Jeff Beck Group [Import]

Jeff Beck | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Epic Europe
• ASIN: B0000024YI
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,611 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Beck's Most Underrated Works., December 29, 2003

By 

M. White (Northeast - USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jeff Beck Group (Audio CD)

As most everyone knows who lived through the wonderfully creative period of rock music that lasted from 1964 through, approximately, 1975, there were only about a handful of critics who had credibility in terms of being able to review and critique music, in any genre, adequately during said period. Most critics bashed this release as being "Over the top" and criticized Cropper for being out of his depth as a producer here. There was much made (Negatively) of Beck's choice of material and his guitar arrangements on this record. Personally, as a player for over 30 years myself, I think this CD offers some of his most inspired and lyrical playing, and I have listened to just about everything that Beck has released over the last 35 years. The tones he is getting out of his strat during numbers like "Going Down", "Ice Cream Cakes", "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You", "Highways" and "Definitely Maybe" are unlike anything he had ever done up to that point and, quite frankly, unlike anything he has done since. His sense of dynamics, harmonics and innovative phrasing are astonishing here for a record that was made in 1972. His command of both right and left-hand techniques is truly awesome as well. You hear Beck two-hand tapping here six years before Eddie Van Halen was doing it in clubs in Pasadena. You hear multi-layered electric guitars, electric sitars and acoustics (Although Sparingly) beautifully performed and mixed. Beck's slide playing is inspirational here as well, as is his wah-wah touch. Granted, the songs aren't singer/songwriter classics for the most part, but the reason you want to own this CD is for Beck's truly inspired and, at times, truly demented playing (Which is a good thing!).
I think Cropper's production is solid and Ron Capone engineered the tracks with a good understanding of what he was dealing with.
In Beck's Group, Max Middleton's keyboard playing is as good as it gets in this genre and Cozy Powell lays a decent groove and plays with authority when needed.
However, it is Beck who truly shines here.
Just like the critics who chastised Miles for his early to mid 70's forays into Acid Funk, all of a sudden there is a renewed interest by those same critics in that music today as being ahead of it's time and visionary. The same can be said for Beck's explosive and jaw dropping display here. When re-examined, I think many critics who blasted this release in '72 will now acknowledge that these guitar arrangements and performances by Beck are quite unlike anything from that era - controlled chaos and mayhem by a master reaching to push his own creative envelope beyond what anyone was doing at that time. For Beck fans or, more importantly, guitar fans in general, this CD is a must have. Enjoy!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like so much of his work, a misunderstood classic, February 24, 2003

By 

Robert Howard (Bowling Green, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jeff Beck Group (Audio CD)

For years I have been a rather fanatical Beck fan, starting with the fusion sides and his extremely innovative material from Guitar Shop on through You Had It Coming (Flash being the exception to that!). I never checked out this "motown/RnB" Beck because SO MANY music critics, and indeed even Beck himself, dismissed this stuff as the result of his near fatal car accident, when the guitarist was having headaches and other ailments due to the blow he took to the head.

However, when I actually LISTENED to the two JBG Mark II albums I must say I VERY MUCH disagree with the critics and Beck himself! This is music of much innovation, and as other reviewers have stated here, it was ahead of its time. On this outing, the band fully exploits the wildly unique instrumentation of Beck, a classical/jazz oriented pianist in Middleton, the soul/groove oriented Chaman on bass and his friend Bob Tench handling the vocals(who sounds absolutely wonderful, such an expressive voice).

As such, the album has such incredible turn-abouts, from the heavy rock of "Ice Cream Cakes" and "Sugercane", to the memphis soul of "Glad All Over". Everyone knows about "Going Down", which is a classic (and such WEIRD licks he plays on that one!) covered by everybody, but yet again it is instrumental ballads in which this man shines, and "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You" and especially the Middleton penned (not Beck, as the lp notes say) "Definately Maybe" show us that Beck is a masterful story teller; delivering great theatre with his guitar; his title of "rock guitar hero" is one that he indeed transcends with every note.

So in summation I can't say enough how WRONG so many people are about this record. Rough and Ready is also a good album, better than what the critics say, but RnR is not a bonafide classic, like this record is. This one is, in fact, near the top of everything the man has ever released. Yet, the reason why people at the time and even Jeff Beck himself dismisses this stuff is that it went so far against the musical tides in 1972. People wanted pile driving blues rock, in the Zepp/Sabbath/Purple mold; and since Beck started that whole deal with Truth, they expected him to develop that idea more. Beck is so intensely critical of himself, or at least was back then (check out his biography "Crazy Fingers" and you'll see what I mean) that he was all too ready to accept the criticism of others.

So if you are a fan of great music, you really ought to check this one out. It stands right up there with Blow by Blow and Wired, Guitar Shop and his new stuff, and it is a score higher than Truth and Beck-Ola.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crazy as it may sound - I think this is Becks best LP, September 16, 2003

By 

"douglasnegley" (Pittsburgh, Pa. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jeff Beck Group (Audio CD)

Yep - I agree with the reviewer below that, in hindsight (although I've always been partial to this one) this LP is underrated, and misunderstood. I also think Bob Tench did a great job on the vocals...no, he is not the BEST singer Beck ever worked with, but he IS soulful and (other than Freddie King) sings "Goin' Down" with the best feel of any version. I think the point that is missed on this LP, CD now, is that this is, indeed, the Jeff Beck GROUP. The group is the thing - and it shows. "Sugarcane" (another Tench stand-out vocal) finds the group laying a mellow groove for Beck, and keeps him "reined-in", if you know what I mean. "Highways" is emminently soulful, and still affords Beck his freedom to solo - and he does from the start...but the song shifts focus beautifully, with a very 'groovy' keyboard solo ending. "Definately Maybe" gives Beck the vehicle to show his unique style and mastery of statement. When this came out I loved it BECAUSE it was different. I still do.