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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
E, the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter with LA band Eels, had already recorded two solo albums before teaming up with drummer Butch and bassist Tommy to produce Beautiful Freak. Opener and single "Novocaine for the Soul" set the tone: melodic, articulate pop that, like fellow LA musician Beck, makes startling and inventive use of samples, beats and odd arrangements. The Eels' music takes in post-Nirvana grunge, soul, country, hip-hop, and even jazz, all without sounding derivative; E's intensely personal lyrics are similarly multi-faceted, blending wit, angst, disaffection, and surreal urban detail--as in the mournfully soundtracked cross-city trek of "Susan's House". Throughout the eclectic swirl of musical influence and misanthropic irony the band never lose the ability to craft affecting laid-back pop songs and subtle, naggingly catchy hooks. An inspired album, and that rare thing, an art-house rock record full of memorable tunes. --Burhan Tufail
Product Description
Debut 1996 album includes "Novocaine For The Soul" and "Susan's House".
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Beautiful Freak
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
I came across eels while browsing ('beloved monster' from the film 'shrek' led me to them), and bought the album on impulse. Listening to it for the first time was a wonderful experience. It is brilliant to find something completely new, completely honest and instantly recognisable. Nothing is held back: this music comes from the heart. The lyrics are intelligent, unpatronising and complex, while the music is wonderful, gentle, soothing, melodic. The songs vary from the uplifting ('beautiful freak' and 'spunky' are two of my favourites) to the more gloomy ('flower' and 'susan.') There are songs for good days, and songs for bad days. Every song rang a bell to me, and to find music which is so emotional and beautiful will be refreshing to anyone who just wants to be their own beautiful freak.
'One day the world will be ready for you, and wonder how they didn't see.' (Spunky, track 10)
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By R. M. Morgan
Format:Audio CD
Why why why are the Eels not more popular? This album is an absolute classic. Go on give it a few listens and see if you dont agree.
Sad, Honest , funny. the lyrics are amazing.
Sad, Honest , funny. the lyrics are amazing.
Every song a masterpiece.
Novacaine for the soul is by no means the best.
I cant understand why it was the best known single.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I don't think to this day you will ever hear any band or artiste like the EELS. What they do so very well is they have a sound of their own, and that sound is full of riffs on the ugliness of life, what it is to be alone, but at the same time has it's sweet and even funny moments. A fantastic example of the rang the EELS have is the song Guest List, a song basically about not being beautiful enough to be on the guest list for a party, "Am I one of the beautiful people?/Is my name on the list?/Wanna be one of the beautiful people/Wanna feel like I'm missed".
The whole album is really beautifully done in an ugly way(not meaning to pun on the album title, Beautiful Freak), in the fact that E's discordant, rough voice, evoking humour, loneliness, and what it is to not be a part of a crowd.
There's so many good tracks on this album, it'd take too long to tell you about them all, and it would ruin the experience. But for me, the track that always gets me right in the chest is Manchild, with it's stark, lonely beauty, sang by E in the voice of a child. The opening guitar on it sounds a bit like Everybody Hurts, like a gently lulling thrum, as he's singing "Every time you crave for me, I'm here/And anything you're hungry for, I'll share/And I will be quietly standing by/While slowly I am dying inside." E knows what it is to be alone; to be in love with a girl who will never return that love and will never be saved, a girl that will forget you as soon as she doesn't need you.
If you've ever felt alone, unrequited and out of step, then I'd highly reccomend this album.
The whole album is really beautifully done in an ugly way(not meaning to pun on the album title, Beautiful Freak), in the fact that E's discordant, rough voice, evoking humour, loneliness, and what it is to not be a part of a crowd.
There's so many good tracks on this album, it'd take too long to tell you about them all, and it would ruin the experience. But for me, the track that always gets me right in the chest is Manchild, with it's stark, lonely beauty, sang by E in the voice of a child. The opening guitar on it sounds a bit like Everybody Hurts, like a gently lulling thrum, as he's singing "Every time you crave for me, I'm here/And anything you're hungry for, I'll share/And I will be quietly standing by/While slowly I am dying inside." E knows what it is to be alone; to be in love with a girl who will never return that love and will never be saved, a girl that will forget you as soon as she doesn't need you.
If you've ever felt alone, unrequited and out of step, then I'd highly reccomend this album.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By John Peter O'connor
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
This is quite a remarkable CD. In places, it captures the same bleak mood of Lou Reed's "Berlin" though the subject matter is completely different. Musically there are some similarities too in that many of the songs are more like poems read out to music.
If you are going to present something like that, you need strong lyrics and the ones here are certainly up to it. In particular, "Susan's House", "Beautiful Freak", "Flower", "Guest List", and "Spunky".
Musically, Eels have a lot to say, this album is very original and creative. It's well worth a listen.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the first album I've bought through amazon links and recommendations. Its great. As someone who is now in his 40's, I'd started to lose the will to listen to the new, but its really difficult not to like this album. The lyrics are sensitive, witty and strangly uplifting, the music is eclectic with loads of influences which, as someone who grew up in the 70's, I could feel comfortable with. Absolutely recommend it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
So amazing, I had never heard of them until a friend lent it to me. great tunes, deep lyrics, makes u think and chill out at the same time. Love the song flower, possibly the best on the album. but of course track 6 (also in Shrek) is fantastic! a household must have!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
I heard about the eels when I heard their single "Mr Es Beautiful Blues" on the radio and so I decided to buy one of their albums. This their debut effort, is fantastic. From the ironic "Novocaine for the soul" to the end this album is full of emotion and soothing melodies. The highlight has to be the title song "Beautiful Freak" for its wondefully moving lyrics. Go buy it you fool!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By R. M. Morgan
Format:Audio CD
One of my best albums. Give it a few listens and it will become yours too.
Amazing lyrics,
Amazing lyrics,
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Super relaxing. Interesting lyrics. Great content. Really love 'this could be your lucky day in hell'. Thanks a lot Eels.
Published 2 months ago by Jamesp
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best ever Eels Album
This was my introduction to Eels (not THE Eels, for the benefit of the uneducated) & I still love it as much as I did in 1999.... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Eg Voysey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Love the album excellent tracks quirky music downloaded straight to my phone within minutes and am also able to access from amazon cloud.
Published 3 months ago by Suki Westmore
5.0 out of 5 stars
Over and Over
Probably the album I have played over and over the most. One of those albums that sets a scene and draws you in to the curious little world it creates and shows you around. Read more
Published 19 months ago by MrT
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great fluke discovery
I was amazed the first time I sampled this album in a HMV listening post. Just browsing the music store, and I put the headphones on, tried each track and loved the uplifting... Read more
Published 20 months ago by K. L. Hopwood
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deserves to be listened to, again and again
This album really is a hidden gem. I decided to re-listen to it recently and was blown away by it. 15 years after it's original release and it still sounds amazing. Read more
Published 22 months ago by The Thin White Buk
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just love it.
I bought this after hearing tracks from the Hellboy and Shrek films. Those are quite poppy in comparison to the rest of the album but I just love it entirely. Well worth buying.
Published on 30 Sep 2010 by Fragile Tony
4.0 out of 5 stars
Looks like E thinks the glass is half empty!
The album starts with a happy sounding plinky plonky tune on "Novocaine for the Soul" but before long an ominous string section comes in to darken the mood. Read more
Published on 10 July 2010 by haunted
5.0 out of 5 stars
even better revisited
An amazing album rediscovered after 10 years, manchild still brings a tear to my eye.
Published on 12 Jun 2010 by SE
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the 90's?
The thing is with 'The Eels' you either love them or just don't get it. There is something about 'E's' music and lyrics that totally draws certain people in and spits others out. Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2010 by sirc
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