Odelay

I’m not a big fan of Becks music this album was ok. (2)

I got Beck right after Moby. That’s a run to make you doubt modern albums can be perfect… Devil’s Haircut was good, but then it just devolved into and experimental soupy mess with grunge vowels.

The album was pretty bad. Some of the songs on this album had no part being here, like "High 5" or whatever "Computer Rock" was. It did have some okay songs, but other then that it wasn't the best. Or even close. 1.5 Liked Song: Hotwax Least Favorite: High 5 (Rock the Catskills)

i mean i do not want to be rude but he def became popular just because this was right after Nirvana and record companies decided to give a chance to non-mainstream, alternative, experimental sounds after seeing Nirvana’s huge success. I can understand what he was trying to do here but its just not revolutionary nor exciting, as I already am familiar (and in love) with the sound and tone direction (especially the dirtier and more distorted sounds of the first half) he was trying to go but there exists many bands and singers who had done it way better way earlier that i very much love. dunno what it is (i do) but he just sounds so pretentious and try-hard to be something that he is not. I was just about to write that he gives off rich nepo baby who can care-freely choose the ‘’art student/artist’’ path but decided to check his wiki first for a sec and lol what do u know both his parents’ names are in blue. had to laugh, i love being right🙏

Sea Change is far better

Big 90’s skateboard montage background music vibes…. Some of the instrumentals were unique and enjoyable but the lyrics or vocalists in general didn’t do it for me

- okay-ish 2,25

I liked parts of this album. Some snippets of songs were enjoyable to me, mixing what I think is hip hop and country in some passages. But that’s the problem, it was just snippets. And these snippets, even though enjoyable, were surrounded by jumbled mashes of in my opinion just irritating noise, rather than music. So because of this it’s a 2 star for me

Yes to the horns on The New Pollution! Can I have a GameCube and a copy of SSX3 to go with Derelict??

I feel like I just missed the boat on Beck. Maybe earlier in life it could have worked for me, but it feels basic, boring, and flat.

Quirky, Meh, a few classics i loved

Unfortunately I have never liked Beck even though I am a guitarist and probably should be a big fan of him, and this album just kinda reinforced that. There would be these great beats and great bass lines, but he seems obsessed with squeals and high treble dissonance that just takes me clean out of the song. Also he sings like he’s bored and then I’m bored listening. I’m sorry.

In my view, there is such a thing as "too eclectic" in an album. In my view, this album is a prime example of that. Two stars because apart from a couple of tracks, I didn't really like it.. and all the random noises didn't help.

Look, i really wanted to like Odelay considering that i listened to the other two Beck albums on the project with Sea Change and especially Guero being some good albums but i just can't like this one. I personally feel that this album has a huge identity crisis as it just doesn't know whether it wants to be rock, country, hip hop or electronic. This causes the album to try too many random things with almost none of them working out in the album's favor. I typically like it when albums are more unique and weird but this one tries to be those things so hard that it just forgets to make an album i would enjoy listening to. Best Song: Devils Haircut Worst Song: Computer Rock Side note: Since i have done every Beck album on this project, i will rank all his albums here: 1. Guero 2. Sea Change 3. Odelay

Beck is fucking garbage

Avant Garde end of the century attempt to bend the senses. Harmonies, heavy gain bass, record scratches, samples, harmonicas, organs, 808s, drum machines and reversed sitars. All stuff I love but not mixed together. But I see the stuff Beck likes. Loved folk, rap, rock,The Beatles. One song I like so far is Novacane but maybe because it reminds me a bit of a MF doom song. Apart from this middle song there’s not a lot I love. Just wished I wasn’t half way through. Non linear song writing/structure doesn’t do anything for me. If I think of why he made this album I’d have to guess: An ode to everything he loved and presenting the amalgamation of those influences in one person. Him. But like I say doesn’t do anything for me. You can find loads of cool sounds like the organ in Where it at or the 808s in Novacane. You’d find plenty to sample and reuse. So cool sounds but loads of annoying sounds done to be abrasive or attention grabbing.

Visibly cringed at “I’m the enchanted wizard of rhythm” and the album never really won me back round after that

Experimentation for experimentation's sake is maybe the most positive thing I can say about this. Boring and repetitive are soem of the less positive things to say.

Apart from a couple of good songs, the album is mostly bland noise.

Meh

Feels like an extension of that Mello Gold, Loser era of Beck. I like Loser but not that much. Nothing really hit as a result. I prefer the more experimental Beck we got on Sea Change. Not that I’m comparing and contrasting but stating my preference as to why quintessential Beck did nothing for me.

Not a terrible record by any means, just a little too artsy for me. There are some solid songs here, but most are just too out there in my opinion.

Beck is sorta hit-or-miss with me... He offers flashes of brilliance but then muddles it all up with what can only be described as noise... I can appreciate an artist wanting to mashup genres, but it's always seemed to me that Beck mixes in one part glorious with two parts laborious... I'll give it a 2 because I do enjoy the singles, The New Pollution and Where It's At, but I really must flush the rest of this rackety rot...

Didn't do anything for me.

Not a fan

Wasn't my jam. Not sure why

Jack-Ass is pretty good. Most of the songs ending with some weirdass sounds really not my thing tho.

Too stripped back for me

Worse than the other Beck album

Some good, mostly forgettable. ‘Minus’ is a highlight but a lot of it feels like background music. Quite strange how it flips between genres.

For me, the deeper cuts on this album didn't sonically cover any new ground from the singles off of it. It was a little ho hum for me.

The 90s is my black hole. Neither mine nor my parents era, but you hear of it as a great time for indie/alt rock (depending on if you are British or American). Neither label fits. The bands aren't independent and the only alternative about the rock is that it doesn't rock. This fits the bill for the genre. It has a heavy experimental side and hip hop influence but deep down it wants to be a rock record. But it doesn't rock. It just screams LA bubble

Vorige Beck album was dodelijk saai. Deze is dat eigenlijk ook, ondanks de poging om het spannend te maken met een ongevraagde schreeuw tussendoor. Ik ben er van overtuigd dat dat er alleen maar in zit om te zorgen dat de luisteraar niet echt compleet in slaap valt. Novacane is een bizar nummer met rare bleeps en bloops ofzo. Maar ook een soort dikke hiphop kick? Bizar nummer. Maar wel interessant, kan ik van veel van Becks muziek niet zeggen! Maar WAT is het idee om eerst dat bizarre nummer te hebben en dan meteen weer de meest zaaddodende alternative rock aller tijden er vlak achter? Weet Beck iets wat ik niet weet? Dit album is dus eigenlijk toch minder saai dan gedacht, het is zelfs vrij experimenteel. Jammer alleen dat het niet heel goed is... FAVO: The New Pollution, Novacane

Not at great as I remember. Super creative and some good catchy beats, but the use of random electronic sounds kills it for me. Gotta run to turn it down!

Talented but nothing I need

Not bad. Not good. Only ended up adding one to my playlist but some others had good sounds and that’s good enough for a 2 for me!

ight

liked songs: Derelict Some of the songs were more annoying to me than anything else. There are definitely interesting things happening, but I don't understand how this makes any list of the best albums ever. 2

I would've thought that I liked Beck, but now I've listened to the whole thing. And I still think he's neat, but this mostly isn't good music.

Cool sounding album, but it gets boring really quick.

I grew up listening to this album but unfortunately it hasn't aged well. Only the hits have stood the test of time, including: Devils Haircut, the New Pollution, Where it's At, and High 5. Outside of those, the songs were underwhelming or too "experimental" for their own good. 4/14 songs is not a good ratio (1.4/5), however the quality of the good songs bumps the up a tad. 2/5

Paar aardige nummers, het album begint leuk met devils haircut bijvoorbeeld, maar de meeste nummers niet zo interessant.

Forgotten

People that like this honestly have their head too far up Beck's ass to see that this album was crap. Just all over the place and none of it was really all that great. Pretty disappointing considering that he's a really talented musician and has plenty of awards. 4/10.

If you’d asked me ‘what style of music Beck is’ I’d have probably have said Indie. So I was quite surprised to listen to this album. Is it erm rap? I’m not quite sure what it is. I sort of appreciate that it’s quite different and complex. But still it wasn’t for me on the first listen. On the second listen I started to like it more from ‘the new pollution’. There are some definite classics. I started to think he sounded like the bloke from Fontaines DC (though obviously the other way round). And that made me like it a bit more. But yeah probably wouldn’t listen again.

Oh-Delay, apparently would have been the underlaying meaning of the title of this album. Although it only came out 2 years after Beck's previous album, with the hit single Loser on it. This is a real eclectic mix of style often described as hip-folk, where we can hear Beck's monosyllabic voice rapping and singing. And it's this mix of styles that I couldn't really get on with. I'm glad I listened to it a few times, but this antithesis of Kurt Cobain I could not get on with. Give me Eels, give me Weezer.

No strong feelings, some odd tracks

It turns out that 54 minutes is a lot of minutes to listen to Beck. I've always thought that I'd love Beck if I put in some effort, but I've always bounced off his music. Here I am, bouncing off it again. Yeah, it should be on this list, but I won't listen to it again.

Not my type of music

While Beck has some really iconic songs on here, this still just feels like surreptitious propaganda for scientology.

Hadn't heard of Beck before so was glad to listen to this artist, particularly the variety of styles and sounds this album contains but a bit too chaotic for me tbh

It takes a lot for an album to wow me... this one did not succeed. Had a few bangers (1).

Not for me

Sorry but I just don't get his music. Most of the songs on this album are repetitive and a little boring. The only one I liked is Where it's at.

Not a huge fan of Beck, but an okay album

I was almost willing to give this a 3, but the last three songs all sucked so much it earned a 2

This was like scrambled eggs; it was all over the place. Parts were ok, although some of the songs sounded like what I imagine alien messages from another galaxy sound like.

Not a fan of the singer's voice or the grunginess of this album, seems too scratchy.

Don't think I really get it. Not bad, just a bit all over the place - some songs work for me, some don't really.

I really don't know what to feel about this one. There diferent rythms and sounds like some kind of collage idk... I really can't say if it's good or bad, but I really didn't feel it right. I'll leave 2 stars.

I like a bit of Beck but not enough tracks on this album really registered.

I’m no stranger to pretty weird and experimental music so was totally open and ready to love this… but I just didn’t. There were a few good and classic “stand out” tracks but nothing I’d ever be gagging to go back and listen to a ton, and as a whole the album just didn’t really flow well or connect. It was actually as annoying as Elton John to me. Brings a lot to the table but not too much that’s particularly enjoyable to listen to. Who knows - maybe it’s a grower. But on first listen it’s a 2.

Meh

11/09/2024 I found it a bit boring.

Anyway Odelay is as dull as Guero was to me when it came up in June, it's pretty boring stoner music, trying a bunch of stuff that doesn't work in isolation or together, mumbled vocals, just a rubbish 2 that'll never appeal to me.

A bit more creative than Guero, I think, but still not really my cup of tea. It's basic bitch indie singer songwriter with a handful of samples thrown in without much obvious thought. The songs are fine, not particularly catchy or interesting, but not bad, the samples and other stuff tend to be quite jarring. 2/5, not for me.

Music for wedding receptions. I've never listened to this album all the way through because I'm just not a Beck fan. I'm still not. Jack-Ass and Ramshackle are pretty good songs but overall this is way overrated.

No songs here do much for me. The three that've received all the attention the last 30 years are overplayed and worn thin. There were two or three tracks I was greatly enjoying and then....rotary phone tones, or fax machines in the background haha like, I won't want to jam to that. Ever

Considered giving this one a 1. More of a clash of styles than a blend. Can’t figure out what kind of person would love this, maybe wealthy suburb cali guy who knows a couple words of Spanish? Idk not for me

Thought this would be better, disappointing

Never really understood the fuzz about Beck. Interesting album ok, but good, hmm not really

Aside from the fact that it's a goddamn crime that this album is nearly an hour, this music still isn't good.

I'm happily listening along, and then obnoxious beeping, bleating, or grunting comes along to assault me unprovoked. I'm all for experimental exploration, but it's in your best interest to leave your listeners better than you found them. Or at least not deafened.

