Produced by Sir George Martin, who oversaw most of the Beatles’ studio forays, Blow By Blow (released 3/28/75) marked Jeff Beck’s first proper solo effort, deliberately conceived as a wholly instrumental work.
And, implausible as it may now sound, a fifty-year retrospective suggests the late guitar hero’s landmark work is a logical extension of his previous experiences as a member of the Yardbirds (replacing Eric Clapton!), leading his own groups and partnering in Beck Bogert & Appice.
Like the mirror images of the cover design, the album’s title aptly describes an LP that evolves from loose, informal jams to more structured and ornate pieces throughout its nine tracks. Beck’s songwriting collaboration with keyboardist Max Middleton, “You Know What I Mean,” is a case in point.
The mutual natural empathy suggested by the tune’s name is fully evident in the effortless interplay between the two (dating back to 1971’s Rough And Ready). Likewise, “Scatterbrain” conjures up an ethereal atmosphere, with bassist Phil Chen and drummer Richard Bailey sharing a light touch in their rhythm work.
The musicianly camaraderie peaks on “AIR Blower” (its title refers to the London recording location). The only number composed by the core four musicians becomes a veritable maelstrom of sound before it morphs into a haunting interlude foreshadowing the moodier pieces to come.
Given the abandon with which Jeff had made a name for himself before this record, the quietude may have confounded his followers at the time. But five decades’ perspective reveals how the man began to delve deeply into balladry to a very moving effect on Blow By Blow, an approach he would hone to a fine point the remainder of his career.
On Stevie Wonder’s “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers,” Jeff plays the melody lines unusually straightforwardly (at least for him). Slowly but surely, however, he turns the performance into a blues, entirely indicative of the unpredictable approach that always characterized his playing (and validating a dedication to guitarist Roy Buchanan).
Beck extends his quirky ingenuity even further on “Thelonius,” the second number donated to the project by the aforementioned Motown icon. In doing so, he contours his increasingly delicate touch to the structure of the composition, far more purposeful with the effects than in the somewhat gimmicky use of a device known as ‘The Bag’ on Lennon/McCartney’s “She’s A Woman.”
Likewise, on Middleton’s “Freeway Jam,” a number that would become a staple of Beck’s latter-day live repertoire, Jeff relishes changing up his rhythm guitar patterns as often as his solo progressions: on both fronts, his sense of logic is impeccable.
This marked demonstration of this often overlooked facet of the man’s guitar work thus becomes an ideal setup for the LP’s evocative conclusion. Rather than the often reckless abandon of Truth or Beck Ola, on “Diamond Dust,” he radiates a tangible dignity through the tradeoffs between guitar, acoustic piano, and the strings orchestrated by Martin.
Jeff would eventually deign to work with vocalists again in subsequent years and on more than a few varied occasions, too. Yet his collaboration with Rod Stewart for “People Get Ready” on 1985’s Flash is less notable than Jimmy Hall’s multiple appearances as lead singer on that same album: the Wet Willie vocalist would repeatedly return to that role as on 2017’s Live At The Hollywood Bowl.
Still, those instances were exceptions to the rule established with Blow By Blow and later echoed with such panache on 2008’s Live At Ronnie Scotts. The nearly forty-five minutes from the mid-Seventies remained an outline for ‘El Becko’ right up until his untimely passing in 2023.
