Beck
The story of Beck Hansen is as interesting as it is long. Born in LA, the son of a Presbyterian minister and a visual artist, the reportedly something of a loner child Beck was influenced heavily by a city whose musical scene contained everything from Latin music to early Hip Hop dabblings, and music fast became his obsession. He dropped out of high school in the mid eighties, choosing instead to educate himself and travel the world. He spent much time busking, particularly in New York and Germany, during which period he laid down many a demo tape, the likes of ‘Banjo Story’, ‘Beck – Like The Beer’ and ‘Golden Leftovers’ containing scratchy, charming early versions of what would later become well loved classics (and a lot of half formed, childish nonsense, if we’re honest – we’ve heard ‘em).
The prodigal, skint Beck returned to LA at the end of the 80s to live in a shed (yeah!) and take dead end jobs, many of which inspired early slices of anti-folk excellence like the lost slacker classic ‘Mexico’, in which Beck robs a McDonalds and gets incredibly drunk and depressed with a man called Steve (himself later the subject of the, er, seminal ‘Steve Threw Up’).
Despite low budget records like ‘Golden Feelings’, ‘A Western Harvest Field By Moonlight’ and the more readily available ‘One Foot In The Grave’ building up an underground fanbase slowly but steadily, it wasn’t until ‘Loser’, a collaboration with hip hop producer Carl Stephenson, created a storm on college radio that things started to get interesting. After a fierce bidding war, Beck eventually signed his name on contracts offered by Geffen which offered him the opportunity to continue to put out works like the bafflingly diverse, sloppy, lost masterpiece ‘Stereopathetic Soul Manure’ on other, smaller labels such as Flipside.
1994 saw the Geffen release of ‘Mellow Gold’, his debut album proper many would argue, and the arrival proper of Beck on the mainstream scene. Despite many after the runaway success of ‘Loser’ deeming him to be a novelty, one hit wonder affair, 1996’s absolute ruddy bloody classic ‘Odelay’ certainly shut them all up. A collaboration with Beastie Boys producers The Dust Brothers, it contained the milestones ‘Where It’s At’, ‘Devil’s Haircut’ and ‘The New Pollution’ amongst many others (not a duff track on it, actually), and was nominated for a few Grammies.
He followed it with ‘Mutations’, a 1998 collection of home recordings never really deemed to be a proper follow up to the superb ‘Odelay’, the album in fact being released by Geffen against Beck’s wishes – it’s reported he would have preferred to release it ‘One Foot In The Grave’ style, on Bong Load Records, instead. After subsequently being sued for breach of contract by both labels (a suit which it seems was never totally resolved), the record was released again to a strong reception. Like it’s sister record, 2002’s ‘Sea Change’, it was produced by Nigel Godrich, and is a beautiful, stripped back, very folk influenced affair, ‘Sing It Again’ even originally written for the late Johnny Cash (though Beck deemed it “rubbish” and never handed it to him. Cash would instead record ‘Stereopathetic Soul Manure’s ‘Rowboat’, and talk very highly of it in the liner notes, for his ‘American Recordings’ series).
A year later, ‘Odelay’s follow up proper, the psychedelic funk masterpiece of ‘Midnite Vultures’ was released. Heavily influenced by the likes of Prince and James Brown, the tour was famous for Beck descending from the ceiling on a giant bed to sing ‘Debra’ in a rather erotically charged, writhing manner. ‘Sea Change’, despite being a return to a less flamboyant style and a concept album describing the various stages of the breakdown of a relationship, would give Beck his first US Top 10 album in 2002. His backing band for the supporting tour were none other than The Flaming Lips.
Recording on ‘Guero’ commenced a year on, and saw Beck working for only the second time with The Dust Brothers. The resulting record came across like an update of or a companion to ‘Odelay’, featuring for the first time since 1994 a freer sounding Mr Hansen attempting, and largely succeeding, in championing any genre of music he could try his hand at.
And until this year (apart from a well received remix album ‘Guerolito’), that was it. Luckily however, the most consistently thought provoking, ambitious and entertaining solo artist alive returns in a month’s time with ‘The Information’, another Godrich produced effort and reportedly an LP with a decidedly hip hop twist. What it will actually sound like is anyone’s guess. What’s absolutely certain is that it’ll be a highlight of 2006.
BECK OFFICIAL: Beck’s official dot com home is not only a fantastic piece of webcraft, but it’s also probably (and for some reason unusually for an official site) the most comprehensive look at his many independent releases, and features regular input from the demigod himself.
BECK! BECK! BECK!: What his official page brushes over, this devoted fansite picks up on excellently. Obviously a labour of love, it most interestingly includes a section called ‘Bekkies’, where obsessive Beck fans can get in touch, trade pictures and sit in the dark with each other weeping about how in love with him they are.
BECKTABS DOT COM: Sheesh, this Beck fella inspires real devotion – here’s a great looking site with as many guitar tabs and lyrics as you could shake a flying V at.
BECKSPACE: Beck’s MySpace home allows you to check new songs and videos from upcoming LP ‘The Information’. Psst – they sound ace.
’HELL YES’ VID: Before ‘Guero’ hit the shelves, Beck commissioned a remix EP whereby those behind the controls were instructed to make all the songs sound like they were recorded on Game Boys. We got hold of it, and so, here’s the animated video for the 8-Bit Ghettochip Malfunction mix of ‘Guero’ highlight ‘Hell Yes’.
’MIDNITE VULTURES’ ASSESSED: Ask rockfeedback overlord Toby L what his favourite Beck album is and time after time he’ll tell you that ‘Midnite Vultures’ is where he peaked. Here’s what he thought of it at the time. Nobody argues with Toby L, right?
LIVE @ SHEPHERDS BUSH: Looks like new gal Keri Kennedy had one hell of a night last Saturday. Well, what’s a Saturday night without puppets and bear costumes? That’s right. A huge f**king let down.
’GUERO’ REVIEWED: Toby L loved ‘Guero’. Not quite as much as he loved ‘Midnite Vultures’, but there are very few things Toby L loves as much as he loves ‘Midnite Vultures’. Still, cracking record, yeah?
BECK @ COACHELLA: Some people are so ace they can just ask to be added to a bill that already featured The Pixies, Broken Social Scene and Le Tigre and get their way without any hassle. Austin Louis Ray gives a brief, thrilling run through.
SUPPORTING RADIOHEAD @ SOUTH PARK: Surely a bill where Beck plays before Radiohead, having come on after Sigur Ros and Supergrass, is one of the best afternoons time has ever hosted? Even if it was raining? Yup.