Jeff Beck Group - "Rough & Ready" and the "Orange" S/T CD Reissues By Iconoclassic 5/26 & 7/28

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by jsayers, May 4, 2015.

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  1. jsayers

    jsayers Just Drifting.... Thread Starter

    Location:
    Horse Shoe, NC
    I have the sacd <Japanese> that has that quad mix and it is good. :agree:
     
  2. IconoclassicRecs

    IconoclassicRecs Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Windsor, NY
    I think that there is a common misconeption regarding the reality of reissues at this late date in the game. Although we still get exclusive licenses for configurations, it is still possible for Audio Fidelity to get a license for the SACD/4.0 mix on these titles. What they do is different from us at Iconoclassic and that product would have a slightly different demographic appeal. Sorry you are dissapointed Larry but as of right now we do redbook CD and attempt to get the best possible sound within that format. All you have to do is look at how many of the reissue labels are involved with different Jeff Beck projects.

    These releases do not stop Audio Fidelity from doing their thing (they have vinyl rights to "oranges") and we are fans of many of their releases. Also we have been attempting to pry licenses on these releases out of Sony since the inception of the label. For all bemoaning the lack of bonus tracks I will simply say that whenever we can add them we attempt to. If the clearance process gets extended into infinity for unreleased music sometimes we opt to put the release out as is.
     
  3. Larry Geller

    Larry Geller Surround sound lunatic

    Location:
    Bayside, NY
    If you have the CD rights, wouldn't it be impossible for AF (or anyone else) to release a Hybrid SACD (which has a CD layer)? I was hoping you would imitate AF, step it up a notch & go the same route they have. As an Airplane fanatic, I love your Bark and especially your 2 CD Hot Tuna, but what would the chances be of anyone then doing a surround release of either one (both were very early RCA quads - Q8 only), now that you have used up the market for both of them. Same goes for the Jeff Becks, The Hoople, and all of those Guess Who albums. Your releases, great as they are, have to lessen the chances of those surround mixes ever resurfacing. I'm buying them, mind you, but every time you announce a release, a little part of me dies. I'm just glad that Steve got his hands on The Best Of The Guess Who before you guys did, and, I repeat, I LOVE your work.

    A later thought: Well, Culture Factory is releasing the same LPs you are on CD (and doing a horrible job at it), so maybe all of this IS possible.
     
  4. IconoclassicRecs

    IconoclassicRecs Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Windsor, NY
    Larry we could not get our hands on The Best of the Guess Who because Sony already has it in print with regard to Redbook. Also your Culture Factory example is perfect because they are doing vinyl replicas they can get away with putting out the same titles that Sony or Iconclassic have in the marketplace. We wanted to do a lot of those Quicksilver titles but did not want to compete with the CF CDs. Sometimes there are enough sales to go around and sometimes there are not. Beleive me the general consumer is not as astute as most of the people on this board so those Culture Factory releases take a lot of our proposed releases off the table By the way thank you for your kind words about our label.

    The thing you might be right about is the CD layer on the Audio Fidelity titles but I can't speak for the major labels.
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2015
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  5. pscreed

    pscreed Upstanding Member

    Location:
    Land of the Free
    I'm all over these JBG releases. Also just want to say I think the label does a great job and I think it's fantastic to find them here willing to engage in a dialog.

    I appreciate it.
     
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  6. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Anyone receive this yet? Amazon does not appear to have filled preorders; just says the item is unavailable.
     
  7. jsayers

    jsayers Just Drifting.... Thread Starter

    Location:
    Horse Shoe, NC
    Probably got pushed back a little bit, happens all the time. Importcds.com lists the release date now as 5/26/15, so it's just a little bit tardy, no biggie.


    http://www.importcds.com/rough-and-ready/888750468826
     
  8. jsayers

    jsayers Just Drifting.... Thread Starter

    Location:
    Horse Shoe, NC
    Got an email from Importcds.com telling me my copy has shipped.
     
