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Beck (2007)

Beck

Signed to label: Geffen
From: Los Angeles, California

Best known for his skewed take on pop music making use of a wide range of influences from hip-hop and rap to folk and alt. rock, the Grammy-winning Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell, so says Wikipedia, on July 8th, 1970)signed to Geffen after the successful release of a handful of independent records 'MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack', 'Steve Threw Up' and, most notably, 'Loser'.

Releasing his debut album Mellow Gold in 1994 and with the heavy rotation of 'Loser' worldwide putting his name on the musical map, charting high in both the US and the UK, Beck released two more albums in the ensuing few months, Stereopathic Soulmanure - a mixture of home demos and live recordings on Flipside - and One Foot In The Grave on K Records, which was recorded way back when Mellow Gold was just a glint in his eye.

If Mellow Gold laid the foundations for success, second album proper Odelay (1996) built the entire mansion in one fell swoop, winning a grammy along the way and making many end of year polls, and even Channel 4's list of 100 Greatest Albums.

Looking for an independent release once again to recapture the days of old, Beck recorded Mutations for Bong Load. Intended only as a stop-gap between the second and third album, Geffen muscled in and procured the rights to release it against the wishes of the artist. Beck attempted to sue both labels, whilst Geffen took him to court for breach of contract.

Beck's next proper effort did arrived a year later, in the form of Midnite Vultures (1999), supposedly originally entitled I Can Smell The VD In The Club Tonight, though that was alledgedly changed for mainstream appeal. The sleazy, brass-heavy album's highlight, lead single 'Sexxlaws', featured a man by the name of Jack Black in the video, having recently found success in a HBO TV series known as Tenacious D.

His position in skewed alt. pop forever cemented, Beck went back to his blues-folk roots for fifth album Seachange (2002) produced, as with the similarly-downbeat Mutations, by Nigel Godrich. 2005 heralded more bonkers pop with Guero, before returning in 2006 with the hip-hop tinged seventh offering The Information.

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