[SACD-R][OF] Jeff Beck - Blow By Blow (Anniversary Edition) - 1975/2001/2014 (Jazz, Fusion, Instrumental rock, Funk)

Bass – Phil Chenn
Drums, Percussion – Richard Bailey
Guitar – Jeff Beck
Keyboards – Max Middleton

Producer, Arranged By [Orchestra] – George Martin

Джефф Бек — британский гитарист-виртуоз, композитор. Семикратный обладатель «Грэмми». В начале своей карьеры игравший в рок-группе The Yardbirds, затем в 1967 году организовал собственный коллектив The Jeff Beck Group.

Arguably the single greatest rock guitar solo album in history. If you're up on your Hendrix biographies, you know the only question he poses to Chas Chandler (formerly from The Animals) who wished to manage him and take him out of NYC and to fame in England: Jimi: "Do you know Jeff Beck? Can you introduce me to him?" Only Chas' affirmative answer guaranteed Jimi's move to Britain and subsequent fame with 'Are You Experienced." Jeff's the guitar player's guitar player. While the uniformed pop idolators claimed Clapton was god, the musicians knew, Jeff was god (ask Page...who planned Zeppelin as a guitar duo of him and Jeff...and every head to head meeting of the British guitar superstars inevitably favored the incendiary, idiosyncratic stylings of Beck.) Unfortunately, for Beck fans...he's often been bored and distracted from developing a logical career track or long term band. (Music, unfortunately, takes a back seat to Beck's 30 plus year infatuation with restoring and building vintage hot rods...where he has quite a reputation.) This all might have changed had Beck taken up the invitation from Jagger and Richards and joined the Stones when Brian Jones died. Beck demurred and the role was taken by Jeff's former bass player...and the rest is history.

In this outing, Beck fanatic George Martin of The Beatles, convinced Jeff to allow him to record an all instrumental album with Martin at the producing helm. Martin occassionally wraps him around with orchestra and strings, subtlely so, just as he did with the Beatles. The results are astonishing. Martin pulls out all the stops; the songs are excellent, the frame that Martin provides is amazing and most importantly, the sound of the recording is state of the art. Beck's sidemen are fantastic musicians--in ability well beyond what is normally encountered in the rock idiom. More like heavy jazz players...and the jazz world was listening. John McLaughlin of the Miles Davis (another fan of JB) group began a long term touring schedule with Beck subsequent to this album; so did Stanley Clarke, who featured Beck on his stunning first albums...even dedicating one of his best tracks "Hello Jeff" as a tribute to Beck. Listen to the ringing cymbals, the punchy drums, the original time signatures--all supporting the brilliant and varied guitar stylings of Beck. It is one of the best sounding SACDs ever, but in every format thus far, from LP to redbook to superbit Sony, this album sounds clear, bright (in the best sense of the word,) crisp and clean. At times, the SACD sounds a bit anachronistic, especially when Beck uses 70s guitar effects (most of which he invented and became succcessful commercial products.) But it's the slow blues "Cause We Ended With Lovers" that has become the most famous track on 'Blow by Blow." It was written by Stevie Wonder, a guilt offering after stealing Jeff's original compostion 'Superstition' and putting his own name on it and making millions of the purloined song (where's a lawyer when you need one? No wonder Beck is a bit skeptical about the music business!) Beck dedicates 'Lovers' to recently departed guitar maestro, Roy Buchanan, and plays it in a style like Roy, and then takes off into his own incredible incendiary, passionate playing. It may be the finest intrumental blues song ever and hasn't dated a bit over thirty years.

Recently in Guitar Player, Slash from GNR declared he plays this album ever single day. I know how he feels.