JEFF BECK — Rough and Ready (review)

JEFF BECK — Rough and Ready album cover Album · 1971 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Traditionally Beck’s second group is overlooked and even often a bit derided by fans (casual or confirmed), which I find tremendously unjust, because this group actually rocked quite hard. I guess some people tend to over-rate the Stewart/wood line-up and most progheads will directly look up to the future JR/F albums such as Blow, Wired etc... But get a load of this line-up for a second: Cozy Powell as a drummer, Max Middelton a jazzy keyboardist and a solid funky Clive Chaman on bass, leaving the uneven Bob Tench on vocals. Indeed this might be where the problem lied in this group, Jeff Beck being unable to find a better singer, even if Tench is far from catastrophic, but I wouldn’t call anything more than apt. Very boring and sinister artwork, BTW: couldn’t the Epic label find something better?

Musically speaking we have a fairly typical 70’s rock, a cross between hard rock, funk/blues/jazz and commercial rock that has many pleasant moments, but once the needle lifts away from the wax, no real urge to replay it soon, but you know that next time you will, it will be another pleasant but unfocused ride. Indeed, between the funk rock of Got The Feeling (Middleton’s jazz piano solo rocks my socks off), and the funky-jazzy Situation (the most attractive track commercially on the album) with Middelton’s superb Fender Rhodes excursion the rough New Ways/Train Train (good Beck solo) and the closing Jody on the one side and the lesser tracks like Short Business (still too long) and Been Used (I’d say wearied and worn) on the other, the album glides effortlessly but a bit passionless as well.

But I shall not forget the album’s highlight, the superb Max’s Tune (8.5 mins long too), where the whole group shows the incredible delicateness of Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express’ better moments (let’s call it the Chaman factor) and some definite hint as to where Beck would head in the second part of the decade. Middleton is the hero of the album, but Powell’s powerful but jazz inclined drumming is amusing (who would’ve thought this jazz touch from the hardest hitting drummer around) and Beck being his usual himself >> couldn’t possibly be a bad album, either.

Not exactly worth the detour/acquisition, but it is much worth lending an ear to it. But again, the songwriting and the singing are what keeps this album from being better known.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Cecil Taylor Unit : Live At Fat Tuesdays, February 9, 1980 First Visit Avant-Garde Jazz
CECIL TAYLOR
Buy this album from MMA partners
Solo Bern 1984 - First Visit Avant-Garde Jazz
ANTHONY BRAXTON
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ernesto Rodrigues, Bruno Parrinha & Johannes von Buttlar : Whispers and Reveries Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ERNESTO RODRIGUES
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ernesto Rodrigues, Nuno Torres & Johannes von Buttlar : Cosmic Collision Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ERNESTO RODRIGUES
Buy this album from MMA partners
Ernesto Rodrigues, Carlos Bechegas, João Madeira & Monsieur Trinité : Free to Open Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ERNESTO RODRIGUES
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Songs My Mom Liked EPK - Anthony Branker
ANTHONY BRANKER
js· 1 day ago
“INFLUENCES” by Jared Hall, trumpeter & composer
JARED HALL
js· 1 day ago
Jean-Pierre (feat. Darryl Jones)
BILL EVANS (SAX)
snobb· 1 day ago
Magic Box
CHRISTOPHE MARGUET
snobb· 1 day ago
The Peacocks
ANTOINE DRYE
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed