Next up on the listening parade is a batch of Jeff Beck records:

• Truth – To me, this is the Jeff Beck record.  I love it because it totally rocks.  Also, the sound is warm and fuzzy like an overdriven Ampeg SVT bass cabinet, which is really, really great.  The tunes are loose and organic sounding, as opposed to the tightly constructed tunes of later recordings like Blow By Blow and Wired.  Lastly, this album provides proof of something that today seems impossible – Rod Stewart used to rock.  There was no proof to be found in “Maggie May” or “D’ya Think I’m Sexy” or “Infatuation,” and most horrifying of all is the approach to the American Standard Songbook that he is currently taking.  No, for proof that Rod rocks, (also not to be found on Flash, which I’ll get to in a moment), one needs to check out Faces, or, really, look no further than Truth.
• The Jeff Beck Group – Not as great as Truth, but this record has some of the same characteristics.  On the plus side, everyone plays great, and a hearty “welcome” to the great Max Middleton.  Not so excellent is the obvious tightening of arrangements.
• Rough & Ready – A student of mine says that this is his favorite album.  I”m not sure if he means “by Jeff Beck” or “of all time”.  It has moments.
• Beck, Bogert & Appice – This record is pretty strange, actually.  It’s some combination of Beck brilliance, Vanilla Fudge excess, and – to my ears anyway – pop music.  That’s right, you heard right.  So much singing on this album, and very, very thoughtful vocal arrangements.  I think that Bogert is the star of this album, though.  But I would, because he’s a fantastic bass player.  Also, there are two major (or at least, not trivial) points of influence on this record, for me.  My dad is a drummer, and I remember spending far too much time practicing his drums using his Carmine Appice drum set method book.  I remember going through a comprehensive list of snare/bass drum paradiddle combinations – wicked fun.  The other thing is about Bogert – in Bass Player Magazine around 1989, there was an article about one of Bogert’s main technical approaches, which he called “The Rake.”  I use that all the time, as do most jazz bassists.
• Blow By Blow – Ok, this is a masterpiece, I mean, really.  I played “Freeway Jam” and “Scatterbrain” on a gig a few years ago.  It’s an extraordinary album, and the killer is that George Martin is the producer and string writer.  I have a friend who claims to be able to play every note on this album.
• Wired – And this?  This, is completely incredible as well.  Funkier, but not in a Parliament sort of way, more of in a tightly arranged but still totally funky thanks to Narada Michael Waldon sort of way.  Beck’s playing on this record is unbelievable.  In fact, on this record, Jeff Beck truly is “more fluid than Jeff Beck.”  I still prefer Truth to Blow by Blow or Wired, but these two records are must-owns for everyone.
• With Jan Hammer Live – It’s great, I mean, seriously, it really is.  It’s just not my favorite period of Jeff Beck’s music.  And as far as Jan is concerned, this is about 200 million times better than Miami Vice, but I like his playing on the John Abercrombie album Timeless much, much more.
• There and Back – Paging Mr. Johnson.  Mr. Don Johson, please pick up the white courtesy phone.  It seems like this is a particularly loved recording of Mr. Beck’s.  Ok, it’s not quite my cup of tea.  I did notice that “Space Boogie” bears a striking resemblence (drums only?) to “Hot for Teacher.”
• Flash – Listening to this record, I can’t help thinking about the David Gilmour album About Face.  Different musicians, different bands, different songwriters, different producers.  These two albums have practically nothing in common, but for some reason they are two of a kind in my mind.  Must be their 1984/1985 releases with similar album covers…?  Or maybe it’s the ambitious songwriting and production, using state-of-the-art mid-1980s techniques.  Whatever the reason, these two are something of a pair, to me.  One very serious difference, however, is Rod Stewart. He’s on Flash, singing “People Get Ready.”  Dear Mr. Stewart, let’s see if we can rekindle your Faces/Truth energy; let’s look for ways of channeling that energy through the standards you are singing these days.  As for the rest of Flash, it’s pretty dated sounding, but still sort of great.  The playing is fantastic, and this is easily at the top of Nile Rodgers’ dates as a producer.  I still like the tune “Ambitious.”

Dear Mr. Beck, you rock.

Best, R.