The Jeff Beck Group
Encyclopedia
The Jeff Beck Group were an English rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck
. Their innovative approach to heavy sounding blues
and R&B was a major influence on popular music.
, vocalist Rod Stewart
, rhythm guitarist Ronnie Wood, with bass players and drummers changing regularly. Early bass players were Jet Harris
and Dave Ambrose, with Clem Cattini
and Viv Prince trying out on drums. The lineup went through months of personnel changes, notably no less than four drummers before settling on Aynsley Dunbar
and switching Ron Wood to bass. This line up spent most of 1967 playing the UK club circuit and appeared several times on BBC Radio
. Beck signed a personal management contract with record producer and manager Mickie Most
who had no interest in the group, only Beck as a solo artist.
During 1967 the band released three singles in Europe and two in the United States, the first being the most successful. "Hi Ho Silver Lining
" reached #14 on the UK singles chart and included the instrumental "Beck's Bolero
" as the B side, which had been recorded several months earlier. The lineup for that session included guitarist Jimmy Page
on rhythm guitar, bass player John Paul Jones
, drummer Keith Moon
(of The Who
) and pianist Nicky Hopkins
. Another two tracks are said to have been recorded, but have never seen the light of day. Each artist involved were keen to start a band, but because of contractual complications and other responsibilities it never took place. The next two singles fared far worse, although Rod Stewart and the rest of the Jeff Beck Group can be heard on both B sides. Frustrated that the band was not playing a strict enough blues set for his taste (they were actually billed quite often as "The Jeff Beck Blues Band"), drummer Dunbar left and was replaced by Roy Cook for one show, before Stewart recommended Micky Waller
, a bandmate of his from Steampacket
. Waller went on to play with the band all through 1968 and early 1969, and was their longest-lasting drummer.
Peter Grant, a road manager
at the time, had been to the US with The New Vaudeville Band
, and was aware of the new concert and Album-oriented rock
FM radio format developing there. It was now possible to break out a band without using the "hit single" formula. Grant realised that Beck's band was ideal for this market and tried several times to buy Beck's contract from Mickie Most, who refused to let Beck go. By early 1968 the band was ready to throw in the towel, and again to his credit, Grant convinced them not to break up, and booked a short US tour for them. Beck is quoted as saying "We were literally down to one change of clothing each". Grant's first stop for them was in New York City, for four shows at Fillmore East
, where they played second on the bill to The Grateful Dead. They apparently took the town by storm. The New York Times
ran the Robert Shelton article: "Jeff Beck Group Cheered in Debut", with the byline
"British Pop Singers Delight Fillmore East Audience" proclaiming that Beck and his group had upstaged
the Grateful Dead. The reviews from The Boston Tea Party were as good or better: "By the time he got to his last number... (the fans) were in a state of pandemonium the likes of which hadn't been witnessed since The Beatles
hit town." By the time they wrapped up the tour at San Francisco's Fillmore West
, Peter Grant had secured them a new album contract with Epic Records
.
The band quickly returned to England to record Truth, which reached #15 in the US charts. The tracks were recorded within two weeks, with overdubs added the following month. Mickie Most
was busy with other projects at the time and delegated most of the work to Ken Scott
who basically recorded the band playing their live set in the studio. Beck's amplifier was apparently so loud , it was recorded from inside a closet. The extra line up for these sessions included John Paul Jones
on Hammond organ
, drummer Keith Moon
and Nicky Hopkins
on piano. They returned to the US for a tour to promote the release of Truth, billed as The Jeff Beck Group. Long time Beck fan Jimi Hendrix
jammed with the band at Cafe Wha during this and their following tours.
They embarked on their third tour in December 1968 with Nicky Hopkins, who although in poor health, decided he wanted to play live. He accepted Beck's invitation, even though he had been offered more money by Led Zeppelin
. Later, he lamented that "We lost one of the greatest bands in Rock history...." This was high praise from someone who played and recorded with some of the most stellar acts in the business. Even with his best intentions, the last leg of the tour was curtailed by illness. Beck then postponed a fourth, February 1969 US tour. This was also because he felt they shouldn't keep playing the same material with nothing new to add to it. New material was written, Micky Waller
was replaced by power drummer Tony Newman
and Wood was dismissed, only to be re-hired almost immediately. The success of Truth ignited new interest from Mickie Most
and they recorded an album with the same name of their earlier single: Beck-Ola
at De Lane Lea Studios
, engineered by Martin Birch
. They released the single "Plynth" and laid down three Donovan
backing tracks as a favour to Most. Two of them were used for his single "Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)".
In May 1969 the Jeff Beck Group embarked on their fourth U.S tour, this time with Nicky Hopkins as a full fledged member. The tour went smoothly, Beck-Ola
was received extremely well, reaching #15 on The Billboard Charts, but it was reported that there was now terrible in-fighting within the band. Rod Stewart had recorded his first album An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down
for Mercury Records
. They finished and returned to England, only to turn around and come right back to the States in July 1969 for their fifth and final time. It was a short tour, mostly along the East Coast, including Maryland, their final Fillmore East appearance, and the Newport Jazz Festival
. Beck broke up the band on the eve of the Woodstock Music Festival, altthough they had been scheduled to play there. This is something that Beck now regrets.
reformed The Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Alex Ligertwood
, keyboardist Max Middleton
, drummer Cozy Powell
and bassist Clive Chaman
. During June 1971 Beck signed a record deal with CBS
and was looking for a new singer. After hearing Bobby Tench
perform with his band Gass
, "Upstairs" at Ronnie Scott
's club in Soho
London, Beck employed him as vocalist and second guitarist.
Tench was given only a few weeks to write new lyrics and add his vocals to the album Rough and Ready
, before mixing resumed on tracks previously recorded in London by Beck and the other band members. The album was finished in July 1971 and they toured Finland, Holland, Switzerland and Germany. Rough and Ready
was released in UK on 25 October 1971, with the US release following during February 1972. A sixteen day promotional tour in USA followed and the album eventually reached #46 in the album charts.
In January 1972 the band travelled to USA, to join Beck at TMI studios in Memphis, Tennessee
. This is where they recorded the album Jeff Beck Group
, using Steve Cropper
as producer. Jeff Beck Group
was released in UK on 9 June 1972. The promotional tour which followed included an appearance on the BBC Radio 1
"In Concert" series, which was recorded on 29 June 1972. During this session they played "Definitely Maybe" which featured Bobby Tench
playing guitar, a rare occasion whilst Tench was associated with Beck.
On 24 July 1972 The Jeff Beck Group was officially disbanded and Beck's management put out this statement: "The fusion of musical styles of the various members has been successful, within the terms of individual musicians, but they didn't feel it had led to the creation of a new musical style with the strength they had originally sought".
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
. Their innovative approach to heavy sounding blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and R&B was a major influence on popular music.
The first Jeff Beck Group
The first Jeff Beck Group formed in London in early 1967 and included guitarist Jeff BeckJeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, vocalist Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, rhythm guitarist Ronnie Wood, with bass players and drummers changing regularly. Early bass players were Jet Harris
Jet Harris
Jet Harris, MBE was an English musician. He was the bass guitarist of The Shadows until April 1962, and had subsequent success as a soloist and as a duo with the drummer Tony Meehan....
and Dave Ambrose, with Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini
Clem Cattini , is an English rock and roll drummer who was a member of The Tornados before becoming well known for his work as a session musician...
and Viv Prince trying out on drums. The lineup went through months of personnel changes, notably no less than four drummers before settling on Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
and switching Ron Wood to bass. This line up spent most of 1967 playing the UK club circuit and appeared several times on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
. Beck signed a personal management contract with record producer and manager Mickie Most
Mickie Most
Mickie Most was an English record producer, with a string of hit singles with acts such as The Animals, Arrows, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Suzi Quatro and the Jeff Beck Group often issued on his own RAK Records label....
who had no interest in the group, only Beck as a solo artist.
During 1967 the band released three singles in Europe and two in the United States, the first being the most successful. "Hi Ho Silver Lining
Hi Ho Silver Lining
"Hi Ho Silver Lining" is a rock song, written by American songwriters Scott English and Larry Weiss and first released as a single in March 1967 by The Attack, followed a few days later by Jeff Beck. Because the Beck version charted first, the song is most often associated with him...
" reached #14 on the UK singles chart and included the instrumental "Beck's Bolero
Beck's Bolero
"Beck's Bolero" is a short, rock-based instrumental piece heavily influenced by Maurice Ravel's Boléro, recorded in May 1966 by Jeff Beck with Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Keith Moon on drums...
