Two giants together:
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English guitarist. He rose to prominence as a member of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to an instrumental style with focus on an innovative sound, and his releases spanned genres and styles ranging from blues rock, hard rock, jazz fusion and a blend of guitar-rock and electronica.
Beck was ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone and other magazines’ lists rankings of the greatest guitarists. He was often called a “guitarist’s guitarist”. Rolling Stone described him as “one of the most influential lead guitarists in rock”.
Although he recorded two successful albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck did not establish or maintain commercial success like that of his contemporaries and bandmates. He recorded with many artists.
Beck earned wide critical praise and received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times and Best Pop Instrumental Performance once. In 2014, he received the British Academy’s Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: first as a member of the Yardbirds (1992) and secondly as a solo artist (2009). (wikipedia)
Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fusion bassist to headline tours, sell out shows worldwide and have recordings reach gold status.
Clarke is a 5-time Grammy winner, with 15 nominations, 3 as a solo artist, 1 with the Stanley Clarke Band, and 1 with Return to Forever.[4][5] Clarke was selected to become a 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship.
A Stanley Clarke electric bass is permanently on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. (wikipedia)
Jeff Beck’s notable temperament is the source for much of his creativity onstage. It’s also the cause for his desire to expand his musical vocabulary and expression with other artists. The Jeff Beck Group is one such project, which was followed by works with Tim Bogart, Carmine Appice, and most notably with Jan Hammer.
But the project with Stanley Clarke stands out. According to the Jeff Beck Fanzine, when Beck was recording Blow By Blow he “was really into Stanley Clarke’s music. When he toured to promote Blow By Blow, he performed Clarke’s song Power in concert. Clarke heard about this and was knocked out by it. When Beck was around the area he dropped by his Long Island home and introduced himself. The two immediately began a friendship and Beck ended up playing on a few of his records.”
This tour of Japan and a tour of Europe in 1979 would be their only live appearances.
Clarke’s reputation among bass players is similar to Becks among guitarists. He’s known for his creativity, innovation and expanding the instrument’s use in musical composition and performance attaining star status as a solo artist. He was the first bass player to tour solo and each provides a fascinating foil for the other.
Some suggest that Clarke’s efforts live were obscured by Beck, but that’s not exactly true. Most of the set is dominated by Beck’s numbers, but there are a fair number of Clarke’s songs which allow him to display his talent. Hearing them compliment (not dueling against) one another is a treat as well since Beck had never had such a lyrical bassist before. (collectorsmusicreviews.com)
So … listen and enjoy this very rare recordings …
Recorded live at the Budokan, Tokyo, Japan 30th November 1978.
excellent audience recording
Personnel:
Jeff Beck (guitar)
Stanly Clarke(bass, vocals on 07.)
Tony Hymas (keyboards)
Simon Phillips (drums)
Alternate backcover:
Tracklist:
01. Darkness / Earth In Search Of A Sun (Hammer) 2.31
02. Star Cycle (Hammer) 4.35
03. Freeway Jam (Middelton) 6.49
04..Cat Moves (Hammer) 5.21
05. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Mingus) 4.56
06. Bass Solo/ School Days (Clarke) 10.38
07. Journey To Love + Lopsy Lu (Clarke) 11.32
08. Diamond Dust (Holland) 6.14
10. Scatterbrain (Beck) / Drum Solo (Phillips) 8.56
11. Rock ‘n’ Roll Jelly (Clarke) 7.21
12. Announcement
13. Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers (Wonder) 4.23
13. Blue Wind (Hammer) 6.02
14. Superstition (Wonder) 4.56
More from Jeff Beck:
More from Stanley Clarke:
Not only for the music of the Sixties were there many low budget samplers, the same is true for the musicians of the Seventies.
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