Jeff Beck

This was Jeff Beck's first band -- and album -- after leaving the Yardbirds. Made up of Beck, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood and Mickey Waller, the Group gained notoriety by their clever reworking of blues, embellished with Beck's visionary guitar, his fondness for electronic effects and pioneering use of distortion and feedback. What sets this apart from any other British blues records at the time is that their sound is lighter and more fluid, and contains a unique dramatic element -- the coiled tension of Beck's guitar playing off of Rod Stewart's gritty, resolute singing.

The album that catapulted John Mayall & Eric Clapton to fame, The Bluebreakers with Eric
Clapton, was a special one. It hipped the U.S. to two good blues interpreters, held a fresh
approach to the blues, and was performed by good musicians all around. Two months ago
everyone was saying "Jeff Beck's in town and you must see his group . . . blah, blah, blah."
It was an unnerving experience to hear the Beck group. I had to leave after thre... More >