05/11/2007
Deep Cuts Home / Music Home / Bullz-Eye Home
I became a Beck convert when I saw him perform "Debra " at the KROQ Acoustic Christmas in 1999. At the time, I was only familiar with "Loser, " "Devils Haircut " and "Where It’s At, " but I really dove into his back catalog after seeing him live. Even though he’s widely regarded as one of the most talented and prolific musicians of the last two decades, his music hasn’t done very well on the singles charts. In 12 years, he has only one Top 10 single ("Loser ") and just six other songs charted on Billboard’s Hot 100. Beck is one of those post-grunge artists that have a ton of good songs that are either too quirky or too meticulous for rock radio. Several of these songs were released as singles and did chart on modern rock radio, but still manage to fly under the radar of the casual Beck fan. The others are album cuts that probably haven’t sniffed much airplay. Either way, Beck has a lot of tracks that just haven’t garnered the attention they deserve, so it’s a great time to present Beck’s Deep Cuts:
"Beercan" – Mellow Gold
The modulated vocals on this track
are probably enough to turn pop radio listeners
off, but once you get to the groovy chorus, they’re
barely noticeable. Since the song is about partying,
it is aptly titled. Out of nowhere Beck uses
a sample from a Care Bears album where a young
girl states, "I’m sad and unhappy. "
"Asshole" – One Foot in the Grave
This
track is from the last album that Beck released
independently. It features a slow acoustic guitar
and has a distinct low-fi feel. The entire song
is built around the that's-so-true lyric, "She'll
do anything / To make you feel like an asshole." It's
not often that a veteran artist will cover a
song by someone so much younger, but Tom Petty
recorded a version for the soundtrack to the
1996 movie "She's the One. "
"Jack-Ass" – Odelay
This dreamy track uses a keyboard
sample from a cover (by Them) of the old Bob
Dylan song, "It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue. " While
Dylan was probably singing about going electric,
Beck’s lyrics are more about a gradual, drifting
change. At around the 2:45 mark, he shifts gears
(as he often does), laying a rough guitar solo
over a sampled beat.
"Deadweight
(Pilot Mix)" – A
Life Less Ordinary
With help from the Dust Brothers,
Beck recorded this track between Odelay and Mutations,
and it first appeared on the soundtrack for the
Cameron Diaz/Ewan McGregor kidnap caper, "A Life
Less Ordinary. " The opening melody is somehow
both haunting and catchy, and the track has a
very laid-back, funky feel to it.
"Cold Brains" – Mutations
Beck fuses his folk background with
his rock tendencies in this beautiful mid-tempo
strummer. The track is a perfect example of his
rare ability to present odd noises in the background
without distracting the listener from the melody.
"Lazy Flies" – Mutations
This is an odd track in that it has
no discernable chorus, but it’s still quite catchy
due to the repeating melody in the vocals. The
lyrics are inspired by the seedy area of L.A.
where he grew up, which was filled with all the
manual laborers that worked in the mansions of
the city. A beautiful acoustic guitar carries
the tune.
"Nobody’s Fault but My Own" – Mutations
Beck uses a sitar, a tambura and
an esraj to give this bluesy track an Indian
feel. It’s a slow, melancholy song about regret,
and it’s a great example of Beck’s ability to
create atmosphere by combining different genres
and sounds.
"Tropicalia" – Mutations
This
track is a great example of how Beck can take
diverse genres and present them in a palatable
way to a rock audience. This time, he taps Brazilian
bossa nova, creating a smooth, unexpected groove.
"Nicotine & Gravy" – Midnite
Vultures
This was one of the most accessible
tracks on Midnite
Vultures, which as a whole was a bit of
a departure for Beck. It’s both funky and sexy,
driven by terrific bass from Justin Meldal-Johnson.
At about the 3:30 mark, it becomes a collage
of disparate sounds that all somehow work together.
