Jeff Beck Group - Paris Theatre 1972 (2023)

STUNNING 1972 PERFORMANCE BY THE SECOND JEFF BECK GROUP Following his two-year stint in the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck recorded the pop single Hi Ho Silver Lining for Mickie Most, then formed the first Jeff Beck Group featuring Rod Steward on vocals, and Ronnie Wood on guitar. The group produced two albums, Truth (August 1968) and Beck-Ola (July 1969). Resentment in the group, coupled with touring incidents, led the band to dissolve in July 1969. Following the death of Brian Jones, Beck was approached about joining the Rolling Stones. In 1970, Beck set about forming a band with drummer Cozy Powell. Beck, Powell and producer Mickie Most flew to the United States and recorded several tracks at Motown's famed Studio A with the Funk Brothers, Motown's in-house band, but the results remained unreleased. By April 1971 Beck had completed the line-up of this new group with guitarist/vocalist Bobby Tench, keyboard player Max Middleton and bassist Clive Chaman. The new band performed as "the Jeff Beck Group" but had a substantially different sound from the first line-up. Rough and Ready (October 1971), the first album they recorded, on which Beck wrote or co-wrote six of the album's seven tracks, included elements of soul, rhythm-and-blues and jazz, foreshadowing the direction Beck's music would take later in the decade. A second album Jeff Beck Group (May 1972) was recorded at TMI studios in Memphis, Tennessee with the same personnel. Beck employed Steve Cropper as producer] and the album displayed a strong soul influence, five of the nine tracks being covers of songs by American artists. Following the record s release, the band made some live appearances, including one special show at London s Paris Theatre which was recorded for live broadcast on the BBC. The concert was a sterling success, despite being performed in front of a small audience; the band played superbly, the material was top-notch and the ambiance in the theatre startling. Previously unreleased, this magical concert is now available in its entirety on this new CD.