Editor’s Note: From Albumism’s inception back in 2016, we’ve remained unabashedly and unequivocally passionate about our mission of celebrating the world's love affairs with albums past, present and future.
But while our devotion to the album as an art form has remained steadfast, as evidenced by our deepening repository of individual album tributes and reviews, we’ve admittedly seldom taken the opportunity to explicitly articulate our reverence for the virtues of artists’ complete album repertoires as a whole.
Hence why we’ve decided to showcase what we believe to be the most dynamic discographies of all time in this recurring series. In doing so, we hope to better understand the broader creative context within which our most beloved individual albums exist, while acknowledging the full breadth of their creators’ artistry, career arcs, and overall contributions to the ever-evolving musical landscape.
We hope you enjoy this series and be sure to check here periodically for the latest installments.
BECK
Studio Albums: Golden Feelings (1993) / Stereopathetic Soulmanure (1994) / Mellow Gold (1994) / One Foot in the Grave (1994) / Odelay (1996) / Mutations (1998) / Midnite Vultures (1999) / Sea Change (2002) / Guero (2005) / The Information (2006) / Modern Guilt (2008) / Morning Phase (2014) / Colors (2017) / Hyperspace (2019)
Beck Hansen turned 50 years young last July. Despite joining the half-century club, he has managed to retain his youthful glow and endearing aloofness, seemingly not aging very much at all from the 23-year-old ragamuffin we all came to know and love by way of the “Loser” video back in ‘94
But, man, has his music matured over the past 27 years since Mellow Gold—his third album overall and first major-label effort—arrived. To date, his oeuvre is comprised of 14 studio albums overall, many of which have deservedly secured GRAMMY award nominations and wins, amidst consistent, near-universal critical plaudits. Each long player reflects the coalescence of his unrestrained genius, broad musical palette, and left-of-center lyrical adventurism, which have ensured that Beck’s music has remained wholly immune from cookie-cutter classifications.
Indeed, a convincing argument can be made that Beck’s kaleidoscopic songcraft is a genre unto itself. He has proven equally competent with higher-octane, beat-driven pop-rock confections (1996’s Odelay, 1999’s Midnite Vultures, 2005’s Guero, 2006’s The Information), subdued and contemplative guitar-driven Americana (1998’s Mutations, 2002’s Sea Change, 2014’s Morning Phase) and more atmospheric recent sonic trips (2017’s Colors, 2019’s Hyperspace).
In my long-form homage to Odelay, I suggest that Beck is among the few rare artists who are well suited to carry the torch of musical ingenuity and integrity that was dimmed by Prince’s passing back in 2016, and I stand by the claim, wholeheartedly.
Justin’s 3 Favorite Beck Albums of All Time:
1. Odelay (1996)
2. Sea Change (2002)
3. Mutations (1998)
VISIT Beck’s Official Store
LISTEN & WATCH: