Once you've established yourself as a groundbreaking forerunner in rock n roll, there's really not a lot to do except keep trying your best to maintain an upward path. But for Beck, who long ago proved that he's here to stay, that's not quite enough.

Beck has spent the majority of 2010 recruiting his friends in bands to record cover versions of some classic albums. Or to put it in Beck's words, his Record Club is "an informal meeting of various musicians to record an album in a day." So far that's meant contributions from groups like LIars, St Vincent and Os Mutantes who joined up to cover INXS' album Kick (video below); or Wilco, Jamie Lidell, and Feist who covered Skip Spence's Oar.

But even more mind blowing than the concept of Beck recruiting such classic groups to cover albums as odd as Yanni's Live at the Acropolis is that so far every cover album has been made available for streaming free at Beck's web site. You could say that it's Beck's way of giving back to his fans, exploring creativity with fellow artists, or perhaps celebrating classic or obscure albums, but I'd wager that this is his way of keeping his mind sharp between records while having a little fun in the process. But whatever the reason, it's a huge, Character Approved treat for his fans.

[Image: Beck / Record Club]