The first Jeff Beck Group formed in London in early 1967 and included guita… Read Full Bio ↴The first Jeff Beck Group formed in London in early 1967 and included guitarist Jeff Beck, vocalist Rod Stewart, rhythm guitarist Ronnie Wood, with bass players and drummers changing regularly. Early bass players were Jet Harris and Dave Ambrose, with Clem Cattini and Viv Prince trying out on drums. The lineup went through months of personnel changes, notably no less than four drummers before settling on Aynsley Dunbar and switching Ron Wood to bass. This line up spent most of 1967 playing the UK club circuit and appeared several times on BBC Radio. Beck signed a personal management contract with record producer and manager Mickie Most who had no interest in the group, only Beck as a solo artist.
During 1967 the band released three singles in Europe and two in the United States, the first being the most successful. "Hi Ho Silver Lining" reached #14 on the UK singles chart and included the instrumental "Beck's Bolero" (1966) as the B side, which was actually recorded several months prior to the A side. The lineup for that session included guitarist Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar, bass player John Paul Jones, drummer Keith Moon (of The Who) and pianist Nicky Hopkins. Another two tracks are said to have been recorded, but have never seen the light of day. Each artist involved were keen to start a band, but because of contractual complications and other responsibilities it never took place. The next two singles fared far worse, although Rod Stewart and the rest of the Jeff Beck Group can be heard on both B sides. Frustrated that the band was not playing a strict enough blues set for his taste (they were actually billed quite often as "The Jeff Beck Blues Band"), drummer Dunbar left and was replaced by Roy Cook for one show, before Stewart recommended Micky Waller, a bandmate of his from Steampacket. Waller went on to play with the band all through 1968 and early 1969, and was their longest-lasting drummer.[1]
Peter Grant, a road manager at the time, had been to the US with The New Vaudeville Band, and was aware of the new concert and Album-oriented rock FM radio format developing there. It was now possible to break out a band without using the "hit single" formula. Grant realised that Beck's band was ideal for this market and tried several times to buy Beck's contract from Mickie Most, who refused to let Beck go. By early 1968 the band was ready to throw in the towel, and again to his credit, Grant convinced them not to break up, and booked a short US tour for them. Beck is quoted as saying "We were literally down to one change of clothing each". Grant's first stop for them was in New York City, for four shows at Fillmore East, where they played second on the bill to The Grateful Dead. They apparently took the town by storm. The New York Times ran the Robert Shelton article: "Jeff Beck Group Cheered in Debut", with the byline "British Pop Singers Delight Fillmore East Audience" proclaiming that Beck and his group had upstaged the Grateful Dead. The reviews from The Boston Tea Party were as good or better: "By the time he got to his last number... (the fans) were in a state of pandemonium the likes of which hadn't been witnessed since The Beatles hit town." By the time they wrapped up the tour at San Francisco's Fillmore West, Peter Grant had secured them a new album contract with Epic Records.
Beck with the Jeff Beck Group, 1968 Photo: Grant Gouldon
The band quickly returned to England to record Truth, which reached #15 in the US charts. The tracks were recorded within two weeks, with overdubs added the following month. Mickie Most was busy with other projects at the time and delegated most of the work to Ken Scott who basically recorded the band playing their live set in the studio. Beck's amplifier was apparently so loud[citation needed], it was recorded from inside a closet. The extra line up for these sessions included John Paul Jones on Hammond organ, drummer Keith Moon and Nicky Hopkins on piano. They returned to the US for a tour to promote the release of Truth, billed as The Jeff Beck Group. Long time Beck fan Jimi Hendrix jammed with the band at Cafe Wha during this and their following tours.[2]
They embarked on their third tour in December 1968 with Nicky Hopkins, who although in poor health, decided he wanted to play live. He accepted Beck's invitation, even though he had been offered more money by Led Zeppelin. Later, he lamented that "We lost one of the greatest bands in Rock history...." This was high praise from someone who played and recorded with some of the most stellar acts in the business. Even with his best intentions, the last leg of the tour was curtailed by illness. Beck then postponed a fourth, February 1969 US tour. This was also because he felt they shouldn't keep playing the same material with nothing new to add to it. New material was written, Micky Waller was replaced by power drummer Tony Newman and Wood was dismissed, only to be re-hired almost immediately. The success of Truth ignited new interest from Mickie Most and they recorded an album with the same name of their earlier single: Beck-Ola at De Lane Lea Studios, engineered by Martin Birch. They released the single "Plynth" and laid down three Donovan backing tracks as a favour to Most. Two of them were used for his single "Barabajagal" (Love Is Hot).[3].
In May 1969 the Jeff Beck Group embarked on their fourth U.S tour, this time with Nicky Hopkins as a full fledged member. The tour went smoothly, Beck-Ola was received extremely well, reaching #15 on The Billboard Charts, but it was reported that there was now terrible in-fighting within the band. Rod Stewart had recorded his first album The Rod Stewart Album for Mercury Records. They finished and returned to England, only to turn around and come right back to the States in July 1969 for their fifth and final time. It was a short tour, mostly along the East Coast, including Maryland, their final Fillmore East appearance, and the Newport Jazz Festival. Beck broke up the band on the eve of the Woodstock Music Festival, altthough they had been scheduled to play there. This is something that Beck now regrets.[2]
[edit] The second Jeff Beck Group
Jeff Beck with Fender Stratocaster
Courtesy: Jean-Luc Ourlin
Late in 1970 Jeff Beck reformed The Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Alex Ligertwood, keyboardist Max Middleton, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Clive Chaman. During June 1971 Beck signed a record deal with CBS and was looking for a new singer. After hearing Bobby Tench perform with his band Gass, "Upstairs" at Ronnie Scott's club in Soho London,[4] Beck employed him as vocalist and second guitarist.
Tench was given only a few weeks to write new lyrics and add his vocals to the album Rough and Ready, before mixing resumed on tracks previously recorded in London by Beck and the other band members. The album was finished in July 1971 and they toured Finland, Holland, Switzerland and Germany. Rough and Ready was released in UK on 25 October 1971,[5] with the US release following during February 1972. A sixteen day promotional tour in USA followed[6] and the album eventually reached #46 in the album charts.
In January 1972 the band travelled to USA, to join Beck at TMI studios in Memphis, Tennessee. This is where they recorded the album Jeff Beck Group,[7] using Steve Cropper as producer.[8] Jeff Beck Group was released in UK on 9 June 1972. The promotional tour which followed included an appearance on the BBC Radio 1 "In Concert" series, which was recorded on 29 June 1972. During this session they played "Definitely Maybe" which featured Bobby Tench playing guitar[9], a rare occasion whilst Tench was associated with Beck.[10]
On 24 July 1972 The Jeff Beck Group was officially disbanded and Beck's management put out this statement: "The fusion of musical styles of the various members has been successful, within the terms of individual musicians, but they didn't feel it had led to the creation of a new musical style with the strength they had originally sought".[10]
[edit] Discography
* 1968 - Truth (Epic)
* 1969 - Beck-Ola (Epic)
* 1971 - Rough and Ready (Epic)
* 1972 - Jeff Beck Group (Epic)
[edit]
During 1967 the band released three singles in Europe and two in the United States, the first being the most successful. "Hi Ho Silver Lining" reached #14 on the UK singles chart and included the instrumental "Beck's Bolero" (1966) as the B side, which was actually recorded several months prior to the A side. The lineup for that session included guitarist Jimmy Page on rhythm guitar, bass player John Paul Jones, drummer Keith Moon (of The Who) and pianist Nicky Hopkins. Another two tracks are said to have been recorded, but have never seen the light of day. Each artist involved were keen to start a band, but because of contractual complications and other responsibilities it never took place. The next two singles fared far worse, although Rod Stewart and the rest of the Jeff Beck Group can be heard on both B sides. Frustrated that the band was not playing a strict enough blues set for his taste (they were actually billed quite often as "The Jeff Beck Blues Band"), drummer Dunbar left and was replaced by Roy Cook for one show, before Stewart recommended Micky Waller, a bandmate of his from Steampacket. Waller went on to play with the band all through 1968 and early 1969, and was their longest-lasting drummer.[1]
Peter Grant, a road manager at the time, had been to the US with The New Vaudeville Band, and was aware of the new concert and Album-oriented rock FM radio format developing there. It was now possible to break out a band without using the "hit single" formula. Grant realised that Beck's band was ideal for this market and tried several times to buy Beck's contract from Mickie Most, who refused to let Beck go. By early 1968 the band was ready to throw in the towel, and again to his credit, Grant convinced them not to break up, and booked a short US tour for them. Beck is quoted as saying "We were literally down to one change of clothing each". Grant's first stop for them was in New York City, for four shows at Fillmore East, where they played second on the bill to The Grateful Dead. They apparently took the town by storm. The New York Times ran the Robert Shelton article: "Jeff Beck Group Cheered in Debut", with the byline "British Pop Singers Delight Fillmore East Audience" proclaiming that Beck and his group had upstaged the Grateful Dead. The reviews from The Boston Tea Party were as good or better: "By the time he got to his last number... (the fans) were in a state of pandemonium the likes of which hadn't been witnessed since The Beatles hit town." By the time they wrapped up the tour at San Francisco's Fillmore West, Peter Grant had secured them a new album contract with Epic Records.
Beck with the Jeff Beck Group, 1968 Photo: Grant Gouldon
The band quickly returned to England to record Truth, which reached #15 in the US charts. The tracks were recorded within two weeks, with overdubs added the following month. Mickie Most was busy with other projects at the time and delegated most of the work to Ken Scott who basically recorded the band playing their live set in the studio. Beck's amplifier was apparently so loud[citation needed], it was recorded from inside a closet. The extra line up for these sessions included John Paul Jones on Hammond organ, drummer Keith Moon and Nicky Hopkins on piano. They returned to the US for a tour to promote the release of Truth, billed as The Jeff Beck Group. Long time Beck fan Jimi Hendrix jammed with the band at Cafe Wha during this and their following tours.[2]
They embarked on their third tour in December 1968 with Nicky Hopkins, who although in poor health, decided he wanted to play live. He accepted Beck's invitation, even though he had been offered more money by Led Zeppelin. Later, he lamented that "We lost one of the greatest bands in Rock history...." This was high praise from someone who played and recorded with some of the most stellar acts in the business. Even with his best intentions, the last leg of the tour was curtailed by illness. Beck then postponed a fourth, February 1969 US tour. This was also because he felt they shouldn't keep playing the same material with nothing new to add to it. New material was written, Micky Waller was replaced by power drummer Tony Newman and Wood was dismissed, only to be re-hired almost immediately. The success of Truth ignited new interest from Mickie Most and they recorded an album with the same name of their earlier single: Beck-Ola at De Lane Lea Studios, engineered by Martin Birch. They released the single "Plynth" and laid down three Donovan backing tracks as a favour to Most. Two of them were used for his single "Barabajagal" (Love Is Hot).[3].
In May 1969 the Jeff Beck Group embarked on their fourth U.S tour, this time with Nicky Hopkins as a full fledged member. The tour went smoothly, Beck-Ola was received extremely well, reaching #15 on The Billboard Charts, but it was reported that there was now terrible in-fighting within the band. Rod Stewart had recorded his first album The Rod Stewart Album for Mercury Records. They finished and returned to England, only to turn around and come right back to the States in July 1969 for their fifth and final time. It was a short tour, mostly along the East Coast, including Maryland, their final Fillmore East appearance, and the Newport Jazz Festival. Beck broke up the band on the eve of the Woodstock Music Festival, altthough they had been scheduled to play there. This is something that Beck now regrets.[2]
[edit] The second Jeff Beck Group
Jeff Beck with Fender Stratocaster
Courtesy: Jean-Luc Ourlin
Late in 1970 Jeff Beck reformed The Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Alex Ligertwood, keyboardist Max Middleton, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Clive Chaman. During June 1971 Beck signed a record deal with CBS and was looking for a new singer. After hearing Bobby Tench perform with his band Gass, "Upstairs" at Ronnie Scott's club in Soho London,[4] Beck employed him as vocalist and second guitarist.
Tench was given only a few weeks to write new lyrics and add his vocals to the album Rough and Ready, before mixing resumed on tracks previously recorded in London by Beck and the other band members. The album was finished in July 1971 and they toured Finland, Holland, Switzerland and Germany. Rough and Ready was released in UK on 25 October 1971,[5] with the US release following during February 1972. A sixteen day promotional tour in USA followed[6] and the album eventually reached #46 in the album charts.
In January 1972 the band travelled to USA, to join Beck at TMI studios in Memphis, Tennessee. This is where they recorded the album Jeff Beck Group,[7] using Steve Cropper as producer.[8] Jeff Beck Group was released in UK on 9 June 1972. The promotional tour which followed included an appearance on the BBC Radio 1 "In Concert" series, which was recorded on 29 June 1972. During this session they played "Definitely Maybe" which featured Bobby Tench playing guitar[9], a rare occasion whilst Tench was associated with Beck.[10]
On 24 July 1972 The Jeff Beck Group was officially disbanded and Beck's management put out this statement: "The fusion of musical styles of the various members has been successful, within the terms of individual musicians, but they didn't feel it had led to the creation of a new musical style with the strength they had originally sought".[10]
[edit] Discography
* 1968 - Truth (Epic)
* 1969 - Beck-Ola (Epic)
* 1971 - Rough and Ready (Epic)
* 1972 - Jeff Beck Group (Epic)
[edit]
Let Me Love You
Jeff Beck/Mickey Waller/Nicky Hopkins/Rod Stewart/Tony Newman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Over here)
Let me love you baby,
You're drivin' my poor heart crazy.
Let me love you baby,
You're drivin' my poor heart crazy.
When I'm with you woman,
My whole life seems so hazy.
(Ah, don't you know that)
Baby, when you walk,
You shake just like a willow tree?
(Ah, yes you do, darlin', every time I see ya. Oh!)
Baby, when you walk you know what?
You shake just like a willow tree.
(Know, I know, I know, I know.)
Oh baby, you sure look so good to me.
(Come on babe
Yes, I know it
Yeah)
Baby when you walk,
You shake like a willow tree.
(You ought to know that by now.)
Baby when you walk,
You shake like a willow tree.
And oh baby, you sure look so good to me.
(Easy with this one)
Let me love you baby,
Love you baby.
Know, I know, I know.
Let me love you baby.
Ah you let me love you ... What you got.
Let me love you baby.
Love you baby.
Any old way you choose it.
I don't mind what time you call, (Ah, ah, yeah)
You're drivin' my poor heart crazy.
Let me love you baby.
Love you baby.
Early in the mornin' time.
Later in the evenin'.
Let me love you baby,
You're drivin' my poor heart
Crazy.
Let me love you baby,
You're drivin' my poor heart crazy.
Let me love you baby,
You're drivin' my poor heart crazy.
When I'm with you woman,
(Ah, don't you know that)
Baby, when you walk,
You shake just like a willow tree?
(Ah, yes you do, darlin', every time I see ya. Oh!)
Baby, when you walk you know what?
You shake just like a willow tree.
(Know, I know, I know, I know.)
Oh baby, you sure look so good to me.
(Come on babe
Yes, I know it
Yeah)
Baby when you walk,
You shake like a willow tree.
(You ought to know that by now.)
Baby when you walk,
You shake like a willow tree.
And oh baby, you sure look so good to me.
(Easy with this one)
Let me love you baby,
Love you baby.
Know, I know, I know.
Let me love you baby.
Ah you let me love you ... What you got.
Let me love you baby.
Love you baby.
Any old way you choose it.
I don't mind what time you call, (Ah, ah, yeah)
You're drivin' my poor heart crazy.
Let me love you baby.
Love you baby.
Early in the mornin' time.
Later in the evenin'.
Let me love you baby,
You're drivin' my poor heart
Crazy.
The song "Let Me Love You" by Jeff Beck is a classic blues song about a man who is deeply in love with a woman who he can't resist. The lyrics reveal how the woman has driven the man's heart crazy because he is so infatuated with her. He pleads with her to allow him to love her and makes it clear that he can't get enough of her. The man explains how his life seems so hazy without her, emphasizing how important she is to him.
The lyrics go on to describe the movements of the woman, stating how she moves and walks like a willow tree, which is a metaphor for her ability to sway effortlessly and elegantly. Beck describes how the woman's movements capture his attention every time she is around, emphasizing his infatuation with her. The final verses express the man's willingness to be available for her any time she needs him, emphasizing his undying love for her.
Overall, the song has a bluesy and romantic feel that captures the essence of Beck's unique sound, combined with the timeless subject of love and infatuation.
Line by Line Meaning
(Over here) Let me love you baby, You're drivin' my poor heart crazy.
I want to love you and you make me crazy with desire.
When I'm with you woman, My whole life seems so hazy.
Being with you is so intoxicating that I can't think straight.
Baby, when you walk, You shake just like a willow tree?
Do you realize how alluring your movements are to me?
Baby, you sure look so good to me.
I find you incredibly attractive.
Let me love you baby, Love you baby. Know, I know, I know. Let me love you baby.
I'm begging you to let me be with you because I'm certain of my feelings.
Ah you let me love you ... What you got.
Please give me a chance to prove my love to you.
Any old way you choose it. I don't mind what time you call, (Ah, ah, yeah)
I'll take you any way I can get you, even if it means being available at all hours of the day.
Let me love you baby. Love you baby. Early in the mornin' time. Later in the evenin'.
I want to love you at all times of day, whenever you're available.
Let me love you baby, You're drivin' my poor heart Crazy.
You have such an incredible hold on me that I can't resist your charms.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DORIS TAUBER, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Bruce Chavis
One. Excelent. Guitar player
david moon
Ronnie Wood on bass