1968 Revisited: Jeff Beck's Truth

British rock legend Jeff Beck is a bona fide guitar innovator who helped define a particular blues-rock style of playing while also influencing a generation (or three) of rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and jazz string-benders and fret-burners. Joe Bonamassa has cited Beck as a major inspiration, and his enormous influence can be heard in the music of artists as diverse as Adrian Belew (The Bears, King Crimson), Steve Vai, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Joe Satriani, and Tommy Bolin, among many others.

After playing with a number of small bands during the early ‘60s, and doing session work, Beck first came to prominence as a member of popular British blues-rock band the Yardbirds. Replacing guitarist Eric Clapton, who jumped ship to join John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Beck played on nearly all of the band’s mid-decade Top 40 hits, including “Shapes of Things” and “Over Under Sideways Down,” as well as on the 1966 Yardbirds’ album Roger the Engineer. After leaving the band, Beck released a string of modestly-successful U.K. singles like “Hi Ho Silver Lining” and “Tallyman” before recording Truth, his 1968 solo debut album.

Jeff Beck’s Truth

One of rock music’s truly lost classic albums, the good folks at Sony Legacy decided to provide Truth (and its follow-up, Beck-Ola) the deluxe reissue treatment in 2006. Remastered and provided dynamics appropriate to the digital age, the songs on Truth sound every bit as dirty and grungy as they did when originally released back in 1968. Six-string wizard Jeff Beck had been unceremoniously sacked from the Yardbirds and living in the shadows of Eric Clapton’s international acclaim when he pieced together this short-lived ensemble, the first ‘Jeff Beck Group,’ that included Rod Stewart on vocals, Ron Wood on bass, and Micky Waller on drums.

Truth would introduce the world (and, more specifically, a U.S. audience as the album charted Top 20 stateside) to the talents of singer Rod Stewart but, more importantly, Truth would become one of the cornerstones for both ‘70s heavy metal (blues roots, big vocals, heavy percussion, screaming guitar solos) and the blueprint for dozens of British blooze-rock bands to follow in the wake of Cream (including Led Zeppelin, formed by Beck’s former bandmate Jimmy Page). Along the way, however, Truth has been overlooked for its mastery of form and the impressive range of the individual performances. Stewart’s vocals are never less than superlative, no matter what direction Beck takes the band, and the album’s mix of hard rock, Delta blues, Motown soul, and jazzy flourishes make for an intoxicating elixir.

Beck’s Bolero

A remake of the Yardbirds’ hit “Shape of Things” soars on Stewart’s weary vocals and the song’s pulse-thumping instrumental breakdown. Stewart’s “Let Me Love You” (in reality, a reworked Buddy Guy tune) benefits from a heavy bass riff, explosive percussion, and Beck’s cyclonic psych-drenched guitar licks. Bonnie Dobson’s “Morning Dew” (a hit for folkie Tim Rose) is delivered as a soulful ballad while Willie Dixon’s classic “You Shook Me” (a major hit for Chicago blues giant Muddy Waters) showcases the band’s collective blues roots and love for the genre. Based on Stewart’s expressive vocals and studio pro Nicky Hopkin’s piano flourishes, Beck embroiders the performance with some of his edgiest and most imaginative playing.

An impromptu studio performance of the medieval folk standard “Greensleeves,” which displays the full measure of the guitarist’s skills, would surprisingly became an audience favorite while the B-side of “Hi Ho Silver Lining,” the electrifying instrumental “Beck’s Bolero,” has become known as one of Beck’s signature songs. The stereo version of “Bolero” includes studio guests like Jimmy Page and the Who’s Keith Moon alongside Beck and band. The writing of the blues-infused shouter “Rock My Plimsoul” is credited to Jeffrey Rod (Beck and Stewart), but it is really just a raucous re-write of B.B. King’s classic “Rock Me Baby” while the slow-burning “Blues Deluxe,” which has been covered by Beck fan Bonamassa, is based on King’s “Gambler’s Blues” and features some fine Hopkins’ piano along the song’s fringes to accompany Beck’s jagged fretwork.

