The first Jeff Beck Group was formed in the U.K. in 1967, consisting of Jeff Beck guitar, Rod Stewart vocals, Ron Wood bass, and Aynsley Dunbar drums. Beck had unfortunately signed a personal management contract with famed U.K. singles producer and manager, Mickie Most. Beck had envisioned forming the band he eventually did, but for the first part of their existence (early '67), they were relegated to being a 'backup band' for Beck, but Most lost interest in Beck quickly, and the group floundered for the better part of a year. In fact, if it weren't for Most's employee Peter Grant, they would have almost certainly ended up on the scrap heap before they ever got started.
Grant's interests were not entirely philanthropic though, as he was keenly interested in managing his own band. Having been to the States as tour manager for The New Vaudeville Band, he was well aware of a new Concert and Album trend developing in the U.S., where a band could be launched through concerts - without a hit single. Beck's outfit was made to order for this new market. And so he tried - repeatedly, desperately, and in vain to buy Beck's contract from Mickie Most. And although Most had lost interest in Beck, he stubbornly refused to sell. Grant however, wasn't beaten, and in early '68, he arranged a six week U.S. tour for the band. It was their last chance... Dunbar had left to play 'straight blues', being replaced briefly by Roy Cook and then eventually by Micky Waller, and according to Beck, they were down to "literally one clothing change!!" ...The gamble paid off - they took the States by storm... The response was phenominal, and Grant used their reviews (most notably The New York Times) to secure a contract with Epic records for a U.S. release. Upon return to the U.K., Most left the project in the hands of the band and a young, budding genius engineer/producer, Ken Scott, who had worked with The Beatles, and was soon to produce all of David Bowie and The Spiders From Mars records... The result was "Truth", to this day considered a 'touchstone' to many musicians, and a seminal influence on all 'Hard Blues','Hard Rock', and 'Heavy Metal' music that was to follow, (via Led Zeppelin), often sighted as usurpers of Beck's act, and largely (behind the scenes) responsible for its breakup.
This four piece lineup then toured the U.S. to coincide with the release of 'Truth' in early/mid 1968. The tour was another huge success, and they were being touted as the obvious replacement to Cream. The album climbed to number 15 on the Billboard charts and at Peter Grant's insistence, Jimmy Page was present for most of the second tours shows - apparently studying the band, their audience and material. Many insiders claim that Grant and Page were plotting to form a similar group, which they quickly did; trying to snag the 'gravel-sounding' vocal stylings of Steve Marriott, Terry Reid, and Paul Rodgers among others, before settling on Robert Plant temporarily.
Late in the year, well-known session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins accepted an offer to tour with The Beck Group, although offered more money to tour with Led Zeppelin. This lineup (Beck, Stewart, Wood, Waller and Hopkins), is considered by many to be one of the finest in rock history. But they would ultimately suffer from internal stuggles, jealousies and firings (reportedly from 'he said,'she said' rumours, whispered into Beck and Stewart's ears by Grant himself). Ron Wood was fired at least twice, and in 1969 Micky Waller was replaced by drummer Tony Newman, who stayed with the group until they disbanded. It really must be said that this was definitely a 'live' band. Their list of gigs from 1967 to 1969 is staggering... Through most of 1967 they played the club circuit up and down England, as well as short tours to Europe and Scandinavia. 1968 and 1969 saw them playing an almost unbelievable amount of shows, mostly in the U.S., but again in Europe as well.
Sadly though, for a band that stayed together almost three years, their output is lacking. They were only to produce three ill-conceived U.K. singles, and two L.P.'s. There are however, dozens of early recordings produced at DeLane Lea studios in 1967 and 1968, specifically for various BBC radio shows, including 'Saturday Club', 'Top Gear', and the "Simmonds Show'. Although bootlegged in very poor quality, these have never been officially released.
In mid 1969, after completing the admittedly rushed 'Beck-Ola', The JBG toured the States for the last time with Nicky Hopkins, who had to stop touring for health reasons. They were to do a bit more touring as a four-piece in '69, notably appearing at the Newport Jazz Festival, but unfortunately the forces working against them proved too great, and the band dissolved on the eve of the Woodstock Festival, at which they were scheduled to appear (they are listed on the promotional posters and ads). One wishes this had been their swansong, as it would have cemented their rightful place in history, and as there is virtually no known TV or film footage of this band.
