MOMM (35)

Weekend fodder.

Jeff Beck: Wired

While many cited Blow By Blow as the quintessential Jeff Beck solo exploit, I personally prefer Wired. Although these releases were a year apart, Wired sounded like Beck moving on with an established identity. More importantly, there was no reliance on a tear jerker (Cause We've Ended as Lovers), the spontaneity, livery & chemistry was absolutely magical. Head for Backstage Pass - firm favourite.

Celtic Frost: Parched with Thirst am I & Dying

I have a love - hate affair with Celtic Frost's music. I got into them late & quite dislike the fuzzy guitar tones. Back then I was heavily into death metal & this kind of doom, down tempo deviation didn't sit well with me. I originally heard the materials in this compilation through the cassette tape format. Someone was circulating it in school & by the time it got to me, others were distracted by Countdown to Extinction (Megadeth). I clearly remember liking the two opening tracks here & the affinity still sticks today.

Jeff Beck: 1944 - 2023

Guitardom today mourns the passing of Jeff Beck. When I first listened to him, I was turned off because back then it was shred fest for me, Malmsteen, Vai, Satch et al. I revisited Jeff Beck for his unique approach to guitar playing. He's doing his own thing with fingers & to me that was the ultimate image of rebellion.  When I listen to him these days, it's because I'm in need of inspiration; absolutely nothing to do with technique. This is indeed a great loss, having someone who is incomparable & being the icon of individuality, gone, is a pronounced departure for sure. Leaving you with the Jeff Beck tune with an everlasting pick-me-up power (still on my playlist):

Pic: Only Solitaire

That orange

This is a new one by Jackson (2018), an orange SLX4, triple humbucking (single coil size) pickups, locking hardware, Floyd bridge- looks cool as heck.

Once upon the 80s, there was a Charvel version which was equally cool looking; the Spectrum, they called it. If I remember correctly, it used to be available at City Music.

Even Jeff Beck was into it along the way. Aw, damn! If only the current Jackson version has a more preferred bridge (FR Special in the mean time). 

Jeff Beck- Loud Hailer

I'm really not into old school heroes when it comes to guitar playing. This is the reason why, after hearing David Gilmour's Rattle That Lock earlier this year, I gave it a miss. Despite being a top notch musician & player, his music didn't hit the right notes (forgive the pun) with me. It's something else when Jeff Beck is concerned.

Mr. Beck is a guitar introvert, a genius who keeps things to himself, staying away from the limelight. He fits well into any musical context, he made it look easy being with Rod Stewart at one time & with Jennifer Batten, at some other opportunity. Loud Hailer is a typical Beck release. It's music by someone who is very comfortable with what he's doing & not worrying about living up to others'  expectations. Killer Strat tones here & a polished all round production but Rosie Bones' vocals sounded very nasal in some numbers, especially so when delivering high octane phrases. The other band members are respectable & remained out of the way for outstanding Jeff Beck delivery in all songs. I hear proto-punk, bits of the haunted Sleep Walk, bowed guitar tones which was initially thought of as a sampled electronica (yes, how did he do that?!) & some of the best slapped back echo out there without falling into delay cliché. All in all, a worthy Jeff Beck release, worth the money, worth the wait. 

Reverse Beck

Pic: Fender forum

This is the venerable Jeff Beck, seen here with his Custom Shop signature Fender Strat. Recently, during his performances supporting his new album (Loudhailer- awaiting the arrival of my ordered copy), he's seen playing a reverse headstock version.When asked, his reply predictably mentioned the change in string tension; the lower, thicker strings are now less pressured due to the greater break angle from the nut to the machine head. The reverse is true for the treble side. 

I own several guitars sporting reverse headstocks. I don't feel the tension difference namely because my smaller, thinner fingers are already bothered by the standard tension of the strings compounded by lots of stretching during play. Hence, my lethargy is much due to finger movements as opposed to the efforts of countering string tension.

PS: August is here!

Hail: Jeff Beck Live @ Ronnie Scott's

I had Jeff Beck Live @ Ronnie Scott's on while typing this entry. It contains 22 live tracks with bonus interview footage. Apparently, Jeff Beck did five sold out dates @ Ronnie Scott's, this recording being one of the packed night- Robert Plant & Jimmy Page were in the crowd.

Jeff Beck had a pair of master technicians on drums & keys- Vinnie Colaiuta & Jason Rebello respectively- seeing him through the show with impeccable timing & harmonies. But rookie Australian bassist, Tal Wilkenfield, was given the highlight she deserved & it's no fledgling night out as the bass solo in Cause We Ended As Lovers, proved. 

There's much to be learned by just watching Jeff Beck play. There's no straight picking as far as this master player is concerned, he employed all 5 right hand fingers to maximum effect although there were numbered occasions when a real pick was in use. I observed the following picking styles:

1. Thumb-index finger: This was the main picking technique employed. The result was this very firm country-style note generation which is the Jeff Beck signature
2. Thumb strum: Jeff Beck would execute very rapid thumb strums but the fretting hand wasn't holding down any chords, the idea here was to fuse muted & fretted notes for a unique effect.
3. Fretboard tap: Effectively employed despite not being the contemporary, shredder type excess
4. Whammy-fretted notes: The whammy bar was yanked & dipped repeatedly to sound out fretted notes & you'd mistaken this for some slide work if there were no visuals.
5. Left only: Yes, that's right, the sheer strength of the left hand moved across & along the neck in isolation; no other picking implements/ tricks were used.
6. Pick-whammy: The other Jeff Beck eccentricity; his thumb would pick notes while the rest of the right hand fingers were busy with the whammy bar, again giving the illusion of a slide being used.
7. Slide tapping: Rather outrageous but done subliminally (as depicted above) as if the fretboard extended into its 30th register or so.

Jeff Beck isn't the shredder type, definitely, but his total immersion with his Fender is a sight to behold. It's the bleeding through of genius emotions into his instrument that matters, which is absent in many, mechanical players of today.

Rosewood, duh?!

It took me sometime to realize that my trio of all time favourite Strat players:

Stevie Ray Vaughan...

Jeff Beck...

... and Thomas Blug, all play a rosewood fretboard Strat. It's the sheer immersion in their music & technicalities that made me close my eyes & forget about the details of their guitars; I shouldn't be too distracted with music this good. To date, I just can't bring myself to purchase a Strat sporting a rosewood fretboard- it's all maple for me. Well the only 'Strat' with rosewood fretboard in my possession, isn't a Fender (it's my LTD ST-203! Yikes!).

What's the fuss with this difference, you might ask. The maple Fenders possess this very solid treble attack. It's very rewarding for someone like me who peddles heavy distortion even if there are single coils in the mix, knowing well the level of feedback & hum I would manifest with this kinda set up. I can still retain clarity if I pump the low frequencies up because the instrument retains top end authority, that's the joy of maple.

With rosewood fretboards, the single coils' top end are given less poke but maintain its clarity. The lower midrange responses are heightened instead. Stevie Ray Vaughan manipulated this tonal characteristic to maximum appeal, fusing the single coil snap (produced by thicker gauged strings coupled with high action) & drive saturation. His clean but driven tone is signature itself. I hear similar warm, (driven) overtones coming from Beck & Blug. Should have known it's the rosewood talking.

Of Beck, Stratocaster & Duncan

We all know Jeff Beck, if you don't, you're most probably new to the electric guitar...

Fender made him a signature Stratocaster in the '90s but he declined putting his name on the instrument, according to him, he's not worthy of such an attribute (oh, goodness!!). However, the guitar continued its existence & was known as the Stratocaster Ultra (pic above).

Even his signature Seymour Duncan pickup was renamed 'JB' instead of spelling out his full name. Some people just want to be left alone...