Let's talk about Jeff Beck for a bit...

[Wacky Racer]

Just three quarters of the way through reading Jeff Beck's excellent biography, a guitarist who is held in the highest esteem, nay even awe by his peers, Clapton, Page, Blackmore, Gilmour, May etc....

His first solo album "Truth", from 1968 with Rod (the mod) Stewart on vocals, included a version of "You Shook me". which Jimmy Page (His childhood best friend) claimed he had never heard, when he recorded it for Led Zeppelin 1, a few months after "Truth's" release...a likely story. It caused quite a bit of friction at the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b-no05V2Jo

Zeppelin's version featuring Robert Plant:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS1Tz6dzcjU

Jimmy Page inducts Beck into the Rock 'n Roll hall of fame:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQNCQiciOdo

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

He was everywhere & nowhere baby

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

I'm a huge Rod Stewart fan. As a result I have all the early Jeff stuff. Yep decent music. Hi ho silver lining was so out of kilter with everything else, but made him more money than the rest put together.

[Simes205]

I played this to my A level class today.
We were talking about Zep and the Yardbirds, page, Beck and Clapton.
Jimmy Page is in the audience.....

he plays on Stevie Wonders ‘Talking book’ with Stevie returning the favour.

Edited by Simes205 on Friday 18th October 18:42

Edited by Simes205 on Friday 18th October 18:45

[Wacky Racer]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

I'm a huge Rod Stewart fan. As a result I have all the early Jeff stuff. Yep decent music. Hi ho silver lining was so out of kilter with everything else, but made him more money than the rest put together.

Just been listening to the entire Truth album, Rod was on superb form throughout, Rod's very early work is excellent, my favourite work is Python Lee Jackson's "In a broken dream"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHcBtOmE4p8

[colin_p]

Random fact about Rod Stewart, he was once a communist.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

colin_p said:

Random fact about Rod Stewart, he was once a communist.

More random (maybe) he is Roderick, which was shortened to Rod then extended to Rodney.

[TCX]

Love Beck,off all the 60s guitar heroes,he's kept fresh,trying different things,love the dynamics of playing fingerstyle

[GAjon]

Saw Beck at the Manchester Apollo yonks ago.

A virtuoso In the true sense of the word, but, a bit to rich for my blood at the time.

On the up side the support act The climax blues band were brilliant!

[cherryowen]

For a number of years now, I've said that you could hand Jeff Beck a length of 4 x 2 with a couple of strings attached to it and he'd still sound like Jeff Beck.

I suppose his album "Blow By Blow" is the most critically acclaimed, but - for me - his work on "Truth" is exceptional. There's not a duff tune on the whole record, assisted largely by Stewart's fantastic blues vox. Stand out Beck work on "Truth" include Rock My Plimsoul, Shapes of Things, Morning Dew, and Ol' Man River.

I suppose, like Jimmy Page, you can't pigeonhole him. JP is as happy playing DADGAD tuned folk stuff as he is playing rock and blues, whilst JB can fuse blues / rockabilly / jazz stuff into one solo.

If I could offer two of my favourite examples of JB's work:-

Manic Depression with Seal on vocals

Sleep Walk

[Escapegoat]

There's a Beck track for everyone. The hot-as-Hendrix stuff leaves me cold, but the mellower tracks where his technique is front and centre are untouchable by anyone:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD3PKJzDlJU
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiOPvOBd8IA

[Cantaloupe]

He should be much bigger, the mystery is why he couldn't stay in a band for any length of time
unlike Page or Clapton.

I suspect he's unlikeable, although I have no evidence, he just seems up his own arse.

[GetCarter]

Simes205 said:

I played this to my A level class today.
We were talking about Zep and the Yardbirds, page, Beck and Clapton.
Jimmy Page is in the audience.....

he plays on Stevie Wonders ‘Talking book’ with Stevie returning the favour.

Edited by Simes205 on Friday 18th October 18:42

Edited by Simes205 on Friday 18th October 18:45

Excellent work that Mr teacher.

If you get time, get them to check out :

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rl...

(I did this with degree music students and they were entirely baffled!)

[Ferodocastrol]

Great technique especially with the wammy bar and string pull offs but might have been a better singer and so a bigger artist/package. Clapton sings and is probably better known but he's no better than Beck IMO............ in the scheme of things though, Beck's done well for himself with that there guitar.

Edited by Ferodocastrol on Saturday 19th October 15:43

[Elderly]

Cantaloupe said:

I suspect he's unlikeable, although I have no evidence, he just seems up his own arse.

I worked on a show called 'Five faces of the Guitar' at the BBC in 1974 with him,
plus Julian Bream, Paco Pena, John Renbourn and Barney Kessel.

I don't remember Beck as being unlikable - I do remember retake after retake after retake after retake
for Julian Bream .

[Simes205]

GetCarter said:

Simes205 said:

I played this to my A level class today.
We were talking about Zep and the Yardbirds, page, Beck and Clapton.
Jimmy Page is in the audience.....

he plays on Stevie Wonders ‘Talking book’ with Stevie returning the favour.

Edited by Simes205 on Friday 18th October 18:42

Edited by Simes205 on Friday 18th October 18:45

Excellent work that Mr teacher.

If you get time, get them to check out :

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rl...

(I did this with degree music students and they were entirely baffled!)

We’ve had this conversation before!!!
They’ll be getting some SD soon as I need to show them the Mu major chord.

[Stan the Bat]

Cantaloupe said:

He should be much bigger, the mystery is why he couldn't stay in a band for any length of time
unlike Page or Clapton.

I suspect he's unlikeable, although I have no evidence, he just seems up his own arse.

Don't see how you could jump to that conclusion?

Clapton has been in quite a few bands too.

[Rod200SX]

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

colin_p said:

Random fact about Rod Stewart, he was once a communist.

More random (maybe) he is Roderick, which was shortened to Rod then extended to Rodney.

Not too random for me, I'm Roderick Stuart, which was shortened to Roddy (can't stand Rodney) then again to Rod.

Apparently my name combo was a coincidence and not thought about...

[colin_p]

Rod200SX said:

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

colin_p said:

Random fact about Rod Stewart, he was once a communist.

More random (maybe) he is Roderick, which was shortened to Rod then extended to Rodney.

Not too random for me, I'm Roderick Stuart, which was shortened to Roddy (can't stand Rodney) then again to Rod.

Apparently my name combo was a coincidence and not thought about...

Are you a commie though ?

[Rod200SX]

colin_p said:

Rod200SX said:

2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:

colin_p said:

Random fact about Rod Stewart, he was once a communist.

More random (maybe) he is Roderick, which was shortened to Rod then extended to Rodney.

Not too random for me, I'm Roderick Stuart, which was shortened to Roddy (can't stand Rodney) then again to Rod.

Apparently my name combo was a coincidence and not thought about...

Are you a commie though ?

The filthiest of commies.