I became a Beck convert when I saw him perform “Debra ” at the KROQ Acoustic Christmas in 1999. At the time, I was only familiar with “Loser, ” “Devils Haircut ” and “Where It’s At, ” but I really dove into his back catalog after seeing him live. Even though he’s widely regarded as one of the most talented and prolific musicians of the last two decades, his music hasn’t done very well on the singles charts. In 12 years, he has only one Top 10 single (“Loser “) and just six other songs charted on Billboard’s Hot 100. Beck is one of those post-grunge artists that have a ton of good songs that are either too quirky or too meticulous for rock radio. Several of these songs were released as singles and did chart on modern rock radio, but still manage to fly under the radar of the casual Beck fan. The others are album cuts that probably haven’t sniffed much airplay. Either way, Beck has a lot of tracks that just haven’t garnered the attention they deserve, so it’s a great time to present Beck’s Deep Cuts:
“Beercan” – Mellow Gold
The modulated vocals on this track are probably enough to turn pop radio listeners off, but once you get to the groovy chorus, they’re barely noticeable. Since the song is about partying, it is aptly titled. Out of nowhere Beck uses a sample from a Care Bears album where a young girl states, “I’m sad and unhappy. ”
