"Awesome experimental debut for Butch, Tommy, and "E". I bought this album recently after seeing the Abandoned Pools in concert (Tommy is the lead singer) but hadn't heard anything off of it besides "Novacaine" on the radio and "My Beloved Monster" from Shrek. Boy was I missing out.I'm more of an 'experimental' Eels fan; albums like Beautiful Freak and Electro-shock are better in my opinion just because of the extreme diversity between songs. From the quasi-piano balled of the title track to the pure rock and roll number "Mental", E and the crew keep you guessing. Lyrically, the sardonic humor really shines here; especially on "Susan's House" which really paints a nice story (albeit it jumps from one place to another in a town). E is a better ironic-writer than beck and a lot more self-deprecating and expressive ("Everyday they rain down on me, flower in a hailstorm")If you're in 'one of those moods' or just looking for something interesting from a very talented group of musicians, look no further than The Eels."
Excellent debut from Eels
saint_77 | 02/21/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'll admit it. I was reeled in by the single 'Novocaine For The Soul.' It's a song you'll be humming to yourself over and over. Fortunately, the rest of the album is also quite good. There are some songs you could give a miss, but then there are works of genius such as 'Susan's House,' a spoken-word tune that would make you laugh if it wasn't so sad. 'Flower' is affecting in it's gentleness, and 'Spunky' is just sublime. With lines like 'Spunky looks good in her bright red wig, eating chocolate chip mint ice-cream/A cat named Lola with a violent past, is balled-up asleep 'cross her knees" it's that kind of song which makes you take a time out from everyday life and take a deep, life-affirming breath. Even though this album is stacked with sad songs, there's an uplifting quality about them. It took me a while to get into the album, so you might need to play it a few times."
Memorably beautiful
Danielle Morgan | Flower Mound, Tx USA | 01/01/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Beautiful freak is a haunting cd. The eels have a truly original sound. This is a cd for a person who is tired of all of the same old music and is looking for something more original."
Debut, a little up and down but a classic
M. Buisman | Amstelveen, The Netherlands | 07/15/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Mark Everett had already made some albums under the name of "E". 'Beautiful Freak' was the first album under the name of Eels, hoping that his E albums would be standing next to the new ones, totally forgetting about bands like the Eagles.The first track of this album to be released is the indie-classic 'Novocaine for the soul' with a great sample and piano intro. Many instruments are used on this album. Piano, Guitar, Banjo and many samples making it an interesting album to listen to. There are no bad songs and some very good ones. Beloved Monster is fun, Spunky very sweet. The quality of songs got better after this album, but this one is very diverse."