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Jeff Beck.... I don't get it (him)


Coytee

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Ya know what's 'funny' (frustrating)

 

I've got some issue with this PC and I can't get a video to work.  It might start...  play for 5 seconds, then turns to snow with some error.

 

There is a silver lining in that....  I'm on a satellite dish and I'm signed up for 10gig / month (since I'm not a heavy surfer)

 

Video download would kill my usage and become quite expensive!

 

I do without internet videos.

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After again watching and enjoying Live at Ronnie Scott's, my opinion regarding Jeff Beck the artist is solidified.  Rolling Stone is correct to include him among the best guitarists .  Unfortunately, my concern about Jeff Beck the man is also confirmed.

 

As always, the opinions expressed are my own.  Jeff Beck would scoff at them.  Nevertheless, he would be well advised to heed the advice.

 

For evidence, I offer the comb-over.  At 70 years old, Jeff Beck's dress and unnaturally luxuriant head of dark hair, appear to me to be the equivalent of a comb-over,  When it comes to comb-overs, Gene Keady's was major league.  The irony of a comb-over, as well as Jeff Beck's appearance at 70, is the suggestion of a level of male vanity that persuades the individuals to believe that they're fooling the world.  Gene Keady believed we could not tell he's bald.  Jeff Beck seems to hope we won't noitice his age.  That level of vanity works against them.  In reality they only succeed in looking vain and foolish.

 

Fortunately for Gene Keady, his wife prevailed upon him to ditch the comb-over.  IMO, Keady's age appropriate appearance now is far superior to the Halloween look he used to sport.

 

While it won't make him play better, ditching the necklaces, bracelets, unnatural hair, etc. would, IMO, allow audiences to focus on Jeff Beck the extremely talented artist, rather than a costumed septuagenerian.

 

On another note, Jeff Beck's relatively infrequent singing probably also works against him when it comes to being known and appreciated by the general public.  Most of the others to whom he is often compared are also known for accompanying their playing with vocalization.

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post-6832-0-74140000-1431875898.jpeg

Edited by DizRotus
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While watching and listening to Live at Ronnie Scott's this morning, I texted a friend from college to get his opinion of Jeff Beck. His response was a text telling me to check my front door, Apparently, he felt I suffer from an insufficient exposure to Jeff Beck to have even asked such a question. He left 13 CDs on my porch on his way to L.A. Fitness.

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Edited by DizRotus
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While it won't make him play better, ditching the necklaces, bracelets, unnatural hair, etc. would, IMO, allow audiences to focus on Jeff Beck the extremely talented artist, rather than a costumed septuagenerian.

Agree totally.  It would help me look past his image.

 

 

On another note, Jeff Beck's relatively infrequent singing probably also works against him when it comes to being known and appreciated by the general public. Most of the others to whom he is often compared are also known for accompanying their playing with vocalization.

Good point, but singing or not singing doesn't matter to me personally.  Has Robin Trower always used vocalists?  Never bothered me one bit.  I only have a few of his CDs but enjoy them immensely.  Bridge of Sighs is a great release, with the bass player (can't remember his name) on vocals.

Edited by Rivernuggets
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After again watching and enjoying Live at Ronnie Scott's, my opinion regarding Jeff Beck the artist is solidified.  Rolling Stone is correct to include him among the best guitarists .  Unfortunately, my concern about Jeff Beck the man is also confirmed.

 

As always, the opinions expressed are my own.  Jeff Beck would scoff at them.  Nevertheless, he would be well advised to heed the advice.

 

For evidence, I offer the comb-over.  At 70 years old, Jeff Beck's dress and unnaturally luxuriant head of dark hair, appear to me to be the equivalent of a comb-over,  When it comes to comb-overs, Gene Keady's was major league.  The irony of a comb-over, as well as Jeff Beck's appearance at 70, is the suggestion of a level of male vanity that persuades the individuals to believe that they're fooling the world.  Gene Keady believed we could not tell he's bald.  Jeff Beck seems to hope we won't noitice his age.  That level of vanity works against them.  In reality they only succeed in looking vain and foolish.

 

Fortunately for Gene Keady, his wife prevailed upon him to ditch the comb-over.  IMO, Keady's age appropriate appearance now is far superior to the Halloween look he used to sport.

 

While it won't make him play better, ditching the necklaces, bracelets, unnatural hair, etc. would, IMO, allow audiences to focus on Jeff Beck the extremely talented artist, rather than a costumed septuagenerian.

 

On another note, Jeff Beck's relatively infrequent singing probably also works against him when it comes to being known and appreciated by the general public.  Most of the others to whom he is often compared are also known for accompanying their playing with vocalization.

So now it's about his hair and jewelry and clothing that are coloring your opinion of him as a guitar player?    Yikes.

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Perhaps it's simple ignorance on my part

 

Yes it is.  He was in the yardbirds.  Page and Beck from that time is very close.  Page went the hard core blues rock zeppelin way and Beck went the more jazz rock fusion way.  Beck is so much better than Gilmour it's not even a conversation.  Edit:  He is also so much better than Clapton.  It's his style, his tasty riffs, his sustain....so much more to say...suffice it that Santana and Beck are easily in the same league.

 

 

Oldtimer hit the mark..  Yardbirds!  Listen to that stuff, think of how old it is and what other types music was being offered at the time. 

 

Check out "Jeff Beck Group"  '68 I think.  Nick Hopkins on piano and an unknown kid singer.......Rod somebody.. 

tc

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Coytee's thread has had the unintended consequence of re-introducing me to Jeff Beck. I am very much enjoying Live And Exclusive At The Grammy Museum and Emotion & Commotion dropped off by my friend.

Prior to this reminder, my last Jeff Beck exposure was Crossroads 2010 and his rendition of Nessun Dorma. I should have closed my eyes and only listened to the music, rather than allowing myself to be distracted by his appearance.

I expect to pull the trigger on a hi-res version (Pono or HDTracks) of Blow By Blow soon.  Also, I'll be re-listening to the Yardbirds this weekend.  It will sound different sober in 2015 than it did during the hazy days of the 70s.

Edited by DizRotus
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" Jeff Beck's relatively infrequent singing probably"

I don't ever recall hearing him sing, could you give a link?

Currently, he just don't sing.

He don't even talk on stage, zero, not one word when I saw him a couple of weeks ago.

Here is interview with Clapton about Jeff Beck's singing, or his lack thereof.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/eric-clapton-on-jeff-becks-singing-and-having-an-old-mans-voice-20100219

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I'm grateful to Coytee for starting this thread. It has forced me to look past Beck's eccentricities to re-discover the extremely talented artist.

As IB Slammin and my college friend have said, Beck's work with The Yardbirds was ahead of the curve. The CD visible in post #64 is very good. The track "How High The Moon," while enjoyable, seems somewhat out of place until you learn the back story.

According to Wikipedia, as a young boy Jeff Beck heard Les Paul and Mary Ford perform "How High The Moon" on the radio. Jeff asked his mum, as Brits would say, "What is that?" To which she replied, "Electric guitar." He said, "That's for me."

His salute to Les Paul in that CD speaks volumes about the puzzle that is Jeff Beck. My respect for the man, as well as the artist, has grown, despite his misplaced vanity.

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If I may put forth a thought about Jeff Beck, the man is a phenomenonal guitarist and interpitor of music. I discovered him through my favorite guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore. He has held Beck in high regard almost since the beginning of theirs careers.

 

 He can pick up an instrument that is out of tune  and make it sing and emote feelings through his playing that is beyond compare.

 

About his eccetricities,are not all the truly great guitarists eccentric in some way.

 

I just say thank you Jeff Beck for sharing his passion for music and the guitar with us.

 

John

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His bass player is Rhonda Smith, his reformed band is more R&B/Rock oriented than the Jazz oriented band he had in the video at Ronnie's. (The drummer and keyboardist in that DVD he got from Sting's band).

From Rhonda's Bio:

"Having received International acclaim for her various contributions and collaborations, it wasn’t long before Rhonda took the United States by storm. In addition to the near decade she spent along side Prince, Rhonda has performed with the likes of Chaka Khan, Beyonce, T. I., Erykah Badu, Patti Austin, Patrice Rushen, Brenda Russell, Lee Ritenour, Larry Graham, Patti Labelle, Little Richard, Najee, Candy Dulfer, Rachel Farrell, Kirk Whalum and George Clinton.

With an innate desire to extend her reach, Rhonda has managed to step outside of music and broaden her imprint. She has been featured in numerous music videos, appeared on the covers of Bass Player and Bassics magazines and even spent stints with The Martin Short Show and The Wayne Brady Show. She has 3 Platinum Plaques on her wall and in 2004 played for 1.4 million attendees over 88 sold-out dates on Prince’s wildly successful Musicology Tour."

A good interview with her.

http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2011/07/14/an-interview-with-rhonda-smith/

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The friend who felt compelled to cure my Beck deficiency by providing the 13 CDs offered an interesting and plausible explanation for Beck's costumes.  It's his theory that Jeff Beck is confident in his ability to the point he cares not what we think of his appearance or playing.  Also, the outfits, especially the black wig, would allow the private unadorned Jeff Beck to pass in public with scarecly a notice.  Take away the wig and the clothes and he would have the appearance of another geezer on his way to the early bird special at Golden Corral.

Edited by DizRotus
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This is what's great about the Internet.  This thread prompted me to dig deeper regarding Jeff Beck, which led me to download a hi-res version of Blow by Blow from HDTracks. Also, the thread: "Ten Most Important Albums in Rock History . . . "  at https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/157361-ten-most-important-albums-in-rock-history-by-watchmojocom/page-4?hl=+top%20+10%20+albums  prompted me to download a Pono hi-res version of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds.  I had always intended to do so. 

 

Apparently, Jeff Beck is a fan and friend of the Beach Boys, particularly Brian Wilson.  Beck and Brian Wilson toured together recently.  According to some on the Internet, Brian Wilson created Pet Sounds as a response to Rubber Soul.  Supposedly, Keith Moon played a pre-release copy of Pet Sounds forever Lennon and McCartney.  As the story goes, they immediately asked him to play the enitre album again, and that it was the motivation for Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  The manager of the Beatles suggests that Sgt Pepper's would not exist, but for Pet Sounds.

 

Listening to the hi-res versions of Pet Sounds and Blow by Blow through Klipsch S4s reveals sublties missed when played through car speakers back in the day.

 

I find the whole process fascinating. YMMV

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