This album sounds like the thought process of a maniacle-genius-university-professor-turn-hobo-folk-singer.There is so much going on in these songs, all at once, with so many random and insane "what the shit is that???" noises that it's hard to imagine it could actually sound good. That being said, it does. It very very does.
One of the funniest things about this record is that nearly all of my friends were turned on to it either by their own, or someone else's, wacky-tobacky smokin' parents.
From the second you press play the honky tonkin' Devil's Haircut has you questioning everything you've ever known about pop music (how are they combining an acoustic guitar with multiple samples, and rapping, while not coming off cheesy or contrived?), philosophy (whoa dude, it's a Devil's Haircut in his mind, but I think it looks totally awesome!!), whether or not you've got a devil's haircut (you do), and why does your friend's single Dad have this crazy album with a hay-bale jumping over an oxer on the cover? WTF? (The weed.)
Side note - This album is still blowing my mind 14 years later, as Wiki tells me that the mop/hay-bale jumping over the hurdle is actually a real photograph of a Komondor, a Hungarian breed of dog with thick matted fur.
Make sure to download this album for free here, then go out and buy more Beck. Almost everything he's ever put out is great in some way or another.
Other great Beck albums include: Midnight Vultures, Sea Change, The Information, and Modern Guilt.
