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Thursday 12 January 2023

R.I.P. - Jeff Beck (24 Jun 1944 - 10 Jan 2023)


Another R.I.P. I'm afraid. Jeff Beck of The Yardbirds / The Jeff Beck Group died on Tuesday (10 Jan '23) with bacterial meningitis aged 78. Along with Beck, The Yardbirds started the careers of Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page.
Many may wonder what a rock guitarist, possibly most famous for the 1967 party anthem "Hi Ho Silver Lining", is doing on these pages. It is rumoured that Berry Gordy wanted to sign him to Motown when he signed the UK's Kiki Dee in 1970. That of course never materialised. However, in 1970 he recorded an album at Motown's famed Studio A which still remains in the vaults unreleased.

In 1972 he recorded an album, "The Jeff Beck Group", at TMI (Trans Maximus Inc. Recording Studios) in Memphis owned by Stax session guitarist Steve Cropper. Cropper produced the album and contributed one of the songs  ("Sugar Cane") and another two songs on the album were Motown songs. An Ashford & Simpson and Brian Holland song  "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" recorded by Rita Wright (Syreeta) in 1968 and "I Got To Have A Song" co-written and recorded by Stevie Wonder as the flip to "Heaven Help Us All" in 1970.

Although not still a member at this time, Rod 'The Mod' Stewart was one of the original members of The Jeff Beck Group, which helped launch his solo career which commenced in 1969 upon leaving the group.

Beck returned to Motown in 1972 on the invitation of Stevie Wonder to work on his iconic "Talking Book" album, apparently, in return for Wonder writing a song for him. In a jamming session Beck came up with the drum intro to "Superstition" and Wonder asked him to keep playing while he improvised over it. Wonder decided that "Superstition" would be the song to give Beck, but Berry Gordy stepped in predicting that the song would be a hit (it was a Billboard #1 R&B and Hot 100) which would help with sales for "Talking Book" so Wonder released it first on 24 Oct 1972.  Beck released it in Mar 1973 on a self-titled album of his new group "Beck, Bogert & Appice" (Tim Bogart and Carmine Appice being the rhythm section (bass and drums) of Vanilla Fudge) which is a prog rock interpretation.

Whilst Beck's name isn't credited for "Superstition", he was given credits for guitar work on "Talking Book", specifically for "Lookin For Another Pure Love". If you listen carefully to the track Stevie shouts "Do it Jeff" around 1:58.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Legend. RIP