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
Sugar Cane
Jeff Beck Group Lyrics
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I love ya, love ya like sugar cane
I, I love ya like sugar cane
Strip it down, sure is sweet
You keep on chewin 'til you're dead on your feet
I get high on your sugar cane
It's the only thing baby that keeps me sane
Someone so close and so dear
[Chorus]
Hey baby don't go away
It's the only thing I really, I really want to hear ya say
If you leave I could not stand the pain
Give me more of that sweet, sweet sugar cane
I, I love ya like sugar cane
I, I, I, I love ya like sugar cane
I, I get high on your sugar cane
It's the only thing baby that keeps me sane
It's so nice to have you near
Someone so close and so dear
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby
Sweet, sweet
I get high, get high, get high, get high
Sweet, sweet
On your sweet, on your sweet, on your sweet sweet sugar cane
Sweet, sweet
In the song "Sugar Cane" by Jeff Beck, the lyrics express the deep love and addiction that the singer has towards his significant other. The chorus makes a direct comparison between the person being loved and sugar cane, which he describes as something that needs to be stripped down to reveal its sweet and intoxicating essence. This analogy is used to express how he feels about the object of his affection, how she keeps him going, and how he can't get enough of her love. The song continues with the singer expressing his dependence on her and how, without her, he could not go on. The final lines mix in both the sweetness and the addiction of the relationship, with the repetition of the word "sweet" suggesting both that he loves her and that he is addicted.
Line by Line Meaning
I love ya, love ya like sugar cane
I adore you, just like the sweetness of sugar cane is loved
I, I love ya like sugar cane
I really love you like the taste of sugar cane
Strip it down, sure is sweet
The simple and straightforward nature of sugar cane makes it so sweet
You keep on chewin 'til you're dead on your feet
You can't stop chewing on sugar cane because you love it so much, even if it exhausts you
I get high on your sugar cane
Being around you and your love is like getting a natural high
It's the only thing baby that keeps me sane
Your love is the only thing that keeps me grounded and helps me stay sane
It's so nice to have you near
I love having you close to me
Someone so close and so dear
You are someone who is very important to me and very close to my heart
Hey baby don't go away
Please don't leave me, my love
It's the only thing I really, I really want to hear ya say
Hearing you say that you love me is the only thing that truly matters to me
If you leave I could not stand the pain
The pain of losing you would be too much for me to bear
Give me more of that sweet, sweet sugar cane
Let's keep this love going strong, just like indulging in more sugar cane
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby
Endearing pet name for the person he loves
Sweet, sweet
Referring to the sweetness of love and sugar cane
I get high, get high, get high, get high
Feeling high and euphoric around the person he loves
On your sweet, on your sweet, on your sweet sweet sugar cane
Overindulging in the sweetness of love, just like with sugar cane
Sweet, sweet
Reiterating the sweetness of love and sugar cane
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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