RIP Jeff Beck

  Rock historians will tell you there were 3 Jeff Beck eras: Yardbirds British Invasion, Hard Rock innovator as the Jeff Beck Group and in the 70's jazz-rock fusion champion.  But there was a fourth and that occurred in the last 20 years, which would be the elder statesman of the Guitar Heroes from the 60's.  Sure Pete Townshend and Keith Richards were still playing.  But Beck had a flash about him.  A style of playing that would influence other flashy players that followed him from his early days. 

  He was at his most influential with the Yardbirds, but on his own I tend to gravitate to the two Jeff Beck Group albums he did with Rod Stewart in 1968/69. Both underrated hard rock, even metal, crunchers. Next up would be his foray into Jazz-Rock with Blow by Blow and Wired in 75/76.  Beck never came close to those mid-70's peaks again, but his output from the 80's until he died always had great moments ("People Get Ready" with Rod Stewart on vocals from 1985's find Flash is excellent). His best moments from the latter part of his career though can be found on the tons of concert footage that exists on YouTube. 

  Jeff Beck was one of the last of his kind from an era that may seem quaint to some of today's Rock guitarists but not to those of us who remember when Rock Guitar Heroes ruled the earth.