Odelay

Beck brags here that he's "got two turntables and a microphone." He also has a sweeping aesthetic that sees no reason why musical allusions to hip-hop, the Beatles, James Brown, punk, Gram Parsons, cool jazz, and Dylan can't coexist in the same song. Throughout, he rap-sings with sincere irony—he laughs at the sight of a jump-suited Elvis, then cries when the King starts to sing—and Odelay's rich collage of sound may very well prove a prediction of the future. If he ever finds the courage to can the loopy metaphors and just tell a story, he could take over the world.

Devil's Haircut
Hotwax
Lord Only Knows
New Pollution
Derelict
Novacane
Jack-Ass
Where It's At
Minus
Sissyneck
Readymade
High 5 (Rock the Catskills)
Ramshackle

The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll