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Post by jefflynnenut on Aug 10, 2015 8:57:21 GMT
Sea Change is the fifth official studio album and eighth overall by American alternative rock artist Beck, released on September 24, 2002. Recorded over a two-month period at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles with producer Nigel Godrich, the collection includes themes of heartbreak and desolation, solitude and loneliness. "Lost Cause" and "Guess I'm Doing Fine" were released as singles.
For the record, much of Beck's trademark recondite and ironic lyrics were replaced by more sincere, simpler lyrical content. He also eschewed the heavy sampling of his previous albums for live instrumentation. When interviewed, Beck cited the breakup with his longtime girlfriend as the major influence on the album. Sea Change peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, later being certified gold in March 2005 by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The album received positive critical acclaim upon release, and it has continued to grow in stature since its release, featuring in several 'best of the decade' and 'best of all-time' lists. Reviewers praised the change in style from sonically experimental to simple and emotional.
All songs written and composed by Beck Hansen.
No. Title Length
1. "The Golden Age" 4:35
2. "Paper Tiger" 4:36
3. "Guess I'm Doing Fine" 4:49
4. "Lonesome Tears" 5:38
5. "Lost Cause" 3:47
6. "End of the Day" 5:03
7. "It's All in Your Mind" 3:06
8. "Round the Bend" 5:15
9. "Already Dead" 2:59
10. "Sunday Sun" 4:44
11. "Little One" 4:27
12. "Side of the Road" 3:23
Credits for Sea Change adapted from AllMusic.[1]
Musicians
Beck Hansen – vocals, acoustic guitar, background vocals, electric guitar, percussion, synth, glockenspiel, banjo, harmonica, keyboards, piano, string arrangement, wurlitzer
Smokey Hormel – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic slide guitar, percussion, background vocals, bamboo saxophone, megamouth, piano, tape recorder
Justin Meldal-Johnsen – electric bass, upright bass, percussion, background vocals, glockenspiel, electric guitar, piano
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. – clavinet, synth, background vocals, percussion, piano, wurlitzer, banjo, Indian banjo, glockenspiel, harmonium
Joey Waronker – drums, percussion, background vocals, beatbox drums
James Gadson – drums
Jason Falkner – electric guitar, background vocals, percussion
David Campbell – string arrangement, conducting
Nigel Godrich – keyboards, percussion, string treatment, synth
Suzie Katayama – cello
Production
Nigel Godrich– production, engineering, mixing
Paul Bishow – executive producer
Darrell Thorp – assistant engineering
Bob Ludwig – mastering
Elliot Scheiner – SACD/DVD-A surround sound mix
Artwork
Autumn de Wilde – cover photo(s)
Jeremy Blake – artwork
Kevin Reagan, Beck – art direction, design
Ekaterina Kenney – creative director
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Post by jrmugz on Aug 10, 2015 14:33:52 GMT
Cool, never heard this guy's stuff unless he's the guy who sings the "light another cigarette and blow it away" song?
Looking forward to hearing what this cat is all about finally. Look for my thoughts later in the week.
Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Aug 10, 2015 16:24:21 GMT
I like Beck but I've never heard an album.
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Post by unomusette on Aug 10, 2015 19:50:59 GMT
Great chance to hear some Beck material, I know he's well thought of by fellow musicians so now I can find out why
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Post by Chippa on Aug 10, 2015 20:54:18 GMT
Oh, man. I haven't sat down and listened to this album in a long time! Love me some Beck...here goes....
The Golden Age - Gorgeous opener, with some very nice acoustic and slide guitar work. It's always reminded me of early Pink Floyd, for some reason. Probably my favorite Beck song, ever.
Paper Tiger - I love Beck's upfront vocals, and everything going on in the background of this song. Fantastic production on this track, courtesy of Nigel Godrich (who also produced Paul McCartney's excellent "Chaos and Creation In The Backyard") .
Guess I'm Doing Fine - Beautiful folk-strummer. This song sounds like the musical equivalent of a long, quiet stretch of endless highway. Good stuff.
Lonesome Tears - Fantastic string section, here. Almost prog sounding, in parts. Really nice, evocative feel.
Lost Cause - Summery, 70's feel, with quirky backwards bits. Another damn fine song.
End of the Day - Great bass, on this song. Melodically, it's not the greatest, but the interesting production makes up for that slightly.
It's All in Your Mind - Probably the least interesting song on the album. Still, some nice stuff going on.
Round the Bend - Dramatic sounding musical landscapes, with some haunting vocals.
Already Dead - Parts of the melody remind me of "No Rain" by Blind Melon. More stellar acoustic guitar work.
Sunday Sun - Beck's vocals here kind of remind me of Jeff Lynne, in parts. Sort of a Middle Eastern vibe, with Beach Boys backing harmonies.
Little One - Psychedelic sounding little song. Trippy....haha.
Side of the Road - Not crazy about this one, but it has it's moments that save it from being outright bad.
Overall, I give this album 8/10. Very different sounds here, from Beck. I imagine if all people knew Beck from was "Loser", then listened to this, they'd think it was a different guy. Thanks for this, JLN! Really good stuff.
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Post by Helmut83 on Aug 10, 2015 23:16:17 GMT
I was so unaware of this Beck's existence that when I saw the title I thought it was a Jeff Beck album. Let's see what they are all about...
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Post by jrmugz on Aug 12, 2015 14:43:05 GMT
OK, here is my review of Beck "Sea Changes" "The Golden Age" - Much like Dire Straits' "Wild West End" song though can use a little more development and light-heartedness. "Paper Tiger" - Musically interesting, I like the weaving chorus as well. "Guess I'm Doing Fine" - Nice chords, a little too self-centered and introverted lyrically. This guy needs to start looking out rather than in, so much. "Lonesome Tears" - Continues with the theme of loss. At this point seems like the producer should get a lot of credit for the album sound as well. "Lost Cause" - I like this one the best so far. "End of the Day" - Snore-a bore-a self destroy ya, as Ray Davies might say. "It's All in Your Mind" - OK song, hard to keep attention to it. "Round the Bend" - What does this song remind me of? "Within You Without You", why I'm not sure. I want to NOT like it, but for some reason, I do. "Already Dead" - This reminds me of the feel of the very first Bruce Cockburn album. Mostly dreamy acoustic songs like this. Now this one is my fave, edged out "Lost Cause". "Sunday Sun" - Doesn't really hook me and reel me in; but it's OK relaxing background music, like the sitar-ish stuff. "Little One" - An OK song that can use a little more development on the chorus, and can be a little more happier sounding while expressing the same sentiments. "Side of the Road" - Like "Round the Bend", I initially want to pan it, but I kind of like it a lot, not sure why. Star Rating: 4.2 out of 5 Prime Cuts: "Lost Cause", "Round the Bend", "Already Dead", "Side of the Road" Bottom Line: A strong effort in the vein of the serious-depressed Cobain sound, so would appeal to those who like that kind of music, like Chad Kroeger, etc. On the first listen, I really didn't like his singing; but on second listen, I get it a little better and it started to grow on me a lot more. It seems like sometimes he tries to keep the Cobain-ish serious tone a little too much, maybe at how the songs should more naturally sound. Taken as a whole, it's a therapeutic kind of album, kind of confronts the whole loss and darkness thing, which does help us get to the light eventually. I guess in the end the CD just is what it is, and it is very unified for sure. And it's hard to argue with the quality of the songs and the production, so I can see why it is critically-acclaimed. Thanks for opening me up to another new artist, JLN, will mark you down for a couple months from now. Jim
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Post by unomusette on Aug 12, 2015 21:53:40 GMT
The Golden Age - Understated opener, sounds more like a song to round things off. Nice atmospheric vocal sound but it never really takes off for me. The ending is quirky though, like those old TV's that used to whizz down to a white dot when you turned them off. Paper Tiger - More interesting, I think it's the strings giving it some drama. But it's still very low key and laid back with no obvious musical direction or high point. Guess I'm Doing Fine - Another slowie, songs paced like this can be a great way of showing off a good voice but three in a row is a bit unexciting. As a newcomer to Beck's work I can't say I'm grabbed. Lonesome Tears - Sounds like the same song carrying on, golly he WAS feeling down in the dumps wasn't he? The vocal reminds me of Thomas Walsh, of Pugwash fame, on this one. The string outro reminds me of ELO too. Lost Cause - Interesting intro, bit of backwards music there which is always a winner. Better tempo on this one for me and I like the acoustic vibe. End of the Day - ...aaaaand it's back to that sludgy trudge again. I'm sure I've heard other songs by Beck which are more lively, but he's an artist and as such if he's feeling gloomy it's going to manifest itself in his output. This really doesn't do much for me. It's All in Your Mind - Passed me by completely, I am trying, really. Round the Bend - Trippy number, much better. Reminds me of something John Martyn might have done, and that's a good thing. Best song so far. Already Dead - Folky sound here with the acoustic guitar and upfront vocal. I just wish it would get a move on and get livelier. Sunday Sun - Bit more promising. More Walsh-style vocals, it's interesting how many tones he can produce from song to song. This album is at its best when it's doing the psychadelic aspect like this. Nice mayhem outro. Little One - Strange chords in this one make it out of the ordinary, a bit like those odd tracks Nirvana used to come up with. Good 'un. Side of