LEGEND Your Song of the Day

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.
Prime Time

Prime Time

PT
Moderator
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
20,922
Name
Peter
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/jeff-beck-songs/?trackback=fbshare_top

Top Ten Jeff Beck Songs

beck-Keystone-Hulton.jpg

Keystone, Hulton Archive, Getty Images

Like his Yardbirds bandmate Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck has had a long, varied career playing the roles of sideman, band member and group leader. Unlike Clapton, Beck usually recorded more than one album with his various projects. His best work typically can be found under his own name.

Once he left the Yardbirds, Beck, and his guitar, remained the star of the show, even when he recruited pals like Keith Moon, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood to play on his records. In addition to featuring some of the greatest fretwork ever recorded, our list of the Top 10 Jeff Beck Songs stars some of rock’s biggest and most important names.

10 - 'I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You'
The Jeff Beck Group
From: 'Jeff Beck Group' (1972)

Beck recorded his fourth album in Memphis with producer Steve Cropper, the great session guitarist who played on so many of the terrific R&B singles that came out on Stax Records in the '60s. The LP, 'Jeff Beck Group,' is one of Beck's most soulful, and this instrumental cover of a song penned by Ashford & Simpson is a sweet highlight.

9 - 'She's a Woman'
Jeff Beck
From: 'Blow by Blow' (1975)

Following 1973's disastrous supergroup Beck, Bogart & Appice, Beck returned with the first album released under his own name (the Jeff Beck Group dissolved after their 1972 LP). The all-instrumental record was made in London with Beatles producer George Martin, who brought along the band's 'She's a Woman' for Beck to try. He nailed it.

8 - 'Going Down'
The Jeff Beck Group
From: 'Jeff Beck Group' (1972)

Memphis musician Don Nix -- who played sax in the Mar-Keys with 'Jeff Beck Group' producer Steve Cropper -- wrote 'Going Down' in the late '60s. Since then, everyone from bluesman Freddie King to the Who and Led Zeppelin to Pearl Jam has played it. Beck's version features a tame vocal by his singer Bobby Tench, but the searing guitar solo soars.

7 - 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat'
Jeff Beck
From: 'Wired' (1976)

Beck followed up 1975's 'Blow by Blow' (see No. 9 on our list of the Top 10 Jeff Beck Songs) with another record produced, at least partially, by George Martin. But unlike its predecessor, 'Wired' is more of a jazz-fusion outing than a bluesy-jam excursion. The highlight is Charles Mingus' jazz standard, one of Beck's most subtle and impassioned recordings.

6 - 'Cause We've Ended As Lovers'
Jeff Beck
From: 'Blow by Blow' (1975)

Along with its cover of the Beatles' 'She's a Woman' (see No. 9 on our list of the Top 10 Jeff Beck Songs), Beck's 1975 album also included a pair of cuts penned by Stevie Wonder. The best is this moody, brooding ballad that builds over nearly six minutes to one of the guitarist's most lyrical and celebrated solos. 'Blow by Blow' reached No. 4, Beck's all-time best.

5 - 'Happenings Ten Years Time Ago'
The Yardbirds
From: 1966 single

Beck and Jimmy Page played on only a handful of Yardbirds songs together. This was the first, a Top 30 hit with a chugging guitar riff. 'Happenings Ten Years Time Ago' is also notable for featuring one of Beck's few vocals on record. He's the voice behind the mumbled spoken section that carries on during the fuzzy guitar solo.

4 - 'Freeway Jam'
Jeff Beck
From: 'Blow by Blow' (1975)

'Freeway Jam' is one of Beck's most popular songs, and for good reason: The solo he fires off is one of his very best. The song was written by Max Middleton, the keyboardist Beck worked with in the Jeff Beck Group as well as on his first two solo albums, 'Blow by Blow' and 'Wired.' It's a grand instrumental showcase for the LP's core quartet.

3 - 'Heart Full of Soul'
The Yardbirds
From: 1965 single

The Yardbirds' second Top 10 hit (their first, 'For Your Love,' was released a few months before and featured Eric Clapton on guitar) marks one of Beck's early career highlights. He not only mimics a sitar during the familiar riff that rings throughout the song, he also busts out one of the first distortion-heavy solos ever recorded.

2 - 'I Ain't Superstitious'
The Jeff Beck Group
From: 'Truth' (1968)

Willie Dixon's classic was originally recorded by legendary bluesman Howlin' Wolf in 1961. But it's Beck version with the Jeff Beck Group -- including Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood on bass -- that stings the hardest. Everyone plays to win, especially Stewart, who delivers one of his best-ever performances. But no doubt about it -- the song belongs to Beck, whose piercing guitar stabs at every single line.

1 - 'Beck's Bolero'
The Jeff Beck Group
From: 'Truth' (1968)

First of all, there's the band playing on Beck's first solo single, which was recorded while he was still in the Yardbirds: Keith Moon on drums, John Paul Jones on bass and Jimmy Page, who wrote the song, on 12-string guitar. Then there's the song itself, a three-minute, three-part instrumental based on Ravel's classical-music piece that's loaded with guitar effects: slides, dual solos, distortion and a hyper-drive ending that barely catches its breath before swinging back to its original inspiration. Guitar heroism begins right here.
 
CodeMonkey

CodeMonkey

Possibly the OH but cannot self-identify
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
3,449
@Prime Time it would be a very difficult thing for me to choose my top 10 Jeff Beck songs but if forced my list would be different than that one. There's just so many and not a bad apple in the bunch. One of the great about Jeff Beck is the fact that he was there giving us rock 'n roll from it's very early days and he's continued to give us new and provocative art to this day.


View: http://youtu.be/vzGG_OynBZY
 
Prime Time

Prime Time

PT
Moderator
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
20,922
Name
Peter

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cq3EN3WR8U#t=53


http://www.billboard.com/articles/n...dy-rhoads-the-ultimate-tribute-album-premiere

Exclusive Premiere: Hear The Entire 'Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute' Album
By Christa Titus | March 02, 2015

randy-rhoades-press-billboard-650.jpg

Randy Rhoads/Courtesy of UDR Music

March 19 will mark the 33rd anniversary of the death of Randy Rhoads, the guitar wunderkind whose talents helped Ozzy Osbourne establish his successful solo career. Sadly, the 25-year-old was killed in Leesburg, Fla., when he went on a morning joy ride in a Beechcraft Bonanza with tour bus driver Andrew Aycock, who was piloting the plane. After Aycock "buzzed" the Osbourne tour bus three times, the plane hit the bus, crashed into a tree and then into a home, causing an explosion. (Aycock and band crew member Rachel Youngblood also perished.)

Osbourne musically paid respect to Rhoads with Tribute, the live concert album that was released March 19, 1987. On March 3, another memorial pays homage to the beloved axeman. Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute (UDR Music) contains a roll call of stars covering tunes that Rhoads co-wrote either with Osbourne or Quiet Riot, the band he quit so he could partner with the Prince of Darkness.

Tim "Ripper" Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth) sings most of the lyrics, with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Kelle Rhoads (Randy's brother) and Chuck Billy (Testament) also contributing vocals. Vinny Appice (Dio, Heaven and Hell), Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot, W.A.S.P.) and producer-arranger Brett Chassen provide drums. The guitarist lineup -- what many will say is the most important element -- includes Brad Gillis (Osbourne, Night Ranger), Dweezil Zappa (Zappa Plays Zappa), George Lynch (Lynch Mob, Dokken) and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave).

The project is separate from Randy Rhoads Remembered Vol. 1, which Tish Tone Records released Jan. 23. It also features an all-star cast like Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), Jeff Scott Soto (Jeff Scott Soto Band, Journey) and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (Guns N' Roses) performing songs Rhoads helped make famous like "Mr. Crowley" and "I Don't Know."

The one constant on all of the Immortal Randy Rhoads tracks is Rudy Sarzo, who handled all the bass per producer Bob Kulick's direction since he's the sole musician who performed with Rhoads with both Quiet Riot and Osbourne. "I had a wonderful time going down memory lane and revisiting all those wonderful songs," says Sarzo. "But what I find most special about this record is that not only are we celebrating Randy's Ozzy era legacy, but also his Quiet Riot legacy."

Kulick is a veteran of tribute albums, having co-produced with Chassen such projects as Numbers From the Beast: An All Star Salute to Iron Maiden and the metal Frank Sinatra tribute Sin-Atra. He says of the new project, "Since [Rhoads] was a generation's guitar god like my guitar gods -- Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix,Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and George Harrison --

I felt that with the right guitarists, the CD would make a fitting tribute for an incredible guitarist, songwriter, performer and a really special person taken from all of us way too soon. It was my idea, and I approached UDR with my friend Todd Singerman, Motorhead's manager, and they agreed that it was a great, heartfelt idea."

Kulick decided to have Owens handle most of the vocals because he "didn't want the focus to be on the singers. But having said that, Ripper Owens is an incredible singer whose vocal talents added to the CD without distracting from it. Adding Serj, Chuck Billy and Randy's brother Kelle on the song he co-wrote with Randy, 'Back to the Coast,' was some additional icing on the cake."

Sarzo and Kulick are both happy with how the squeal-filled "Crazy Train" came together. (Sarzo, Tankian, Morello and Appice perform it.) Kulick attributes its specialness to "that lineup and Morello's unbelievable solo. And he was the one who got Serj involved." The producer also explains that "S.A.T.O." and "Mr. Crowley" "really [have] a unique vibe with that combination of Chuck and Alexi [Laiho, Children of Bodom], etc., and I also love what Joel Hoekstra (Night Ranger, Whitesnake) did to 'Killer Girls.' He made it into the guitar orchestra."

Osbourne's current guitarist, Gus G (Firewind), played on "Goodbye to Romance" due to his connection with Osbourne and the song being one of his favorites. His solo livens up the low-key ballad, which is more fervid than the original. Gus G attributes the new direction to Kulick. "He encouraged me to do my version of it. So while I kept some of the original melodies, I added some of my own kicks."

