Customer Reviews

Guero (W/Dvd)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Although Guero on it's own is a highly worthwhile release (I'd
give it 4 stars), the Deluxe version of Guero is amazing...
considering I got it for $15 on Bestbuy.com

First: The extra tracks.
1. Send A Message To Her
This track is a top quality B-side. Deserves to be left off
the original album. Very straightforward, catchy pop. Could
of worked well with the 'Mutations'-era material.
2. Chain Reaction
WOW!!! This is one weird song. A Black Sabbath sample, distorted
vocals, the whole kitchen sink. As a stand-alone song, this is a hardcore
update of the aggressive 'Mellow
Gold'-era material. It definitely would not flow with the
rest of the tracks on 'Guero.' (except maybe E-Pro.)
3. Clap Hands
This is one song that would totally have fit on 'Guero.' The
groovy beat is so catchy, I prefer this to Hell Yes. It sounds
eerily like that "Milkshake" song by Kelis. Best of the extra
songs by far.

As for the remixes, you get very competent reworkings of Girl,
Broken Drum, Missing, and Hell Yes. The remixes of Broken Drum
and Missing are the most creative.

The DVD
I had no technical trouble playing the DVD (as other reviewers
have complained about.) The graphics are well done, but sometimes
tend to resemble an elaborate screensaver you see on
computers. The hard to find bonus videos are a nice treat if
you're patient. The photo gallery feels tacked on, with no audio to accompany it.
My biggest complaint is why the DVD has only the original 13
songs. At least there could have been the remixes on here,
if not the 3 bonus tracks. The remixes would have fit perfectly with the video art.
The sheer quantity of video remixes is stunning. The 5.1 mix sounded very solid as well.

The Book:
The CD/DVD combo comes encased in a white "book" that's about
the size of a DVD case. This format is somewhat awkward for
portability reasons. Along with the printed lyrics, there is
exclusive artwork and photos. This is the most superfluous
aspect of the Deluxe edition. While the artwork and photos
are interesting, they don't justify being packaged in such a
bulky casing. I almost wish they kept the standard CD booklet
format. The "book" idea might have worked for an album like
Sea Change, seems unnecessary here.

All told, the DELUXE Edition is a must have for Beck fans:
the extra songs alone are worth it (the DVD & book are
icing on the cake!)

My reasoning for giving the Guero DVD/CD limited edition 3 stars has nothing to do with the quality of the songs, but rather is a warning to the consumer about potential technical difficulties with the DVD.

I received my first copy of Guero from Amazon.com the week Guero was released. About 7 minutes into the "Visual Effects," which is the main feature of the DVD, the effects froze. I could not zoom forward or ahead. I tried restarting the disc, cleaning it, cleaning the player, none to any avail. I returned my copy and complained about it on a Beck bulletin board, only to find out several other people had the same problems.

I got my second copy a few days later with the exact same problems. I emailed Beck.com and Interscope records regarding the glitch. Interscope claims that it is old or low-quality DVD players that cause the error, that the D-Fuse content of the DVD is too ground-breaking and high-tech for some DVD players. However, they have neglected to provided any alternatives for customers other than "try a different DVD player." Folks like poor old me may only have one DVD player to contend with.

Buyer beware: There are no guarantees that you'll be able to access the full content of this DVD!

Initially when I played the album on DVD audio it froze and jittered during 'Girl' and 'Emergency exit' making the tracks unlistenable and unwatchable. I scoured the net for a solution and found that by pressing the subtitle button on the DVD remote I could change slightly what was on screen during the song. In changing this the two problem tracks and all others played perfectly...hence the album plays perfectly without any glitches. I hope this might help someone out there.

This review is primarily about the deluxe packaging and not so much on the cd itself. Hey, it's Beck, and why are you hear if you aren't already pre-disposed to think everything he does is not Genius? The man and his music are chameleons and that is the point. You can't be disappointed that this doesn't sound like Sea Change or that it reminds you of Odelay. That's not the point! Beck is not K-mart packaged music. If you don't get it or are disappointed, keep listening. You will!

That said... I buy deluxe editions. I just feel for my money, that's the way to go. Sometimes I'm disappointed by the extras, but most times not. The extras on this set are a mixed bag for me. If you're on a budget (I should be, but I'm not), there is nothing wrong with buying the basic cd at almost half the price. The expanded CD is the main reason to buy this set. More music is always a reason to buy expanded sets!. The packaging rates a C+ for me with a great 50+ page booklet with "readable" lyrics and great art work (by, who I thought was Henry Darger, but instead is by Marcel Dzama). It's nice not to have to strain your eyes to read Becks'words (and they're actually worth reading!). The case holding the discs however deserves an F. You have to remove both discs if you want to get to the 2nd disc??? This is the 2nd packaging I've seen (the other in the AC/DC set) that is like this and hopefully it is not a trend. Lastly the DVD was a disappointment to me on first view. It did jam up on my Sony DVD player (on track 4 especially), but not my computer, and I could find no fault with the disc. Note to myself and everyone else that's having problems (maybe we need a new DVD player?) Knowing Beck, he used the most state of the art technology on this disc and are players aren't up to it? Just a suggestion. As to the video portion - it's just not for me. I'm either too old, not patient enough or impaired enough to appreciate it. The sound, however (with a 5.1 option) does make me want to try it again.

Overall there is enough extra stuff here to keep any diehard Beck fan happy, whether you buy it for the extra tracks, the DVD, or the art and booklet. However, if you're credit card is max'd and the ATM will only let you take out $10, the basic edition will certainly suffice.

A previous reviewer did not point out that the meat and potatoes of the DVD is a high-resolution DVD-Audio mix. It has a layer that will play on a regular DVD player, but the audio quality on that one is significantly poorer than the hi-res DVD-A layer. Audiophiles with DVD-A equipment should grab this one - the major labels (with limited exceptions) seem to be determined to bury hi-res six feet under. If this is truly a limited edition, get it while you can.

This review is for those who are interested in buying the cd in the Deluxe/DVD version.
Well it contains some remixes and "bonus" content, but i've only found the main meat and potatos of it all so far. Maybe there is hidden stuff but i haven't found any yet. It's basically the album played front to back in either 5.1 stereo or 2.0 surroundsound. The option of 2 different Visual stuff accompanies each video. What you see is similar, but way more complex, to what your typical windows media will play. Don't expect lots of interviews or even backstage/candid footage of Beck.
Included also is a photo album, but it's just mostly stills from the visual accompanyment part of the cd with a few candid shots mixed in. Mostly just artsy stuff. Take note that while you look through the photo album no music is played.
Lastly, there are some album credits that you can read. But those you can also just read in the booklet. But hey maybe you wanna get funky and read them on your tv.
On the cd itself there are extra songs. You get 2 remixes: One of 'Girl' one of 'Broken drum' also the new songs:
Send a message to her
Chain reaction
Clap sounds,
Still missing,
Fax machine anthem.
all of which are not found on the regular cd. So if all this sounds like it's worth paying the extra 5 bucks for, go for it. If not the hardcore fan it may not justify the extra loot. It's all up to you really.
Take note that the packaging is also a little different, choosing a book format. It has your typical inclusion of lyrics and artwork. I'm not sure if it's all that's in the regular CD version of the booklet but it's in the deluxe format and there for you to glance over. Like i said, you can go to the other reviews for more info on the songs themselves this is moreso for the extra stuff you get with the deluxe/dvd version.
P.S. just some FYI: the first copy i got of this had a problem with playing track 3 on my dvd player and would freeze up. I didn't get a chance to exchange it yet, so I can't really say if this was more of a one off defect or what.

Never mind the dvd! I too, have had problems with it - - one track, a favorite unfortunately, sometimes skips or doesn't play but all other dvd tracks work fine and the surround sound effects are uber cool. You probably won't use the dvd as much as you would the actual CD so this is still a good buy: minus one star for our skippy dvd friend.

I've lost the audio CD of this collection and just got a new one now because I miss the bonus songs : / This cd will satiate your Beck cravings anytime, anyday, anywhere, buy it. O

Guero is an album that has listeners on the edge of their seats for a steady number of tracks. The ones that first stuck out at me were "E-Pro", "Que Onda Guero", and "Hell Yes"; all uptempo songs. Beck has used strong downbeat tracks in all prior albums (Sea Change, "Nobody's Fault But My Own", "Jack-Ass", "Pay No Mind", the slightly mellower "Debra"). But in Guero, I hear Beck unable to connect with those wonderful melodies which could make this a five-star album. I love this album, and I don't agree with all of the Odelay comparsions. Although I do hear The Dust Brothers' production in every track, like I did on Odelay, I can't see any of Geuro's tracks on that record. The DVD was a decent addition to the Guero package. Though the unofficial Beck music "videos" are quite lame, the easily accessible easter eggs are a great touch (simply hit the right arrow button and hit select on the DVD remote to see the video for "E-Pro", and then go to the speaker options and do the same thing to see the innovative but familiar video for "Black Tambourine"). Guero doesn't sound like any other Beck album and it is one of the best records to play with the volume extremely loud that I have ever heard! This is a welcome addition to a very welcoming portfolio of one of the pioneers of modern music. Guero is a very good album that ends off with bonus tracks that are pretty great. The opening bonus, "Send A Message To Her" is a rocking number while the others aren't quite as great; "Chain Reaction" and "Clap Hands", but still pretty nice. The remixes, I've only listened to once. The songs that grew on me after repeated listenings were "Farewell Ride" and "Go It Alone". There are some awesome tracks here. Thanks for another gem, Beck

Just wanted to let everyone know that some DVD players aren't compatible with this DVD. Mine wasn't, but I just called my manufacturer (Philips) and told them the problem and it turns out it's something they knew about and it was a free fix. So, call up the manufacturer of your DVD player and ask about the EEPROM upgrade so it will be compatible with the newer DVD discs. (Most if not all manufacturers should offer this, but I can't say for sure).

As for the disc itself, it sounds just awesome in 5.1, and this DVD is the reason I bought the deluxe edition instead of the regular.

Here's Beck doing what he does best. It's "Odelay" redux - funky beats, lyrics that are playful on some songs, sober and introspective on others. There are also a whole lot of skeletons and a feeling of menace that comes and goes. However, with twenty songs the album goes on a bit long, considering that there's not much tonal variety from song to song, and that is why I gave the album 4 stars instead of 5. Then there's the DVD . . . what's the point of producing a DVD that is so "cutting edge" that virtually no one can use its features? I can watch some of the songs in two formats, but with most songs I'm restricted to one. Qué onda, guero?