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
Plynth
Jeff Beck Group Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And thought exactly the same as I'm thinking now
Every night for a year I've slept alone
My cold damp room looks worse than me
I got a fear of death that creeps on every night
I know I won't die soon but then again I might
Just like water down the drain I'm wasting away
I'm going far
Ah, ah, ah
And oh, water down the drain flows to the sea
The pattern of my life keeps a-hauntin' me
Like moisture from the ocean fills the sky
Comes on down to the ground as time goes by
Ah, ah, ah
Please don't weep for me when I'm gone
Ah, ah, ah
I got a fear of death that creeps on every night
I know I won't die soon but then again I might
Please don't weep for me when I'm gone
Ah, ah, ah
A fear of death that creeps on every night
The lyrics of Jeff Beck Group's song "Plynth" are introspective and depict a sense of loneliness and impending mortality. The singer mentions waking up on a morning feeling the same as he has been thinking for the past year. He sings about spending every night sleeping alone in a cold, damp room that looks worse than he does. The fear of death creeps upon him every night, and he knows he won't die soon, but there is always that possibility. He feels like he is wasting away like water down the drain, and doctors can't help him as he is just a ghost of a man.
In the second verse, the singer continues to talk about water down the drain, and how the pattern of his life keeps haunting him. Like moisture from the ocean, which fills the sky, falls back to the ground as time goes by, this pattern of his life is pushing him towards death. He ends the song with a plea to not weep for him when he's gone, as he has accepted the fear of death that creeps on him every night.
Line by Line Meaning
I've woken up on mornings such as this
I have experienced mornings like this before
And thought exactly the same as I'm thinking now
Those mornings have led me to think the same thoughts as I am having now
Every night for a year I've slept alone
I have spent the last year sleeping alone at night
My cold damp room looks worse than me
My room, which is cold and damp, looks worse than I do
I got a fear of death that creeps on every night
I have a fear of death that troubles me every night
I know I won't die soon but then again I might
I realize that I may not die soon, but I also know that death is always a possibility
Just like water down the drain I'm wasting away
I feel like I am slowly wasting away, just like water flowing down a drain
And oh, doctors can't help. a ghost of a man, that's me
Despite seeking medical attention, I feel like a mere ghost of a man without any solutions from doctors
I'm going far
I am determined to go far, both figuratively and literally
And oh, water down the drain flows to the sea
I am reminded that, like water flowing down a drain, my life is constantly moving towards an inevitable end
The pattern of my life keeps a-hauntin' me
The pattern of my life constantly haunts me, making me feel like it is beyond my control
Like moisture from the ocean fills the sky
The same way that moisture over oceans leads to rain, the pattern of my life leads to constant haunting
Comes on down to the ground as time goes by
As time passes, my life pattern becomes more and more grounded in reality
Please don't weep for me when I'm gone
I do not wish for others to be mournful when I pass away
A fear of death that creeps on every night
My fear of death is a constant presence that haunts me every night
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NICKY HOPKINS, ROD STEWART, RONALD DAVID WOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@smokinjz
I've woken up on mornings such as this
And thought exactly the same as I'm thinking now
Every night for a year I've slept alone
My cold damp room looks worse than me
I got a fear of death that creeps on every night
I know I won't die soon but then again I might
Just like water down the drain I'm wasting away
And oh, doctors can't help, a ghost of a man, that's me
I'm going far
And oh, water down the drain flows to the sea
The pattern of my life keeps on hauntin' me
Like moisture from the ocean fills the sky
Comes on down to the ground as time goes by
Please don't weep for me when I'm gone
I got a fear of death that creeps on every night
And I know I won't die soon but then again I might
Please don't weep for me when I'm gone
A fear of death that creeps on every night
@robb9uk
RIP El Becko. Great steer here by Ronnie W. What incredible sounds Jeff Beck conjures from his axe, despite 60s pedal tech limitations. Genius did everything from his guitar cockpit.
@PhukIT1865
Jeff Beck is like Van Gogh. He will be remembered as long as this stinking planet survives
@eyarbroughzone
How could critics have dismissed this album? It's so ground breaking and hard rocking. If those critics could see the state of rock music right now they would have hoisted Jeff Beck on their shoulders. Love this album.
@mikkalinka9781
The " Rice Pudding " cut says it ALL π
@jimyost2585
I'm 72 years old now. I bought this album in 1969 when I was a drug-doing hippy (I was 23 years old then). I went to the big Woodstock pop festival that year, and I know all about 60's music. During the ensuing years I always liked Jeff Beck's music. His 'Wired' album was one of my all-time favorite albums. But personally, I think this Beck-Ola album is the best one he ever did. And I think this tune 'Plynth' is the best tune on the album (I think maybe because I can really relate to the lyrics). If I had a chance to meet any of the big time musicians in person, Jeff Beck would be one of the first ones I would choose to meet. Mark Knophler (Dire Straits) would also be high on my list of musicians I would like to meet. Roger Waters would also be high on the list.
@robert.m4676
Jim Yost me too! I didnβt get Beck-ola till about 1978. I was only 12 but I went to a friends house and he played it and I was on a mission to get that album! Iβve loved it and Jeff Beck ever since! Just a highly accomplished guitarist and knows who to get when putting together a killer band!
@coyoteailstock9498
Good choices! Sadly most of my idols are dead but Roger Waters, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards would be my choices :)
@donrobertson4611
...and Peter Green
@davidcoate1366
Jeff is one of the GREATEST πππΈπΈπΈπΈπΈ
@davidcoate1366
Jeff and Rod, where amazing together πππΈπΈπΈ