I’ve studied music, sung it, played it and pretty much been into it ever since I could walk.
But I never got close to figuring out where Jeff Beck was going, ever. I could only listen, marvel and appreciate the man’s endless artistry and talent. And now he’s gone, leaving only his body of work for us to enjoy.
Probably my favorite Beck was his guitar on buddy Rod Stewart’s People Get Ready. Haunting, melodic, beautiful and perfectly suited to the emotion of the gospel hymn, Beck’s soaring riffs turned it from lovely to sublime.
Yeah, sublime — that’s the word I was looking for. Once again, the music world has lost just one more thing of beauty, and the world is a little less lovely.
Damn it, I can’t even write a proper obituary about the man and his music.
R.I.P. Jeff.
A few months ago Rick Beato did a video talking about why Jeff Beck is uncopyable. Even as a non-musician I have always found Jeff Beck’s playing to be fascinating. He will always be one of the greats.
I listened to all the guitarists of his generation — Hendrix, Lee, Clapton, Winter, McLaughlin, etc. — but Beck is the one I keep coming back to. He came from a different universe. It’s difficult to pick a favorite performance; sometimes it’s “Going Down,” sometimes “Where Were You,” sometimes all of Live at Ronnie Scott’s. He had a long career, but it still was too short.
Got to see Jeff Beck live some 10 years ago or so. In Oklahoma City. Beautiful. No one else plays like that. The technique, the phrasing, the use of the bar as a tool of expression, not just a bag of cool tricks. I don’t know how he controlled the guitar in front of loud amps with all that gain – his style required significant gain, and yet it’s always very controlled, and at the same time seemingly just leaping out, springing off the fretboard. Almost as if he’s reigning the sound in, and releasing it in short bursts.
Magic. A true great. No one else plays anything like that.
Had tickets to see him in October in Louisville but sold them when I heard Johnny Depp was sharing the bill. I’m kicking my ass now.