Beautiful Freak

It's got the Shrek song on it, extra star.

This album suprised me. I almost didn't expect to like it given the god-awful album art, but I can't judge a book by it's cover. This album is musically rich and intriguing. Right off the bat I got flaming lips vibes, which is good because I love the flaming lips. The artsy-grunge type songs were great, but I wish there were more jazzy songs like "Susans House" with its spoken word sections and beautiful piano and bass instrumentation. Sometimes the lyrics were a bit edgy, but not in the cool "rage againts the machine" way, but in the cringy "middle school kid that was bullied for wearing an anime t-shirt" kind of way. The lyrics make me think of someone who heard Radiohead's "Creep" and was like "damn, I could make a whole album like this". These lyrics seem like they'd be memorized by Jared Leto's Joker. Even so, this album had some beautiful and freaky baroque-grung songs that really impressed me, especially in the last half of the album. I'll definitely be listening to it again. Favorite track: Guest List - although this is tied with "Mental", purely for the amazing synth solo at the end. - Least Favorite: Rags to Rags

Eclectic alt-rock at it's finest. Thought provoking lyrics and surprising instrumentation. Each song, unique in their own right, blends together forming a flowing soundscape through the project. Stand-Outs: Susan's House (interestingly crafted piece; the sample from Gladys Knight works so well), My Beloved Monster, Flower (country vibes with angelic background vocals), Manchild.

I found this by turns, Dull, irritating and condescending (he saw a 17 yr old pushing a pram and thought it must be her sister, Really? That great poignant sadness moved you deeply? Come visit a UK council estate sometime bud, or really anywhere else in the world). Still, I guess that is his experience and he's entitled to voice his feelings. Just because there are worse things under the sun, doesn't mean that I need to invalidate his experience I guess. Shame on me for shame shaming. Also strangely depressing, the music wasn't particularly sad or evocative of deep emotion, it's just, I felt kind of down listening to it. Would not recommend, although, it's all well and good. For someone else this was obviously a world changing album, I hope it is for you, fine reader. If not, you can just listen to that one song that got all the radio play for years on end and call it good.

wow i really loved that maybe it’s just late and my heads a little fucky but that really felt like a magical experience listening to that such beautiful, unique, diverse compositions with every track like every time a song would be near the end I would get very excited wondering what fun surprise I would get next he often mixed together genres that shouldn’t work but HOLY SHIT do they work well i’ll give it a 9/10, it’s almost perfect, I have two minor complaints: firstly his vocals aren’t very diverse, I don’t hate his voice but I don’t necessarily love it, he regularly uses effects to spice it up and compensate for the lack of diversity but still i’d like a little more effort from his voice I guess and second isn’t really a flaw, more just preference but the rock genre isn’t really my favorite, it’s not bad but it’s not really something i like listening to normally still this is such a great album, i’m very glad I listened to this, such amazing song writing and surreal story telling with the lyrics, just awesome I’ll definitely be looking into more of Eels’ discography

Eels (the animal) are a lot cooler than Eels (the band), and probably more musically talented.

Probably the most modern-sounding album we've heard so far. I like the style, a bit jazzy, a bit indie rock. And the band is American, there's a change of pace! Altogether though, it isn't very engaging. Background music in a good way, but still background music for me. ALSO, I must note that there is a sound of children cheering on "Susan's House" that is 100% without a doubt the same sample used for the Grunt birthday party sound effect in Halo. Favorite tracks: Susan's House, Spunky, Manchild Album art: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH 3/5

First listen to anything by Eels. I'm not sure that I liked this one. The lyrics are pained, but musically there is very little catharsis, and the vocal delivery is often overwrought in its expression of self-pity. It's a sad little wilting flower of an album, and on first pass it didn't do much for me. There were a few songs where it came together, namely the saccharine "My Beloved Monster," the withering "Manchild," and lone rocker "Mental."

Nothing wrong with this record, it a decent indie offering but is it 1001 essential album list material -- most definitely not, I have heard albums that I hated on this list whose placement I can definitely justify but this is probably the first one for which I cant do that. 1/5

Wow, never heard of this guys, but after a couple of listens, I'm hooked. Beautiful and quirky songwriting, I'm going to download and dive into the whole catalog!

His picture on spotify is of him playing chess against himself, which made me spiral into a homicidal rage. Pretty good music though. 4 stars.

When I was 17 my high school crush loved this shit, and not even blind teenage puppy love could force me to like this - no matter how hard I tried! "Life is hard and so am I" .... girl please

The album cover sums it up - wide eyed & legless. Not my kind of music

I was too busy listening to Leonard Cohen in 1996 that I never gave this album a proper listen, but was excited to explore it. I came into the Eels late, being introduced through the song, "I like the way this is going" a few years ago and then digging into some of their older stuff (but not this album). I loved that song for it's tentative and nervous sweetness, a feeling that carries through so much of their work. I'm sure that "Beautiful Freak" was the song that I had always wanted a boy to sing to me in 1996. I love the juxtaposition of the sweet & gloomy moments with the angsty moments on this album. I love the grainy quality of the vocals on "Not Ready Yet." I haven't had such unprepared delight ever in a song as when the harmonicas came on in "Guest List." I think that this band stands out for its unique mix of grunge and emo that gives them a unique sense of vulnerability. Plus, I want a cat named Lolita with a violent past and their use of "mint chocolate chip ice cream" was brilliant. What a great listen.

First track Novocaine for the soul took me straight back to the mid 90s. the rest of the album would benefit from a few more listens as it rather washed over me

I wouldn’t have liked this album back in the 1990s either. Too much manly angst.

I'm a huge fan of Eels, but for some reason I'm not as familiar with this, their debut album, as I am the rest of their discography. Every one of Eels' next five albums after this is a 5/5 album. What's more, each has a distinct and different style and sound to the record that came before it. If I had paid Beautiful Freak more attention I would have realised that it is like a microcosm of the next five Eels albums all squeezed into one record: -The dark, bass-driven, 'Susans House' and 'Your Lucky Day in Hell' would fit well on 'Electro-Shock Blues'; -'My Beloved Monster' has a similar innocent sentiment to 'I Like Birds' and wouldn't be out of place on 'Daisies of the Galaxy'; -The musically diverse 'Novocaine For The Soul', 'Flower' and 'Mental' could be from the more experimental 'Souljacker'; -The lyrically and musically straightforward, but endlessly catchy, 'Rags to Rags' and 'Guest List' are reminiscent of 'Shootenanny'; and -The sadly personal and dreamlike 'Beautiful Freak' and 'Spunky' share some DNA with tracks from 'Blinking Lights and Other Revelations'. Despite the diversity in this record it flows beautifully and comes across as a single piece. It is excellent and a great introduction to a brilliant artist with an outstanding discography. Rating: 5/5 Playlist track: Novocaine For The Soul Date listened: 22/07/23

prachtig album

Hard to get through an Eels album. It's both the hygienic post alternative sound and the lyrics, as well as the weak samples. Sputter Out I've heard so many times it doesn't have any gas left in the tank. This album is one you want to like, but the elements of the raspy vocals and the off-putting beats with those post alt guitars don't mesh well.

There is a certain sub-sect of people my age who treat the dude from Eels like he's one of the great underrecognized musical geniuses of our time. I'm very proud to call none of them my close, personal friend.

favourite: novocaine for the soul least favourite: not ready yet, guest list wahhhhhhhhhhh wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh this is one of the whiniest albums I have ever heard. complaining from start to finish for 43 minutes and 52 seconds susan's house is one of the worst offenders, trying to be deep without really saying anything at all the instrumentals are pretty good though, save me from completely writing it off + the cover sucks ass mayb 4-5/10

This is great, I didn't know Eels too well before so the list has given me another cool discovery Love the driving guitars which build to give a real oomph in some of the choruses. There are some good drum bits, the band has a great dynamic in some of these tracks The lyrics are interesting throughout, dealing with some difficult themes in places. He writes some quirky and esoteric metaphors at times. I also like the vocals - it's not for everyone but reminds me a bit of Leonard Cohen or Matt Berninger. They're authentic and real Great album

Only knew a handful of Eels songs previous to this, and despite enjoying them and two close friends loving them (him?), I never bothered to delve further until today. Kicking myself I never did that earlier. This is a pretty perfect Indie pop record for me! Every track lands, from general sound to production to lyrics. Superb record, and this will definitely make the list of records I end up buying thanks to 1001!

Goodness me - what an album. Really landed for me in the sweet spot between being interesting and slightly experimental, but also convalescing into something coherent. Beautiful Freak, Susan's House, Guest List, Flower, and My Beloved Monster were superb. Loads of different arrangements. Really, really good - and I enjoyed a lot of the lyrics. Classic post-grunge music. Wait - isn't that the Shrek song?!

Fucking brilliant

The ennui, the ostentatious violent images, the touches of trip hop, the quiet-loud guitar eruptions, and the post-Cobain growl encapsulate what I wasn’t listening to and heard everywhere at the end of the last century. I had not expected to enjoy this so much: this is a strong and inventive set that makes me wonder how long Mr Eels had been tinkering with these tunes.

Beautiful Freak More Proustian nostalgia with this, taking me right back to the 2nd year of A-Levels. This along with Blur by Blur puts me right back in my bedroom in the middle of A-Level mocks, listening to Radio 1 as well, and taking my driving test, and then on to Uni. Also think Mackie was a big fan. Anyway, interesting to revisit it as I have really listened to it since that time, although I remember liking the album after this, particularly Mr E’s Beautiful Blues. Novocaine for the Soul really does stand out, as it did back in 1997, the plinky piano and strings in the intro set a suitably spooky, eccentric tone ahead of the marriage of a catchy pop melody with a despairing lyric. Still a great track. Susan’s House is similar, a pretty, delicate melody and piano motif in the chorus with the offbeat and slightly sad spoken word verses. Like Novocaine this still sounds great. As Does Your Lucky Day in Hell, another track that still sounds great, an excellent atmosphere and another catchy hook. In fact I’d forgotten how many great little hooks and melodies there are on here, there’s a lot of pop classicism behind the quirky arrangements, subject matter and approach, which probably makes it endure better than some other albums in the same vein and sets it apart from a lot of other angsty american alt rock. Beautiful Freak, My Beloved Monster, Guest List, Mental are all examples of this, some great melodies and musical hooks and textures, the bass, organ and guitar on Guest List in particular are really good. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but this is a lot more enjoyable than I thought it might be, there’s a lot more of interest than I remember, and the combination of quirky post grunge angst with some charming melodies and offbeat instrumentation elevates it above a being a late 90s curio and shades it into a 4. 🧌🧌🧌🧌 Playlist submission: Guest List

This is like the American version of Elvis Costello. Not spectacular, but it's good. Very popular with the 90s alt rock scene. Favorite song: Novocaine for the soul.

good start, strong ending. soggy middle though, bit same-y, mopey and has a bit suburban-kid-who-just learned-that-bad-things-exist-doing-grunge smell (especially on that Susan song). I like 90s rock though so the self-similarity doesn't bother me that much. the Shrek song was unexpected but great and might've given it the few emotional attachment points to bump this up to a 4.

I have a huge soft spot for 90s Alternative Rock and I can’t believe I hadn’t come across this album before. This one is great for background music with its mellow vibes that can be played from beginning to end (maybe skip Susan’s House every now and then if you don’t want to be a buzzkill). There also seems to be some influence from Beck and artists like him. Definitely something I’ll be coming back to and a discography I'm excited to explore.

Can hear a fair bit of car Seat Headrest in this. Didn't recognise the Shrek song.

As if a lab full of Dreamworks scientists successfully hybridized Beck and Nirvana to optimize commercial performance à la mode. Eels are actually a bit better than that (next album in particular), and there's some ice cream here (esp. the evocative "Susan's House", although "Love Finds Its Own Way" was a nice find today), but it's not very distinct from other mid-90's wannabes.

This was enjoyable, but not stellar. Found some of the songs a bit boring ...but great sound & vocals throughout. And what about Dobby's cousin on the artwork?

Fun listen, it’s got a shrek song on it lol so that bumps it up a star

Soft confessionals and gentle music make this album ultimately listenable. Nothing stands out as particularly special or weak.

Well, this really was some background-listening worthy alternative rock. There really isn’t much to write home about, other than that I am not averse to any of the tracks, and would most definitely warm to most on re-listen. With the exception of Susan’s House and perhaps Mental, these are some bang-average alt-rock tunes.

Besides maybe a few highlights, this is a serviceable 90s alt-rock album with some rather flat ballads and lyrical content (e.g. Beautiful Freak). The most noteworthy things I can say about this record is that it has a song that was used in the Shrek film and the cover for this might be one of the worst things I've ever seen. Also starting your album with the lyric "Life is hard, and so am I" is crazy

I had a few of friends who liked Eels back in the in 90’s, but it never really worked for me. Listening now, it kind of reminds me of Beck, which I didn’t pick up on back then, but it still doesn’t really work for me. An indifferent 3 stars.

Was excited to hear this again as I played it a lot when it was out. It now feels of it’s time, possibly as I’m no longer an angst ridden 28 year old in a bad marriage. Standout track was and still is Flower.

C'était du Radiohead en extrêmement flingué, un grand bravo à Eels pour cette performance absolument passable.

It’s a nice by the numbers indie rock album. Good lyrics, good instrumentation. Nothing really mind blowing. Just a solid bag of songs. Lyrics specially are great - relatable and sad, about loneliness, depression, not fitting in etc. also has a nice winter feel to it. It’s a strong 3 for me.

I assume that Dreamworks poured a truckload of cash into this project looking for the next 'alternative' trend. I hope that Mark Oliver Everett and Jon Brion and the other musicians involved managed to pay off their mortgages care of Dreamworks' largesse. But the album itself is dull. It is really of its time; based on loops and samples and atmospheric pads, with occasional bits of quirky instrumentation throughout. E's semi-spoken vocal style manages to wash the tunefulness out any hint of melody that might persist. The lyrics, though, are just a litany of "Life is hard, I'm sad". Ironically, that would be justifiable on their NEXT album, following the tragic deaths of E's mother and sister, but here it seems like he is just a whiny white man. I was talking to Hal, and he said it vaguely reminded him of Soul Coughing, a similarly hip-hop inspired, white boy, alternative speak-singing band of similar vintage. But in their case, their musical backing is more robust, thanks to a really tight live rhythm section. And despite a dry delivery, Soul Coughing lean into absurdist humour, which prevents their album descending into an hour of beige dirges, as with Eels. Not worthy of hate, but gosh, this is dull. Not hateful, but not much to recommend it.

I'm not really feeling this one. It's not that it's bad, but the choice of melodies is kind of annoying and cheesy to me. 2.5

no i understand why I never heard of eels

Life is hard. And so am I. Takes some balls to start a song like that and then jump right into the chorus. That was really the only song I recognized from these guys and felt like there was a reason for that.

90s blah.

I hate this album cover, and I've made fun of it before. I do like the music I've heard from The Eels (though I don't remember much) so this should be interesting. WOW these are some 90s lyrics. Which I'm here for. This first track is pretty fun and creative. Glad to see a Shrek song made it on the list on the off chance Smashmouth isn't on here. This feels like such a distillation of 90s music. The sound, lyrics, themes, attitude, and of course the album cover. I'm into, but not as much as I maybe would expect to be? We'll see. Just finished Mental. Fun album, but don't know if I'll go back to it soon. Maybe the art made a bad impression and maybe I've listened to too many 90s albums, but it seems like the most 1996 album I've ever heard and that's both a good and a bad thing.

Not a bad album but not a top 1001 album. If you want to listen to an average indie album just pick one at random.

The lyrics…..no….. Good first song though. It was promising but plummeted. But the lyrics were cheesy / 16 year old bong hit (as Ian says) vibes.

90's sadboi

Grew on me a good bit in the second listen. Still dragged a lot and struggled to contain my attention much. One of the albums where I kinda wish the ranking system was out of 10 - I've given so many 2s and 3s that it's hard to distinguish between the both of them. Saved: Susan's House*

There is so much potential in this music. Having said that, the lyrics are weak and trying too hard to be edgy. I can't help but compare this album with other music from the mid nineties that successfully capture feelings of isolation and sadness without becoming heavy handed. As for the music itself, I really enjoyed the first half of the album, but it just doesn't fulfill what it could be. By the second half of the album, it starts to fall flat. Guitar arpeggios are great, but not when they make up the entirety of the album.

It's okay. The vocalist can get on my nerves at times and the songwriting isn't all that good either, but it keeps things interesting enough to maintain some semblance originality. I doubt this is anyone's favorite album though; it certainly isn't mine.

Although the album itself is anything but good it definitely isn’t as horrendous as this album cover. It doesn’t look like the album sounds, it gives me no hints as to what the album is and it just looks creepy but in the bad way. But away from the cover and over to the music, why is this so bad? Many seem to like and enjoy this record but to me it either seems tastless and boring or just terribly put together Indie Pop Rock with some hints of Electronic and Trip Hop here and there. It feels just not like this is how the album was supposed to sound. They definitely tried to make an album of value but all it is is a remain of a weird time in music history that ultimately didn’t matter because other artists did it better or with more effect on the music after. ‘Novocaine for the Soul’ opens the album with some really interesting music that starts with some vinyl noise and Rock & Roll drums before adding a glockenspiel as well as some organ. It’s really mystical right off the bat and the pretty silly lyrics at the start do make for a solid introduction. Overall, the song features a ton of really weird and interesting ideas that make for a really solid song. In fact, it’s really good but I think many people overrate the track. It’s solid and I like it a lot but it’s not as good as some people portrait it. With ‘Susan's House’ continues the weird samples and adds even more Trip Hop inspirations and interestingly enough, instead of singing, it’s mainly just Spoken Word that was passed through some sort of telephone filter before letting actual vocals do the chorus. I do like these vocals as well as the production with the Jazz bass but a lot of it feels overdone and in return more basic than intended. It just feels weird with some additions in terms of sounds and effects and it just doesn’t make sense. It’s not a bad song but it feels weird and not in the good way. I’d say that the good parts and the weird parts all come together into a slightly below average track. On ‘Rags to Rags’ they play a bit with Noise Pop which does add a certain interesting aspect to the track but for the most it just feels like basic Indie Pop Rock that at moments does more than it needs and just ultimately comes off as pretty bad. I wouldn’t say unlistenable but definitely not enjoyable. The songwriting is just really bad and basic and does absolutely nothing of what it intended to be. Nothing of value happens in this song at any point. Not with the chorus. Not with the instrumentation and definitely not with delivery of any of it. The title track ‘Beautiful Freak’ changes the sound and the genre into a more Chamber Pop and Singer-Songwriter oriented path and although the instrumentation isn’t bad at all, the songwriting, the vocals and the lyrics definitely are. It just really boring for the most part and the vocal delivery is just so absolutely annoying with how he tries to make the lyrics sound good that it just enrages me. The lyrics are absolute trash and I’m not even talking about the chorus which is just repeating and repeating the same stupid stuff over and over. This is genuinely a terrible song. The seem to go into a slight Grunge inspired sound on ‘Not Ready Yet’ which not only shines with the absolute terrible songwriting but also with the stupid vocal effect that The Strokes have so much on their debut but at least they were just boring. This on the other hand, is absolutely terrible. The songwriting goes nowhere and just randomly kicks into a loud and Grunge stye hook that serves absolutely no purpose except being there for the sake of having it. Seriously, this songwriting is so absolute garbage that even some toddler might be able to create something better. ’My Beloved Monster’ closes the first half of the album with a typical 90’s Slacker Rock inspired Indie track that tries hard to be much noisier than it is but is held back by the fact that it’s a Pop song. Not only is the songwriting just terrible right from the start but somehow both the vocals and the production have reached a new low. This is terrible to listen to at any second that it causes physical harm to my body because nothing seems to fit a bit with what it does. It just randomly does weird Noise Pop guitar sound effects that distract even more from the terrible song that it was to begin with. Why do they have choir vocals on ‘Flower’? I don’t know but they surely did not add it well into the Indie Chamber Pop song that it is because it just seems to be lurking in the background and distract from the actual song. Because the actual track isn’t as terrible. In fact, it’s a somewhat listenable song. The guitar is okay and even both vocals and songwriting are passable. It’s really these sampled vocals that destroy the okay song and make it bad. Surely not as bad as most previous tracks but also not good. ’Guest List’ then returns with more Trip Hop as well as some chill Country inspirations below the Indie Pop. The vocals are horrible but the songwriting isn’t as terrible. For once, it actually seems to follow a structure that tries to build tension that builds towards a release of some sort. They do edge around that with a break or a harmonica bridge but it isn’t totally bad. In fact, this song is okay. It’s pretty average because it just doesn’t do much but at least I don’t totally dislike it. The vocals get even worse on 'Mental’ and they also return to the Grunge inspirations and again, it sucks. The songwriting is really bad and the hook is probably as bad is it can get. I have no idea how they managed to pull it of this badly. Also, the bridge might be one of the worst bridges that I have ever heard. This is really a terrible song with pretty much everything that it does. Already the name of 'Spunky’ sounds like it’s going to be very unpleasent and the moment the vocals appear, that fear becomes reality. Not only is the songwriting bad but these lyrics as well as their performance especially that in the hook, are absolute trash. It’s easily one of the worst moments on the entire record when he tries to sing a somewhat functional melody and fails so unbelievably hard. The instrumentation is also really, really bad. As if it wasn’t enough with all these bad hooks, ‘Your Lucky Day in Hell’ just does it even worse. You really know for what type of chorus he was going for but it feels just so overly annoying that I can’t fathom how he did that so badly. Luckily, the instrumental saves a tiny bit of what is left but it’s still enough terrible execution for the entire thing to be better flushed down the toilet at whatever publisher decided to release this entire album. With the closing tracks, I always hope for a final somewhat good song to save at least a bit of an album but ‘Manchild’ does definitely not fall under that category. It tries so hard to be a quirky Chamber Pop song but does fail with a good portion of it. The lyrics aren’t totally trash although they don’t really help the song either. The chorus is also not the worst as is the instrumentation but I hate how the song seems to go into absolute nothingness. At multiple points the song seems to try to go into an emotional high point but just stops leaving everyone incredibly unsatisfied. It’s really stupid to end an album with a song like this that just leaves no one really finished with the album. Luckily, it isn’t the worst of all and still has enough qualities to barely scrape at bad. favourites: Novocaine for the Soul least favourites: My Beloved Monster, Not Ready Yet, Spunky, Mental, Beautiful Freak Rating: strong 2 (to light 3) https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Track 4- beautiful Couldn't get behind this one at all. Sadly forgot about it immediately after listening

Simply not appealing to me! Found it from time to time boring. 1/5

I've seen this album cover before and I can't remember where. The music doesn't seem familiar at all though. I'm wondering how this slipped through the cracks back then. I was listening to this style of post grunge at the time, but I was also drinking a lot, so who knows. But anyways, this album kicks ass. Another gem from the generator.

This is a beautifully written, performed and produced album. E paints ugly/beautiful pictures of underdogs like the Beautiful Freak in the title track, Spunky (who doesn't like her uniform) and a beloved monster.  All of this accompanied by tight, simple and sometimes funky instrumentation. Not bad for a debut. Liked Songs Added: Novocaine For The Soul Rags To Rags Not Ready Yet My Beloved Monster Guest List Your Lucky Day In Hell

Wtd

имба. давно про них не вспоминал, а зря. надо будет заценить остальные альбомы.

Everything is always 10/10, I love Eels!!

I really liked this one. I listened to it twice, and their next album. It's definitely an odd one, but from a group that from their first album seems to have a solid identity. Added to my big list of liked albums.

One of my favourites, rock/indie but keeps it interesting with blends of other genres.

This might be the easiest review I’ve done so far, as I’m a bit of an Eels obsessive. I have 9 Eels records on vinyl, with a fair few being special editions. Of all these, Electro-Shock Blues is my favourite, but Beautiful Freak is a very close second. There’s something just so very warming about Eels music, and E’s voice is perfectly imperfect at expressing his feelings through song. If you haven’t heard this record before, I highly recommend it. Try the tracks Novacaine For The Soul and Susan’s House.

I remember this band being a thing in the late 90s and early 2000s but never checked them out. Instantly I could tell this was going to be one of the more interesting and varied albums on this list. I listened to it a couple times today and it was great. Happy it's here.

So good!

Una voladura

One of my favourites, rock/indie but keeps it interesting with blends of other genres.

Yes it's poppy but it shows how good pop can be, and I have a soft spot for this album (and for Eels in general). It strikes a nice balance between song variation (no bad songs at all on this album) and still having a coherent sounds album. Some interesting choices (instrumentation, some use of samples etc.) and good song writing elevate this above your run-off-the-mill commercial pop album. I should probably give it a 4 because is it really "must hear"? But I'll give it a 5 just because I love it and can't fault it, really.

When this was released, I copied it onto a cassette and listened on my Walkman on the bus to college every day for months. It became a weird obsession. The sad, melancholy "what's it all about" vibes really resonated with me. "Ready Yet" sums up those years so well. Listening today it still sounds great.

Love it always.

While this isn't my favorite Eels album, it's still great and I love listening to it. Glad to listen to it again.

Wasn't sure how well this album would stand up after all this time, but it was like slipping on a favourite old t-shirt. Melancholy, but that's OK

Wasn't sure where this was headed with the opening line "Life is hard and so am I" but not to worry, it got great quick. How did I not know about this band/album? It's right up my 90s alt alley. Highlights: Rags to Rags, Novocaine for the Soul, Your Lucky Day in Hell.

Electro-Shock Blues and Blinking Lights And Other Revelations get even deeper and personal and are arguably more incredible works but this one is just a conventional set of great songs and definitely my go-to Eels album. On here they cultivate a nice, classic, easy-going, kinda Beckish alt-rock sound but the best songs are so much better and more meaningful and resonant than what Beck was doing with Odelay for example. Novocaine For The Soul is probably the most iconic and invigorating track and along with Susan’s House, My Beloved Monster and Your Lucky Day In Hell are amongst my favourite songs of the decade. Mental, Rags To Rags and Flower also very strong and Spunky, Manchild and title track splendid, supple, slender ballads. As well as the cool, cool, poppy beats, guitar and production, lyrically is where the album really shines. Every wry, woe-is-me couplet Mark Oliver Everett aka E fires out is pretty much pure humorous diamonds.

наспрадві щось поки дуже депресивне і трішки схоже на суміш нірвани та радіохед щоь дуже під що можна романтизувати життя і тд

Eclectic Indie. Pretty remarkable album by one Mark Oliver Everett DBA the Eels, musically diverse, lyrically interesting. Torn between 4 or 5 rating so let’s round up… this is a good one.

A lot of albums here start out strong then peter out. This is the reverse of that. The more I listened, the more I wanted to listen. From 'Oh, great background noise' to one of my favorite albums I've discovered through this site. 'My Beloved Monster', 'Mental', 'Your Lucky Day In Hell', a trio of songs I'd recommend to anyone.

I only knew of the song novocain for the soul off of this album. Listening to this album in it's enteriety- it is great! A new favorite.

Album 564 of 1001 Eels - Beautiful Freak (1996) Rating : 5 / 5 I had never heard of this before I started listening through the list of albums. It has come to be a favorite. It probably isn't going to chart of someone's list of greatest albums but it certainly makes to my list of favorites. Novocaine for the Soul and My Beloved Monster are two of my most repeated songs and the others tracks are on par with those. Though provoking lyrics with some nice musicianship. This one really strikes a chord with me.

No me esperaba nada y salí con un tesoro entre las manos. El álbum debut de Eels es excelente. Una muy buena compilación de canciones bien pensadas, trabajadas y ejecutadas, con tintes psicodélicos que toman algunos rasgos de otros actos de los '90s, como el britpop y el triphop, que logra destacarse por sobre otros trabajos contemporáneos. Sumamente recomendable, escúchelo por favor.

How do you make such downbeat music so uplifting? Utter genius 5.0

Surprisingly good album holy smokes

I wasn't sure what to expect with this album, another artist I've never heard of but I loved it! Will definitely listen again & check out other albums.

Beautiful and freaky

As someone who only knew Susan's House from the track list, this is some pretty damn stellar alternative rock. 4.5 bumped to 5.

1996, Eels sort son premier album "Beautiful Freak" et par la même occasion, devient le premier groupe à signer sur Dreamworks Records (le label de Steven Spielberg et David Geffen). "Beautiful Freak" est une véritable petite merveille, une mine d'innovations et d'inventions, un souffle rafraîchissant et intelligent dans le milieu pop-rock. "Beautiful Freak" c'est un album avec des samples et du bidouillage sonore qui côtoient des guitares saturées et un piano Wurlitzer. "Beautiful Freak", c'est un univers, pas toujours très gai, un peu déprimé et torturé, mais avant tout profondément humain et peuplé de personnages attachants. Un gros 4.5 soit un 5/5 pour un classique du genre et qui devant une telle réussite pose une simple question... Pourquoi Eels reste aujourd'hui encore un groupe si peu connu ? Une petite merveille à découvrir et à réécouter, un album qui fait partie de mes albums préférés des années 90.

I liked this a lot. I knew Novocaine for the Soul but nothing else. I thought they were British. I've heard a few things about E and he sounds a really interesting guy

schöne Retro/Grunge/Rock/Retro 1990er Stücke

Loved this entire thing. One of my favorite new albums I've gotten on the list in a while. Rating: 4.7

Love this album.

One of my favourite albums from the 1990's 10/10

So much darker than I remember. Even better than I remember.

loved it!

Gave this a few listens - I knew Novocaine for the Soul and recognised a couple of other tracks but otherwise was coming to this album fresh. It's certainly a grower (and from a high starting point as I enjoyed it on first listen). Good stuff, classic 90s indie rock

I've absolutely adored this album since shortly after it's release. E does a fantastic job of contrasting the bleak with the beautiful, producing a record that is melancholy yet strangely optimistic in it's own way. It really is a fantastic listen.

Che dire? Una sorpresa

Had briefly glimpsed this album cover before in a "greatest psychedelic album" poll and I was very excited to listen and this really pulled through. Through some good headphones, this album is super immersive and enjoyable to listen to, right up my alley, with just enough variety in songwriting to keep it interesting

If you're only in it for powerful lead vocals, energetic songs, beautiful harmonies and big lead guitars. This isn't the album for you. But if you want some well crafted/written indie alternative music, then don't skip this record. E's vocals are considerably limited, but his lyrics and song craft are downright masterful. The bands only radio single "Novocain For The Soul" kicks off the album with some creative and uplifting yet depressing lyrics like "life is good, and I feel great, cause mother said I was a great mistake". "Susan's House" is a spoken word track over a simple drum groove that should not be skipped. And everyone who grew up in the 90's will remember "My Beloved Monster" from the OG Shrek soundtrack. Personally, 5 stars, no notes

Not the best album from the 90s to get five stars from me, but it is the most album from the 90s to get five stars from me.