Odelay is the fifth
studio album by American musician
Beck, released on June 18, 1996, by
DGC Records. The album featured several successful
singles, including "
Where It's At", "
Devils Haircut", and "
The New Pollution", and peaked at number sixteen on the
Billboard 200. As of July 2008, the album had sold 2.3 million copies in the United States, making Odelay Beck's most successful album to date.[2] Since its release, the album has appeared in numerous publications' lists of the greatest of the 1990s and of all time.
Recording
The sessions for what would become Odelay originally began as a subdued,
acoustic affair. In 1994, Beck started to record tracks for his follow-up to Mellow Gold with
Bong Load producers
Tom Rothrock and
Rob Schnapf. Only the tracks "Ramshackle", "Feather in Your Cap", and "Brother" from these sessions have been released, all of which are acoustic, sparse, and melancholic. He would eventually abandon work with Rothrock and Schnapf, opting to work with the
Dust Brothers instead. The Dust Brothers' production style was
hip-hop-focused yet more layered; their résumé included notable work with
Beastie Boys,
Tone Lōc and
Young MC.
Title and artwork
The title is a phonetic English rendering of the
Mexicanslang interjection "órale", which translates roughly to "listen up" or "what's up?"[citation needed] The phrase "odelay" is repeated in the lyrics during the
outro of the song "Lord Only Knows". According to
Stephen Malkmus, the title is a pun on Oh Delay, since the album took very long to record.[3] The album's cover is a photo of a
Komondor, a rare
Hungarian breed of dog with a heavy, corded coat, jumping over a hurdle. The original photo was shot by canine photographer Joan Ludwig (1914–2004) for the July 1977 issue of the
American Kennel Club’s Gazette.[4]
Tour
The promotional tour for the album began in May–June 1996, appearing in several record stores and radio stations in the
U.S. Throughout the rest of the year followed numerous U.S. tours and European festival dates.
As the tour continued into 1997, Beck began playing larger venues in America. The tour unofficially ended on September 5th, 1997, with a taped band performance at "Sessions at West 54th" in
New York,[5] after over 150 shows from July '96 until September '97.[6]
^Some copies include a
hidden track "Computer Rock" after "Ramshackle". Total length increases from 51:26 to 54:13.
^Some copies made in the European community include "Diskobox" as a bonus track.
Deluxe edition
On January 29, 2008, Odelay – Deluxe Edition was released.[27] The two-disc set contains the original album, plus 19 B-sides, remixes and previously unreleased songs. The liner notes feature complete lyrics and artwork as well as an essay from
Thurston Moore and the transcript of 15 high school students interviewed by
Dave Eggers. The cover art was deliberately edited to appear as if it was a personalized copy of the album, with stickers carelessly half-ripped off and various doodles on it (such as a face drawn on the dog and rainbows behind it) and including the phrase "Property of Michael" written on the back. The exclusion of "Diskobox" may have been done as a deliberate nod to the cover art having the 'strictly limited edition bonus track' sticker partly torn off.
"Diskobox", which appeared on the original UK and Japanese pressings of Odelay, was not included on the deluxe edition for unknown reasons. The Odelay sessions version of "Debra" (later re-recorded for Midnite Vultures) is also absent, despite initial statements to the contrary.
Some of the bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition (specifically "Deadweight" and "Clock") appear to be from
lossy (e.g.
MP3) sources. Some of the tracks included have been altered beyond simple remastering.[28] No official explanation for these changes has been given. Some of these alterations are listed below:
First CD:
"Hotwax" has a more double tracked vocal during the verses.
"The New Pollution" has the same synthesized beeps from the original version, but played at a different pitch.
"Sissyneck" has a slightly extended 'breakdown' part at around 2:00.
Bonus CD:
"Thunderpeel" is folded down to mono from the regular stereo version.
"Electric Music And The Summer People" is an alternate mix.
"Erase the Sun" runs at a faster speed (the original release may be slowed down).
"Trouble All My Days" is folded down to mono from the regular stereo version.[28]