The Official Needles and Grooves 1001 Album Generator Project (aka Preachin’ about the Preachers if today’s selection sucks)

TenderLovingKiller® said:
Just out of curiosity what album really got you into Beck? I think a lot of times how we regard certain albums is dependent on which album we first fell in love with.
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Since the beginning when I heard "Loser". I bought all four of those 1994 releases when they came out. I liked Mellow Gold, loved Odelay at the time of its release but I think Mutations, Midnite Vultures, Guero and Morning Phase are all better than his early work. Never really got into Sea Change. I don't know why. It's probably my wife's favorite album of all time.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Kinda disagree with this too. There was a time in the early 90s where the shit Beck was doing melding hip-hop/rock/folk (but in a good way) was on par with probably only The Beastie Boys in coolness factor. His persona was being cool as fuck and he pulled it off well. I even think he showed some growth too. The tropicalia stuff he did with Mutations and “Dead Weight” was brilliant and was right around the Time Air and Stereolab were leaning into their “space age bachelor pad” eras. His hipster take on James Brown funk with Midnight Vultures were all at the forefront of hipness. Over the past 15-20 years he hasn’t had much new to say and has repeated himself to varying degrees of effectiveness during that time frame but throughout most of the 90s Beck was a touchstone for many who enjoyed alternative culture from that time.

Beck was kind of a cypher in that he gathered all of these cool things together and turned it into something palatable for the masses.
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But that’s kind of his problem… he’s basically all style over substance. It’s fun but kind of disposable.
 
Bohnjaggs said:
Since the beginning when I heard "Loser". I bought all four of those 1994 releases when they came out. I liked Mellow Gold, loved Odelay at the time of its release but I think Mutations, Midnite Vultures, Guero and Morning Phase are all better than his early work. Never really got into Sea Change. I don't know why. It's probably my wife's favorite album of all time.
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Interesting. I find that I usually have more of a connection to albums that I loved first in real time. For me I really fell in love with Odelay and to this day it is still my favorite. I owned a cassette tape of Mellow Gold but I only really listened to “Loser” and “Beer Can” i didn’t get into the album as a whole until after I wore out my copy of Odelay. Then everything after I really enjoyed after to a varying degree until Modern Guilt at which point I had pretty much completely lost interest.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Interesting. I find that I usually have more of a connection to albums that I loved first in real time. For me I really fell in love with Odelay and to this day it is still my favorite. I owned a cassette tape of Mellow Gold but I only really listened to “Loser” and “Beer Can” i didn’t get into the album as a whole until after I wore out my copy of Odelay. Then everything after I really enjoyed after to a varying degree until Modern Guilt at which point I had pretty much completely lost interest.
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I can understand that. It’s artist dependent for me. I knew the Beasties from the get go, fell in love with Paul’s Boutique but Ill Communication is my favorite album by them. I fell in love with Common on One Day It Will All Make Sense, still my favorite. I fell in love with Punch Brothers with Who is Feeling Young Now but The Phosphorescent Blues is on of my top ten all time albums. Beck - I hated Mellow Gold have come to appreciate it. Odelay was where I was like “okay this is cool” and I’ve only been listening to Sea Change for ten years or so and I would say they are neck and neck.
 
That was an album and that last song goes on for about ten days is my reaction to an initial listen last night.

I’ll give it another listen some time today.

I think this an example of why I’m not bigger into psych (and prog)… you hear good stuff (dig that Dragonfly record that Noble just did) and you’re like “yes!” and then you hear stuff like this and it all seems daunting especially given the stature of this album.

I don’t know though, I’m weird. I’m still trying to figure out why everybody loves that Zombies record.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
A friend from high school had a family tradition where they played this album on Christmas Eve while they decorated their tree every year. They had done it for his entire life without remarking on it at all. He was 18 when it suddenly clicked for him that this is not a Christmas album.
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I imagine the origin story of this tradition is similar to the origin story of the title track.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
A friend from high school had a family tradition where they played this album on Christmas Eve while they decorated their tree every year. They had done it for his entire life without remarking on it at all. He was 18 when it suddenly clicked for him that this is not a Christmas album.
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I wouldn't be surprised if some of my friends had this tradition growing up. Some of their dads were obsessed with this album and played it constantly. Pure Michigan men.
 
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