Jeff Beck -"Love is Blue" (L'amour Est Bleu) b/w "I've Been Drinking" 45rpm 7" single, Blue Vinyl, 1968/2015 (Sundazed)

For a few months after leaving The Yardbirds, Jeff Beck was unpredictable. He could go heavy, Psych, blues, but I wouldn't suspect him doing Middle-of-the-Road music.  "Love is Blue" is a MOR standard, and to me, it's a crazy concept between him and the producer Mickie Most. Still, at its best, there is a trace of a Shadows influence, regarding how Beck handles his guitar duty on this French pop song.  The first 20 seconds must have people look at the record label to see it wasn't a mistake.  Once the guitar kicks in, it's Beck, but a weird Jeff.   On a kitsch level, it's masterful. But Beck and kitsch really doesn't really mix well. Especially when the backup chorus kicks in. Did Mickie Most really see Jeff Beck as the guitar hero for the granddad set in the middle of the swinging 1960s?

The B-side (thank god for B-Sides) is "I've Been Drinking" a co-write between Beck and his vocalist at the time, Rod Stewart. I have to imagine that this is the classic Jeff Beck Group lineup with Ron Wood on bass, Mickey Weller on drums, and Nicky Hopkins on piano.  I like the echo effect on Rod's voice and the underhanded backup vocals.  Sturdy, workman-like, but not on a genius level. Still, there is something always cool about Jeff Beck. It's in his DNA. 

The Raybeats - "Guitar Beat" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1981 (Don't Fall Off The Mountain)

The Raybeats were Don Christensen, Jody Harris, Pat Irwin and the late George Scott.   The music they focus on were sounds of The Shadows and The Tornados, but with the aesthetic of the No Wave era.   Since all the musicians were members of James Chance's The Contortions, or James White & The Blacks, there is a crossover of New York sophistication that reminds me a bit of The Lounge Lizards as well.   All is a very good thing because The Raybeats are terrific. 

The guitar work of Harris and Irwin are twangy, but with distortion effects that brings the picture of the sounds to another level.  For me, I adore The Shadows as well as The Tornados and there is equal respect for the guitarist Hank Marvin as well as a nod by the "Guitar Beat's producer, Martin Rushent to the outer space sounds of Joe Meek.  There have been revival bands devoted to surf/instrumental, but The Raybeats' attitude is different.  They are not here to imitate but to add their own sense of adventure with sound and vision.   If James White & The Blacks commented on the Disco medium, then The Raybeats play with the genre that is surf instrumental.    The Raybeats music is sharp, sophisticated, fun, and an eye out for the avant-garde.  Their music is a heady mixture.  

Various Artists - "Jack Good's 'Oh Boy!'" Vinyl, LP, Album, UK, 1958/1978 (EMI)

The 'commercial' roots of British rock n' roll is all here on this album.  Jack Good, who is still alive at the age of 86, was a pioneer for rock n' roll TV.   His British show "Oh Boy!" was the first variety program devoted to British (pre) rock artists such as Cliff Richard and Billy Fury.  The show lasted for 30 minutes and it was packed with non-stop music.  No song lasted more than a minute, and it was like a variety show with an Amphetamine approach to its timing and management.  The other significant wrench is that Good allowed the audience to be part of the show, with the artists surrounding themselves with the audience, most if not all teenagers.  

"Jack Good's 'Oh Boy!" album is a live soundtrack to the show.  Listening to it now in 2017, it's a weird reminder of how rock was packaged almost 60 years ago.  Cliff Richard sings seven songs, but also includes the talents of the incredible John Barry Seven, way before his work on the James Bond films.  Other artists here are Vince Eager, Two Vernon Girls, and Neville Taylor & The Cutters.  The beauty and the essence of this recording are not really the music, but a snapshot view of British showbiz before the Beatles hit the scene.   Jack Good eventually made it over to America where he created the show "Shindig!" (1964-1966) which focused on the British Invasion at the time, as well as popular pop/rock acts.  

"Oh Boy!" is one of the first shows specifically made for the British teenage market.  It's interesting how the teenager became a vocal/social, and even more important, an economic model that fueled an industry.  The 'beat' cannot be ignored anymore!

The Shadows - "Meeting With The Shadows" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue 2015/1962 (Doxy)

Such a fantastic album cover.  Originally this specific album came out in Italy.  Sort of a greatest hits collection at the time, it shows the strength of The Shadows.  The hits are here, "Apache," "Guitar Tango," and more.  I'm intrigued by their sound.  It seems simple, but there is something quite complex about how their music is put together.  All four are fantastic, but the stand out (for me) is Jet Harris' bass playing, and Hank Marvin's guitar work.  

Total showbiz act, but a very mysterious one to me.  Among their incredible dance choreography, while playing their guitars and the smiles plastered on their faces, there is something manic or demon like in their presentation.  I know very little of their personal lives, except I heard Jet went through tough times - still, it's a band that reshaped their world, and sort of spit it out to the public.  A beautiful album, that's in mono.  I think that format is the best way to listen to The Shadows.  And yes, another amazing release from Doxy, that mysterious label from Europe. 

Tom Verlaine - "Warm and Cool" CD, 1992 (Rykodisc)

Who or what is Tom Verlaine?  For me, one of the more interesting figures to come out of the NYC music scene of the 1970s.  I don't know how he did it, but he somehow made himself as a ghost in a scene that was vivacious and innovative.   I find him to be the essential musician of that time period and place.  Yet, his existence is spirit-like.    Throughout that era and into the 1980s, I couldn't get enough of Verlaine's music.   The solo albums are never bad, but uneven.   "Warm and Cool" is the one Verlaine album that is very different from the rest of his recordings.  For one, it's an instrumental album, but it's a record that doesn't sound like his other recordings.  I can recognize the guitar playing, but the setting is totally different.  

I think a listener now would think the music is David Lynch or something from his world.  "Warm and Cool"  sounds very much like a soundtrack to a very moody film.  The guitar is the main focus, with the bass and drums just supporting the guitarist.  Jazz like with Noir overtures.   For me it has a Hank Marvin (The Shadows) take on darkness.  The melodies are sweet, and Verlaine is very much a strong melody  maker than a riff master.  It's a very clean record and you can visualize Verlaine's fingers on the fretboard.  

The songs here are short except two or three that go up to the six-minute length.   For those who are fans of Television, this is not typical (if I can properly use this word here) of that band's music.  It has a late night approach and although there are places where the music sounds like it was improvised, but I suspect it was well-thought out before the recording.  "Warm and Cool" is exactly what this album sounds like.  And again, I would recommend this album to any Hank Marvin fans out there.