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Jeff Beck

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Jeff Beck

Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (24 June 1944 - 10 January 2023) was an English rock guitarist. He was one of the three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds (the other two being Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page). Beck also formed The Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Much of Beck's recorded output has been instrumental, with a focus on innovative sound, and his releases have spanned genres ranging from blues rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and an additional blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Although he recorded two hit albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck had not established or maintained the sustained commercial success of many of his contemporaries and bandmates. Beck appeared on albums by Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Morrissey, Malcolm McLaren, Kate Bush, Roger Waters, Donovan, Stevie Wonder, ZZ Top, Les Paul, Zucchero, Cyndi Lauper, Brian May, Jon Bon Jovi and Stanley Clarke. He was ranked 5th in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and the magazine, upon whose cover Beck had appeared three times, had described him as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock". MSNBC had called him a "guitarist's guitarist". Beck had earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times and Best Pop Instrumental Performance once. He had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a member of the Yardbirds (1992) and as a solo artist (2009). (Read more at Wikipedia)

Links To Peel []

As an avid fan of the Yardbirds - his favourite Yardbirds track was "The Nazz Are Blue" on which Jeff Beck sang as well as playing lead guitar - Peel was interested in musical pursuits of its former members including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Indeed Peel, while working as "John Ravencroft" on KMEN in San Bernardino in 1966, wrote an article on Jeff Beck, then the Yardbirds' lead guitarist, for the station newspaper, the Kmentertainer. In it he praises Beck's "unique, almost frighteningly ferocious style". Peel also once described Beck as a guitarist who goes where others fear to tread [1]

BECK'S_BOLERO_(1967)_by_the_Jeff_Beck_Group_-_with_backwards_guitar_ending

BECK'S BOLERO (1967) by the Jeff Beck Group - with backwards guitar ending

Beck's Bolero

On Radio London, Peel played tracks featuring the guitarist, including the instrumental "Beck's Bolero", his take on Ravel's popular classical piece, issued as the B-side of the chart hit "Hi Ho Silver Lining". He chose the single "Tallyman" as his "Climber" of the week beginning 2 July 1967, describing it as "a magnificent record" on the show of 01 July 1967. He also liked the B-side, "Rock My Plimsoul", more typical of the Jeff Beck Group's hard rock style and the first record Peel played to feature Rod Stewart, then lead singer of the group. As well as this, Peel first met Jeff Beck in London during the summer of 1967. On his show of 12 July 1967, Peel described how this happened:

"When I was in the Kings Road with Jeff Dexter last weekend, I saw Mick Jagger and Keith Richard. And I should have gone up and said hello and, you know, thanked them for being themselves and everything, on behalf of all the Perfumed Garden people – but I didn’t, because I was afraid they’d think it was a drag, you know, which it probably would have been actually, but anyway… And I think I saw Donovan too – I may be wrong – on Sunday morning on Portabello Road, which is like, you know, by no means impossible. And I definitely met Jeff Beck, finally. Great! And what a nice person he is too. Terrific person actually. You know, I am always terrified when I have to meet people, because I’m always afraid they are going to shatter whatever preconceived notions I may have about them. And perhaps it’s as well if they do. But anyway, Jeff Beck is a very nice person, and he went and got a copy of his record, which I didn’t actually have at the time, from the disc jockey at the Speakeasy – all the in places, certainly! So this is the b-side of his record, and it’s called Rock My Plimsoul. Clever play on words there, Jeff! Mmm, yes… Well, it’s very good!"

He mentions another meeting with Jeff Beck, at the Speakeasy ("which appeared to be hosting a hairdressers' convention") in the first of his Perfumed Garden columns in International Times of 31 August 1967. Yet for a short time, Peel became critical of Jeff Beck's post-Yardbirds work. In his column in International Times of 23 August 1968, he wrote:

The Jeff Beck LP, 'Truth', on Epic again, is full of neurotic, violent music. Jeff's guitar playing, since he left the Yardbirds, has always made me feel uneasy. It seems so tortured, wrenched out of supercharged equipment. This is a good LP if you're in the right mood, which I honestly seldom am, but there is very little lyricism or flow in any of the numbers. I always want Jeff to get over his hang-ups, whatever they are, because he has the invention and ability to do great things. "Beck's Bolero" (on the LP) is still one of my favourite things. (I've got to stop saying that.)

However, he still played tracks from the LP and its successor "Beck-Ola" on Top Gear, as well as the Beck Group's collaboration with Peel favourite Donovan on the singer's 1969 single "Barabajagal". The DJ was also happy to feature later records by the Jeff Beck Group, even after singer Rod Stewart left to join The Faces and pursue a solo career which would bring him fame. Peel also included material by Beck, Bogert and Appice, the band which was formed after Beck's group finally split up, and chose Jeff Beck's collaboration with Jan Hammer, 'Blue Wind', as one of his favourite tracks of 1977, making it number 26 in his self-chosen 1977 Festive Fifty. Much later, he played tracks from the guitarist's 2001 CD "You Had It Coming". After Peel's death, Jeff Beck  paid tribute to Peel on John Peel's Record Box, broadcast on Channel 4 in 2005.

Festive Fifty Entries[]

Sessions[]

1. Recorded: 1967-11-01. First Broadcast: 05 November 1967. Repeated: None

  • I Ain’t Superstitious / Beck’s Bolero / Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever / You’ll Never Get To Heaven If You Break My Heart / You Shook Me (Tales Of Mickey Waller)

2. Recorded: 1968-09-17. First Broadcast: 29 September 1968. Repeated: 03 November 1968

  • You Shook Me / Shapes Of Things / Sweet Little Angel / Mother's Old Rice Pudding / Rock My Plimsole ('Rock My Plimsole was broadcast on 1968-11-03)

3. Recorded: 1971-12-14. First Broadcast: 14 January 1972. Repeated: 11 February 1972. NOTE: Ken Garner's Peel Session book neglects to mention session track, 'Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You'.

  • Going Down / Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You / Got The Feeling / Ice Cream Cokes ('Ice Cream Cokes' was broadcast on 1972-02-11)

Other Shows Played[]

(The list is incomplete. Please add further information if known)

1967
1968
1969
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
  • 30 June 1976: unknown
  • 18 August 1976: Jailhouse Rock (album - Beck-Ola) EMI Columbia
  • 19 August 1976: Hi, Ho, Silver Lining (single) EMI Columbia (JP: “Never fails in discos even today…I recently spent a lot of money on buying a 3-LP set of Beck, Bogert & Appice live in Japan and rather wish I hadn’t actually, because the vocals are quite appalling. But from the LP that they made in the studio, this is ‘Why Should I Care’.”)
  • 19 August 1976: Why Should I Care (LP – Beck, Bogert & Appice) Epic (as part of Beck, Bogert & Appice)
  • 19 August 1976: Led Boots (LP - Wire) Epic
JEFF_BECK_WITH_THE_JAN_HAMMER_GROUP_-_Blue_Wind

JEFF BECK WITH THE JAN HAMMER GROUP - Blue Wind

'Blue Wind', #26 in the 1977 Festive Fifty
1977
1979
1980
1984
2001
2002

See Also[]

External Links[]

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