BECKING ORDER: Jeff Beck Documentary – Still On The Run (review)

[email protected] April 30, 2018

It has long been a source of frustration, not to say annoyance, among my friends that I refuse to change my view that Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townshend are the most influential (note: not best) guitarists of the rock era – Hendrix simply because informed opinion rates him as the finest, while Pete stands (or leaps or windmills) as surely the most imitated.

When they argue the point, which frequently happens, I am generally confronted, in no particular order by the holy trinity of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck – the argument once taking on apoplectic proportions, on their part, when I referred to a list contained in ‘The Book of Rock Lists‘ published by Rolling Stone magazine (1981) and a page (no pun intended) headed ‘The 30 Greatest Rock and Roll Guitarists.’

The golden triangle of Clapton, Page and Beck are all included, but only Clapton (10) makes the top ten, Beck is just outside (12), while Page is found just below Joe Walsh and Beach Boy Carl Wilson at 22 – and only three places above Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols.

With the book destined to be burnt atop a flaming six string (Hendrix incidentally, was number one), their ire, or pyre in this case, became an inferno when I casually pointed out (knowing how seriously they take these things) that two of my favourite players, Townshend (5) and Keith Richards (6) effortlessly made the upper echelons.

In order to maintain these friendships I carried out the strict instruction of watching the BBC 4 documentary JEFF BECK – STILL ON THE RUN that was broadcast over the weekend – and learn what it is to worship at the altar of guitar playing greatness.

Like a long, indulgent guitar solo, at ninety five minutes the programme was bit too drawn out for the unconverted (Beck’s interest in restoring cars certainly overdone).

But an array of admiring luminaries including Page (the two of them friends since the age of fourteen), Clapton, Dave Gilmour, Slash, Ron Wood, Joe Perry, Jan Hammer and Rod Stewart, are eager to voice their respect for Beck – each one naming him as the most innovative and original guitar player of the age.

It was a completest tendency toward the work of Stewart that brought two Jeff Beck albums into my collection, Rod being vocalist in the short-lived, but hugely influential Jeff Beck Group (1968-69), which brought forth the recordings ‘Truth‘ (1968) and ‘Beck-Ola‘ (1969).

Both are a touch too heavy for my more moderate Kinks/Beatles tastes, yet each had a significant impact on the burgeoning blues-rock scene and routinely named as a key influence on Led Zeppelin – the guitar/vocal combination of Beck and Stewart only given a run for its money by the pairing of Page and Robert Plant.

While Rod openly states that being in The Jeff Beck Group was ‘an honour‘ a tempestuous relationship between the leader and the singer brought an end to that incarnation of the band – Beck, whose wilful nature had already seen him walk out on The Yardbirds, becoming ever destined to play in highly-rated aggregations that lasted until his muse (or very often patience) evaporated.

For all the lasting innovations of the Beck/Stewart (with Ron Wood on bass) line-up of the Beck Group, there is also the whimsical irony of it producing ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining,’ the song by which Beck is best known to mainstream listeners – a perennial favourite of football crowds and family gatherings, it is akin to David Bowie only being famous for ‘The Laughing Gnome.’

After his wrangling with Rod, Beck never again worked with a vocalist of renown and not a lyricist himself, headed into instrumental territory which generally brought widespread acclaim from guitar aficionados.

The  programme sheds light on the wide-ranging nature of a journey that has encompassed jazz, blues, classical and even Indian music, leading to the conclusion that no other guitarist has built such an extensive and accomplished repertoire of styles.

Indeed Clapton is moved to remark: ‘Jeff is a rock ‘n’ roll musician who understands jazz – now that is a rare animal.’

Given the range of musical explorations he has undertaken it remains a surprise Beck has not, to any great extent, undertaken film score work. It may of course seem an all to obvious way of expression for a guitarist who has steadfastly remained a maverick – this desire to make unforeseen detours even more evident as his career heads into its 55th year.

Given my preference for striking lyrics rather than virtuoso playing, ‘Still On The Run‘ gave me a greater understanding of why Beck is so revered – also serving as a reminder of how dexterous and disciplined his work is on the ‘Talking Book‘ album of Stevie Wonder.

Personal choice, however, would always take me to say Neil Young – being happy to concede a little ground on the technical front while gaining miles in lyrical insight.

But when such an acclaimed musician as Jan Hammer makes the assertion, ‘Jeff is the guy who took electric guitar to the furthest reaches of the guitar universe and nobody has ever come close to following,’ there can be absolutely no doubt, if there ever was, of his right to enter a room given over to guitar gods only.

As ‘Still On The Run‘ draws to a conclusion Joe Perry makes the remark: ‘There’s everybody else – and there’s Jeff Beck,’ which sounds remarkably like a statement a friend of mine has been making for years.

After all this time I may just, just be coming around to that way of thinking.

This article was first published on 30/4/2018.

NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of MONTY’S DOUBLE – an acclaimed thriller now available in paperback and as an Amazon Kindle book.