Customer Reviews

Jeff

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Jeff Beck's a rarity! A fully paid-up member of the 60's rock guitar aristocracy, he has always been at LEAST one step ahead of the pack. Never content to mark time or rehash old ideas, Beck had hardly finished drawing up the blueprint for 70's hard rock and metal when he was off into fusion hyperspace with Jan Hammer. And always, whether working on his own projects or playing hired gun for the likes of Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner or Mick Jagger, Jeff NEVER sounds like anyone but himself!! Anyway, that was then! So where do we find his restless spirit in this new century? Deep in techno territory, totally immersed in sounds normally associated with under 25s and not only sounding completely at home but obviously having a blast!
More in the vein of "You had it coming" than "Who Else?" this one floors it from the off with furious beats and nasty automotive tones abounding and the guitar poking through in all the right places. As other reviewers have noted, the guitar plays a more textural, organic role on many of the tracks: witness the tasty slide riffs on "Plan B" and the in-the-pocket, chicken-fried funk of "Pay Me No Mind". But just when you think you've got a handle on the man, Beck pulls out an ecstatic solo like those in "Seasons" or "Bulgaria" and clean takes your breath away! Have mercy!! Six strings speaking in tongues - Carlos himself would be proud!!
I defy any player of ANY generation to produce anything as cutting edge and totally genuine as this - make no mistake, this 59 year old rocker's on a roll!

...so WHAT are you waiting for? One-click-it!!

Why is it that folks can't seem to understand that musicians - particularly those blessed with amazing talents - want to expand and break out of the molds they're cast into? I've read all these Amazon comments about Beck going techno with this album, and after listening to it more than a few times, it seems like this is the kind of record that Jimi Hendrix would be happy to make if he were still alive. Jeff Beck is consistently out on the bleeding edge, making new music and coaxing wild new sounds from his guitar, and I hope he continues to push the boundaries for many years to come.

Most artists as they age mellow out to some degree. They begin to run away from the aggressive music of their youth, seeing it as "immature". Mr. Beck, however, seems to do the exact opposite. He grows increasingly more aggressive as he ages. This newest album, "Jeff", continues to build upon the electronic sounds first started on 1999's Who Else! release.
One tracks such as "So What" (no relation to the Miles Davis modal jazz tune) Jeff blasts us with a sonic hailstorm of sound, picking the listener up off the floor and beating him or her senseless. These are not tracks for the timid. They explode out of your speakers, the guitar snarls and curls it lip and curses you out like a drunken sailor on shore leave.

That said, the album isn't as monotonous as the previous Jeff Beck effort, "You Had It Coming". The tracks all have sudden stops and starts and surprises. The drum loops themselves are magnificent peices of rhythmic composition. If this album has a weakness, it is that fans of Jeff Beck like myself will find themselves wanting to hear more clearly the beautiful voice of his guitar, as on much of this album the guitar is a member of a larger orchestra of sounds and not always present in the foreground.

However, there are plenty of moments where Beck shows that his electric guitar mastery is unmatched: The subtle, clean pickin' (reminiscent of his playing on She's a Woman from Blow by Blow) on the bizarre "Pay Me No Mind", the soaring blues rock on "Hot Rod Honeymoon", and the Eastern melodicism on "Porcupine".

Also present is Beck's greatest strength: his uncanny ability to sing on the guitar, sing to your very soul itself. He graces us with ballads of immense power on every record he makes, and this is no exception. We are reminded of this early on with the track "Seasons" (one of the strongest tracks on the album) during the "soft" section, but we get it full on with the drop dead gorgeous "Bulgaria". Also of note here is the floating, dreamy "JB's Blues".

All in all, this might be one of Beck's strongest creative efforts in his entire catalog. I doubt it is as fully listenable as records such as Truth, The Jeff Beck Group, and Blow by Blow, but it certainly ranks as an artistic triumph for a guitarist that continues to improve as he ages. For a musician who has already given as much to us as Jeff Beck has, every album, every song, indeed every note must be treated as a gift. And on "Jeff", the gifts are plentiful.

Let's cut to the chase and talk about the songs on Jeff:

So What: Great way to start the album. Good playing. 5/5

Plan B: Great beat and excellent solos throughout. Nice tone. 5/5

Pork-U-Pine: interesting phrasing and melodies. Not as good as the last two song but still good. Grows on you over time. 4/5

Seasons: My personal favorite. Beautiful guitar playing and a great song overall. 5/5

Trouble Man: The intro is a little much but the rest of the song is great. 4/5

Grease Monkey: Fun song with great car sounds from the guitar. 5/5

Hot Rod Honeymoon: Fast paced, finger picking tune. Voiceovers are a little much at first but not too bad. 4/5

Line Dancing With Monkeys: Very cool dynamics and effective playing. As good as Seasons. 5/5

JB's Blues: Very emotive and some great guitar playing. 5/5

Pay Me No Mind: Funky song with full vocals, nice Telecaster playing. 4/5

My Thing: Rocking track with effective changes in tempo and dynamics. Great playing. 5/5

Bulgaria: Beautiful and soaring guitar playing, like a voice. 5/5

Why Lord Oh Why?: Excellent ending track, great playing that is both beautiful and mysterious. 5/5

Average: 4.6 which would round up to 5 stars. Recommended to all who enjoy adventurous guitar playing and good music in general.

As a Beck fan since the 70's, I'm completely baffled by the Amazon rating some people have given this album. I have to guess that record companies see a cheap way to boost sales by sneaking in some "independent" reviews. This album has a few nice Jeff Beck licks here and there but no cut is left untouched by post production looping and sampling. I'm a guitar player since the early 70's and I've got all his albums so I've got no reason to slam Jeff. I just find this album to be a worst case scenerio for what production can do for/to an artist.

I've read interviews where Jeff indicates he's not pleased either and wants to go back to a more direct recording process, (see Guitar Player, 2003 cover issue). I just hold out hope that he responds with a follow up that features more guitar work and less post production glitz. If you are a newby to Beck's music, Check out WIRED as a great place to start. I saw Jeff and his group in Atlanta this year and they were incredible as a simple 3 piece band.

Jeff Beck has never stopped challenging himself, or us. Picking up where "You Had It Coming" left off, this collection (which is eminently more listenable but equally innovative) is easily the best outing of the past three, and right up there with the finest Jeff Beck ever.

The indescribable mix, which includes techno/acid/thrash/orchestral and of course Jeff Beck's unmistakably distinctive and sonically amazing guitar work used in the most surprising ways, is a far cry from "classic Jeff Beck" (a la "Guitar Shop" for instance) but guaranteed to take you places. Get under the headphones, turn it up and just freaking listen.

Standout cuts: The soaring hymn "Bulgaria/Why Lord Oh Why", the gorgeous "Seasons", "JB's Blues" and "Plan B", a super cool soundtracky track with a maddeningly addicting beat. Unlike "You Had It Coming", there are no wasted tracks (although "Pay Me No Mind" is somewhat of a triviality), no noisy violently crunchy dead-end cuts. This one is truly great from end to end, and you hear something new every time you listen again.

Jeff Beck is the unchallenged master of his instrument, and an evolving musical force on par with late peers such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix. He is a treasure, and so is "Jeff".

There are legitimate rumblings that Jeff Beck has gone far enough into this direction (in which his guitar is almost more of a special effect than the lead). True enough. Let's see what he comes up with next.

as far as i'm concerned this is the 'are you experience'd' of our time. i cant think of another guitarist that i cant figure out how they are gettin thier sounds out of thier guitars. but i got no idea how the hell he's gettin those sounds.his contemporaries (page and clapton come to mind) are pretty much playin the same stuff thaey were playin 30 years ago....but jeff just keeps pushin the envelope...and for that reason he is the best rock guitarist on the planet.

I've been a Jeff Beck fan for thirty years (wow, I'm getting old), and this is my favorite thing he's ever done. I read his interview in Guitar player back in 2003, and when asked what it was like making his new album, he said "I hated it more than anything I've ever done". I was bummed out after reading that, so I didn't buy the CD until 2006. Man what a shock! This is the freshest most exciting thing I've ever heard. I guess he was just tired of working on it because of the tediousness of working with computers. He also made the comment "this is the last time I ever make a record with a mouse". Jeff is over 60 but sounds as young and talented as any guitarist on the planet. This CD is a MUST have! Every track absolutely SMOKES!

Contrary to previous reviews I think this may be Jeff's best album yet. The groves are intense (very Prince like) and the guitar licks show why Jeff is the standard by which all others are judged. It's great to know that there are still artists who don't rest on thier previous work. Jeff Beck is always pushing the envelope.

The hair on the back of my neck is still standing up. WOW!!!!

...from anything, actually.
Summary:
Audio geeks: buy this
Jeff Beck fans: buy Who Else! first, then this if you like it
other music fans: should probably start with "blow by blow" or even "truth" to see Jeff's roots--not what you might expect given this album (and great albums)

First off, The recording quality on this is astounding. The sounds used are well outside of the normal range. With my Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers, I was occasionally confused about where the sound was coming from, because I was pretty sure my speakers couldn't make those sounds.
In short, this album is an absolute must for audiophiles. I use a variety of tracks for testing speakers/headphones/amps/whatever, but I listening to track 8 (Line Dancing With Monkeys) always teaches me more than any other track in my collection.

This is a bold foray into electronica for Jeff. Unlike Who Else!, this really doesn't conjure up many memories of Classic Jeff Beck--which makes it really interesting. The variety of sounds, the way they're put together is pretty darned original as far as I can tell, and of course, the guitar samples are awesome (not surprising considering the source)--just full of nuance. I wish I had bought Who Else! first to ease me into this album, because it was such a shock to my ears, that for a while, I really didn't like it. After getting used to this album, the only thing I really find fault with is the vocal samples. They're not plastered all over the music or anything, but where they do appear, I find them awkward. That's why I only gave this 4 stars.

For those that aren't familiar with Jeff's work--this is techno-ish, but the samples are where fans of his earlier work will recognize him. Jeff is often called one of the most influential/important guitarists of all time (2nd most is probably fair), but his influence has mostly been through other guitarists, not direct to listeners. He's done a lot of groundbreaking stuff, and gone through many phases that sound quite distinct. I think after listening to that stuff you may hear this album differently.