Last fall, Eagle Rock released performing this week...live at Ronnie Scott's, a great live CD from British guitar legend Jeff Beck captured during a week-long residency at the London jazz club.
As good as that CD was, it also provided just a brief enough snapshot of those performances to leave you hungry and wanting more — especially since the stuff left off the CD included a rare jam with fellow guitar legend Eric Clapton. And since Eagle Rock is best known for having a great track record producing live concert DVDs, there just had to be one of those on the way...right?
Fortunately the answer to that question turned out to be yes.
The DVD and Blu-ray editions of Beck's week at Ronnie's arrive in stores March 31, just in time for his induction into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame. And man, is this some great stuff. For starters, the DVD is about twice as long as the CD, clocking in at some three hours when you figure in the bonus interviews with both the band and with Beck himself.
But what makes this such a keeper is the obvious care that went into both the video and audio presented here. The 5.1 mix addresses and fixes some of the problems with the CD with a more evened-out sound that showcases Beck's great band as much as it does the man himself. 22 year old female bass prodigy Tal Wilkenfeld shines, in particular, but drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and keyboardist Jason Rebello are also given an ample share of the spotlight. Colaiuta looks and sounds particularly impressive on a great cover of Billy Cobham's "Stratus."
But there is equal care given to the video half of the equation here.
You get lots of great shots of the band, and the chemistry between them becomes apparent in ways that the CD only hints at. Beck, a guy who isn't exactly known for his even temperament, is seen grinning like a Cheshire cat throughout, and beaming like a proud dad whenever Wilkenfeld takes a bass solo — which fortunately happens often here. For her own part, Wilkenfeld returns Beck's approval with the wide-eyed grin of a student who knows she's done the master proud.
Best of all though, the camera zooms in on Beck's guitar often, affording the viewer a rare glimpse of those amazing fingering techniques and even a few of those nifty tricks on the trusty whammy bar. On his version of "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," Beck plays like a house o' fire, and the camera catches every note in some great closeup shots. Towards the end, you can also see Robert Plant displaying his approval from the audience.
Article comments
1 - DrBeckology
The reason that Jimmy Page did not join in the jam session with Beck and Clapton is because he was in the final stages of healing his injured finger, and soon thereafter the most important Led Zeppelin reunion concert happened.
2 - Tom Johnson
Hey Glen, do you know if the DVD features the same performances as the CD? You know how sometimes they may have the same songs but use performances from different nights. Is there any indication on the package which night the songs were from?
3 - Glen Boyd
Tom,
I'm not sure about what nights these performances are drawn from as the DVD doesn't really make mention of it on the cover. From the sounds of it, some of it is the same (although the sound is better here on the DVD), while others are different. Obviously, the Clapton, Heap, and Stone tracks also are here for the first time.
-Glen
4 - Triniman
Nice review. I'm watching it for the first time now and totally enjoying it. I would love to see Clapton and Beck tour together, but I would settle for a chance to see Beck again. It's been about 15 years since he played my town. That bass player really does look 12!