"Debra" – Midnite Vultures
This
is easily my favorite Beck song. This is his
tribute to the soulful R&B genre, and
it actually started out as sort of a joke. But
as he performed it in concert, he found that
the audience would react to it more than some
of the other songs that were getting radio airplay,
and it took on a life of its own. The humor is
in the lyrics – "I met you at JC Penny’s
/ I think your nametag said Jenny / I cold-step
to you with a fresh pack of gum / Somehow I knew
you were looking for some " – and the execution;
Beck sings the entire song in an R. Kelly-esque
falsetto. In the background, some terrific guitar
noodling and funky horns round out the track.
"Sunday Sun" – Sea Change
Sea Change was the manifestation
of a dreary yet beautiful exorcism of a bad breakup.
After Midnite Vultures, it was a shock
to the system of many fans, but upon closer inspection,
there’s a lot to appreciate about the album.
"Sunday Sun " just might be the prettiest song Sea
Change, and with its placement towards the
end of the record, it signifies a state of rebirth.
"Que Onda Guero" – Guero
This track is a snapshot of the East
L.A. neighborhood where Beck grew up. The original
version felt a little empty, so Beck went there
with a friend to record actual street sounds.
The groovy beat and Latin influences give the
track a colorful feel.
"Earthquake Weather" – Guero
This track is about the calm before
a storm, or the quiet before an earthquake. When
asked about the track, Beck said he was referring
in part to the mood of the U.S. before 9/11,
saying that it "felt like a stillness, a quietness
before something cataclysmic. " The lyrics refer
to a desert, and this feeling of dryness is reflected
in the groove.
"Hell Yes " – Guero
It’s not often that Beck raps, but
when he does, it usually works. The Dust Brothers
encouraged him to rap on Guero, using
the odd combination of funk, harmonica and scratching
to produce something uniquely Beck. A great beat
and chorus round out the track.
"Scarecrow" – Guero
Beck describes this song as "robots
on the bayou, " which is a good description for
this swampy song. It moves along at a slacker’s
pace, but it has a signature Beck groove that
carries throughout the song. The chorus – "scarecrow’s
only scaring himself " – seems to be about uselessness.
"Elevator
Music" – The Information
With its Latin beat and gritty feel,
this track almost sounds like a bridge from Guero to The
Information. Beck raps up to the understated,
yet catchy chorus, where he sings, "Put the elevator
music on/pull me back where I belong. " At the
two-minute mark, there’s a breakdown that features
five funky seconds of guitar.
"Strange Apparition" – The
Information
This track opens with a great beat
before Beck enters the fray with some surprisingly
soulful vocals over a piano riff that would fit
in on Elton John’s Madman Across the Water.
From the opening verse – "Lord, please don’t
forsake me / In my Mercedes-Benz / All the riches
and the ruins / Now we know how that story ends "
– the subject matter is clear: the song is about
death and regret. After an awe-inspiring first
half, Beck breaks it down in the second, dropping
two tortured verses which lead the listener to
the end of the song and, ultimately, to the moment
of truth.
"No Complaints" – The
Information
This track features a great acoustic
guitar that continues throughout the song. It
is reminiscent of Beck’s early work, which is
pretty sparse when compared with his more recent
stuff.
"Landslide" – The Information
This four-minute bit is sandwiched between "The
Horrible Fanfare " and "Exoskeleton " in an odd
medley at the end of the album. But when it’s
extracted, it definitely stands on its own. It
features a repeating bass riff and a descending
melody in the chorus. It’s certainly not radio-friendly,
but its groove makes it worth the work.
The Essential Beck: "Loser, "
"Devils Haircut, " "The New Pollution, " "Where
It’s At, " "Sexx Laws, " "Lost Cause, " "E-Pro, "
"Girl, " "Think I’m In Love, " "Nausea "
If you have any thoughts about this list or would like to suggest a song, head on over to ESDMusic.com and speak your peace. You can also email me directly at jpaulsen@bullz-eye.com.