By 1971, Beck reformed The Jeff Beck Group with a totally new lineup including drummer Cozy Powell, fellow guitarist and vocalist Bobby Tench, bassist Clive Chapman and keyboardist Max Middleton. The line up released two albums and the new group was flirting with a new direction including a more jazz oriented approach to rock. After finishing his contractual obligations for touring and recording, Beck found his chance to work with Appice and Bogert along with Max Middleford and vocalist Kim Milford. After a U.S. tour, Tench (who joined up halfway through the tour) and Middleton left the band and Beck scaled the band back to a power-trio. In 1973, the trio released 'Beck, Bogert and Appice' Although a very solid effort, the release failed to score commercially with the exception of the Becks cover of Stevie Wonders 'Ain't Superstitious.'
The band dissolved in early 1974 immediately before the completion of their second studio effort. They did, however, release a live effort 'Beck, Bogert and Appice: Live In Japan' which they had done during their 1973 tour. During a bit of down time in 1974, Jeff Beck recruited the British band UPP to back him on his television program 'The Guitar Workshop' . He went on to produce and play on their debut album and played, unaccredited, on their second effort.
In the fall of 1974, Jeff entered the studio and began to record instrumental using keyboardist Max Middleton, bass player Phil Chen and drummer Richard Bailey with famed Beatles knob turner, George Martin, producing. These sessions resulted in the 1975 release 'Blow By Blow', a master work in jazz-rock and Beck's most successful release of his career. There was a story that Jeff was such a perfectionist that he would constantly return to the studio and re-record his solos. At one point, he allegedly called Martin and said he wanted to re-do a track and Martin responded 'I'm sorry Jeff, the record is already out in the shops.'
His follow up was 1976's 'Wired', another round of jazz fusion that was completed with the help of drummer and composer Narada Michael Walden and keyboard player Jan Hammer. The group toured for 7 months in support of the album and although Wired was not quite the commercial success of 'Blow By Blow', the pair of albums became and would remain the bench mark of jazz-rock fusion genre from a guitarist's perspective.
In 1979 Beck began to record again in The Who's Ramport Studios in London. Recorded sporadically, the result was 'There And Back' in 1980. It was a slight departure from the jazz fusion taste of 'Wired' and 'Blow By Blow' and was a move towards instrumental rock and would be the last studio album for Jeff Beck for five years.
During his hiatus from the studio, Beck would make prominent appearances with fellow Yardbird, Eric Clapton at The Secret Policemans Other Ball shows and again at the ARMS Concerts where he shared the stage with both Clapton and Page. During this time in his career, Jeff Beck became plagued with tinnitus (a near constant ringing in his ears) which hampered his ability to play live; however he pressed on, recording sporadically and making guest appearances on albums with Roger Waters, Kate Bush, Mick Jagger, Roger Waters and Jon Bon Jovi.
In 1985, he returned with 'Flash' which contained the hit 'People Get Ready' featuring vocals by Rod Stewart and the single 'Escape', which scored the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental.
1989 Beck released 'Jeff Becks Guitar Shop' (a nod to the brief television show from the 1970's) where he returned to his earlier rock side with a smattering of slide work and electronic music thrown in for good measure. The tour to support the album was paradise for the guitar fan. He co-headlined the 'The Fire And The Fury' tour with the revered Texas bluesman, the late Stevie Ray Vaughn.
The 90's brought Jeff Beck into the Hollywood soundtrack territory when he collaborated with Jeff Lieber on the soundtrack to Frankie's House (1993). Although the music was primarily of Eastern tonality, there was a high octane version of 'High- Heel Sneakers' that revealed Jeff's near constant love with screaming early American rock and roll. His work also appeared in the movie Twins (1990) with a smoking version of 'Train Kept A Rolling' and 'Walk, Don't Run' in Little Big League (1994)
In 1993, Jeff released the album 'Crazy Legs', his tribute album to one of his major influences, rock-a-billy guitar slinger, Gene Vincent as well as appearing with Paul Rodgers (of Bad Company) on 'Muddy Waters Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters' and scored his third Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance with 'Dirty Mind' from his 2001 release 'You Had It Coming'. However, one of his most electric performances from the 1990's was when he teamed up with soul singer Seal on the Jimi Hendrix tribute disc 'Stone Free'. The duo did a version of 'Manic Depression' that simply stings.
By the late 90's, Jeff Beck entered his most productive and eclectic period since the late 60's and early 70's. In 1999 he released 'Who else?' Where he displayed a certain fearlessness with electronic and sonic experimentation and expression. In 2001, he released 'You Had It Coming' which was essentially a slightly harder follow up to 'Who Else?'
Proving that he was still a vital guitarist filled with an amazing and continually developing skill, Beck hit yet again with his fourth Grammy 'Plan B' from the 2003 release 'Jeff.' In 2004 he was the opening act for B. B. Kings world tour and was a main attraction at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival in Dallas, sharing the stage with everyone from J.J. Cale and Buddy Guy to Eric Johnson and Steve Vai.
Jeff Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 as a member of The Yardbirds and again in 2009 as a solo act and was listed at 14 of the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine. There is little doubt to the influence that Jeff Beck has had on the worlds of rock, metal, progressive and even jazz to a degree. Although he may not have been the first nor the last guitarist to experiment with distortion, volume swells and heavy electronic effect, he had direct impact on making it an accepted part of guitar playing.
When asked about some of the rather unique tonality to his music, Beck once said "I don't understand why some people will only accept a guitar if it has an instantly recognizable guitar sound. Finding ways to use the same guitar people have been using for 50 years to make sounds that no one has heard before is truly what gets me off.”
And that is the fuel of genius.
[FONT=Tahoma]"All I can do is be me ... whoever that is". Bob Dylan [/FONT]
