Reviews (page 8 of 14)
really does feel like the beginning of a trend
Just listened to this on Sunday, ironically. Not Beck’s best but wouldn’t discourage a listen. Gets bonus points for being more creative than 9/10 other artists of the period. 3.5
I love all things Beck. Mellow Gold was a nice record but this one really pushed him into the stratosphere. People will be singing "Where it's at" to themselves for generations
Note : 4,5. Top from the 90's. Listened to it 1000 times, still fresh after 30 years, filled with good songs and strange sounds.
Never been a huge fan of Beck, know a couple of his songs but a bit meh for me
Expansive, inventive, and kinda flat. I dunno if it's the 30 years between then and now, but none of this feels fresh the way it probably did back then. It still holds that sun-bleached california summer feel, blazing pavement and scrubby plants growing up in unexpected places, but I dunno - I don't have to hear it. These songs have been with me for most of my music-listening life as radio play or whatever, but while I won't turn it off, I don't feel the need to seek it out.
Sweet.
beautiful voice, interesting melodies, cool guitar (and plenty of other instruments) and a large pinch of experimental spirit - surprising and yet somehow down-to-earth. Not bad.
Yeah, Beck zeigt die ganze Bandbreite in einer wilden Fahrt durch Genres. I like it!
Habe schon so viel mal in Beck rein gehört aber es hat mich nie gepackt, auch dieses Mal nicht.
Progressive I guess. One song made it to the playlist. 2 stars
Awesome
Some of this shit is hurting my ears and head bruh devils haircuts was alright The new pollution was a vibe where its at sounds like butt ass high 5 was fun the album was certainly a adventure
I don’t think I get the vision here. The lyrics are obscure and almost every song sounds the same. My favorite tracks: Devils Haircut, The New Pollution and Derelict. The saxophone that was audible a few times was good. But the rest of this record… an interpolation of Swan Lake? Beeps noises? Distorted voices? What is going on?
No me gustó tanto como a mucha gente que lo adora, quizá tuve un mal día, o una mala comida, pero...
Oh dude hell yeah, love this album! My mom grew me up on Beck, “Devil’s Haircut’ was a staple on my iPod nano. Goofy cover, but in a good way. 1 Yeah just as good as I remembered. Inject these drums into my veins bro, that snare sound is incredible. Bass line and hook are catchy as hell, and I love that little beep boop electronic thing that kicks in after one of the choruses. Crunchy guitar and feedbacked vocals rip as an outro. Great fucking song. 2 This Southern cowboy slide guitar shit is so sick. He sounds more like a white guy rapping on this, tbf, and the hook is a little too abrasive to be proper catchy— but then that absolutely filthy sub-bass sawtooth drops in after the first hook, and I’m back. Beck sounds so cool once you buy in. Drums are immaculately mixed, when they get more acoustic on the chorus it pans farther the left with the higher frequencies (you can hear it the hat) and it gives them such great depth. A bit goofy, and not as good as that great first track— def coulda grown a bit more substantially if we’d gonna do 3 longer verses, as opposed to adding little four-bar layers of weird instruments. Outro is proper silly, but cool. Weirdly groovy. 3 Genre switch to such a rootin tootin folksy rock really cements the alternative flag this album flew. Beck’s vocals are kind of a you like em or you don’t think, and I like them. Love how the track is mixed, good balance between the right and left, Gives Wilco vibes as a complete package here. What a silly fade-out, makes the song kinda ephemeral. 4 Dude the feedback with flute as an intro, and then the funky ass vocal melody over such incredible drums? Dust Brothers fuck bro this sound is so crystallized. Love the experimentation while still making catchy shit. Sax is dreamy. It’s so splintered, such fragmentary instrumentation, like action figures from different IPs all in the same play scene— but it works for me. 5 Absolutely love the percussion here, but I do think the package as a whole doesn’t come together. Like he tries to sing like Beck on a track that sounds very left of Beck rhythmically speaking. Love the finger piano and weird drone thing. His lyrics are always non-sensical, but because the instrumental is also kinda non-sensical there’s a sense of confusion. God the drums that kick in after the second verse, and then the raga strings and percussion? Wish more songs used tabla it sounds so sick. Wish he committed to that stuff as more than just a bridge— as is, feels like a really cool choice used more aesthetically than substantively. 6 Again, drums!!! Golly dude Dust Brothers just mix them bitches so well, word to the Fight Club OST. Love the sampled transitions, do not love the vocals. Way too fuzzy for how seriously he’s taking them. There’s definitely some Avalanches or The Books DNA in certain parts, I just feel Beck’s choice of song form can be a little samey and uninteresting, and I’m not convinced of his rapping on this like I was on track 1. The actually chorus is pretty cool, guitar sounds dope— I think the instrumental being as wacky and fun and cool as it is saves this song for me, because the moments it all comes together are so good. 7 Lil bit of a psychedelia kinda vibe? Really think his vocals fit that guitar tone like a glove. Lil bit of glockenspiel action is pretty as a mf, and love the harmonica that pops up later. This album is full of samples you don’t know are samples, and I think that’s a testament to the composition. Beck’s lyrics are some of the strongest I’ve heard from him too, proper poetry. Really think this is gonna be one of my faves on this album. The fucking donkey on the end? Tf? Great. 8 Love the vinyl crackle at the beginning, love the keys even more— what an absolutely filthy lil riff. The clap and sing along thing with the hook is pretty cheesey, the vocoder is the first experiment that super does not work for me on this record— feels incredibly conspicuous. I do love the little drum breakdowns and random samples throughout, though, especially with the sax and trumpet textures. Very split on this song— on one hand, the groove is immaculate, but the execution is a little too scattered I think. Kind of an aimless jam session by the end— the fade-out fits, and not in a good way. 9 Very Jeff Rosenstock, diy punk with glockenspiel lol. Goddamn that bass tone is great. Lyrics are good, but don’t fit the song— the abstractions are fun and sonically pleasing, but the instrumental suggests the lyrics should a salient point (punk tradition) and they definitely don’t. Still liked it, it’s fun. 10 A little forgettable, kinda sounds like other songs in this album but done less interestingly. I do like the dial tone thing like halfway though, weirdly cool. 11 Crackle is a little too strong on this, feels kinda performative. Feels like it doesn’t build to anything, and the bass tone is way too clean— way too trebly, way too much in >2000 hz registers with nothing lower to balance it out 12 Goody wikiwikiwhat ass music, and the vocal filter is wwaaaaay too much. Truck driver rippity rap, and the hook sounds like Sunday school slipknot. Love the random classical music sample, dislike everything else. Second half of this album is all over the map man 13 Oh, now see I really like this. Really love the lyrics, “Hand me downs / Flypaper towns / stuck together, one and all” is great in meter and substance both. Love the acoustic guitar, and love how it’s panned with a slight chorus— a bit in the left, and a bit in the right— and overall, love the sparser Americana sound. And then it builds on it all, breaks out some interesting chords (I think suspended something, if my music theory is right?) in a subtle lil bridge of sorts. Good composition. Surprised this isn’t the album closer honestly, super pleasant. 14 Well, so much for pleasant. The rhythm just isn’t interesting enough to justify a loop like this, and it’s abrasive in a way ill-fit to an album with otherwise recognizable song forms. Poor choice. I dunno, I still have a nostalgic soft spot for this album— and I really like the songs I like— but as a package, it doesn’t quite come together. The idiosyncratic nature justifies a bit of buckshot, but not this much.
Beck is one of my long time favorites, so I'm going to be a little biased. But listening through the whole album this time, I'm caught up in all the disparate sounds. Also. Clavichord. The tracks are great and meandering and dissonance has a strong presence, but it feels like a country album in weird ways. Listen for traversing liminal spaces, for soundtracking your day.
I own a few Beck albums and I like his, never loved it. Odelay is admirable rather than entirely enjoyable. I do like a lot of it and appreciate the artistry in the use of samples and traditional instruments. Some of his laconic vocal mannerisms can grate at times, particularly on “Derelict” and I am always disappointed when “Novocaine” starts and I realise that, yet again, I have mixed it up with the better Eels song. I guess Beck may be a greatest hits artist for me. But “Devil’s Haircut”, “Where It’s At” and “The New Pollution” are excellent.
Great album.
Not really my vibe off first listen. Favorite track is devil’s haircut.
rubbish
Had some cool ideas, loved at least two tracks, but at some point started to blend. Did not expect him to speak Spanish, that was awesome.
Never really got into Beck's music, JUST WEIRD!
I don’t know what to think about this album. It was certainly an interesting combination of genres and influences, but at times I felt like the sounds were distorted or weird just for the sake of it and it was very all over the place. But, I must give him this, he’s a very unique artist - this album sounded like it came from a completely different person than the last one I listened to.
A very important album for me during a very important time of my life. Cant really describe the feelings when I listen to this album.
Lemppari: Lord Only Knows Vähiten lemppari: Diskobox
A few good songs plus robot noises.
Odelay blends a lot of genres and sounds into an album that doesn’t feel cohesive and can border on obnoxious. I really don’t get Beck.
interesting album. so very 90's core, rock and all. nice use of trumpets and other brass throughout the album though !!
Compared to Beck's Sea Change, the more experimental approach on this album is quite refreshing. There's something about the blend of such different genres and production styles, when done well, that makes it work. Still, nothing that special about this.
Interesting album. Goes from Punk Rock to Soft Rock very quickly. Good listen. 5.9/10
Still listen to this one frequently. An eclectic mix of songs and sounds.
Honestly, this was a really fun, innovative listen.
I've never listened to this Beck album and it sounds like the kind of early Beck I don't like much. (31 known/64 new)
Some interesting production but didn't do anything for me.
I can appreciate the artsy fartsy sounds he's going for, but not all of them were entirely pleasant on my ears. This album dipped HARD in the middle. Wanted to stop listening. It finished alright starting with Sissyneck (minus High 5 & Computer Rock) though. Devils Haircut, Derelict, and Sissyneck were the standout good songs for me.
Lots of creative weirdness going on. I enjoyed the percussion and a few of these songs. Definitely didn't know what to expect next. Too much filler to get four stars.
Decent
Ended up really really liking this. Some songs maybe went on a little too long. But overall I loved this.
Still holds up. Amazing how analog it sounds now, despite seeming like it was beamed down from another planet at the time. Kudos to Beck & The Dust Brothers for an all-time/nuanced banger.
I liked parts of it but its not exactly my cup of tea
I've never been able to get into Beck. For somebody that genre hops so frequently you'd think there'd be at least one song that speaks to me but you'd be wrong.
Too shouty for me
First few songs had me thinking I was in for a treat but then he gets a bit too temple run on derelict and it’s downhill from there. Some tunes but mostly a bit shit. I really like the cover art though. Specific rating 3.4 Fav song - new pollution Least fav - diskobox
Like, kinda vibey, but I'm not in the mood right now
Such a variety of songs, some that I really liked and some much less. As an album I want to like it; it's like a collage of samples and genres without being too disconnected. But some of the songs are just too annoying to listen to the whole album again. Favourite song: Lord Only Knows Least: Where It's At
Definitely some hits here, and consistent throughout.
Good, not great, although hard to replicate the brilliance and success of “Loser”
I listened to this album for the first time ever yesterday. And I really enjoyed it. I feel it was stronger at the beginning than at the end but overall a solid record. Will definitely listen again.
Certainly some variety here.
It’s a good background album to have on maybe at work. It’s not overly enthralling nor offensive. It’s almost a blend of surf rock, groove and pop. I can see a small subset of bands sitting in this genre, non of which I’ve listened to since I was young.
Me when I’m shiddin and farddin in da microphone
This was the album that sparked my love for Beck after knowing scattered songs of his. Ever since, he's been one of my favorite musicians.
I don't get Beck. Or, I take that back; I do get Beck, but I don't understand his appeal. His whole thing, with my two-album sample size, seems to be laid-back, flat, "cool-guy" vocals over passable blues-tinted '90s alt-rock production. Now that cool-guy, "I don't want to be here" vocal style is what makes these 50 minutes practically unbearable for me. Like god, these melodies are so lifeless, and even when the vocals "ramp up" in intensity, like on, say 'Minus', they still sound so washed-out when propped up against the production here. I think more than anything, I don't see any situation where I can enjoy these vocals or this aesthetic. I guess it sort of feels like a summer day, but one where I'm like sweating profusely and waiting at a bus station at noon type thing - basically annoyed out of my mind. I guess maybe if you're stoned, I can see this type of thing hitting, but I'm not stoned. Maybe my least favorite song was also the most popular, 'Where It's At' - I guess the verses are smooth enough, but those interludes and the refrain are unbearable and take me out of the groove established during those okay verses. I'm not going to be too harsh on this record, I sorta liked the song 'Novacaine' because Beck tends to show infinitely more character when he's doing his cheesy white boy rap thing, which is at least charming with a few genuinely solid bars. This song, 'Novacaine' has a cool hip-hop, Rick Rubin production feel to it. 'Jack-Ass' went in another more enjoyable instrumental direction and probably has my favorite Beck singing on here. Hey, I geuss Beck is unique...I'll give him that, I haven't heard someone be so bold in just how fucking laid-back their style is. Like this man overdoes it, and he knows it. So I guess he comes out the winner for making me sit through 50+ minutes of this.
This is #day246 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… this one was kind of more engaging, if you will, than the previous Beck album I got. But still, I'm not sure I'm a fan. There's a peculiarity around this artist that I can't help but mention. As an occasional vinyl collector, I've noticed in Ukrainian vinyl communities on Facebook that Beck is oddly appreciated by audiophiles... There are just those acts, you know? Yello comes to mind, too. It's an unexplainable phenomenon, especially since most of those audiophiles get to be in their forties or fifties. Me, I don't really care for this music for the most part. A weird combination of hip-hop, lo-fi, indie/alternative rock, and whatever else in between. Also, I've said that before, but I'll say it again: there are too many Beck records on this list. I'm pretty sure you don't have to listen to all of them before you die. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day247.
Nice Mix, but few songs sound the same at some point.
5/10
Oh, Beck. This is a great album and a must-listen, but I personally believe that both of his other grab-bag releases, Guero and The Information, are better. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate the cleverness and creativity that this album is bursting with. ML #117.
确实很硬地
What a classic 90s banger.
10/10 5/5 loved it no notes
Masterpiece. Fav song: Jack-Ass
Odelay is what happens when you give a musomaniac genius an opportunity to build his perfect album. Beck threw everything he loved into this album. Why wouldn’t you add Middle Eastern modes into Derelict? Was Novocane originally a Beastie Boys song? All songs like New Pollution should start like the Jetsons and mold immediately into a 1970s Curtis Mayfield groove. My favorite songs were Jackass, which was almost autobiographical about my late 20s, and Sissyback, which is just a whistle blowing country-funk mashup that I am still trying to decode, and, of course, Where It’s At. There were no albums like this. There are no albums like this, even by Beck. This is his and our opus.
Random thoughts: * This is such a 90s album. It just sounds so 90s with the hip hop influences and samples. Plus the freak folk of Beck. * This is peak Beck in my opinion. He's done so many different things since but this was his masterpiece. He's done a lot of great stuff since but nothing ever matched this height. * Top tracks are "Devil's Haircut", "The New Pollution", "Jack-Ass", and "Where It's At". * The lesser tracks are good too. "Derelict" stands out for me.
Good tunes, still not the biggest fan of beck though
Quality man
Oh damn, I have that album and I can't stand it. "Odelay", Beck in simply shit. I don't usually throw albums away. I rarely give them away in the hope that I'll like them someday, but I was close to giving "Odelay". It's not experimental or innovative, or even ahead of its time. The album is a collage of junk snippets. If it really took that long to produce, then it was a total waste of time, or simply overproduced. It's definitely overhyped. So, I give it one star because I have to, but I'd really like to give it a minus three.
Wowza. So many amazing sounds towards the end. …5?
So, I like some of Beck’s songs. I just don’t get the critical acclaim. I think his sound was definitely unique in the 90’s, so I get that. A lot of lyrics just seem like nonsense words, so not really a cohesive song with a meaning. Musically it’s good, but lyrically I can’t make sense of it. I’m a rube, lol.
loses a little steam in the final third or so but otherwise Right up my alley
Fun and funky just as Beck does it. This is an easy record to listen to and has a very cool and nice vibe to it. Dig it.
Devil's Haircut is a good start. Love the album cover. I love Beck but his earlier music has straight nonsense lyrics. New Pollution has a retro feel, like girls in go-go cages should be dancing behind Beck. I don't need all the high-pitched computer beeps on Novacane. And I just realized there is a lot of distortion on this album. A lot of found sound too. Maybe I don't like this album as much as I thought. Jack-Ass is good right up until the braying title character at the end. That is one of the most annoying sounds in nature. Where It's At is the hit, but Jack-Ass is a better song. High 5 (Rock the Catskills) sounds like a Beastie Boys knock-off. And it has a lot of annoying sounds. Ramshackle gives you a sense of where Beck's albums could go. It's a great song. And then Computer Rock ruins it.
So gooooood. Total 90's dream.
I really really wish I liked Beck, I think he is sick, but unfortunately this is just noise to me
fun
Very good album. Too long, if trimmed to about 40 min I think this could have been a 5.
Delightful genre-blending album. Very listenable.
I like the mix of genres and the vibes, but the lyrics are not for me. This album might have been vibes before vibes was a thing.
It has some catchy moments, but not enough. It’s creative and somewhat interesting, but despite spending a good bit of time with it, it just doesn’t do much for me.
It's pretty clear from the opening track, that this album inspired a generation of white indie-rock. Legions of listeners picking up a hollow-body guitar and talk singing their way through a late nineties coming of age film, about a guy who's talent and earnestnest are overlooked. Deeply ironic and selectively dynamic, Odelay peaks on a few tracks that deviate from the songwriting formula of the album like Minus or Novacane. That being said a lot of the songs blend together in their sound. It's a bit like running into an old partner that you remember fondly only to realize that it's a time and place in your life that summons that feeling not the person themselves. While I recognize the importance and influence of this album, it was never really for me and has sort of been obliterated by the passage of time.
Strange mix of rock, rap, and electronic music, but not bad. Some pretty fun songs every now and then but also a lot of boring songs, or songs where too much is going on. An experimental feel, that once again was strange, unique, and different, but as many other feel, this album is all over the place. Definitely some songs on here that I will listen to again, but for the most part I am okay with only listening to most songs once.
Love this. Classic. Listened to it when I first got into Beck and come back to it often when I want some Beck.
Never resonated with me on its original release and still doesn’t.
I don't think I've ever really understood the appeal of Beck, and listening to this didn't change my mind.
So many interesting sounds and songs on this album but perhaps a better producer would have made that shorter. Could have used some trims. But very much a precursor of things to come.
Indie rock with quirky electronic elements. Soul and blues elements. Cool songs with fun beats and instruments.
This album is a little more fun than I expected. There's still something to me about Beck that comes off as goofy, but if I didn't know this was Beck I'm pretty sure I'd like it a little more than I do. Novacane was probably the best track. I raced through this one a bit.
Choice 👌🏻
I actually had this CD back in the 90s. I guess I didn't listen to it very often though as I wasn't particularly familiar with some of the tracks. This is a pretty good album overall, and while there are some harsh tracks, I would listen again.
I listened to about half the album. It reminded me of something I'd have heard on the Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack. I wasn't a fan of all the distortion and the sort of lazy sound of the lead singer, but overall the album had a good feel to it. I do not anticipate I'll be coming back to this one though.
Very experimental but not catchy. Too crazy.
One of my personal favorites
Where it’s at, indeed
Weird guy that Beck
Very 90s Almost too much going on, which I usually like. May need a second listen Similar to music I like, but not resonating. Maybe too dated
It's an interesting album, I think it's far more interesting than the last Beck album the generator gave me. Straight ahead grabbed my attention by the first track, the keys every here and there is a pleasing surprise. Still, apart from all those interesting arrangements, it feels a bit plain, strange enough because it actually incorporate so many different music genres. This should be the album I like but it don't, probably because it feels a bit overproduced? A decent 3.5/5.
indie punk rock vibe. Hot wax and Devils Haircut standouts
-Beck always teleports me back to my childhood. my dad did not play about him!! I hadn’t actually heard this album before even though it seems to be regarded as his best, aside from Deadweight, a PHENOMENAL song which unfortunately is only on the deluxe version -it’s pretty cool tho! i do think I prefer Guero and some songs were a bit unremarkable. but I will always enjoy listening to Beck and it was a very consistent album in terms of quality -Favorites are The New Pollution and Derelict
A wacky, playful, and weird but still accessible melding of genres, sounds, and influences - namely 90s alt/indie rock and hip hop. Also drawing from psychedelic, blues, punk, 60s-70s folk and pop, soul and funk, a little noise, and I’m sure plenty of others. Beck does some stonery sing-talk-rapping type stuff with some catchy melodies, while him and the Dust Brothers make groovy, interesting, changing instrumental beats.
Joyful, full, upbeat and complicated.
So good
Devils Haircut in my mind!!!! Still super weird maybe super dated. One single away from being a notch better.
First time getting a second album by the same artist! Other than the hits, it was only ok for me. I think it’s a three because my expectations were higher.
Quintessential Beck! A bizarre yet unique trip through the imagination of alternative rock and hip hop. Not always spot on, but a fun listen! Favorites: "Devils Haircut", "Where It's At", "Ramshackle" 3⭐️
Yeah, fine. Devils haircut was good enough to want to get permanently, but nothing else jumped out. I see what Beck is and I understand the niche he's filling, I just don't need much of it I think. 2.5/5 stars.
felt like I was in a film! enjoyed it but a bit too all over the place for me personally . Favs where devils haircut and where it’s at
This Beck, to me, is the Beck I most like. Sure, Beck IS Beck in a way, but the energy is IDK. For me this one is my favorite Beck album. If I were to introduce someone to Beck, I think this is the album I would have them play up and I am pretty sure they would become at least interested in Beck after that. In a way this is like "essential" Beck. Although that is an unfair stretch unless you are me!
