Two turntables and a microphone - The Beck Thread

[swamp]

Yep. I lovingly refer to Morning Phase as Non-Boring Sea Change. And, IMO, Mutations is like a much more attractive, more successful, better overall cousin to those albums. #TeamMutations

 

[gaporter]

Mutations probably has the strongest track listing of all his albums for me personally

 

[Bohnjaggs]

Mutations probably has the strongest track listing of all his albums for me personally

Guero is my overall favorite but Mutations isn't too far behind

 

[gaporter]

Guero is my overall favorite but Mutations isn't too far behind

Midnite Vultures is up there for me too

 

[displayname]

Midnite Vultures is up there for me too

+1 Midnite Vultures is so insane and I love it. I enjoy the slower, emotional Beck as well, but I really love the wild experimentation and flat out silly lyrics he used to get into. I still hope he has one more of those albums up his sleeve.

 

[TrainFan73]

I am with @Bohnjaggs Hyperspace is better than Colors. I also like that Beck and Pharrel got together and swerved. This is a weird album and that's saying something for Beck.

 

[Bohnjaggs]

I'm loving this performance of Uneventful Days from Jimmy Kimmel

 

[Snoddywilko]

I would kill for a midnight vultures repress. It’s been rumored for forever and still no release date as far as I know.

Yeah, I'm a little surprised it hasn't come out in conjunction with Hyperspace. His last round of represses seemed to be in support of Colors, but they also were more in theme with that albums tempo I think. Maybe they are holding off until he has a bit of a lull. Or maybe he has another more abstract album on the horizon that it would tie with. I'm not holding my breath on a more abstract album, but that would be cool.

I totally agree though, Midnight Vultures is one I keep watching out for. I'm sure it will come along sooner or later.

I recently read over on Reddit a comment from a user saying that he contacted Bong Load Records - who are responsible for all of Beck’s vinyl releases - specifically asking if they were still planning on reissuing Midnite Vultures; they said no.

I hope this will change at some point; I know a lot of us are dying to own this on vinyl. I would love a copy of The Information, too.

 

[Snoddywilko]

I’ve been a fan of Beck since I first heard Loser as a 19 year old in 1994. I quickly bought everything I could get my hands on: the few available albums, singles, e.p’s, soundtracks with a track or two; any slice of his musical pie going, & I’ve kept up with his output ever since.

Initially, I adored lo-fi Beck of Mellow Gold & his more scrap-book style album, Stereopathetic Soul Manure, as well as some of the early indie 7 & 10” releases. These days, though, I tend to think these releases contain some excellent tracks cushioned by a lot of throwaway messing about.

After being a fan for a quarter of a century, I prefer the more coherent records where musical mag-pie Beck throws everything into the blender & conjures up something that is uniquely him. For my money, the most successful of these were the two Dust Brothers collaborations: Odelay & Guero.

I also love the more acoustic side of Beck - especially One Foot In The Grave & Mutations - as I feel these albums contain Beck’s unique voice; whereas the more polished Sea Change & Morning Phase come off more like Beck doing a great impression of artists he admires.

Special mentions to the funky Midnite Vultures (Funky pastiche but done so fucking brilliantly) & excellent The Information (a little patchy & experimental but with some real highlights).

Oh, & I also love I.R.M, the album he wrote & produced for Charlotte Gainsbourg. It’s basically a Beck album with a lovely female French voice singing over the top of it. I highly recommend it to anybody who appreciates his more low-key & jaunty song-writing.

I find his more recent contemporary pop auto-tuned persona a little too over-produced & sterile for my personal tastes & hope that he moves on from it with whatever he does next. Having said that, I think Saw Lightning is excellent, as well as a handful of tracks from Colors.

Overall, one of my very favourite artists: there is quality & imagination in everything he’s done

 

[displayname]

Listening to Hyperspace again this morning. The first couple passes I wasn't loving it, but today it's just so pleasant. I think the name really threw me through a loop of what to expect. But just picking this up without any thoughts other than "why not" it's easy to get lost in the space he's creating here.

I still miss wild and crazy Beck in the days of Odelay and Midnite Vultures, but Hyperspace does set a very relaxing mood nicely.

 

[panino]

surprised nobody has yet highlighted the below:

Watch Nirvana Play Benefit Show With St. Vincent and Beck

The lineup featured Dave Grohl, Krist Noveselic, Pat Smear, and Grohl’s 13-year-old daughter Violet

pitchfork.com

for a nostalgic 40+ yo like me, this looks like the most amazing of line ups.

<edit>
Beck looks tiny beside Krist, but also beside Annie.
by the way Annie and Beck are actually the same height, but Annies heels.... wow!

 

[displayname]

surprised nobody has yet highlighted the below:

Watch Nirvana Play Benefit Show With St. Vincent and Beck

The lineup featured Dave Grohl, Krist Noveselic, Pat Smear, and Grohl’s 13-year-old daughter Violet

pitchfork.com

for a nostalgic 40+ yo like me, this looks like the most amazing of line ups.

<edit>
Beck looks tiny beside Krist, but also beside Annie.
by the way Annie and Beck are actually the same height, but Annies heels.... wow!

I didn't even know this existed. I'll be checking this out later!

 

[panino]

St. Vincent re-interpret Uneventful days from Hyperspace

listen here:

Listen to St. Vincent’s Remix of Beck’s “Uneventful Days”

A new spin on a Hyperspace cut

pitchfork.com

sincopated and electronic
Maybe Annie Clark should have produced the album rather than Pharrell....
maybe.

 

[displayname]

St. Vincent re-interpret Uneventful days from Hyperspace

listen here:

Listen to St. Vincent’s Remix of Beck’s “Uneventful Days”

A new spin on a Hyperspace cut

pitchfork.com

sincopated and electronic
Maybe Annie Clark should have produced the album rather than Pharrell....
maybe.

I was thinking maybe he'll do a whole remix album, with varies partners remixing/ playing on the album to give all the same songs a whole new view. I liked that St. V collab. If he redid the whole album that way it would be interesting and whole different experience without feeling like a standard remix techno version of an album.

 

[LeSamourai]

Listening to Hyperspace again this morning. The first couple passes I wasn't loving it, but today it's just so pleasant. I think the name really threw me through a loop of what to expect. But just picking this up without any thoughts other than "why not" it's easy to get lost in the space he's creating here.

I still miss wild and crazy Beck in the days of Odelay and Midnite Vultures, but Hyperspace does set a very relaxing mood nicely.

The word you used- pleasant- is perfect to describe this one. It's weird for Beck, because it's an album that seems more about hitting a chill, almost transient vibe (the songs aren't particularly catchy, for the most part, but they feel nice in the moment), which makes it the mirror image to Colors, which is also definitely a pop album but was all about being catchy and fun.

 

[LeSamourai]

sincopated and electronic
Maybe Annie Clark should have produced the album rather than Pharrell....
maybe.

But then, if she produces a Beck album and then Beck quits the band, everyone will be mad at her...

 

[AudioAce]

I wish Beck played Nausea in its original tuning live. Such a great song.

Ordered Mutations from a local. That has to be one of my favorites at the moment. Guero, Odelay and Modern Guilt are up their for me as well.

 

[Hollywood]

Listening to Hyperspace again this morning. The first couple passes I wasn't loving it, but today it's just so pleasant. I think the name really threw me through a loop of what to expect. But just picking this up without any thoughts other than "why not" it's easy to get lost in the space he's creating here.

I still miss wild and crazy Beck in the days of Odelay and Midnite Vultures, but Hyperspace does set a very relaxing mood nicely.

Hyperspace sounds amazing on vinyl! What a great pressing. I couldn't be happier. Plus my copy is perfectly flat. As for the album itself it's definitely enjoyable to the extent that I just like to close my eyes and let the music take me on a fantastic voyage to outer space or something.