“It came on the radio and I could not believe what I was hearing. I had to pull the car over”
“I saw them on TOTP and my life was forever changed”
Common heard utterances when people are discussing some of their favourite music. Lines trotted out over and over, yet there lies a hidden, more subtle, birthing of a musical love affair. Its the music that just has somehow always seemed to be there. Albums that you can’t remember not having in your collection yet you know you must have, at some point, first came upon it. Do these albums measure up poorly to the more famed ‘impact’ music moments? I am not too sure. For me, music that is so embedded into your consciousness that you are unable to locate in your mind’s eye your first dance with it, is every bit as important. It tells you how comfortable you are with it and the countless memories you have attached to the album.
Eels’ debut album came out in 1996. I was 17 and although I allow myself a bit of slack when it comes to a poor memory about these things (at the time I was a firm believer that living was better with chemistry) I do find it odd that when I think of Beautiful Freak I honestly have no idea how it came into my orbit. Was it the single ‘Novocaine For The Soul’? Was it ‘Susan’s House’? Does it even matter? All I know is that Beautiful Freak is an album that will never leave my collection, but why o’brother I hear you not ask. Well….
By 1996 the UK was many ways drowning in the shirts of Ben Sherman and the Englishness of Britpop. The two Oasis albums had been released and Knebworth was ‘appening man. Thankfully, we still had the relentless spirit of electronic music to keep us intrigued and engaged, OK Computer was just around the corner and for all the wearing of flags, anti-American pieces in the music press (nods in Stuart Maconie’s direction) and the rise of gurning Blair and his New Labour, America continued to create music that deserved our attention.
The 1990s had seen America embrace various forms of Americana and whilst many had enjoyed mining their history, there were a few who decided to smash timelines and sensibilities together thus creating a thrilling new dialect. We had been through the Grunge era yet alternative music did not end with a tragic shotgun blast. Hip-hop, Folk, Dance and rock continued to utilise America’s lineage and reintroduce it to us with a modern twist and with multiple genres marrying together. One of the most celebrated artists of this time was Beck whose fusion of Beat poetry, gonzo humour, folk and hip-hop was truly revolutionary and rightly lauded. Similar to Beck was Eels mainman Mark Oliver Everett yet where Beck was more surreal, Everett’s lyrics were concise, poetic and melancholic. After a few releases under the name E, Everett formed Eels with two core members, Jonathan “Butch” Norton and Tommy Walter. Their debut album was Beautiful Freak and as opening statements go, the band truly hit a home run.
Beautiful Freak is soaked in the language of America’s history. Its soundscapes swirl through the Blues, Country, Folk and Hip-Hop however aside from a one or two songs, the album doesn’t dance or aim to create an optimism. Instead it carries with it a gorgeous vulnerability and a wicked sense of humour. Musically the album lives in the suburbia of Lynch, or the rural landscape of Grant Wood and his American Gothic. Songs manage to sound familiar yet alien. You get the shuffle of Susan’s House that pauses for jazz double bass runs, the glistening waltz of the title track and the indie-fuzz build of Not Ready Yet. All of which would sound messy in lesser musicians’ hands yet here it coalesces into a palatable whole where every stylistic change feels natural and not forced. Lullabies for Generation X. This is music that isn’t chasing trends, it is music created by people who happen to love all these various genres and have the skill and insight to be able to make them work together. A big contributing factor in the album’s cohesion is the production by Everett, Jon Brion, Mark Goldberg and Michael Simpson. Every instrument whether they are chiming prettily or creating discordant chaos are allowed to shine with not one overpowering the other. The drum sound helps the album retain a sense of lo-fi garage rock sensibility and in the middle we have the gruff voice of Everett himself.
E’s vocals are not mainstream pretty or powerful and maybe in another universe he would be doing a roaring trade singing country in bars up and down the States, but after Cobain, Stipe, Morrissette et al had shown the world what uniqueness brings to the art of singing, E slotted into a chart landscape that was ready to hear him. E’s gift with melodies and the sound of his voice were not the only factors in what made his songs work. His phrasing is a huge part of what makes Beautiful Freak such a special listen. He switches from sardonic and deadpan, to gentle and genuinely vulnerable whilst also managing to deliver some wonderfully dark punchlines:
“Here comes a girl with long brown hair who can’t be more than seventeen
She sucks on a red Popsicle while she pushes a baby girl in a pink carriage
And I’m thinking, that must be her sister
That must be her sister, right?“
It’s that final “right?” which helps the entire verse pop and helps the song linger long after listening. Which brings us neatly onto what is the main reason I will never allow Beautiful Freak to leave me and that is the lyrics. Look, I am a word addict. I adore a witty turn of phrase, a darkly offensive snark or a beautiful romantic gesture and with this album E delivers as many great lines as on any Dylan album (ducks for cover). So please indulge me whilst I proceed to repeat just a few:
“Life is hard / and so am I / you better give me something / so I don’t die”
“Hey you, with the walkie-talkie / I know my clothes are not right / I wish I had my own walkie-talkie that reached to God every night”
“There’s truth in everything, there’s truth in lies / With all this knowledge, well I think I’m gonna be wise”
“You’re such a beautiful freak / I bet you are flying inside / Dart down and then go for cover”
“She will always be the only thing / that comes between me and the awful sting / that comes from living in a world that’s so damn mean”
“And one day I’ll come through / my American dream / but it won’t mean a fucking thing”
“Waking up with an ugly face / Winston Churchill in drag”
“Mama gripped onto the milkman’s hand / then she finally gave birth”
“Life is good and I feel great / cos mother says I was a great mistake”.
These showcase a lyricist that is unafraid to be vulnerable and someone who is able to, sometimes, find the humour in their sadness. Lyrics that go against the more upbeat music and which contain much darker musings than the melodies suggest. This was nothing new in pop music with bands like The Beach Boys making it a popular structural tool in the 60s, but E manages to make these contradictions sound unique to his worldview and artistry with his closest peer in this respect being Daniel Johnston who you really get a sense of kinship with even if the artists themselves were unaware of each other. Eels would go on to take this ethos even further, and into much more unsettling territory, on their equally excellent second album Electro-Shock Blues.
Thirty years old. Thirty years of this album holding a special corner in my brain. Thirty years of that unsettling image of the girl with the big eyes staring at me (an excellent signpost for the music within). Thirty years of it providing an emotional connection with old and new friends, my wife, and my son (thanks to Shrek). Thirty years of this Americana curiosity that holds its head up high against the albums released in that remarkable decade. Beautiful Freak is the opening salvo in a wonderful catalog of eccentricities and tradition. It is a startling debut album which does not feel dated in any way. Its melodies still hook and leave you humming them, its lyrics make you laugh, cry and wince and its musicianship and collage approach still keep you locked for its entire running time.
“You’re such a beautiful freak…I wish there were more just like you”
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Review by Simon Tucker
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