BECK – RECORD CLUB: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO (Online)

Hundreds of bands have unsuccessfully covered The Velvet Underground but here Beck and friends manage to successfully pull off a whole album in a day to spectacular effect.

Available online as part of Beck’s Record Club series, a venture which sees him and some famous friends (including MGMT and Wilco, to name but two) head into the studio for a day and aim to recreate a classic album, this record brims with raw creativity, fun and inventiveness. The most exciting thing about this is hearing Beck be Beck again, rather than sticking to his rigid MOR electronica he’s knocked out of late. This ragtag, ramshackle album is in the true spirit of the Velvets and pre-‘Loser’ Beck: the mixing of avant noise and melody. It’s a rush to listen to and the tender moments, the spectacular opener ‘Sunday Morning’ being one of them, are effortlessly stunning too. The newly electronic ‘Run Run Run’ is another lo-fi masterstroke and signals Beck finally getting back in his stride. Like the original album it’s a heady ride but worth every second.

Hear it at www.recordclub.beck.com

-TC

Tags: Beck, Nico, The Velvet Underground
Posted in Reviews