Search - Jeff Beck :: Rough & Ready (Mlps)

Still My Favorite Jeff Beck disc

J. M. Jacobs | East Helena, MT, USA | 03/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Back in the early 70's I wrote a music review column for my student paper in college. When I reviewed this album, I remember that I really liked it compared to the other Jeff Beck offerings out at the time - Truth and Blow by Blow. To me, this collection of songs is more melodious and well constructed than a lot of Jeff's work which consists of stuffing 20 notes where 1 would do. He's a master at extended solos and if that's your thing, you'll find some here. What I liked about these songs is that they're good songs first and THEN they're played well. I can't say that about all of Mr. Beck's stuff, you know?



Here we find straight ahead Rock and Roll right from the belly. Cozy Powell on drums figures prominently here and keeps the band driving on every song. He plays in full attack mode on all the cuts even the slow ones. He's the thread the fabric is made of. This strong rhythm line allows the other players to sort of float over the top and then get down in the mud in the mix when they're really feeling it. Here is where Jeff shines on this album. He doesn't seem to feel that he has to carry all the load here so his solos are more judicious in their application than what I found on those two previously mentioned discs. I think he's just great here and when I listened to the CD when it arrived, I was transported back to my youth in a heartbeat.



Evidently I wasn't alone in my first assessment all those years ago based on the reaction I got when I told one of my musician buddies that I'd bought the disc. He just went off on how much he liked this particular disc for most of the same reasons I've already mentioned. We talked for almost an hour about various details we remembered and how it made us feel the first time we heard it. The atmosphere was akin to two little boys pushing their toy trucks in the dirt - it was like being in heaven.



Two years ago I bought one of "The Blues" series DVD's headed up by Martin Scorsese. The one in particular was titled "Red, White and Blues" and was directed by Mike Figgis, of the Irish persuasion. When you watch the DVD, you'll see Jeff Beck do some blues playing you NEVER thought you'd see - slow, soulful, dripping with emotion. If you want to know just how good a Fender Telecaster can sound, check out that DVD and watch for the studio sessions where Mr. Beck is plying his trade. Marvelous.



So we come back to Rough and Ready or Jeff Beck: the Early Years. This disc is a good insight into the raw power of down and dirty Rock and Roll music. It was good in the 70's when I played it on vinyl, and it's still one of those true gems today.



By the way, best listened to LOUD..."