Pros: A plethora of great songs, musical styles working together for mutual understanding
Cons: One question: WHY RAP?!?
The Bottom Line: Multilayered and littered with awesome tracks, "Odelay" stands as one of the best albums of the 1990s and a coming of age of a great artist.
Beck was one of the first people from the '90s that I got seriously into. As many people know (not you people, but other people that know me personally), I am a serious classic rock fan. As a result, I didn't really listen to much '90s music, and I missed out on Nirvana, Green Day, and Lenny Kravitz, just to name a few. Luckily, I am rediscovering all these acts now. But I always like Beck.
I guess it has to do with attitude. Few people can get away with what he gets away with. The way he dresses. The way he performs. And, most importantly, the songs he sings. "Odelay" is Beck's opus up to now, mixing so many musical styles under one avant garde roof that you won't know what to do with them. This album is definitely one of the best albums of the decade, and listening to the album you can instantly see why.
To have a great record, you have to work hard. Bruce Springsteen worked for a year on "Born To Run." The Beatles put in a lot of studio time for "Sgt. Pepper." Brian Wilson stayed locked in the closet writing for "Pet Sounds" while the rest of the Beach Boys were on tour. So you have to make a serious commitment to crafting great music to get great music. There have been few exceptions. When you hear this album, you immediately see how multi-layered it is. Many tracks running simultaneously to provide us with what sounds like four songs at once.
Nowhere is this more evident on "Where It's At." This is probably the best single song Beck has ever produced. It is the mantra of DJs everywhere, and it captures the feeling of being at a club one smoky night, listening to the sounds of the record player, and getting down on the dance floor. It even begins with the familiar scratch of a record needle being placed to record. The over-riding theme of the song, "two turntables and a microphone," is a call to everyone to respect your local disc jockey.
The entire album is littered with absolute brilliance. The '70s TV commercial sound of "The New Pollution" and the strange defiance of "Devil's Haircut" mark Beck's opinion on the state of mass media. "Lord Only Knows," "Jackass," and "Sissyneck," all explore other styles, like country western and rockabilly. Almost every song on the album is listenable, and all explore a different style of music than the song that preceded it. It's like a trip through the mind of Beck Hansen. As a feeling comes to him, he sings about it, to devastating effect.
The album moves from one area to the other with seamless effort. It must have taken months to get this album right. Underneath every groove, there are sound effects, voices, instruments...other things going on that enhance the sound of each song. The craftsmanship that went into this album is unbelievable. I have to warn many uninitiated listeners, though. Beck can sometimes be hard to swallow. His lyrics can tumble through the song, meaning little and saying nothing. They are sometimes little more than just another instrument in the song. So if you need to listen to this album before you buy it, I suggest you do so. Like so many other things, Beck is an acquired taste.
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