Beck is pretty underrated.
I listened to this album a lot in the 90's, and I revisited it and Beck's whole discography a couple years ago. I think Odelay feels a bit its age, unfortunately. However, I think it is still fun trip of nostalgia for those that knew it or a view into a time when something this fresh could come out of left field. There really aren't much being created like this with this production, right now, because the state of the industry doesn't really allow it. Therefore, I could really give this a 4 based on how much I may really want to listen to it nowadays or 4.5, but I think 5 is deserved if you take into account where it came from, how much it really was "everywhere," and how original it really was at that time, mixing together so many things into every song.
Erikoisempaa ja kokeellisempaa Beckiä. Ajoittain aika meluisaa, mutta on myös miellyttävämpiä hetkiä. Aika letkeä meno kokonaisuudessaan. Parhaat: Hotwax, Jack-Ass, Ramshackle
I just like it! Every song has a unique groove and honestly really good writing. There's some really interesting instrumentation in there. That flailing piano in the background of Hotwax along with some nice bongo, the bass in Lord Only Knows holding it all down (also that unhinged scream at the beginning was ideal) and the fun little acoustic interlude near the end, the sax in The New Pollution, the percussion in Derelict marching along and each piece offsetting the rhythm of the others and the lyrics and what a great ending with the stretched out chords, the thrilling background in Novacane contrasting with the fuzzy vocals, the snappy keyboard in Where It's At and the nice wind interludes (especially the sax), the perfectly timed chimes and stretched out hits in Minus, the soaring guitar contrasted with the alarms and then that crackling static at the end in Skyneck feeding into the same effect in Readymade which has jangling keyboard riffs and horn interludes, High Five has that beat laid down with jangling tones contrasted with smooth horns and a fun percussion feature in the middle, the acoustic guitar with slight key change in Ramshackle.
Sometimes this was okay, sometimes it was a flashback to probably a car advert, and other times I wondered why it sounded like a low-tier Beastie Boys album. All over the place, and I'm not sure it's in a good way
I like the distinctive sound and judicious use of samples.
Great album I've heard many times. Devil's haircut was the first beck song that really grabbed when I was a teenager
Ich weiß nicht. Einiges war eingängig, zog sich aber auch. 2 1/2, ich runde auf.
Very laid back mood with a unique weirdness to it. 🥇Ramshackle 🥈Where It's At
The summer this album was released, I was doing some serious yard work. As I scraped moss from the driveway cracks, a fuzzy drum heavy The New Pollution to the rambling Sissyneck kept me on my musical toes, or, in this case, knees. Along with DJ Shadow’s Entroducing, Odelay was my favorite albums of the year.
Manchmal habe ich meine Füße und meinen Kopf zum Beat bewegt, manchmal habe ich aber auch darauf gewartet, dass das Album durch ist. Ich denke das sind zwei Sterne insgesamt
This is a fun experimental album. Jack-ass was my favorite and I might have fallen asleep at the end, but I’m not gonna blame that on the album. It’s cool to see how many different vibes beck can hit on after listening to this and guero. Although between the two I’d have to say I prefer guero.
I like this Beck album significantly more than the other one. I think Beck has grown on me a lot and I may have judged the other one too harshly because now I really want to return to it. I really did quite enjoy this one though, it was a fun listen and very interesting the whole way through. Where it’s at was the highlight of the album fs.
This was the first "cool" album I bought. Its such an odd album in that it all feels cohesive in the way it's so random and almost searching? Its not the best album but I think that's the point. When it works it's magic and when it doesn't it's still a whole lot of fun. My 5's are getting weird
A very creative and eclectic album. Hurray. Would be a 5 if I just enjoyed it more.
Let’s make it out baby
I didn't think I'd ever actually reach for the one star button doing this
I feel like I should like this more. It's cool but it's not drawing me in. Jack-Ass sounds like a slightly better Lou Reed. Actually a lot of this sounds like if Lou Reed tried sampling and like hip hop. Not for me, but better than any actual Lou Reed stuff I know.
this is one of those albums that is ACTUALLY worth hearing, even if I don't see myself going back to it that often. Good stuff.
I'm sure I used to like this, but now it's just somewhere between profound genius and profoundly irritating.
For the longest time, all I know from Beck was Loser. I've never liked Loser all that much, so I thought I just didn't like Beck. It's only recently through the countless reccomendations from my parents that I decided to open my mind to his music. I heard a few tracks from this album, and thought they were pretty good. I was no longer a Beck hater. Now with listening to Odelay through this challenge, I think I'm a Beck fan. This thing is full of fun and interesting ideas. Percussion is fantastic throughout, the sampling is incredible and the extra bits he adds all contribute wonderfully to the final product. Fantastic song writing. It's honestly such a fun time. Truly genius work here. Standouts: The New Pollution, Jack-Ass, Sissyneck
No me gusta mucho la banda, pero del álbum conozco 2 canciones
Frustrating amounts of variety here and there but too often he resorts to what sounds like a sampled drum loops over lazy guitar and it's only fun so many times
Throw a massive pile of diarrhea on the wall and see what sticks: The album. Most of it won't stick of course, this is pretty terrible, but at least it was unique for it's time.
Awesome!
Skateboarding backing tracks
I feel uncool, but I just don't understand the psychedelic experimentation in rock. I feel like I'm in an old timey sci fi movie, and it's just not my vibe.
Not many records can be brilliant and have a sense of humour. Great record. Bit too long.
Excellent
This a fun album that includes beastie boys-esque rap rock and daft punk-like techno beats at times. “Hotwax” gets to work trying to recapture the manic of “Loser” and does it pretty well. The free association lyrics of that kind abound here. They are padded by a raucous sound that contains the multitudes.
Beck throws everything into the mix - there's country, hiphop, blues, indie all poking their heads up randomly. It works well enough to make this stand out.
Very enjoyable! I probably wouldn't put this on again myself though
Not listened to this before but definitely will again. Very stephen malkmus-esque.
An absolute mess of an album in the best possible way. Folk, Lo-Fi, Hip-Hop, Dadist Poetry, Blues, Pop, Southern Drawled vocals - there's something for everybody here. Beck and the Dust Brothers at arguably the peak of their powers. Best Tracks: Devils Haircut; Lord Only Knows; Where It's At
Few albums encapsulate 90s alternative music quite like this one. Carefree and catchy.
++: Devils Haircut, Hotwax, The New Pollution, Sissyneck, Ramshackle +: Lord Only Knows, Derelict, Readymade +-: Jack-Ass, Where It's At, Minus -: Novacane, High 5 (Rock the Catskills) 6,4/10
6.5/10. This album isn't my vibe. I found it somewhat boring and mediocre. Sorry!!! :)
Thoroughly enjoyed
It’s beck man
Bit boring Did really oike deviks haircut tho Forgettable
* I have owned this for a while, but not appreciated it before I listened to it again thanks to this generator.
not for me at all.
2.5
Overall: 7/10 Every time I listen to Beck I think about the Futurama episode where he helps Bender become a folk singer. I prefer this side of Beck to the slower stuff he started doing around Sea Change. It's sometimes TOO quirky but for the most part it feels like a good mixture of folk, rock and hip hop type beats. Fav Song: Where It's At Least Fav Song: Hotwax
Experimental but I enjoyed a decent amount of it
Okay
This just fell into the background which wasn’t bad.
