Odds and Ends
Beck has released a short album mostly comprised of covers, plus a few rarities thrown in for good measure. As always, he mostly hits the mark, and who can resist an album that has Elvis, Hank Williams and Daniel Johnston songs together in one package.
The title track has been a staple song for Beck since covering it in the early noughties and suits his timbre beautifully. Following it up with Can’t Help Falling in Love (played fairly straight) compliments the crooner as you’d expect, and he rounds out the first half with The Flamingos I Only Have Eyes for You, played with plenty of reverb and vintage feel.
The album is separated by the only original, Ramona, a track he recorded for Scott Pilgrim vs The World. It’s a great tune that sits nicely in his noughties era sound.
The second half consists of another eclectic mix starting with Caetano Veloso’s Michelangelo Antonioni, played with haunting beauty, followed by Your Cheatin’ Heart, the Hank Williams classic. A fine song Beck plays with straight guitar but gives it less twang, more space.
To round out the album we get John Lennon’s Love, which he plays like it was one of his own, and the brilliant True Love Will Find You in the End. It’s a short track, and could be Daniel Johnston’s best, Beck playing it with the sweetness and delicacy it deserves.
It’s a nice little picture of Beck’s brain and inspiration without offering much new material. Definitely worth a listen, a definite for Beck fans.
Leave a Reply