by thedoc » Sat Jan 14, 2023 8:08 pm
When I used to play in bands, we did versions of Jeff Beck's `Led Boots' and `Come Dancing'. Fantastic tracks which always went down really well. Most people who have heard of him seem to think that `Hi Ho Silver Lining' was as good as it got for the great man. All the guitarists I have ever played with would disagree. If you listen to things like `Blow by Blow'; `Wired' and `There and Back', you will hear a musician at the absolute top of his game. Unlike people like Eric Clapton, Jeff always wanted to constantly learn new types of playing and new sorts of music. As a session player at Stax records, he said that he completely re-learnt how to play the guitar with a more soul and jazz oriented slant on things. He gave up playing with a plectrum some time after this, explaining that using all the fingers on your playing hand gave you possibilities that playing with a pick simply excluded. I personally think that Jimi Hendrix was a more influential musician but Jeff Beck for me is the greatest white guitarist who has ever lived. I never met the guy and the gig by him I saw at Lancaster Uni was mostly soul music which I didn't like. Despite this, I will miss this man because he has had a tremendous influence on the way I - as a bass player - have thought about rock and funk over the years to say nothing of the effect he has had on other musicians (particularly guitarists) I have played with. R.I.P. Jeff.