Artist – Album: Eels – Beautiful Freak
Released: 13th
August 1996
Sounds Like: Witty and charming oddballs
Reknowned music critic Robert Christgau hasn’t half dropped
some clangers during his lengthy career. He infamously pissed off both Lou Reed
and Sonic Youth enough for them to blast him in song (the latter with a tune known
as ‘I Killed Christgau with My Big
Fucking Dick’), whilst his dislike of heavy metal is legend. A selection of
his most questionable reviews include the unhappy face granted to Weezer’s
brilliant self titled debut, a patently ridiculous “A” for the Black Eyed Peas
album The E.N.D and a “B-“ for Radiohead’s OK Computer, widely held to be one
of the greatest albums of all time (from his review: “Radiohead wouldn't know a tragic hero if they were cramming for their
A levels, and their idea of soul is Bono, who they imitate further at the risk
of looking even more ridiculous than they already do.”) Universally adored
albums such as Guided by Voices’ Alien Lanes, U2’s Achtung Baby and Metallica’s
Metallica (the Black album) have all received the lowest “bomb” rating. Such
mistakes are understandable; after all, Christgau’s been doing this for years,
and nobody’s perfect. But his routine dismissal of the Eels is borderline a
vendetta. Four albums reviewed, three bombed, including this glorious debut.
The brainchild of
one Mark E Everett, the Eels specialise in creating bleakly comical indie rock
tunes, and the best known tracks here – ‘Novocaine for the Soul’, ‘Susan’s
House’, ‘My Beloved Monster’ and ‘Your Lucky Day in Hell’ (which
features the splendid lyrics “waking up with an ugly face: Winston Churchill in
drag) – are brilliant. The rest of the album consists mostly of stately,
beautiful piano led ballads such as the title track ‘Beautiful Freak’ and
‘Spunky’, although the tempo picks up on the likes of ‘Rags to Rags’.
Quite what Robert
Christgau didn’t like about this album, I couldn’t say – “bomb” rated albums
apparently aren’t worthy of further comment – but, I’m telling you, he had a
shocker.
Albumaday... rating:
8/10
1. Novocaine
for the Soul – 3:08
2. Susan’s
House – 3:43
3. Rags
to Rags – 3:53
4. Beautiful
Freak – 3:34
5. Not
Ready Yet – 4:46
6. My
Beloved Monster – 2:13
7. Flower
– 3:38
8. Guest
List – 3:13
9. Mental
– 4:01
10. Spunky
– 3:11
11. Your
Lucky Day in Hell – 4:28
12. Manchild
– 4:05
Listen to ‘Spunky’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHVvBx-SQAY
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Also released on the 13th August:
1990: Pixies - Bossanova
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