So why is Beck’s Midnite Vultures on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
One of theOne of the many great pleasures in a Beck album is both how lived-in and natural he sounds in the genres he inhabits, and then how audaciously far he’s willing to push the sonic boundaries while he’s at it.
To say much of his music is “homage” is perhaps slightly unfair because of how strikingly original it is. And most importantly: exciting and fun, too.
Which is to say that Midnite Vultures is one hell of a ride, mashing up party music, hip-hop, soul, funk, and weirdo electronic flourishes at turns.
“Sexx Laws,” the opening track, lets you know exactly what you’re in for. It’s a horn-driven upbeat number with the vintage feels of something out of an old school Las Vegas show. And the lyrics as ever* make absolute ecstatic sense and yet hold no discernible meaning at the same time, a delirious riff fest that offers an endless litany of word fragments that bounce around frenetically in your brain.
* At least apart from albums like Sea Change and Morning Phase (#788 of best 1,000 albums ever) that play in much more straight-ahead earnest territory.
A great example of this is on “Hollywood Freaks,” which contains some of my all-time favorite Beck riffing/hip-hop lyrics. Example:
Satin sheets
Tropical oils
Turn up the heat
Till the swimming pool boils
Let all the neighbors
Read it in the papers
Making all those gentlemen cry
Realistic tears
And:
Jockin’ my Mercedes
Probably have my baby
Shop at Old Navy
He wish he was a lady
Related: “Hollywood Freaks” might be my all-time favorite Beck hip-hop song – yes, that includes “two turntables and a…” It’s a bonkers freak fest more than a straight up rap track, and that’s what makes it so special.
But then “Mixed Bizness” is my favorite party track on Midnite Vultures. This one just sizzles.
I’m not quite as mesmerized by the the slower and more soulful tracks. Of those, my top choice is the off-kilter soul/blues of “Broken Train,” which sounds like it could have been a song that didn’t make the cut during the Odelay recording sessions.
Beck goes straight falsetto on “Debra,” a track which is one of the very few songs of his that I could do without. That being said, the chorus is straight up hilarious.
I want to get with you
And your sister
I think her name’s Debra
Pop culture stuff that’s somehow related to Beck’s Midnite Vultures
I’ve seen Beck live in concert twice to date. The first time was in support of Midnite Vultures. He’s always an incredible performer, but what stands out most is that ‘Debra’ was the closer – a long, extended jammer that ran at least ten minutes, maybe fifteen. Maybe that’s why I’m good on my time with “Debra” at this point!
The second time around was a little bit after the great Colors was released. It was an outdoor show on an absolutely exquisite summer night outside of Seattle. It was perhaps a year or two after I moved to Seattle from Southern California, and I recall thinking that that experience and atmosphere helped to solidify the fact that I had made the right decision to move to the Pacific Northwest.
Also, bonus: Beck put on a dynamite show!
Some stats & info about Beck – Midnite Vultures
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Dance Music, Alternative Pop, Funk
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars (!?)
- When was Midnite Vultures released? 1999
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #278 out of 1,000
Beck’s Midnite Vultures on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Beck’s Midnite Vultures that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Touch it real good if you want a piece. Party people know I’m that type of freak.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.