R.I.P. Jeff Beck

Two time TP cover star - surprised it wasn't more (I may be missing a call-out here or there.). Of meningitis.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2023 02:10PM by breno.

Still in shock and disbelief. (I thought he was still on tour with that other guy.)

Apparently it happened suddenly? Of the three legendary Yardbirds guitarists, I always liked him the best.

I had to look at my Discogs account to see what, if any, Beck representation I had. Three titles:

Spinal Tap: Break Like The Wind

Oldie CD-5: Deep Purple - "Hush" b/w Yardbirds: "For Your Love" Which was bought to get the rockin' "Hush."

Malcolm McLaren: Waltz Darling

That last one knocked me for a loop. What a crazy, fascinating album. When I read Alex Petridis' obit in The Guardian I was shocked to see Beck's last album was with…Johnny Depp? And featured covers of "Venus In Furs" [VU], Don't Talk [Put Your Head On My Shoulder] [Beach Boys], Death + Resurrection Show [Killing Joke], and "Ooo Baby Baby" [Smokey Robinson]!! That's some eclectic choices there. But at 78 it's hardly shocking to have him expire suddenly.

Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

[postpunkmonk.com]
For further rumination on the Fresh New Sound of Yesterday®



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2023 05:18AM by Post-Punk Monk.

I have to admit I was never on the "Jeff Beck is the greatest rock guitarist of all time" train, but I do have a fondness for his 70s fusion records.
And as Phillipe says, I always respected his integrity. He played what and when he felt like it, according to his own schedule and preferences, and if that meant he went five years without doing anything but work on his vintage car collection, by god, that's what he did. And props to the guy for rocking that haircut for 60-odd years.

I checked my discogs account as well, and I'm not entirely surprised that I do not own anything on which he appears in my collection. For me, he was always someone who was more admired than loved, i.e. undoubtedly a great guitarist, but not someone who wrote or performed great songs (at least in genres or sub-genres in which I was interested). That said, I'm sure a lot of guitarists I like would cite him as a major influence. Also in his favor is that he appears to have been a gentleman (unlike say Clapton) and was never interested in selling out his name recognition, preferring to do his own thing.

I was surprised about the project with Johnny Depp as well, but the two seem to have been very close in the last couple of years and Depp was one of the first persons to announce Beck's passing.

My Jeff Beck fav was definitely Blow by Blow but I also like Truth. There are some really killer instrumentals and playing on Blow. I was introduced to it by a guy in high school at a party circa 1984-85. Up to that point I had only heard of Jeff Beck as some sort of guitar virtuoso etc. It is one of the albums that I can most definitely listen to the whole thing without hesitation. I mean, what a career, very similar to Jimmy Page but never really found a true calling card like Jimmy did. His Wikipedia page is astounding.

I have 9 Jeff Beck albums on vinyl in my collection… and I’m pretty sure I got them all from the $1 bin at local record stores. And admittedly don’t give them alot of listening time.

It’s the same reason I have all those Crosby Stills and Nash albums… you see them and pick them up to expand the now-ridiculously big library. (note I said expand, hopefully not dilute!)

I’ve never lunged for the needle on the rare occasions I do listen. Which I did today. From what I heard, Jeff Beck can rest knowing he was indeed no slouch on the guitar!!

I was a latecomer to Jeff Beck, relatively speaking. The first Beck album I listened to or bought was There and Back. That one hasn't been critically lauded; the reviewer on allmusic.com compares it to a Christmas letter from a rarely-heard-from friend ("Everything's fine, still playing guitar"). Still, our local rock radio station played it a lot in 1980, and I came to appreciate the way Beck could let it rip on guitar without stretching out to indulgent lengths, and without forgetting that there were actual songs behind his guitar playing.

Still, There and Back remained the only Jeff Beck album on my shelf for at least three decades. Friends tried to bend my ear with albums like Wired, Blow By Blow and Beck, Bogert & Appice, but they never really got me going. I did eventually pick up a copy of Truth along with the Yardbirds' BBC sessions.

The man was an outstanding technician on guitar, and he played with great feel for what the instrument could do (and sometimes pushed the envelope on it). But when I hear him play, I seldom get a sense of much emotion in his playing. Still, one does get the sense that he didn't spend his career turning out one album after another just for the sake of keeping his name in the market (unlike Clapton). And he may have kept his hairstyle rockin', but keeping it jet black into his seventies got a bit ridiculous.

Okay, enough from me. Rest in peace, Jeff, and thanks.

There and Back is actually my favorite of the fusion records.

I went through a huge Yardbirds phase as a kid, common for guitar players in the 80s. Pop culture has tucked them away for now I think. I remember finally seeing Blow-up after years of hearing about it. One day Stranger Things will use Over Under and they will be all the rage again.

Maybe that's how I should gain some appreciation for Beck: see if Blow-Up is on YouTube or someplace.