Beck - Morning Phase vs Sea Change

With Morning Phase coming out this year (12 years after Sea Change!), many people compared it with Sea Change.

I believe Morning Phase is in all ways, a much more mature album. His songwriting remains great, but he relies less on production to make the album stand out.

Don't get me wrong, I love Sea Change, but I think it got hyped because of two reasons: many people had never heard Beck's earlier Lo-Fi/Folky shit, and Nigel Godrich.

Anyways, two great albums from an excellent musician (imo imo imo), which one makes it on the desert island?

Midnite Vultures

The Information <3

Morning Phase is like a happier version of Sea Change. I like both.

  On 12/28/2014 at 12:55 AM, Thiefinger said:

The Information <3

 

Morning Phase is like a happier version of Sea Change. I like both.

yeah they're pretty different albums. similar sound palette aside.

sea change comes from that point of view of just losing love/big foundation of life and pondering and making songs from that kind of place.

morning phase has some similar pondering but overall is a lot more grounded and mature and singing about entirely different things.

sea change was a pretty special album for me during teenage years and i think the emotionally upset/pondering on things angle of the albums can be pretty resonant when you're also in that frame of mind. plus, sonically, it wins. for me anyway, hands down. sea change :)

It's hard to say because Sea Change has had the time to become a classic, and the songs of Morning Phase have yet to totally embed themselves in my psyche. I do have gripes on some mix stuff in Morning Phase, whereas I have none for Sea Change. That could be enough to give Sea Change the edge even if the songs on Morning Phase were on par (and some are for sure). But it kills me how badly he ripped The Golden Age off for Morning, the opening song no less. If it was deliberate, I can't for the life of me understand why.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6zAT15vaFk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZo8_IV0IGQ

I dunno, Sea Change is tough to beat. If I remember this thread a couple years from now, I'll have a more definitive answer.

I couldnt even finish morning phase. bad imo.

I quite like sea change, definitely his best effort.

it's worth finishing morning phase!!

the album definitely has a great flow it, that sort of makes alot more sense as a whole. last track is great too.

Aside from Blue Moon and Wave, I really don't like Morning Phase..... It's not offensive or even bad, it's just not what I like to hear from Beck. Is it better than Sea Change, another album I've never liked? Well, to some extent, yes, but that's not saying much. Paper Tiger, Lost Cause, and Sunday Sun are just about all I like on that album, and I was highly unimpressed by it. After 12 or so years, I still can't listen to the whole album.

"Country" Beck isn't my thing.

  On 12/28/2014 at 12:55 AM, Thiefinger said:

The Information <3

Oh yes! I love The Information. I thought I was the only person who really liked it. I wouldn't mind hearing more of this style from Beck.

If you like Mellow Gold, what did you think of Stereopathetic Soul Manure? For me Beck changed so much as a songwriter after Mellow Gold. Like the difference between Mellow Gold and Odelay is huge.

On Sea Change, is anyone else reminded of Blind Melon's "No rain" for parts of the verse in "Already Dead"?

  On 12/28/2014 at 3:54 AM, chenGOD said:

If you like Mellow Gold, what did you think of Stereopathetic Soul Manure? For me Beck changed so much as a songwriter after Mellow Gold. Like the difference between Mellow Gold and Odelay is huge.

 

On Sea Change, is anyone else reminded of Blind Melon's "No rain" for parts of the verse in "Already Dead"?

I love Soulmanure. It's really disjointed and can be seen as a joke, but it's actually a great album. Tracks like Pink Noise, Thunder Peel, and Puttin' it Down are as good as anything else he's done in later years. Mellow Gold is still my favorite of his albums, but you're right, the gulf between it and Odelay is pretty wide in terms of songwriting.

I'm a bit of a fan so it's hard for me to point out any Beck albums that I don't like. I do feel that Modern Guilt wasn't that good though, I wasn't actually disappointed when I first heard it but I don't really feel like listening to it.

I think the album I listen to the most is One foot in the Grave. Not the best in terms of production or even songwriting but there's a certain charm.

I also love The Information for the actual songs and the great production. I think Godrich went for the LCR approach on this too. Stylistically it also seems to nicely sum up Beck career. A bit of hip hop, experimental stuff and acoustic guitars. I also love the music videos on the dvd. My preferred way of listening to this album is actually watching the videos and sipping some bourbon.

