I first saw Jeff Beck live in concert in the Tucson (Arizona) Civic Center – it was 1971. He’s been around that long and, apparently, so have I.
In 1965, when the flibbertigibbet Eric Clapton bolted from The Yardbirds, Beck replaced him. In 1966, they released an album entitled Roger The Engineer with guest guitarist Jimmy Page. In one band??? Over the years, I have been torn between these three guys as to who is the best living Rock ‘n Roll guitarist, having seen them all live and listened to most of their work. As I go back ‘n forth, it has remained an open question . . . until I watched this concert.
Recorded in 1080i High Definition Widescreen 16X9 (1.78:1) with a DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack, it looks and sounds as good as it gets. State of the Art. The nightclub setting and stage lighting give the tape a luscious colorful hue and the audio production was perfectly executed (especially due to the superb work of Engineer Alan Branch – not Roger). If you have a home theater system sportin’ big audio, this disc is a must have. Recorded in 2007 over several nights in the famous London Soho nightclub “Ronnie Scott’s” and then edited down to 191 minutes of material, you can hear people clapping behind you when listened to in 7.1 surround. Am I really 30 feet from the stage? The audience is full of London Rock ‘n Roll notables (Oh look, there’s Robert Plant. And two tables over, right there in the center, is that really the Jimmy Page?) It’s a small wonder that it was the hottest ticket in town during the week of these shows.
Beck’s four-piece band is killer, combining experience with youthful exuberance. They tightly navigate their way through Beck’s rock/jazz/blues fusion material. On drums is Vinnie Colaiuta (of Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock and Sting fame), with Londoner Jason Rebello on keyboards (Sting again) and Australian bass phenom Tal Wilkenfeld. If you are unfamiliar with the 21-year old Wilkenfeld, she is a mesmerizing performer. Beck showers her with adoration all concert long and for good reason. Apart from very accomplished playing, her stage persona creates a camera magnet (frame count second only to His Majesty). See for yourself at talwilkenfeld.com. Guest vocalists Joss Stone (one song) and Imogen Heap (two songs) are exceptional. The best five-piece ensemble of the concert is the encore performance of Rollin’ and Tumblin’ with Heap. But the absolute star of the show is, of course, Jeff Beck.
I played guitar professionally for 10 years and then spent another 10 in production and I DO NOT KNOW HOW HE MAKES THOSE SOUNDS! I do know it’s not with pedals and electronic devices; it’s with his fingers, his Stratocaster, and his Marshall stack. He doesn’t even use a pick, for God’s sake. Fingers pickin’ and strumin’ on strings, pick-ups talkin’ to amp. Camera shots abound of fans in the audience (many pro musicians, for sure) going, “Wah? Huh?” He was using a bottleneck slide way up ahead of the neck on top of the pick-ups (where movements of about 1/32 of an inch equals a full note) without missing a note (literally). The late Les Paul, inventor of the guitar cutaway (that radical indent in the body up top of the neck that allows your hand to get way up there) is smiling somewhere because Jeff Beck’s hand lives in the cutaway. But when that hand comes running down the lower end of the neck, hold on to your seat. Heavy, heavier, heaviest . . . tasty, tastier, tastiest. There is nobody that compares or that I would rather listen to.
In fact, there was an encore guest appearance by Eric Clapton (what a treat for two songs). They traded licks. No contest. Not even close.
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