the Road - Nice acoustic intro and the whole song sounds pleasantly original compared to a lot of what's come before, good to finish like this. Beck has a solid reputation and I was really expecting to enjoy this album. It would be perfect to put on if you were in the appropriate mood, or just wanted some undemanding, pleasant-sounding backdrop whilst you did something else. The strings make it very lush-sounding and soothing. But for me a lot of it was disappointingly un-happening; I appreciate he was suffering as a result of a break-up but I've heard music by other artists in similar situations which conveyed not only the hurt but also the anger and spite and determination to either win the person back or forge a whole new life without them. This album made me want to take him by the shoulders and give him a good hard shake, which is probably very unfeeling of me, sorry, Beck old son. I'd give it 4 out of 10, however I'm pretty sure I'd be more impressed with some of his other output when he was feeling more positive. And don't forget! My opinion means nothing - I was recently bored to death by Alt-J and genuinely couldn't believe that most of a massive festival crowd loved them, or that later I discovered they are multi-award winning. Not to mention, some people actually adore U-Poo, what's that all about? Thanks for giving me the chance to sample Beck anyway, jefflynnenut
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Post by 88keys on Aug 12, 2015 22:44:35 GMT
After two weeks of really bad albums, this was a refreshing change.
This is Beck's experimental album, no doubt. And it works! He must have been heavily influenced by Nick Drake around this time.
While the album is definitely more on the down side of things, it's not exactly depressing like, say, Elliott Smith is. Instead it's more slanted towards being apathetic, no better exemplified than by the third track, with the very straightforward title "Guess I'm Doing Fine." Because of the somewhat lighter feeling of reluctant acceptance, this album is more relaxing and even calming than other releases by other artists along this same vein.
Maybe another reason this album is relaxing is because Beck himself sounds a little worn out. He even states that he's "tired of fighting, tired of fighting for a lost cause." He sounds beaten and defeated. But somehow still, I find comfort in those words instead of worry or pain.
Not only is Beck in top form musically on Sea Change, lyrically he's at his most poetic and profound. He certainly sets the tone on the opener "Golden Age" with "These days I barely get by, I don't even try." And on "End of the Day" he profoundly points out that "You owe nothing to the past but wasted time, to serve a sentence that was only in your mind." I worry sometimes how guilty I am of this, but at least I'm not alone. I should also mention that said song also has one of my favorite basslines of all-time.
Lyrical gems are scattered throughout in every single track.
The more I listen to this album (which has become pretty frequently) the more each song has become a standout to me. It's become an album for me that with each new track I have that sense of "oh I love this song." Those kind of albums are rare but so fulfilling when they come along.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2015 20:00:54 GMT
Beck seems to be channeling his inner Nick Drake and Bob Dylan on this record.
The Golden Age, Sunday Sun, and Lost Cause are the big standout songs. Paper Tiger sounds like another very well known song, but I can't remember which one! I'm sure it will come to me in a year or so. LOL.
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Post by Helmut83 on Aug 15, 2015 5:36:07 GMT
- The golden age: nice strumming on the acoustic guitar, nice slide guitar work and nice vocals. I like how well the track is worked between both channels of the stereo, the sound is well divided. The song is not the kind of album opener I would have chosen because it’s quite depressing, but not because being a bad song. In fact I think it’s a pretty good ballad.
- Paper tiger: great bass work on this one and the strings give it some exotic atmosphere. Stronger vocals at some point would have been needed IMO, he sang almost the whole song in the same weak tone. Despite that and the fact that the melody was too repetitive, I found it to be an interesting song, very original, maybe because of the title but it gives me visions of jungles or natural scenarios.
- Guess I’m doing fine: a similar kind of ballad to “The golden age” but not as good, plus they are placed too close to each other on the album. I need something groovier in between.
- Lonesome tears: not a kind of song that I’d like. Too slow, grey, depressing. The strings are the best part of it, but I don’t find much more too rescue here. And it’s too long IMO. The outro reminds me of the Beatles’ “A day in the life”.
- Lost cause: well, not an atomic bomb of energy but at last something more cheerful that wakes you up a bit. I really liked this little song, it has a good melody and a very interesting chords sequence featuring some descending bass note lines that contrast well with the voice melody.
- End of the day: at this point it needs to be said: too many slow, depressing songs together. This one had the same effect of “Guess I’m doing fine” and “Lonesome tears” on me.
- It’s all in your mind: no, not another slow one, please! Maybe it’s a bit better to the previous ones in terms of melody and it has an accordion that sounds nice, but at this point my ears don’t want to keep analyzing any more depressing ballads.
- Round the bend: this one seems to be the slowest, most boring and depressing of them all. I found it terrible, one of the most dull things I’ve ever heard, no exaggeration.
- Already dead: a bit less boring than the previous one, but still another slow, depressing ballad. I’d take one or two of these per album, but how many are we counting at this point?
- Sunday sun: finally, some relief! Still far from an explosion of musical joy, but at least something you can follow with a bit more attention than the previous stuff because it has some rhythm and a more well-shaped melody. Some slight latin influences on it. Nice percussion work with the bongos and those bells sounding in the backgrounds. Decent song, if a bit too long.
- Little one: original, somewhat strange song, a bit more pop than the rest of the album.
- Side of the road: well, at this point it wasn’t hard to guess that the album closer would be… yet another slow, depressing song. Nice slide guitar work, but not enough to make it sound interesting for me.
Well, to be sincere, this album was amongst the ones I liked least from the CD of the Week section (probably along with the one of Daft Punk). Almost all of it’s songs were slow and I found them extremely boring, and I don’t understand how someone could come up with an idea of making an album like this other than trying to seriously depress listeners. And what’s more, I’m pretty sure people paid attention to it because it’s author is an already well-known artist, because if someone came up with a debut album like this there’s no way they would go famous with it (didn’t Beck went famous with much more lively stuff, according to what you guys are saying?). But then again, the guy is probably a millionaire thanks in part to this album, so what do I know?
So all in all have to disagree with the American Guard on this one (maybe their praises made my expectations stand too high, but one way or another I would have disliked the album all the same): I didn’t like it at all. It seems apparent that the guy knows about music, the instrumentation was pretty good and the recording solid, but with those kind of songs there was no way for him to shine.
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Post by jrmugz on Aug 17, 2015 19:22:31 GMT
I concur with unomusette. I thought it was a good CD; but to me it was too unnecessarily dark. It's too introverted, IMHO. It's the whole Kurt Cobain dark and too self-centered mentality.
With Springsteen's "Darkness On the Edge of Town", he at least said he believes in the promised land and the hope and faith that can save him.
With the Taff one the other week, he was quoting psalms and old hymns and trying to find meaning in the bible and thinking about spiritual renewal, and saying "i still believe", etc.
Taking the CD as a whole though, I can think of it as one singular thought for dealing with things, and I might at least be a temporary consolation to someone going through the same kind of loss.
But dark as it is, it almost seems like it's contrived, because it seems like the human spirit has more natural inclination towards hope, and I think he squelched it on purpose a little too much.
Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Aug 17, 2015 19:31:37 GMT
... So all in all have to disagree with the American Guard on this one (maybe their praises made my expectations stand too high, but one way or another I would have disliked the album all the same): I didn’t like it at all. It seems apparent that the guy knows about music, the instrumentation was pretty good and the recording solid, but with those kind of songs there was no way for him to shine. Yeah, definitely a good musician and songwriter for sure. Would be interesting to hear a greatest hits of his sometime to get the full picture. Seems like Foo Fighters are another band everyone likes, but that I've found to be too serious. Hmm. Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Aug 19, 2015 15:17:48 GMT
1. The Golden Age – Lovely acoustic guitar – sounding very much like Gram Parsons here and that’s no bad thing. Very nice indeed. One of the best tunes I didn’t know I’ve heard this year. 2. Paper Tiger – Still has a bit of a country feel but crossed with a little Scott Walker with the strings.
3. Guess I'm Doing Fine – Another one with a country feel – I’m really liking this LP so far. Sounds here like one of the tracks from the Jesus and Mary Chain’s Stoned and Dethroned album.
4. Lonesome Tears – Strings again, very beautiful. In fact these strings sound very ELO-ish.
5. Lost Cause – More lovely acoustic guitar. One of my favourite tracks.
6. End of the Day – This one’s very laid back, almost a summery tune.
7. It's All in Your Mind – Another lovely laid back track.
8. Round the Bend – Even more laidback – a nice track to fall asleep to.
9. Already Dead - Another lovely song.
10. Sunday Sun – I like the piano here.
11. Little One – Another favourite, reminds me more of the Beck records I’ve heard before.
12. Side of the Road – Yet another lovely tune to end with.
I like this album a lot and it wasn't what I was expecting from knowing a few of Beck's singles. The album reminds me of a cross between a chill-out album and a country rock record.
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