Jeff Beck Group - Rough and Ready (1st Album UK 1971)

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Rough and Ready is the third album by The Jeff Beck Group and the first of two by the second Jeff Beck Group. Released in 1971, it featured more of a jazz, soul and R&B edge to counter Beck's lead guitar. As a songwriter, Beck contributed more pieces to Rough and Ready than he had before, or ever would again. Beck enlisted Bobby Tench as vocalist and it is also the first time keyboardist Max Middleton is heard. Other members of this line up are drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Clive Chaman.

In early April and still signed to RAK, Jeff Beck reformed The Jeff Beck Group group with keyboardist Max Middleton, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Clive Chaman and vocalist Alex Ligertwood. Later in April that year the new band began recording sessions at Island Studios, London. They worked on songs by Beck and focused on Situation, which had lyrics by Ligertwood. Other songs such as Morning Dew were given attention, with the help of producer Jimmy Miller, who had worked with Traffic and with The Rolling Stones. During May 1971, after a week of recording sessions, Beck left RAK and signed a new record deal with CBS. Epic, a subsidiary of CBS, was assigned to release Beck's work, and having heard the Island studio tapes were not happy with the vocals. During May, Beck started looking for a new vocalist. 

In late May, after hearing Bobby Tench perform with his band Gass, he employed him as vocalist for the band. Tench was given only a few weeks to write new lyrics and add his vocals to the album, before mixing resumed on tracks previously recorded by Beck and the other band members. During early July 1971 the band returned to Island Studios to finish the album and Beck took over as producer. Rough and Ready was released in UK on 25 October 1971 with the US release following during February 1972, a sixteen day promotional tour in USA followed and the album eventually reached #46 in the album charts.

On 25 November 1971 Stephen Davis wrote in Rolling Stone magazine; "A surprisingly, fine piece of work from a man who wasn't really expected to come back. Beck is back, and in pretty good shape too." Rough and Ready album review. On 25 November 1971 Roy Carr from The New Musical Express wrote, "The album falls into that trap whereby the performance far exceeds the material. Beck hasn't lost any of his fire as he rips off solo after solo with flashy confidence"

About the single "Got the feeling", Derek Johnson wrote in the New Musical Express; "An excellent disc combining a strong commercial element with an altogether more progressive approach".

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. 

The second Jeff Beck Group Info:
Late in 1970 Jeff Beck reformed The Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Alex Ligertwood, keyboardist Max Middleton, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Clive Chaman. During June 1971 Beck signed a record deal with CBS and was looking for a new singer. After hearing Bobby Tench perform with his band Gass, "Upstairs" at Ronnie Scott's club in Soho London, Beck employed him as vocalist and second guitarist.

Tench was given only a few weeks to write new lyrics and add his vocals to the album Rough and Ready, before mixing resumed on tracks previously recorded in London by Beck and the other band members. The album was finished in July 1971 and they toured Finland, Holland, Switzerland and Germany. Rough and Ready was released in UK on 25 October 1971, with the US release following during February 1972. A sixteen day promotional tour in USA followed and the album eventually reached No. 46 in the album charts.

In January 1972 the band travelled to USA, to join Beck at TMI studios in Memphis, Tennessee. This is where they recorded the album Jeff Beck Group, using Steve Cropper as producer. Jeff Beck Group was released in UK on 9 June 1972. The promotional tour which followed included an appearance on the BBC Radio 1 "In Concert" series, which was recorded on 29 June 1972. During this session they played "Definitely Maybe" which featured Bobby Tench playing guitar, a rare occasion whilst Tench was associated with Beck.

On 24 July 1972 The Jeff Beck Group was officially disbanded and Beck's management put out this statement: "The fusion of musical styles of the various members has been successful, within the terms of individual musicians, but they didn't feel it had led to the creation of a new musical style with the strength they had originally sought". [Wikipedia & AMG]

01."Got the Feeling" (Beck) - 4:46 
02."Situation" (Beck) - 5:26 
03."Short Business" (Beck) - 2:34 
04."Max's Tune" (Max Middleton) - 8:24 
(On original United States releases this track is titled "Raynes Park Blues" and credited to Beck; subsequent pressings are titled/credited as above.) 
05."I've Been Used" (Beck) - 3:40 
06."New Ways/Train Train" (Beck) - 5:52 
07."Jody" (Beck, Brian Short) - 6:06

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