" as the B side, which had been recorded several months earlier. The lineup for that session included guitarist Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
on rhythm guitar, bass player John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
, drummer Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
(of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
) and pianist Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
. Another two tracks are said to have been recorded, but have never seen the light of day. Each artist involved were keen to start a band, but because of contractual complications and other responsibilities it never took place. The next two singles fared far worse, although Rod Stewart and the rest of the Jeff Beck Group can be heard on both B sides. Frustrated that the band was not playing a strict enough blues set for his taste (they were actually billed quite often as "The Jeff Beck Blues Band"), drummer Dunbar left and was replaced by Roy Cook for one show, before Stewart recommended Micky Waller
Micky Waller
Micky Waller was an English drummer, who played with many of the biggest names on the UK rock and blues scene, after he became a professional musician in 1960...
, a bandmate of his from Steampacket
Steampacket
The Steampacket was a British blues band of the 1960s, notable mainly for the fact that so many of its members already were, or subsequently became, famous as individual musicians. It was, arguably, the UK's first "supergroup".-History:...
. Waller went on to play with the band all through 1968 and early 1969, and was their longest-lasting drummer.
Peter Grant, a road manager
Road Crew
Road Crew were an American garage band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1984. The band was composed of future Guns N' Roses members Slash, Steven Adler and Duff McKagan. They auditioned a number of singers while writing material...
at the time, had been to the US with The New Vaudeville Band
The New Vaudeville Band
The New Vaudeville Band was a group created by songwriter Geoff Stephens in 1966 to record his novelty composition "Winchester Cathedral", a song inspired by the dance bands of the 1920s and a Rudy Vallee megaphone style vocal...
, and was aware of the new concert and Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
FM radio format developing there. It was now possible to break out a band without using the "hit single" formula. Grant realised that Beck's band was ideal for this market and tried several times to buy Beck's contract from Mickie Most, who refused to let Beck go. By early 1968 the band was ready to throw in the towel, and again to his credit, Grant convinced them not to break up, and booked a short US tour for them. Beck is quoted as saying "We were literally down to one change of clothing each". Grant's first stop for them was in New York City, for four shows at Fillmore East
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
, where they played second on the bill to The Grateful Dead. They apparently took the town by storm. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
ran the Robert Shelton article: "Jeff Beck Group Cheered in Debut", with the byline
Byline
The byline on a newspaper or magazine article gives the name, and often the position, of the writer of the article. Bylines are traditionally placed between the headline and the text of the article, although some magazines place bylines at the bottom of the page, to leave more room for graphical...
"British Pop Singers Delight Fillmore East Audience" proclaiming that Beck and his group had upstaged
Upstaged
Upstaged was a 2008 multi-platform talent show aired on the Internet, BBC Red Button and BBC Three.Upstaged contenders were voted into two glass-fronted studios in Millennium Square, Bristol, where they had to entertain for six hours at a time, with only a few breaks allowed.During the heats, acts...
the Grateful Dead. The reviews from The Boston Tea Party were as good or better: "By the time he got to his last number... (the fans) were in a state of pandemonium the likes of which hadn't been witnessed since The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
hit town." By the time they wrapped up the tour at San Francisco's Fillmore West
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
, Peter Grant had secured them a new album contract with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
.
The band quickly returned to England to record Truth, which reached #15 in the US charts. The tracks were recorded within two weeks, with overdubs added the following month. Mickie Most
Mickie Most
Mickie Most was an English record producer, with a string of hit singles with acts such as The Animals, Arrows, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Suzi Quatro and the Jeff Beck Group often issued on his own RAK Records label....
was busy with other projects at the time and delegated most of the work to Ken Scott
Ken Scott
Ken Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...
who basically recorded the band playing their live set in the studio. Beck's amplifier was apparently so loud , it was recorded from inside a closet. The extra line up for these sessions included John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
on Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, drummer Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
and Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
on piano. They returned to the US for a tour to promote the release of Truth, billed as The Jeff Beck Group. Long time Beck fan Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
jammed with the band at Cafe Wha during this and their following tours.
They embarked on their third tour in December 1968 with Nicky Hopkins, who although in poor health, decided he wanted to play live. He accepted Beck's invitation, even though he had been offered more money by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
. Later, he lamented that "We lost one of the greatest bands in Rock history...." This was high praise from someone who played and recorded with some of the most stellar acts in the business. Even with his best intentions, the last leg of the tour was curtailed by illness. Beck then postponed a fourth, February 1969 US tour. This was also because he felt they shouldn't keep playing the same material with nothing new to add to it. New material was written, Micky Waller
Micky Waller
Micky Waller was an English drummer, who played with many of the biggest names on the UK rock and blues scene, after he became a professional musician in 1960...
was replaced by power drummer Tony Newman
Tony Newman (drummer)
Richard Anthony 'Tony' Newman is an English rock drummer. He was at various times a member of the bands Sounds Incorporated, May Blitz, Three Man Army and T...
and Wood was dismissed, only to be re-hired almost immediately. The success of Truth ignited new interest from Mickie Most
Mickie Most
Mickie Most was an English record producer, with a string of hit singles with acts such as The Animals, Arrows, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Suzi Quatro and the Jeff Beck Group often issued on his own RAK Records label....
and they recorded an album with the same name of their earlier single: Beck-Ola
Beck-Ola
- Side two :- 2006 reissue bonus tracks :- Personnel :* Jeff Beck — guitars* Rod Stewart — vocals* Nicky Hopkins — piano and organ* Ronnie Wood — bass* Tony Newman — drums- Additional personnel :* Micky Waller — drums on "Sweet Little Angel"...
at De Lane Lea Studios
De Lane Lea Studios
De Lane Lea Studios is a recording studio, currently based in Dean Street, Soho, London, England, UK. Although the studios have mainly been used for dubbing feature films and television programmes, major artists such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink...
, engineered by Martin Birch
Martin Birch
Martin Birch is a British rock and heavy metal music producer, who became renowned for engineering and producing albums by the British rock bands Deep Purple and Iron Maiden....
. They released the single "Plynth" and laid down three Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
backing tracks as a favour to Most. Two of them were used for his single "Barabajagal (Love Is Hot)".
In May 1969 the Jeff Beck Group embarked on their fourth U.S tour, this time with Nicky Hopkins as a full fledged member. The tour went smoothly, Beck-Ola
Beck-Ola
- Side two :- 2006 reissue bonus tracks :- Personnel :* Jeff Beck — guitars* Rod Stewart — vocals* Nicky Hopkins — piano and organ* Ronnie Wood — bass* Tony Newman — drums- Additional personnel :* Micky Waller — drums on "Sweet Little Angel"...
was received extremely well, reaching #15 on The Billboard Charts, but it was reported that there was now terrible in-fighting within the band. Rod Stewart had recorded his first album An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down
An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down
An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down was the debut album by Rod Stewart, released on February 1970 on Vertigo Records...
for Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. They finished and returned to England, only to turn around and come right back to the States in July 1969 for their fifth and final time. It was a short tour, mostly along the East Coast, including Maryland, their final Fillmore East appearance, and the Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
. Beck broke up the band on the eve of the Woodstock Music Festival, altthough they had been scheduled to play there. This is something that Beck now regrets.
The second Jeff Beck Group
Late in 1970 Jeff BeckJeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
reformed The Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Alex Ligertwood
Alex Ligertwood
Alex Ligertwood is a Scottish singer, guitarist and drummer, best known as the lead vocalist of Santana...
, keyboardist Max Middleton
Max Middleton
David Maxwell "Max" Middleton . He is an English composer and keyboardist and was originally a docker on the Liverpool docks. Middleton is known for his work on the Fender Rhodes Electric piano, the Minimoog synthesiser and his percussive playing style of the Hohner Clavinet...
, drummer Cozy Powell
Cozy Powell
Colin Flooks , better known as Cozy Powell, was an English rock drummer who made his name with many major rock bands.-Early history:...
and bassist Clive Chaman
Clive Chaman
Clive Chaman was born in Trinidad and is a UK-based bass guitarist and session musician.After appearing on Ram John Holder's 1969 London Blues album, Chaman became a member of the second Jeff Beck Group in 1971 until they disbanded in 1973 when he joined Cozy Powell's band Hammer...
