Odelay
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this music.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Beck's Odelay won two Grammy Awards (for Best Alternative Album and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Where It's At"), and it appears on "Best Of" lists from Spin magazine, Rolling Stone, and others. The album is revered for its inventive fusion of eclectic styles, sounds, and samples. The lyrics on Odelay are always poetic and often obtuse -- there's little in the way of straight narrative. By the same token, there's little to offend, except for a couple of curse words ("s--t" and "ass"), a couple mentions of alcohol (whiskey and beers), and two references to cigarette smoking.
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What's the story?
Beck's 1996 album ODELAY won two Grammy Awards -- for Best Alternative Album and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for the song \"Where It's At.\" Revered for the inventive ways the artist and his producers, the Dust Brothers, crossed boundaries and genres, the album appeared on \"Best Of\" lists from Rolling Stone, Spin, the Village Voice, and others. The album, which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart, combines elements of electronica, punk, folk, country, rock, and rap styles.
Is it any good?
On Odelay, Beck and his producers, the Dust Brothers, seamlessly combine many and various musical genres, samples, and sounds -- processed and straight -- to invent what still feels like a unique approach to music making. Beck is also a talented lyricist; there's little in the way of straight narrative in his songs, but there's loads of evocative imagery that's just as unique as the sonics. Listeners who look for strong personal, emotional impact in their music won't find it here, but the creativity is undeniable on these diverse, original tracks.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the ways Beck and his producers break down boundaries between musical genres and styles. Do you like finding folk, rap, electronica, rock, etc. all on the same album, or even in the same song?
Can you think of newer artists who may have been inspired by Beck?
What song samples can you recognize on the album?
Music details
- Artist: Beck
- Release date: June 18, 1996
- Type: Album
- Label: DGC Records
- Genre: Alternative Rock
- Topics: Misfits and Underdogs, Science and Nature
- Parental advisory: No
- Edited version available: No
- Award: Grammy
- Last updated: November 11, 2020
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.