Beck - Beside Variety Pack

With the recent discussion about Midnite Vultures 2, I figured it was time to post the non-album cuts from that album and some additional jams most people might not have heard. Everything here is newly encoded from lossless files or original CDs except for Pay No Mind (Alternate Take), Nausea (XXXChange Remix) and Feel Good Time which are the original MP3 versions I received. Below you'll find the rundown with some track data, but before we get to that, here is what Beck had to say about the unreleased songs from the Midnite Vultures era, taken from Dan Leroy's The Greatest Music Never Sold.

I think one of the problems with [Vultures] was that it didn't have all those extra songs to explain the whole picture. We had songs with Johnny Marr [of The Smiths] playing guitar on them. There's all this electronic stuff. There's two songs with [rapper] Kool Keith. There's just a whole world of stuff on there.

I was gonna get it out, but I ended up after that just taking a year or two off and traveling. I'd been on tour for about seven years straight, so the idea of jumping back in and releasing the album at that point was just kind of... And after that...I was just more in the mood to do Sea Change, you know?

I'd LOVE to hear that stuff. I still dream that someone could start a record label where stuff like this could get released and the artist could get the lion's share of the profits. I'm not saying that the label shouldn't make some money, but after the costs are recouped, I can't see why the artist can't get 80% and the label 20%, or 70/30. Maybe someday.


Beck - Beside Variety Pack


01 The Little Drum Machine Boy
I've always wanted to put this on a Christmas mixtape. This track appears on the Geffen Xmas comp, Just Say Noel.

02 Diskobox
This is an Odelay leftover that gets a Jon Spencer co-production credit alongside Beck and the Dust Brothers. Don't know why they didn't include it on the deluxe edition, although they didn't include the original version of Debra either.

03 Pay No Mind (Alternate Take)
This apparently was accidentally used on a vinyl pressing of Mellow Gold and should never have seen release. It contains an extra verse.

04 In A Cold Ass Fashion
Mellow Gold was initially going to be named In A Cold Ass Fashion, but that changed somewhere down the line. This is a great track and the lyrics are absolutely absurd, though this wouldn't have fit on the album so I have to assume it wasn't made for it, or at least it was never a serious contender. From the Jabberjaw: Good To The Last Drop compilation.

05 Dirty, Dirty
A Midnite Vultures b-side, this doesn't sound 100% finished. Nice idea, but not the most memorable.

06 Nausea (XXXChange Remix)
XXXChange posted this a while ago. He was officially contracted to create a remix but Beck's label turned this one down. Too bad, cause it's a great remix.

07 Arabian Nights
A Midnite Vultures b-side, this also appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese release of the album. The gun shots should wake you up if you're sleeping, though the whole track sounds like a confusing mish-mash of moods. Still, very cool track with Beck rapping in the same style as on Hollywood Freaks.

08 Mexico
This is a studio recording that appeared only on a 1993 Australian tour sampler. Great, sarcastic take on Dylan's Ballad Of Mexico.

09 Bogusflow
This appeared on the DGC Rarities, Vol. 1 compilation and was already too good to be there alone, despite it's tossed off sounding performance. Beck rhapsodizes on the problems with the modern world of music in his generally indirect manner.

10 Funky Lil' Song
A cover of a Bruce Haack tune, this is pretty damn strange stuff.

11 Boyz
From the At Home With The Groovebox compilation which featured artists and groups like Cibo Matto, Sonic Youth, Pavement and many more creating new songs on the Groovebox.

12 Feel Good Time
If this song sounds half-way familiar, that's because you've probably heard a version of it, albeit without Beck's vocals. This was originally created with William Orbit for a solo album he was producing. Orbit and Beck were very happy with the results but it was going to be a while before the album was to be released. Somehow, someone involved with the second Charlie's Angels movie heard the song and wanted to license it for the soundtrack, but since Beck was promoting his Sea Change album he thought it would be a bad idea for such a different sounding single to be released with his name on it, so Pink was brought on board to perform the new vocals and her version was released as a single to promote the movie.

13 Salt In The Wound
Another Midnite Vultures b-side, replete with bar-room piano and skuzz-rock guitars.

14 Girl Of My Dreams (Alternate Version)
An alternate recording of the cover of sorts that ended up on One Foot In The Grave, this version appeared on the Poop Alley Tapes compilation with help from members of that dog. It's definitely more of a band performance and sounds like the cousin of Totally Confused.

15 This Is My Crew
This Midnite Vultures b-side is filled with b-boy-isms and sound effects, as well as lots of chopped-up editing, all while occupying a space somewhere between Mantronik and Kraftwerk. Easily one of the best Midnite Vultures throwaways.

16 MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack (Lounge Version)
This appeared on the UK single for Loser. It starts with an acoustic performance of the original MTV, only to have Beck stop the entire show to start a jazzy, lounge version of this classic. Oddly enough, rumors long persisted that the piano backing track was the theme from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood played in reverse, which is simply ludicrous.

17 Midnite Vultures
A long, laid back, mostly instrumental groove that captures the vibe of decadence surrounding the Midnite Vultures album's concept and imagery. Great b-side.

18 Zatyricon
Another MV b-side, this time with what sounds like prank calls to a plastic surgeon's office.