Saw this one live, pre album. We all had crawling skin. A true master of surprise and mindfuck.
Probably date myself with these, but they’re fine solos, just arch top guitar and fingers:
Jim Hall with Bill Evans," I’ve Got You Under My Skin" (off Intermodulation)
Wes Montgomery, “Know It All” ( Down Here on the Ground )
Some of my favorites are ones I saw live - individual versions of songs like Dreams, Whipping Post and In Memory of Elizabeth Reed by the Allman Brothers and Sonido Alegre by Derek Trucks, for example. But on record…
Duane Allman on the Fillmore East versions of Whipping Post and Liz Reed, Ardian Belew on Born Under Punches By Talking Heads - although that’s really more of a noise solo by Belew and Eno, Jimi Hendrix on Tax Free, Carlos Santana on Soul Sacrifice or Incident at Neshabur, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead on There There.
I’m not a big Clapton fan, but I have to give it up for White Room. That’s a spicy meataball, Mr. Clapp.
I like Neil Young’s solos. I think Southern Man is the best I’ve heard on record, although again, there’s one I’d put ahead of that that I heard him play live.
Okay, okay, dates: Duane Allman on Liz Reed and Dreams from (2/28/70, arguably better than the Fillmore Show… I wasn’t there but I have a tape), Derek on Liz Reed from March 17 2000, Jack Pearson on the same song on March 20, 1998, and Dreams from March 14 1998, and that version of Sonido from November 2006, for starters.
Terry Kath’s solo in “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago.
I’m probably gonna take some flack for this, given the slant of negative comments I’ve seen here about B.T.O., but as long as WordMan is brave enough to mention the Knack, I think Fred Turner’s guitar work on “Blue Collar” was a masterpiece. Ditto for “Lookin’ Out For #1.”
Ditto Terry Kath on “25 or 6 to 4”
My favorite Jimmy Page solo is on “Heartbreaker”
Sure, I happily stand by my statement. All art is subjective, beauty is in the eye, YMMV, what have you. Those players are all brilliant, but in my 30 years of playing and geeking out reading about guitar players, I can say with confidence that I have come across more statements from other players talking about Jeff Beck that basically say “I don’t know how he does it” more than anyone else I can recall. Yes, there is universal worship and praise for Hendrix, Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Les Paul and dozens and dozens of others, but for Beck it just has seemed different to me over the years.
YMMV - but I would be interested in hearing what other long-standing-and-reading guitarists think themselves, or what they can recall reading from other top players about Beck…at various points I have thought about lobbing a thread out there asserting this about Beck so folks could compare notes and pile on, but I haven’t ever gotten to it - same with starting a thread about “How its Done” featuring Super-Natural; I ended up using this thread to talk about it…
Sure, it’s easy to see why you would hold that view. He has always had an identifiable style, has that true electric exploration like Hendrix, can evoke heart rending stuff without tainting it by showing virtuosity, yet virtuoso he is. Rubbing up with Wonder and Hammer lengthened his grasp.
I saw a clip where Beck backs up Tom Jones singing “Love Letters”. His solo is poignant, fitting and modest, as is his comportment throughout. I wonder if this is why he isn’t a household name Superstar.
I don’t read about musicians per se, but some guitarists coming out in the 70’s would cite Beck as inspiration and since he is still developing would imagine the sphere of influence being that much larger.
Wes Montgomery on Unit 7, and Impressions
Birelli Lagrene on Donna Lee on Live in Marciac