Devils haircut - feels very woohoo! That song. Couldn't work out if it was haircut or handgun. Feels familiar Hotwax - for some reason this reminds me of the Cheaper by the Dozen films, especially Alyson Stoner in their cap I'm enjoying this but it's not what I would normally listen to Ooo I'm the enchanted wizard Lord only knows - big scream! Actual song/artist's voice reminds me of the Brobecks but very vaguely. The new pollution - this intro is fun! Like the sax (?) at the end. Actual song very repetitive but enjoyable. I imagine if I went to uni when it came out it would be a fun dancey club song Derelict - Katrina from Animal Crossing music Novacane - hmmm. Least favourite so far. Trying hard not to skip the high pitched noises near the end Jack-ass - feels whimsical. Indie film morning routine music. Why is there a donkey here Where it's at - ooo very familiar intro! This is vibey. The first song I know! And it's a good one Minus - this feels quite boring Sissyneck - fun whistling. Slightly country. I don't like the dialling noise they use in the album. Readymade - I don't have any thoughts here High 5 (Rock the Catskills) - thought this was going to be Rock the Casbah by the Clash... Giving Run DMC vibes. Feel like all these songs are very long Ramshackle - nice and calm Diskobox - the last song on the album. Think I'm enjoying it but I have no idea what they're saying! (never mind they're saying Diskobox. Should have been able to work that out) That's the end of the album, think I enjoyed it but I don't think I'll listen to it again. Can see how it was good, but it's not my taste

Every song sounds like the singer is annoyed as fuck.

A couple of half decent singles at the start but otherwise a tough listen.

Although the songs don't sound too bad, the random horrendous sounds that keep playing make me not enjoy it as much.

This list definitely likes its "experimental" stuff. And, honestly, most experiments fail. It's still good to do them, because that's how we learn what works and what doesn't. We wouldn't have most things, in art, science, technology, if it wasn't for an astounding amount of failed experiments. For this album, though, a lot of it works, if imperfectly. "Where It's At" is a pretty good example. It's mixing a lot of stuff, and most of it works. It's also got some parts of its mix that just sounds... bad. Like the incessant smoke alarm over the chorus. And its lyrics seem as much of a hodgepodge as the music, making it hard to discern if there is even anything to take from it to begin with, let alone what that might be. This is definitely one of the harder ones to judge. Part of me wants to give it a 4, and another part wants me to give it a 2. Ultimately, it's too frustrating to have any of it as a casual listen.

An unrefined incoherent mess of samples, distorted voices, okay riffs and basic drum beats interspersed with the occasional quite good rock and folk song (fragment). Oh, and interference noise. Maybe this album has some artistic value if you want to dig deep enough, but musically it falls flat. At least it's memorable.

Weird to have two Beck albums back to back. Didn't enjoy this as much as Guero but still ok.

Not my taste

Eclectic and unfocused on a track-to-track basis.

Eclectic and a bit weird, but unfortunately to the effect of lacking focus and being a bit boring. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Devils Haircut Date listened: 01/07/24

was really excited for this one because i love where it's at so much but the rest didn't really catch me unfortunately:/

maybe downloaded one song

i do not care for this album 1.9/5

Beckin musassa kuuluu aina tekemisen ilo, ja se oli etenkin tän albumin a-puolella vahva. Mutta kuulen myös sellaisen vähän ärsyttävän ironian - ekan biisin perusteella toivoin, ettei sitä ole tällä levyllä niin paljon, mutta kyllä olikin. Räppi oli ehkä vähemmän vaivaannuttavaa tässä kuin myöhemmin (se ironia tekee sen efektin). Ehkä tokalla kuuntelulla kolmonen, vahva kakkonen.

Not one of my fave Beck's

Not really a fan of this one, but at least I could make it through the album which is a step up from the last Beck album that I encountered on this list. 2/5

I can see what Beck was trying to do here and i admire that creativity but a fair few songs here didn't do it for me.

Uhh... No thanks. I've never heard much Beck, but from what I've heard I'm not impressed. It definitely takes some bravery and skill to mix together so many genres, but skill does not equal good music. All I can think of is hip-hop meets Radiohead. I'll probably give this album a few more listens, but I won't be coming back to it long-term. Like: Ramshackle Hate: High 5 (Rock the Catskills)

I haven’t really ever gotten into Beck and this one didn’t convert me. So varied but I don’t really know if it justifies why? Idk hard to put my finger on. Not bad just not my thing.

Had it my mind that I liked Devils haircut, but listening do I really? or was it just at the time was so starved for anything different? At least it is a little different, but actually good to listen to? not really 2

not for me, shame about the scientology

I think I may be tired of irony. Or at least, tired of this particular kind of 90’s irony. I’ve started a new job recently (which is why I’ve missed like a week’s worth of albums. I’m gonna catch up soon, I promise) and my employer has a long playlist they put on everyday which has a lot of power ballad love songs on it. As I’ve been listening to this for a week and a half I’ve been taking in these ballads and thinking just how little I can relate to them. The prime example is Always by Bon Jovi. I gave Bon Jovi an unexpectedly good review a little while ago, and I don’t necessarily think Always is actually a bad song, but it’s so emblematic of a sort of overreaching love song, one that has to sound like it’s soundtracking a movie that portrays a love for the ages. It ends up sounding sort of insincere. Nobody’s love is actually that big, that melodramatic, my experience of love has always been rather mundane and as someone with a particular interest in the everyday, I prefer low-key declarations of love. One of my favourite love songs is Bloc Party’s This Modern Love which ends with the line ‘Do you want to come over and kill some time?’ That has always sounded so much more romantic to me than any declaration that I will love always and forever. What really differentiates 90’s culture from 80’s culture, at least in the US, is that while the 80’s was heart wrenchingly sincere on as big a level as their hair or their shoulder pads, the 90’s was either sincere in a more rootsy way, taking their cues from R.E.M. (who I’m listening to at the moment) or The Replacements, or subverted the 80’s level of sincerity by being cynical and ironically detached. And I think that most of the big artists who people have deemed were ironic have actually become so in hindsight. All apart from Beck. Beck seems to me a particularly 90’s product, who seems increasingly baffling as we get further away from that decade. I find it particularly hard to actually talk about Beck, because the irony and detachment is so many levels deep that you can’t get a sense of him as a person. The reason people gravitated towards Cobain was because you could get a real handle of the sort of person he was, both the damaged self destructive side, and the self deprecating genius with a wicked sense of humour. Eddie Vedder, you could get the gist of his overwhelmingly passionate empathy and anger towards the systems in place to keep the people around him miserable. Even with the Britpop bands, when Blur took influence from American Rock with the self titled album, Albarn turned out one parodic bit of nonsense for the lead single and spent the rest of the album writing the most autobiographical and direct stuff of his career. But who is Beck? I’ve now listened to two of his albums, and I really couldn’t tell you. He’s a bit wacky, he likes both folk and rap, but outside of that? He doesn’t write about himself, he doesn’t seem to write about other people. Is it a sort of musical surrealism or Dada? The only song that I found myself really enjoying was Ramshackle which is both the most melodic and the most sincere on the album. I don’t know. Beck’s artistic vision seems completely contrary to my own, and while I don’t grudge him that, I find it difficult to connect with his music in any meaningful way, or even really to talk about why I find it difficult to connect with. At least with music I find actually bad I can describe why. Beck’s taste isn’t actually particularly different from my own, I like Folk and Rap, I like Post-Hardcore and Country. I just find it difficult

Back to back Beck, lol

I am not too big on his style. Will I listen to again: 3%

I don’t know Beck very well, but I like a lot of what I’ve heard. So when this came up I was very excited! But, I dunno. It really didn’t do anything for me. Disappointed!!! (Like that guy from that film)

huge hip-hop vibes, cool but not a genre i like very much. the before-last song was great !

Some cool stuff but mostly weird.

Nope

Not for me

Not my style of music at all, but that’s what this journey is all about.

hmmm, I'll go with 2 stars just based on the two songs that I was familiar with, but not a huge fan.

Never really rated this weird Scientologist nutjob

Did not finish. Might've been just too much Beck for me

Beck is doing way too much on this.

Mediocre at best.

it didn't age very well

Other than 'Where It's At', I'm not a big fan

Boring

Sometimes fun.. always corny

Mag ich. „Where it’s at“ is immernoch'n Banger!

Beck does not have a place in my music library. I’ve tried over the years. Truly tried-with friends who proclaim him to be the coolest of dudes. I am certain some will disagree when I call out unimaginative guitar licks, redundant background beats, and lyrics unable to reach my soul through my ears. I remember being disappointed when he opened for U2 a few years back. And when I heard him, he did not disappoint my disappointment.

Rating: 5/10 Mixed bag album. I really appreciated the experimentation and eclectic mix of genres on this album. The amount of samples were also impressive, many samples from many different genres were implemented making this album very unique in sound. In pretty much every song, there were parts I thought were done exceptionally well but also parts that were very annoying and frustrating to listen to. A song could start well with a unique beat and mix of sounds but be pretty much ruined by horrible vocal effects or random noises thrown in that do not complement the music whatsoever. The ideas on here are fantastic, the execution is lacking a lot of the time for me. Favorite songs: Devil's Haircut, Lord Only Knows, The New Pollution, most of Where It's At, Ramshackle. Worst songs: Readymade, High 5, Computer Rock.

not my style, sounds like noise with a rhythm

It's OK. Not much more. Big at the time but that time has past

An ok album by Beck. It is definitely on the more experimental/neo-psychedelia sound rather than the more hip-hop style I believe he was more known for. I can appreciate that it was given acclaim in the mid-90s, but it didn't really resonate with me. Best: Where Is It At? Worst: Diskobox

Wat een bijzonder experimenteel album. Hip-hop, folk, rock, funk.. Een aparte mix van stijlen. Bij dit album werkt het gek genoeg soms. De nummers die mij het meest aanspreken zijn de nummers waarbij Beck het genre bending niet naar de voorgrond, maar de achtergrond brengt. Bijvoorbeeld bij The New Pollution. Een beetje psychedelica, funk en rock zijn hier goed te horen, maar niet opvallend irritant aanwezig. Jack-ass is heerlijk relaxt. Een lazy stemgeluid dat doet denken aan Lou Reed. Het is een beetje een LCD Soundsystem achtige song. En ik herkende de drumsample! Let a Woman Be a Woman - Let a Man Be a Man - Dyke & the Blazers. Heb deze al een keer eerder op moeten zoeken bij 2Pac - If My Homie Calls. Ook Minus vind ik fijn, een goeie bassline doet al vaak wonderen. En een unieke sound voor dit album weer. Zit tegen punk aan. Wel vage lyrics haha. Bij nummers als Derelict en High 5 dwaal ik af. Valse stemmen, vage space-sounds, rimboetrommels, sitar... meh. Experimenteel, ja, maar niet zo fijn voor de oren. En wat doet Computer Rock op dit album...? Rating: 6.5/10 Highlights: The New Pollution, Jack-Ass, Minus

Beck switcht altijd zo tussen genres dat ik nooit zo goed weet wat ik met hem aan moet. In zijn repertoire zitten heerlijke zonnige nummers en Loser is echt een kneiter van een festival-hit. Op Odelay kan ik niet goed de vinger er achter krijgen. De slackersongs met een Pavement-vibe bevallen me het beste. Bijvoorbeeld Jack-Ass zet ik graag nog eens op. Een nummer als Novacane waar de robot stemmen en machine-geluiden je om de oren vliegen vind ik gewoon onprettig. The New Pollution is zo'n voorbeeld van de zonnige Beck die je in bijna al je Spotify-lijstjes kwijt kunt. Voor mij is Beck het bewijs dat meer niet altijd beter is. Schoenmaker blijf bij je leest. En gebruik godverdomme geen robot geluiden. 6,5/10 Highlights The New Pollution Jack-Ass Readymade (Eels - vibes!)

Really don't like Indie...

Liked this album better than my first Beck listen "Guero", but not much more. Where it's at was my favorite song on the album.

I just could not get into this, man

Never been a fan of Beck. This didn't change my opinion. Middling 2.

Wow this really did nothing for me. People say it jumps from genre to genre. Sure? It leaves nothing of quality wherever it goes. It's not outrageously bad but christ I was happy to hear it end. It can have a pity 2. Fav songs: - Devils Haircut

Don't like the sound too much

Not for me.

Sitting down to listen to this album reminds me why I don't listen to this album. It's a jumbled mess of disorganized ideas. Whole fans call him a creative genius, I think he can't figure out which style to ape so he apes them all. I hear people label this lofi. That's not a fair label, this is massively produced and worked over. Nothing lofi about it. Off key or off rhythm can't be blamed on "being raw". Oh, and what's up with adding record dust popping noise as a theme. Like in the silence between tracks for ready made, and carried through the whole track. That's not leftover from sampling, it's just added noise. Nope. Last track, Ramshackle, is far and away the best on the album. A cohesive and moving composition played and sung genuinely. Left the gimmicks on the cutting room floor and let it flow.

I am decidedly not a Beck fan.

This kinda sucks. Despite all the genre smashing every song sounds very samey. Maybe you had to be there for this one. 5/10 Pretentious and boring.

Hmmm again fine

Not for me to whinny

If Jez from Peep Show made an album. 2/5

Not into it.

Beck is better in small doses. An entire album is a bit much, a 52-minute album is way too much. I've finished all the other albums I started on this list so far, but I just couldn't with this one.

I get it. Beck is cool and all. This album didn’t do it for me.

well ...

It's a pretty interesting sounds coming from the 90s; definitely would not have placed it there. Over all though it's not really my speed. Some of the tracks use some pretty high pitched sounds for the melody and I did not enjoy it. 2/5 I would not seek this out

Not unbearable.

Heard Beck plenty over the years (his Mornings album is a frequent) but haven’t listened to much else. I came in wanting to like this album, but it just didn’t land. Way too disjointed, bad interludes. Felt a Beastie Boys influence though, so maybe this list is working. DNF.

too much noise. ramshackle is okay tho

Not very good at all

2024-01-20

Wish I could give it a 2.5

Nothing memorable for me. Easy to listen to, but I think it was just not my vibe.

Pretty good start to this album with some hits and good songs overall, it then takes a massive nose dive halfway through to some of the strangest stuff I've ever heard. Felt like some guys in studio making random noises and hoping it would sound good, it didn't. 4/10

Meh Album but led me to discover Loser which is a nice song. The weird sound at the end of Novocane is annoying 4/10

not very musical…more an experimentation in sound…lofi

I used to confuse Beck with Jazz Fusion guitarist Jeff Beck. Like I thought they were the same person. Or at least I thought, whenever someone said "Beck" they were saying it in the same way someone would say "Hendrix". Apparently that isn't the case, and that makes me happy. Because now I know when people are praising the guitar work and writing chops of Jeff Beck - I can safely assume they are talking about the famous Yardbirds guitarist and not this awful shitty Beck. There was some moments of good moments here. But mostly the cringy nonsensical lyrics for the sake of them being "weird" is such an overplayed boring approach to writing music. Even if this record is 30 years old. At best some songs are boring, at worst they sound like Kid Rock. Not for me.

Average, but didn’t like it The cover picture is of a Hungarian puli dog which is cool

This album was so strange. I honestly don’t know if I liked it or not. Some of the songs were pretty funky and enjoyable, but I highly doubt I’d revisit this as a whole project.

the change of genres is exhausting. I get that this was a very experimental time, but I think it's just not for me.

I was torn betwen 2 and 3 stars. It wasnt a bad record by any means at all but im not going to go back and listen to it.

I know one Beck song and it is "Loser" because it would play a lot on the rock radio that I would listen to, but this album was pretty bad, something that you would maybe write while not at all present on Earth (on drugs). There were a few songs that had some really annoying sounds that made me decrease the volume quite a lot. I would rate this 2/5. It may have been cooler back in those late-90s days while you were enjoying smoking weed on the weekend but it's not really my thing.

I can appreciate some Beck songs, but a full album is a bit too much. He talks over experimental sounds, which might be interesting a few times, but gets tiring fast.

Absolutely not my music.

Not a pleasant listening experience. Songs sounded like they had a kernel of an idea that seemed to lose focus at points by throwing in strange tempo shifts or what sounded like just random noise (such as at the end of novacane). I will say that Ramshackle was a diamond in the rough at least.

Creative and different - not my daily cup of tea, but unique

Odelay By: Beck Genre(s): Alternative Rock, Sampledelia, Alternative Hip Hop, Experimental Rock, Folk Rock, Neo-Psychedelia Date Ranked: 08 . 01 . 24 Halo Numbers: 2 Devils’ Haircut: 5.75 / 10 ☆ > Wow, this is a surprisingly bad opening, like, holy moly. His voice sounds very enthusiastic and kinda dead, and the lyrics are boring and repetitive. The music is kinda alright I suppose, but it doesn’t really save the song. Hotwax: 6 / 10 ☆ > This is still very very boring. Putting his voice aside, the lyrics aren’t great, and the music doesn’t serve the song well either. Lord Only Knows: 6 / 10 ☆ “Odelay” is, admittedly, a very nice word. The same cannot be said about the song. The New Pollution: 6.75 / 10 ☆ > I have to admit, this one is much better than the previous ones. His voice is better, so are the lyrics, and the music also went through a significant improvement. Well done. Derelict: 6.75 / 10 ☆ > Yeah, that’s what I am talking about! Improvements! Again, lyrically, much better. Novacane: 6.5 / 10 ☆ > Not really bad, but I am not exactly a fan of the “attitude” in which the song is performed, if you understand what I mean. Jack-Ass: 6.5 / 10 ☆ > I think the music in this one is pretty alrighty nice, and the lyrics aren’t bad, but the way he delivers it sounds a bit boring to me personally. Where It’s At: 6.5 / 10 ☆ > I feel like this one kinda had the potential to be quite a fire song but kinda fell off shortly with those pretty boring sounding lyrics. A shame. Minus: 6.25 / 10 ☆ > Too short for you to start enjoying it considering its other qualities. It is just alright-ish. Sissyneck: 6.25 / 10 ☆ > Not even too sure what to say about this one. It is just “alright” and not much else. Readymade: 6.25 / 10 ☆ > Almost missed this one to be honest. It is… well, not a bad one, I think it has some nice touches, but, overall, it is mid in my opinion. High 5 (Rock the Catskills): 6.75 / 10 ☆ > Alright, this one is kinda more catchy and sounds kinda nice, so I’ll give it that. Ramshackle: 6.5 / 10 ☆ > It is calm and nice and stuff, but it still feels weak to an extent. Maybe his voice is just not for me, I am not sure. Diskobox: 6.75 / 10 ☆ > This one is experimental and fun, I like it! I can’t make out too much of the words, but it is still a nice song. Total Percentage: 63.9285714% —> 64% Average Song Rating: 6.39 / 10 ☆ Best Song(s): > The New Pollution > Derelict > Diskobox Additional Note(s): Apparently, his album “Midnite Vultures” is pretty good, according to my dad at least. Maybe you should check it out later. As for this one, maybe it’s just not for you.

Some good moments for sure, but I find Beck not living up to the hype. The experimental forms ends up just feeling messy, and taking away from the brilliance that at times shines through.

A good album to smoke weed. I don't smoke weed, so I can't say if it's good. 2/5

This is not my jam.

Early white boy rap mixed with electronica. Probably wouldn’t have given it the time of day in 1996.

Some flashes of good, but most songs ruined by distortion and feedback.

Too indie. Not my taste.

Hip-hop-ish beats, some electronic leanings

Not my taste. Too raw.

Alla låtar är inte dåliga. Men det är lite för jobbigt på totalen.

Vissa highlights men för ojämn

Först och främst. Jag har aldrig gillat Beck. Nästan ogillat honom. Han känns jobbig och ansträngd. Samtidigt är hans musik inte jättedålig. Och jag förstår att man gillar musiken. Den är liksom lite rolig (inte negativt). Men det klickar inte för mig. Lite för "experimentellt". Jobbiga ljud å så... (Är jag gammal?) Hans sångfilter är rätt jobbigt också. Derliict ingen bra Novacane - jobbig. Ljuden i slutet. Fuck off. Jack-ass, bättre. Mer "normal" Where its at ska ju vara en hit. Man har hört den. Men är den bra? Filterröst, robotröst, en melodi som en barnramsa. Mer en gimmick än riktigt bra musik. Slingan som inleder låten och som kommer igen då och då är ju bra. Men sen lägger han bajs i maten. High 5 dålig ramshackle är nog bäst (en riktig låt)

To me, this was more of a sound collage than an album. Much of it sounded like Beck asked "what if the Beastie Boys took a step closer to the blues" (Dust Brothers production confirmed my suspicion on that front) to mixed results. While this was impressive as a package I can't say I particulalry enjoyed listening to it very much. There were a lot of harsh electronic sounds which my ears did not like hearing at all (the worst offender being "Computer Rock" the 43 second finale that was 43 seconds too long) and the singing was not very good. There was also just too much going on sometimes. Beck is clearly a talented guy but i don't see how I'd ever want to hear this again.

Its ok

I really didn't have any thoughts on this album, 2.5 stars if I could

Или съм преуморен и всичко ме дразни или тия са твърде хипстъри преди да е имало хипстъри.

I don't hear the genre hopping that people either praise or hate. Most songs are just set to a drum machine beat that stays the same until the next song. New beat, yes he plays with the sounds, but it gets very samey. Until Ramshackle. That is good, although Waronker sounds like a drum machine.

This guy has two albums in the list. This is ridiculous

Generally meh, a few good songs, also a few that were just unpleasant to listen to

Impressive Beck’s ability to jump around to different genres, but ultimately it’s a jack of all trades but a master of none situation. I felt that Beck wanted to show off his ability but none of it seemed truly authentic.

Meh, busy af

Can’t think of anything interesting to say about this mess of noise. Jumps around into all sorts, none of which I like. School kids will like it because it’s dares to be different - but that’s it.

Oh man I was disappointed by this album. I thought Beck would be better. Points for being experimental, no points for being bad. There are like two good songs on this album. I thought the album has ended when it got to Ramshackle because it was so different. Couldn't really follow this one.

Too alternative, I couldn't get a handle

Klingt zu amerikanisch. manche lieder okay, die meisten mervig

Interesting, but I have no desire to revisit it again.

Beck managed to get a lot of praise using breaks and samples that were played out 6 years previously in hip hop.

I don't know. It's pretty bland for me. Nothing really stands out. Beck has its style, but here, it doesn't show. 2.5/5.

I like some Beck songs, but I mostly found this album good but not really to my taste.

Ok aber schon langweilig

Man. Is Beck hit or miss or what. This is our third Beck album thus far - best album cover at least. I just don't know about this one - I love Guero, don't like Sea Change so if this one is the tiebreaker .... it's not going well after one listen... OK one more spin through - Odelay is the ultimate 90s slacker music. And I don't like it. I'm sort of comparing Beck to himself which may not be fair, but when I know the best of what he's done and then hear this it's just not that inspiring or even catchy. Very few moments of getting chills, or staying in a groove, it's a weird and misguided pastiche of mangled beats and samples - very few if any songs have any flow whatsoever, and at worst a lot becomes atonal ("High 5" is the equivalent of opening the spice cabinet and everything spills out onto the floor). In fact I hate to use this word because it's thoughtless but I keep falling back on it being boring. Which after 2 listens is where I'm committing. 4/10 2 stars.

Bfp. Bad finished process. Some alright songs but all this experimental shit is bad and annoying and idc about it.

beck cares about the "artistic process" more than the finished product. whatever the fuck that means. 🗑️

Devil’s Haircut is repetitive and doesn’t really go anywhere. A lot of this has what I don’t like about rap—boring looped beats. Oh god, a sax solo. Someone reputable told me they liked this, and now I’m questioning their tastes. Novacane and Minus have some slightly better harder sounds. Overall feeling very meh about it.

Begrudgingly enjoy this album.

Får aldri heilt taket på Beck

some nice songs, very repetitive as a whole.

Meh! Another Beck album... how uninspiring. I always try to look for the positives in each album review, but Beck has failed to deliver every time... and no surprise that this album is just as lame as the rest of his stuff. Best I can say is there are small sections of some of the tracks that are quite promising, but then each good bit of a track is hedged either side by uncoordinated changes, his vocals dire, and lyrics are sooooo lame. I really don't like this guys style of music. It's not that it is totally unlikeable, (or rather it's not as bad as the depths of despair with country and western music), but this album of Becks it's just incredibly bland and booooooooring, even though its livelier than the last album that was up for review. But hey, sure its all horses for courses, and if it rocks your boat then turn it up to 11.

Boring

Kinda hated this. 3-4/10

Felt like a less charismatic and unfunny Gorillaz album.

I mean it’s Beck. Cool music if you’re a mum or dad. Otherwise not cool. Stand out tracks: Devils Haircut *probably one or two more but meh* 2.5/5

Hotwax // Novacane // Where It’s At // Ramshackle // 2/5

-------------->

Hipster alt-rock with mumbling vocals. 2/5

Bit of a wacky one isn't it, seen chronic drunks less all over the road than this seemed to be, a music equivalent of those candy pick and mix where you get a bunch of everything, I'm happy with the gummies but for more often than I had liked you get a mouthful of fucking liquorice.

Starts of well with Devils Haircut but the majority of the rest is crap, wtf is the buzzing during Novocaine about? Made it very hard to listen to Has probably ruined the Futurama episode for me too

Met vlagen is het Pixies na een hand vol slaappillen. Met vlagen is het Fatboy Slim als Norman Cook een saaie Duitser was. Met vlagen Bob Dylan als hij wel had leren articuleren. Af en toe draagt de wind een zaadje weg waaruit later Gorillaz is ontstaan. Ik zal niet zeggen dat het slecht is, maar ik verveel me echt helemaal de tering. Het experimentele slaat bij mij niet helemaal aan merk ik. "Novacane" en "Minus" laten zien dat Beck wel muziek kan maken waar ik enthousiast van word, maar hij pakt niet echt door op dit album.

Each song is like an average performance of a different genre. Didn't like it very much.

Do not like this album that much.

Too much going on, over produced.

Pish

Much stronger 2nd half

Not horrible, just not my bag

Ok album but not for me

Really laid back vibe, not the most exciting album but Where It’s At does liven it up. The production is interesting but I don’t really vibe with the vocals.

Mish mash of sounds. Tries to incorporate some alt rock, electronic and hip hop. Worked on second song but wasn't a fan of many others Novacaine is good

I like Beck but this hasn’t aged that well

While 'Where It's At' is one I truly enjoy, I couldn't get into the other tracks. Not something I'll be seeking to purchase. 2/5

Got an arch-90s feel which I never really liked - didn't love this much at the time and still haven't warmed to it

Some great tracks but the rest of the album leaves much to be desired

It's not bad, but it's not my cup of tea.

Beck? Dat is toch die Zweedse detective van Sjöwall en Wahlöö? O, de artiest? Kennelijk is deze muziek ook in de jaren negentig uitgebracht, maar het zegt me eigenlijk helemaal niks. Het zwabbert een beetje tussen de genres en laat geen indruk achter.

Wack

you know normally i like beck but this one really goes off the rails with the whole 'experimental' vibes and it doesn't work for me

Ah Beck. I always thought you were too cool for school, but it turns out I just didn't like your music.

Eh. He's good on the new Gorillaz album. Idk abot this one though. 2

Boring as fuck. Is this 'slacker' music, aye? Explains a lot.

mid 5/10

sanantoisto rokkia...paskaa ja paskaa...varasti BECK NIMI MARTIN BECK....king of ruotsalainen televisioelokuvasarja..*explosion* yle tv2...kuuluuko hansen, NO EI KUULU. tällästä jaksa... tämän takia vittuti niin paljeon että kuuntelin abbey road uudestan... ja oli 4/5 ihan turhaan rupesin kitisemään... b-osio on aika mid ja isommat hitit kuten here comes the sun vähän vituttaa.. parhaat biisit on a-osion vähän vähemän tunnetut high 5

Niet zo veel aan

This was strange

It’s ok. I don’t hate it. When it began to sound like computer sounds I began to hate it. 2.5

Uban.

This feels kinda messy, and not in a good way. Maybe I would have liked it more without the hip hop influences?

드디어 다 들었다.

Meh

This was not a good album. The only song I can say I actually enjoyed was Ramshackle. Lord Only Knows, New Pollution, Derelict, Sissyneck, and Readymade were all ok, but the rest was absolutely horrendous. Novacane and High 5 made me feel sick, I had to skip most of them. The singer had a fine voice, not great but fine, and the guitar, bass, and drums were fine. The lyrics, random noises, and just overall weirdness though I did not like. If I could rate in half points, I’d only give this 1.5. Summary, if someone wanted to torture me to death, most of this album is the way to go.

Okay, hard time getting into it

OK, nothing more.

Lot of dudes came in the store and asked "is that Beck? I haven't heard this in a long time." Yes. It's Beck.

'Odelay' is a word! Just look it up in the Becktionary!

Is Beck cool? Does the pseudo-rap, slacker alt rock sound resonate with anyone? I think I'm being reductive, because it's hard to put Odelay into one box, or even two. Beck Hansen raps and employs drum samples, he strums his acoustic guitar, plays the slide guitar, and a whole lot of other stuff to bend genre to his whim. Odelay is a lot like the dog on the cover: messy, but still full of energy. I admire Beck's ambition and artistic vision. I also wish this album was more focused. The sonic whiplash from the harsh synths at the end of Novacane going into the mellow acoustic strumming of Jack-Ass is making me wish for something else. I'm seriously at a loss. There is no doubt that Beck is a competent songwriter, artist, and producer. The problem is that nothing comes together to form a coherent sound. I can't enjoy Odelay for more than a few minutes because it won't let me. The album is constantly at odds with the listener, as if to say "No, you're listening to it wrong. Start again with this song instead". I don't know if that makes it genius or debilitating or both. For now, I won't give Beck too much credit.

I didn't know Beck. It's not the kind of music I hear.

Zeer alternatief en experimenteel

Weird, funky, but nothing stands out to me.

Very familiar with Where it's at and Devil's haircut, but not a big fan of either. Was hoping some of the rest of the album would do something for me, but it didn't.... Spotify would skip right over jackass and diskobox. If I enjoyed the album, I would have tried to find somewhere else. I didn't... Pretty much neutral. Didn't really dislike, but just not for me 2-2.5

Alkoi vahvemmin, sit meni vähän turhan kokeelliseksi kaikkien piippausten sun muiden kanssa. 2/5.

Some interesting new sounds but overall not a fan. Makes me think of a slower less energy Nirvana with a less harsh voice. Enjoyed Derelict

Heard it before? No Enjoy it?: Yes (to an extent) it’s starts well but just seems to end up with a lot of filler and random noises? I just don’t get it personally and it’s not for me Favourite song: Track 13 - Ramshackle (honourable mention for Track 1 - Devils Haircut)

Blur

I've heard and read people say that Beck was a master of all styles, however, to say that this shows Beck as a 'Jack of all styles and master of none' is an insult to the term 'Jack'. I'm sure Beck has put out much better work as this is in no way a 'must listen'! Odelay has a couple of songs on it, whether they're good or not is entirely up for debate, I don't know what to call the rest of the album other that a varied collection of rather suspect and random sounds. I have heard much worse though.