Pretty good at times for sure. 3.5
Difficult to compare this to anything I’ve heard before. So many different ideas and genres brought together, yielding fascinating but inconsistent results.
Surprisingly enjoyable, I think I expected mainstream and boring and it certainly wasnt either. Inconsistent but some really good things
Not sure if it was ahead of its time, but it was certainly ahead of me at the time -- really enjoyed it now, though!
good oneee i always kinda forget how much i like it
Listening to this today reminded me of the reasons why I gave Odelay away years ago. I don’t like the fizzy guitar sound, neither the way Beck sings nor the occasional noise. I had bought the record based on the hype at the time, and I still don’t get what everyone’s raving about. At times I realize that fusing rock and hip hop maybe appealing, but that’s an abstract thought; I’m just not feeling anything when playing Odelay except a slight resistance and annoyance. I tried again and felt confirmed in my rejection.
cool as fuck and still sounds amazing
Love this.
I liked this way more than I expected to. Beck doesn’t take himself seriously but still manages to expertly weave together folk, alternative, and even hip hop on a way that feels authentic and organic and has aged exceptionally.
Some good songs but alot of bad songs too
Delightfully weird and all over the place. I'm a very surface level Beck fan, but I could see myself going deep into the catalog.
Really great stuff here.
Poor Beck. I was in thrall with the dimpled brunette that was grunge and didn’t give him much attention. He was trying hard, but I barely noticed. “Loser” was a catchy song with a great groove. I thought that was cool, but then later Beck released his classic Odelay. I heard it on the radio, enjoyed the songs, but never enough that I wanted to take him on a date. Lol I appreciate upon re-listening to this album what he was going for. Genre bending (at least to rock fans) before it was fully cool. But somehow it still doesn’t excite me enough to play it. Some of it is his voice. It’s his style, but feels flat to me. I won’t tell you to turn him off if you play it, will even enjoy it, but I probably won’t play it again.
Meh… this one is not really for me. I can definitely appreciate the attempt to merge sampling and aspects of hip hop with rock aesthetics. But much like many other attempts from rock artists to add drum loops and an occasional rap verse to their guitar-based music, it never quite reaches the emotional heights of either rock or hip hop. What I will give Beck though is he does not sanitize his approach to rock. It’s noisy, loud and unpolished in a way that most later rap-rock attempts do not seem to capture, which seemed to lean more into the rap part most of the time. And from that perspective, it does make this record more interesting. I don’t find this particular execution of this idea to be one that draws me in sonically. It’s certainly not bad, and I can confidently say it’s more interesting and a better execution than nu-metal/rap-rock acts that try something similar. Generally, I think hip hop adjacent artists are better at incorporating rock into their music than vice versa (see JPEGMAFIA - I Lay Down My Life For You or Jean Dawson - Pixel Bath). And trip-hop artists like Portishead and Massive Attack approach sampling in non-rap in an ultimately much more satisfying way.
Immediately familiar - sounds like the soundtrack to a 90s film. I kinda find this album a very generic sound though so nothing really stands of it or inspires me particularly.
I’m not a big fan of Becks music this album was ok. (2)
I always felt Beck was overrated, but the album is not bad. 7/10
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.
"Devil's Haircut" and "Jack-Ass" are tops. Sissyneck, Deadweight and Good Chains are amongst top too. "Where it's at" is a classic of course.
This was a fun listen. I've never spent a lot of time with Beck's work other than a handful of the popular songs. This album was really interesting with cool instruments and refrains and his distinctive voice. It's not exactly my taste and I don't see myself listening to it regularly because of some of the more abrasive portions of some of the songs.
Cooky and influential
Great album so many memories 5*
🔥🔥🔥🔥
pretty good
I knew a lot of the songs but I'd never listened to the whole album in order. I liked this album a lot more than I'd expected! Every song is a nonsensical homage to a different band or music style, but they can all stand on their own merits.
It is...quite special. I only knew Loser before coming accross this follow up. I appreciate its merits, just the 'lofi', indie and accoustic tracks resonate more with me than the rap ones. (They're still old classic style rap though at least.) Often these are compared to the Beastie Boys which I'm also not a huge fan of but acknowledge theor due credit and influence. Took a few spins but now it has actually grown on me. I fully get why it's on the list.
I didn't like it at all
Slackery remix jams. Like sugar ray but good
this is much more in line with what I expect from Beck, in comparison with Sea Change and even Guero. to me, his signature sound is an even blend of hip hop production with psychedelically tinged alt-rock sonics. with the Dust Brothers on co-production duty for nearly all of this material, the resulting album has an unmistakable aural fingerprint. my major criticism is that Beck's not my kind of rapper; I think he's far more compelling as a singer-songwriter, as Sea Change so eloquently demonstrated. strong 7/10.
I enjoyed this one. Was Greta to listen to something I haven’t listened to for a while. 🦻✊
While it at times definitely is an "it insists upon itself" album, it also has a lot of bangers. It just seems like he got to much into his head with some of these tracks and just started added things that don't even make sense.
Beck is good but not for me 3/5
-kinda funk and weird -weird style, i like some of his other songs better -one song had like a tabla and harmonium or smth in the backing I swear (I THINK derelict, maybe novacane?) -fav song: maybe high 5?
Ye
One of my favorites from Beck, many classic tunes
1. "Devils Haircut" 3,4 2. "Hotwax" 2,9 3. "Lord Only Knows" 3,3 4. "The New Pollution" 3 5. "Derelict" 2,1 6. "Novacane" 3,8 7. "Jack-Ass" 3,9 8. "Where It's At" 3,8 9. "Minus" 2,5 10. "Sissyneck" 3,6 11. "Readymade" 3,3 12. "High 5 (Rock the Catskills)" 3,4 13. "Ramshackle" 3,6 14. Diskobox 3,4 Average 3,29
Didn't click, need to relisten
I’ve always wanted to like Beck more than I actually do. People love him, he’s a massive name/act, but I just don’t get him. I like Sea Change better than this album, but this one is OK. Probably a 3.5 if I could, but I never could understand its reputation, and that didn’t change after listening to it today.
So much I like about this album right alongside so much that doesn't really work for me. Definitely experimental, but pretty longwinded and onerous in spots. I want to LOVE this album, but it's just a like for now
This was a lot of fun to listen to. Great driving album
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🙏
The album that made Beck respectable. Absolutely essential, although Midnite Vultures is more fun.
L'album d'un mec qui sait faire du rock, mais qui se dit que les nouveaux bruits de robot des années 90 et les beats de hip hop, ça serait cool d'en mettre un peu partout. Ben non, dommage hein.
Beck's *Odelay* (1996) is a landmark album that redefined genre boundaries in popular music. Its eclectic mix of alternative rock, hip-hop, folk, blues, and funk, combined with Beck's surreal lyrics and The Dust Brothers' groundbreaking production, created a sonic collage that remains influential. Below is an in-depth review of the album focusing on its lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, along with its pros and cons. ## **Lyrics** The lyrics on *Odelay* are often abstract and surreal, showcasing Beck's knack for stream-of-consciousness storytelling. Tracks like "Devils Haircut" feature vivid imagery and cryptic lines such as "stealing kisses from leprous faces," which evoke a sense of disillusionment and identity crisis. "Where It's At" celebrates music's transformative power with playful rhymes and quirky phrases like "two turntables and a microphone," which became iconic. Songs like "Hotwax" and "Lord Only Knows" blend nonsensical wordplay with cultural references, creating a patchwork of evocative yet elusive meanings. Despite their abstract nature, the lyrics often touch on deeper themes. "The New Pollution" critiques consumerism and modern culture, while "Ramshackle," the album's subdued closer, reflects on loss of identity in a homogenized society. Beck’s lyrical approach is less about direct narratives and more about painting fragmented images that resonate emotionally or intellectually[1][2][5]. ## **Music** Musically, *Odelay* is a kaleidoscope of genres. Beck seamlessly blends bluesy guitar riffs ("Devils Haircut"), country twang ("Sissyneck"), funky grooves ("Where It's At"), and Eastern-inspired melodies ("Derelict"). The genre-hopping nature of the album is one of its defining features. Tracks like "Hotwax" shift between folky blues, psychedelic rock, and hip-hop within minutes, showcasing Beck’s ability to make disparate elements feel cohesive. Sampling plays a significant role in the album's sound. The Dust Brothers brought their expertise in layering samples to create intricate soundscapes. For example, "Where It's At" features a playful array of samples, including spoken-word snippets and quirky sound effects. Meanwhile, "Readymade" incorporates Mexicali influences with techno beats to craft an intentionally tawdry yet compelling vibe[2][3][5]. ## **Production** The production on *Odelay* is nothing short of revolutionary. The Dust Brothers' work on the album involves extensive use of sampling, looping, and layering to create textured tracks that feel both chaotic and meticulously crafted. Their approach was influenced by their earlier work on the Beastie Boys' *Paul’s Boutique*. Beck described their studio process as experimenting with how much they could "mess up" each song while still making it work[2][6]. This experimental ethos allowed for moments of brilliance where seemingly incompatible elements coalesced into something unique. For instance, the gritty guitar riffs in "Devils Haircut" are paired with hip-hop beats to create an infectious groove. The production also ensures that every track feels distinct yet part of a cohesive whole[1][3]. ## **Themes** *Odelay* explores themes such as identity, disillusionment, consumerism, and cultural fragmentation. While Beck's lyrics are often cryptic or nonsensical on the surface, they reflect broader societal concerns beneath their playful veneer. For example: - **Identity**: Tracks like "Devils Haircut" delve into questions of self-perception and societal roles. - **Consumerism**: "The New Pollution" critiques the emptiness of modern consumer culture. - **Cultural Fragmentation**: The album itself is a metaphor for cultural hybridity, blending genres and influences from various traditions to reflect the fractured yet interconnected nature of contemporary life[1][5]. ## **Influence** *Odelay* had a profound impact on both Beck’s career and the broader music industry. It cemented Beck’s reputation as one of the most innovative artists of his generation and proved that he was far from being a one-hit wonder after his breakout single “Loser.” The album’s genre-blending approach influenced countless artists across alternative rock, hip-hop, and electronic music. Critically acclaimed upon release, *Odelay* won two Grammy Awards (Best Alternative Music Album and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for “Where It’s At”) and has since been regarded as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s. Its adventurous spirit encouraged other musicians to experiment with genre fusion and sampling techniques[2][6]. ## **Pros** 1. **Genre Diversity**: The album’s ability to seamlessly blend multiple genres is unparalleled. 2. **Innovative Production**: The Dust Brothers’ use of samples and loops creates a rich sonic landscape. 3. **Timeless Tracks**: Songs like "Devils Haircut," "Where It's At," and "The New Pollution" remain iconic. 4. **Lyrical Depth**: Despite their abstract nature, the lyrics evoke strong imagery and emotions. 5. **Cultural Impact**: *Odelay* redefined what an alternative rock album could be. ## **Cons** 1. **Inaccessibility**: The abstract lyrics and eclectic style may alienate listeners seeking straightforward narratives or cohesive genres. 2. **Aging Elements**: Some tracks or production choices may feel dated compared to contemporary standards. 3. **Inconsistencies**: While most songs are brilliant, tracks like “Minus” or “Derelict” are less engaging compared to standout hits[3][4]. ## **Conclusion** *Odelay* is a masterpiece that captures Beck's creative genius at its peak. Its fusion of genres, innovative production techniques, and surreal lyricism make it an enduring classic that continues to inspire musicians across genres. While its experimental nature may not appeal to everyone, its cultural significance and artistic achievements are undeniable. For fans of boundary-pushing music that challenges conventions while remaining accessible enough to enjoy on multiple levels, *Odelay* is essential listening—a testament to Beck’s ability to turn chaos into cohesion.
primarily an exercise in creative adventurism. baffling variety of production/instrumental choices. lots of hip hop production, booming percussion especially. some rapping as well, but not as well executed lol. diversions into electronica, country, jazz. i was shook at hearing the tabla and sitar on 'derelict'. interestingly, these genre forays are all relatively well-polished (some, like the rapping are maybe polished to a point of sterility/feeling flat). as such, the ambitious variety feels much more deliberate than chaotic. some of the songs feel like proto-gorillaz. while the dynamically syncretic soundscapes are consistently engaging, the actual substance of the compositions never reaches the highest peaks.
i think i would start liking it if i listened to it more
Super instrumentally diverse. Consistently super weird. Creck. The sax in "The New Pollution" too good. Really really love this, except some of the last few tracks, which I didn't find too memorable. 4.5
que buen álbum, hace un recorrido por varios sonidos y géneros el nivel de producción esta bestia y deja las bases para la música que se haría las siguientes dos décadas
mindfulness...
beck is a loser
Sea Change is far better
Good album, very experimental and unique, Beck managed to use Rock and Hip-Hop collectively in a cool way which I think worked well. Favorite Tracks: Devils Haircut, Where Its At, SissyNeck, and High 5.
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
Half a dozen attempts to rewrite 'Loser', all unsuccessful. Lots of pointless and incongruous noises added at the start/middle/end of tracks.
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
Not my music taste at all - which in some cases can be surprisingly good, but this didn’t do it for me. Weirded me out sometimes
Truly one of the weirdest and most innovative mainstream musical minds today.
la copertina è bella
30 yrs after the 1996 debut, the height of my new found curiousity w ph I had nver heard it in it's entirety.....loved it, way ahead of it's time.
A classic weirdo album, pretty cohesive in terms of the sounds that Beck used while definitely getting out there at times. Fun stuff but not something I can revisit all the time.
Very familiar with this one. Anything Beck is involved in is always unique, as I can't think of too many artists who can genre-bend like he does. He's an alt rock artist through and through, but you also hear some hip-hop in the composition/lyrical delivery/sampling, as well as some folk, country, and elements of psychedelia (with modern uses). I guess in the context of this album's release, Beck had already broken through with "Mellow Gold" a few years prior. "Odelay" can be seen as an extension of this success, but it forges its own path and features the aforementioned genre-fusions all throughout. The singles slap (primarily highlighted by "Where It's At") with some hidden gems here and there ("Hotwax", "Jack-Ass"). It gets a little noisy at some points (call it wasted space or experimentation, whatever), but this is still a strong album that represents one of the more creative works of the 1990s.
Damn this list loves Beck. This one’s a classic though.
I enjoyed this far more than I expected!
Un poco de aire fresco. Posteriormente ha reafirmado su valía en los siguientes discos.
Not bad - a bit samey, but decent background music whilst working.
