What are your thoughts on "Beck"?
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Saw him for the first time this past Sunday and was mostly underwhelmed in light of the big hype leading up to the show. I can't complain about the show itself, only that my expectations might have gotten in the way. There were definitely some good moments, but on the whole the performance never quite scratched the itch -- let alone melted my face -- and relied too much on "frontman antics" (which I mostly find to be a big turn-off in general).
I had spoken to a friend earlier in the day before the show and mentioned that I was going to see "Beck" and he replied "Jeff Beck"? I kind of laughed out loud and to myself and admitted that I had thought the same thing up until a couple of years ago when I learned there's a person who goes by same name. In fact, I wasn't even sure until a few minutes ago if it was his "name" (akin to Cher) or that of the band (still not 100% sure)? Regardless, I can't help but wonder how much traction he had gotten along the way because of said "confusion" re: Jeff Beck?
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: donster
He headlined at Mt Jam in
He headlined at Mt Jam in 2016 and was underwhelming.
The whole hillside singing "I'm a loser so why don't you kill me" was quite the buzzkill
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
>> Regardless, I can't help
>> Regardless, I can't help but wonder how much traction he gotten along the way because of said "confusion" re: Jeff Beck? <<
I would guess the audience crossover is narrow.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Hitchhiker awaiting "true call"
Meh.
Meh.
Many of my friends like One Foot in the Grave.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
I would guess the audience
I would guess the audience crossover is narrow.<<<
I would agree, but not necessarily talking about picking up fans of Jeff Beck ... rather media attention and how it might have helped a little to propel him in terms of a subtle "obfuscated name recognition".
If it were "Clapton", it might be too much ...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Richard Cranium
He is an acquired taste, but
He is an acquired taste, but you have to respect his talent.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
First time heard the dude was
First time heard the dude was when I got stuck in a trailer in a snowstorm out in the sticks of Idaho with my buddy and the only CD we had was Beck's "Mellow Gold" which he played non-stop for 48-hours straight. Kind of killed any appreciation I had for the music.
However, my partner likes Beck and she often plays his music, this time in moderation. Very impressed by the range of styles and general feel of it. Haven't seen him, but he his playing the Pabst Fest next month at the waterfront and would like to check it out.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: El Nino
Saw Beck twice, once at Bill
Saw Beck twice, once at Bill Graham and once at Outside Lands. I didn't like either performance to the point where I passed on free tickets this weekend. Love Becks studio work. Never saw Jeff Beck and there was never any confusion for me. Jeff Beck is one those people I know I should get around to listening to, but never have in any serious way.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
His birthname is Beck Hansen.
His birthname is Beck Hansen. When he first came up, not only was he confused with Jeff Beck, but also Joe Beck, the Jazz Fusion guitarist who often went by just his last name.
The only time I saw him was at a KCRW Sounds Eclectic show in L.A. in the early oughts. It was a packaged show, so he only played a handful of songs, and was definitely the frontman/headliner/star-of-the-show, and he gave a solid singer-songwriter performance.
I like several of his records from the last decade. He has a strong band. Joey Waronker is his usual drummer, but as Joey is on tour with Roger Waters, he must have someone else. Perhaps this is why the show was flat. We all are familiar with the difference an engaged drummer makes.
As I recall, he was raised a Scientologist, although I have no idea if he still practices that belief system.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
His birthname is Beck Hansen.
His birthname is Beck Hansen. When he first came up, not only was he confused with Jeff Beck, but also Joe Beck, the Jazz Fusion guitarist who often went by just his last name.<<<
According to wiki his birthname is "Bek David Campbell":
Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell;[3][4] July 8, 1970),[5] known mononymously as Beck, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is mostly known for his musical composition, as well as a palette of sonic genres.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck#Musical_style
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Deadly
>>> I had spoken to a friend
>>> I had spoken to a friend earlier in the day before the show and mentioned that I was going to see "Beck" and he replied "Jeff Beck"?
I had a similar experience when Beck first came on the scene. I was taking ticket orders in a phone room and inquired of the caller,
"Jeff Beck, I did not know he was touring". Ha!
I'm still not a fan, but I can appreciate his talent.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Utahjim
I saw Beck summer of 94 in
I saw Beck summer of 94 in Phoenix, not a bad show I have seen worse, I think that song Loser was the big hit at the time. I saw him a second time at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in Golden Gate Park, summer of 96 I believe. That was interesting, his next album Odelay was about to come out he had no band, just a few pedals at his feet to control the band recordings. I am sure there is a name for that toy, I just am not familiar. I have not seen him since.
