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
Let Me Love You
Jeff Beck Group Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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.
[Jeff] Baby when you walk, you shake just like a willow tree.
Ah, yes you do darling,
every time I see ya' Oh!
[Jeff] Baby when you walk you know what, you shake just like a willow tree.
No, I know, I know, I know.
[Jeff] Oo-eee baby, you sure look so good to me.
Come on babe ... Yes I know ... Yeah
Baby when you walk,
you shake like a willow tree.
(You oughta know that by now)
Baby when you walk,
you shake like a willow tree.
And Oo-eee baby, you sure look so good to me.
(Easy with this one)
Let me love you baby, love you baby
No, 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 me,
Ah, ah, yeah
You're drivin' my poor heart crazy
Let me love you baby, love you baby,
Early in the morning time,
later in the evening,
Let me love you baby,
you're drivin' my poor heart [breath]... crazy.
The lyrics of Jeff Beck Group's song Let Me Love You are a plea from the singer to his lover. He is asking her to let him love her and is expressing the madness she brings into his life whenever she is around. He describes how she shakes like a willow tree when he sees her walk, expressing his attraction to her. He tells her that she looks so good to him and he just wants to love her in any way she chooses. The lyrics show that the singer is deeply in love with this woman and is willing to do anything to be with her, even if it makes him feel hazy.
The lyrics also demonstrate how the singer sees the world through her eyes. When he is with her, he feels like his whole life is hazy, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the cloudiness one may feel when falling in love. The use of "over here" in the beginning of the song suggests that the singer is trying to get the attention of the woman he is singing to. The repetition of "let me love you baby" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's desperation to be with his love interest.
Overall, the lyrics to Let Me Love You are a classic representation of a man's love for a woman. The singer expresses his admiration for the woman's beauty and his desire to be with her. The lyrics are simple, yet poignant, and they showcase the passion and intensity that are often associated with love.
Line by Line Meaning
Over here!
This line is an attention grabber to the woman being addressed in the song.
Let me love you baby, you're drivin' my poor heart crazy.
The artist is asking the woman to let him love her as being with her makes him lose control.
When I'm with you woman, my whole life seems so hazy.
Being with the woman makes the life of the artist seem blurry in a way that is difficult to comprehend.
Ah, don't you know that.
This line is an expression of surprise to the woman, making her aware that her actions and looks shake the artist's world.
[Jeff] Baby when you walk, you shake just like a willow tree.
The woman's walk is compared to the shaky swaying of a willow tree, emphasizing that she has a unique and beautiful way of moving.
Ah, yes you do darling, every time I see ya' Oh!
The artist affirms that the woman indeed shakes like a willow tree, and every time he sees her, he is struck by her elegance.
[Jeff] Oo-eee baby, you sure look so good to me.
The artist can't help but admire the woman for how good she looks to him.
Let me love you baby, love you baby. No, I know, I know.
The artist insists on his plea to the woman to let him love her, and he knows that he feels strongly about the matter.
Let me love you baby, Ah you, let me love you ... What you got.
The artist expressly wants the woman to allow him to love her and wondering why she is holding back.
Let me love you baby, love you baby Any old way you choose it, I don't mind what time you call me, Ah, ah, yeah
The artist is telling the woman to allow him to love her the way she wants, and he doesn't care about when she does, expressing his strong feelings and willingness to do anything for her.
Early in the morning time, later in the evening, Let me love you baby, you're drivin' my poor heart [breath]... crazy.
The woman's power over the artist is so strong that he pleads with her to let him love her either early or late in the day, indicating that he is always available and consumed by his affection for her.
Writer(s): Shaffer Smith, Scott Storch, Kameron Houff Copyright: Reservoir Media Music, Reservoir Media Music O.B.O. Tuff Jew Productions LLC
Contributed by Gabriel K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.