Jeff Beck was one of the best guitar players ever to walk on this earth. A year or so before his death, he got together with his old bandmates Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice and prepared some old concert tapes for release. The result is Live 1973 & 1974, which is a huge box set.

Guitarist Jeff Beck and the rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, both of Cactus and Vanilla Fudge, were only together for a couple of years. They released one album and had another half recorded before their breakup.

This new release covers concerts in Osaka Japan, in May of 1973 and at the Rainbow Theatre in England in late January of 1974. The sound is excellent considering the technology of the day. Bogert and Appice were a fantastic rhythm section and when you add Beck’s guitar floating above the mix, it is a good example of Beck’s early career style and the power trio sound of the day.

The earlier Japan concerts are more limited in musical scope. They only had one album of original material, and so had to rely on classic covers and some Yardbirds material, including a scintillating version of “Jeff’s Boogie.” Add in such tunes as “I’m So Proud,” “Sweet Sweet Surrender,” and “Black Cat Moan,” and you have the foundation of a good concert.

The London concerts from early 1974 contain some songs from their unfinished and unreleased second album. “Satisfied,” “Solid Lifter,” and “Jizz Whizz” are all solid songs and hint at the potential future direction of the group.

Rating: B+

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