Mutations

Easily in the top 3 or 4 best Beck records. Some days is my favorite.

Around 15 years ago, I bought this album from one of those “5 CDs for a penny each (+ $50 shipping)” companies. I was familiar with Beck’s bigger singles but hadn’t heard a single song from Mutations. It quickly became a Top 5 album for me. 15 years later, that hasn’t changed.To make things quick:- Variety variety of song styles- Top-tier musicians across the board- Evocative lyrics- No skip-worthy songsThe LP comes with a 7” with two singles, which are also interesting. I wasn’t expecting it so it was a very pleasant surprise.This album is worth your money. Stop messing about. Add it to your collection today, YOU SLIME!

great item

It is my opinion that the only things Beck needs to make a good album are his harmonica and his crazy lyrics. And this album is proof of that (although the harmonica isn't used often enough); there are no synthesizers, no pounding bass lines, no ear-piercing electric guitar solos. Instead, just acoustic guitars, and the voice of a generation's followed leader. Beck himself warned this release was not going to be alike Mellow Gold or Odelay. That is very true. This is more or less what Beck wished his early, early works (on 'albums' such as Stereopathetic Soulmanure and One Foot In The Grave) had sounded like: polished country/rock tunes. Despite what people will tell you, Mutations is a great, solid album that can be played from beginning to end without urges to skip songs--if you enjoy the softer, acoustic feel of Beck's music that was present in songs like "Ramshackle" and "Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997".The only song that can be mentioned beside Odelay, "Diamond Bollocks", is hidden at the end of the album, because Beck felt it was inferior to the rest of the tracks (fittingly so). It is a genius, six-minute free-for-all track that is really worth the price of this disc by its lonesome. But as for the rest of the album, just as much praise should be given, if not more. The main singles, "Tropicalia" and "Nobody's Fault But My Own", are both excellent, while it's the likes of "Bottle Of Blues", "Cold Brains" and "Sing It Again" that stand out as (unknown) gems. "Cold Brains" is simple, but catchy enough to get you singing along. "Bottle Of Blues", equally as catchy, swings through twang and extra-strange lyrics for five long minutes. And "Sing It Again" carries its beautiful dreariness into one of Beck's greatest harmonica solos of all-time. "Static" proves to be a terrific closer (if you exclude the hidden song), while "Dead Melodies" and "We Live Again" are very similar yet just as intriguing in their background music. Next, "Lazy Flies" seems to be an upbeat brother to "Tropicalia"; "Canceled Check" sounds like a Bob Dylan throwaway and "O Maria" frolics through some la-la-las and surprisingly brilliant trumpet work. Did you notice not one of the songs I talked about got bad marks? And that's all 12 tracks, including the hidden one.I guess I have to say if you're looking for another Odelay or Mellow Gold, that you will not find it here. But really, Midnite Vultures was an attempt at another Odelay, and look how well (or unwell, besides "Beautiful Way" and "Pressure Zone") that record turned out. Face it: there will never be another Odelay or another Mellow Gold. And there will also never be another Beck. So try to enjoy him no matter what he's doing. Take these songs for what they truly are--which are acoustically great tunes from an artist whose sense of direction is as off-the-wall as his lyrics. If you overlook this, it's nobody's fault but your own.

This is Beck's coming of age album. "Loser" was a single that was designed from the bottom up to be a hit single and "Mellow Gold" landed Beck right smack center of mainstream pop culture for an entire generation. His earlier recordings, featured in an album entitled "One Foot In The Grave," were evidence enough of his musical genius."Mellow Gold" might have represented an electro-acoustic adolescence for Beck. If that's the case, then "Mutations" was his rite of passage, a moment of maturation that moves beyond the playful tongue-in-cheek wittiness of his previous album. "Mutations" has dark, brooding moments with haunting melodies.His lyrics inspire curiosity and sadness. In one song, he sings, "Looking back on some dead world, that looks so new." We can't always be sure of his references or implications, but the music in this album is fascinating and darkly beautiful. His ambiguity of language is infectious and the compositions that he rests his words in are dynamic and graceful.With "Mutations," Beck has secured an important place in music history. This is a body of work that really goes far beyond album sales and radio play. The arrival of this album shows us an artist finding a moment of clarity and touching the world with his craft.

This is a favorite record of mine in Beck's oeuvre. Every song has its place, the mood is very chilled and consistent, and the lyrics are engaging and creative. Famed producer Nigel Godrich and Beck sink into each other's strengths producing one of the most memorable albums of the last 50 years.This stands with any of his full albums as a worthwhile piece of music. Really, Beck could do no wrong in this era, but this was something else. An album you didn't think could be better than Mellow Gold or Odelay, but it somehow eclipsed them both for sheer consistency and playfulness.It was album after album of high quality, so I guess Mutations remains a distinctly low-key piece with the masses, but it sustains with grand ambitions and a style he would never really repeat. I still like the Beck from this era best, so you can't go wrong picking this up for cheap. An essential record.

I've recently set my phone to shuffle the entire Beck collection and while "Mutations" is not my favorite Beck album all the songs fit in seamlessly with the overall experience. Beck, IMO, is a musical and lyrical genius and not only are his songs parts of a greater whole on each album, each album is a part of the greater overall collection. Hence, I definitely think this should be in your Beck collection and if you're more of a fan of Mellow Gold than his newer stuff you will definitely not be disappointed.