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24FPS
Beck is in this strange position. He was never that big as a rock star in America, at least, because he never allied himself with a big time vocalist for very long. He had no Robert Plant, or Steve Tyler, with greatest hits to play over and over and over. He doesn't really have A greatest hit. It's probably been detrimental to him financially, but hey, for us it's great. It's like seeing a new artist playing all kinds of music, which is much more exciting than hearing SFTD for the 900th time.

Most artists like Led Zeppelin, Cream, the Stones, have to play those hits. They may

I sent Jeff a note via his website on his birthday (I have no delusions about whether he'll receive it or not but hey, you never know). Talked about how much his music has meant to me. My main point though was I told him how much I admire him for following his muse. That's the key to many of my favorite artists. Following your heart, commercial considerations be damned. For me, that's what true art is all about. Art vs. product. Of course, art is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder. The cool thing is that while not always being mega-rich, most of these folks make a decent living while being true to themselves. The artists like that tend to be the ones that I really listen to often. Sometimes it takes time for them to realize that but once they do the results are worth the wait. Examples of some of the folks I'm talking about are (in varying degrees) are Jeff Beck (obviously), The Flaming Lips, Neil Finn, Trent Reznor, David Bowie, Guided By Voices, Nick Cave, John Frusciante, Neil Young, Drive-by Truckers, Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs), Robert Smith, Iggy Pop, Jeff Tweedy, Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Mark Lanegan, Mogwai, Merle Haggard, Jack White & You Am I (really awesome, sort of obscure Aussie band who have been around a long time). That's a pretty good list of my favorite music that I listen to a lot. My tastes vary wildly & I do like some more commercial stuff plenty, like the Stones. I often wonder what the Stones would've been like if they hadn't been quite so huge. It certainly would've rendered the war horse argument mute. I still love them but my expectations for anything new & exciting are low. Sorry if I've been long winded but I've been thinking about this stuff a lot lately after a recent brush with mortality. I certainly have no intentions of offending anyone.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-06-27 12:30 by crholmstrom.

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You had to cancel a European tour in June a for an emergency medical procedure on your back. What happened?
It was two things. About a year before, I'd had a back problem and I had to have an MRI scan and I couldn't walk. It was just a lower-back injury from lifting things while working on my hotrods. And then that turned into something where I just couldn't stand up for more than 10 minutes during the last European tour. And I said, "Look, I've got to get this fixed." So I had to get some surgery. They drilled about four holes in the front. After that, the problem kicked in again. I couldn't even get out of bed for about a week after the operation. It just slowed me down generally.

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gotdablouse
Not sure if this was already posted somewhere else but Jeff gives some insight on what happened with his health in May :

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You had to cancel a European tour in June a for an emergency medical procedure on your back. What happened?
It was two things. About a year before, I'd had a back problem and I had to have an MRI scan and I couldn't walk. It was just a lower-back injury from lifting things while working on my hotrods. And then that turned into something where I just couldn't stand up for more than 10 minutes during the last European tour. And I said, "Look, I've got to get this fixed." So I had to get some surgery. They drilled about four holes in the front. After that, the problem kicked in again. I couldn't even get out of bed for about a week after the operation. It just slowed me down generally.

Full article here [www.rollingstone.com] with some insight on how Brian Wilson operates these days...kinda scary!

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JohnnyBGoode
Listening to Blow By Blow. Anyone ready for the new Eagle Rock release of Live In Tokyo?

[www.youtube.com]

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Doxa

Frank [Beard, ZZ Top's drummer] plays slightly behind the beat, and that's the key. It's the same way that the Rolling Stones have this side of sloppiness that somehow when it reaches the air and the audience, it becomes one. When precision is there, it somehow loses some of its groove in the air.

- Doxa

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dcba

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Doxa

Frank [Beard, ZZ Top's drummer] plays slightly behind the beat, and that's the key. It's the same way that the Rolling Stones have this side of sloppiness that somehow when it reaches the air and the audience, it becomes one. When precision is there, it somehow loses some of its groove in the air.

- Doxa

Funny to see Beck talkign about groove : it's a bit like hearing a blind guy talking about colours...

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Naturalust
Saw him in Missoula, Montana on his first date after his medical issues and his playing was fantastic. Such a great technician on that guitar. The medical procedure obviously didn't effect his fingers or his brain.

In my opinion the best guitar player on the planet these days. Wonderful to see someone who just keeps getting better and better and shows no sign of slowing down at 70! Just amazing. peace