With Jeff Beck no longer provided solo billing – they were a "group" now, you know – this 1969 follow-up to Beck's Truth is no less entertaining if a wee bit less innovative. Beck and crew, which at this point still included charismatic frontman Stewart and sidekick Wood as well as pianist-to-the-stars Nickey Hopkins and bombastic drummer Tony Newman (who would later go on to form May Blitz), turn up the volume and deliver a red-hot slab o' "heavy music."
Jeff Beck Group's Beck-Ola
"Heavy" as in heavy guitars, percussive rhythms and explosive vocals, with Stewart shouting out the tunes like his life depended on it. Beck must have had Elvis on the brain at the time, covering not one, but two of the King’s tunes in "All Shook Up" and "Jailhouse Rock," both slight departures from otherwise heady material like the riff-happy "Spanish Boots" or the chaotic "The Hangman’s Knee."
The handful of bonus tracks on this sonically-restored 2006 reissue include the ultra-bluesy "Sweet Little Angel," recorded sometime after Truth sessions with drummer Waller and featuring some smokin’ Beck solo work, and the dramatic "Throw Down A Line," which showcase’s Stewart’s soulful vocals at their best. Beck-Ola is a solid exercise in UK blooze-rock and a fitting bookend to the classic Truth.
British blues-rock guitarist Jeff Beck
Photo by Kevin Winter, courtesy Getty ImagesThe Reverend's Bottom Line
Jeff Beck’s fast track to stardom would be derailed shortly after the release of Beck-Ola, an auto accident putting the talented guitarist on the shelf for over a year, during which time Stewart and Wood defected to join the Faces. As this album illustrate, however, Beck was an innovative and exciting guitarist that deserves a higher profile.
Yeah, he's a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member, and although his skills equal those of his old friends Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck is often overshadowed by the accomplishments of his former band mates. Judging from Beck-Ola, though, Beck has nothing to be ashamed of, his artistic vision equaling, if not surpassing that of his fellow Yardbirds' alumni. (Sony Legacy Recordings, released October 10, 2006)
