Jeff Beck Group

Jeff Beck Group – Rough And Ready (1971) [Japan 2017]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 & DST64 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 36:35 minutes | Scans included | 3,33 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 36:54 | Scans included | 767 MB
Features Stereo and Multichannel surround sound / Newly DSD Remastered (2016) | Genre: Blues Rock

Recouping after a car crash and faced with the loss of Rod Stewart and Ron Wood, Jeff Beck redefined what the Jeff Beck Group was about, deciding to tone down the bluesy bombast, adding keyboardist Max Middleton for a jazz edge, then having Bob Tench sing to give it an overblown early-’70s AOR edge. As expected, these two sides are in conflict and Tench can be a little overbearing, but there are moments here that bring out the best in Beck. Namely, these are the times when the group ventures into extended, funk-inflected, reflective jazzy instrumental sections. These are the moments that point the way toward the success of Blow by Blow, yet this remains an unabashed rock record of its time, and it falls prey to many of its era’s excesses, particularly lack of focus. Still, there are moments that are as fine as anything Beck played here.

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Jeff Beck Group – Jeff Beck Group (1972) [Japan 2016]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 & DST64 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 40:35 minutes | Scans | 2,66 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 856 MB
Features Stereo and Multichannel surround sound / Newly DSD Remastered (2016) | Genre: Blues Rock

Continuing with the same group lineup as on Rough & Ready, Jeff Beck Group was slagged off by critics for Steve Cropper’s admittedly lazy production. However, several of the songs hold up masterfully, including the skronky “Ice Cream Cakes,” the superlative redo of Don Nix’s “Going Down,” and the beautifully sad and wistful instrumental, “Definitely Maybe”.

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