As a person who's helping carry on what Rhoads created with Osbourne, Gus G calls it "the biggest honor a heavy metal guitar player can ever have. I'm a lucky bastard to be in that position, but I take pride in carrying the torch and legacy of Randy Rhoads, just like the players that were there before me in Ozzy's band. You can never replace a guitarist like Randy. You can only be yourself and play those songs with the outmost respect and love, as a fan."

Asked how he thinks Rhoads would feel about the album and how people have kept him close to their hearts all these years, Sarzo says, "I'm certain that he would be humbled and appreciative that musicians, especially the stellar guitarists on this record, would take the time out of their successful and busy lives to pay homage and celebrate his music. I believe he would have been knocked [out] by the inspired renditions from these artists, most of whom he has inspired."

Immortal Randy Rhoads: The Ultimate Tribute: Complete track and performer listing below:

1. "Crazy Train"

Vocals: Serj Tankian
Guitars: Tom Morello
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

2. "Over the Mountain"

Vocals: Tim "Ripper" Owens
Guitars: Jon Donais
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Frankie Banali

3. "Mr. Crowley"

Vocals: Chuck Billy
Guitars: Alexi Laiho
Keyboards: Kelle Rhoads
Bass Rudy: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

4. "Believer"

Vocals: Tim "Ripper" Owens
Guitars: Doug Aldrich
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

5. "Back to the Coast" (Quiet Riot)

Vocals: Kelle Rhoads
Guitars: Bruce Kulick
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Frankie Banali

6. "I Don't Know"

Vocals: Tim "Ripper" Owens
Guitars: George Lynch
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

7. "S.A.T.O."

Vocals: Tim "Ripper" Owens
Rhythm guitars: Bob Kulick
Lead guitar: Dweezil Zappa
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

8. "Killer Girls" (Quiet Riot)

Vocals: Tim "Ripper" Owens
Guitars: Joel Hoekstra
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

9. "Goodbye to Romance"

Vocals: Tim "Ripper" Owens
Guitars: Gus G.
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

10. "Suicide Solution"

Vocals: Tim "Ripper" Owens
Guitars: Brad Gillis
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

11. "Flying High Again"

Vocals: Tim "Ripper" Owens
Guitars: Bernie Torme
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen
 
Prime Time

Prime Time

PT
Moderator
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
20,922
Name
Peter
CodeMonkey said:
Prime Time it would be a very difficult thing for me to choose my top 10 Jeff Beck songs but if forced my list would be different than that one. There's just so many and not a bad apple in the bunch.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I wouldn't have any of the Yardbirds material on there for example. I posted it because it showed up on my Facebook page. Anything about Jeff Beck is interesting for us fans. Oddly enough my favorite Jeff Beck guitar work is on this Stevie Wonder song. It still gives me goose bumps every time I hear it.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a1Jus6hlls
 
CodeMonkey

CodeMonkey

Possibly the OH but cannot self-identify
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
3,449
That list was more in terms of historic achievement than artistic value. Stevie Wonder is another Titan and go to for me. I've seen footage of he and JB performing together on YouTube. Of course SRV rocks superstition too. I also saw footage where Stevie wonder showed how he wrote songs. He has an interesting process different than most. I guess I should go dig those out having mentioned them.
 
CodeMonkey

CodeMonkey

Possibly the OH but cannot self-identify
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
3,449
Ok I did my homework as promised. Found out something interesting too in the process. I did not know that Beck collaborated with Wonder to write Superstition.

From wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstition_(song)

...

Jeff Beck was an admirer of Wonder's music, and Wonder was informed of this prior to the Talking Book album sessions. Though at this point he was virtually playing all of the instruments on his songs by himself, Wonder still preferred to let other guitarists play on his records, and thus he liked the idea of a collaboration with Beck, a star guitarist in his own right. An agreement was quickly made for Beck to become involved in the sessions that became the Talking Book album, in return for Wonder writing him a song. Whilst in-between sessions, Beck came up with the opening drum beat, which eventually led to Wonder's creation of "Superstition." In addition to the opening drum beat, Beck, together with Wonder, created the first demo for the song.

Originally, the plan was for Beck to release his version of this song first, with his newly-formed power trio Beck, Bogert & Appice. However, due to a combination of the delayed release of that trio's debut album and Motown CEO Berry Gordy's prediction that "Superstition" would be a huge hit (which would subsequently greatly increase the sales of Talking Book), Wonder ended up releasing the song as the lead single off Talking Book ahead of Beck's version.

On Wonder's iconic recording, the song's opening drum beat was performed by Wonder on the kit that Scott Mathews provided at the Record Plant in Hollywood. The funky clavinet riff played on a Hohner Clavinet model C, and the synth bass, were also performed by Wonder. The song also features trumpet and tenor saxophone, played respectively by Steve Madaio and Trevor Laurence.

...

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom