Jeff Beck is living proof that the electric guitar is God's favorite instrument. If it weren't, it stands to reason that He'd have Jeff playing whatever is. In almost any conversation about guitar players, among those that listen and know, Jeff is mentioned reverently, as if he didn't really need to be mentioned at all. It just goes without saying that he's in a class by himself.

He started his recording career in 1963 with a band called The Tridents. When invited to replace Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds, he ended up contributing to some of their biggest hits: Train Kept A-Rollin',I'm a Man, and Shapes of Things among others. If you see the highly overrated film Blow Up, you'll see a frustrated Jeff doing his best to smash his guitar into submission, which simply amused Yardbirds rhythm guitarist Jimmy Page no end.

Then, Jeff started his own band, The Jeff Beck Group, which was to have a lineup of Beck, Page, John Paul Jones, and Keith Moon, who was considering leaving The Who. This lineup lasted about as long as it took to record one song- Beck's Bolero. Then Moon chose (wisely) to remain where he was, while Page and Jones formed some other band. Beck finally debuted his band with Rod Stewart on vocals, Ron Wood on bass, and Mick Waller on drums (pictured below).

This band lasted until the day before they were scheduled to play at some obscure rock festival in Bethel, NY, when Jeff dissolved it and started a new Jeff Beck Group. After a few years with that band, and a brief foray into the power trio format with with Vanilla Fudge alumni Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice, he noticed something that surprised him. People were interested in just hearing him play guitar. He didn't need a singer all the time.

Beck wasn't the first to use the lead-guitar-instead-of-a-singer concept. There were the surf bands of the 60's, and Roy Buchanan was already on the scene. But his landmark release Blow by Blow introduced the idea to a mainstream rock audience that had never heard the like, and attracted a lot of the jazz audience as well. That and the next few albums permanently sealed his reputation as the guitar player's guitar player.

I'ts been said that the purpose behind Jeff's playing is to make the listener forget that he's playing a guitar, and it is possible to do that. He gets a wide variety of sounds and effects from one instrument. He doesn't do it with electronics, though, like others (like the incredible Robert Fripp) will.... he does it by holding the guitar differently, or a special way of tweaking the string. He hasn't used a pick since 1983. As Eric Clapton said "With Jeff, it's all in his hands."

Feeling as I do that the now 62 year old Beck is doing some of the best rock and roll of his career (and has in fact received 2 grammys for Rock Instrumental in the last 6 years), I chose to post selections from my most recent soundboard recording. I like this because this is the same band I saw from the second row a few years ago, featuring Terry Bozzio on drums and Tony Hymas on keys, canned bass and other effects. THe hardest thing was to decide what to post. The extra day really came in handy.

One of the reasons I love Beck's playing so much is the way he alternates between great sensitivity and balls out rocking. There are songs that illustrate both, but I still felt it was appropriate to choose two songs, one to illustrate each point. Both are from the Filene Center in Vienna, VA, on September 2, 2003. The first is a beautiful version of the Beatles' "A Day in the Life", which has appeared on his Live at B.B. King's Blues Club disc. This disc is a wonderful example of this linup's capabilities.

Click here for "A Day in the Life".

The next cut is a song originally from his most recent studio release, Jeff, called "My Thing". It's a foot stomping show ender with a main guitar riff that's almost too fast to follow. It definately shows a player who has no interest in letting age slow him down.

Click here for "My Thing".

Enjoy the wonder that is Beck.

He's playing in the U.S. right now. If he plays near you, see it. You won't regret it for a moment.

Next week: As a jazz drummer for 70 or so years, he performed with some of the biggest names in the business. He also did a one-time appearance on a famous comedian's show in the 80's.