Guero

Very hard to believe that this would be a top 1000 album. I can think of at least 4/5 better Beck albums, and I don’t consider him to be someone who delivers especially consistent albums. I prefer Beck in folky mode, so this isn’t my favourite version of him. Great lead single and lots of interesting stuff but it’s overlong and my attention wandered. Always worth listening to him, but this is far from his best, in my view.

This is #day127 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... it just happens to be December 13th, Friday. I guess I just don't like Beck. The mix of blues, hip-hop, alternative rock, and whatever else doesn't do it for me. And the vocals... I feel like I'm hearing Bryan Adams gasping for air. There are still two more albums from him on this list, which begs the question: Why would anyone include 3 albums from this guy? You absolutely don't have to listen to Beck before you die. Giving this a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day128.

Reminiscent of the gorillaz. Very artsy fartsy but still reachable and groovy. Would listen again. Best track - E-Pro

Nice album, there is a lot of indie rock rap sounding things

Ugh, Beck. This album seemed more interesting than the others. Maybe interesting is not the word. In any case, it was less depressing, a bit faster. Some songs reminded me of Nickleback and I can’t stand them either.

First Song was enjoyable, then meh

Just another mediocre pop album by Beck. Some catchy riffs but its a little repetitive.

It’s funny how this album had some songs that could just be radio singles written by anyone, and then the next song you’re just like “oh, this is obviously beck.” He can’t help himself. This was a good listen though. Girl is fun. Broken Drum is sad but probably my favorite track. Light 4.

There is no more chameleon-like artist in rock music than Beck. He is willing to blend multiple styles without regard to genre, and make it work. I hadn't heard this album all the way through before, aslthough I did know a bunch of the songs. I really like it. Will definitely listen again.

Man the first track on here made me cringe. The rest of the album was decent but that was big hole to climb out of. I don't love Beck to begin with so I'm certainly biased, but I just don't see what he's adding to popular music. "Go It Alone" was the highlight track for me.

Beck is outstanding but has much better other albums

Beck is the Dr. Frankenstein of electronica/alt. And not the Hollywood version, but more of the Romantic Anti-hero, creating new life out of the old!

mooi... soms iets te slackerig naar mijn gevoel

I def don’t get the beck hype. This is just not that interesting to me. Que ‘onda guero caught my attention a bit but the rest, idk man I just listened to it an hour ago and can’t really remember much.

Clever, quirky, talented Beck. Got on his train with Loser and Odelay! This album is pure fun but I found myself ho-humming a bit around the halfway point. Hopefully his album Morning Phase will pop up on our radar, it's gorgeous and a tender side / sound of him I adore.

This album is a mood board with a range of energy levels, vibes, emotions, and tempos. Beck is quirky and I appreciate it.

A purely enjoyable album. Every genre mash up works. While it has some bangers the highs might not be quite as high as some past albums but it still feels fresh. I didn't pay this much attention but will return. When more can you say.

Meh

Not bad, Mr. Beck. Not bad.

Quite like

jaa!

Decent but got a bit repetitive

Decent in places. That first track is that song from that thing back in the 00s… Rental Car feels very Nirvana unplugged

Not bad overall, some good tracks (E-pro and girl) but feels a little lost or too experimental in places. ‘You know I don’t speak Spanish, Baxter’

I dunno, din't touch me. Maybe I should try once again. Very inconsistent style and energy of a CD for me.

Liked it..

Didn’t like every cut but overall enjoyed

Parts of it I absolutely loved and others not so much. Overall though I enjoyed it.

Yeah I like Beck. Reminds me a little of Tame Impala with how it sounds so wildly blended but it's only one person. Unique instrumentation and different lyrics lift this above the masses for me.

Fairly interesting to listen to, purely due to it being experimental and a bit off the beaten path. But the uniqueness isn't enough for me to really enjoy it

I actually enjoyed this album more than the last one. Though it's not really my thing I'll give it a 3

Scarecrow is only scaring himself. I feel that bro.... Decent album from Beck. More enjoyable than the last few.

Still can't get into Beck, though I could make it through this album unlike the other I've encountered on this list so far. 2/5

4.5

Didn't expect to like it but I did. A fun fusion of hip-hop, rock, pop and electronic. E Pro and Qué Onda Guero were hip bangers. Girl and Missing had a bittersweet vibe. Earthquake Weather was a super lazy chill-out track. Broken Drum had a post-apocalyptic shoegazy feel to it. Rest of the album was meh though.

Sehr überrascht wie gut mir das Album gefallen hat. Finde Alternative Rock ist sonst so Hippie-Schwachsinn, auf der gleichen Ebene wie Ska, aber der Jung hat mir gefallen. 4 Sterne

Kein Fan von Livealben und die Musik auch nicht überragend.

Kannte Beck nicht. Musik war okay, aber auch nichts was mir im Gedächtnis bleiben wird. Songs der Playlist hinzugefügt: Keine

Liked it more the second time around.

Doesn't blow my socks off. I respect what he's trying to do with lo-fi and spanning genres but I can't think of an occasion where I'd want to listen to this again. The first line of any Beck write up highlights that he's a native Angeleno. Maybe this music goes over well at Scientology listening parties.

I really enjoyed the first 3 songs. Felt like it fell off a cliff after that. Read Jack White played bass on a track.

I wonder if Beck sounds so bored singing because even he is bored w these songs. Almost every song on this album is the same structure - a single repeating riff or progression w at most a single variation differentiating verse from chorus. No bridge. Meaningless disaffected lyrics sung without emotion or enthusiasm, w superficial trappings of quirk meant to distract you from the lack of actual talent or creativity. I bet even Beck couldn’t remember how to play most of these entirely disposable, interchangeable songs without looking at the sheet music. These aren’t songs so much as notions. Vaguely upbeat, non-objectionable auditory mood boards meant to play in the background of a commercial and make you want to lease a Kia. I’m going to steal a quote from my wife, who I made listen to this w me while driving to thanksgiving: “this sounds like a band you hear at a music festival when you’re waiting for the band you want to go on.” After ten songs or so helpings of this tasteless sludge I had to listen to Steve winwood back to back to get me in the right mood to see my in-laws. Happy fucking Thanksgiving.

Back on a random Wednesday in 2018, I went to a bar in san francisco’s tenderloin called Beer Basement. The bar was empty except for my two friends and the physically intimidating, yet soft spoken Irish bartender. A couple of beers deep, I heard a super groovy song and immediately interrupted the bartender to ask what was playing (he had a tablet using pandora I think 😂🫨). In movie like fashion, he stoped putting away pint glasses, gave me a weird look and said “its fuuckin beck” in his thick irish accent. He proceeded to roast me and then ever so politely played a bunch of cuts off of Guero. We ended up becoming friends with this guy (Steve - still runs Ales Unlimited in Pac Heights) and went to beer basement every Wednesday (exaggerated, but we went often) until covid closed it down. This album grooves… so many great songs, but I appreciated Missing and Earthquake Weather this time around.

My parents never gave me a proper birds and the bees talk, but I saw the music videos for Sex & Candy (Marcy’s Playground) and Sexx Laws (Beck) every day after school between ‘97 and ‘99 and I didn’t get a girl pregnant until I was 36. I like Beck in medium-sized doses, and took alot of doses over the years, but I don’t think he’s a full-album-through-headphones guy for me right now. I would say hell yeah to a greatest hits, or a few songs on a shuffled playlist, or even this album in the background at a coffee shop - after a few songs, I lean over to my wife and mutter that they’re playing the full album of Guero by Beck, she stares into her latte wondering if she should pop quiz me on her phone number again. Love E Pro and Go It Alone from this one.

4.1 2x catch up 12/6/2024 great album

Pretty good

Fun album to listen to. For me it was full of surprises because it doesn't stick to one genre.

And exactly why does this band belong on this list? I want to meet the editors. I feel like after album 100 they just compiled a list of random records. This is not bad but it's most definitely not good.

I hadn’t heard this one before but it reminds me of the Beck I liked.

This is like a 3.5 star album. I wish there was some sort of theme/style similarity throughout the album, but there just isn't. The random stye jumps are interesting and make for an album that doesn't have any skips, but there's no real cohesiveness that would have me coming back regularly. Not a disappointing one, just felt random. Like if I had ADHD and decided to just create a random playlist.

