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New Jeff Beck Live DVD

 
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alexkhan



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 2783
Location: Chino, CA

PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:49 am    Post subject: New Jeff Beck Live DVD Reply with quote

Got this long-awaited live DVD earlier this week and I've been watching it over and over again every night. Dare I say it, but, for me, this is the best guitar instrumental (well, mostly) live DVD I've ever seen. I think this will be the new standard that all other future guitar concert DVD's will be judged against. Jeff Beck, a true legend in the world of the electric guitar and widely considered by the mainstream guitar circles as the "best" electric guitar player alive, is in true form here and totally on. Personally, I can't disagree with those who say he's the "best" or the "greatest" although I generally have a great disdain for such terms being used to label a player or an artist.

This DVD is really the total package in that the audio/video work, the venue (a small jazz club in London that has a capacity of around 250 people), the quality of playing by JB, the materials performed, and the musicianship of the band and guest artists are all superb. But, in the end, what kills is JB's otherworldly playing. If you didn't "get" JB before, this DVD will give you an opportunity to really see him at his very best. Also, the intimate club environment is perfect for all the nuances that JB is known for. He normally plays in much larger venues of 1500+ and I always felt that what he does gets lost in such large settings. Here you get to see, hear and feel every little string squeak and harmonic tap with great attention to detail.

You watch this DVD and you realize that there is simply no one who can play like JB or even approach what he does. His control of dynamics by manipulating the controls on the guitar and his attack and touch is simply unbelievable. His phrasing is typically otherworldly; it's as though his guitar has notes on it that no other guitars have. And his tone is better than ever and, as usual, it's basically a Strat straight into a single-channel Marshall. He did have a Lexicon reverb/delay unit on top of the head that he toggled on and off in between songs and he did have some pedal that gave him rotary speaker and flanger kind of sounds for certain sections of some songs, but the huge majority of the sounds were just his hands, Strat and Marshall.

What's really amazing about all the sounds he gets is that they're all produced by JB's hands - going from crystal clean to raunchy overdrive just by turning up the guitar's volume pot and how he attacks the strings. Plus, he really works a huge range of those in-between semi-clean to slightly dirty sounds as tonal colors that fit the mood of the songs being played. Seriously, he gets way more sounds out of a very basic setup than anyone I've seen with a mega-rack system or tons of pedals on the floor. More than anyone else I can think of, JB shows that it's all ultimately in the hands of the player. The instrumental rendition of the Beatles' 'A Day in the Life' on this DVD is the best I've seen yet and is alone worth the price of the DVD (which is only $10 anyway even with the high-budget production).

JB is supported by a world-class band featuring Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, a 22-year-old female bass prodigy (looks more like she's in her mid-teens) named Tal Wilkenfeld who's already drawing comparisons to the late Jaco Pastorius, and Jason Rebello on keyboards. Guest artists are Joss Stone singing on 'People Get Ready,' the fabulous Imogen Heap singing on a couple of tunes, and Eric Clapton on a few tunes trading solos with JB. The musicianship is outstanding, particularly Colaiuta on drums and Wilkenfeld on bass. Wilkenfeld plays a bass solo during 'Cause We've Ended As Lovers' that is just spellbinding and so beautiful that even JB throws up his hands in amazement.

All in all, this is a must-have DVD for any guitar player and at $10 it's a total no-brainer. It's also a great music DVD in that many non-players who are adventurous in what they listen to will enjoy it immensely as well. At the age of 64, Jeff Beck is as good as ever. From a distance, he looks like he could still be in his mid-30's. The guy is in great shape and hasn't lost an ounce of his chops. You can easily tell that he's in total control of the instrument; he slaps it around and it does whatever he commands it to do. And then he coaxes out some of the most poignantly beautiful sounds out of a guitar you'll ever hear. Yeah, I know that I'm gushing like a teeny-bopper now, but this DVD is really that good. This is the Jeff Beck that we've always wanted to see chronicled in a definitive DVD and it has exceeded my lofty expectations. The man is a true wonder and artists like him make me feel glad to be alive to appreciate and enjoy what they have to offer.
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alexkhan



Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 2783
Location: Chino, CA

PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For me, another huge bonus and revelation of this DVD is Imogen Heap. Having been a big fan of iconoclastic art-pop female singer-songwriters such as Kate Bush, Sinead O'Connor, Annie Lennox, Shirley Manson, and Bjork, Imogen Heap's singing style and her song 'Blanket' on this DVD really hit home with me. Having been out of the loop that covers art-pop-rock for most of this decade, I had never heard of her. Right away, I started doing some research on her and downloaded some of her songs through iTunes. Ordered her most recent album through Amazon as well.

I'm like, "Wow!" Imogen is just outright awesome. Her voice is amazing and covers an extremely wide range of timbre and dynamics. Being a classically trained pianist who has also learned to play a variety of other instruments like drums and the guitar, you can tell she's a very gifted all-around musician. But, above all, she has written some beautiful songs that are simultaneously challenging and accessible. Drawing from elements of pop, progressive rock, techno-electronica, rhythm-and-blues, and hip-hop (trip-hop), Imogen is one very talented artist who seems to be just scratching the surface of what she can achieve.
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.strandberg* Guitars USA
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digitalkettle



Joined: 24 May 2005
Posts: 132
Location: Lincolnshire, UK

PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 8:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ms Heap was on a couple of tracks from 'You Had It Coming'...JB dropped the nifty solo on 'Goodnight and Go' (from Imogen's 'Speak For Yourself' album)...which probably means that JB has been heard on 'The O.C.' too! Wink

I like this awesome guitarist > eclectic female vocalist link...
- Gilmour > Kate Bush
- Beck > Imogen Heap
- can I get dibs on Bjork once I get my chops up? Wink
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Cass679



Joined: 01 Oct 2006
Posts: 127
Location: Leeds

PostPosted: Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well said Ed, especially on Imogen Heap. She has fast become one of my favorite modern singers/artists. I've been keeping up with her VBlog on Youtube, which makes for some seriously interesting and eclectic viewing Very Happy

As for Jeff, well what can I say that can't already be said?! The performance is absolutely stunning in all fronts. Jeff is on top of his game and it certainly shows. I'm certainly glad I'll soon be getting the DVD Smile
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