Very few masters get their due while they are still alive, that goes double for artists and musicians. However, when a musician proves himself consistently, it is inevitable that they get to use the spotlight for their own purposes. A dozen years after its first release, Beck has gone back to the drawing board for Odelay, by far his most definitive album. The result is a classic redefined, tweaked slightly to make it more of an audio enigma than it once was.
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Beck
|  Entertainment
Art
" Odelay Deluxe Edition"
(Geffen Records)
Released January 29, 2008
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It takes guts to re-master and redefine your own work. Many artists let their ego get in the way of artistic integrity and refuse to go back to earlier albums. Nevertheless, like Alfred Hitchcock before him, Beck creates a new classic out of an old one.
Unlike a standard re-issue, this deluxe edition contains an extra 20 songs unheard on the first album. Odelay is without a doubt Beck at his best, though far from his prime. Released in 1996, Beck was still fresh on the music scene and just starting to make a name for himself. After Odelay the alternative rock scene would never be the same.
On the deluxe edition, Beck lets himself go wild and seriously mess with the tracks. The previously unreleased “Infero” and “Gold Chains” are classic Beck. Of course any attempt to try and define the music is futile at best. Beck makes a business of being as abstract as possible, while still keeping things fresh and original. His ability to sample from every possible source allows him to paint with all the colors.
That is not to say that this album is for everyone, but everyone will find something to enjoy. Beck is a master sampler and takes from just about everywhere on Odelay. Each song becomes a rollercoaster of different genres and styles.
This being said, not everything on the album works. The UNKLE remix of “Where It’s At” seems to drain the energy out of a typically happy song. “Richards Hairpiece” suffers the same fate. This song is also a remix, this time by the Aphex Twins. On the other end of the spectrum is “American Wasteland”, also a remix of “Devil’s Haircut” but this time set to punk rock. It is as if Beck has let us in on his creative process showing us some possible variations of well-loved songs. Some work, others do not. The outcome feels like a drive down memory lane while tripping on acid.
As deluxe editions go, this compilations is well worth it. It is everything you wanted to know about Beck but were too afraid to ask. From “Where It’s At” to “Jack-Ass” all the greats are complied in one place. Even the stray song “Deadweight,” previously only found on the A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack. Like a good wedding, Beck puts in the proper mix of old and new without getting pretentious.
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