Willie Dixon’s “I Ain’t Superstitious” was a big song for blues legend Howlin’ Wolf, and has been covered over the years by everybody from the Yardbirds and Savoy Brown to the Grateful Dead and Carlos Santana. Beck has recorded “I Ain’t Superstitious” multiple times himself, including the greasy, wah-wah tinged version found on Truth. The 2006 Sony Legacy reissue of Truth includes extensive liner notes and eight additional tracks. The non-LP single “Hi Ho Silver Lining” was an uncharacteristic psych-pop offering featuring rare Beck vocals; ditto for “Tallyman,” which is even more of a trifle and notable mostly for Beck’s scorching solos. Much better is “I’ve Been Drinking,” the B-side to the 1967 single “Love Is Blue,” which allows Stewart to capture the full emotional pathos of the re-worked Johnny Mercer original.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Beck’s Truth would launch a solo career that persists, 50 years later, to the present day, the guitarist nearly as spry and innovative in 2018 as he was in 1968. The Beck-Ola album would follow in 1969, earning Beck his “guitar god” status, and subsequent albums (now credited to the ‘Jeff Beck Group’) would further explore musical avenues in soul, R&B, and jazz. A brief dalliance with the power trio Beck, Bogart & Appice would result in a pair of blustery blooze-rawk releases, after which Beck would deliver his mid-‘70s jazz-rock fusion classics Blow By Blow and Wired. It all began with Truth, however, the album highly recommended for classic rock fans, guitar aficionados, blues fans, Rod Stewart fans, Jeff Beck fans, and just about everybody else. It’s just that damn good… (Sony Legacy, released October 10, 2006)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Jeff Beck’s Truth

Also on That Devil Music.com:
Jeff Beck’s Performing This Week...Live at Ronnie Scott’s CD review
The Yardbirds’ Ultimate! CD review

CD Review: Frankie Miller's Double Take (2016)

Chances are, even if the name ‘Frankie Miller’ is unfamiliar, you’ve probably heard one of his songs blaring out of your radio, phone, or other music-gifting device. As a talented songwriter capable of wringing every ounce of emotion out of a lyric, Miller’s songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Bob Seger, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, the Bellamy Brothers, Etta James, Roy Orbison, Joe Cocker, the Eagles, Three Dog Night, and Clint Black, among others, and charting on both the pop and country charts.

As a performer, Miller cut his teeth with several late ‘60s bands, including Jude, which was formed with former Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower, Stone the Crows bassist James Dewar, and Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker. Miller launched his solo career in earnest during the early ‘70s British pub rock scene, the singer backed on his 1973 debut Once In A Blue Moon by rockers Brinsley Schwarz.

A string of brilliant collections of ‘blue eyed soul’ would follow – the 1974 Allen Toussaint-produced High Life, 1975’s The Rock and Full House albums, and 1978’s Double Trouble, which featured Brinsley Schwarz guitarist Ian Gomm and Ace keyboardist Paul Carrack, and included Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler on backing vocals on several tracks. Although Miller never broke through in the U.S. with his solo albums, he scored several minor U.K. chart hits, but his incredible performances and well-written songs found loyal fans on both sides of the Atlantic.

Miller’s ‘Blue Eyed Soul’

Miller continued to record and tour throughout the 1980s and into the ‘90s when he suffered a brain hemorrhage while working on material for a new band to feature guitarist Joe Walsh and pianist Nicky Hopkins. The singer spent months in a coma and years in therapy and is still unable to speak, much less sing, to this day. One lone archive collection, 2006’s Long Way Home, has been released since Miller’s illness, as well as a handful of raucous live albums, the best of which is the three-disc Live At Rockpalast set.

Frankie Miller’s Double Take – essentially the singer’s 11th studio album – came about when singer Rod Stewart asked producer David Mackay if he had any unreleased songs by Miller. The producer reached out to Miller’s wife, who provided a bag of demo tapes which Mackay used to piece together a brilliant album comprised of previously-unreleased material expanded with high-profile guest appearances. Finding volunteers for the production proved effortless, as many singers and musicians were readily willing to lend their talents to the project in tribute to Miller.

As such, Frankie Miller’s Double Take features guests like guitarists Joe Walsh and Steve Cropper; singers Rod Stewart, Bonnie Tyler, Delbert McClinton, and Willie Nelson; and other instrumentalists like Elton John and Paul Carrack (vocals and piano). Miller’s ‘Full House’ bandmates Chrissie Stewart and Ray Minhinnett provide bass and guitar, respectively, on several tracks. Mackay’s production is nuanced and quite brilliant – on songs where Miller’s vox are the strongest, he’s pushed high in the mix and into the spotlight; where an apparently weaker Miller performance appears on an otherwise fantastic song, the guest’s vocals are pushed to the forefront. The technique works quite well and does little to detract from Miller’s enormous talents.

Frankie Miller’s Double Take

The muscular rocker “Blackmail” opens Frankie Miller’s Double Take, the song screwing itself tightly into a deep groove with Joe Walsh’s approximation of the “Peter Gunn Theme” opening, his machine-gun riffs rumbling menacingly beneath Miller’s bold vocals. Given the up-front mix of the backing vocals, I’m guessing that Miller’s take here was a little less powerful than others on the album, but the arrangement and instrumentation all work together to result in a strong performance.

There’s no place for Miller’s vocals to hide on “Where Do The Guilty Go,” a duet with Elton John that features legendary Memphis guitarist Steve Cropper and the Jubilation Choir singing in the background. The song is part inspired Southern soul, part inspired gospel fervor, and Elton ups his game to sit comfortably alongside Miller’s heartfelt vox, making his presence felt but never detracting from Miller’s performance.

And therein lies the genius of Frankie Miller’s Double Take – for all the vaunted “guest stars,” the majority of them volunteering their talents out of a love of Miller’s voice and songwriting prowess, and they do their best to support the waylaid singer rather than upstage him. A fine example of this is “Way Past Midnight,” which features Huey Lewis putting on his best soul shoes and dueting with Miller on an old-school rhythm and blues romp that includes the intoxicating horns of The Sports Section with sax master Johnny Colla.

Sending Me Angels

Miller’s old friend Bonnie Tyler sits in on the ballad “True Love,” a moving performance by the two not dissimilar vocalists that includes the stellar fretwork of guitarist Jerry Stevenson. The singers’ voices mesh together well, entwined in an emotional performance for the ages. Rod Stewart was obviously influenced by Miller, a contemporary, but ‘Mod’ Rod’s vocals could never hold a candle to Frankie’s incredible soulfulness.

Nonetheless, Stewart musters a spectacular performance on the duet “Kiss Her For Me.” Featuring Walsh’s shimmering notes and Stevenson’s elegant filigree strum, the song is a throwback to Miller’s 1970s-era material, a simply beautiful performance and near-perfect melding of their voices, Walsh even adding some subtle piano fills. It’s a moving, magical song.

Status Quo’s Francis Rossi brings guitar, bass, and keyboards to “Gold Shoes,” one of the album’s lesser songs but a jaunty romp nonetheless with Miller’s breathless vocals and the band’s rollicking instrumentation. Better is “Sending Me Angels,” which features singer Kiki Dee; Miller’s heartbreaking vocals float nicely above Dee’s backing vox and Ian Stuart Lynn’s powerful, reverent piano playing. Dee’s lead vocals are as similarly lofty as Miller’s, and magnetically alluring. Guitarist Jose Antonio Rodriguez’s tasteful Flamenco-styled solos provide a too-brief glimpse of unparalleled beauty.

When It’s Rockin’

“When It’s Rockin’” brings back Full House era guitarist Ray Minhinnett for a rowdy performance that offers up a blistering Miller vocal reading, plenty of stinging guitarplay, and a full horn section blastin’ away at full strength. Miller was always more of a soul man than bluesman, but with a little help from guitarists Minhinnett and Stevenson and singer Delbert McClinton, the gang delivers a red-hot slab o’ roots ‘n’ blues with “Beginner At The Blues.”

A swinging, big band effort with honkin’ horns, Richard Cottle’s rattling keys, and the dichotomy of the two singers’ voices – Miller’s soul shouting and McClinton’s bluesy Texas twang – and the resulting “Beginner At The Blues” provides a mighty satisfying performance. Willie Nelson sits in on “I Wanna’ Spend My Life With You,” his wistful, emotional vocals fitting hand-in-glove with Miller’s tear-jerk reading as harp player Mickey Raphael blows mournfully above the mix.

The album closes with Miller’s plaintive “I Do,” the singer sparsely accompanied only by Cottle’s ethereal keyboards and guitarist James Graydon’s filigree acoustic. A showcase for Miller’s powerful, emotion-drenched vocals, it’s an achingly beautiful performance that wraps up all that was great about the singer’s career in a too-brief three-and-a-half minutes.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

There are more great performances on Frankie Miller’s Double Take than I have room to write about here, including those with Paul Carrack, John Parr, and Stuart Emerson. There’s only one real artistic fumble among the album’s nineteen tunes – Kid Rock’s appearance on “Jezebel Jones,” his reedy, countrified vocals trying in vain to mimic Bob Seger’s ‘Rust Belt’ howl while Miller’s slight vocal performance is virtually buried in the mix.

Kid Rock hasn’t been relevant to anybody but a few hardcore fans for years, yet he keeps popping up as a guest on albums by greater talents like Buddy Guy, John Fogerty, Sammy Hagar, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Producers, if Kid Rock is the best you can do in terms of a “guest star,” then you’ve clearly run out of ideas. That minor cavil aside, Frankie Miller’s Double Take is a loving tribute to a great singer and songwriter by a clearly inspired group of friends and talented admirers.

Kudos to producer David MacKay, who also contributes his not-inconsiderable musical talents to most of these songs; thanks also to all the performers who took time out of their busy careers to contribute their talents to this effort. Frankie Miller’s Double Take may be the best album he never made, Frankie Miller a too-often-overlooked artist well worth rediscovery. For longtime fans, the album is a gift from the rock ‘n’ soul gods who clearly blessed Mr. Francis John Miller with enormous talent and charisma. Grade: A+ (Universal Music, released November 11, 2016)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: Frankie Miller's Double Take

Fossils: The Faces' Ooh La La (1973)

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The Faces – Ooh La La

In the three years following the Faces’ rise, phoenix-like, from the ashes of British mod-era rockers the Small Faces, it had been a hell of a party. Although albums like 1971’s Long Player and A Nod Is as Good As a Wink…to a Blind Horse are now considered rock ‘n’ roll classics, and both were modest-to-impressive commercial successes (the former hitting #29 on the charts, the latter rising to #6 on the strength of the hit single “Stay With Me”), by the time of 1973’s Ooh La La, frontman Rod Stewart’s solo success had begun to outshine his erstwhile band. Ooh La La would take a step backwards on the charts, rising only as far as #21and yielding no hit singles; by contrast, Stewart’s fourth solo album, the previous year’s Never A Dull Moment, hit #2 on the charts and coughed up a pair of hits.

While it was apparent to anybody at the time that Stewart was sidling, albeit in slow-motion, towards the door on his way to exiting for a full-time solo jaunt, that doesn’t mean that Ooh La La doesn’t have its charms. Rod the Mod may have been gracing magazine covers instead of, say, bandmates Ron Wood or Ian McLagen, but Ooh La La was a true group effort, with all five members involved in the songwriting, resulting in great tunes like “Cindy Incidentally” and “Borstal Boys.” It was bassist Ronnie Lane, one of the original Small Faces, who was the band’s creative heart, and he dominated the songwriting on the album’s second half, providing the Faces with a fitting swansong for their final album.

The Warner Brothers label ad for the album was a perfect portrayal of the band’s public image, the reckless rockers gazing upwards at the upturned skirt of the dancing girl as the album cover’s leering visage sits in the top right corner. When the label called Ooh La La the Faces’ “sauciest album,” they may have been partly kidding, but they also weren’t that far off the mark!