This page will contain news stories about singer Beck, as they become available.

Beck

For other uses, see Beck (disambiguation).

Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell, July 8, 1970) is an American musician and songwriter.

Biography

Beck Hansen was born in Los Angeles, California to parents, David Campbell, a musician, and Bibbe Hansen, a visual artist. When his parents separated, he stayed with his mother and brother in LA, where he was influenced by that city's diverse musical offerings—everything from hip-hop to Latin music—and his mother's art scene – all of which would later reappear in his recorded and published work.

Beck's music is often considered to be typical of much popular alternative music of the 1990s with its disdain for genre conventions, obtuse and ironic lyrics, and the melding of samples with played instruments. However, what set him apart from rock groups such as Mr. Bungle and avant garde composers such as John Zorn who experimented with similar genre raiding, Beck achieved notice with his free-flowing, sometimes absurd lyrical stylings. Hopefully compared by critics to the more obscure moments of Bob Dylan and given an enthusiastic seal of approval by Allen Ginsberg, Beck was a link between the folk and beatnik past and the hip-hop present.

After dropping out of high school in the mid-1980s, Beck educated himself and traveled widely. In Germany, he spent time with his maternal grandfather, fluxus artist Al Hansen. New York City and the late '80s found himself part of the punk-influenced anti-folk music movement.

Beck returned to LA at the turn of the decade, destitute but motivated. To support himself, he took a variety of low-paying, dead-end jobs, and even lived in a shed, all the while continuing to develop his music. During this time, Beck sought out (or snuck onto) stages at venues all over LA, from punk clubs to coffee shops. In the spirit of an artist struggling to make a name for himself, his shows were memorable for their mix of humor and eccentricity. Some of his earliest and most thought provoking recordings were achieved by working with Tom Grimley at Poop Alley Studios, a part of WIN Records.

It was in this atmosphere of heady creativity that the founders of Bong Load Custom Records discovered Beck. Their 1993 12" vinyl "Loser," from an initial run of 500 copies, created a sensation on alternative radio that led to a furious bidding war between labels to sign Beck. Eventually, he chose Geffen Records, who offered him terms that included allowing for the release of independent albums while under contract.

In 1994, Geffen's release of Mellow Gold made Beck a mainstream success—and led to his iconic status as the "slacker" representative of the alternative rock scene. Beck would comment often that like "Loser," the song that inspired it, the "slacker" label was very ironic.

At the same time, he released One Foot in the Grave on independent K Records and Stereopathetic Soul Manure on Flipside Records. Beck took his act on the road with the 1995 Lollapalooza tour. Still, some critics panned him as a one-hit wonder. It didn't help that a lot of audiences (especially at Lollapalooza) were only familiar with "Loser"' and would generally ignore his other work.

That one-hit wonder label was put to rest with the release of 1996's Odelay, a collaborative effort with the Dust Brothers, creators of the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique. The lead single, "Where It's At," received heavy airplay and its video was in constant rotation on MTV. Within the year, Odelay had received perfect reviews in Rolling Stone and Spin magazines, been listed on countless "Best of" lists, had received double-platinum status, and earned an impressive number of industry awards, including two Grammies.

Odelay was followed in 1998 by Mutations. Produced by Nigel Godrich of Radiohead fame, it was intended as a stopgap measure before the next album proper. Recorded over two weeks, during which Beck recorded one song a day, the sessions produced 14 songs. Mutations was a departure from the electronic density of Odelay, and was filled with folk and blues influences. Songs on the album consisted of older tracks, some even dating back as far as 1994. Track 10, "Sing It Again,"was written for Johnny Cash, but Beck never submitted it, considering it "rubbish." Cash would go on to record "Rowboat," a song that originally appeared on Beck's Stereopathetic Soul Manure.

During 1998, Beck's art collaborations with his grandfather Al Hansen were featured in an exhibition entitled Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches and showcased solo and collaborative collage, assemblage, drawing and poetry works. The show toured from the Santa Monica Museum of Art to galleries in New York City and Winnipeg, Canada. A catalogue of the show was published by Plug In Editions/Smart Art Press.

In 1999, Geffen released the much-anticipated Midnite Vultures, an orgy of sexual and culinary innuendo that was supported by a world tour. For Beck, it was a return to the high-energy performances that had been his trademark as far back as Lollapalooza—the live stage set including a red bed that descended from the ceiling for the song "Debra" and the touring band was supplemented by a brass section.