. During June 1971 Beck signed a record deal with CBS
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
and was looking for a new singer. After hearing Bobby Tench
Bobby Tench
Robert Tench , also known as Bob Tench, Bobby Tench and Bobby Gass is a British vocalist and guitarist. Originally a bass player he began singing with Gass influenced by artists such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles...
perform with his band Gass
Gass (band)
Gass was a rock band formed in May 1965 by Robert Tench, Godfrey and Errol McLean. They were managed by The Active Management Group. The band fused inspired melodies with soul, Latin influences, blues and progressive rock often employing complex rhythms....
, "Upstairs" at Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club which has operated in London since 1959.The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was managed by musicians Ronnie Scott and Pete King. In 1965 it moved to a larger venue nearby at 47 Frith Street...
's club in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
London, Beck employed him as vocalist and second guitarist.
Tench was given only a few weeks to write new lyrics and add his vocals to the album Rough and Ready
Rough and Ready (album)
For other uses see Rough and Ready Rough and Ready is the third album by The Jeff Beck Group and the first of two by the second Jeff Beck Group. Released in 1971, it featured more of a jazz, soul and R&B edge to counter Beck's lead guitar. Beck contributed more tracks on Rough and Ready than he...
, before mixing resumed on tracks previously recorded in London by Beck and the other band members. The album was finished in July 1971 and they toured Finland, Holland, Switzerland and Germany. Rough and Ready
Rough and Ready (album)
For other uses see Rough and Ready Rough and Ready is the third album by The Jeff Beck Group and the first of two by the second Jeff Beck Group. Released in 1971, it featured more of a jazz, soul and R&B edge to counter Beck's lead guitar. Beck contributed more tracks on Rough and Ready than he...
was released in UK on 25 October 1971, with the US release following during February 1972. A sixteen day promotional tour in USA followed and the album eventually reached #46 in the album charts.
In January 1972 the band travelled to USA, to join Beck at TMI studios in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. This is where they recorded the album Jeff Beck Group
Jeff Beck Group (album)
Jeff Beck Group is the fourth studio album by The Jeff Beck Group and the second album with the line up of Jeff Beck, Bobby Tench, Clive Chaman, Max Middleton and Cozy Powell...
, using Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
as producer. Jeff Beck Group
Jeff Beck Group (album)
Jeff Beck Group is the fourth studio album by The Jeff Beck Group and the second album with the line up of Jeff Beck, Bobby Tench, Clive Chaman, Max Middleton and Cozy Powell...
was released in UK on 9 June 1972. The promotional tour which followed included an appearance on the BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
"In Concert" series, which was recorded on 29 June 1972. During this session they played "Definitely Maybe" which featured Bobby Tench
Bobby Tench
Robert Tench , also known as Bob Tench, Bobby Tench and Bobby Gass is a British vocalist and guitarist. Originally a bass player he began singing with Gass influenced by artists such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles...
playing guitar, a rare occasion whilst Tench was associated with Beck.
On 24 July 1972 The Jeff Beck Group was officially disbanded and Beck's management put out this statement: "The fusion of musical styles of the various members has been successful, within the terms of individual musicians, but they didn't feel it had led to the creation of a new musical style with the strength they had originally sought".
Discography
- 1968 - Truth (EpicEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
) - 1969 - Beck-OlaBeck-Ola- Side two :- 2006 reissue bonus tracks :- Personnel :* Jeff Beck — guitars* Rod Stewart — vocals* Nicky Hopkins — piano and organ* Ronnie Wood — bass* Tony Newman — drums- Additional personnel :* Micky Waller — drums on "Sweet Little Angel"...
(Epic) - 1971 - Rough and ReadyRough and Ready (album)For other uses see Rough and Ready Rough and Ready is the third album by The Jeff Beck Group and the first of two by the second Jeff Beck Group. Released in 1971, it featured more of a jazz, soul and R&B edge to counter Beck's lead guitar. Beck contributed more tracks on Rough and Ready than he...
(Epic) - 1972 - Jeff Beck GroupJeff Beck Group (album)Jeff Beck Group is the fourth studio album by The Jeff Beck Group and the second album with the line up of Jeff Beck, Bobby Tench, Clive Chaman, Max Middleton and Cozy Powell...
(Epic)
External links
- Review of Jeff's Book Hjort, Chris and Hinman, Doug. Rocknroll press at Music dish
- Review of Jeff's Book Hjort, Chris and Hinman, Doug. RocknRoll Press.
- Reviews of Rough and Ready and Jeff Beck Group albums
- Website http://www.chromeoxide.com/jeffbeck.htm