This album opened my eyes to just how great a poet Dylan was - but even with a rock band backing him these songs were essentially very clever spoken poems over music.
It was a challenging listen overall. I understand it was a debut album and some further refinement and commercial song craft was clearly learned for later albums .. before it all fell apart. But for me there was very little light and shade in the music - it was mostly flat out lthrash, which I guess was the style they were aiming for. It also felt like the three big singles were given much more studio production time and effort than the rest of the album .. combined … so they stick out markedly from the rest. Not a bad effort but I would stick to the greatest hits collection.
I hadn’t heard much of Jefferson Airplane before but surprised to find was quite familiar with two most well known tracks: somebody to Love and white rabbit (go ask Alice). Style- wise I could hear a range of influences coming through over and above that psychadelia label from Beatles and Doors through Mommas and a Pappas in (with less rich harmony) and even some straightforward blues. I did love Grace’ almost ethereal wail on somebody to love. But I’m afraid other tracks meandered a bit and struggled to keep my attention. I can appreciate the song craft but arrangements felt very much of their time and imho their music hasnt held up as well as some contemporaries.
So many iconic songs that I’ve heard soooo many times it is really hard to listen to this album fresh. But this was the first time in a long time I forced myself to listen start to finish. We know the singles - 40 years of radio overplay means there’s not much left unheard there- and it’s clear Jacko was at the peak of his powers at least leading up to this album in 87. After that, well things started falling off! On this listen I came to appreciate some of the musicianship and the arrangements to help
accentuate his vocal delivery. He was adept at multilayered vocals and this effect could sometimes treat lush vocal harmony like another instrument - a trick sister Janet also used to great effect on Rhythm Nation. But, for me the test was: beyond the radio singles, was there anything else on offer to get you through this album! Not so much. Three stars.
I’m biased because this album has been in heavy rotation for me since I first heard the single girl not far after release around 2009. The king of samples, it felt like he might have specially recorded many of the ambient sounds and voices rather than just mash them up off other recordings. But the pint is he has created a perfect tapestry of rich urban Hispanic culture which perfectly keep the tone of the entire album. I loved the meandering chatter of the characters in the title track ‘hey guero…. ‘ ‘yeah bro’! So for there was much more conventional instruments used for many tracks rather than just the dust bros drum beat and loads of samples. Especially on some of the slammin rockier tracks such as the intro e-pro and black tambourine where it feels like they recorded with a full backing band and just got a jam going. He mixes acoustic and some dirtier electric guitar tracks in (check out rental car). and I also particularly loved the atmospheric slide guitar in songs such (emergency exit) which seems to tell a story of living to you have nothing left: ‘never paid my rent till the lights went out and I saw my sign coming up the road) and filled a last tank of gas and drove into the desert presumably to die!
I loved the introspective stories he tells pointing to finding meaning in a pointless urban existence. ‘I push I pull, the days go slow into a void we fill with death. A noise that laughs falls off their maps all cured of pain and doubts .. in your little brain’. These contrast with his signature stream of consciousness spoken word rap in Hell Yes, which easily match the quality of the previous hits including Loser. Then there’s the disturbing portrait of a serial killer focusing on a target on girl ‘and I know I’m gonna steal her life .. take her soul belongs’. Disturbing lyrics in contrast to the rather sugary pop melody with its intro that sounds like a kids Yamaha organ and hand clap back beat .. and then that slide guitar in the bridge.
I definitely recommend this as a listen, and if you don’t know much of Beck apart from Loser, this is an ideal album to introduce you. It may just change your opinion and showcase him as a talented songwriter with something to say. Also check out modern Guilt and, for something completely different, the wonderfully mellow acoustic Seachange.
Five stars.
A very solid Beck album but not his finest. It was an album I listened to cover to cover for the first time, though I consider myself well versed in Becks overall catalogue. But, when discovering an album like this, one of my tests is does it hold together as a whole album experience? And for this one, apart from the singles (the excellent devils haircut, where it’s at and to a certain extent the new pollution) I didn’t find a whole lot of material that I would return to for repeat listens.
Overall I felt this was the same dj rap over a drum machine and samples rather than incorporate real instrumentation. Also not a great deal of light and shade across the album. But I will say I am comparing it to a very high bar some of his later efforts that contained more conventional instruments and showcased some rich storytelling in his improved songwriting writing.
I’m still giving this 3 stars but I would give 5 to his excellent Guero as well as Seachange and Modern Guilt (the latter is not in the 1001 albums but probably ought to be).
Robbie Zimmerman’s mellow
Soul blues. In the first half I felt it didn’t add much of note to Dylan’s catalogue, with mostly basic blues tracks. But later part of the album offers some contrasts with tracks such as cold irons bound, featuring a reverbed pedal steel guitar and a distorted swampy sounding Hammond organ over a rockabilly beat, and make you feel love with BD playing an intimate piano backed by an upright bass and organ. The latter could have been mistaken for one of Elton’s ballads except for Dylan’s rasp of a voice. So it’s a fair effort for a man who’s already 30years into his career by then and not much left to reinvent. Three stars
Hmm a double concept album just a bit too much who to get through. I’m not of its generation but I don’t know that it’s aged all that well.
A very solid debut with Mark’s guitar signature style already well on show. But apart from waterline and sultans the song writing was just not nearly as accomplished as he reached in those amazing mid 80s albums from making movies through bros in arms. Mark never really had to sing as the guitar always did it for him. But he got a lot better at telling stories in his music later on. But this is only a 2 star effort.
