Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart Writing and Recording

ClassicRock Magazine is reporting that Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart are writing and recording an album, which would be their first full project since the late 60s/early 70s. Rumors flew around in December with reports of the two hanging out and talking about a project but Beck told CR.com many more exclusive details.

Beck is a funny fucker. Seems like he's tough to nail down. I don't know. Read the below snips and the full article and you tell me - what do you think the odds are of this actually happening?

There have been rumblings in the studio, and yes I have done some demos for him and with him. This happened after our lunch liaison in Los Angeles, but just as matters were proceeding his new baby came along and completely screwed up the whole thing.

Over our next lunch Rod and me will probably beat each other to death, but the fact remains he’s coming to see me and we are going over the material, all of it. I want to see that Rod is genuine into the idea and that it’s not just a weekend’s fancy. I don’t think it is because his manager (Arnold Stiefel) is well into it.

Stage One was just agreeing that it was basically a good idea and then Stage Two was the actual collaboration and co-writing. Stage Three was me lending my studio in Los Angeles to Rod for the demos, to the tune of $17.000! So I’ll be expecting a cheque from Rod for that! But I’ve got two chances there! No chance and no flippin’ chance! But while he’s sitting there listening to the tracks I’ll sneak out and….nah I can’t say that!

The article continues:

In 2004, the Jeff Beck Group reunited to play at the Royal Albert Hall with Ronnie Wood on bass, Rod at the mic and Jeff on guitar. They rehearsed a lot of classic material from their original albums and a couple of choice numbers like Rock My Plimsoul and I Ain’t Superstitious. And in 1985, Stewart guested on the Beck album Flash; the pair performed a cover of The Impressions’ People Get Ready.

“It sounded fucking brilliant,” Stewart recalled. But the concert was cancelled when Jeff phoned Rod and said he’d had a change of heart. Subsequently they did perform together in Los Angeles, and Beck caught the bug again. Now he has said that he “Would have to turn the clock back 20 or 30 years to match what Rod does, stylistically. Not that that is meant to be a derogatory statement. He loves the 60s. He loves blues he loves old stuff.” So no stretch for Beck there then.

Speaking of Jeff Beck-era blues guitarists, I missed the highly overrated Eric Clapton at the Portland Rose Garden last night. Friends who went (and share my opinion on him) said he was in fine form and that I should have gone. Shit. I do love his work when it's with other people (Roger Waters, Santana, BB King, soundtracks, etc). Oh well...

And back to Beck and Stewart, why should we care? Dig this ole gem for some context:



And Jesus H, scroll this to about 2:00 to see what it sounds like to have Jimmy Page in your back-up band!

The Grammy Awards - Neil, Vultures, Maiden, Jeff Beck Win

I did not watch the Grammy Awards tonight. In fact I stopped watching the annual show ages ago. My last good Grammy memory was watching Train perform Drops of Jupiter in 2006 and thinking that they were so fucking good even though that song got way overplayed.

Train won again tonight for a far inferior song but there were some other nice wins. Neil Young won for Best Rock Song with Angry World - his first Grammy win for an actual song (he won for "best art direction on a boxed or special limited edition package" last year - come the hell on), so that injustice has finally been righted.

Them Crooked Vultures took Best Hard Rock Performance for New Fang, beating out Ozzy, Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden. They for sure deserved it - that band is super and I look forward to the second album this year.

And Iron Maiden took Best Metal Performance for El Dorado, beating out Megadeath and Slayer - I guess Jethro Tull didn't have an album out this year.

Jeff Beck took best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Rock Instrumental Performance, and Paul McCartney took Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for Helter Skelter from Good Evening in NYC, so good for him.

Of course the filmmakers who brought us Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage got snubbed for The Doors film, proving that the band can't get into any of these awards or Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame spots even through the back door.

But overall some nice solid rock and hard rock was acknowledged tonight, and for that I am thankful.

But now I can't get that goddamn Train song out of my head again. Here it is so you too can relive the over saturation (right after the youngling's cello solo):

Jeff Beck Pulls A Tony Iommi

Ouch! This is why I stay away from power tools and sharp knives at all costs. Even in the skilled hands of guitarist/auto mechanic/chef Jeff Beck, they can wreak havoc.

Beck's latest album was delayed while the virtuoso healed from a rather scary event last fall.

Beck tells USA Today, "We had these massively long carrots. For some stupid reason, I started slicing them lengthwise. I got a bit lazy, and I put full force on the carrot, and it slipped over. Next thing I know, I'm on my knees, going, 'Oh, dear, that's the end of me.' Or words to that effect."

According to the USA Today story (which is an excellent lengthy profile of Beck, by the way):

The tip of Beck's left index finger — the one that flies up and down the neck of his Fender Stratocaster, bending and caressing metal strings like an artful demon — was a bloody nub, "barely hanging on." To make matters worse, he still had work to do on his first studio album in seven years, Emotion & Commotion, which is out today.

The next morning, a surgeon stitched it so expertly that Beck was out of commission for only seven weeks (he practiced chording with his three good fingers) and now sports just a hair-thin scar as he embarks on a 25-date U.S. tour beginning Friday in San Francisco.

Other reports have Beck raising the insurance on his fingers, just in case:

He therefore has now raised his insurance cover on his hands five-fold - making his 10 digits worth 7 million pounds. The news was confirmed by a source close to him, "Jeff was making a stew when he cut his finger clean off. Thankfully surgeons were able to patch it up. But now he''s taking no chances and has upped his insurance to 1million pounds per finger."

Worth it? Hell yeah! Watch this (the chick on the bass ain't bad either):

Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart Reunite in LA

I have always been a big fan of Jeff Beck. Aside from being one of the classic pioneers of rock guitar (with Page and Clapton), I paid attention to him because his style was always so unique.

Maybe because he doesn't use a pick; maybe because he never got locked into one style of music. I don't know. The dude is just GOOD.

One of his very few mainstream successes was the single People Get Ready, which was a cool take on an old tune, put out in the 80s with Rod Stewart on vocals.

According to Classic Rock Magazine, Rod joined Beck onstage Tuesday night in Los Angeles. It was their first joint appearance in 25 years, according to the article. They did People Get Ready and I Ain’t Superstitious, which was recorded in 1968 when Stewart was vocalist in The Jeff Beck Group.

According to Rolling Stone, Stewart snuck onstage and started singing and it was a total surprise to Stewart! And of course there is a YouTube of the event: