I was interested in the electric guitar even before I knew the difference between electric and acoustic. The electric guitar seemed to be a totally fascinating plank of wood with knobs and switches on it. I just had to have one.
— Jeff Beck[11]
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English guitarist. He rose to prominence as a member of the rock band The Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted The Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to an instrumental style with focus on an innovative sound, and his releases spanned genres and styles ranging from blues rock, hard rock, jazz fusion and a blend of guitar-rock and electronica.
Beck was ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone and other magazines' lists rankings of the greatest guitarists.[4][5][6] He was often called a "guitarist's guitarist".[7] Rolling Stone described him as "one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock".[8] Although he recorded two successful albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck did not establish or maintain commercial success like that of his contemporaries and bandmates.[7][3] He recorded with many artists.[9]
Beck earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times and Best Pop Instrumental Performance once. In 2014, he received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.[10] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: first as a member of the Yardbirds (1992) and secondly as a solo artist (2009)"All Shok up" - (Elvis Presley, Otis Blackwell) 00:00 "Spanish Boots" - (Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood) 04:52 "Girl From Mill Valley" - (Nick Hopkins) 08:29 "Jailhouse Rock" - (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) 12:16 "Plynth (Water Down the Drain)" - (Nicky Hopkins, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood) 15:32 "The Hangman's Knee" - (Jeff Beck, Nicky Hopkins, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Tony Newman) 18:40 "Rice Pudding" - (Jeff Beck, Nicky Hopkins, Ron Wood, Tony Newman) 23:30
Jeff Beck – guitars, backing vocals on "Throw Down a Line" Rod Stewart – lead vocals Nicky Hopkins – piano and organ Ronnie Wood – bass guitar Tony Newman – drums
Additional personnel Micky Waller – drums on "Sweet Little Angel" Mickie Most – producer
After the release of their previous album Truth, by the end of 1968 drummer Micky Waller was replaced by Tony Newman, as Jeff Beck wanted to take the music in a heavier direction and he viewed Waller as more of a finesse drummer in the style of Motown.[2] Pianist Nicky Hopkins, who had also played on Truth, was asked to join the band full-time for his work in the studio.
Recording sessions for the album took place over six days in April 1969 – the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 10th, 11th and 19th.[3] Two covers of Elvis Presley tunes were chosen, "All Shook Up" and "Jailhouse Rock", as well as "Girl From Mill Valley", an instrumental by and prominently featuring Hopkins. The remaining four tracks consist of band originals, with the instrumental "Rice Pudding" ending the album dramatically cold. The album cover features a reproduction of Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte's The Listening Room. On the back cover to the original vinyl issue, beside "Beck-Ola" is written the tag "Cosa Nostra", Italian for "Our Thing".
Following the sessions for this album, the Jeff Beck Group toured the United States. They were scheduled to play Woodstock and are listed on posters promoting the festival, but by then internal friction had reached the breaking point and both Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart were out of the band.[4] Stewart and Wood would form The Faces with members of the Small Faces in 1969, while Hopkins played Woodstock with Jefferson Airplane, joined Quicksilver Messenger Service, and toured the world with The Rolling Stones in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Beck himself would be out of commission by December due to an automobile accident.