I remember this being released. It's innovative and sounds amazing. I always loved Novocane and Devil's Haircut the most from this album, but I've found the enjoyment in Where It's At much more now I'm "grown".
Old classic for me. Good memories.
Loads of fun, great.
This was awesome!!
I'm certainly enjoying the variety of beck on this 1001 list. But putting the whole blokes discography on the list is a questionable choice. Guero I understood, Sea Change was an awakening for me. Less songs on this one resonated with me. Except Novacane that shit blew the lid off the mahfucka.
Surprisingly creative and varied. I listened to this albums years ago and didnt get nearly as much out of it. Beck has musical depth beyond most bands I’ve seen from the mid 90’s and their influence is clearly for the next decade.
Some classic jams on this one. It definitely sounds like the 90s
Another Beck album, there are a lot of them on this list. It was alright.
78/100.
Devils Haircut, i can tell he’s blown out many speakers before. The drums are so good by one min in, groove is lovely. “Coming to town with the briefcase blues” is fab. the alien esq noise is fun. i’m gonna call it the bridge where he muffles his vocals really suits the lines “ Rock ‘n’ roll, know what i’m saying? Everywhere i look there’s a devil waiting.” makes it feel like it’s proper inner thoughts. The outro being so distorted makes a lot of sense, ends up as a scream track. Hotwax, i felt like i’d heard the intro before, looked the samples used and a dodgy site told me there’s 11?! not sure how but it all works if that’s true. The quiet drum break mixed with a synth and trumpet?? very wild. He’s basically rapping, “Sitting in the kitchen wishing i was livin like a hitman” can relate. So he uses the melody of jingle bells to sing “I get down all the way” i like it. Making “I am a broken record, I have bubblegum in my brain” was a choice for sure. There’s a lot happening, i’m kind of getting used to how much shit he mixes together. “I’m the enchanting wizard of rhythm” great way to end a tune to be fair. Lord Only Knows, i didn’t appreciate the mini heat attack as an opener but we continue. This is giving country ish at the beginning. I appreciate that he loves a drum break, they just are cool. I think i understand the screaming at the beginning now, because this is pretty much a solid genre, he needed something to throw you off. He’s a nonsensical straight story teller. This had Odelay repeated, i’ve been saying it wrong. The New Pollution, sounds off the bat like a it could be a tune for a dr. suess movie. I’m liking the groove and the melody of this one, that chorus is great. A sax has entered the tune therefore it’s banging. Then a little synth solo. The scream of the guitar only lasted for a second. I think there could be flute in here too?? I have no idea what he’s trying to say about this woman but i think it’s clear he fancied her??! Derelict, he loves a shocking intro, it’s a choice. Very distorted vocals. Very intense lyrics, “I fell asleep in the funeral fire” is so graphic. Just had to google what a fallow field was so I learnt something. There’s som sitar and chromatic scales going on from like 2 mins in, it’s adding a lot to the tension of this track. The rhythm of how he says “derelict wind” is a small choice but i really like it. Novacane, rock forward. Drums again are strong. He’s rapping again. This feels like he was deffo listening to big American rappers of the 90s. Im thinking there a samples in here too. He’s good at using them. Half way through there’s no more lyrics coming at you. Honestly it’s hard to write rap that fast for long so i get it. The last minute has almost ruined it, the wall of distortion was too much. The drum beat (808 i think?) saved it kind of. Jack-Ass, a ballad? funny name. I like it so far half way along it’s been a break from the fast pace of the album. The keyboard motif is nice. a chilled drum beat has come back for the last minute. Joined with a harmonica. “i remember the way that you smiled” is a beautiful lyric. The animal? noise that the end not my fave choice. Where It’s At, i’m glad this has the intro, it’s a good one. Again he’s built a great groove from the start. This is more spoken word, got like a fun melody to it. The chorus of claps are great. “That was a good drum break” was just said, told you he loved em. “Shine your shoes with your microphone blues” fave line. There’s so many fucking weird sounds all the time, and as much as I don’t love it they work. Two turn tables and a mic area all he needs clearly. The horns he’s adding in and taking out are stunning. This is a party song, even more impressive if it’s someone’s karaoke pick. Good crowd work opportunity. Minus, STRONG bass line. Just said karaoke how funny. This song happened so fast and distorted that it’s hard to pick apart. It’s very tight. He does however end it by saying “frogs, frogs” and I am a lover of that animal. The mix of screaming, distortion and alien noises play out the end of this track. Sissyneck, starts with a loud whistling. I’m assuming this is about being somewhat of a redneck. I like the chorus melody. The backing feels fitting, it’s country with a rap drum beat, something he clearly loves to mix. “Cause nobody knows, When the good times have passed out cold” is a sentiment I understand. He’s not here to comfort you. The ending makes sure of that. Readymade, indie is in my ears. “And my bags are waiting in the next life.” is devastating. The horns that come in feel contemplative like the whole song does. High 5, love the guitar but it’s outshone by a lot going on. This must be a lot of samples. This isn’t my favourite, but i can understand that this is unprecedented as a single track, let alone the album as a whole. “what’s wrong with you man? Get the other record. Damn.” A very fitting sample for this. Ramshackle, this after the last song is exactly what listeners need. It feels like this is as mellow as he can go. “We will go, Nowhere we know, ‘Till we find our one and all.” This feels like he’s yearning for a quiet space. The whole album does feel like a 26 year old has so many ideas that he’s got out but he’s still chasing something he can’t quite find yet. This song feels important and simple. Diskobox, if he ended it any differently it wouldn’t have made sense. The screaming, the distortion, the crazy noises, samples, alien sounds, horns, the mega drums and their breaks are all here to party. I for one cannot even make out a story and it doesn’t matter, this is just a culmination of what all the album is. I’ve never heard anything like this album but i may not be rushing to put it on repeat unless i really neeed a scream, so could be soon tbf. I’m giving it a 4, he intrigues me but im also very slightly scared.
Album cover 100% matches the sound. I feel like I can’t call Beck “Slacker rock” because this dude definitely doesn’t slack from how he bounces all around. Yet the end product feels…lackadaisical. It’s the type of album that a guy with multiple bongs on the coffee table and a divot in the couch (that he got for free off Craigslist) from where he always sits would bump. I can smell the stale air when I hear this album. The type of guy that has no ambition in real life but manages to engineer heinous contraptions and skillfully manipulate the scariest dealers in order to smoke 10% more weed 15% more efficiently would love this album. I guess I was too stone cold sober for this to click for me
yay Beck! 4/5
Decent album, quite like Beck
Funnnnnnnn
Overrated Beck. Critics and award givers missed the “Mellow Gold” boat and wanted to reward Beck. “Mellow Gold” is a much better album with a cohesive sound. This is a transition album with lots of experimentation. Not bad, just kind of average and all over the place. I would “Mellow Gold”, “Colors”, “Sea Change” and “Midnite Vultures” on as stronger albums well before a-ok “Odelay.”
Ok
Some decent tunes. But awfully inconsistent, and really just unenjoyable.
Fun to listen to. Beck is a musical chameleon. I have zero idea what the lyrics are about though.
Yes to the horns on The New Pollution! Can I have a GameCube and a copy of SSX3 to go with Derelict??
Wish I was cool enough to listen to Beck in 3rd grade. I really liked this album - though maybe not as much as I thought. It took me a couple listening sessions to finish and found the middle part of the album a little rambling. That said, Ramshackle is a sleeper hit and have been listening on repeat. Giving this a 4.
