| Odelay | |||||
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| Studio album by Beck | |||||
| Released | June 18, 1996 | ||||
| Recorded | 1994–1995 | ||||
| Genre | Post-modern music, Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 54:13 | ||||
| Label | DGC | ||||
| Producer | Beck Hansen, The Dust Brothers, Mario Caldato, Jr, Brian Paulson, Tom Rothrock, Rob Schnapf | ||||
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| Singles from Odelay | |||||
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Odelay is the second major-label studio album by alternative rock artist Beck. After the mainstream success of "Loser", Odelay featured several hit singles, including "Where It's At", "Devils Haircut," and "The New Pollution." The album peaked at #16 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and eventually sold over 2 million copies in the U.S.. It was also Beck's first hit album in the UK, making #17; it has since gone platinum in the UK. Prior to the release of The Information, it was announced that Odelay would be reissued and expanded with bonus tracks to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the albums release, though its release was pushed to January 29, 2008.
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Artwork
The album's unusual cover photo, which appears to show a mop head jumping over a hurdle, is actually a real photo of a Komondor, a rare Hungarian breed of dog with thick matted hair. This came after Bush released their album Sixteen Stone, which featured a similar looking dog called a Puli being thrown into the air on the inside cover.
Musical Style
Odelay might have been drastically different in direction and style. In 1994, when Beck started to record tracks for his follow-up to Mellow Gold, he recorded a number of songs with Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf of Bong Load, but then decided to work with the Dust Brothers instead. Three songs from these Bong Load sessions have been released: one, "Ramshackle", was included on Odelay, and two others: "Feather in Your Cap," which was released on its own as a single and on the soundtrack to Suburbia, and "Brother," which was not available to the public until the release of "Jack-Ass" in 1997. All three of these songs are acoustic, sparse, and melancholy, and have a haunting sound very different from the more upbeat, "party" style of Odelay.
Reception
Odelay won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1997. It was ranked 16 in Spin's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005". It was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Odelay the 51st greatest album of all time. In 2003, the album was ranked number 305 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Voters in Channel 4's 2005 "100 Greatest Albums" poll placed it at number 73. The music website Pitchfork Media ranked it at #19 on their top 100 albums of the 1990's.
Track listing
All songs written by Beck, John King and Michael Simpson, except where noted. All tracks produced by Beck Hansen and The Dust Brothers, except where noted.
- "Devils Haircut" – 3:13
- "Hotwax" – 3:49
- "Lord Only Knows" (Beck Hansen) – 4:14
- "The New Pollution" – 3:40
- "Derelict" – 4:13
- "Novacane" – 4:38
- "Jack-Ass" – 4:01
- "Where It's At" – 5:30
- "Minus" (Beck Hansen) – 2:31
- Produced by Beck Hansen, Mario Caldato Jr. and Brian Paulson.
- "Sissyneck" – 3:53
- "Readymade" – 2:37
- "High 5 (Rock the Catskills)" – 4:10
- "Ramshackle" (Beck Hansen) – 7:30
- Produced by Tom Rothrock and Tom Schnapf.
- Includes a hidden track of looped electronic music.
- Some non-U.S. versions contain "Diskobox" and/or "Clock" as bonus tracks.
Samples
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"Sissyneck" Image:Sissyneck.ogg ""Sissyneck" by Beck (1996) - Problems playing the files? See media help.
- The track "Where It's At" contains a voice sample from an early hip-hop classic from Mantronix, from the song "Needle to the Groove" (the robotic voice that says 'got two turntables and a microphone.')
Personnel
- Beck – organ, acoustic guitar, bass, harmonica, percussion, celeste, drums, electric guitar, keyboards, electric piano, vocals, clavinet, producer, slide guitar, art direction, design, mixing
- Mike Boito – organ, trumpet
- Mario Caldato, Jr. – producer, mixing
- Charlie Haden – bass
- Greg Leisz – pedal steel
- Bob Ludwig – mastering, photography
- Mike Millius – screams
- Brian Paulson – producer, mixing
- Tom Rothrock – producer, mixing
- Rob Schnapf – producer, mixing
- Joey Waronker – percussion, drums
- Dust Brothers – producer, mixing
- Robert Fisher – art direction, design
- Nitin Vadukul – photography
- Zarim Osborn – artwork, collage
- Al Hansen – artwork, collage
- Shauna O'Brien – coordination, production coordination
- Manuel Ocampo – artwork, paintings, collage
- David Brown – saxophone
- Ross Harris
External links
| Beck |
| Discography |
|---|
| Major label albums: Mellow Gold | Odelay | Mutations | Midnite Vultures | Sea Change | Guero | The Information |
| Remix albums: Guerolito | Hell Yes EP |
| Independent releases: Stereopathetic Soulmanure | One Foot in the Grave |
| Unofficial releases: Golden Feelings | A Western Harvest Field by Moonlight Singles: "MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack" | "Loser" | "Pay No Mind (Snoozer)" | "Beercan" | "It's All in Your Mind" | "Where It's At" | "Devils Haircut" "The New Pollution" | "Sissyneck" | "Jack-Ass" | "Deadweight" | "Tropicalia" | "Cold Brains" "Nobody's Fault But My Own" | "Sexx Laws" | "Mixed Bizness" | "Nicotine & Gravy" | "Lost Cause" "E-Pro" | "Girl" | "Hell Yes" | "Cellphone's Dead" | "Nausea" | "Think I'm In Love" | "Timebomb" |
| Related articles |
| Nigel Godrich | Dust Brothers | Bendin' in the Wind |
