Odelay

Odelay is the fifth studio album by American musician Beck, released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records. The album featured several successful singles, including "Where It's At", "Devils Haircut", and "The New Pollution", and peaked at number sixteen on the Billboard 200. As of July 2008, the album had sold 2.3 million copies in the United States, making Odelay Beck's most successful album to date.[2] Since its release, the album has appeared in numerous publications' lists of the greatest of the 1990s and of all time.

Odelay
Studio album by
Beck
ReleasedJune 18, 1996 (1996-06-18)
Recorded1994–96
StudioConway, G-Son, Sunset Sound (Los Angeles), The Shop (Arcata)
Genre
Length51:26 (without hidden track)
54:13 (with hidden track)
Label
  • DGC
  • Bong Load
Producer
  • Beck Hansen
  • The Dust Brothers
  • Mario Caldato, Jr
  • Brian Paulson
  • Tom Rothrock
  • Rob Schnapf
Beck chronology
One Foot in the Grave
(1994)		 Odelay
(1996)		 Mutations
(1998)
Singles from Odelay
  1. "Where It's At"
    Released: May 28, 1996[1]
  2. "Devils Haircut"
    Released: December 11, 1996
  3. "The New Pollution"
    Released: February 28, 1997
  4. "Sissyneck"
    Released: June 17, 1997
  5. "Jack-Ass"
    Released: August 26, 1997
Alternative cover
Cover Art for Odelay – Deluxe Edition

Recording

The sessions for what would become Odelay originally began as a subdued, acoustic affair. In 1994, Beck started to record tracks for his follow-up to Mellow Gold with Bong Load producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. Only the tracks "Ramshackle", "Feather in Your Cap", and "Brother" from these sessions have been released, all of which are acoustic, sparse, and melancholic. He would eventually abandon work with Rothrock and Schnapf, opting to work with the Dust Brothers instead. The Dust Brothers' production style was hip-hop-focused yet more layered; their résumé included notable work with Beastie Boys, Tone Lōc and Young MC.

Title and artwork

The title is a phonetic English rendering of the Mexican slang interjection "órale", which translates roughly to "listen up" or "what's up?" The phrase "odelay" is repeated in the lyrics during the outro of the song "Lord Only Knows". According to Stephen Malkmus, the title is a pun on Oh Delay, since the album took very long to record.[3] The album's cover is a photo of a Komondor, a rare Hungarian breed of dog with a heavy, corded coat. The original photo was shot by canine photographer Joan Ludwig (1914–2004) for the July 1977 issue of the American Kennel Club’s Gazette.[4]

"Odelay" Tour

The promotional tour for the album began in May-June 1996, appearing in several record stores and Radio Stations in the U.S. Throughout the rest of the year followed numerous U.S. tours and European festival dates.

However it was as the tour continued into 1997 that Beck began playing larger venues in America. The tour unofficially ended on September 5th, 1997, with a taped band performance at "Sessions at West 54th" in New York,[5] after over 150 shows from July '96 until September '97.[6]

It was on the "Odelay" tour that earned Beck a wide reputation as an energetic and impeccable performer, and his profile rose after multiple appearances on MTV, the Howard Stern Radio Show,[7] the 1997 Grammys,[8] Later with Jools Holland[9] and more.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Chicago Tribune[11]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[12]
The Guardian[13]
Los Angeles Times[14]
Music Week[15]
NME8/10[16]
Pitchfork9.8/10 (1996)[17]
8.5/10 (2008)[18]
Rolling Stone[19]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[20]
Spin10/10[21]
The Village VoiceA−[22]

Upon release, Odelay received almost unanimous critical acclaim. Odelay was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 1997, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Where It's At". It was ranked 16 in Spin's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005". Odelay was awarded Album of the Year by the American magazine Rolling Stone. It was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll, and also in NME's annual critics poll. In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Odelay the 51st greatest album of all time. The album was ranked number 306 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2013, and later ranked number 424 in the 2020 edition,[23][24] and number 9 on its list of the 100 best albums of the nineties. Voters in Channel 4's 2005 "100 Greatest Albums" poll placed it at number 73. The music website Pitchfork ranked it at #19 on their top 100 albums of the 1990s. The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[25] In 2000 it was voted number 54 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[26]

Rob Sheffield in an AllMusic review feels that, like Mellow Gold, Odelay incorporates elements from various genres, including "folk and country, grungy garage rock, stiff-boned electro, louche exotica, old-school rap and noise rock."[10] Additional influences include punk rock, bossa nova, Latin soul and mainstream R&B.[27]

Track listing

Original issue

All songs written by Beck, John King and Michael Simpson, except where noted.
Produced by Beck Hansen and The Dust Brothers, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Devils Haircut" 3:14
2."Hotwax" 3:49
3."Lord Only Knows"Beck Hansen4:14
4."The New Pollution" 3:39
5."Derelict" 4:12
6."Novacane" 4:37
7."Jack-Ass" 4:11
8."Where It's At" 5:30
9."Minus"Beck Hansen; produced by Beck Hansen, Mario Caldato Jr. and Brian Paulson.2:32
10."Sissyneck" 3:52
11."Readymade" 2:37
12."High 5 (Rock the Catskills)" 4:10
13."Ramshackle" (Some copies include a hidden track called "Computer Rock")Beck Hansen; produced by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf.7:29
Total length:51:26 (without hidden track) 54:13 (with hidden track)

Deluxe edition

On January 29, 2008, Odelay – Deluxe Edition was released.[28] The two-disc set contains the original album, plus 19 B-sides, remixes and previously unreleased songs. The liner notes feature complete lyrics and artwork as well as an essay from Thurston Moore and the transcript of 15 high school students interviewed by Dave Eggers. The cover art was deliberately edited to appear as if it was a personalized copy of the album, with stickers carelessly half-ripped off and various doodles on it (such as a face drawn on the dog and rainbows behind it) and including the phrase "Property of Michael" written on the back. The exclusion of "Diskobox" may have been done as a deliberate nod to the cover art having the 'strictly limited edition bonus track' sticker partly torn off.

"Diskobox", which appeared on the original UK and Japanese pressings of Odelay, was not included on the deluxe edition for unknown reasons. The Odelay sessions version of "Debra" (later re-recorded for Midnite Vultures) is also absent, despite initial statements to the contrary.

Some of the bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition (specifically "Deadweight" and "Clock") appear to be from lossy (e.g. MP3) sources. Some of the tracks included have been altered beyond simple remastering.[29] No official explanation for these changes has been given. Some of these alterations are listed below:

First CD:

  1. "Hotwax" has a more double tracked vocal during the verses
  2. "The New Pollution" has the same synthesized beeps from the original version, but played at a different pitch
  3. "Sissyneck" has a slightly extended 'breakdown' part at around 2:00

Bonus CD:

  1. "Thunderpeel" is folded down to mono from the regular stereo version
  2. "Electric Music And The Summer People" is an alternate mix
  3. "Erase the Sun" runs at a faster speed (the original release may be slowed down)
  4. "Trouble All My Days" is folded down to mono from the regular stereo version[29]


Disc 1

  1. "Devils Haircut" – 3:15
  2. "Hotwax" – 3:49
  3. "Lord Only Knows" – 4:15
  4. "The New Pollution" – 3:39
  5. "Derelict" – 4:13
  6. "Novacane" – 4:37
  7. "Jack-Ass" – 4:12
  8. "Where It's At" – 5:30
  9. "Minus" – 2:32
  10. "Sissyneck" – 3:57
  11. "Readymade" – 2:37
  12. "High 5 (Rock the Catskills)" – 4:11
  13. "Ramshackle" – 4:47
  14. "Hidden Track (Computer Rock)" – 0:43
  15. "Deadweight" – 6:12
  16. "Inferno" (previously unreleased) – 7:03
  17. "Gold Chains" (previously unreleased) – 4:59

Disc 2

  1. "Where It's At" (U.N.K.L.E. remix) – 12:26
  2. "Richard's Hairpiece" (remix by Aphex Twin) – 3:19
  3. "American Wasteland" (remix by Mickey P.) – 2:42
  4. "Clock" – 3:17
  5. "Thunder Peel" – 2:40
    • Different version than the one on Stereopathetic Soulmanure.
  6. "Electric Music and the Summer People" – 4:38
  7. "Lemonade" – 2:21
  8. "SA-5" – 1:53
  9. "Feather in Your Cap" – 3:46
  10. "Erase the Sun" – 2:56
    • Sped up from the originally released length of 3:16.
  11. "000.000" – 5:25
  12. "Brother" – 4:47
  13. "Devil Got My Woman" – 4:34
  14. "Trouble All My Days" – 2:25
  15. "Strange Invitation" – 4:06
  16. "Burro" – 3:13

Personnel

Musicians
  • Beck Hansen – vocals (all tracks), electric guitar (tracks 1–4, 6–12), slide guitar (track 2, 3), acoustic guitar (tracks 3, 7, 13), bass guitar (tracks 1–4, 6–12), organ (tracks 1, 4–6, 8, 10), clavinet (tracks 2, 4), electric piano (tracks 6–8), moog synthesizer (tracks 2, 5, 6, 9, 12), harmonica (tracks 1, 2, 6, 7), drums (track 5), percussion (tracks 5, 10), thumb piano (track 5), rhumba box (track 5), xylophone (track 7), turntables (track 9), echoplex (track 12)
  • Dust Brothers – turntables (tracks 1, 2, 6, 8, 12), drum machine (tracks 6, 12)
  • Joey Waronker – drums (tracks 3, 6, 9, 13), percussion (tracks 3, 9, 12, 13), chimes (track 9)
  • Mike Millius – scream (track 3)
  • Mike Boito – organ (tracks 8, 10, 12), clavinet (track 6), trumpet (track 8)
  • David Brown – saxophone (track 8)
  • Money Mark – organ (track 8)
  • Greg Leisz – pedal steel guitar (track 10)
  • Charlie Haden – upright bass (track 13)
  • Ross Harris – "(The Enchanting Wizard of Rhythm)" (track 2)

Production
  • Beck Hansen, Dust Brothers – production, mixing (exc. 9, 13, 14)
  • Beck Hansen, Brian Paulson, Mario Caldato, Jr. – production, mixing (9)
  • Tom Rothrock, Rob Schnapf – production, mixing (13)
  • Beck Hansen, Jon Spencer, Dust Brothers – production, mixing (14)
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Shauna O'Brien – coordination, production coordination
  • Mark Kates – A&R
  • John Silva – management

Artwork
  • Beck Hansen, Robert Fisher – art direction, design
  • Al Hansen, Manuel Ocampo, Zarim Osborn – collage images
  • Manuel Ocampo – inlay painting
  • Joan Ludwig – cover photography
  • Nitin Vadukul – photography of Beck

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[46] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[47] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[48] Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[49] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[51] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (June 8, 1996). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
  2. "Ask Billboard". Billboard. 2008-07-18. Archived from the original on 2008-08-01. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  3. "Q&A: Stephen Malkmus on New LP, Beck + More". 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
  4. "Beck's "All Original Collage" – the Artwork of 'Odelay' and How It Matches the Music within". 18 June 2016.
  5. Beck - Sessions At West 54th Sep 5th 1997 Complete, retrieved 2022-10-09
  6. "Hijacked Flavors - A Beck Concert Database". whiskeyclone.net. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  7. Beck “Novacane” on the Howard Stern Show (1997), retrieved 2022-10-09
  8. Watch Beck Win Best Male Rock Performance For "Where It's At" In 1997 | GRAMMY Rewind, retrieved 2022-10-09
  9. Beck Devil's Haircut Later With Jools Holland 1997, retrieved 2022-10-09
  10. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Odelay – Beck". AllMusic. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  11. Kot, Greg (June 27, 1996). "Beck's Whimsical 'Odelay' A Musical Smorgasbord". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  12. Smith, Ethan (June 21, 1996). "Odelay". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  13. Romney, Jonathan (June 21, 1996). "Music: This week's pop CD releases". The Guardian.
  14. Scribner, Sara (June 16, 1996). "Beck Takes Quirkiness to New, High-Tech Level". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  15. "Reviews" (PDF). Music Week. June 8, 1996. p. 30. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  16. Cameron, Keith (June 22, 1996). "Beck – Odelay". NME. Archived from the original on October 16, 2000. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  17. Schreiber, Ryan (June 1996). "Beck: Odelay". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 3, 2002. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  18. Dombal, Ryan (29 January 2008). "Beck: Odelay: Deluxe Edition Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  19. Kemp, Mark (June 13, 1996). "Odelay". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  20. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Beck". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 55–56. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  21. Morris, Chris (July 1996). "Beck: Odelay". Spin. 12 (4): 87. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  22. Christgau, Robert (September 17, 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
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