When will he do "An Ode to David Miscavige"?

Anyone else heard the rumors of the Ribissis leaving Scientology? (Beck is married to a Ribissi) several of their "awards" were found in dumpsters in LA belonging to Mama Ribissi.

I don't really like Sea Change or Morning Phase that much. Mutations is probably my fave Beck record.

Oh this isn't even a thing. Sea Change.

Morning Phase is enjoyable, but Sea Change is magical. I rank it up there with my favorite breakup albums of all time...Dylan's Blood On The Tracks, Starflyer 59's Gold, Cake's Fashion Nugget and Frank Sinatra's In The Wee Small Hours.

Ah so for you it has personal significance. Interesting. BoC's version of Broken Drum is one that I'll always associate with a sad period in my life, so it holds weight for me that way.

I don't think there's anything as compelling on Sea Change as "Say Goodbye" or "Wave" for expressing the heartache that comes with loss. Brutal honesty and raw emotion.

Yeah I'm also a huge Beck fan, and enjoy the vast majority of his output, but just focusing on these two albums in this particular thread.

Can't believe it was six years between Modern Guilt and Morning Phase.

Yeah, Wave is a total stunner. Sea Change is prob my favorite of the two, but that track may be my number 1 highlight of the two albums.

Worth pointing out that the mobile fidelity repressing of sea change is probably best sounding record i own. Worth seeking the repress or a rip or whatever.. Was remastered using original tapes.. Makes the original cd spund rather flat (which is ridic considering how good the album sounds in first place)

  On 12/28/2014 at 2:19 PM, Rubin Farr said:

When will he do "An Ode to David Miscavige"?

 

Anyone else heard the rumors of the Ribissis leaving Scientology? (Beck is married to a Ribissi) several of their "awards" were found in dumpsters in LA belonging to Mama Ribissi.

really???? interesting. i find marissa ribisi to be incredibly hot and sexy. not being a scientologist anymore would make her more hot.

anyway morning phase was great but nothing like round the bend on there sorry - truly awesome

also beck sounds like his tongue got huge and he can barely sing these days ha

I must listen to Morning Phase, but in the meantime I found this wonderful review of it on Metacritc which made me laugh. I love reading really negative views on albums I love. Always cracks me up. The following review is written by rockon. Heh....

Ho-Hum. Rock and Roll it isn't. The darling of professional music critics and fans of wimpy music. LOSER was the only song he ever did that I enjoyed. When I listened to his later stuff, it was like taking a sleeping pill. I'm a fan of rock and roll. I don't know what Beck is, but he's definitely not a rocker. If he puts out a good metal album, I'll be impressed. Until then, he's just such a bore. A likable little artsy guy, but for people who love to lie around looking at clouds and falling asleep. I would be willing to bet that heroin addicts love his music. Because they love being put to sleep. But I'll give him credit. He made the sales to allow him to indulge himself in whatever he wants. Which will probably be making boring music for the rest of his life.

^^^^ Rock-type baby boomer stuff FOREVER!!

As for the Beck, I have to go with Sea Change as I've got a lot of important associations with it. It's actually not really a fair comparison at this point.

I think Sea Change is more consistent but also had the advantage of being all like "wow I didn't know Beck could sound like this" and all the time to marinate in classicness

  On 12/28/2014 at 5:31 PM, Aces said:

I don't really like Sea Change or Morning Phase that much. Mutations is probably my fave Beck record.

Same here. I won Mutations in a radio station phone in contest when i was 14. And it was one of about 5 CDs I brought to a 2 week road trip a month later.

I really dig Odelay, Mellow Gold & bit of Guero even. But Mutations is forever burned into my psyche. Almost feels like a bit of a baroque pop masterpiece when you compare it to his other albums

I gave up on Morning Phase pretty quick. Sea Change has come back to me a few times over the years and is now one of my fav beck records.

  On 12/28/2014 at 3:54 AM, chenGOD said:

If you like Mellow Gold, what did you think of Stereopathetic Soul Manure? For me Beck changed so much as a songwriter after Mellow Gold. Like the difference between Mellow Gold and Odelay is huge.

 

On Sea Change, is anyone else reminded of Blind Melon's "No rain" for parts of the verse in "Already Dead"?

Stereopatheticsoulmanure is amazing.