Blow By Blow

Jeff Beck

The first album released under his name—the seventh of his career—he had just completed 40 years without dropping off any list of Top Ten albums of electric guitar, or of any type. And it's not necessary to stay in rock music nor be a fan of someone capable of saying no to the Rolling Stones (him and Rory Gallagher). This album was composed precisely after making that difficult decision because what he really wanted to do was create an album of a fusion of jazz and its enveloping atmospheres.

Blow By Blow
continues undisturbed as the fourth best-selling instrumental album on the Billboard 200. Yet another record that keeps him in the realm of legends; luckily alive. To celebrate the anniversary, those who wished to deepen the grooves on his discs last year released on the Japanese market a complete and comprehensive reissue of Blow by Blow that borders on sheer geekiness. By the way, although it was recorded in October 1974, it did not go on sale until March of the following year; everyone is free to choose the birthday date to celebrate.

An elegant party just like all the guitar work of Beck in great shape and very confident in his abilities. Or almost, because they say that the recording process was a bit hellish in his near obsessive constant efforts to repeat over and over again his solos. His patient producer was the equally legendary George Martin, he was behind the Lennon/McCartney song of the album, “She’s a Woman”; and behind the two songs from Stevie Wonder (he gifted him one and lent him another). George even plays on one of the tracks without being listed in the credits.


Geoffrey Arnold Beck
(United Kingdom, 1944) has his image associated with the symbol of the Fender Stratocaster, that every once in a while he rests it to enjoy the Telecaster and the first model that appeared before his teenage eyes, a Gibson Les Paul. Of course, “customized” according to his changing tastes throughout his long career from the time of the Yardbirds, which led him to experiment both at a purely technological level with sound effects and as experiment with the "fusion" of music from different cultures.

In fact, it is now almost his trademark sound.  


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