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JEFF BECK
You Had It Coming (Epic)
Reviewed by Rusty Pipes
Jeff Beck says he "views technology as a friend." After listening to You Had It Coming it's obvious his friend is a pyromaniac!
Ok, let's get one thing straight, this is not the classic Jeff Beck many of us love. You know, the same guy whose brilliant work was first heard on Yardbirds albums, then Truth, Beck-ola, Orange, Rough and Ready, Blow by Blow, Wired, Guitar Shop and many others. Over a 35 year career, he's invented countless blues, rock and jazz idioms that've been copied by legions of younger guitarists. He doesn't have anything to prove, so he obviously doesn't feel the need to be "traditional." What YHIC does prove is that Jeff can still best anything the third and fourth generation electric guitarists can muster AND then rival the best of the club/electronic/rave scene at the same time.
You Had It Coming is more electronic, rave-oriented work like last year's Grammy nominated album, Who Else! It features stripped down distorto guitar (just a Fender Strat through a Marshall amp) over drum loop tracks that are full of acid. There is enough electronica here to make the sound very modern, but the focal point is still Jeff's amazing virtuosity, not studio effects. Mostly he plays very raw and percussively with a few short lead runs and incredibly fast triplets. Definitely a turn-it-up-loud situation.
Did I say he doesn't feel a need to be traditional? Strangely, the most accessible song is "Rollin' and Tumblin'." Apparently Jeff always wanted to do a new take on this Muddy Waters tune and finally found the right vocalist for it, Imogen Heap. You might recognize the lyrics Heap sings but most everything else has morphed into a new shape in this frenzied, edgy "hotrod" version. Scorching! Other standouts include the first track, "Earthquake," and the third, "Dirty Mind." Call it rave with a hard rock lead, except that he leaves most rock guitarists in the dust.
Acidic tracks aside, the last cut, "Suspension," is a slow blue exercise, almost like he had to do at least one song in the mold of "Cause We've Ended As Lovers." It's sweet and liquid but the most beautiful piece is "Nadia," composed by Nitwin Sawhney whom Beck calls "a genius, like an Asian Stevie Wonder." Here Jeff's lead work transforms into an Eastern mode, sounding more like L. Shankar's electric violin than a guitar. He also adds more synthesizers here, verging on trance, making it something that would be at home on a Talvin Singh record. "Nadia" is my favorite piece but it fades too soon, making me wonder where the resolution is. In fact that's my only complaint about You Had It Coming, the tracks are not long enough to be true rave music. Better to leave the folks begging for more than to give them too much I guess. Maybe Jeff is leaving it to others to make extended house remixes.
If you love electric guitar, Jeff's not to be missed on tour this spring; he's a guitar hero for the ages. Unlike Eric Slowhand and other guys from the Second Brit Invasion who haven't changed in years, on YHIC Jeff captures the high energy level of modern music right. Right in the guts! Sure doesn't sound like a fifty-something. Nice to know he's still sending all the others back to school.
© 2001 - Rusty Pipes