Day324 - the first three songs of this album are awesome and i’m looking foward to more beck albums on here

Electronic music I actually enjoyed. Some songs weren’t for me, but had a good time overall. Definitely enjoyed the latter half of the album. Fav song: Farewell Ride Least Fav: Hell Yes Least Fav:

Did not finish. Seemed bland. Probably deserves another shake.

It’s okay

I forgot about this album. I had stopped listening to Beck after Mutations. Turns out I recognized a few of these songs! Some good stuff that feels more like Odelay than what came between Odelay and this one.

This album is pretty sweet. The style is all over the place and really keeps things interesting.

Great album! Still holds up today, I like Beck's times where it's faster paced.

This is another one in the category of Low (Bowie) for me. I remember seeing posters all over the record store for this album, decided to buy it, and I hated it. Didn't listen to Beck again until I saw him voice a character in Futurama and one of my bandmates made me listen again. I got it this time. Guero is one of those albums that reminds me to try things I do not think I will like.

Gillade den senare hälften mycket mer men en skakig början

Unmistakenly Beck! It’s pretty good. Especially Girl, Black Tambourine, . Buuut 54 minutes of this gets a little too much at a time for my taste. I don’t really get why I have to listen to this before I die. There are definitely other Beck albums that fit that bill much better: Mellow Gold, Odelay or Midnite Vultures. Even Morning Phase.

Nice vibe

Honestly a really fun album. Jumps around and a few skips but I liked revisiting this one.

Eto cho

It sounds like some soundtracks to every movie but in a good way

Not my kind of music; a lot of noises that generally do not harmonize with each other. Sounds a lot like Franz Ferdinand but in more bizarre and messy way.

very fun and eclectic alt rock shenanigans. a good time

Another solid Beck and Dust Brothers collab

plan on listening more

I do wanna listen to that new Yanni cassette (Oh wait, already own it on CD.) Wow, (OK, he called us out on that one) the Beckster is on top of his game and hittin’ it outta the park with Guero. E-Pro, Girl, Hell Yes, and Scarecrow (best song) can not be beaten. All songs perfect up to Earthquake Weather (not a bad song, just a rough transition.) Little rough at Broken Drum (get it now that I know the back story) and the album finishes very strong. Go It Alone launches this album to (4.9*s) Please enjoy.

Another strong performance by Beck, no surprise there. This album is consistently good at every turn, there's not a bad song on it. He manages to do whatever he wants: skip around in styles, add weird sounds, go from upbeat to slow, and it just so completely works because it's Beck. "Little Drum" is really somber and beautiful then "Farewell Ride" has you walking your spurs to your grave. Lots of different vibes happening with each song, all of them really good in their own ways, the Goldilocks zone of weird. I used to like the upbeat bangers but now I'm leaning into the slower, more melancholic tracks. Even as your tastes change, this album always delivers. Hell Yes, 4.55.

Was a little surprised to see this album make the list considering the other massive works by Beck but I'm not the least bit mad about it. Guero is another showcase of the range and talent Beck has with music. He brings in so many genres (folk, electronics, classical, hip-hop) and mixes them flawlessly. No one does it better (only artist that comes close is prob Damon Albarn). A few hits on here and some lesser known great like "Missing" and "Scarecrow." Not a bad track on the whole thing. The more I listen to the is album, the higher it ranks. More Beck to come and all I can say is "Hell Yes"...4.55.

Beck brings a creativity and diversity in his music that is effective and rarely emulated elsewhere. Guero is a fantastic return to his prior style and hits it out of the park. The opening 3 songs pack an incredible punch, but it remains a very solid album from front to back otherwise. Easily deserving of the list, and I expect to see other Beck entries in the future. In the wise words of Bender Bending Rodriguez, Beck is a musician-poet who transcends genres even as he re-invents them. Beck is one of the best working musicians of the past 30 years and I'll support his work as long as his career continues to evolve. 4.21 stars

Groovy

This album is a good melow rock feel. This released in 2005 when I just started exploring rock music. I wish I found it back then but I have it now and I'm not mad. I definitely want to hear more from the artist.

great album, will definitely listen again

This is an excellent album by Beck. It is funky and eclectic. Very fun to listen to. Best Track: "Go It Alone", with Jack White on the bass, but most of the tracks here are awesome. 5 stars.

Not gonna sugarcoat it, this is a bunch of nothing. There's already two very good Beck albums on the list, no point in having this one. It's way too safe and boring.

On the line between like and love and after listening to the first few tracks again, I'm leaning love, but I may forget this album entirely in three days. We Shall See

E-Pro Girl

Beck is not for me. It's all too professional. Not enough HEART in the music. It just does not capture my imagination. I don't dislike it, it's fine, it just leaves me cold.

Just Boring, probably better on more listens.

4/11/24 It's a harmless album, I have no real issues with it. I probably wouldn't listen to it again.

When I first listened to this album, I’ll admit I only had a limited knowledge of Beck’s earlier work, mainly up to and including Odelay. This album struck me as decent, with a sound and production style that felt reminiscent of Odelay. I think The Dust Brothers, who co-produced Odelay, were also involved in this one, which might explain the similar vibe. As I haven’t explored much of Beck's discography beyond those earlier albums, it’s hard for me to compare this to his other work. However, I can say that while it didn’t immediately blow me away, I will certainly give it another listen. It might not be as groundbreaking as Odelay, but it still has Beck’s signature experimental twist. If you're a fan of his sound from that era, this album is likely worth a try.

I vowed never to listen to a full Beck album because he is a Scientologist. If anyone could put effective subliminal messages into their songs, it’s him. I’m going to go for it though, my mind is strong. There’s samples, samples are always good to hear in a song. I really feel like it’s a dying art form. To me, this is classic Beck. Decent songs but not overly great. Somewhat catchy but scattered lyrics most of the time that only he understands, though I feel he geared himself towards a more pop feel with this one. I don’t know, it’s not bad but it’s not blowing my mind. It’s worth a listen to be able to agree with me, which you will. Choice cut: Scarecrow

Such a cool, ambient, dirty, folky album. There are like 50 adjectives you could slap on that list too. Beck is so creative and such an innovator without sacrificing making an album that’s actually nice to listen too. For my money, I really like his later stuff that goes a little bit further off the instrument deep end but this is a very solid album.

I'll always have a soft spot for this album. It will always remind me of the big city, specifically Santiago de Chile. I'm chilean (hola qué wea), and I grew up mostly in a small town. When the time came to move to the big city, I used to listen to this album nonstop and it was the best match it could have been.

Brilliant eclectic interest adding up to a masterpiece.

Over indexes on being vibe-y in the back half, but still a great album that reminds me of a specific time in my life.

Much better than Odelay. It seems like he matured musically or at least leaning more on the Dust Brothers in the writing department. The riffs and lines seem more direct and less "throw it at the wall and see what sticks." High points for me are 'E-Pro', 'Go It Alone', and his tribute to the late Elliot Smith 'Broken Drum'

A lot of my favorite Beck songs are on this album, it turns out.

🎧Good songs: E-Pro, Girl, Go It Alone. Sonically mish-mashed, altogether fine but somewhat forgettable songs: everything else here.

I thought this was pretty good, a wide variety of styles but a consistent quality. Favorite track: "Go It Alone."

Enjoyed it! This is the second or third Beck album I have heard from this list and they make me feel like I should listen to him more.

I really enjoy listening to Beck, so this was a nice treat. And while I was mystified by the presence of the previous Beck album I listened to ("Sea Change"), I'm not at all surprised to see this album. Even though I don't own this album, I feel like I've heard nearly all of the songs on it before, and enjoyed all of them (the only ones I didn't really recognize were "Earthquake weather", "Broken drum" and the last three songs). I particularly enjoyed listening *and* watching "E-Pro", "Girl", "Black tambourine" and "Hell yes", as he seems to have consistently creative and entertaining videos to songs that are already fun to listen to (the ASCII-art nature of "Black typewriter" was particularly cool, as were the MAD-inspired fold-ins in "Girl"; bummer that he had a spinal injury filming "E-Pro"). What a nice contrast to his previous album "Sea Change", and a great return to form. And a lot of really interesting contributors to various songs, including the funny selection of Christina Ricci on "Hell yes". And what a pleasure to listen to an album that was enjoyable from start to finish. (5)

Something about Beck's layered fuzzy sound nauseates me. I'm sure he's really good if he doesn't make you want to throw up. Soy un perdidor.