Yep. It’s Beck.

I just couldn’t stop thinking about the fictionalized version of Beck that toured with Bender in Futurama. I can appreciate the work, but a lot of it was too experimental for me. Lord Only Knows was pretty sweet, where it’s at is catchy.

I get it. For its time it is sonically unique. I prefer the singles. Pollution and where it’s at are the strongest tracks.

Not keen.

Okay, first of all, Nerd Confession: when I was a kid, I was crazy about dogs (birds, too, but not relevant for this moment) and I had tons of dog books and subscribed to the American Kennel Club's magazine, so as soon as I saw the album cover, I shouted out "I remember that photo!" (Very unusual breed, the Komondor, and memorable photo.) Sure enough, it appeared in an issue of the AKC's magazine when I was 10, right in the middle of my dog-obsession years. I am also quite sure this same photo was in one of the dog books I got for Christmas that year or the next (and I'm also pretty sure it was this super-thick AKC encyclopedia of all dog breeds in their registry). Now, the album. I had heard a few of Beck's songs in the past and liked them well enough, so I was glad to give one of his albums a full listen, something I'd never done before. It's okay. I got a little bored at times, but I appreciate that he was trying to make something a bit different. He's definitely a very skilled musician and performer, and at times I like his writing and composition. I think just on the subjective personal taste front, this album is not quite my thing. Some good stuff on it, though.

Not really my type of music

Not really a fan of this one.

There are some great songs buried between a bunch of distorted vocals and a cavalcade of weird noises and samples.

This was closer to 1.5. A lot of it felt like noise.

I wasn't a huge fan, and Zero didn't like it so that brings it's rating down for sure.

Innovative, drags on a little bit.

You know… i really did not like this album.

an interesting listen! some good, ear-catching lyrics. beck bounced around genres here. i found it a creative album, but i think it lacked some cohesiveness. it wasn't bad, and i did groove to it! but it was just okay for my tastes.

I like some Beck, but despite listening to this album twice, I just couldn't get into it. Honestly, I was just kind of bored. Not sure what happened here, but this album just didn't do it for me.

The first half is sort of hard to listen to but I really like the second half. I could see this growing on me though. Beck is definitely artistic and I would be willing to listen more.

Eh. I have never been a big fan of Beck. I didn't hate the music. I just didn't care for it. The sound, the lyrics and just the overall presentation is unmemorable. It is better than a 2. Not really a 3. I will round down.

A bunch of styles in the same album and I'm not sure if it should be the main feature of this album. Mixing a lot of things in a consistent way is pretty hard...and this album is not so good at doing it. It's not absolutely bad and some songs are nice, but the lack of personality is the opposite of what I expected from Beck.

Not for me but it’s interesting

It's okay, don't really remember much about it

Nothing special and not worth the time I wasted giving it a listen. The album is a whole mess. Different genres, different themes, just all over the place.

Okay

2.5

Ihan jees, vähän liian säröisää. Ei erityisesti jäänyt mieleen vaikka jotain hyviä biisejä erottuikin.

What a loser.

Eh. Just...eh.

had to take a break in the middle. It's not a terrible album, but very energy-consuming

que isso cara, nem quero

Dont like this type of music.

Did not enjoy this album at all, aside from the singles which are so so every song was mediocre with annoying rapping and drum beats. Lots of annoying effects which I guess were a thing at the time. Some of the guitar and bass was pretty good.

Quelques bonnes chansons, mais beaucoup plus qui étaient plates ou énervantes. C'est le genre de rock alternatif avec lequel j'ai déjà de la misère et cet album le prouve. J'ai eu exactement ce que je m'attendais d'un album de Beck.

Started off quite nice but after most tracks were annoying.

never really cared for him then, don't REALLY care for him now. ramshackle was cool enough, but overall...kinda just meh for me.

I know he's trying to do something by using 400 different genres but I'm not sure it works. There's just too much going on.

On Odelay, Beck tries to mix a plethora of genres, which works half of the time. While some tracks clearly identify with alt-rock, others are filled with hip-hop and sampling. As is with most albums at first listen, I generally prefer the more accessible alt-rock songs with some creative detours, such as Devils Haircut with its killer guitar riff, New Pollution with some jazzy elements and the catchy folksy Sissyneck. I have lukewarm/negative feelings towards the mixing and distorted sounds on Hotwax, Novacane, the sleezy stoneresque Jack-Ass, the screamy guitars on Where It's At, the atrocious vocals on Minus, the sleep-inducing Ramshackle and the demonic screaming on Diskobox. It's a 2 for me.

So boring dear lord I hate it

Ужасно, набор звуков. Помесь ебени и фэт бой слима. Песня High 5 хороша.

Before this I had no idea what Beck sounds like. I guess now I do. Nothing more to say really.

Naaahh...

I tried to like it, I just couldn't

Muffled incoherent noise

“Odelay” by Beck (1996) Lyrics are poetically well articulated, if nonsensical. Playfully self abusive, hence not self loathing, he directs the emotional violence inward for comic effect. Also, he sporadically throws in a repellent image that is appropriately jarring. Mildly evocative. Musically, the album is a relentless struggle for new sound, occasionally hitting the mark. Vocally substandard. I can see from this album that Beck probably has his fans. Makes me glad to be old. 2/5

Some of Beck’s mellower songs are incredible, with tremendous writing and vocals. But those songs are not on this album. I just couldn’t get into this record and I am not a fan

Meh. Lots of pretentious weirdness just for the sake of it. 2.2

2 - sehr abgespaced

I’m not saying people shouldn’t like it. I’m saying I don’t

Not for me. Honestly some of the sounds sound like Kid Rocks debut album. It’s probably better than I’m giving it credit for though.

some hits and a lot of misses. reminds me of the charli xcx memes. literally didn't listen to the second half.

Eh, it was alright, bit eccentric... Not really my style.

Really outside of what I listen to, but remember several songs from my youth. Couldn't really pick out a favorite, but maybe Devil's Haircut simply because of nostalgia. Have trouble separating his music from his Scientology ties.

Definitely some sounds on here that push the indie envelope but the whole slacker-chill vibe wears thin after 5 songs or so