The Jeff Beck Group - Beck-Ola

 Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart at their RAW BEST!!
Bless My Soul, What's Wrong With You???? If you never heard this, what a treat for you! Rod Stewart, early (1967?), cool, raw, balsy and with Jeff Beck getting down and dirty with energy and the absolute BEST "Jailhouse Rock" ever! Extras are great. Iconic, glorious, just plain, wow....! May 11, 2008

 4 1/2 * Good, but not Great Follow-Up Still Worth Getting
Beck-Ola has a very different sound than "Truth," the Jeff Beck Group's classic first album. On "BEck-Ola" the musicians sound more self-assured, the playing more uniformly aggressive. OF course, you expect that from Jeff Beck, who has the angriest sounding guitar in all rock, but Ron Woods (bass), Nicki Hopkins (keyboards), and the new percussionist play less tentaively, all of them have a certain cocky flair. Wood and Hopkis take more extended, showy solos: Beck is not the only flash this time around.

THe album is also more prototypically hard rock (closer to metal, though neither Truth or this album are its progenitors, as some journalists/publicists would like you to believe). The sound of each soloist is more foregrounded, though not nearly to the same extenet as Led Zep. This is still blue-based interplay, but there's more bravado here, and the engineering favors the upfront sound of each soloist.

While Stewat isn't nearly as playful as he was on "Truth," he and his mates have a gloriously good time on the over-the-top "Jailhouse Rock," and his slurring butchery of some the words on "Spanish Boots" is especially delightful. To some extent, however, this highlights what's missing from the album, the sort of playful, making it look easier than it is, more spontaneous feeling of Truth. You can almost feel them pushing hard on this album, and while this plays well on most songs, there's a kind of forced feeling to "The Hangman's Knee" and (I hate to say it, because it was an early fave song of mine), the long power song, Rice Pudding.

Hangman's Knee has a jerky start and stop rhythm to it probably intended as a contrast to Beck's playing, but it seems to get in the way of itself, and it becomes fairly boring after awhile (of course, this is all relative to the superb playing that precedes it). The arrangement bogs down the players, and the background riff--en importnat element of later metal music--doesn't satisfy. COnversely, RIc Pudding, while using a similar power riff--and doing it more effectively--languishes in it's own length. Two minutes cut off of the song (especially, the slower, quieter piano sections) would have reduced the dynamic and tempo contrasts but made for a more tightly constucted, compelling number. THe song has some great Beck guitar though, and hints of his later jazz and rock experiments cme through.

The song that best shows the band's strengths is the superb "Plynth (Water Down the Drain)." It also has a basic rock riff, but its funky sound meshes better with Beck's riffs, solos, distortions, and the snarling guitar sound that he commands better than anyone else. It has the complexity of a Jeff Beck song (as opposed to, say, Zepp's more single-minded sound and lyrics), but it's very powerful as well. BY the way, "Girl fom Mill valley" showcases Hopkins in a pretty gospel-influenced instrumental, heavy on the sustain but very sweet and realtively light. One begins to imagine that Jeff Beck, who included "Greensleeves" on "Truth" (ummm, we won't touch on the treacly, unexplainable, "Love is Blue") has a soft, romantic side, or perhaps early exposure to church or music hall sounds. At any rate, it's a nice change of pace after the very energetic opening two numbers.

Broadly speaking, you have 5 gems out of seven, with Jeff Beck playing as only he can, and a more forceful group nacking him up. Rice Pudding is excellent, but perhaps overly long, and cut 6, Hangman's Knee redundant. I'd throw down the extra change might be necessary and get the 2004 version of "Beck-Ola" with the 4 additional tracks (ASIN: B000I0QKDI), two of which are new, and alternate versions of "All Shook Up" and Jailhouse Rock." Then, if you haven't already, you must get "Truth," both because it's one of the top rock albums ever made, and to make your own comparisons with "Beck-Ola." February 29, 2008

 Good, not Great.
A cool, bluesy effort from Jeff Beck, though not quite so successful as his debut. February 2, 2008

 First Time Listener To Beck-Ola Here!!
I have been a longtime admirer of Jeff Beck's amazing ability as a guitarist and this is the very first time I've heard this classic. Just on musical terms 'Beck-Ola' is a reinvention and it starts off with one-a chunky gospelish funk-driven rocker version of "All Shook Up",featuring the wailing Rod Stewart on lead.The exact same thing applies to the next cut "Spanish Boots",although there it's more Rod's singing and not Jeff's guitar that stands out. On the instrumental "Girl From Mill Valley" Nicky Hopkins really puts his gospel drenched piano to the meddle with this soulful little piece. Then it's back to more grooving rock insanity as Rod again makes a pretty mess,this time along with Jeff's guitar fluttering on yet another Elvis cover in "Jailhouse Rock".The next two cuts also feature Rod Stewart but also explore Jeff's breadth as a guitarist but it's the 7 minute + instrumental closer "Rice Pudding" that really allows Jeff to let loose-his fluttering yet controlled solos are not only at the apicenter of psychedelic rock guitar but show a very strong jazz influence that would show up to even greater effect some years later. It's kind of hard to describe Jeff's playing to one whose never heard it-can't imagine anyone who hasn't but the best I can put to it is that,similar to his contemporary Jimi Hendrix Jeff Beck was able to express a wide range of emotions on his ax in a wide variety of colorful and unexpected ways and,quite often take them into a different world entirely. But Jeff is truely unique for his day in one important way-he has so much musical range that,often within one song he actually sounds like several different guitar players-each with his own style,timbre and mood but at the same time you always know it's him. And not to mention his excellent taste in musicians to play with him (never behind him-he gives each musician here there own space) and his choice to keep Rod Stewart front and center before his enevitable departure for solo stardom. So if your a 60's rock fan-especially in that period between Hendrix and Jimmy Page,not to mention if you like healthy helpings of funky grooves and jazz styled improvisation in your hard rock then 'Beck-Ola' is probably the perfect fit for your listening pleasure! November 29, 2007

 Ouch! My Ears!
To better understand Jeff Beck's Music, you must better understand Jeff, first. Considered by many to be the best Rock guitarist of all time, he didn't always receive the recognition that he thought that he deserved. Having to step in as a replacement guitarist for Eric Clapton when he joined the Yardbirds may have fanned the flames in the beginning. And after pioneering in Distortion, Feedback, and Fuzz Tone, he dropped out and formed his own band, but before the TRUTH album was released, Jimi Hendrix came to town and stole some of Jeff's thunder, doing exactly the same things Jeff was doing on stage years earlier with the Yardbirds. If that wasn't bad enough, Jeff had a fit when he heard those early Led Zeppelin records. His good pal, Jimmy Page, stole alot of his ideas and drove them into the ground! (By the way, whatever happened to "Pagey"?) So Jeff really had an ATTITUDE by the time BECK-OLA was recorded. There's alot of Thunder and Lightning on this record! Perhaps those Zeppelin Lps helped steer Jeff in this direction after all, because it was a complete departure from the TRUTH album. BECK-OLA has a Live feel to it, and alot of noise, too. There was alot of tension within this group at the time, getting ready to explode, and it did. Too Bad. March 29, 2007

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