Not a huge Beck fan outside of Odelay, and this album is really a mixed bag. “E-Pro,” “Girl,” and “Broken Drum” are the best songs, with the latter being the standout track. Production was decent and there were some interesting lyrics, but overall it was just okay. I definitely understand why this one got removed from the list in later editions.

This was a great album, plus the Dust Brothers. I love this album, but it's not my favorite Beck (still Mutations). This is more edited and straightforward, but I love it all the same.

This album has more variation in styles and genres than most radio stations. Still somehow managed to feel cohesive. While it did not blow me away immediately, I see all the hallmarks of this being an album that grows on you so I'll add a star in advance.

Quite liked it, but quite same

Not exactly my style, but pretty damn cool sounding. Very original, hard to pinpoint a genre. Tiny bit of a Gorillaz x Nine Inch Nails (but cleaner) vibe, clearly early 2000s. No real bangers though?

Some of the tracks don't work for me, or are a bit self-indulgent (Hell Yes) but overall this is a really good album that I would listen to again

This is more what I was expecting of a Beck album when “Sea Change” popped up. I don’t like this one nearly as much (although it’s not bad).

It's interesting, pulling from lots of influences and doing it well. I've liked every song so far, but I don't know if I would listen to this as a full album again.

Really dig it. Love the variety of styles on the album. Apparently I like Beck.

It’s hard to pick a favourite Beck album because they can sound so different, but I can say with some certainty that Girl is my favourite song of his. I’ve listened to a lot of Beck over time, and I’d say that Guero is possibly one of his most accessible. He doesn’t get too weird with things like on Midnite Vultures, but also not too sedate like with Sea Change and Morning Phase. It’s hard to fault anything here, but then I’ve always loved Beck’s music and how genre defying he can be.

Beck is a strange listen for me. I think he has some cool and unique music, but it's the kind of music I wouldn't have on a playlist to listen over and over again. I thought my listens were fine and there was nothing that made me ask wtf, but nothing that made want to say "Hey Mindy, check out this song". I did recognize E-Pro from radio plays and there something about Earthquake Weather that stood out from the rest of the album, but pretty much right down the middle for me. 2.5

Fuck Beck.

4 I’m not the biggest fan of Beck’s music, so I wasn’t expecting a ton going into this given that I previously rated his more popular albums pretty modestly, but I actually think this is my newfound favorite of his. Granted, it’s not drastically different from what I’ve heard from him in the past - it’s still the same brand of white boy rap - but this really feels like a collection of songs containing his best takes on it. The highlight for sure is the opener, E-Pro, which has a great energy and insanely catchy chorus to it (that allegedly samples So What’Cha Want by Beastie Boys, but I don’t hear it). It’s the kind of the song that makes you feel like the coolest guy in the room when you’re walking around listening to it. And not far behind it are Girl, Black Tambourine, and Go It Alone, which are also all super catchy tracks by their own merits, though especially that last one, which also happens to feature Jack White on bass - a fact that totally tracks in hindsight. I mean, come on, tell me it doesn’t sound like a borderline White Stripes song. And even the three tracks leading up to that one - Hell Yes (featuring Christina Ricci on guest vocals), Broken Drum (a touching tribute to Elliot Smith), and Scarecrow (no fun fact on this one, sorry) - are all really solid as well. As probably goes without saying, I enjoyed most everything here, though I will say, the three songs that end the album are probably the weakest. The Western-style guitar work on Farewell Ride is kind of cool I suppose, but it marks the start of a sort of decline in the album that it never picks back up from. Still, there’s nothing to be found in these closing moments that ruins the experience or really even disrupts the flow for that matter, so I have no major complaints. Overall, really good, well-paced album. While I’ve never considered myself much of a Beck fan, I definitely see myself listening to this one again. Hell, maybe I’m just a contrarian, but this is THE Beck release as far as I’m concerned.

After 'Sea Change' this album saw him go back to a certain sound that his early albums had started but still with the "new" Beck doing it. The result is less weird and abstract, less crazy but still a mix of Alt-Rock with Hip Hop influences, this time often more psychedelic Trip Hop and less actual Rap. I personally prefer the weird Beck but that doesn't mean that this album doesn't have its qualities even if they are not as fully thought out. 'E-Pro' gets things going with a Rap Rock track that also pulls influence from Dance, Breakbeat as well as Trip Hop which will become much more used later on. It's a loud and energetic track which works really well with the more laid back vocals from Beck while still being catchy especially with the chorus. I do like the song but it already shows that the sound isn't fully fleshed out or at least that's how it sounds to me. There is a lot going on but it doesn't fit together all that well. It's just there. Of course, it's catchy and the whole song is great but it could've been so much better. The English/Spanish track 'Qué onda guero' combines Abstract and Pop Rap with Latin Jazz influences and also some recordings which seem to me from a Mexican street or something. The song is really catchy, well produced, well... everything is done well. The song is perfect and a really good listen that sounds like the best of old and new Beck combined. On 'Girl' the Pop Rock mix is combined with Bitpop as well as some Indie which does make it sound very... nerdy. At least at the start. The longer it plays the more interesting it gets with some interesting songwriting and performances that seem to pull from a lot of different influences. I'm not a big fan of the intro but the rest is lovely which results in an incredible song. The mix of a Trip Hop beat on 'Missing' with Bossa Nova and Chamber Pop influences here and there creates a really interesting and psychedelic instrumental that could've been incredible on its own but for some reason Beck decided to sing in a style that does not fit the instrumental at any point. It feels weird and unfitting and destroys the things that the beat does well. I don't get what he thought when he made this but it's not good. The Funk and Dance influences on the still very much Trip Hop track 'Black Tambourine' seems to really figure out the sound the album tries to go. In terms of sound this is pretty diverse and fun but the entire songwriting and the vocals do kind of ruin it a bit. It's not bad but I am a bit bored with it and it doesn't have much going for it except some interesting additions on the beat. The Dub and Electronic ideas on 'Earthquake Weather' are interesting at first but the addition of the guitar seems very weird and unfitting. It feels like these two parts of the instrumental where put together without hearing if it works. The feel out of rhythm the entire time and even if the vocals actually work and create a well done chorus, is the music enough to confuse me the entire time. Either or. Both sounds of the instrumental don't work together. More Abstract Hip Hop is done on 'Hell Yes' which combines some Experimental & Abstract Pop Rap with G-Funk and Dance with a very groovy and weird beat (weird in a good way) that works well with rapping from Beck that's very West-Coast. I also enjoy the electronic vocals that appear at times and remind me of Kraftwerk. It's done well but I do think that everything would've needed a bit more but it's still a good song that is just streched out a bit too much. The Downtempo & Ambient Pop song 'Broken Drum' which adds Trip Hop, Neo-Psychedelia and even some Slowcore to create an emotional and genre experimenting track. Both instrumental and vocals are adding to the sentimental and sad track that is absolutely perfect even if it's out of style with both Beck and the album. Hauntingly beautiful. A return to more Alt-Rock happens on 'Scarecrow' which also plays with Country Soul and of course Trip Hop drums. The combination of sounds and ideas works pretty well here and even the vocals are interesting. There's not much to talk about here because it's a very low-key and diverese song that is just okay-good. I like the guitar, I like the harmonica, I like the drums and the bass. It's a nice listen that isn't too crazy or too dull. If the long instrumental bridges were cut out, it'd be better. 'Go It Alone' does some Blues with the established Trip Hop/Alt-Rock mix. It's not bad but mainly just boring. The hook is pretty okay but the rest is repetitive dullness that isn't bad but not interesting either. I don't care for it, I don't like it, I don't dislike it. It's just there and does not do a thing. I didn't expect it but on 'Farewell Ride' Beck goes all in on Alt-Country Rock that pulls from Gothic and Blues Country to create a darker and haunting sound that still feels like it's Beck. But it isn't the good Beck. The song does some very weird things in the production that don't work. The songwriting has also not that much going for it which is sad because on paper, this could've turned out great but instead it sounds something between dull and annoying but certainly no good. The Rock returns in a very heavy style on 'Rental Car' which again sounds a bit dull and just not that interesting. There are certainly enough qualities that make some parts interesting but there is so much at times thrown together that the result doesn't make sense. It's either okay or annoying which isn't all that good overall. The closing track 'Emergency Exit' combines Trip Hop with some Ambient elements as well as Alt-Country guitar and even some Glitch Pop. It does certainly have a very interesting sound but it does linger on for too long and kind of goes into a weird direction at times that do just feel weird. It's not bad but also not often good. It's tolerable with some okay moments. favourites: Broken Drum, Qué onda guero, Girl least favourites: Missing, Earthquake Weather, Farewell Ride Rating: strong 6 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

8/10

Enough Beck already!!!!!

Always found beck to be pretty fucking corny. Like hip hop for rich white liberals who vote blue but lock their doors when driving through the hood.

Comes and goes without leaving much of an impression. Sounds a lot like the Beck I remember from the 90s: shaggy alt-rock guitars combined with hip hop beats, slacker vocals sliding between singing and rapping in his signature playful drowsy delivery, some cool production (sounds like Outkast sometimes) and lots of ideas including some fun riffs and lots of swirling sounds. But none of it really stands out, seems like mostly filler and doesn't advance much on the what he'd already accomplished on earlier albums. Not bad, but not essential listening. Favorites: Que' Onda Guero, Girl

Two memorable times in my adolescence an album came out that I hated so bad it cast a negative reflection backwards onto the artist for me for all time and I quit listening to them forever. One was ‘good news for people who love bad news’ and the other one was guero. Upon revisiting: was it worth all that negativity? Not really. Do I like it? No.

Another win from Beck

Having only known odelay, this was an interesting listen. Song with slide guitar? Check. Random samples? Check. Vocals in that weird beck-style intonation? Check! It's fine, but not something I'll ever revisit... Probably

It's okay. Felt like it dragged on a bit though

I liked it! Was torn between 3 and 4 stars but I reckon it’s a 4-er. Was bit like cross between gorillaz and the police

This was a hard one to review, actually want to come back to it and can see it getting more enjoyment on future listens. Probably needed another day with it. E-pro is a banger 3.5/5

Thought this really worked. No major standouts but whole album just flowed

I think I can now confidently say I don't like Beck. At least he's distinctive and mixes things up.

I love this album, it might be in my top 3 Beck albums, but it should end on Farewell Ride; Rental Car and Emergency Exit are extraneous

Classic Beck: A little eclectic, a little ironic, a little problematic. The latter isn't for appropriation so much as it mostly for Christina Ricci (!?)'s wild ass Japanese accent. In fact, I wish he's gone for more pure internationalism on this album since it gives the album its strongest moments. After all, M.I.A. was just starting to make a career off of it around this time, and if any established American artist was going to really go for it, well...

Yeah but it lacked coherence I felt different styles in the same album, no identity

I always prefer sad Beck over everything else. Since this is not Sea Change or Morning Phase, I'll rank it accordingly mid. 2.5*

Day 52 - Oct 19th, 2024 Painfully 2000s, but oh so good. 4/5

This one feels like flipping through radio stations on a long drive. There’s a blend of beats and melodies that pull from everywhere, like old-school hip-hop meeting lo-fi rock. Some tracks remind me of the playful weirdness you get with early Beastie Boys, but softer, less chaotic. The production is gritty yet polished, layering a lot without feeling heavy. It’s like taking a stroll through a collage of sounds, each track surprising in its own way.

jaa väärä beckki.. aina saa pettyä kun tulee vastaan yksananen.. eipä ollut kitarabekki... oli retardibekki... no osaa sentään käyttää retardiuttaan hyväkseen. valitettavasti sanantoisto rokkia tässäkin mukana, mutta pääosin aika kiinnostavaa retardi vammais musiikkia. crazy wackiness, what will he do next??????? becksfitness voisi syödä niitä donitsejakin vähän. kalifornia lilliputti kuitenkin niin ei saada lihaa naperoon väkisinkään.. sentään vähän sitä painoa niillä donitseilla kuitenkin saataisiin. semmonen fiilis että huomenna kostelloa.. siinä tapauksessa ylläpito ole hyvä ja poistu voin valita omat albumini tästä lähtien... que honda

It was ok. So difficult to say when it’s not your genre. But it felt like Muzak to me. Appreciated the slower songs more.

I am wholly unfamiliar with this album but it really pulled me in and took me on a ride. Missing is a perfect example, feels like it has cogs and steam pushing you along. There is a laid back but relentless propulsion running through the songs that I find hypnotic and appealing. I've rated Beck 3 and 4 so far in this project, this one really won me over.

So refreshing amd original. All songs are a surprise and yet somehow the album works perfectly. A masterpiece by Beck who is one of the greatest minds of experimental rock and top tier musician overall.

Out of all the artists that go by one name, Beck is one of them

Best of Beck's

I like the first few songs, but then I lost interest.

как обычно знаю всего одну песню с самого успешного альбома исполнителя и за то спасибо ОС. надо потом послушать всего Бека, хотя я на нём обжигалась уже…

I did not know this musician. Quite enjoyable as he plays a variety of styles. I like his voice and appreciated all of the tracks.

I was never a big fan of beck

First, if you haven't seen the video to Girl, you have to check it out. Think Mad Magazine fold-in. I admit I never really "got" Beck and his oddball (to me) lyrics. For me, lyrics might be the most important part of the song. I did like this album but it didn't change my life or anything and I prefer Mixed Bizness if I had to pick a Beck album.

Beck is a musical genius in my book. I'm not as familiar with this as Sea Change or Morning Phase but it's thoroughly enjoyable. This album is a grower, invest some time listening and you'll be rewarded.

first song sounds like a ford f150 commercial... that's the only thing i've gleaned from it in its 3:22 runtime. i like that the concept of this album came from beck getting bullied for being white. beck has like two types of songs from what i know about him: "where it's at" style rap rock and generic garage rock (i haven't listened to sea change though so i'm definitely limited in my perspective). okay this third song is just car seat headrest. people compare this record to gorillaz and they're right, thus far it's literally just been the first gorillaz record but worse. i don't think i've heard a song on this album i've actually enjoyed yet (as of "black tambourine"). okay "hell yes" is pretty enjoyable, but it made me realize that the enjoyability of a beck song essentially reliant on being quirky enough to get your attention. which is fine or whatever, but this album seems like a rehash of odelay and mellow gold, so i feel like all of the quirk has been squeezed from this trip-hop, sampledelia gimmick already. as of "go it alone," this album has officially become incredibly boring. also fuck jack white. i just genuinely wonder how someone is supposed to *want* to sit here and listen to this entire album when every fucking song is just a four on the floor dirge with a monotone vocals that sound about as bored with the song as i am. "rental car" is the second song on this entire album that didn't waste any of my time with pure distilled boredom in music form. because things happen in this song. things are happening and it's not just the same 30 seconds looped over and over again. this is how you make music, mr. beck. last song was such a huge waste of time i don't even want to type its name.

A pleasant surprise, diverse sounds.

Decent. 3/5

Had no idea what to expect when starting this, but I was pleasantly surprised! I was quite busy with some work when listening to this, but it still grabbed my attention, which is quite a testament. 'E-Pro' immediately felt recognizable. I wonder if it has been in some famous commercial or something. Nevertheless, good song! The rest of the tracks continued along the same track; a bit experimental with quite heavy grooves. Reminded me of Gorillaz at times, in a good way. Funny thing with the record is, Beck doesn't look at all like a person who'd make this type of music. He looks more like he'd fit in the Lumineers, and I'd expect someone closer resembling Shift Shellshock or something to be the author of this. Funny how wrong you can be! I find it hard to single out particularly good songs, except perhaps aforementioned 'E-Pro', and 'Que' Onda Guero'. I just think the whole record was really good and nice to listen to. I'm going to give it a 4 for now, but this could be a 5 if I give it a proper swing again and get more into it.

Something about Beck just bores me. I can't put my finger on it but it just feels kind of all over the place without leaving any lasting impact.

There are a handful of good songs but for most I’d feel like the song had gone on for ages, check how long it was, and see that it’d only been 2 or 3 minutes. Just bleh.

I really like Beck. I don’t know if I love him though. I certainly like his early stuff. I haven’t listened to this album before. I only knew E-Pro which is a very good song. This whole album is good. I don’t think I have much else to say about it other than it’s good and I like it.

Definitely unique

No.

This is a much stronger album than I recall. The playing and arrangements are top notch and it contains a kaleidoscopic array of styles.

Go It Alone //

A very interesting album. I enjoyed most of it, the mix of rap and vocal tracks was a nice contrast.

Liked this more than I thought I would! Added a couple tracks to my faves playlist (E-pro, girl, earthquake weather, and rental car).

Love this album. A great vibe throughout, with quirky songs that stay with me. Not sure how much of this is due to the Dust Brothers. And yes, I still own the deluxe cd/DVD version with the 7 bonus songs and the surround sound mix, which I will listen to in the morning.

Sons étranges et expérimentaux mêlant du DnB, electonica, rock et pop. Pas fan.

10/4/24. I think I hit a year of reviewing albums! I always appreciate Beck's wide repertoire and trying different genres. The songs on this one are a ton of fun.

dont get it but its not awful

I liked it for the most part

Brilliant album, have listened to this one a lot. Love Beck!! 92/100 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

e pro- 5 or 6 que onda guero- i, too, sleep on the sidewalk with a burgerking crown. 6 girl- 4 or 5 missing- 5 black tambourine- 6 earthquake weather- 5 hell yes- 4 or 5 broken drum- 5 scarecrow- 4 go it alone- 4 farewell ride- breaking bad. 4 or 5 rental car- 5 emergency exit- 5 beck more like mid 😎

Decent album, not amazing.

Really good shit that

Missing, Black Trampoline, Earthquake Weather, Hell Yes, Go it Alone were the highlights on a very strong album.

I’m not as enamored of this album as I was in my 20s, but there are still some cool, inventive tracks here. The front half is definitely stronger than the back.

Perfectly listenable, but not something I will personally listen to.

Bland and boring rock

Haven't listened to much Beck. This is a really solid album. I should definitely check some more Beck out!

Not a massive fan of Beck. Was hard to get through this album when you arent a fan. But not the worst album I have ever heard.

Been jammin a lot of Beck recently

Stunningly solid first half. Big beats, fun samples, and Beck's traditional lackidasical attitude. Second half slows considerably, especially after "Hell Yes", and flits with delta blues mixed with the aforementioned big beats. I could see myself going back to the second half, but after initial listen it just sucked the life out of me. Call it all a 3.5. Favorite Tracks: "Que Onda Guero", "E-Pro", "Black Tambourine"

cool sounds and stuff and songs and his dad is cool

Favorite Qué onda guero

I think Beck writes music, not songs. Great talent but just doesn’t do it for me.

Cool album

It's cool but it's not my favorite by him. One of those albums in between the great ones where he was finding his next step

Loved this! And him. I feel like my world has opened up, so much more Beck to explore

Unique beats that felt enjoyable to see how they'd be evolving. I'm not sure if I'd listen to it regularly, but at least it was a pleasant album to run into

5/5

Album starts well enough. Then gets weird. Then gets annoying. This isn’t even the best Beck album, let alone a top 1000.

felt like unseasoned music, will never listen again lol.... standard mid 2000s music

Kind of boring, didn't finish listening to it. The first song had a creative music video though.

This album is truly a variety pack. Mostly rock songs with some hip hop sounding songs along with some other styles, overall I found the album to be somewhat enjoyable Standout tracks: E-Pro, Girl, Go It Alone

The germ of a good album here but falls flat too often, strange this in included given Beck's other superior albums included 3*

Good

This is too experimental for my tastes. Go It Alone probably best track Scarecrow slaps tho, what a nice bass line

Where has Beck been all my life? I had “Odelay” a while back for this project, and simply loved it. He’s such a creative force in every way. Taking established norms and turning them on their heads, innovating and experimenting and being unapologetic about the results be they good or bad. He is truly himself as an artist and it’s fun to listen to. Scrubbing back through this album and tracking all the different genres and influences I hear is kinda mind blowing. There’s rock, some rap/hip hop, blues, funk, and prog rock all here. It’s a great mishmash that never really lets up. There’s a range of moods and sounds here, from the radio hits like E-Pro to the sadder more reflective stuff like Broken Drum. Something for everyone. Excellent stuff. Four stars. Standout Tracks: E-Pro, Que’Onda Guero, Girl, Missing, Broken Drum, Scarecrow, Go it Alonr

3.5

Solid 4.5 with some easy listening babgers

Go it alone and farewell ride stood out to me. Chain reaction was probably the most beck sounding. The sounds were a little randomly jumbled throughout the album, but still fabulous. Probably not my favourite of beck but the second half grew on me a lot

This might be my new favorite Beck album after being a Midnite Vultures stan for years.

Outside of a few hit singles, I've never been all that interested in Beck. And with this record, the same feeling holds true. For me, a lot of his music feels like meandering alternative rock that just doesn't go anywhere. Personally, this record was just OK. Favorite track: Black Drum

First time listening to Beck other than the song Loser, me gusta.

Surpsingly good, I've never been a big Stones fan, but this was excellent. You can tell it came on the heels of Sticky Fingers.

CD

Enjoy Beck's earlier works. Not heard of this. Looking forward to it As eclectic, exuberant and excellent as ever. Loved it!

Someone tell Ross Gellar to step away from the keyboard. I think there was potential from Broken Drum for a couple of songs. There are other Beck projects that I like but this isn’t one of them. *Random lazer effect*

the best work i have listened from beck yet. Def his most consistent work. (3.5/5.0)

2.5, väsähdin tähän loppua kohden.

Individuelt fede nok sange, MEGET forskellige. Kan blandt andet fremhæve ret slide guitar i Farewell Ride. Men så er der også rap, Bosa Nova, meget percussion heavy osv. Generelt er han meget fan af breaks. Jeg tror sagtens jeg kunne blive fan af Beck, men som album er det her lidt for svært at blive klog på til at jeg kan give det mere end 3.

I was a sophomore in high school when Mellow Gold came out, and that was a pretty important album for me. I’ve seen Beck in concert a couple of times. I liked Odelay, Midnight Vultures and Sea Change. I’ve owned all of those and Mutations and Stereopathic Soul Manure on CD or vinyl. I’d say I’m a moderate Beck fan. I listened to this album for a few weeks when it came out and tried to get into it, but it just didn’t do it for me. It’s fine, but it kind of felt like a rehash of old ideas by someone who didn’t have it any more. Relistening to it today did nothing to change that opinion. It has a few nice moments, but not enough to make it anything like an album you must hear before you die.

This album was honestly way better than I expected. It has some notably catchy songs being the first two but the overall sound is really something I admire. The charm that Beck brings into the album really establishes a cohesive well thought-out album. Great listen! Top 3 Favorites: Que' Onda Guero, E-Pro, and Emergency Exit Top 3 Worst: none 3.75-4.00/5

Хороший альбом, что неудивительно для Бека. Много хороших песен, но не могу выделить лучшие. Ровный хороший альбом, атмосферный. Некоторые мелодии напоминали мелодии из Sea change (оно и понятно, это два последовательных альбома).

BECK YOU BEAST, RIGHT ANOTHER AWESOME ALBUM. I prefer Odelay BUT this is awesome as fuck!

A decent album, but nothing I'm likely to be seeking out to listen to all that often.

Beck delves into all of his old tricks with previous producers The Dust Brothers from his albums before. Fried vocals, swampy blues, dadist word play, off-kilter samples, electronic beeps and some killer melodies. Is it a retread of the better album Odelay? Yes. But I don't care - this is the Beck I like. Best Tracks: E-Pro; Girl; Go It Alone

3 dobre nuty reszta jakieś zapychacze

Good guitar stuff, it some weird stuff in there that I enjoyed less.

Beck is cheesy as heck and this album is pretty boring after the first few songs

Like

Glad we didn't kill him

Every song feels like it belongs to other album

My second Beck album and I fear there is more to come. This album was OK at best not one of his strongest, so I am very surprised it made the cut of this list. I really enjoyed the opening tracks E-pro, Girl and missing. Its was a strong start but the album moved to a more repetitive and slower middle and end. Beck's music is funky, with a hint of indie and grunge yet samy after a while as I do not feel he tries anything new and different. Its an average album. Favourite song: Girl Least favourite: Broken drum and scarecrow Album artwork: It’s a fun cover

:( <- me listening to this album

Horny stuff

I'm always kind of split on Beck. On one hand, his more alt-rock focused songs align pretty well with most of my musical tastes. On the other hand, the concept of "white guy rapping over rock instruments" can be grating if it's not done well (Beastie Boys being an exception). I will say the songs I enjoyed outweighed my distaste for the rest, so all in all this was a good record. I don't think I'm inclined to go out of my way for more Beck, but they're good in small doses in my opinion. Notable Tracks: - E-Pro - Black Tambourine - Scarecrow - good groove - Farewell Ride 6/10

Jordan - 3.5/5 it’s a really good Beck album and lots a variety. He just has a few better albums that I personally can’t go to a 4

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Good listen.

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Good mix of songs, but none that I knew. Might need to listen again.

Loved it

This is a good album and I enjoyed listening to it a few times. Solid 3. (not sure what all the fuss is about with Beck)

Great name - ok album The film clip for E-pro is an all time fave though

My second Beck album this week! Still not that into Beck, but still not sure why. This album sounded slightly more “mature”, but so what? What am I supposed to do with a slightly more mature piece of toast?

música de niño que va a la “prepa” en 2004 y se le caen los pantalones

Kind of a weird feeling listening to this one. It's definitely Good Music, no doubt about it, but I'll probably never listen to it again. Except "Rental Car." That's a good one.

I really enjoyed some tracks but the overall feeling of this being made for a wide audience didn’t escape me through the songs. Didn’t feel genuine

love it.

Probably more of a 3.5 imo. It has some high high’s and some low low’s

Absolutely brilliant album. I found alot of the music the be very enticing with great guitar work and sounds that caught me off guard. Every song was unique yet worked brilliantly together as an album. The stand out song has to be "Broken Drum", the simple beat with no chorus made the song flow brilliantly and made for a great listen. Would highly recommend this album for anyone. The album is only being docked one star as I think it lacks the absolute perfection that a 5 star would entail.

cool stuff, but a very unique style, not for all

Gorillazra akar hasonlítani, meg még sok másra, de közben igazán egyikre se tud. Nem működik, baromi disszonáns, csapongó, fura, és nem jó értelemben.

Starts ridiculously strong and manages to maintain throughout. A gem of an album, not a bad song on it.

Favourite beck album we've had so far, had his classic sound but this was the best version of it. Lots of good riffs and most of the songs had their own bits that stopped it being too samey, though I can see why he might have moved on from this sound after this, he's pushed it as far as it can go. Will definitely listen again, 4.5.

Favourite Beck album thus far. Just really cool - only one or two songs don't really do anything for me (e.g., Hell Yes) but the run before that, Missing, Black Tambourine, and Earthquake Weather, is amazing. I enjoy music where the artist is clearly having a blast creating it - loads of experimentation, riffing on prior tracks, some weird lyrics, and his singing isn't even that bad. That he has the freedom to do what he wants is beneficial if he's in this creative state of mind.

More Beck! This is fairly similar to the last album we had, I recognised a few tracks. Interesting to read broken drum was about Elliott Smith. Again, quite eclectic. Didn't rate "hell yes" though. Probably didn't think it was quite as good as odelay I don't think 3.5

FIRE. Felt like it went from country to hip hop to blues shit was wild. Only one song I didn’t care for but it’s a solid ride start to finish.

This was a great album. A good amount of variation throughout, some really standout tracks, and an enjoyable experience from beginning to end.

Sounds like humorless (and therefore less successful) version of Gorillaz, mainly because the songs just ain't that fun or even interesting.

Niceness from beckness

Great opening track, tailed off a bit thereafter though & started to drag a bit

NOTE TO MYSELF: Listen to more Beck. You think it's OK, but when you really get into it you really like it.

Yet another ex-1001 album!™ http://1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie.wikidot.com/album-artists-a-z-ex I enjoyed it well enough, it's just that I don't know how to differentiate it from Beck's other albums on the 1001 list. Has a few standout tracks, the rest blend in around the edges.

No shade on Beck and his collaborators for this record when it is so brilliant, cool and understated. Not my favorite, but it's like comparing chocolate to other pleasures. Please, don't make me choose.

Not as aggressively grating as the other Beck album I listened to. But there’s also nothing that I really loved either. It’s mostly fine. Wouldn’t have qualms listening again, however I’ll never seek this out intentionally again. 3/5

This was a very pleasant change from the past few albums I've gotten! There was something new with every track. I really enjoyed the whole album. 8/10 Would I listen again? Yes

Charming fun little turn of the millenia album. Often overlooked in my usual appreciation of alternative rock. Combines rich and lush vocals in singer songwriter based tracks, deep rythmn and blues influence, and hip hop to come together is this very VERY modern sound for 2005. Beck was always ahead of his time.

Generally a Beck fan, this record has clear influences, but in some ways is more straightforward -- less found sounds, less generally weird -- at least that's my feeling from a listen or two. It was in some editions of the 1001 but was subsequently dropped. I think it's actually pretty good, and while I get that they don't generally go back and revise the older years much, it seems weird to me that it was dropped, there are some interesting tunes on it, and it's got an unusual overall concept, kind of a wild mélange of world music influences.

Beck creates enjoyable and (for me) thought provoking tunes. Stealing Stephen Wilson's term "magpie" for Beck, he gathers bits from a broad range of sources, reordering and reconstructing them in intriguing ways, but not with out soul and whole lot of catchiness. Surrealistic, other-worldly, mystical, and wack. Yeah I said wack 'cause I too am a linguistic magpie!

I very much liked this record.

A really nice surprise. Never heard of them and never heard anything from them. Great sound, great songs (not all but relatively many) and never boring.

The closest I’ve gotten to liking Beck!!! I know it sounds like the type of thing you borrow from your friend who stole it from his older brother who you think is cool and edgy and maybe even hot, even though he just watches Spike TV and wears Axe Body Spray. But to my own surprise, I’m kind of okay with that this time around. At least I’m more supportive of Guero than I am of Odelay. It has a still-clinging-to-the-‘90s-post-9/11 vibe that I’m cool with. It’s very ✨white hipster living in Williamsburg✨, kinda cringey, and maybe a bit too maximalist; it’s a product of its time, for sure, and also sounds like it’s trying to sell me a product, like the new iPod Mini or a Kia Soul. But despite these potential pitfalls, Guero is still fun, has an early summer joyfulness to it, and, unlike the other Beck albums I’ve heard, doesn’t feel self-serious or self-absorbed. It’s just dorky and silly, and I find that really endearing in music. In my opinion, that wins out over whatever cultural ✨product of its time✨ critique you could throw at it. Honestly, Guero is what I expected all of Beck’s discography to sound like, in retrospect. So I’m surprised this is the first album of his that I’d describe as legitimately fun. Because everything else I’ve heard from him is so goddamn dour and trying so hard to be intellectual, I think I just walked into this expecting to loathe it. The fact that I’m a fan is a pleasant surprise! Like, this isn’t my new favorite record by any estimation, but I’m wondering now if I was just being a hater on his last albums. It’s unfortunate that this is the last of his albums I pulled from the generator, though, because I really enjoy this. I’m glad I’m ending Beck’s entries on this list on a high note with Guero. Let’s hope there’s some other albums in his back catalog that are closer to this than Sea Change.

Didn't love, didn't hate. Solid 3. 3/5

Beck again. This seems much like another Odelay and I guess I have to think about how it just doesn't connect with me, again. Maybe it's those Dust Brothers and the kitbash eclecticism that Beck seems to happily succumb to. Small vignettes of random bits and pieces, bells and whistles stretched to the length of a track that ultimately amounts to just not much. Like, that's going to be nasty now: jingles. The slower Guero gets, the more these seem to take the shape of *songs* however and the more I like it, but this might only apply to "Broken Drum". It's quite adept at being what it is, I guess, but it's not for me and it's not important. Good decision to make it an Ex1001AYMHBYD.

I hate Beck. Also this album felt like it never ended, 3 minutes felt like 6 and 4 minutes felt like 8.

Fire. Biased by familiarity but it shined more than I remember.

This is decent and generally good (if dilettante-ish) fun, but clearly not as interesting/compelling as Odelay, as seems nearly universally acknowledged in the reviews. But perhaps it's more a case of Beck actually not being that great in the first place. Taking the glass-half-full view, one can say this is awfully good for a pastiche, which it very much is, as Beck creates and sustains a decently interesting and groovy vibe across more or less the whole record. "Girl" and "Earthquake Weather" seem the strongest tracks.

This is almost a five. This album has got some really great songs that just tend to stick around in memory. Beck is always inventive. Sometimes it's a huge miss for me, and sometimes that hits just right, as it does here.

Not bad

Surprising tolerable, when I heard samples for prior songs, I longed to listen to the original song that the sample pulled from instead of continuing with Beck's rip.

Afamado experimentador con géneros y estilos, el californiano Beck es todo un icono del pop alternativo. Por eso, cuando en 2005 volvió después de 3 años de silencio con Guero, se convirtió e todo un acontecimiento de la cultura pop. Y de nuevo sorprendió, porque en este caso, el disco sonaba a él, con una estética similar a la que había utilizado en 1996 en el disco Odelay: una mezcla caledoscópica de pop, hip-hop e indie rock, a la que añdió algunos toques electrónicos y aires brasileños. Cabe mencionar el tema de apertura "E-Pro", primer sencillo extraído del disco y uno de los grandes éxitos del mismo, en el que samplea el tema "So Whatcha Want" de los Beastie Boys. El propio Beck la definió como "una canción de rabia y desahogo". También destacaría el siguiente tema, "Que'Onda Guero", en el que, con un ritmo "groovy", Beck mezcla sonidos captados en el barrio angelino donde se crió para realizar un retrato pintoresco de sus vivencias en él. Y, sobre todo, otro de los éxitos del álbum, "Hell Yes". Una canción rap-funky que, según explicó el propio Beck, proviene como todos sus raps de la tradición del blues parlante y no del hip-hop. Personalmente me gusta el impulso rockero, que la distingue del resto del álbum, de "Rental Car". Una metáfora existencialista sobre la vida como un tiempo de "alquiler".

Beck returns to the *Odelay*-era mixing of styles that made him a household name in the first place, albeit also with mixed results, unfortunately. Not that the music on *Guero* is "bad", not by a long shot. Most of the songs will actually sound pretty good for anyone who loved Mr. Hansen's couple of early major-label albums. Linear yet driven *Guero* is the mandatory locomotive opening the proceedings, with its killer guitar riff taking a page out of "Devil's Haircut" ; "Girl" is a lively, sweet-sounding pop-folk number only belied by its sinister lyrics ; "Missing" takes a short detour though string-laden *Sea Change* territory ; jittery "Black Tambourine" offers David Lynch an occasion to use Beck's music for a hectic, hallucinatory scene in his own *Inland Empire*, *Hell Yes* is a quirky cold-funk / electro cut that wouldn't have felt out of place in *Midnight Vultures*, "Broken Drum" is a delicate and understated tribute to Elliott Smith ; Jack White comes to cash in a check by playing a riff he could have played in his sleep in "Go It Alone"... And so on, and so forth... The thing is, there is a distinctive *lack of stakes* in the music recorded here. And it's not merely because said music had been heard before in Beck's oeuvre. No one in their right mind would reproach that to countless great acts always digging the same groove, contrary to the endearing Californian kitchen-sink troubadour. No, the real problem is that the pace is often far more inert here compared to the early records of his discography Beck tries so hard to "copy-and-paste" for this one album (subsequent LP *The Information* would offer a more exciting experience in that regard). Besides, the way *Guero*'s tracklist is organized is also conducive to a very disjointed experience, triggering many "so what?" reactions. *Mellow Gold* and *Odelay* harboured myriads of twists and turns, and yet somehow, almost every hairpin curves in them--either between the songs or *inside* them-- was a "wow" moment. Decisively, those miracles don't happen here. I won't blame Beck himself for the misguided inclusion of this record on the list, though. The man is talented, and if the record comes off as if his heart wasn't fully into it, he was just doing his thing at least. The real issue is that someone in Dimery's team actually made a very lazy choice when they considered this LP for inclusion on the 1001 Albums book. Because it's taking up a slot that could have a far, *far* better use. 3/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential" albums. 8/10 for more general purposes (5+3) Number of albums left to review: 94 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 390 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 228 Albums from the list I certainly won't include in mine: 288 (including this one)

Groovy. Think this is the first time I’ve listened to him.

Some fun songs I already knew in this one. Back half of the album came and went for me, 3* Highlights: e-pro, girl

Pretty good. Reminiscent of the gorillaz debut with a weird combo of hip-hop, rock and almost country. Some good singles and some unmemorable ones in amongst them. 15/08/24

E-Pro coming in hot! Girl also with the mid 2000's hit! This super slick rap rock sampling is very peak 2000s production, so this album is really a time capsule, see Hell Yes. digging the hell out of it though. The back half gets super swampy and dark. really cool album, though i cant justify a 5 for it.

touched on a lot of different genres, which was fun. you didn't know if you were gonna get RHCP or bossanova or some clint eastwood type western picking. didn't save any songs but overall pretty enjoyable

Well this is an album. I'm just not really sure who it's for. Nothing great to note and nothing awful to note. Bang average. 5/10 (2.5/5)

coworker music

Really unique sound, experimental but pleasant to the ears (definitely not for everyone).

This Beck album is sooo cool. I should have listened to more of Beck a long time ago. He writes and performs great music. It is definitely mood music…so couldn’t listen all the time. But it certainly has a time and place and this is a great album.

Sometimes I thought I was really enjoying it and other times I was like eh. Overall just seemed to be wishy washy

Never listening to this album again. It wasn't unlistenable, but Jesus Christ was is boring. I couldn't tell when one song ended and another begun, it all sounded the same. Nearly an hour of repeating guitar chords and barely hearable harmonica. This shit is just plain as - I wanted it to end by the time I got to Farewell Ride. Very soulless and uninspired album. I can't believe I put up with this for an hour.

I like Beck; I've got a couple of his records but not this one. It's okay, seems like more of the same kind of stuff. Nothing particularly stands out and, once again, I'm wondering why it's on this list.

Tried listening to this a few times over the extended review period and idk, it's just fine??? I don't really have anything witty to say for this one, it's just a little collection of various styles of alt-rock, each track was pretty unique I suppose The first half of this album made me feel like I was listening to the licensed soundtrack to an EA Sports title from 2004-2007

Really enjoying the instrumentals and just about all the tracks Tracks 12 and 13 are a bit ordinary. All the rest a great in their own way. There's a few tracks where Beck has the Chris Cornell-lite vocal style common with grunge rock from around this period. I don't mind it, and works for these songs more often than not. My highlights: E-Pro and Broken Drum, the guitar was spectacular on these two. Scarecrow, luv me harmonica, simple as. Missing, excellent string section popping in reminded me of some late Beatles songs. Honourable Mentions: Go it Alone, Hell Yes and Girl, very fun groovy tunes Overall a great album, lots of variety, superb instrumentals throughout. Vocals solid overall.

yet another case of 'this artist has done better releases before' but i looked it up and odelay is actually on the list so i'll live with it for now. mellow gold released after the book was made so he gets a pass for that one too. my biggest problem with this album really is that i'd just rather listen to the other two. guero sounds like an attempt to recapture the lightning in a bottle that made odelay, which never goes well. i looked it up because i felt this was the case and his releases after odelay, while financially successful, had been received to more mild and at times poorer reception to odelay. apparently guero had been an attempt at a 'return to form' and technically i'd say it was success. guero is like a calculated, formulaic recreation of odelay. E-Pro in particular is very very similar to the opening track on odelay, Devil's Haircut. aside from that there's some influences from the brief depressive string-y stint he went on during sea change, like missing, broken drum and blue jay way. the biggest problem with this album is that the attempts to recreate odelay are mostly the weakest parts of the album, and make up it's bulk. part of the magic of odelay was the rawness of the album, and the revitalisation it brought to all the genres it mashed together. it really was the brainchild of a fan of several highly influential genres that had the musical chops to blend them together and make something not only new but also really fucking good, and something like that can't be recreated perfectly on purpose. his heart just didn't feel in it this time, in comparison to on odelay. the songs where he tries something new, poppy and upbeat like girl and que onda guero are very good and clearly he still had some new tricks up his sleeve, many of which would come to fruition on later releases. apparently he had 35 new tracks on tapes he recorded during a tour which he lost, so he went back to some unfinished tracks that dated back to when he was writing the tracks for odelay, which makes a lot of sense. ultimately this is a good, listenable album. i just don't think it's beck's best, and i can't listen to it without thinking of his best.

Originally I thought that Beck was a character made up for that one Futurama episode where Bender becomes a folk musician. I really enjoyed this album. I don’t think there’s much on there that I can single out. I’ve listened to the album like 4 times since it came up for review and each time I’ve been doing something else while I’ve been listening so I’ve not really noted the names of the particular songs. There’s a lot of variety here and in a good way. The song blend together to give it cohesion as an album but they’re all fairly different in their own ways. E-Pro and Girl were the big standouts for me and have been absolute earworms. Straight into the liked playlist when I heard them. Had a really weird moment discussing this album on Friday night and hearing a song playing on the bar speakers which coincidentally was also a Beck song which I found out after asking the bartender. I liked this album.

This album is insanely similar to the work of Gotye outside of his hits. It made me realise Gotye is a massive fucking hack since his entire non-mainstream music career is just a rip-off of this album.. I'm not mad though. Gotye improved upon it massively. This album to me is good but feels incomplete. It's trying to do so much with Sampledelia and achieves none of the punch or impact Gotye would a achieve a few years later. Most of the tracks on this album are good, very few are great. Broken Drum and Scarecrow are massive highlights for me. Sad pop Beck never fails for me. Love it. 7/10 Fav tracks - Que' Onda Guero, Girl, Missing, Black Tamorine, Earthquake Weather, Hell Yes, Broken Drum, Scarecrow, Farewell Ride, Rental Car, Emergency Exit, Send a Message to Her Least Fav - Go it Alone

I can't hear burger king crown and not think of that one guy on the flight, fun album no real notes it was a good listen but I would not go out of my way to listen to it. To make up the word count here is a summary of the Rwandan Genocide for no reason: On 6 April 1994, the deaths of the Presidents of Burundi and Rwanda in a plane crash caused by a rocket attack, ignited several weeks of intense and systematic massacres. The killings - more than one million people are estimated to have perished - shocked the international community and were clearly acts of genocide. An estimated 150,000 to 250,000 women were also raped. Members of the presidential guard started killing Tutsi civilians in a section of Kigali near the airport. Less than half an hour after the plane crash, roadblocks manned by Hutu militiamen often assisted by gendarmerie (paramilitary police) or military personnel were set up to identify Tutsis. 7 April On 7 April, Radio Television Libres Des Mille Collines (RTLM) aired a broadcast attributing the plane crash to the RPF and a contingent of UN soldiers, as well as incitements to eliminate the "Tutsi cockroach". Later that day the Prime Minister, Agathe Uwilingiyimana and 10 Belgian peacekeepers assigned to protect her were brutally murdered by Rwandan government soldiers in an attack on her home. Other moderate Hutu leaders were similarly assassinated. After the massacre of its troops, Belgium withdrew the rest of its force. 21 April On 21 April, after other countries asked to withdraw troops, the UNAMIR force reduced from an initial 2,165 to 270. If the absence of a resolute commitment to reconciliation by some of the Rwandan parties was one problem, the tragedy was compounded by the faltering response of the international community. The capacity of the United Nations to reduce human suffering in Rwanda was severely constrained by the unwillingness of Member States to respond to the changed circumstances in Rwanda by strengthening UNAMIR’s mandate and contributing additional troops. 22 June On June 22, the Security Council authorized French-led forces to mount a humanitarian mission. The mission, called Operation Turquoise, saved hundreds of civilians in South West Rwanda, but is also said to have allowed soldiers, officials and militiamen involved in the genocide to flee Rwanda through the areas under their control. In other areas, killings continued until 4 July 1994 when the RPF took military control of the entire territory of Rwanda.

Good opening track, I have only heard a few Beck songs before and I wasn’t particularly keen on them but this is groovy. Track 2 feels kinda racist but is undeniably groovy. The production and sound mixing is pretty competent and this song is pretty fun. Track 3 is a bit repetitive, perfectly cromulent song but not my bag. Tracks 4, 5 and 6 made me realise I probably should have put this album on in the lounge room and had a coffee instead of listening to this on a stroll. The music here is fine I’m just having a tough time really meshing with it. Track 7 more of the same, good production value but realising that Beck maybe isn’t for me. Track 8 a welcome surprise, I enjoyed this song. Gave up on tracking and doing a song by song for this album. Beck sounds as bored performing this music as I was listening to it. I’m sure there’s an audience for this but it’s not me.

Guero is mostly held up by it's incredible opener E-Pro. If more songs sounded like E-Pro then this album would be way better, but it's not. E-Pro is energizing, instantly grabbing you with it's bombastic drums and devil-may-care vocal delivery on the verses. The rest of the album is standard Beck songs, which are somewhat tedious. I generally think Beck is overrated with occasional moments of brilliance.

Never listed to Beck intentionally but listened to this album all day. Dang good.

Quality bit of Beck

This is nice and all. I like it. But how is this different from the other Beck records on this list? This is another unfortunate example of the author fan-girling and wasting a spot. There’s not some big evolution in Beck’s style. There’s no invention or experimentation. It’s just a nice Beck record. Wish there had been a limit to how many records from the same artist. This is good, though.

I like Beck’s vibe. This is good. I really should have listened to his stuff more. This dips slightly a couple of times which brings it back from edging towards a 5

A weird combination of early Gorillaz with Chris Cornell vocal. Unfortunately for me, Beck is like a bit worse version of them. Quite mundane album, but funky tunes slightly elevate the record and try to make it interesting. No two songs are alike. But also most of them are not to my liking.

Girl, E-Pro, and Go It Alone are in my regular rotation. Love this album and listen to it all the time, but it's got a handful of skippable tracks (Broken Drum and Scarecrow don't do it for me) and it's not in my top 3 for Beck albums. It reminds me of Odelay but not all of the experimentation always lands quite right.

This album is full of nostalgia. Takes me back to a certain time in life. I really like Beck, but still don't LOVE this whole album. Solid, catchy, memorable, not my favorite.

3.5/5

Didn’t realise these guys did Loser. Actually more like didn’t realise these guy did anything other than that. Was a fine album, infant was nonchalant. 3/5

Not enough spins when The album was first released. Odelay's equal. This album seems like Beck took "Beautiful Way" and "Derelict" and fleshed out variations on the same theme. The singles are very much Midnight Vultures. Great album.

I felt as apathetic listening as Beck did making this. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

Beck 📉📉📉 When this one was new, I listened to it a lot. Either it’s aged badly, or I have. Just something mechanical and lifeless about it, can’t quite put my finger on it.

Not bad.

A mix of songs, some a little noisy. Broken Drum is a very powerful haunting song.

Beck is so prolific and a solid musician, but not someone who comes to mind when choosing what to play. This is a good album, but he does have better ones.

Bueno

Tolles Album. Hebt sich angenehm von vielen ähnlich klingenden Alben dieser Liste ab und ist auch in sich abwechslungsreich.

Creative? Sure, but it doesn't make me feel anything. Each song is loaded with random sounds that seem to weigh the message down. At the core, there's usually a good groove, but the blank verses are throwing that off as well. On the whole, I'm not sorry for having never gone to a Beck concert.

When the last Beck album was on here, I went down the rabbit hole and rediscovered this one along the way. I love this album and only just learned that it was produced by the Dust Brothers -- the same pair responsible for the Beastie Boys classic Paul's Boutique. E-Pro has great energy out of the gate; wonderfully propulsive. Que Onda Guero is a top 3 Beck song to me. Goofy as hell, but something about the groove of it has always hit right for me. Missing pulls the handbrake and flips things into a spacious, languid croon made for listening to on a late summertime walk. Earthquake Weather has a similar energy to it that I enjoy. Other standouts to me are Hell Yes, Go It Alone, and Rental Car. All solid songs in their own right. This album is a solid 4 in my eyes. Lot of diversity and solid songwriting here. Only drawback is that it drags a little in the back half.

Not a bad album but I'm not a huge beck fan. Whole album sounded similar. 3 stars

I can appreciate the experimentation that Beck employs, but I just don't really enjoy the music to a high degree. Points for his technical skills, but he doesn't really pass the ear test for me personally.