Third chapter in Beck's adventure in Jazz-rock land, this live album is probably his best (at least IMHO) and certainly an improvement of the preceding ultra-technical Wired and the too fusion-esque Blow By Blow. Indeed, this third try is probably the best suited to those searching for a conventional (but not boring) jazz-rock between Mahavishnu Orchestra and Weather Report, while remaining accessible and out of the clichés.
With the opening Freeway Jam, with its car honking intro, is a complete stunner and much better than the BBB version (IMHO). The following Earth (Still Our Only Home) is a very funky jazz track sung (Eeehmmm!!) by Jan Hammer, but Beck's guitar shines brighter than a thousand suns. She's A Woman is turned to a semi-reggae, semi-funk thing with some guitar vo-coders ala Peter Frampton. Full Moon Boogie again dips into the guitar vo-coder and dipping into early 70's funk,
The definitely more even and consistent flipside includes the spacey doubleshot Darkness/Earth (In Search Of A Sun), which has a very different feel with Hammer's spacey synth dominating most of the track: we are hovering between Nektar/Eloy, Tangerine Dream and Dixie Dregs territory at times. A real pleasure of a mixture and a mixture of real pleasures. The great Mahavishnu- inspired Scatterbrain (also from BBB), where Steve Kindler's violin and Beck's guitar are indeed reminiscent of Goodman and McLaughlin and is easily the album's highlight, along with Freeway Jam. Closing the album is the excellent Blue Wind (from Wired), here played with a full line-up and includes a jam of the Yardbirds' Train Kept A Rollin.
With the flipside nearing perfection, one can only regret that the opening side gets lost in a few funky directions (wtf about the reggae stuff), and had the choice of tracks been better advised, this album could've been a real class act
This is one of my favorite albums of all-time. Every note is bliss. Mr. Beck is a perfectionist, and I think he met his soulmate in that regard in Jan Hammer, as they recorded many songs together. Some of my leaning to this as the best of the lot is recording quality. This has to do with the massive amount of live songs they had to choose from, after more than 100 gigs together, together they chose these. I sure won't complain about the choices.
Sapporo Green Dome, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan – December 14th, 1980
Jeff Beck: Guitar
Mo Foster: Bass
Tony Hymas: Keyboards
Simon Phillips: Drums
Jeff Beck’s show in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan was the eighth out of eleven dates in Japan (8th Day Of Rocupation ’80?) and, since his previous visits in 1973 and 1978 missed Sapporo, it was his first show in the northern city.
The audience tape in circulation for the show is very good to borderline excellent. It is able to capture very many details that are normally lost in other audience recordings. On the negative side, there are very faint traces of distortion in the high frequencies. The tape cuts in during the opening of “Star Cycle” (apparently the person recording the show taped taped over it), a small cut before “Led Boots” and the encores “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat / You Never Know” and “Going Down” are missing.
Going Down (Aphrodite Studio APH-91004-1/2) is another well known title containing this show. Released in 1991, in addition to Sapporo it also included “Going Down” from the December 4th Budokan show and a studio recording of “Rock And Roll Jelly” featuring Stanley Clarke and Carmine Appice on drums.
Of all the shows in Japan, this is perhaps the most laid back and mellow. Not only is the audience polite and quite while listening to the music, they offer scant applause between the numbers. Beck himself, who is normally quite laconic, is even more so during the show only offering short introductions to Mo Foster after “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” and Tony Hymas after “Led Boots.”
On the positive side, this is another stellar performance from the guitarist, who would take a long holiday from live performance several days after. He’s attempting to interject some improvisations into the material not heard in other performances starting with some unusual melodies in “Star Cycle.”
The stand out track of the evening occurs near the beginning with a mind altering performance of “Too Much To Lose,” an instrumental from the new album There & Back. Jan Hammer wrote and recorded the tune (with vocals) on the Jan Hammer Group’s 1977 album Melodies. But Beck’s interpretation, with the schizophrenic guitar over the funky bassline, is a substantial improvement. So much so that Hammer would re-record it as an instrumental in 1989 for Snapshots (with Beck, David Gilmour and Ringo Starr).
The latter half of the show is quite intense with a long version of “Freeway Jam.” The keyboards are given a workout for “Diamond Dust,” and “Scatterbrain” reaches over twenty minutes with a surprisingly subtle drum solo which sounds excellent in this detailed recording.
It’s a shame the rest of the show is absent because it is overall an excellent show, startling for its subtly.
Live At Sapporo Green Dome was released in 2005 packaged in a two-disc fatboy jewel case. Empress Valley include an excellent mini reproduction of the tour programme for sale at the venue. It’s a nice touch from back when the label were still innovators in mastering, presentation and packing. This is the definitive version of Sapporo until another tape surfaces with the missing encores.
Jeff Beck’s tour of Japan with Stanley Clarke was ten dates long and ended on December 2nd, 1978 in the Budokan. Out Of Darknkess presents the same audience tape that was utilized for Lonesome Crow (Masterport 054) on CDR and on Explosion (Masterport 216). This is a very good, slightly distant mono recording of the complete show. There are several non-destructive cuts between song of the songs but nothing major.
The set is a good mixture of Beck songs, Clarke songs and long solo spots meant to showcase all of the talent onstage. The sombre “Darkness / Earth In Search Of A Sun” is the introduction before the effective “Star Cycle” and a light, jazzy arrangement of “Freeway Jam.”
After “Freeway Jam” they get into “Cat Moves.” This tune replaced “Hot Rock” in the setlist after the November 24th show in Osaka. It was written by Jan Hammer and wouldn’t be released by Beck but on Cozy Powell’s LP Tilt in 1981 with Beck guesting.
Stanley Clarke’s bass solo occupies several minutes of the set list and is an encyclopedia of styles and rhythms. It segues into “School Days” with Beck as support by the end but the melody and improvisation all belong to Clarke. “Journey To Love” from Clarke’s 1975 solo album is the only song in the set with a vocal melody. The sci-fi lyrics of the studio recording are replaced by Beck scatting vocals, but otherwise it is an instrumental and it works much better.
Tony Hymas has a nice solo within “Diamond Dust” which Beck acknowledges and they all take turns in “Scatterbrain.” Hymas has another solo, but it is most interesting to hear Beck and Clarke play a game of call and response. Simon Phillips’ five minute drum solo serves as a coda to the piece.
Clarke plays several Beck-like riffs on the bass guitar as a prelude to the brilliant “Rock And Roll Jelly.” The bass guitar / lead guitar continue their game of tag over the eight minutes of the piece. An epic six minute rendition of “Blue Wind” closes the show. Two minutes of audience applause are intact on the tape between that and the encore “Superstition.” Beck pulls out his voice box for the Stevie Wonder cover which wasn’t played during the Jan Hammer years.
Wardour released Out Of Darkness in August 2008 and is one of their better Jeff Beck releases. It came out during a short phase where the labels were fascinated by Beck’s collaboration with Clarke and several great titles came out. This one stands out for the enthusiasm the musicians have for the final show of the short Japan tour. Wardour use glossy paper inserts for the artwork with tour photographs and is worth having.
When Jeff Beck toured with the Jan Hammer Group for the final time in the seventies he played the Palladium in New York three times, on October 8th, 18th, and 20th between visits to Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia and Waterbury, Connecticut.
Free Way Rice Pudding Jam documents the first New York show. A previous release can be found on The Palladium ’76 (Beckorange JB-1-1,2) in similar sound quality. (Emotional The Crab (Scarecrow 044) also claims to be this show, but is in fact the second New York show on October 18th).
The sound is very good for the era and the venue. It is a bit distant from the stage and is a bit flat. It doesn’t compare to the October 10th show in Boston which is perhaps the definitive tape from this tour, but it is still a very nice recording. Like many releases it has only the Jeff Beck part of the show, so Jan Hammer’s opening set of “Magical Dog,” “Evolove,” “One To One,” “Stepping Tones” and “Awakening” is omitted either by the taper (most likely) or by the label.
The tape opens with Hammer introducing himself before the heavy instrumental “Darkness,” which is “something from the first seven days” according to the keyboardist. Beck comes onstage in the middle of the long piece, asserting himself in the second part “Earth In Search Of The Sun” playing screeching guitar rifts in contrast to Hammer’s deliberate keyboard melodies.
The instrumental leads into “You Know What I Mean?” and afterwards Beck tells the audience, “it’s really nice to be back in New York.” He then jokes, “some people say it’s the toughest town, but you can separate the men from the boy and you can say whatever you want about us.”
The start of “Freeway Jam” starts off in chaos and the song itself tends to limp along with both Beck and Hammer taking turns playing the solos in the middle.
“Come Dancing” is one of the highlights of the set, a song that wasn’t played too often during these tours with Hammer. It’s very melodic and inventive, and leads into a reggae instrumental of The Beatles’ “She’s A Woman.”
eck plays the opening notes of the old Jeff Beck Group heavy metal tune “Rice Pudding.” He stops when there is some applause and he jokes, “I didn’t know there was anyone who remembered. If we did those numbers all night we’d never get anywhere.” The follow with “Full Moon Boogie” with Hammer on vocals.
The final song “Blue Wind” has a short reference to The Yardbirds “Train Kept A-Rollin’.” For an encore they play “Led Boots” which is aruably Beck’s most heavy and also fun song to play live with encourangements for audience participation in the breaks.
Free Way Rice Pudding Jam is by no means the most authoritative live statement of the 1976 tour with Hammer. There are more complete and better sounding recordings available. But it is a fun show to hear with great performances before a vocal New York crowd. Be Twisted! were a minor Japanese label with a handful of very good releases, and this ranks among them.
After redefining electric guitar during his tenure in the Yardbirds, numerous outstanding permutations of the Jeff Beck Group and following a brief experiment with ex-Vanilla Fudge/Cactus alumni in Beck, Bogart & Appice, Jeff Beck disappeared from the public eye. When he returned in 1975 with his new album, Blow By Blow, it was immediately apparent that Beck was taking an entirely new approach. The album, produced by the legendary George Martin at his AIR Studios, was strictly an instrumental affair and was clearly heading in a jazz-fusion direction. The results were nothing short of spectacular, gaining Beck a new legion of fans, and Blow By Blow would sail up the charts, soon to become one of the best selling instrumental albums of all time.
When Beck took this exciting new material on the road, he assembled a stellar new quartet featuring the outstanding rhythm section of bassist Wilbur Bascomb and drummer Bernard Purdie. He wisely retained the services of keyboardist Max Middleton, the only mainstay from his previous groups. Middleton's jazzy keyboard parts complimented much of Beck's finest early 1970s work, and in this new band he inspired Beck to reach new levels of sophistication. Beck's explorations into this new genre of music were immediately distinctive and would in retrospect prove to be the commercial peak of a long and illustrious career. This recording, when Jeff Beck and the Mahavishnu Orchestra took to the road together, captures this new era perfectly. Much of the Blow By Blow album is here, when it was fresh and new. Even when Beck dips back into his catalogue, older songs are given an altogether new instrumental treatment, bringing out delightful nuances and making them entirely new experiences.
The May 9, 1975 show, recorded at Detroit's Masonic Temple Theatre, kicks off with the humorously titled, "Constipated Duck." Just prior, one can here Beck preparing to do battle with a choice expletive aimed at his guitar. This opener showcases a wide range of guitar sounds and techniques, with Beck vacillating between screaming psychosis and lyrical beauty, all in the space of four minutes. The set continues with his infectious instrumental take on The Beatles classic, "She's a Woman," featuring Beck playing his guitar through a talk-box, a gadget that he helped introduce to a legion of guitar players. (The way this effect works is the electric guitar signal is diverted from the amplifier speaker to a special hose-like conduit. The hose directs the sound into the guitarist's mouth. Guitarists move their mouth as if they are speaking to change the tone and nuance of the sound, which is then picked up by the microphone.) Next up is one of the standout tracks from the new album, "Freeway Jam," which would become a ubiquitous radio staple, which segues directly into a spine tingling version of one of his finest older compositions, "Definitely Maybe." This is a prime example of the incredible chemistry between Beck and Middleton. Featuring some of Beck's most delicate and gut-wrenchingly beautiful slide guitar playing, at times this sounds as if Beck is channeling Duane Allman himself.
Beck next delivers a two-song tribute to Stevie Wonder, beginning with "Superstition," where he again uses the talk-box to allow his guitar to take the lead vocal. A beautiful introspective take on "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" follows. Beginning with a lovely keyboard improvisation sequence from Middleton, Beck's interpretation of this ballad remains one of his most beautiful displays of emotionally charged guitar playing ever and is certainly a highlight of this performance. His guitar pleads, weeps, and wails, in addition to sighing sweetly, revealing Beck's astounding control of dynamics.
For the last three songs of the set, Beck pulls out all the stops. A sizzling take on Stanley Clarke's "Power" and his own "Diamond Dust," in addition to the old Rough And Ready album track, "Got The Feeling," here revamped in a new instrumental arrangement, all feature blazing guitar work and illuminate what has always made Beck so distinctive. While plenty of other guitarists can play fast, Beck can hold one note, bend it, sustain it, and add in harmonics and distortion like no other. For the encore, Beck delivers the funkified frenzy of "You Know What I Mean," the classic opening track from Blow By Blow. This is another prime example of Beck utilizing the entire guitar, often changing the tone and timbre several times within the course of a song.
The May 10, 1975 set, recorded at Milwaukee's Riverside Theater, kicks off with the humorously titled, "Constipated Duck." This is a great opener as it showcases a wide range of guitar sounds and techniques. Beck vacillates between screaming psychosis and lyrical beauty, all in the space of four minutes. The set continues with his infectious instrumental take on The Beatles classic, "She's A Woman," featuring Beck playing his guitar through a talk-box, a gadget that he helped introduce to a legion of guitar players. (The way this effect works is the electric guitar signal is diverted from the amplifier speaker to a special hose-like conduit. The hose directs the sound into the guitarist's mouth. Guitarists move their mouth as if they are speaking to change the tone and nuance of the sound, which is then picked up by the microphone.) Next up is one of the standout tracks from the new album, Freeway Jam, which would become a ubiquitous radio staple, which segues directly into a spine tingling version of one of his finest older compositions, "Definitely Maybe." This is a prime example of the incredible chemistry between Beck and Middleton and it features some of Beck's most delicate and gut-wrenchingly beautiful slide guitar playing.
At this point, Beck does a two-song tribute to Stevie Wonder, beginning with an all instrumental take on "Superstition," where he again uses the talk-box to allow his guitar to take the lead vocal. A beautiful introspective take on "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" follows. Beginning with a lovely keyboard intro sequence from Middleton, Beck's interpretation of this ballad remains one of his most beautiful displays of emotionally charged guitar playing ever and is certainly a highlight of this performance. His guitar pleads, weeps and wails, in addition to sighing sweetly, revealing Beck's astounding control of dynamics.
For the last three songs of the set proper, Beck pulls out all the stops. "AIR Blower" and "Diamond Dust," as well as "Got The Feeling," another older number revamped in a new instrumental arrangement, all feature blazing guitar work and illuminate what has always made Beck so distinctive. While plenty of other guitarists can play fast, Beck can hold one note, bend it, and sustain it, while adding harmonics and distortion like no other. He utilizes the entire guitar, often changing the tone and timbre many times within the course of a song, creating a stately sound that ultimately reflects his own unpredictable personality.
The encore provides a scorching conclusion to the night with a special guest joining Beck on stage. He announces that John McLaughlin is coming on board "to play some blues for ya." While the up-tempo jam on "Power" that ensues isn't quite the blues, it is a remarkable performance, with intricate unison playing from Beck and McLaughlin as well as guitar pyrotechnics galore. Hearing these two monsters of electric guitar playing together is a rare treat and brings this memorable performance to a close.
The last set, recorded on May 11,1975 at St. Louis' Ambassador Theater, was the final night of the first leg of the North American Blow By Blow Tour, when both Jeff Beck and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra toured the continent together, providing audiences with a remarkable double bill of cutting edge jazz/rock fusion. Although not without a few dropouts on the master cassette, this recording captures Beck and one of his most revered bands at a peak moment in time. Following this performance, Beck would return to England for two weeks before embarking on the second leg of the tour at the end of the month.
Following some brief tune-ups, this fiery set kicks off with the humorously titled "Constipated Duck." Despite a brief cut in the master, this is a great opener as it showcases a wide range of guitar sounds and techniques. Beck vacillates between screaming psychosis and lyrical beauty, all in the space of four minutes. The set then continues with his infectious instrumental take on The Beatles classic, "She's A Woman," featuring Beck playing his guitar through a talk-box, a gadget that he helped introduce to a legion of guitar players. (The way this effect works is the electric guitar signal is diverted from the amplifier speaker to a special hose-like conduit. The hose directs the sound into the guitarist's mouth. Guitarists move their mouth as if they are speaking to change the tone and nuance of the sound, which is then picked up by the microphone.) Next up is one of the standout tracks from the new album, "Freeway Jam," which would soon become a ubiquitous radio staple. This too has a brief cut in the master, but it's a wonderful performance regardless. Following a brief drum interlude from Bernard Purdie, the song segues directly into a spine tingling version of one of Beck's finest older compositions, "Definitely Maybe." This is a prime example of the incredible chemistry between Beck and Middleton and it features some of Beck's delicate and beautiful slide guitar.
At this point, Beck does a two-song tribute to Stevie Wonder, beginning with an all-instrumental take on "Superstition," where he again uses the talk-box to allow his guitar to take the lead vocal. A beautiful introspective take on "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" follows. Beginning with a lovely keyboard intro sequence from Middleton, Beck's interpretation of this ballad remains one of his most beautiful displays of emotionally charged guitar playing ever, and this version is certainly a highlight of the performance. His guitar pleads, weeps, wails, and sweetly sighs, revealing Beck's astounding control of dynamics.
For the last several songs of the set, Beck pulls out all the stops beginning with "AIR Blower." A sizzling take on Stanley Clarke's "Power" follows, before the group tackles the old Rough And Ready album track, "Got The Feeling," here revamped in a new instrumental arrangement. All of these numbers feature blazing guitar work and illuminate what has always made Beck so distinctive. While plenty of other guitarists can play fast, Beck can take one note, bend it, sustain it, and add harmonics and distortion like no other. To conclude the proceedings, Beck delivers the funkified frenzy of "You Know What I Mean," the classic opening track from Blow By Blow. This provides yet another prime example of Beck utilizing the entire guitar, often changing the tone and timbre several times within the course of a song. For the encore, the group eases into "Diamond Dust," which rapidly builds up momentum before bringing this performance to a close.
Throughout this performance, Beck's band creates a stately sounding fusion of rock, jazz, soul and blues, bringing Beck's music to a new level of sophistication, while retaining the volatile quality that has always infused his guitar playing. Incorporating a diverse range of musical styles, seasoned with tasteful unpredictability, this performance is a textbook example of what makes any musician truly distinctive. Much like iconic figures such as Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane or Miles Davis, it's not so much the choice of material played, but how immersed the musician is within the context of the music. Here, Beck is deeply submerged and this music ultimately reflects his own volatile and unpredictable personality.
103. A Clockwork Orange Theme (Beethoven's 'Ode To Joy')
104. Hang On To Yourself
105. Ziggy Stardust
106. Watch That Man
107. Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud / All The Young Dudes / Oh! You Pretty Things (Medley)
108. Moonage Daydream
109. Changes
110. Space Oddity
111. My Death
201. (Announcement And William Tell Overture)
202. Cracked Actor
203. Time
204. Width Of A Circle (Band Introduction)
205. Let's Spend The Night Together
206. Suffragette City
207. White Light / White Heat
208. The Jean Genie (with Jeff Beck)
209. Round And Round (with Jeff Beck)
210. Rock 'N' Roll Suicide ('Pomp And Circumstance' By Edward Elgar Playout)
David Bowie - vocals, harmonica
Mick Ronson - guitar
Trevor Bolder - bass
Mick Woodmansey - drums
Guest:
Jeff Beck
London, UK, Hammersmith Odeon, July 3rd, 1973
First ever release directly from soundboard of the complete show without overdubs and added vocals or instruments.
There are a few singular concerts considered to be famous enough outside of bootleg circles to be pinned to the mast of rock nostalgia. Concerts that the purists would love to have claimed to have attended, thousands of others who would slap their thigh and curse, “I wish I was there!”.
Of those shows, the event of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars at the Hammersmith Odeon, London on the 3rd of July, 1973 must stand at nearly the stop of the stack. As a rising star in Britain and beyond, Bowie was beyond cool for several thousand teenagers for whom Donny Osmond was too shallow and the glam craze just a little too glamorous for tastes. His career had already shot the trajectory between a hippyish troubadour to space race speaker, his eventual transformation to the alien, Ziggy Stardust had further cemented his cause and now he held pop in the palm of his hand. At the time, however, his fans wouldn’t have had so much of a clue as to how quickly boredom might set in. For that fact, neither could his band as with a brief, seemingly off the cuff, sign off towards the end of the night, Bowie would give the Spiders – Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, Woody Woodmansley – their leave and as they stumbled, confused towards the dressing room, Bowie left into a car and on to his new phase.
