#119 Odelay by Beck

The 100 Greatest Albums of All Time

2025 Album Rank

119

2011 Album Rank

87

Total Points

509

Year Released

1996

Billboard 200 Chart Peak

16

Weeks at #1

N/A

RIAA Sales Certification

2,000,000 (Multi-Platinum)

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Odelay Album Details

Released in June 1996, Odelay was Beck's breakthrough into the mainstream, transforming him from a slacker-folk oddity into one of the defining artists of the alternative era. Produced with the Dust Brothers, famous for their work on the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique, the album is an eclectic, genre-hopping collage of folk, hip-hop, funk, country, garage rock, and electronic music. Its dense sampling and surrealist lyrics marked it as both playful and sophisticated.

Featuring hits like Where It's At, Devils Haircut, and The New Pollution, Odelay caught listeners off guard with its seamless blending of trash-culture references, clever hooks, and Beck's signature deadpan delivery. The album's restless creativity and fearless disregard for genre conventions made it one of the most celebrated releases of the 1990s, solidifying Beck as a postmodern pop auteur.

Interesting Facts About Odelay

• The title Odelay is a phonetic spelling of the Spanish exclamation "Órale," meaning "Come on!" or "Let's go!", a slang Beck often heard growing up in Los Angeles.
• Where It's At, Beck's first big hit from the album, features the memorable line "Two turntables and a microphone," sampled from an obscure sex-education record.
• Much of the album's distinctive sound comes from the Dust Brothers' layering of obscure vinyl samples, often chopped up and repurposed into completely new contexts.
• Devils Haircut features a drum break sampled from Them's version of I Can Only Give You Everything and guitar lines inspired by mid-60s garage rock.
• Beck recorded dozens of songs during the Odelay sessions. Many of the unused tracks later surfaced on B-sides and special editions, offering insight into his prolific writing during this period.
• The surreal video for The New Pollution paid homage to 1960s pop art and variety shows, contributing to Beck's emerging reputation as a visually inventive artist as well as a musical one.
• Beck originally planned to make a quiet, acoustic follow-up to Mellow Gold, but working with the Dust Brothers changed the direction of the project entirely.
• One of the most sample-heavy tracks, Hotwax, references everything from folk blues to Latin percussion, showcasing Beck's encyclopedic musical tastes.
• Odelay won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album and was nominated for Album of the Year, cementing Beck's transition from cult status to mainstream recognition.
• The dog on the album's cover is a Komondor, a Hungarian sheepdog breed known for its long, corded coat. The striking photo was found by Beck's art team in an old dog show book.

Odelay Tracklist

1. Devil's Haircut
2. Hotwax
3. Lord Only Knows
4. The New Pollution
5. Derelict
6. Novacane
7. Jack-Ass
8. Where It's At
9. Minus
10. Sissyneck
11. Readymade
12. High 5 (Rock the Catskills)
13. Ramshackle

Where It's At Music Video