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Midnite Vultures
Beck
Retail Price (not our price): $13.98
Release Date: 1999-11-23
Manufacturer: Interscope Records
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
When Beck mangles folk, hip-hop, country, blues, and lo-fi rock into a unique sonic species, he pays homage to his influences in a way that is utterly entertaining. Indeed, the alt-rock vagabond is responsible for some of the 1990s' most indispensable music. In his lesser moments, however, Beck's attempts at emulating his preceptors fall flat, creating only B-grade versions of the genuine articles. Midnite Vultures splits down the middle between the great Beck and the not-so-great Beck. About half the album gorges on retro pulp fiction, a "Becksploitation," if you will, where his relatively straightforward impersonations shortchange his influences. On the slow-burn soul tracks "Peaches and Cream" and "Debra" or the 808-driven tributary "Hlwd. Freaks," he lacks the pipes, heart, and history to pass as a legitimate double-breasted soul man or old-school rapper. The other half, finding Beck in his element, is exhilarating. His unfaltering studio mastery is especially evident on standouts such as the horn-punched "Sexx Laws," the steamy, slap-bass-blasted "Nicotine and Gravy," and the wah-wah bombast of "Mixed Bizness." The album proves that Beck playing the straight-up funkateer will never match ranks with the raw talents of Marvin Gaye, George Clinton, or Prince, but as long as he adheres to more inventive genre splicing, he remains compelling in his own right. --Beth Massa

2) Album Details
Special Very Limited CD Digipak.

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) The beginning of the end   [Rating: 3 out of 5]
This album could have been a classic. If only Beck would have somehow managed to create an entire album as compelling as the first three songs on Midnite Vultures. At the time of its release, I simply considered this album to be a failed experiment. What I didn't realize until Sea Change was that the first three songs on Midnite Vultures would prove to be a last hurrah for one of my favorite musical performers. From Sea Change on, the man who was arguably the most consistently brilliant musician of the nineties became (it pains me to say this) mediocre. I say this even though I am still a huge fan. I would like more than anything to see Beck make the greatest album of the 2000's. But, I fear, success has made Beck a little too comfortable. Damn. One last thing. So many people seem to be calling Debra a "classic." Uh, well... If you want a good laugh it's a classic. As a song, it's a little lacking. The song gets compared to prince, possibly one of the prince slow jams like "adore" or "international lover." But I noticed quite a similarity (musically) to David Bowie's Young Americans era soul ballads. In fact, Bowie was also extremely hit-and-miss when it came to "blue-eyed-soul." Perhaps Mr. Beck Hansen was paying tribute to the thin white duke by making this album so sporadic. Who knows?

2) Beautiful Way of Beck   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Still a favorite.Midnite vultures is great songs.Beck's sounds are unique and sometimes exotic.Wonderful listening to the odd poetry .It's vast,it's spacey and genuine sounds. have you hooked and that isn't a bad thing in this case.

3) Oh, brother!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
If you love Guero, you are doing yourself a great disservice by not listening to this album. Beck is a musical genius, bar none."Get Real Paid" is unlike anything else on this planet. And let us not forget the trio of pleasure pairs: "Nicotine & Gravy," "Milk & Honey," and "Peaches & Cream" - the last being my personal favorite. Sing it with me y'all: "Oh, ohh, ohhhhh! Peaches and cream!"

4) graffiti where you've never been kissed   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Even for Beck, this release follows a rampant stream of consciousness. I love that flow, but I can see where it would grate for some people. I remain fascinated by his ability to pick such smart yet absurd lyrics and set them to incredibly tight rhythms. Pure sonic satire, I tell you. It's rich.

5) A different side of Beck   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This album was designed to be a little more out there than some of his other projects. It's got some great upbeat tunes that will get stuck in your head, but look for Guero or Odelay first.