Saturday, June 24, 2023

Happy Heavenly Birthday Jeff Beck

Today is Jeff Beck's first birthday since his shocking passing last January. It's hard to believe the man would have turned 79 had a bout with meningitis not abruptly ended his life: he always seemed so youthful and vibrant. That's probably because musically, unlike a lot of his contemporaries, he never stopped exploring, he never stopped advancing and he never stopped being curious. Never one to be pigeonholed or stuck in one genre, Beck was on a seemingly never-ending quest for emotion, expression and tone. Not only did he change stylistically, he also regularly altered his approach to playing the guitar... Yet somehow he was always recognizable by his phrasing and by his touch.

If you only have a passing knowledge of the man's career and talents here are a few items to help you deepen your appreciation. Hopefully this will make you go down some sort of Jeff Beck rabbit hole. If you're already familiar with the guy's output, well, this will interest you too.


Firstly, here's a gigantic playlist that works as a summary of his career. It's somewhat chronological, and it also includes some of his more notable sessions for other artists:

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Secondly, here are a few concert movies you might enjoy. They are absolutely excellent. These are all somewhat recent, and we wish there were some documents from the sixties and seventies available to the public, but who knows what's in the vaults that could be released in the next few years.


The 2018 documentary The Jeff Beck Story: Still On The Run is also highly recommended to find out more about the man behind the music, and his career:


Get "The Jeff Beck Story: Still On The Run" on Apple TV

And finally, here are a few of our blog entries featuring photos, videos and reviews of some of the times we've seen him in concert, including as recently as last July. It's pretty sad to think that we'll never get to see him play again.

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