a manner that seemed quite popular in the mid 90s. 12/20 

Impact/Influence 

Had an impact with "Loser", gained huge respect for Odelay, gained sales and mainstream attention for Sea Change.  Little else though. Score:  7/10 

Popularity 

Very popular in the mid 90s for "Loser" and the albums Mellow Gold and Odelay. Popularity has declined since, though Sea Change was popular and people still keep an eye on what he's doing in the hope he will do something meaningful again. Score: 3/5

Emotional appeal 

It's more about the ideas.  Score: 2/5

Authenticity

It appears to me, especially on the early work, that the music and the approach mattered more than sales. Pretty authentic. 10/15 

Art 

Beck was working within existing music forms, though he liked to blend them freely in a non-commercial manner. However, he softened his approach quickly to become more commercial, and always worked within popular musical genres, even though he was blending them. His overall sound is commercial. But with an edge. 3/5

Classic albums/songs 

"Loser" and Odelay 2/5

Originality/Innovation 

He liked to try things out in his early years, and liked to blend different music styles. He had a fresh sound, though his most significant sound - the blend of country, rock and hip hop, appeared to be the sound of the times, as Eels, Fun Lovin' Criminals, and G. Love all had a similar sound at the same time. 2/5 

Legacy/Importance

Seemed very important for a while. Generated a lot of good will and critical support, which has waned over the years as he has failed to repeat either "Loser" or Odelay.  As time goes by and Beck is unable to recapture what he did in the mid 90s so his legacy starts to diminish, but there's still the sense that he is a bookmark for a certain blend of musical styles.
Score: 6/10

Total: 58/100

***

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