# Best album by Beck?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-by-beck/161085>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 13, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-by-beck/161085 "2003-03-13T13:48:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-by-beck/161085/21 "2003-03-14T01:47:12Z")

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I liked the one with that guy who sat in…you know, playing the washboard? What’s his name…Bender?

😃

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**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-by-beck/161085/22 "2003-03-14T07:36:43Z")

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_Sea Change_ is a GREAT album. I’d say it’s Beck’s best, followed by _Odelay_.

The thing about Sea Change is, it’s not a party album. You have to listen to it. The complexity in the songs is in the backgrounds, the textures, the layering, and the lyrics.

And **Lost Cause** may be the most beautiful sad song of the last ten years.

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**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-by-beck/161085/23 "2003-03-14T08:31:26Z")

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My favorite is Sea Change, but like others have mentioned, it’s not the most uplifting of albums. He wrote it during/shortly after breaking up with a long time girlfriend so you can imagine where the songs all go. They do tend to sound somewhat alike after a while, but they’re all good IMO. I despise country music, but even his nearness to that genre on certain tracks doesn’t dissuade me.

Odelay is probably your best bet as a new listener though. He runs that gamut of genres and gives you a good feel for his range and talent as a musician and song crafter.

I only recently started listening to Mutations and I’m still in the in between phase about how I feel about it so I can’t recommend it.

Midnight Vultures is just… weird. Whoever said you’re better off getting a Prince album is right.

Can’t speak of any of the others as I’m not overly familiar with any of them.

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**Author:** ![jharek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9dc877/32.png) [@jharek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharek)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-by-beck/161085/24 "2003-03-14T11:48:30Z")

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Sea Change is a very good album. I’d say it’s Beck’s finest, followed by Odelay.

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**Author:** ![HoldenCaulfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)\
**Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-album-by-beck/161085/25 "2003-03-14T14:09:51Z")

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Ooh…I forgot to mention that my favorite song on Mutations is “Bottle of Blues.” In fact, I must go listen to it right now.

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