Since I have been been geeking out over Beck for the last few weeks in anticipation of seeing him headline the XPoNential Music Festival on Sunday night, I thought I would share some rare recordings of his that I've added to my music collection over the years.  

In the fall of 1995, Beck went into the studio to record four tracks for BBC Radio 1, all of which shared a common theme of disillusionment. Whether it be with the record industry, failed relationships or critics, it was clear that the young artist had grown uneasy with the effects of his sudden fame.  

This session came roughly a year after the folk-rap oddity, “Loser” became an unexpected hit and made Beck the poster boy for goofball slackers around the world. And, it would still be another year before he would end all speculation of his potential one-hit wonder status by releasing the groundbreaking album, Odelay in 1996 which he co-produced with The Dust Brothers. 

These songs paint a picture of an artist resolved to shake off his reputation as the Gen X court jester and be taken seriously on his own terms.

It is clear that a deliberate effort was made to distance the music here from anything that might recall the gimmicky fun of “Loser”. Three of the four tracks are recorded with sparse acoustic arrangements and there is little humor to be found. It was here that the mainstream got it’s first, fleeting glimpse of the earnest and thoughtful Beck who would not fully reveal himself to world until the release of 1998’s Mutations. 

First up is a re-recording of of “Cyanide Breath Mint”, a song that originally appeared (with alternate lyrics) on Beck’s classic lo-fi folk album, One Foot In The Grave. Despite the slicker production and a more upbeat tempo, this performance manages to preserve the song’s sense of cynical melancholy. Personally, I have always preferred this version to the original.