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Beck - Mellow Gold Audio CD

A fair review of the Beck "Mellow Gold" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Beck reviews here, or go back to the Beck tabs.

Beck Band: Beck
Title: Mellow Gold
Rating:
Release Date: 1994-03-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Loser 2: Pay No Mind (Snoozer) 3: Fuckin' With My Head (Mountain Dew Rock) 4: Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997 5: Soul Suckin' Jerk 6: Truckdrivin' Neighbors Downstairs (Yellow Sweat) 7: Sweet Sunshine 8: Beercan 9: Steal My Body Home 10: Nitemare Hippy Girl 11: Mutherfuker 12: Blackhole

Doomed to be a one hit wonder?
I remember when I first heard "Loser" it blew me away as it was the first time I heard sitar in a rap song. Well I was proved wrong with that as Beck continues to churn out hit albums. "Pay No Mind" was also pretty good, it dipped a bit with the Mountain Dew Song, and "Whiskeycyclone" is plain weird. My favorite in fact my all time favorite Beck tune is "Truck Driving Neighbors Downstairs" it is an awesome song, and I could play it over and over again without getting tired of it. "Mother F" is also great. This was probably released a bit too early, and America probably wasn't ready for material like this, but don't let that discourage you from trying this. It's not quite a classic, but it's not bad either. .


Dylan for druggies
. Beck's Geffen debut, despite the heavy dose of musty sampling, consciously whack emceeing, and overall white-trash persona has aged like a fine wine over the years, whereas some of the material felt shallow when first familiarizing with this acid-folkie's fragmented approach.


Great First Record
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. Every track on this record is great. 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. .


Quirky Alternative and Imaginative Alternative Rock
He came out in the early-mid '90's, when alternative/indie/underground music started becoming more mainstream. When I first heard about Beck I was definitely interested. 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.


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

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.


You can see a complete list of all Beck discography, or go back to the Beck tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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