Lloyd, Blog 6

Beck is the mononymous name for Beck Hansen, who was born Bek Campbell in LA in 1970.
Beck’s music is considered Alternative Rock, but his claim to fame is his ability to blend many
music genres such as country, funk, electric, pop, hip hop, and psychedelia. In addition to this,
Beck’s lyrics are described as “oblique and ironic”. His creative experimentations brought him
great success among critics and the public.

In his teens, Beck performed at small venues such as coffee shops and clubs. In 1989, Beck
moved to NYC and became involved in an “anti-folk” movement-- although he was drawn
towards folk (as well as hip hop) in his youth. He moved back to LA a few years later, and
released his single “Loser”  in 1994, which became a hit worldwide. In 1996, his album
Odelay was nominated for Album Of The Year, and won 2 Grammys. His 1998 album
Mutations had a country sound, and his 1999 album Midnite Vultures had a funk sound. 

Beck continued to release albums throughout the 2000's and 2010's-- one of which won album
of the year, and another one won Best Alternative Album and Best Engineered album. Beck is
scheduled to release his 14th album by the end of 2019.

What I find most interesting about Beck is that after he released “Loser”, he feared that it would
become a one hit wonder, and during a music festival in California, Beck changed the lyrics to
the song so that no one could sing along to it-- while the drummer set fire to his cymbals, and
the guitarist held/played his guitar with the strings facing towards him. 

What is also interesting is that Beck’s albums seemed to gain more recognition and praise as
years (even decades) passed from his major hit single “Loser”. 

"Loser" 1994:

"Blue Moon" 2014: