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RIP Jeff Beck


laughedatbytime
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It was very sudden...

 

 

Jeff Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player, has died. He was 78.

Beck died Tuesday after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis,” his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday.


Beck first came to prominence as a member of the Yardbirds and then went out on his own in a solo career that incorporated hard rock, jazz, funky blues and even opera. He was known for his improvising, love of harmonics and the whammy bar on his preferred guitar, the Fender Stratocaster.

“Jeff Beck is the best guitar player on the planet,″ Joe Perry, the lead guitarist of Aerosmith, told The New York Times in 2010. ″He is head, hands and feet above all the rest of us, with the kind of talent that appears only once every generation or two.”

Beck was among the rock-guitarist pantheon from the late ’60s that included Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Beck won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — once with the Yardbirds in 1992 and again as a solo artist in 2009. He was ranked fifth in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

Beck played guitar with vocalists as varied as Luciano Pavarotti, Macy Gray, Chrissie Hynde, Joss Stone, Imelda May, Cyndi Lauper, Wynonna Judd and Buddy Guy. He made two records with Rod Stewart — 1968′s “Truth” and 1969′s “Beck-Ola” — and one with a 64-piece orchestra, “Emotion & Commotion.”

“I like an element of chaos in music. That feeling is the best thing ever, as long as you don’t have too much of it. It’s got to be in balance. I just saw Cirque du Soleil, and it struck me as complete organized chaos,” he told Guitar World in 2014. “If I could turn that into music, it’s not far away from what my ultimate goal would be, which is to delight people with chaos and beauty at the same time.”

Beck career highlights include joining with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice to create the power trio that released “Beck, Bogert and Appice” in 1973, tours with Brian Wilson and Buddy Guy and a tribute album to the late guitarist Les Paul, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul).”

Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born in Surrey, England, and attended Wimbledon Art College. His father was an accountant, and his mother worked in a chocolate factory. As a boy, he built his first instrument, using a cigar box, a picture frame for the neck and string from a radio-controlled toy airplane.

He was in a few bands — including Nightshift and The Tridents — before joining the Yardbirds in 1965, replacing Clapton but only a year later giving way to Page. During his tenure, the band created the memorable singles “Heart Full of Soul,” “I’m a Man” and “Shapes of Things.”

Beck’s first hit single was 1967′s instrumental “Beck’s Bolero,” which featured future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, and future Who drummer Keith Moon. The Jeff Beck Group — with Stewart singing — was later booked to play the 1969 Woodstock music festival but their appearance was cancelled. Beck later said there was unrest in the band. “I could see the end of the tunnel,” he told Rolling Stone in 2010.

Beck was friends with Hendrix and they performed together. Before Hendrix, most rock guitar players concentrated on a similar style and technical vocabulary. Hendrix blew that apart. “He came along and reset all of the rules in one evening,” Beck told Guitar World.

Beck teamed up with legendary producer George Martin — a.k.a. “the fifth Beatle” — to help him fashion the genre-melding, jazz-fusion classic “Blow by Blow” (1975) and “Wired” (1976). He teamed up with Seal on the Hendrix tribute “Stone Free,” created a jazz-fusion group led by synthesizer player Jan Hammer and honored rockabilly guitarist Cliff Gallup with the album “Crazy Legs.” He put out “Loud Hailer” in 2016.

Beck’s guitar work can be heard on the soundtracks of such films as “Stomp the Yard,” “Shallow Hal,” “Casino,” “Honeymoon in Vegas,” “Twins,” “Observe and Report” and “Little Big League.”

Beck’s career never hit the commercial highs of Clapton. A perfectionist, he preferred to make critically well-received instrumental records and left the limelight for long stretches, enjoying his time restoring vintage automobiles. He and Clapton had a tense relationship early on but became friends in later life and toured together.

Why did the two wait some four decades to tour together?

“Because we were all trying to be big bananas,” Beck told Rolling Stone in 2010. “Except I didn’t have the luxury of the hit songs Eric’s got.”

Beck is survived by his wife, Sandra.

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Wasn't he just on tour? I saw ads for him at The Anthem a few months ago. What a shocker. I had the pleasure of seeing him play with Buddy Guy a couple years ago. His new material was pretty bad but when he played his older stuff,  he never missed a note. He entirely lived up to the hype at 70-some odd years old.

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Jeff was one a handful of guitarists I owned their recordings just because they were THAT GOOD.  Clapton, Vai, and Eric Johnson being the others that immediately come to mind.

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Rest In Peace, wow.

 

Did not expect that today. Beck is the original “your favorite guitar player’s favorite guitar player.” 

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1 hour ago, laughedatbytime said:

It was very sudden...

 

 

Jeff Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player, has died. He was 78.

Beck died Tuesday after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis,” his representatives said in a statement released Wednesday.


Beck first came to prominence as a member of the Yardbirds and then went out on his own in a solo career that incorporated hard rock, jazz, funky blues and even opera. He was known for his improvising, love of harmonics and the whammy bar on his preferred guitar, the Fender Stratocaster.

“Jeff Beck is the best guitar player on the planet,″ Joe Perry, the lead guitarist of Aerosmith, told The New York Times in 2010. ″He is head, hands and feet above all the rest of us, with the kind of talent that appears only once every generation or two.”

Beck was among the rock-guitarist pantheon from the late ’60s that included Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Beck won eight Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — once with the Yardbirds in 1992 and again as a solo artist in 2009. He was ranked fifth in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”

Beck played guitar with vocalists as varied as Luciano Pavarotti, Macy Gray, Chrissie Hynde, Joss Stone, Imelda May, Cyndi Lauper, Wynonna Judd and Buddy Guy. He made two records with Rod Stewart — 1968′s “Truth” and 1969′s “Beck-Ola” — and one with a 64-piece orchestra, “Emotion & Commotion.”

“I like an element of chaos in music. That feeling is the best thing ever, as long as you don’t have too much of it. It’s got to be in balance. I just saw Cirque du Soleil, and it struck me as complete organized chaos,” he told Guitar World in 2014. “If I could turn that into music, it’s not far away from what my ultimate goal would be, which is to delight people with chaos and beauty at the same time.”

Beck career highlights include joining with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice to create the power trio that released “Beck, Bogert and Appice” in 1973, tours with Brian Wilson and Buddy Guy and a tribute album to the late guitarist Les Paul, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul).”

Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born in Surrey, England, and attended Wimbledon Art College. His father was an accountant, and his mother worked in a chocolate factory. As a boy, he built his first instrument, using a cigar box, a picture frame for the neck and string from a radio-controlled toy airplane.

He was in a few bands — including Nightshift and The Tridents — before joining the Yardbirds in 1965, replacing Clapton but only a year later giving way to Page. During his tenure, the band created the memorable singles “Heart Full of Soul,” “I’m a Man” and “Shapes of Things.”

Beck’s first hit single was 1967′s instrumental “Beck’s Bolero,” which featured future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, and future Who drummer Keith Moon. The Jeff Beck Group — with Stewart singing — was later booked to play the 1969 Woodstock music festival but their appearance was cancelled. Beck later said there was unrest in the band. “I could see the end of the tunnel,” he told Rolling Stone in 2010.

Beck was friends with Hendrix and they performed together. Before Hendrix, most rock guitar players concentrated on a similar style and technical vocabulary. Hendrix blew that apart. “He came along and reset all of the rules in one evening,” Beck told Guitar World.

Beck teamed up with legendary producer George Martin — a.k.a. “the fifth Beatle” — to help him fashion the genre-melding, jazz-fusion classic “Blow by Blow” (1975) and “Wired” (1976). He teamed up with Seal on the Hendrix tribute “Stone Free,” created a jazz-fusion group led by synthesizer player Jan Hammer and honored rockabilly guitarist Cliff Gallup with the album “Crazy Legs.” He put out “Loud Hailer” in 2016.

Beck’s guitar work can be heard on the soundtracks of such films as “Stomp the Yard,” “Shallow Hal,” “Casino,” “Honeymoon in Vegas,” “Twins,” “Observe and Report” and “Little Big League.”

Beck’s career never hit the commercial highs of Clapton. A perfectionist, he preferred to make critically well-received instrumental records and left the limelight for long stretches, enjoying his time restoring vintage automobiles. He and Clapton had a tense relationship early on but became friends in later life and toured together.

Why did the two wait some four decades to tour together?

“Because we were all trying to be big bananas,” Beck told Rolling Stone in 2010. “Except I didn’t have the luxury of the hit songs Eric’s got.”

Beck is survived by his wife, Sandra.

Thanks for posting this, lots of information here I had forgotten or didn't know.  What a loss, he was a fantastic musician. :rose:

Edited by Rhyta
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Wow, this was so sudden. I remember that "For Your Love" was one of our favorites when I was a wee one, a babysitter used to play it. Beck was one of the guitarists my husband made sure our kids knew about! 

 

Steve Gorman (original Black Crowes drummer) had a funny story about Beck, from the 2000s. Crowes were in NYC and Gorman goes into a bakery. He realizes that in front of him, Jeff Beck and his wife are buying bread, croissants, all kinds of stuff. Gorman introduces himself and says, "I'll pay for your order, it would be my honor!" The Becks keep picking out stuff and the order is $200.00! No worries, Gorman figures how often do you buy Jeff Beck lunch? The Becks leave, and Gorman orders. He walks out to the sight of Beck and his wife, stirring on a park bench, feeding $200.00 of bakery treats to the birds . . . . RIP, Jeff. :rose:

Edited by blueschica
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I've always been blown away by his talent, style and unique sound.   We've lost a Legend.  

 

 

 

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Jeff's unique style always cut through the typical blue-rock or shredder guys. The way he could shape his sound using his right hand was totally unique. He found that right hand style years ago I believe in the 70s and abandoned the pick. I consider him more on a level of Miles Davis than of Page or Clapton. RIP Sir. 

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2 hours ago, laughedatbytime said:

Jeff Beck is dead, LABT lives.

 

Seriously, I don't know shit about Jeff Beck. Like yeah, he's a good guitar player, played with Rod Stewart for a time. If I wanted to explore his musical legacy what Top Five songs do I need to listen to? Or is there an entire album or two I need to listen?

 

I learned he was gear head, RIP brother.

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7 minutes ago, JohnRogers said:

Or is there an entire album or two I need to listen?

 

 

I highly recommend:

 

Blow By Blow (1975) - My first introduction to a "guitar god".

Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop (1989)

Emotion & Commotion (2010)

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3 minutes ago, Principled Man said:

 

I highly recommend:

 

Blow By Blow (1975) - My first introduction to a "guitar god".

Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop (1989)

Emotion & Commotion (2010)

Thanks, I’m almost embarrassed having to ask for recommendations. I suspect he’s played on many songs I know without I being aware. 

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5 minutes ago, Principled Man said:

 

I highly recommend:

 

Blow By Blow (1975) - My first introduction to a "guitar god".

Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop (1989)

Emotion & Commotion (2010)

 

I would add Wired to that list. Opening track Led Boots is worth the price of admission all by itself.

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1 hour ago, 1-0-0-1-0-0-1 said:

 

I would add Wired to that list. Opening track Led Boots is worth the price of admission all by itself.

 

I bought Wired when it first came out.  It has some good stuff on it, but it didn't thrill me like Blow By Blow did.  I've never been a fan of Jan Hammer and his keyboard playing.  Led Boots, Pork Pie and Blue Wind are really good.    

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