Guitar Legends - Jeff Beck

Jeff Beck's career has had many twists and turns over the years, with a variety of different musical styles touched upon (psychedelia, heavy metal, blues, fusion, funk, pop, rockabilly, etc.). While 1995's Best of Beck does a dandy job of touching upon most of his stylistic detours, 2002's Guitar Legends focuses solely on his early years (more precisely, his psychedelia/heavy metal/blues period). Including most of the highlights from the original Jeff Beck Group's classic first two releases, 1968's Truth and 1969's Beck-Ola, highlights include a pre-household word Rod Stewart vocalizing on such tracks as "All Shook Up," "I Ain't Superstitious," "Rock My Plimsoul," and "Spanish Boots." Also included is the instrumental "Beck's Bolero," the only track that has surfaced from a projected supergroup circa 1966, which was to have included Beck, Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, and John Paul Jones (!), in addition to Beck's biggest hit single back home in the U.K., a rocked-up reading of the standard "Hi-Ho Silver Lining." There are 16 tracks in all, and if you're interested in sampling Beck's early years, Guitar Legends is recommended. But if it's a thorough Jeff Beck career overview you're looking for, the aforementioned Best of Beck is your best bet. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide