Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Music

All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2009
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000

Upcoming &
Recent Releases

sort by namesort by score

70 AFI
65 Air
71 Alice In Chains
77 Amerie
85 The Antlers
75 Arctic Monkeys
68 As Tall As Lions
82 Atlas Sound
75 The Avett Brothers
67 Backstreet Boys
56 Bad Lieutenant
68 Devendra Banhart
72 Lou Barlow
88 Baroness
69 Basement Jaxx
81 David Bazan
72 Brendan Benson
72 The Big Pink
96 Big Star
46 Billy Talent
75 The Black Crowes
51 Black Mold
68 Blitzen Trapper
75 BLK JKS
77 A.A. Bondy
73 The Bottle Rockets
63 Box Elders
65 Boys Like Girls
76 Brand New
73 Tyondai Braxton
87 Brother Ali
70 Ian Brown
75 Michael Buble
78 Built To Spill
61 Colbie Caillat
79 Califone
68 Mariah Carey
84 Brandi Carlile
73 Julian Casablancas
83 Rosanne Cash
69 Castanets
65 The Cave Singers
84 Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
79 Vic Chesnutt
75 Choir Of Young Believers
81 Circulatory System
68 The Clean
84 The Clientele
71 Cobra Starship
85 Converge
71 Eric Copeland
80 Cymbals Eat Guitars
71 Datarock
59 Dead By Sunrise
76 Dead Man's Bones
88 Destroyer
63 The Dodos
77 Drive-By Truckers
66 Bob Dylan
44 The Entrance Band
67 Esser
69 Fanfarlo
63 Felix Da Housecat
68 Fink
78 The Flaming Lips
66 Flight Of The Conchords
79 Florence And The Machine
67 John Fogerty
83 Fuck Buttons
71 Nelly Furtado
47 Gary Go
68 Ghostface Killah
79 Girls
69 Gossip
62 David Gray
66 David Guetta
79 Richard Hawley
74 Mayer Hawthorne
66 Headlights
79 HEALTH
77 Joe Henry
66 Hockey
69 Whitney Houston
68 Imogen Heap
59 Jack Ingram
79 Islands
73 Jessie James
74 Jamie T
65 Jay-Z
51 Jet
69 Daniel Johnston
76 Karen O And The Kids
72 Toby Keith
69 Kid Cudi
65 Kings Of Convenience
62 Sean Kingston
64 KISS
76 Kris Kristofferson
68 KRS-One & Buckshot
76 La Roux
84 Miranda Lambert
72 Ledisi
75 Sondre Lerche
56 Juliette Lewis
82 Lightning Bolt
73 Little Dragon
44 Pixie Lott
73 Lyle Lovett
66 Lovvers
75 Baaba Maal
77 Madness
84 Madonna
85 Manic Street Preachers
62 Maps
55 Massive Attack
57 Matisyahu
67 Reba McEntire
66 Tim McGraw
65 Brian McKnight
79 Mew
77 Malcolm Middleton
77 Mika
68 Amy Millan
76 Mission Of Burma
76 Molina And Johnson
80 Monsters Of Folk
62 Morrissey
85 Mount Eerie
78 The Mountain Goats
62 Múm
72 Muse
66 Willie Nelson
78 Nirvana
97 Nirvana
72 Nisennenmondai
80 No Age
71 Noah And The Whale
75 Noisettes
79 Nudge
47 Dolores O'Riordan
74 Os Mutantes
73 Osso
81 Owen
76 Paramore
76 Pastels And Tenniscoats
51 Sean Paul
80 Pearl Jam
66 Jemina Pearl
72 Jack Penate
65 Phish
82 Pissed Jeans
61 Pitbull
79 A Place To Bury Strangers
66 Robert Pollard
79 Polvo
72 Porcupine Tree
80 Q-Tip
80 R.E.M.
89 Raekwon
69 Rain Machine
70 Ramona Falls
75 Dizzee Rascal
75 The Raveonettes
76 Jay Reatard
82 Reigning Sound
81 Rodrigo Y Gabriela
79 Russian Circles
69 Buffy Sainte-Marie
73 Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
61 Sally Shapiro
78 Shudder To Think
70 Simian Mobile Disco
58 Simple Minds
72 Six Organs Of Admittance
69 Slaughterhouse
80 Slayer
61 The Slits
62 Mindy Smith
78 Soulsavers
77 Speech Debelle
58 Spiral Stairs
58 Squarepusher
55 Steel Panther
73 Sufjan Stevens
52 Rod Stewart
65 Joss Stone
75 George Strait
83 Barbra Streisand
76 A Sunny Day In Glasgow
74 Susanna And The Magical Orchestra
78 The Swell Season
76 David Sylvian
83 Taken By Trees
78 Tegan And Sara
68 The Temper Trap
72 Themselves
82 They Might Be Giants
67 Third Eye Blind
66 J Tillman
69 Times New Viking
57 Tokio Hotel
67 Trey Songz
71 The Twilight Sad
58 Carrie Underwood
56 The Used
68 Various Artists
70 Various Artists
74 Various Artists
77 The Very Best
71 Kurt Vile
67 Vivian Girls
71 Volcano Choir
76 Rufus Wainwright
59 Weezer
80 White Denim
76 Why?
83 Wild Beasts
80 Wildbirds & Peacedrums
59 Andrew W.K.
71 Patrick Wolf
67 Wolfmother
84 The xx
79 Yo La Tengo
83 Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
51 Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
59 Zero 7

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Guerolito

EMAILPRINTby Beck

Beck reviews
66
7.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 19 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >

Album Info

Label: Interscope

Release Date: 13 December 2005

Discs: 1 disc

Genre(s): Alternative, Rock, Electronic

Summary

Beck's latest LP, 'Guero,' is remixed track-for-track by the likes of Air, Boards Of Canada, El-P and Subtle.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

83

Entertainment Weekly

It's a studio-geek jam session that, in terms of sonic inventiveness, nearly beats the DJ-savvy original. [16 Dec 2005, p.82]

83

E! Online

The most rewarding reworkings (Boards of Canada's "Broken Drum," Octet's "Girl") come from those who avoid novelty and realize that, underneath all the blips and glitches, Beck is just a soul man.

Read Full Review >
80

Alternative Press

Most of [the remixers] subtly tweak the originals into charming facsimiles of Beck's clap-happy, orchestral folk-blues funk ditties. [Mar 2006, p.138]

75

The Onion (A.V. Club)

A surprisingly cohesive rethink that manages several times to outshine its source material.

Read Full Review >
75

Spin

Cut Mr. Hansen up, and he reassembles nicely, but weirdly enough, it's tough to out-Beck Beck. [Jan 2006, p.92]

70

Billboard

"Guerolito" proves that remixes do not have to work solely for dance crossover: They can give a well-received album new legs among its original fans, too. [17 Dec 2005]

70

Rolling Stone

Guerolito is like Guero's spazzy, endearing little brother. [15 Dec 2005, p.154]

70

The New York Times

Beck's original versions now sound restrained and single-minded, probably truer to the songs. The remixes are busier and dizzier, leaving Beck to his melancholy while they have some fun. [12 Dec 2005]

70

Tiny Mix Tapes

The reinventions that fare best are the ones that come from the minds and hands of producers who dare to alter the attitude of the original compositions.

Read Full Review >
70

musicOMH.com

Over the course of the LP... the toe-tapping comfortably outweighs the head-scratching.

Read Full Review >
70

New Musical Express

Will... have you oiling your joints and gearing up for a bit of robobooty gyration. [21 Jan 2006, p.33]

67

Stylus Magazine

Only half of these tracks provide truly valuable alternatives to Guero songs.

Read Full Review >
62

Pitchfork

Even for an artist this venerable, a remix record is still a remix record-- generally uneven, part enlightening, and part skippable.

Read Full Review >
60

PopMatters

Think of Guerolito as an addendum or an after-dinner mint — the worthwhile offerings it affords will be of most use to the listener who enjoyed the main course.

Read Full Review >
60

Dot Music

By letting inferior guests share his stage, Beck only reminds us what a unique and gifted individual he is.

Read Full Review >
60

Under The Radar

What becomes clear quickly is that... Beck still makes a better Beck album than anybody else. [#12, p.94]

50

Lost At Sea

Despite the variety of acts on the disc, the songs are surprisingly uniform in structure: stripped down to Beck's vocals (which are left intact) and rebuilt with a drum machine set to either "monotonous" or "uninspired."

Read Full Review >
50

Playlouder

While a few get close, not one remix here stands up to the original on 'Guero'.

Read Full Review >
50

Prefix Magazine

Plays more like a gimmick than a remix album.

Read Full Review >
40

Uncut

If the reheated Odelay-isms of last year's Guero felt like a tactical move in the wake of the soul-bearing torment of Sea Change, Guerolito has an equally hollow ring. [Feb 2006, p.86]

40

Q Magazine

Guerolito's songs dissolve in an anonymous stream of chugging electro and dub effects. [Feb 2006, p.101]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 19 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Gabe C gave it a6:
I'm giving an OK rating because; as far as remix albums go; this at least has some individual tracks that are really good. The mixes of Girl, Missing and Hell Yes (almost like it better than the original) are fantastic. Most of the others are quite forgettable, but thankfully its only the Black Tambourine mix (which in advance I thought would be a really good track to remix) that truly makes my ears bleed and make me want to shoot Adrock.

daniela r gave it a10:
I think it´s a really great album, the music and the lyrics are just perfect.

Kyle L gave it an8:
I liked it and would say it is the best Beck album thus far. He seems to have a different style with this album...nit bad though.

Bill Bob gave it a2:
Guero: Loved It. Guerolito: Pointless! I mean seriously, Beck had it good enough before the remixes. Some say it would make a nice companion to Guero, but it doesn't. Especially the Hell Yes remix. It's all very boring and stupid. Way to f*** up another great album, Beck.

km gave it a2:
Boring. Really boring. And unnecessary.

tim m gave it a10:
freakin sweet. only gets better through replay. take a bite outta this one, chew it up, swallow it, then regurgitate so you can re-swallow cuz its freakin sweet.

Nick H. gave it an8:
8/10 = Excellent. There’s a lot to love about Beck’s new remix of “Guero”: “Guerolito.” Most of that comes from the fact that it gives you a new way to view one of the greatest albums of 2005 in a new way. Some of the tracks are surprising in how much they differ from the originals. Most notable are ‘Ghost Range’ (E-Pro remix), ‘Heaven Hammer’ (Missing remix), and ‘Scarecrow’ (remixed from the same original track) or even ‘Wish Coin’ (Go it Alone remix). All change the songs tone so drastically that you’d swear they were different songs by different artists – if not for Beck Hansen’s signature voice. ‘E-Pro’ was once a guitar-heavy experiment with a beat box – and one of the best tracks on “Guero”. Now on the new album, ‘Ghost Range’ aims to be some sort of odd mixture of funk beats, acoustic guitars, and some really strange string sounds. Sure, the lyrics remain mostly untouched, but the almost funk-country aspect of it makes it a new track. The album then takes ‘Heaven Hammer’, ‘Wish Coin’, and ‘Scarecrow’, three somber, generally depressing songs and turns them into surprisingly jovial jaunts with uplifting beats and increased tempos (and in turn makes them into three of the album’s best tracks). There’s also plenty of rehashing on this album, and plenty of tracks to just find amusing. The 8-bit ‘Gettochip Malfunction’ (Hell Yes remix) is almost identical to its predecessor but manages to be more pleasing to the ears. ‘Shake Shake Tambourine’ takes the old ‘Black Tambourine’ and adds an almost ‘Holla Back Girl’ (the Gwen Steffani song) to a tweaked techno beat – it, once again, makes the song a little more fun and easy to get into. Perhaps even the most fun on the entire album, but it’s not exactly enlightening. ‘Que Onda Guero’, ‘Farewell Ride’, and ‘Rental Car’ all make acceptably updated appearances as well, adding to a great new experience. But, it’s not all good. ‘Broken Drum’ still remains the albums low point, and as it did with “Guero”, manages to drag the pacing of the album to a near halt. Even though it is better than the original, it still doesn’t belong. Add to that the absolute butchering of ‘Girl’ and ‘Earthquake Weather’ (now Terrernoto Tempo) and this new album has managed to do away with two of Beck’s better songs. But, we do have some interesting saves that help to elevate “Guerolito”. The new remix of “Emergency Exit” features an insane increase in tempo and very little instrumental support to Hansen’s vocals. In fact, besides some very simple beats and sound effects, his vocals are used to create all that’s necessary (it gets quite interesting around the 2:20 mark). At the albums close there is another saving grace: “Clap Hands”. It’s a new Beck song and it’s very interesting. I’ve checked my other albums and I can’t find anything that really seems like this new track. Maybe it’s ‘Hell Yes’? Nope. Or… no, not just one song. Now that I think about it, the track seems like a mish-mash of some tracks from the early “Mellow Gold” album: ‘F*ckin’ with my Head’ and ‘Beercan’… and hell maybe even ‘Pressure Zone’ from “Midnite Vultures”. It’s a great - read: ODD - track, and I’d suppose it might be what Beck has planned for his next album(s?). All that said, “Guerolito” is a great album – even if we did loose ‘Girl’ and ‘Earthquake Weather’.

Read more user comments >

Popular on CBS sites: SEC Football | NFL | Video Game Cheats | iPhone | Video Game Reviews | Notebooks | Antivirus Software

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use