I'm the best, you're the best, Clapton's the best, Chet Atkins was the best, nobody is the best. All of the above are true in some context or another.
Jeff Beck: Was he ever considered the best rock guitarist?
- Thread starter 2HBStrat
- Start date
All 17 of his studio albums made the Billboard Top 200 and only 4 of those didn't make the Top 100. