Beck - Mellow Gold

Far more than a novelty jester, Beck is a musical anarchist and bummed-out street prophet whose audience will squirm and thrill to the slacker delta blues of "Whiskeyclone" and urban nightmares like "Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs." --Jeff Bateman Amazon.com essential recording

A peculiar document of the 1990s

Beck is one of the most unusual musicians to come from the '90s, his monotone deadpan rapping being too soft for hip hop, his production style too slick for lo-fi, his style too quirky for a singer/songwriter. He was an alternative child, indeed, representing a snapshot of a different time when teenagers were conscientious, smart, effective and had a good taste. Beck was directly tied to Generation X by the spectators and critics, but those ties soon got unlaced with his subsequent records. Much of the album's fame falls down to the widespread acclaim that the song "Loser" received. It's no wonder--the song truly is Beck's masterpiece. In terms of instrumentation and lyrics, "Loser" is pure innovation. Beck's eccentricity is at its most compelling, catching your attention for those four minutes and staying in your head forever.

"Loser" contains a catchy refrain, sports a delicious hook taken from "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" and is globally popular for its misinterpreted faux-slacker lyrics. "I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me" is the ultimate lyric of the 1990s, easily beating everything that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the likes possess. Hansen was a free-spirited man who followed his intuition and wasn't afraid to experiment with different styles to come up with something entirely new. The only downside to "Mellow Gold" is that the heavy experimentation can bring down the quality of the record quite a lot. The abrasive "Sweet Sunshine" is just a filler song that fails to captivate like the rest of the material here, mostly due to the lack of pop melodicism. The production tricks found in the song were probably state-of-the-art in 1994, but now they just seem like a gimmick that lost its power.

Nothing on the record comes near the inaccessibility of "Sweet Sunshine", but for a pop record, some steps are heavily handled. "Mutherf*ker" is only saved by its chorus (if we can call it that way) and "Blackhole" has a hidden outro that's just pointless noise. Hansen was mainly a part of anti-commercial wave of the 1990s, so it's natural that the record contains those unattractive aesthetics in certain moments. Thankfully, the rest of "Mellow Gold" is pure pop. Easy-on-the-ears refrains and melodic twists come to mind as the only thing that one remembers after listening to the record. Side One outshines side two easily with its strong, well-crafted songs. "Soul Suckin Jerk" is one of the main highlights, where our hero is toying with weird vocals and the aforementioned melodic twists. "Beercan" is its side two match, with its amazing beat and an original melody set to Hansen's typical peculiarity.

"Pay No Mind (Snoozer)" is exemplary for Hansen for its whacky lyrics ("the shopping malls coming out of the walls"), while "Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997" showcases him at his most pensive. "I'll be lonesome when I'm gone". Beck is, first and foremost, a poet. His is beyond surrealism and stream of consciousness writing. He redefines what a writing style is. "She's a whimsical and tragical beauty"--Beck is eloquent enough to evoke second thoughts in everyone who dared to label him a slacker. "Give the finger to the rock 'n' roll singer"--he's making fun of stardom while reaching it effortlessly. Musically, he's quoting everyone from Dylan to Rolling Stones (those "hey hey hey heys" from "Fu*kin With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock)" come straight from "I Can't Get No Satisfaction").

Tom Rothrock, Karl Stephenson and Rob Schnaph did a marvelous job of catching the essence of Hansen's music and putting the spirit of his songs on tape. This is why the album, albeit a document of its own period in musical history, can seem timeless. "Mellow Gold" brought Beck global recognition and critical acclaim, as well as a devoted fanbase. He deserved all three, even though he might not have been ready for it. Luckily, "Odelay" proved that he wasn't a one hit wonder, and subsequent albums showed that he's capable of growing as an artist. Ultimately, Mellow Gold wasn't just a hot deal for Hansen (it was his major label debut), it was a testament to his musical talent. For those who believe that Beck's work is becoming overproduced and short on good ideas as the time passes by, "Mellow Gold" remains the perfect escape to the time when Beck was a funny lyricist and a creative musician. October 26, 2008

Great First Record

Every track on this record is great. There have been times in the last 14 years when I have listened to this record every time I am in the car for a week or two straight. You think the record is really good and then Beercan comes on more than halfway through and you realize this record is GREAT! If you have never listened to Beck start w/ this. If you like it keep going. September 11, 2008

Quirky Alternative and Imaginative Alternative Rock

When I first heard about Beck I was definitely interested. He came out in the early-mid '90's, when alternative/indie/underground music started becoming more mainstream. Beck was a quirky imaginative artist. He would show up to his gigs in hometown L.A. with indian feathers on his head and a cheap small boombox. He became known with the release of his hit single off Mellow Gold called "Loser". "Loser" became an anthem type of song with rock fans singing it everywhere. Its chorus was catchy and entertaining with "I'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me". The fun song was even nominated for a Grammy in 1995.

Mellow Gold also contains "Pay No Mind", a more hippy mellow rock song, with Beck's interesting funny lyrics and vocals. Then there is "Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997", which is the most bluesy Beck gets. While the music is sorta bluesy, Beck's vocals aren't -- they are pretty much monotone -- but the guitars are slow and methodical. "Soul Suckin Jerk" is filled with odd noises, funny lyrics that are hard to decipher at a lot of times and Beck's vocals in a more "rappin'" style. Overall if you like odd, quirky alternative and imaginative alternative rock music then you'll love Mellow Gold. May 4, 2008

Beck experiments with lo-fi vocal effects

I have to admit, I didn't actually listen to this until after his latest album, "The Information," came out. However, this incredible masterpiece of excessive vocal mixing, obscure record-spinning and electronic buzzes is probably one of Beck's most creative albums ever.

No one can fathom that Beck has the weirdest lyrics ever, but this album almost takes the cake with the lyric about "dancing on the roof, shooting holes in the roof" in the wacky romp "Soul Suckin' Jerk." In spite of Beck barely making sense with his metaphors, he finds some of the coolest samples ever. I love the sample of the pissed off drunk in "Truckdrivin' Neighbor."

While this is really the only Beck album that has a parental advisory sticker on it (and deserves it), this is also Beck in his rawest and most tumultuous state of mind. He sings about the "s**t-talking, street-taking, truck-driving neighbor downstairs." He engages in a hard rocking song where he screams in a lo-fidelity microphone "Everyone's out to get you, mother-f*****!"

Even if it is his rawest album, though, I have to really give credit Beck for bombastically hilarious sound effects that even Kurt Cobain couldn't touch. There's nothing like listening to the over-saturation of guitar feedback at the end of "M*****f*****".

Don't worry, there are moments when the album stops getting excessively goofy. "Pay No Mind" is a sympathetic song about how Beck makes every effort to pay no mind to the collapse of music industries. "Mountain Dew Rock" is a great mix of buzzing electric guitars and harmonica sounds.

This is really an album for big fans of Beck, curious about his past work involving wacky samples, lots of vocal special effects and lo-fidelity production. There's something magical about the crackling screams to a blues bass line in "Sweet Sunshine." Only Beck can do these things. That's why Beck is one of the best. April 27, 2008

I love Beck!

What can I say? I have all of his cd's and yes they all sound
different but that's what I love about him. Bravo Beck! January 24, 2008

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