  9. mooseman

    mooseman Forum Resident

    I would not touch anything by Friday Music for any reissues, I'm still pissed about my Grateful Dead - Mars Hotel album, A real stinker pressing.
     
  10. CBC

    CBC Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Coast,USA
    Release date is 5/26, so preorders should start showing up end of next week. Sweet.
     
  11. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in
    I got my shipping notice from ImportCD's as well. I'm seriously hoping this album finally sounds good in some format.
     
  12. Greenblues

    Greenblues Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    +1
     
  13. Greenblues

    Greenblues Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    Thanks for posting.

    Jeff's solo (3:18 onwards) is fantastic. Much prefer this relaxed mode to his more recent style which comprises great playing but is simply bordering on unbearable at times (just check out the new live release).
     
  14. townsend

    townsend Senior Member

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    Couldn't agree more. And that drummer rocks on Rough and Ready's "Got The Feeling." Jeff has become one-track on his whammy bar playing and needs to mix it up. It's good to sometimes "lose the pick" (start playing your fingers), but in his case, I wish he would find it. A fabulous guitarist by all means.
     
  15. ti-triodes

    ti-triodes Senior Member

    Location:
    Paz Chin-in

    :confused:

    Jeff is many things, but he is never unbearable.
     
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  16. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I like Jeff's playing a lot more when he used a pick. :)
     
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  17. PHILLYQ

    PHILLYQ Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn NY
    Odd, I think he's done his best playing in the last 10 years- suum quique!
     
  18. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Yeah, Beck hasn't used a pick since 1980. He has produced a lot of incredible playing during the past 35 years; and a strong argument can be made his playing has continued to improve year after year. That said, he was pretty awesome during the late-60's and 70's when he predominately used a pick. What can I say, I love it all.
     
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  19. Crispy Rob

    Crispy Rob Cat Juggler

    Location:
    Oakland, CA
    I'm in. Not familiar with this album, but loved the Jefferson Airplane iconoclast titles and this seems like the right time and manner to check this one out.
     
  20. Greenblues

    Greenblues Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cologne, Germany
    Hard to answer this one. I've been a great admirer of Beck's gunslinger spirit for many, many years and he's still my favourite living guitar hero by more than a mile (jaw dropping, gut wrenching, heart melting... all rolled into one) - BUT it has to be said: he's not always a master of taste when it comes to create a whole band experience. It sometimes seems that he's content just to let his band create a backdrop or canvas, enabling him to cut loose and let his fancy flow. I guess this is because he's first and foremost a guitar player at heart and much less of an artist with a whole band vision like - say Jimmy Page - whom I don't admire quite as much as a player, but who has (or at least had) a much firmer grip at what he wanted to archive in terms of sound and production.
    Beck's lack of musical vision (or band leader spirit as one might call it) was already evident to some degree with Jeff Beck Group No. 2 - which comprised a collective of highly talented and accomplished players, lacking - among other things a really charismatic singer. Bobby Tench, who's also known as a guitar player, is a capable vocalist, but nowhere near an original one - drowning his performances with mannerisms. Still, with JBG 2, Jeff's spontaneity and sense of adventure made most of their work a success.

    Fast forward to Flash where taste and production really became big issues. There are a ton of absolutely blistering guitar solos on this album - but hardly one convincing tune, apart from People Get Ready. And Jimmy Hall (at least to me) is a prime example of your typical high class singer-for-hire, highly contributing to the album's 80's production soulless plastic feel. Compare this to the tasteful production (and use of effects) on Blow By Blow, Wired and There And Back.

    Fast forward again to Jeff Beck Live+. Jimmy Hall again (a bit more soulful but still nowhere near a match to Jeff's guitar) and a big fat drum sound (which Jeff likes to have, but which often gives his tracks a plump, blatant feel, masking the subtleties in his playing which are every bit as fascinating as his loud, shrieking outbursts). 'Then there's Jeff's playing which - I agree - seems to get better and better, but which at times simply destroys the band's performances. And the wammy bar work and pitch shifting is a masterclass in it's own - but it's applied with a generosity that nearly makes me seasick at times. I don't know how to explain it, but to me it sometimes seems, that the older one gets, the more certain mannerisms come through - and it's not always to one's benefit. Just like mutton from an old mutton - getting too tasty, if you know what I mean.
     
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  21. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Depending on how familiar you are with Jeff Beck's body of work, I would proceed with caution. Others hold this album in very high regard and will disagree. I have grown to respect this album over time and very much look forward to this reissue, but I do remember my initial impression of it. I always felt Beck's music was suffering from a bit of an identity crisis on this record and was a bit confused with what I initially heard. He and Cozy Powell went to Motown in 1970 to record a rock album with the Motown sound. They left Motown with at least 8 tracks worth of unfinished recordings recorded with James Jamerson and Earl Van Dyke. It is unclear why nothing was further done on the Motown recordings. Beck subsequently built a band consisting of Powell, Clive Chaman, and Max Middleton with Alex Ligertwood fronting the unit; and by all accounts, this album of songs was initially recorded by that band. Then there was a conflict with Mickie Most/RAK after Beck secured new management and a new record deal with CBS/Epic where Most allegedly stole the tapes from Island. An additional issue also had CBS's Clive Davis pressuring Beck to replace Ligertwood. So, Beck essentially re-recorded Rough And Ready with the newly recruited Tench on vocals. A lot of drama went on to get his one album made. Again, even as much as I now dig Rough And Ready, I am not sure where Beck was trying to go with it musically; the album seems to be lacking a clear identity. To me, Rough and Ready comes off as a series of ideas intended to fuse rock and roll with funk and soul that do not mesh the way they were intended. There is also a quasi-jazz component that contributes to the somewhat schizophrenic nature of the album. Based on Beck's initial idea of fusing his JBG1 era brand of rock and roll with Motown, this album always sounded like a missed opportunity or experiment that didn't quite reach its apex. That said, Beck clearly lays down some incredible and dazzling guitar work throughout the album.
     
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  22. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    You make some valid points, even if I might not entirely agree. Many of them illustrate a notion that many/most Beck fans have always held: Jeff Beck doesn't need a singer at all.

    After 3 plays, the new live album comes off as good-not-great. Mostly because of Too Much Jimmy (though he is in surprisingly good voice). And partly because the setlist isn't particularly challenging. Nonetheless, Beck shines.

    I like the fat band sound. Tribal is jaw-dropping. IMO, Beck has a firm grasp on how to show off a Rock band.

    Blame Flash on Nile Rogers. 80s – bah! :realmad:

    It is true that Beck is not a composer per se, and does rely on his band-of-the-moment to kick around some ideas that may or may not become Jeff Beck pieces. I think this explains the long time between studio albums, as well as the many different bands. And why not? JB can pick and choose among world-class musicians.

    There are definitely clunkers in the catalog (BBA anyone?), but by and large, his material satisfies on several levels. Back on topic, Rough And Ready – even with vocals throughout – is a rare gem, and is a prime example of Beck gathering musicians (esp Middleton) and delivering a work that couldn't come from anyone else. And, most importantly, loaded with great guitar playing.

    Truth is iconic, but its time came and went. No sense trying to make it a forever thing. Beck predicted this path of exploration all the way back during the Yardbirds.

    He won't always hit the mark, but he'll always be interesting.
     
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  23. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Oh, by the way...

    Does anyone know if R&R is planned for retail store distribution? Or is Iconoclassics strictly online?
     
  24. agentalbert

    agentalbert Senior Member

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    You can e-mail them at their site. I always get a response when I send a question. I just wonder if any retail store has a CD section big enough to include Jeff Beck, whether its an Iconoclassic title or not. A used store that also sells new merchandise might be your best bet if you don't want to buy online.
     
  25. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Amoeba stocks a buncha Jeff Beck, but I didn't see it there on release day.
     
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