The 3rd Ziggy Stardust UK tour finishes at the Hammersmith Odeon Theatre, London. This concert comes to be known as the “Retirement Gig.” Jeff Beck attends as special guest. Before this gig Bowie had announced that he would take a short holiday when the tour was over, before recording at the Chateau in France and then planned to return to the US for another tour.
Only Mick and Suzie (later Ronson) knew of Bowie decision to kill Ziggy persona that night. Robin Mayhew believe Suzie must have told stage manager Peter Hunsley at some point after the interval as he alerted Robin via the stage to mixer intercom giving Robin the news. It came as no real surprise to Robin and quitting while ahead seemed the perfect and logical way to end something which would soon have become repetitious
The concert is filmed by D.A Pennebaker and recorded by RCA Mobile with the intention of releasing a live double album in February 1974 provisionally tilted BOWIE-ING OUT. This eventually becomes the 1983 soundtrack album, film and video ZIGGY STARDUST – THE MOTION PICTURE minus the live performances of “Jean Genie/Love Me Do” and “Round and Round.” Just prior to the last encore number Bowie steps up to the mike and announces:
“Everybody…this has been one of the greatest tours of our lives. I would like to thank the band. I would like to thank our road crew. I would like to thank our lighting people. Of all of the shows on this tour, this particular show will remain with us the longest (cheers from the audience) because not only is it…not only is it the last show of the tour, but its the last show that we’ll ever do. Thank you”
This shocks Ziggy fans who scream “No!” Bowie then launches into “Rock n Roll Suicide” and at the finish of the song concludes:
“Thank-you very much. Bye-bye. We love you.”
Bowie’s announcement is also a major shock for The Spiders From Mars who were unaware that Bowie had also decided to retire them from ever touring again. Only Tony DeFries and Mick Rock were aware of the announcement. That night Bowie and a handful of friends hold a small party at the Inn On the Park..
This recording is a new soundboard unearthing – Originally offered via mail order on CDR from sound engineer at that very same evening, Robin Mayhew, the recording is a rather different contrast to the masses of bootlegs that have appeared before. It obviously took a long time for Bowie to release his own version of the show (10 years later) and because of the insistence of Jeff Beck – guesting guitar player on ‘Jean Genie’ / ‘Love Me Do’ and Around and Around – of having his part removed, it was down to the first selection of bootleggers to try to offer the best version of this show to cover the gaps.
The first and most notorious of these releases would have been ‘His Masters Voice’ a single LP on the TAKRL label that featured the abbreviated show with a couple of extra bonus tracks for completeness. Attempts have been made to fill the gap since, including by Mainman to present the concerts in it’s fullest but Beck’s refusal, the Earl Slick guitar and later Bowie overdubs and the fact that the extant tapes recorded at the time were bulked by Mick Ronson to improve his own sound then the original tapes, as recorded, were assumed not to exist anymore. Or rather until now when Robin’s soundboard recording brings us, unexpurgated, the complete concert as committed to tape that night.
Firstly however, the introduction by Barry Bethal, whipping excitement up with the crowd, pointing out the miscellaneous merchandise and getting the audience set is, by the tapes standards, a little hissy. this may be because the recording equipment was generally set up to withstand the electronic noise and once Mike Garson’s medley (An instrumental blend of Bowie’s greatest hits so far ) begins, the tape changes atmosphere accordingly. As anyone knows, these pieces are previously unheard and should be the jewel in the crown for this set but that we’re essentially unmixed and undoubted, several variations begin to work themselves out from other releases for instance a louder piano in the presence of ‘Jean Genie’ for one, flutes higher in the mix on the ‘Wild Eyed Boy ..’ medley.
This is a fantastic release by the Eat A Peach label, especially in lieu of a decent official release of the concert that won’t divide fan’s opinions and a rather shabby cut and paste unofficial release. This will possibly be the last word in this fantastic, classic concert. Don’t miss it!
01. You Shook Me 02. Let Me Love You 03. Morning Dew 04. Jeff’s Boogie 05. The Sun Is Shinning 06. Hi Ho Silver Lining
November 3, 1968 Grande Ballroom Detroit, MI
07. A Natural Woman 08. Rice Pudding 09. Sweet Little Angel 10. I Ain’t Superstitious
July 12, 1969 Laurel Pop Festival Laurel, MD
11. Rock My Plimsoul 12. Hangman’s Knee 13. Blues De Luxe
Jeff Beck: Guitar Rod Stewart: Vocals Ron Wood: Bass Micky Waller: Drums
This is the second silver release documenting the Jeff Beck Group’s concert at the Fillmore West on July 24, 1968, a stunning soundboard recording from the Bill Graham Archives via Wolfgang’s Vault. The other release is Fillmore West (JBG#1-72468) that contained an excellent version of the tape but was sadly a very short disc as the label elected not to include any bonus material. When comparing the two releases Godfather has a cleaner sound while the JBG versions hiss was slightly more prominent. Godfather’s version is a bit faster reducing the tape length by a minute, and to my ears sounds to be better pitched as when I compare the two the JBG release sounds a tad sluggish. It is truly a fabulous recording; please refer to my review of the JBG title for the blow by blow.
here Godfather really takes the lead is that they offer additional music from the same era to give casual Beck collectors like myself a much broader glimpse into the band’s live work. The first of the bonus material comes from the famous Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan. Growing up in Western Michigan and living somewhat close to the Metro Detroit area the Grande Ballroom has a huge musical legacy for me. The place was the musical Mecca for the city and would draw many of music’s biggest names in the sixties and act as home base for the MC5, Stooges, and The Amboy Dukes. The recording has seen a silver release prior to this, and looks to contain a much more complete version of the tape, Live In Detroit 1968 (Zero Records ZRCD 204). The audience source is a very good well balanced recording that is surprisingly clear with no real crowd interference. The tracks featured here gives more insight into the band, the first song is a take on Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”. They play it as an instrumental giving it a very different feel; the music certainly struck a chord with Rod Stewart as he would record his take on the song in the mid seventies as a solo artist. Rod tells the audience “our bass player is going to play an unbelievable solo” and the song is “Rice Pudding”, the bass player is Ronnie Wood. The first two minutes are dominated by Beck who slashes at his strings to great effect before leaving the spotlight to Ronnie. His solo is a solid plunking of notes before the band comes back; even Micky Waller gets a quick drum solo after which Beck proves why the band bears his name.
The next track is the groups take on the BB King classic “Sweet Little Angel” and we finally get to hear Rod singing in Detroit. The song (as well as “Natural Woman”) features some great piano from who I am guessing is Nicky Hopkins. The blues is the bands foundation and they continue with a rollicking take on Willie Dixon’s “I Ain’t Superstitious”. Some great interaction as Beck is soloing; Hopkins is laying a solid boogie foundation down before they get into a little call and response with the audience based upon music and hand claps. Hearing just four songs is just not enough as I find myself wanting to hear the complete recording as it is a fantastic performance by the group.
The final three tracks come from the Laurel Pop Festival in 1969, it was a real blues rock fans dream and other performers were Led Zeppelin, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Ten Years After and the Mothers Of Invention, Beck played the final day of the three day event. The audience source featured here is again very good sound, slightly distant sounding and does not have a lot of the lower frequencies, similar to many open air recordings. The vocals and music are well balanced and once the band get into “Rock My Plimsoul” settles into a great and atmospheric sound that is quite enjoyable. There are some wind bump effects but do not distract from one enjoyment of the music. The song is basically a take on BB Kings Rock Me Baby”, they never stray far from the blues as a base for their improvisation, and it is this improvisation that leads into a hard rocking section that has things heating up before falling back into the blues ending. A great version of “Hangman’s Knee” from the Beck-Ola record follows, Ronnie wood simply abuses his bass to the best extreme and the song is a full band effort. The last song is “Blues De Luxe” from the Truth album, it is the blues that the band does best, combining it with Beck’s hard firing guitar prowess. The song also features some great blues singing from Stewart, he really pours his heart into the song. Another really enjoyable fragment.
The packaging is typical Godfathers, tri gatefold sleeve, I found the front and rear cover not much to my liking. I do like the center spread; there are some great pictures of the band as well as liner notes from Moonchild. So the JBG gets the edge on packaging but Godfather takes the cake for overall presentation, the mastering on the Fillmore set is superior and the bonus material is fantastic. I have little Jeff Beck in my collection so releases like this give myself a much better understanding and appreciation for the important groups musical legacy, one that influenced many bands who would rise from their ashes.