After Midnite Vultures came Sea Change in 2002, another airy and emotional album with producer Nigel Godrich. Sea Change was conceptualized as an album with one unifying theme—the stages following the end of a relationship. The album also featured string arrangements by Beck's father David Campbell and a sonically dense mix recalling at times Mutations and elements of Midnite Vultures. Although some radio singles were released no commercial singles were made available to the public. The Sea Change tour featured The Flaming Lips as Beck's opening and backing band.

Beck has a number of b-sides and soundtrack-only songs as well, including "Midnite Vultures" (curiously, not on the album of the same name), a cover of Korgis' "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" which appeared in the 2004 movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and David Bowie's Diamond Dogs from Moulin Rouge!

In late 2004, Beck returned to the studio to work on his sixth major-label album. The record, Guero, produced by the Dust Brothers and Tony Hoffer, is tentatively slated for an early 2005 release. The video for the first single, "E-Pro," has been released to the general public on msn.com. Like many commercial artists, Beck's newest album fell victim to an internet leak in mid January 2005. Instead of pushing for an early release, a variety of bonus tracks including remixes from Boards of Canada and Dizzee Rascal will be released on March 29th, 2005.

Trivia

Beck has done a guest voice on Matt Groening's animated show Futurama, playing himself. In keeping with Beck's sense of humour, there is much self-deprecation ("Odelay is a word! Just look it up in the Becktionary").

He has also appeared as a guest on another animated show Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.

Beck is a Scientologist.

Samples

  • Download sample of "Sissyneck" from Odelay

Discography



Filmography

  • Southlander

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. Signing with Sanctuary Records, they released "Truth Be Told" on August 5th, 2003.
. Sheehan's untimely death in 1999 and Popper's struggle with obesity have helped keep the group on the fringes of the mainstream, and A&M dropped the band after disappointing sales of their 2001 album "Bridge". Beck is a Scientologist. Their albums with A&M in the later 1990s include Straight on Till Morning and Bridge. He has also appeared as a guest on another animated show Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. Blues Traveler's future releases were not able to live up to the quintuple platinum sales of Four, though they have maintained a loyal fanbase from the beginning of their career.

In keeping with Beck's sense of humour, there is much self-deprecation ("Odelay is a word! Just look it up in the Becktionary"). Their fourth album, Four, was a late-blooming success thanks to the singles "Run-around" and "Hook". Beck has done a guest voice on Matt Groening's animated show Futurama, playing himself. Former member Bobby Sheehan (bass) died in 1999 of a drug overdose in New Orleans. Instead of pushing for an early release, a variety of bonus tracks including remixes from Boards of Canada and Dizzee Rascal will be released on March 29th, 2005. Blues Traveler is an American jam band, led by John Popper (vocals, harmonica) along with Chan Kinchla (guitar), Brendan Hill (drums), Tad Kinchla (bass) and Ben Wilson (keyboards). Like many commercial artists, Beck's newest album fell victim to an internet leak in mid January 2005. Live on the Rocks, 2004.

The video for the first single, "E-Pro," has been released to the general public on msn.com. Truth Be Told, 2003. The record, Guero, produced by the Dust Brothers and Tony Hoffer, is tentatively slated for an early 2005 release. Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics, 2002 (compilation). In late 2004, Beck returned to the studio to work on his sixth major-label album. Live: What You and I Have Been Through, 2002. Beck has a number of b-sides and soundtrack-only songs as well, including "Midnite Vultures" (curiously, not on the album of the same name), a cover of Korgis' "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" which appeared in the 2004 movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and David Bowie's Diamond Dogs from Moulin Rouge!. Bridge, 2001.

The Sea Change tour featured The Flaming Lips as Beck's opening and backing band. Straight on Till Morning, 1997. Although some radio singles were released no commercial singles were made available to the public. Live From the Fall, 1996. The album also featured string arrangements by Beck's father David Campbell and a sonically dense mix recalling at times Mutations and elements of Midnite Vultures. [[Four (album)|Four, 1994. Sea Change was conceptualized as an album with one unifying theme—the stages following the end of a relationship. 1,000,000 People Can't Be Wrong, 1994 (compilation).

After Midnite Vultures came Sea Change in 2002, another airy and emotional album with producer Nigel Godrich. Save His Soul, 1993. For Beck, it was a return to the high-energy performances that had been his trademark as far back as Lollapalooza—the live stage set including a red bed that descended from the ceiling for the song "Debra" and the touring band was supplemented by a brass section. Travelers and Thieves, 1991. In 1999, Geffen released the much-anticipated Midnite Vultures, an orgy of sexual and culinary innuendo that was supported by a world tour. Blues Traveler, 1990. A catalogue of the show was published by Plug In Editions/Smart Art Press.

The show toured from the Santa Monica Museum of Art to galleries in New York City and Winnipeg, Canada. During 1998, Beck's art collaborations with his grandfather Al Hansen were featured in an exhibition entitled Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches and showcased solo and collaborative collage, assemblage, drawing and poetry works. Track 10, "Sing It Again,"was written for Johnny Cash, but Beck never submitted it, considering it "rubbish." Cash would go on to record "Rowboat," a song that originally appeared on Beck's Stereopathetic Soul Manure. Songs on the album consisted of older tracks, some even dating back as far as 1994.

Mutations was a departure from the electronic density of Odelay, and was filled with folk and blues influences. Recorded over two weeks, during which Beck recorded one song a day, the sessions produced 14 songs. Produced by Nigel Godrich of Radiohead fame, it was intended as a stopgap measure before the next album proper. Odelay was followed in 1998 by Mutations.

Within the year, Odelay had received perfect reviews in Rolling Stone and Spin magazines, been listed on countless "Best of" lists, had received double-platinum status, and earned an impressive number of industry awards, including two Grammies. The lead single, "Where It's At," received heavy airplay and its video was in constant rotation on MTV. That one-hit wonder label was put to rest with the release of 1996's Odelay, a collaborative effort with the Dust Brothers, creators of the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique. It didn't help that a lot of audiences (especially at Lollapalooza) were only familiar with "Loser"' and would generally ignore his other work.

Beck took his act on the road with the 1995 Lollapalooza tour. Still, some critics panned him as a one-hit wonder. At the same time, he released One Foot in the Grave on independent K Records and Stereopathetic Soul Manure on Flipside Records. Beck would comment often that like "Loser," the song that inspired it, the "slacker" label was very ironic. In 1994, Geffen's release of Mellow Gold made Beck a mainstream success—and led to his iconic status as the "slacker" representative of the alternative rock scene.

Eventually, he chose Geffen Records, who offered him terms that included allowing for the release of independent albums while under contract. Their 1993 12" vinyl "Loser," from an initial run of 500 copies, created a sensation on alternative radio that led to a furious bidding war between labels to sign Beck. It was in this atmosphere of heady creativity that the founders of Bong Load Custom Records discovered Beck. Some of his earliest and most thought provoking recordings were achieved by working with Tom Grimley at Poop Alley Studios, a part of WIN Records.

In the spirit of an artist struggling to make a name for himself, his shows were memorable for their mix of humor and eccentricity. During this time, Beck sought out (or snuck onto) stages at venues all over LA, from punk clubs to coffee shops. To support himself, he took a variety of low-paying, dead-end jobs, and even lived in a shed, all the while continuing to develop his music. Beck returned to LA at the turn of the decade, destitute but motivated.

New York City and the late '80s found himself part of the punk-influenced anti-folk music movement. In Germany, he spent time with his maternal grandfather, fluxus artist Al Hansen. After dropping out of high school in the mid-1980s, Beck educated himself and traveled widely. Hopefully compared by critics to the more obscure moments of Bob Dylan and given an enthusiastic seal of approval by Allen Ginsberg, Beck was a link between the folk and beatnik past and the hip-hop present.

Bungle and avant garde composers such as John Zorn who experimented with similar genre raiding, Beck achieved notice with his free-flowing, sometimes absurd lyrical stylings. Beck's music is often considered to be typical of much popular alternative music of the 1990s with its disdain for genre conventions, obtuse and ironic lyrics, and the melding of samples with played instruments. However, what set him apart from rock groups such as Mr. When his parents separated, he stayed with his mother and brother in LA, where he was influenced by that city's diverse musical offerings—everything from hip-hop to Latin music—and his mother's art scene – all of which would later reappear in his recorded and published work. Beck Hansen was born in Los Angeles, California to parents, David Campbell, a musician, and Bibbe Hansen, a visual artist.

Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell, July 8, 1970) is an American musician and songwriter. Southlander. Download sample of "Sissyneck" from Odelay.