Jeff Beck never stopped innovating. He always kept moving forward. He continued to expand the horizons of playing guitar. He was incredible.Ā
A two-time inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Beck passed away Tuesday. He was 78.Ā
He played with the Yardbirds. Rod Stewart was his singer. He fused jazz and rock. Beckās playing was unforgettable, and you remembered it even if you didnāt realize it was him. For instance, the blackjack cheating scene in the movie āCasino.ā āI Aināt Superstitious.ā Thatās Beck with Stewart on vocals.Ā
If you want to get a Jeff Beck primer, grab his two LPs with Stewart: āTruthā (1968) and āBeck-Olaā (1969). Amazing. Like Led Zeppelin, but different. āTruthā even includes āYou Shook Me.ā Beck and Stewart kill it.Ā
Beck never went out of his way to pursue commercial success. As Beck famously said,Ā āIāve never made the big time, mercifully. When you look around and see who has made it huge, itās a really rotten place to be.āĀ
But Beck was respected and revered by his peers. He was the guitar playerās guitar player. Melodic, edgy, romantic, technical ecstasyā¦Beck had everything in his arsenal.Ā
As Beckās friend Jimmy Page said, āHeās having a conversation with you when heās playing.āĀ
Sadly, the conversation is over. Jeff Beck, RIP.
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