No matter how many times I've seen him in concert, it will never be enough. And the way he gives the props to other guitarists blows my mind. It's ike being complimented by Trump on your negotiation skills.
There's a video of Beck and Clapton exchanging solos in friendly competition during a concert (I'm sure it's on YouTube somewhere). Anyway, they both try to outdo the other, but at one point Jeff does some riffing so amazing that Clapton just stands back, shakes his head and lets him play on...
Rrrrrrrrrrrr! Having told me about it, now you have no way out: you simply MUST locate that video and give me the link! MUST! SHALL! :) Thanks in advance
IMO it's a testament to Slow Hand's sense of musical style that he was able to survive and thrive in a world of blazing speed.
::dons flame-retardant asbestos suit:: He is IMHO among the large percentage of pro guitarists who basically reach their peak skill level at 25 or so and never really progress much beyond it. I mean, to invoke the third Yardbird axman, does Jimmy Page playing today or in any video since 2000 make anyone exclaim, WOW his dexterity and experimenting on the instrument and musical ideas are so much more ADVANCED now than with Zep! Nope. Rick Derringer at age 25-27 in 1973-75 played with the same fire and inventiveness and edge and intimidating technical prowess as he does now, if not moreso. He, like Clapton, has gotten softer. He just doesn't have another gear to shift into.
Think of Crossroads from Cream, the live version heard on radio daily; now try to think of any more recent Clapton recording that even comes close to the two blistering, celestial guitar solos on just that one track. To me he didn't really get much better after that. Pure personal opinion, I know, but it's not coming out of left field.
(Note, I'm not saying this makes Beck objectively "better than" Clapton or Derringer, or any other pro player. All "better than" music fights to me are pointless. It's a matter of personal preference. ntrary is unintended. Again, IMO not one is objectively better than the other at that level.)
Jeff Beck, like few others, has continued to evolve and improve and stretch the boundaries of the instrument beyond what was previously thought possible. Hendrix was doing the same thing when he died at 27. He gave strong clues that he could have continued to evolve like Beck. Who KNOWS the stuff he (they together!) would have come up with! One of the main perks of going to heaven must be to see him jam out his freshest licks.
EDIT: What's weird is, Beck's progress might have been severely stunted if things had gone differently at his audition for the Rolling Stones. Check this short article out:
Shortly after being named a ‘Living Legend’ by Classic Rock Magazine, Jeff Beck spent some time looking back at his storied career, including an ill-fated 1975 audition for the Rolling Stones.
The Stones were looking to fill the guitarist slot that had recently been vacated by Mick Taylor. Beck stopped by thinking that he was merely going to help them out with a couple of tracks for their next record. The fact that he might be auditioning for the group never crossed his mind.
As he relates in the story, he had been in the studio for two days without seeing any of the Stones. Looking around the area, he saw a stack of guitars and thought “Odd…how many guitars does Keith need?”
Pianist Ian Stewart told Beck “They’re giving you an audition. They’ve told all the other guys to f-ck off.”
“Eventually, we got into the same room together, and I started playing Bill Wyman’s bass so hard the dust was flying off. I wandered off, and the engineer, Glyn Johns, said ‘That’s incredible!’ I said: ‘One for the archives, mate. I’m leaving tomorrow.'”
The group wasn’t happy with Beck’s decision to leave, but he describes the recording situation back then as “dysfunctional” and says that he couldn’t deal with the “lack of purpose.” From their side, the Stones defended their methods as the way they worked as a unit, but Beck wanted no part of that, saying that “I’m not into chaos.”
“Some people might find it hard to believe that you’d walk away from the Stones gig, but Keith and I wouldn’t have gone through an album without punching each other out anyway.”
In the end, Beck was happy with his decision, because he was slated to work with Beatles producer George Martin on the album that would become Beck’s ‘Blow by Blow.’
What can I say? You said it all. Jeff has got this compulsion to push his genius further, like his life depended on it, like he'd die if he repeated himself or got in a rut or stagnated like Clapton (as you say, and I of course admire the hell out of the younger Clapton). It's uncanny, every solo is like a new experiment in pushing the envelope, a new departure, and within that, every lick is some crazy new idea that makes your jaw drop.
That's quite a story about Beck and the Stones. He's a one-man orchestra, the very idea that he'd just be backing up Jagger, plus duking it out with Keiff...
I could only find these three on YouTube. ("Only"!) My memory's hazy, none of them has the moment I thought I remembered where Clapton just throws in the towel and admires... The first video comes closest--toward the end where he seems to be just, just, how does he do it man.
PS Oh I forgot: how about Jack Bruce on Crossroads? Maniac. (And Ginger Baker, madman.) They were high on drugs or God or the Devil or SOMETHING, but that's a Himalaya high point no group will ever get beyond.
My favorite guitarist of all time? Upvoted!
No matter how many times I've seen him in concert, it will never be enough. And the way he gives the props to other guitarists blows my mind. It's ike being complimented by Trump on your negotiation skills.
Jeff Beck is on the daily music menu at our house
OK I'm not ready to let this go yet:
There's a video of Beck and Clapton exchanging solos in friendly competition during a concert (I'm sure it's on YouTube somewhere). Anyway, they both try to outdo the other, but at one point Jeff does some riffing so amazing that Clapton just stands back, shakes his head and lets him play on...
Rrrrrrrrrrrr! Having told me about it, now you have no way out: you simply MUST locate that video and give me the link! MUST! SHALL! :) Thanks in advance
IMO it's a testament to Slow Hand's sense of musical style that he was able to survive and thrive in a world of blazing speed.
::dons flame-retardant asbestos suit:: He is IMHO among the large percentage of pro guitarists who basically reach their peak skill level at 25 or so and never really progress much beyond it. I mean, to invoke the third Yardbird axman, does Jimmy Page playing today or in any video since 2000 make anyone exclaim, WOW his dexterity and experimenting on the instrument and musical ideas are so much more ADVANCED now than with Zep! Nope. Rick Derringer at age 25-27 in 1973-75 played with the same fire and inventiveness and edge and intimidating technical prowess as he does now, if not moreso. He, like Clapton, has gotten softer. He just doesn't have another gear to shift into.
Think of Crossroads from Cream, the live version heard on radio daily; now try to think of any more recent Clapton recording that even comes close to the two blistering, celestial guitar solos on just that one track. To me he didn't really get much better after that. Pure personal opinion, I know, but it's not coming out of left field.
(Note, I'm not saying this makes Beck objectively "better than" Clapton or Derringer, or any other pro player. All "better than" music fights to me are pointless. It's a matter of personal preference. ntrary is unintended. Again, IMO not one is objectively better than the other at that level.)
Jeff Beck, like few others, has continued to evolve and improve and stretch the boundaries of the instrument beyond what was previously thought possible. Hendrix was doing the same thing when he died at 27. He gave strong clues that he could have continued to evolve like Beck. Who KNOWS the stuff he (they together!) would have come up with! One of the main perks of going to heaven must be to see him jam out his freshest licks.
EDIT: What's weird is, Beck's progress might have been severely stunted if things had gone differently at his audition for the Rolling Stones. Check this short article out:
Shortly after being named a ‘Living Legend’ by Classic Rock Magazine, Jeff Beck spent some time looking back at his storied career, including an ill-fated 1975 audition for the Rolling Stones.
The Stones were looking to fill the guitarist slot that had recently been vacated by Mick Taylor. Beck stopped by thinking that he was merely going to help them out with a couple of tracks for their next record. The fact that he might be auditioning for the group never crossed his mind.
As he relates in the story, he had been in the studio for two days without seeing any of the Stones. Looking around the area, he saw a stack of guitars and thought “Odd…how many guitars does Keith need?”
Pianist Ian Stewart told Beck “They’re giving you an audition. They’ve told all the other guys to f-ck off.”
“Eventually, we got into the same room together, and I started playing Bill Wyman’s bass so hard the dust was flying off. I wandered off, and the engineer, Glyn Johns, said ‘That’s incredible!’ I said: ‘One for the archives, mate. I’m leaving tomorrow.'”
The group wasn’t happy with Beck’s decision to leave, but he describes the recording situation back then as “dysfunctional” and says that he couldn’t deal with the “lack of purpose.” From their side, the Stones defended their methods as the way they worked as a unit, but Beck wanted no part of that, saying that “I’m not into chaos.”
“Some people might find it hard to believe that you’d walk away from the Stones gig, but Keith and I wouldn’t have gone through an album without punching each other out anyway.”
In the end, Beck was happy with his decision, because he was slated to work with Beatles producer George Martin on the album that would become Beck’s ‘Blow by Blow.’
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/jeff-beck-rolling-stones-audition/
What can I say? You said it all. Jeff has got this compulsion to push his genius further, like his life depended on it, like he'd die if he repeated himself or got in a rut or stagnated like Clapton (as you say, and I of course admire the hell out of the younger Clapton). It's uncanny, every solo is like a new experiment in pushing the envelope, a new departure, and within that, every lick is some crazy new idea that makes your jaw drop.
That's quite a story about Beck and the Stones. He's a one-man orchestra, the very idea that he'd just be backing up Jagger, plus duking it out with Keiff...
I could only find these three on YouTube. ("Only"!) My memory's hazy, none of them has the moment I thought I remembered where Clapton just throws in the towel and admires... The first video comes closest--toward the end where he seems to be just, just, how does he do it man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLT4JdS5rbk
Shake Your Money Maker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9BUXsa55hg
"Little Brown Bird" and "You Need Love" (Muddy Waters, both)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKIFrPn0m4c
Moon River
PS Oh I forgot: how about Jack Bruce on Crossroads? Maniac. (And Ginger Baker, madman.) They were high on drugs or God or the Devil or SOMETHING, but that's a Himalaya high point no group will ever get beyond.
I've given your comment careful consideration, and my response is: FUCK YEAH
BTW: Who's the asshole who gave you a downvote? I pity the fool...
LOL you gotta be pretty sour to downvote loving a musician for his amazing skill and humility