Beck - Clap Hands - Non-Album Tracks (2005)

Beck had a very productive 2005. That year, he released the album "Guero" after not releasing any album since "Sea Change" in 2002. He also released an album of remixes of songs from that album, called "Guerolito." But he also had enough 2005 material to release an album of stray tracks too, which is exactly what this is.

In 2005, Beck began a habit of posting some of his songs he didn't intend to put on album at his website, beck.com. Unfortunately, he only did this for a handful of songs in 2005 and 2006. But that makes up the first six songs of this album. Three of them are originals, while the other three are covers of Nick Drake songs. He later explained he wanted to learn Drake's songs to get inside them and learn what made them special, to help him with his own songwriting.

Personally, I think "Guero" is a strong album, but I'm not fond of "Guerolito." As a general rule, I don't think much of remixes - I almost always prefer the original version. That's how I feel with the "Guerolito" remixes too. But there's one exception, a remix of "Missing" that's interesting, and so different that it's given the name "Heaven Hammer." I also like the "Junior Senior" remix of the "Guero" song "Girl" that didn't make "Guerolito," so I've included that too.

The last three songs are "Guero" bonus tracks. Special note should be made of the song "Clap Hands." Personally, I think it's the best song he did in 2005, so it's a mystery to me that he only made it a bonus track. Beck seems to have liked the song a lot too, playing it in every show for the next two years, and even playing it on "Saturday Night Live." Sometimes, he played a "dinner table" version of the song that is best appreciated seen, not just heard. Basically, Beck sang the song while playing acoustic guitar, but the rest of his band sat at a dinner table and provided back-up by "playing" the dishes and silverware. Search for it on YouTube; it's a fun watch.

01 Untitled Song 2 (Beck)
02 Pink Moon (Beck)
03 Which Will (Beck)
04 Day for Night (Beck)
05 Sorrow (Beck)
06 Parasite (Beck)
07 Heaven Hammer [Missing] [Air Remix] (Beck)
08 Girl [Junior Senior Remix] (Beck)
09 Chain Reaction (Beck)
10 Send a Message to Her (Beck)
11 Clap Hands (Beck)

https://www.upload.ee/files/15127179/BeckH_2005_ClapHnds_atse.zip.html

For the cover art, I used the cover of one version of Beck's 2005 "Hell Yes" single. I had to airbrush out a couple of things, then add in some text.