“I Ain’t Superstitious” by The Jeff Beck Group
Dad: The first time I saw Jeff Beck was at the State Theater in Chicago. He was very rude. He came in late, played only forty-five minutes, and left. Didn’t even do an encore. If he wasn’t so damn good and his group so tight I would not have gone to see him again. We have seen him since in Minneapolis and he was very crowd pleasing and played for three hours. He seemed like a changed man.
5songpjct: Yeah, I was reading some pretty unfavorable things about him and his “leaving” the Yardbirds. It sounded like him and his bandmates didn’t get along.
Dad: It sounds like he wanted things to be absolutely perfect.
5songpjct: I feel like Jeff Beck is like Prince in a way, or probably vice versa. They find these raw talented unknown artists and cultivate them.
Dad: I would agree with that. I think that Jeff Beck isn’t a one band show. Jimmy Page is pretty much known just for Led Zeppelin. Jeff Beck has had several groups over the years and has had so many different albums with so many different musicians. In fact his current bass player Rhonda Smith was in New Power Generation, or at least that was his bass player when we saw him last in Minneapolis. He has played with so many people, Roger Waters, LeeAnn Rimes, believe it or not, Trombone Shorty, Donovan, Kate Bush, Jennifer Batten and on and on.
It felt like Rod Stewart leaving the Jeff Beck Group was like Justin Timberlake leaving In Sync at the time, but Jeff Beck went on to make tons of music. I think Rod Stewart is a Vegas act now.
5songpjct: Why did you choose this song?
It starts out with just a growl, he makes the guitar growl and I had never heard that before. Almost like the guitar was an animal. I hadn’t heard guitar playing like that before hearing Jeff Beck play. The blues riffs comes in the background setting up for Rod Stewart’s voice. The use of the wah wah pedal throughout the song is amazing.
COMING UP… Jimmy Page (Member of the Yardbirds 1965-1968)