That Tibetan Freedom Concert was fun, it may deserve its own thread.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dr. Benway
when i was younger i thought
when i was younger i thought beck and jeff beck were the same person and he was just this super prolific musician who did jazz fusion stuff as well as off kilter alt rock later in his career.
id love to see jeff beck live.
beck? no spot taken.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sound and Vision
I like him all right and
I like him all right and enjoy most of his albums. First time seeing him was a crazy day totally spun on the H.O.R.D.E tour. Same show as the infamous Neil Young and Crazy Horse set where an intense storm rolled in, flooded the place, crazy lightning, blew the PA and the band kept playing. It was insane and the place was up for grabs. The crew was asking NY to leave the stage.
short article here- http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2009/08/concert-ill-never-forget...
Caught at least two more Beck shows along the way...fun, goofy, etc.
Only show I was ever shut out of was Beck and The Flaming Lips on a double-bill. Weird.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sound and Vision
^ probably around the time
^ probably around the time Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots came out. Off topic- but there's a band whose antics can get tiresome.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ~bus~
Loved Sea Change and Morning
Loved Sea Change and Morning Phase...and the Mutations CD with the videos was cool..
I think Beck goes to the same church as JohnTravolta
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________
He's part of psychedelic
He's part of psychedelic culture
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sound and Vision
remember reading an in-depth
remember reading an in-depth article in some magazine years ago, Beck is a strange cat for sure.
>>Loved Sea Change and Morning Phase.
good stuff
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Bluelight
In 2014 Beck put on a very
In 2014 Beck put on a very powerful performance on SNL.
Beck - Blue Moon (Live on SNL)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YFuu512Fjo
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Johnny D
I like a lot of his albums,
I like a lot of his albums, but haven't seen him live. I heard from a friend that Beck performed well at one of the Bridge School Shoreline shows awhile back.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: nebulous nelly
Like Johnny, I am a fan of
Like Johnny, I am a fan of many of his CDs, but have not seen him live. I've listened to some good live recordings
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: aray
Midnight vultures tour was
Midnight vultures tour was simultaneously smokin' and hilarious.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Woz
Love "Wired"
Love "Wired"
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skifurthur
While there are some of his
While there are some of his songs that do nothing for me, I look forward to each release. I admire his constantly expanding his musical palette. I think he is a talented dude.
p.s. I always thought that the video for E-Pro is trippy as fuck.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: pumpkin lurker
guero and modern guilt are
guero and modern guilt are personal favorites of mine.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Spirit zoner
I saw him at the Capitol
I saw him at the Capitol Theater in Olympia around the time One Foot in the Grave came out, he was pretty good. And I have "Morning Phase" on my phone right now come to think of it.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Thumbkinetic
Studio genius. I can see
Studio genius. I can see where it might not come across live.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: CT
The fogey is strong in this
The fogey is strong in this thread.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mike Dalton
Got tix for Berkeley Greek on
Got tix for Berkeley Greek on Friday. I've only seen him at a Bridge show. Looking forward to a good night in Bezerkley.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jazfish
My thoughts are if you ad a
My thoughts are if you ad a 's to his name I would be reminded of a fantastic beer for killing the pain of yard work on a hot summer day.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
I've seen him often over many
I've seen him often over many years and I like him & his shows.
They're not going to be mind-blowers perhaps and I don't go out of my way to see him anymore, but he always has a good band and understanding what I'm going to get going in I've always enjoyed his live shows. I think the last time I saw him was about three years ago when he opened the new version of the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco.
It seems that he's always done pretty much whatever he's wanted, and I admire that he's gone in different directions.
I had the opportunity to cross paths with him & his family over the course of a weekend a number of years ago and he was extremely kind and polite, and he doted on his little kids. That always gets points with me.
And I think the only people who've ever confused him with Jeff Beck are of a certain age, and for most of his career it's likely been more the other way around.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: .............
Does he still have that talk
Does he still have that talk show on Fox News?...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Old Fart Message Board
Aside from the songreader
Aside from the songreader album being a very cool idea, I think the music on that album was actually some of his best work. Not really a fan of mug he's done before or after that. He got back to some mainstream bs after that album. He's got some cool ideas that come to life every so often. Not an overall fan though.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Seems a lot of people in this
Seems a lot of people in this thread really dig his studio work ... which I admit to not having listened to at all & likewise can understand (i.e. Beatles). Again, I didn't think his show was bad by any stretch (although I thought introducing the band members while each playing their own short/medium "bit" [with the rest of the band] was kind of cheesy and distracting), but it it simply wasn't a "face melter"; neither a funk fest nor psychedelic journey from where I stood.
There were some very interesting tones and arrangements for sure, but it never quite gelled re: song build up / resolution in the way a GD song might unfold ... or a sequence of songs/setlist as a whole for that matter. I think my big "gripe" is with the vocal style ... personally I'm just not into the hip hop sort of thing and find it very distracting to other musical elements at play. Add in the "front man routine" in conjunction with said vocal style and you're really going to lose me ... it almost became caricaturized in my mind at that point (which I realize is my own "fault"). When he'd lay off this sort of thing, I'd get back into it ... but then he'd "revert" and lose me again. So, as a whole, for me the show was very disjointed. I had a similar feeling re: JRAD for different reasons (every time I'd expect a song to resolve the way it "ought to", it'd go in a completely unexpected direction that sometimes didn't "scratch the itch").
My expectations may have been set way too high ... since I had refused to pay face for the two day festival ($250) and stood unsucessfully with my finger in the air for 3-4 hours the first day and wound up listening to the majority of that day from outside the venue & on Sunday spent close to three hours to finally find a $77 ticket. So, had "put in" a lot of time up front ... which perhaps skewed my expectations a bit.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
Insufferable.
Insufferable.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
The funny thing is ned, I'm
The funny thing is ned, I'm probably one of the "easiest customers" out there re: post GD incarnations ... have seen 95% in one form or another and it's rare for me to look at the glass as anything but "half full" on this front.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
maybe stick with the post GD
maybe stick with the post GD incarnations if you want song build up / resolution in the way a GD song might unfold ... or a sequence of songs/setlist as a whole.
Different is good.
By the way, I read your thoughts regarding song lyrics a while ago and surprisingly agreed 100%. So that's nice.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: troubador
I've never thought of Beck
I've never thought of Beck enough to post a thread about him, that's for sure.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Phil and Bobby aren't getting
Phil and Bobby aren't getting any younger, so I give most others who might be in the ballpark a chance ... hoping maybe the stars will align one day again.
Definitely doesn't have to be the same as GD. I'm into anything from full on funk, to Neil Young acoustic, to hardcore Syd Barrett psychedelic, but for me to "actively follow-up" there'd need to be a big enough ratio of material that ropes me in vs. that which loses me ... and my limited exposure to Beck didn't cross the threshold this time around.
That is nice, but can't quite recall the specifics re: lyrics :-)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
You said you don't listen to
You said you don't listen to the actual words, but hear them as an addition to the melody. I've never been a lyrics guy.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees
Yes!
Yes!
I was actually thinking this might be one of the reasons I didn't "get" Beck ... if I were more of lyric person, maybe the songs overall would've resonated more with me.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: New & Improved
check out Morning Phase.
check out Morning Phase. Great album. I don't have any idea what he's saying, but the music is good.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: DaBreeze
When I first heard 'Mellow
When I first heard 'Mellow Gold' around 94/95, I thought "Who does this young white guy think he is, dropping old blues phrases and riffs everywhere?", but now I realize how truly innovative he is on virtually everything he touches. I had most of his albums on heavy rotation for a long time on my Ipod when I got them - (although I found 'Odelay' too hip-hoppy for my liking and deleted it). 'Morning Phase' is interesting, but some of it sounds like music to OD by.
Have tickets to see him in August, but will check a few setlists and reviews before actually committing. From the live footage I've seen, he doesn't always match the vocals or energy of his recordings, and sometimes seems downright not very into it at all - or maybe he just looks like he's staring off into space while he's playing.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: smiley
Phenomenal studio projects
Phenomenal studio projects supported by a high energy fun live show. Love most of his work. Seems like the rare artist that really follows his own muse while recognizing the musical tradition of which he's a part. Great career.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Furious E
At the risk of sounding like
At the risk of sounding like a so. Cal stoner who came of age in the 90's, I consider beck to b the voice of a generation, a very entertaining live act and one the greatest studio recording artists of the last 30 years.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Rob
We are going to see Beck
We are going to see Beck Saturday in Oakland at the Fox. I havnt been listening much to his newer stuff after Mutations. I didn't care for the boy scout campfire gig much at Vegoose, but it should still be a good night at the Fox. I'll try and get a pic with him and post it here since we will have backstage access for the show. I first saw Beck over 20 years ago on the Odelay tour.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: ________
Check out some polish metal
Check out some polish metal Face
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skifurthur
^^^
^^^
Geeze, E...you sound just like a So. Cal stoner who came of age in the 90's.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lucky Day
Beck isn't possibly the
Beck isn't possibly the single greatest artist of all times.
I like his record club stuff
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck%27s_Record_Club
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lucky Day
Or is he?
Or is he?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Furious E
That record club stuff is
That record club stuff is good evidence of beck's genius
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: JP (J Bomb)
The Beck shows I've seen have
The Beck shows I've seen have lacked for some reason. I've only seen him in festie settings however.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: the obvious was clear
Catching Beck at the Greek
Catching Beck at the Greek tonight, it will be my first experience with said Genius.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Furious E
Good for u, davey.
Good for u, davey.
I hope u have a great time!
fuck most of the rest of y'all, I'm gonna listen to the mutations album right now
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mike Dalton
For the record, Beck was
For the record, Beck was outstanding at the Greek. Great performer.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Fly
points for that tune
points for that tune "earthquake weather", minus points for l. ron hubbard.
he tries to create, respect him. hit or miss on the tunes but when one hits it hits hard, like Earthquake Weather