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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. E-Pro |
| 2. Que Onda Guero |
| 3. Girl |
| 4. Missing |
| 5. Black Tambourine |
| 6. Earthquake Weather |
| 7. Hell Yes |
| 8. Broken Drum |
| 9. Scarecrow |
| 10. Go It Alone |
| 11. Farewell Ride |
| 12. Rental Car |
| 13. Emergency Exit |
| 14. Send A Message To Her |
| 15. Chain Reaction |
| 16. Clap Hands |
| 17. Girl (Remix) |
| 18. Broken Drum (Remix) |
| 19. Still Missing |
| 20. Fax Machine Anthem |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Guero marks Beck Hansen's highly anticipated return to his partnership with the Dust Brothers, and the sound captured distinguishes this as the spiritual follow-up to Odelay. Guero is a lovingly crafted soundscape with few lulls and many peaks. High points include the opening one-two of "E-Pro" and "Guero", both of which are insidiously catchy and smartly humorous; "Black Tambourine", which sounds like a miniature reinvention of the Stone Roses' classic "Fools Gold"; "Hell Yes", in which Beck, armed with vocoder, returns as a great wielder of irony, taking potshots at hedonism; and the dustbowl rootsy blues of "Scarecrow" and "Farewell Ride", adverts for the neglected genre that are strong enough to make a next generation pick up harmonicas and slip on cowboy boots.
As with Odelay, Guero's instrumentation and sonic textures are always changing. Everything is here--from string sections, celeste and organ (courtesy of guest keyboardist Money Mark) through 12-string and slide guitars, bass from Jack White, a good dose of colourful samples, and programmed blips and bleeps that recall Midnite Vultures' best moments.
Beck is a true master of pastiche, but Guero isn't eclectic merely for the sake of it--instead, it's a constantly surprising, ever-revolving creation that looks at Beck's multiple talents through an entertaining kaleidoscope and which, backed by the Dust Brothers' formidable production, is damn groovy. In sum, Guero is what Beck's admirers have waited so long to hear: "Odelay 2". Where Beck will go from here is anyone's guess. --Jonti Davies
Album Description
Beck's brand new album, Guero, is a remarkable addition to an already prestigious career. Guero is being heralded as one of Beck's finest albums and it sees a return to collaboration with producers The Dust Brothers (who last worked with Beck on Odelay). It includes the first single, "E-Pro".
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
beck back on form.. or did he ever leave form? in ym poinion definitely not, he moved to a different more introspective level with mutations and even more so with sea change. beck fans willl not be disappointed with guero, it as BRILLIANT. This limited edition is well worth the extra £12, the booklet is great, the dvd ok but the extra tracks are brilliant and worth the £12 on their own. For me Beck is still the master.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
46 reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
The extra tracks/book/DVD push this from 4 stars to 5.
30 Mar 2005
Format:Audio CD
Although Guero on it's own is a highly worthwhile release (I'd
give it 4 stars), the Deluxe version of Guero is amazing...
considering I got it for $15 on Bestbuy.com
First: The extra tracks.
1. Send A Message To Her
This track is a top quality B-side. Deserves to be left off
the original album. Very straightforward, catchy pop. Could
of worked well with the 'Mutations'-era material.
2. Chain Reaction
WOW!!! This is one weird song. A Black Sabbath sample, distorted
vocals, the whole kitchen sink. As a stand-alone song, this is a hardcore
update of the aggressive 'Mellow
Gold'-era material. It definitely would not flow with the
rest of the tracks on 'Guero.' (except maybe E-Pro.)
3. Clap Hands
This is one song that would totally have fit on 'Guero.' The
groovy beat is so catchy, I prefer this to Hell Yes. It sounds
eerily like that "Milkshake" song by Kelis. Best of the extra
songs by far.
As for the remixes, you get very competent reworkings of Girl,
Broken Drum, Missing, and Hell Yes. The remixes of Broken Drum
and Missing are the most creative.
The DVD
I had no technical trouble playing the DVD (as other reviewers
have complained about.) The graphics are well done, but sometimes
tend to resemble an elaborate screensaver you see on
computers. The hard to find bonus videos are a nice treat if
you're patient. The photo gallery feels tacked on, with no audio to accompany it.
My biggest complaint is why the DVD has only the original 13
songs. At least there could have been the remixes on here,
if not the 3 bonus tracks. The remixes would have fit perfectly with the video art.
The sheer quantity of video remixes is stunning. The 5.1 mix sounded very solid as well.
The Book:
The CD/DVD combo comes encased in a white "book" that's about
the size of a DVD case. This format is somewhat awkward for
portability reasons. Along with the printed lyrics, there is
exclusive artwork and photos. This is the most superfluous
aspect of the Deluxe edition. While the artwork and photos
are interesting, they don't justify being packaged in such a
bulky casing. I almost wish they kept the standard CD booklet
format. The "book" idea might have worked for an album like
Sea Change, seems unnecessary here.
All told, the DELUXE Edition is a must have for Beck fans:
the extra songs alone are worth it (the DVD & book are
icing on the cake!)
give it 4 stars), the Deluxe version of Guero is amazing...
considering I got it for $15 on Bestbuy.com
First: The extra tracks.
1. Send A Message To Her
This track is a top quality B-side. Deserves to be left off
the original album. Very straightforward, catchy pop. Could
of worked well with the 'Mutations'-era material.
2. Chain Reaction
WOW!!! This is one weird song. A Black Sabbath sample, distorted
vocals, the whole kitchen sink. As a stand-alone song, this is a hardcore
update of the aggressive 'Mellow
Gold'-era material. It definitely would not flow with the
rest of the tracks on 'Guero.' (except maybe E-Pro.)
3. Clap Hands
This is one song that would totally have fit on 'Guero.' The
groovy beat is so catchy, I prefer this to Hell Yes. It sounds
eerily like that "Milkshake" song by Kelis. Best of the extra
songs by far.
As for the remixes, you get very competent reworkings of Girl,
Broken Drum, Missing, and Hell Yes. The remixes of Broken Drum
and Missing are the most creative.
The DVD
I had no technical trouble playing the DVD (as other reviewers
have complained about.) The graphics are well done, but sometimes
tend to resemble an elaborate screensaver you see on
computers. The hard to find bonus videos are a nice treat if
you're patient. The photo gallery feels tacked on, with no audio to accompany it.
My biggest complaint is why the DVD has only the original 13
songs. At least there could have been the remixes on here,
if not the 3 bonus tracks. The remixes would have fit perfectly with the video art.
The sheer quantity of video remixes is stunning. The 5.1 mix sounded very solid as well.
The Book:
The CD/DVD combo comes encased in a white "book" that's about
the size of a DVD case. This format is somewhat awkward for
portability reasons. Along with the printed lyrics, there is
exclusive artwork and photos. This is the most superfluous
aspect of the Deluxe edition. While the artwork and photos
are interesting, they don't justify being packaged in such a
bulky casing. I almost wish they kept the standard CD booklet
format. The "book" idea might have worked for an album like
Sea Change, seems unnecessary here.
All told, the DELUXE Edition is a must have for Beck fans:
the extra songs alone are worth it (the DVD & book are
icing on the cake!)
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Technical glitches
12 July 2005
Format:Audio CD
Initially when I played the album on DVD audio it froze and jittered during 'Girl' and 'Emergency exit' making the tracks unlistenable and unwatchable. I scoured the net for a solution and found that by pressing the subtitle button on the DVD remote I could change slightly what was on screen during the song. In changing this the two problem tracks and all others played perfectly...hence the album plays perfectly without any glitches. I hope this might help someone out there.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Album is 5 stars; Deluxe set is 4 stars
31 Mar 2005
Format:Audio CD
This review is primarily about the deluxe packaging and not so much on the cd itself. Hey, it's Beck, and why are you hear if you aren't already pre-disposed to think everything he does is not Genius? The man and his music are chameleons and that is the point. You can't be disappointed that this doesn't sound like Sea Change or that it reminds you of Odelay. That's not the point! Beck is not K-mart packaged music. If you don't get it or are disappointed, keep listening. You will!
That said... I buy deluxe editions. I just feel for my money, that's the way to go. Sometimes I'm disappointed by the extras, but most times not. The extras on this set are a mixed bag for me. If you're on a budget (I should be, but I'm not), there is nothing wrong with buying the basic cd at almost half the price. The expanded CD is the main reason to buy this set. More music is always a reason to buy expanded sets!. The packaging rates a C+ for me with a great 50+ page booklet with "readable" lyrics and great art work (by, who I thought was Henry Darger, but instead is by Marcel Dzama). It's nice not to have to strain your eyes to read Becks'words (and they're actually worth reading!). The case holding the discs however deserves an F. You have to remove both discs if you want to get to the 2nd disc??? This is the 2nd packaging I've seen (the other in the AC/DC set) that is like this and hopefully it is not a trend. Lastly the DVD was a disappointment to me on first view. It did jam up on my Sony DVD player (on track 4 especially), but not my computer, and I could find no fault with the disc. Note to myself and everyone else that's having problems (maybe we need a new DVD player?) Knowing Beck, he used the most state of the art technology on this disc and are players aren't up to it? Just a suggestion. As to the video portion - it's just not for me. I'm either too old, not patient enough or impaired enough to appreciate it. The sound, however (with a 5.1 option) does make me want to try it again.
Overall there is enough extra stuff here to keep any diehard Beck fan happy, whether you buy it for the extra tracks, the DVD, or the art and booklet. However, if you're credit card is max'd and the ATM will only let you take out $10, the basic edition will certainly suffice.
That said... I buy deluxe editions. I just feel for my money, that's the way to go. Sometimes I'm disappointed by the extras, but most times not. The extras on this set are a mixed bag for me. If you're on a budget (I should be, but I'm not), there is nothing wrong with buying the basic cd at almost half the price. The expanded CD is the main reason to buy this set. More music is always a reason to buy expanded sets!. The packaging rates a C+ for me with a great 50+ page booklet with "readable" lyrics and great art work (by, who I thought was Henry Darger, but instead is by Marcel Dzama). It's nice not to have to strain your eyes to read Becks'words (and they're actually worth reading!). The case holding the discs however deserves an F. You have to remove both discs if you want to get to the 2nd disc??? This is the 2nd packaging I've seen (the other in the AC/DC set) that is like this and hopefully it is not a trend. Lastly the DVD was a disappointment to me on first view. It did jam up on my Sony DVD player (on track 4 especially), but not my computer, and I could find no fault with the disc. Note to myself and everyone else that's having problems (maybe we need a new DVD player?) Knowing Beck, he used the most state of the art technology on this disc and are players aren't up to it? Just a suggestion. As to the video portion - it's just not for me. I'm either too old, not patient enough or impaired enough to appreciate it. The sound, however (with a 5.1 option) does make me want to try it again.
Overall there is enough extra stuff here to keep any diehard Beck fan happy, whether you buy it for the extra tracks, the DVD, or the art and booklet. However, if you're credit card is max'd and the ATM will only let you take out $10, the basic edition will certainly suffice.
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