RIP Jeff Beck

[idigrust]

[rick78]

This hurts. One of my guitar heroes. RIP Jeff

[bodean]

RIP Jeff. Didn't see that one coming. He just did the guitar work on Patient #9... Another talent that left too soon. God speed...

[mtracy64]

Led Zeppelin made me "Yardbirds curious" when I was about 18, and I became a big fan of Jeff due to that. I have all his albums, and Flash is the only one I don't listen to regularly. It was a huge surprise when Jeff released Guitar Shop and toured in 1989; it seemed as though he was retired prior to that. I saw him at Cobo with Stevie Ray Vaughn on that tour, and he was incredible. I started amassing a collection of live recordings then. I was even more surprised when he started putting more albums out and coming around every 2-3 years. I got to see him at the Fox Theatre, the Fillmore, the Detroit Opera House, Pine Knob, Meadowbrook and the State Theatre in Ann Arbor. None of these later period albums sold well until Emotion And Commotion, but I love all of them. I generally struggle with instrumental albums, but I actually prefer Jeff that way - his guitar is a better voice than any of his singers over the years, though I will note that he's fared really well in collaboration with female singers. Jeff's resurgence was an incredible gift to the world of music, and I love that that he followed his muse rather than resting on his laurels or chasing fame and fortune - how many guitarists would decline the opportunity to join the Rolling Stones? He towered above other guitarists in my opinion - better than Clapton, better than Page, better than Blackmore, better than Van Halen, and I dare say better than Hendrix.

Marc

[mtracy64]

Timing is a funny thing sometimes . . . I found and watched this last weekend.

[bodean]

He towered above other guitarists in my opinion - better than Clapton, better than Page, better than Blackmore, better than Van Halen, and I dare say better than Hendrix.

Marc

Jeff's passing made me solemn. A couple shots of bourbon made me nostalgic. The video is about 1983. Just glad I was around while this kind of talent was around.

[mtracy64]

He towered above other guitarists in my opinion - better than Clapton, better than Page, better than Blackmore, better than Van Halen, and I dare say better than Hendrix.

Marc

Jeff's passing made me solemn. A couple shots of bourbon made me nostalgic. The video is about 1983. Just glad I was around while this kind of talent was around.

Yeah, London 1983. It was a charity concert to raise money for research into Multiple Sclerosis, inspired by Ronnie Lane's battle with the disease. Page invited himself in, and it was the first indication that he had any interest in living after Led Zeppelin. He was freshly out of heroin's grip and was in terrible shape physically and as a player. It was an important step in his life and his name put lots of fannies in seats, but performance-wise it's the absolute nadir of his career. This was supposed to be a one-off gig, but they ended up coming to the U.S. for a series of shows. These gigs were the impetus for Paul Rodgers and Page to team up in The Firm, which put Page back in form. I saw Page three times on his 1988 solo tour and his playing was better than it had been since 1972. I had intended to see him twice more, but my flight to Chicago was canceled after we had boarded, and a show in Kentucky was canceled the day of the show. I saw him eight more times on the two Page/Plant tours in the 1990's and again when he toured with the Black Crowes.

Marc

[mtracy64]

Some favorites from Jeff's days in the Yardbirds and from later in his career . . . no hits and nothing from Truth, Beck-Ola, Blow By Blow or Wired except for a live version of 'Cause We've Ended As Lovers featuring an incredible bass solo from the precocious Tal Wilkenfeld.

[mtracy64]

I was surprised to find this entire thing on YouTube. It's a rip of the Jeff Beck Rock And Roll Party DVD and is two hours and 40 minutes. The first half is a 2010 concert at the Iridium Club, a 200-seat venue where Les Paul played weekly for decades. The concert is Jeff's tribute to his heroes - Les Paul, Scotty Moore, Cliff Gallup, Scotty McKay, etc., and includes a host of guest stars. The second half includes some interviews, Jeff discussing his guitars, some older footage of Jeff jamming with Les Paul, etc. The musical highlight for me is a string of Les Paul and Mary Ford tunes featuring Irish lass Imelda May on vocals. Jeff plays these notoriously difficult songs seemingly effortlessly, so it's an excellent showcase of his ability. He took this show on the road the following year, and I was fortunate to catch it at a small theatre in Ann Arbor.

[Tinman]

I've always enjoyed his music, He was quite a hot rod guy as well, here's a two part interview with him at his home in the UK.
part one
part two

STAY SAFE!