VA - El Becko: A Jeff Beck Salute (2008)

Is this what things have come to? Has Jeff Beck's notoriously low profile and sporadic release history caused guitarists so much anguish and anxiety that we've been reduced to recording our own Jeff Beck - conjuring him in lyrical riffs and jazzy, extended solos - and passing it amongst ourselves like a drug? Perhaps, but without a significant original release since 2003's "Jeff", you can't certainly blame Brian Tarquin and his cadre of talented cohorts for taking matters into their own hands and re-envisioning some of Beck's best known tracks on this salute to the master. Vaster in scope than your usual salute, and at all points more creative than literal, El Becko: A Jeff Beck Salute crackles with the same sense of exploration that Beck constructed on releases like "Blow By Blow" and "Wired". And while it isn't new Jeff Beck, it is a new take on Beck, played by some of the finest musicians working today. And isn't that a damn good substitute? ~Adam Moore

Tracklist
01 - You Know What I Mean - Brian Tarquin & Hal Lindes (04:28)
02 - Big Block - James Ryan (05:01)
03 - People Get Ready - Doug Doppler (03:11)
04 - The Pump - Howard Hart (06:20)
05 - Blue Wind - Billy Sheehan, Brian Tarquin & Doug Doppler (03:52)
06 - Scatterbrain - Steve Bingham (05:20)
07 - Star Cycle - Chris Mahoney (05:17)
08 - Play With Me - Brian Tarquin & Randy Coven (04:04)
09 - Two Rivers - Martin Winch (04:23)
10 - Plynth Water Down The Drain - Larry Van Fleet (03:06)
11 - You Never Know - Nadia & POM (07:22)
12 - Led Boots - Greg Rapaport (03:58)
13 - Where Were You - Steve Booke (03:09)

Personnel: Andrew Crawford (vocals, guitar, flamenco guitar, nylon-string guitar, percussion); Steve Booke (guitar, keyboards, programming); Martin Winch (guitar, keyboards, drum programming); Chris Mahoney (guitar, synthesizer, programming); Doug Doppler (guitar, drums); Larry VanFleet, Brian Tarquin, Greg Rapaport (guitar); Hal Lindes (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Steve Bingham (violin); Chris Ingram (Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards); Chris Cubeta, Robi Parolin, Nate VanFleet, Greg Morrow, John Macaluso (drums).

Recording information: Galuminum Foil Studio, New York, NY; Jungle Room Studios; Ware House Production Studio, Omaha, NE.

Author: Adam Moore.

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