This was a very important album of my adolescence. All these years later, it still sounds somehow sent back from the future. Would I love it if I were encountering it now for the first time? I don’t know. I can’t actually imagine choosing to sit and listen to it all the way through anymore. Some of it gets pretty noisy. Still, it holds up—the epic Dust Brothers production, Beck’s off-kilter but weirdly poignant lyrics … and of course, Where It’s At.
I'd put Guero or Mellow Gold above this one but I like being in Beck's atmosphere so 4 stars
Most of the songs are so good that I forgive the others. I love Sissyneck.
so good, never gets old, will have this on repeat for the rest of my life
Day 85 - Jan 22nd?, 2025 In Beck we trust o7 4/5
Amazing production. Every song sounds like it's on the same album, even with a ton of different "genres". Awesome mash of folk with a Beastie Boys style of rock and hip hop
Great early career album. Has some of my favorite songs by him on it.
Ok. I guess. There's a couple songs that are still somewhat known. Saw Beck live, and his acoustic stuff is much better. 3 stars.
……….. 1?
Beck was a pretty cool guy
Great album, terrible person
Starts hard. Nice. Some songs are experimental in a good way, others in a not so good way. Novacane is hard on the ears.
Very good
"Who are you?" "I'm the wizard of rhythm" "Why did you come here?" "I came here to tell you about the rhythms of the universe" I didn't expect this album to be so good. It isn't my usual style but I could see it really growing on me over time. I'm giving it a 4 though because some of the tracks aren't as good as others.
Está bueno! Me recordó mi noventera adolescencia. Varios temazos geniales de los que ni me acordaba. Buen disco, sí lo escucharé de nuevo.
I listened to this on repeat when it first came out
Elska Beck þótt hann skuldi okkur tónleika. Mjög weird plata en á góðan hátt. Veist í raun aldrei hverju þú átt að búast við í næsta lagi. Gæti verið tekið upp í einhverjum kjallara í miðbænum. Hrátt, skrítið og töff.
Beck er snillingur. Alltaf frumlegur og með sinn stíl en samt í takt við tíðarandann.
Saw someone describe this as being as if the Beastie Boys made Revolver and I have to agree Favourite Track: Hotwax Least Fav Track: High 5 (Rock the Catskills)
A nice and summery album that feels very at-home in the 1990's.
Such a well constructed album. Love Beck. Love this album.
Pretty good.
This was a fun listen! I enjoyed the instrumentals, though vocal work was a bit here and there at times. 'Where It's At' was my fave.
Favorite Track: Devils Haircut
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.
Solid Beck album but probably not my favorite. His lyrics get a bit redundant but the instrumental experimentation from track to track is ear-grabbing. The tempo is consistent which is good but it's a little too upbeat for my liking.
Next time I'm in LA I'll be listening to this album in stop and go traffic. Really captures the culture
This is very different from the first Beck album on here (Sea Change, #182). That one was great, but a major downer. This one is from eight years earlier, and it's much more upbeat. This is kind of an interesting album, it feels pretty hard to pin down a genre. It's kind of rock-y at times, but also lots of hip hop and electronic music elements, plus lots of sampling. I don't hate this album or anything, it's definitely an interesting listen. For some reason I just can't quite shake the feeling that it hasn't aged very well though. This seems to have gotten pretty significant acclaim at the time, but I don't think it's quite doing it for me. I think it might be the '90s hip hop elements that feel a bit dated now, plus the rap-rock thing that might have been a bit more novel at the time but is a bit played out at this point. At times he also slows it down and gets a bit more folk-y, and honestly I think I like that more. It's likely more related to my music taste than anything, but he does have pretty good range. Anyway, I'm glad I heard this and there's some solid songs on here, but I don't see myself coming back to this really. I do respect artists taking some chances though, and it feels like Beck did that here. Favorite song: Ramshackle Other: Devils Haircut, Lord Only Knows, The New Pollution, Jack-Ass, Where It's At, Sissyneck 1/13/25
Fun but dated, esp the "noisy" tracks.
Two cool songs but the rest are just meh.
Did not love the robot, feedback, aol dial up noises. Did like jackass and where it’s at has such great funk and beats.
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.
genre: rock pop alternative 90s random. i loved it!
Rad album!!
3.5-4/5
This is an interesting mix of genres. Unfortunately interesting doesn’t necessarily equate to enjoyable. This is just a bit too weird for me. Still, some good bits.
I liked the sound of this. I listened to it while helping someone with a lettering task, so I wasn’t totally present. However, it was groovy!
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
Unique, even amongst Beck‘s oeuvre.
Beck is fucking garbage
It’s great. Some true masterpieces. But not all time awesome
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.
i feel like 3 beck albums on this list is excessive
Another solid album from Beck. I liked the blend between country, hip hop and alt. Makes it a very unique record
Favoute song - devil's haircut
Really fun and creative album! Pretty all over the place creatively and genre-wise, but in my opinion that doesn’t hurt it. It’s constantly entertaining and inspiring. The Dust Brothers production shows clearly, as many of the songs are reminiscent of the Beastie Boys, in a great way. The album sounds remarkably fresh still, and wouldn’t be out of place if it was released today. The songs are catchy and memorable, with enough dissonance and chaos thrown in to keep you on your toes. Again fun to listen to, and can hear its influence resonating in many indie and alternative albums from the late 90s and 2000s
I moved.
one of the most experimental albums i’ve ever heard. i actually enjoyed it mostly
Visibly cringed at “I’m the enchanted wizard of rhythm” and the album never really won me back round after that
Some of the finest from Beck. To this day it still sounds completely different from most other rock that was coming out at this time, in a good way. And the album has some solid songs on it besides the hits that got radio play, like Lord Only Knows (which almost sounds like it could have been on Sea Change) and Sissyneck.
This album didn’t do a whole lot for me, it was very noisy - ironically. Some of the noises were nice and tricked me into thinking the overall tone of the album was going to change, but it always came back to the same surf grunge that has its place but is not with me. I will say that it took me Oceanside immediately. I could almost hear skateboarders, palm trees in the wind, tires squealing in the background and feel the heat radiating off of a West Coast asphalt. Very funky and good beats, I like the attitude, the energy, and the complexity of this album… But would not be my go to to get in touch with myself. It might be something about my 13-year-old self would be VERY into. That being said, the quality was good enough that I would be willing to explore more of Beck’s music to find my personal hidden gems. Overall: good vibes, musically talented, hidden innuendos, and various moods to appreciate for the casual, grunge loving listener.
cool
Trippy. I knew a few songs on this album. The songs resonate more when the hook is really good. It seems this would be better if you were tripping. Good album.
First listen. Ok. Not quite my cup of tea.
the first introductory notes had that distinct Beck sound, its interesting how that works. Pretty enjoyable album. I'm not much of a Beck fan myself, but I've always been able to appreciate his music. I like how varied he gets from time to time, sometimes its successful, sometimes not so much, but I like the effort (Hotwax has so much going on in it, especially the latter half). I can definitely say I've never been bored listening to a Beck album, he is wholly unique. My only other gripe is that the album runs a bit long, but its still fairly enjoyable.
Love this album. A little too much yelling and shrieking to give it 5 stars but nobody makes music like Beck. This album is a really good example of early Beck
It was okay. Some tracks were great but I have always felt like this album was overhyped.