Beck's major label debut Mellow Gold introduced his eccentric sound to the masses in 1994, but it was his sophomore release, Odelay that would lead the alt.rock genre in a new direction. Originally released in 1996, the Grammy-winning Geffen honors Odelay 12 years later with a deluxe re-issue on January 29, 2008. The new 2 CD Deluxe Edition will feature two previously unreleased songs taken from the original recording sessions, as well as 16 b-sides and compilation tracks never-before-released in the U.S.! According to a press release:
Disc One of Odelay - Deluxe Edition adds to that original album two never before heard Dust Brothers-produced tracks from the Odelay sessions, "Inferno" and "Gold Chains," and "Deadweight" from the film A Life Less Ordinary. Disc Two's 16 selections include "Thunder Peel," co-produced by Mario Caldato Jr.; the U.N.K.L.E. (featuring James Lavelle) remix of "Where It's At," and Aphex Twin and Mickey P. remixes of "Devil's Haircut" (titled "Richard's Hairpiece" and "American Wasteland," respectively). Also heard are the once international-only b-sides "Clock," "Electric Music and The Summer People," "Lemonade," "SA-5," "Feather In Your Cap," "Erase The Sun," "000.000," "Brother," "Trouble All My Days," "Strange Invitation," "Devil Got My Woman," (a cover of the Skip James classic recorded at the original Sun Studios in Memphis before they closed their doors) and "Burro" -- a Spanish language version of Jackass recorded with a mariachi band.
If you aren't familiar with the original Odelay, it's a pretty groundbreaking album, especially for 1996. Beck stormed the indie scene with so much originality and a just plain weirdness. He never seemed to take himself too seriously and was able to make music that seemed downtempo without sounding morose and uptempo music that didn't seem cheery. The press release I received put it this way:
Forging a sound from the roots of folk, blues, rock and hip hop with the sensibilities of D.I.Y, noise, experimental music and the possibilities of modern technology, _Odelay_ stands (as discussed in the All-Music Guide) as "a dense, endlessly intriguing album overflowing with ideas...a fluid, creative, and startlingly original work."
When I met him after a show in 1994, he acted like he was bonkers, yet claimed he didn't smoke weed or do drugs. In fact he proclaimed he didn't smoke weed right after asking us if we wanted to smoke a joint! Maybe it was the club (aka "the joint") that he wanted to smoke, I'll never know. But he definitely had an artful way of keeping everybody guessing and never quite grasping where he was heading next. It's awesome that this album will be re-issued and all the songs that we've been bootlegging for years will get a proper US release.
"Devil's Haircut" from Odelay:
My Trusted MOGs
One of my defining albums. I remember being very disappointed to see him break out of his slacker-king persona (from Mellow Gold), but _Odelay_ was just SO GOOD.
My Trusted MOGs
Mellow Gold was my soundtrack for the best year of snowboarding i've had to date. so, i'm pretty partial to that one. but i agree, Odelay was SO good!
My Trusted MOGs
Love those clips!