After the group disbanded, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood went on to join The Small Faces, who were about to break up because of the loss of Steve Marriott. Meanwhile, Jeff Beck planned to join Vanilla Fudge Rhythm section, Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice, but suffered a head injury in a car wreck. Bogert and Appice would go on to form Cactus while Beck recovered.
After recovering from his injuries, Beck reformed the group with vocalist Bob Tench, keyboardist Max Middleton, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Clive Chaman. The band would go on to release two more albums, "Rough & Ready" in '71 and a self-titled album in 1972, before disbanding.
Jeff Beck Group is also on Last.fm as The Jeff Beck Group.
Official Website: Jeff Beck
Jody
Jeff Beck Group Lyrics
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The backyard we played in won't let a child die
Um Jody these are the reasons why
The schoolyard we laughed in won't let us pass it by
Oh I was so sad when you fell of the wall
You was so glad cause you laughed at us all
We could be almost anything that we wanna be
Sometimes I was a mountain or a seagull by the shore
Thank god my memory will live for ever more
Jody our sun is going down today
But Jody today's when I feel
You know our sun I said he he's going down today
Jody the days not real no no no
Ooh I was so sad when you fell of the wall
You was so glad cause you laughed at us all
We could be almost anything that we wanna be
Me way and you away coming in from the sea
Sometimes I was a mountain or a seagull by the shore
Thank god my memory will live for ever more
The song "Jody" by Jeff Beck Group is a nostalgic and sentimental song that reminisces on childhood memories and lost friends. The lyrics suggest that Jody, most likely a childhood friend of the writer, has passed away, but the memories of their joyful and carefree times still remain. The first stanza of the song seems to highlight the reasons why their childhood haunts or landmarks, such as the backyard and schoolyard, are significant to them - they were the sites where they experienced innocent and happy times together. The second and third stanzas express the sadness and disbelief of the writer at the news of Jody's passing, as well as the comfort of preserving their memories together.
The lyrics are full of bittersweet reminiscence and the beauty of the moments experienced and shared in their youth. The writer elegantly captures how the sun, which symbolizes life and joy, can also set on it, and life can change in an instance. The last stanza repeats the first, bringing the song full circle and creating a circular and never-ending cycle of memories.
Overall, "Jody" is a poignant and powerful song that captures the essence of love and friendship, and how memories can remain cherished, long after the moments have passed.
Line by Line Meaning
Jody these are the reasons why
I want to explain the reasons why things are the way they are to you, Jody.
The backyard we played in won't let a child die
The backyard we used to play in is safe and secure, so no child can be hurt or die there.
Um Jody these are the reasons why
Once again, Jody, I want to explain the reasons behind our situation.
The schoolyard we laughed in won't let us pass it by
The schoolyard where we had so much fun is still present in our minds, so we cannot simply ignore it.
Oh I was so sad when you fell off the wall
Jody, I felt really bad when you fell off the wall.
You was so glad cause you laughed at us all
Despite hurting yourself, you were still happy and laughed at us all, Jody.
We could be almost anything that we wanna be
Jody, we used to dream about being anything we wanted to be and knew we could achieve it.
Me away and you away coming in from the sea
We always imagined ourselves as travelers, coming back from a long voyage, Jody.
Sometimes I was a mountain or a seagull by the shore
In my imagination, Jody, I was either a majestic mountain or a free-spirited seagull by the shore.
Thank god my memory will live for ever more
I am grateful that my memories of our fun times together, Jody, will always stay with me.
Jody our sun is going down today
Jody, our time together is coming to an end, like the setting of the sun.
But Jody today's when I feel
Despite this, Jody, today is when I feel most alive and aware of our situation.
You know our sun I said he he's going down today
Jody, I just wanted to remind you that our time together is ending soon, like the setting of the sun.
Jody the days not real no no no
Jody, the fact that our time together is almost over doesn't seem real to me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BRIAN SHORT, JEFF BECK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind