An essential part of my teenage years:
Another one gone. RIP.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
… and the lesson is, to improve even in your sixties, while giving space for the next generation. This is his best work on YouTube, I think…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw8fBR_XiPs
I agree
I really like his later work and collaborations
Though not my favourite player as a guitar player I have drifted into Beck’s playing. I totally agreed with him about playing with a pick – using your fingers to play electric guitar can create wonderful new ways to express yourself – the pick was not essential. I’m not a big fan of the tremolo bar, and Hendrix did all that anyway, but I play with my fingers AND a pick because of Beck.
Someone once said that it was the way he held the guitar as much as what he said with it when he was playing – it was sort reverential, respectful. I still think his best playing was with the Yardbirds but I loved the album Flash.
Jimmy Page joked that Beck always seemed to be learning – and he was, he never sort of plateaued – he was always ‘young’ in that sense and restless. A huge creative talent.
And his jazz rock escapades always underlined for me the ubiquitous nature of the blues.
A sad day – I hope he did not suffer given how much pleasure he has given us over the years. He was a true artisan of the electric guitar in the true sense of the word.
As a teen in the 60s, Beck was part of the 5 Horsemen – Beck, Clapton, Page, Green, Hendrix. Only two left, alas, and arthritic. Beck was my wife’s favourite and she is really upset. He was undoubtedly the equal in versatility to Hendrix or better. I remember playing Yardbirds stuff on my little record player, in the airing cupboard as my tiny room didn’t have a plug socket, and hearing all that blues stuff on my transistor radio, stuck to my ear at night. Feel bloody old.
Join the club…
When Beck saw Hendrix, he realised that he could not be Hendrix. So he went off and became himself because of Hendrix because Hendrix was already himself. They had a lot in common- unorthodox techniques, open to anything that was music, squeezing as much as they could out of the economy of their technique and knowledge what ever it was at the time (it was never still, always developing) as they could. Both veering toward jazz.
Clapton decided ultimately to go towards song writing and singing; Townsend sought the safety of The Who; poor old Peter Green got lost (but not because of Hendrix – Green was a truly amazing artist BTW).
The Beck we ended up seeing was the end of long journey – a life’s work. From a technical point of view, the way Beck played the electric guitar was unique. He could sound amazing or just plain ordinary but the technique was always his alone and a one off.
Better? No. The question is, had Hendrix lived – what would he have done with a Stratocaster and music in general? We’ll never know of course but Hendrix had sort of been there and back already when Beck first laid eyes on him.
But it ‘s all good – we’ve been blessed – Beck, Green, Townsend, Page, Clapton, Richards, Blackmore – what well were they all drinking from – I wish I knew where or what it was!? And black American music had a lot to do with it. Just like we came out of Africa as a species, some of the best music comes from it too. Amazing.
Jeff Back was a master of his craft, and always moving forwards. He’ll be missed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q0p7yXoOVg
Seen him a few times and always blown away by his inventiveness, I also love that he wasn’t too fussed about making commercially successful music but preferred to duet with a V8 engine or a blackbird. Have a listen to Guitar Shop or You had it Coming for the true Beck.