Bong Load Records scored a major coup in 1992 when cofounders Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf independently discovered Beck Hansen at L.A. clubs and signed him to release the 12" of "Loser." A year later, though, the excitement generated by the single led to a bidding war, won by Geffen, for Beck's debut full length, which appeared two years later. For Bong Load, the consolation prize was twofold: Beck's contract with Geffen allowed him to release side projects on the label, and BL got to keep his vinyl issue, which hardly interested the majors this deep into the 90s.
Things went smoothly through Mellow Gold, but after the smashing critical and commercial success of Odelay vaulted Beck to the top tier of rock artists, Geffen got itchy. Beck had recorded an album with producer Nigel Godrich that he didn't intend as a proper follow-up to Odelay, but Geffen went ahead and released it anyway, prompting a round robin of mostly collegial lawsuits between them, Beck, and Bong Load that took a year or two to iron out.
That album was Mutations, and Bong Load's LP issue is an excellent specimen, both as listening experience and object. For starters, it's pressed on heavy vinyl, and well mastered. Even better, it includes a supercool bonus 7" with three tracks not included on the CD release. The packaging for the 7" is an accordion- folded insert that's essentially the liner notes and lyric sheet for the album proper. I'll let the photos speak for themselves, but the performances sound excellent, and I've come to think that closing track "Static" is one of Beck's underrated best.
This is just a cool record to own. I actually hadn't thought it was ever pressed, but lo and behold, it turned up on Jonny's list of Record Store Day wall gems and I fought my way through scrappy Williamsburg trust-funders to snag it just moments after the store opened. My short take on Beck is that he's the closest thing any subsequent generation has had to a Dylan, and I think his work from the 90s remains underappreciated. When you have a moment, go back and listen to this record; it's remarkable how it feels simultaneously constructed and spontaneous, loose but assured. This kind of risk-taking has long since gone out of fashion.
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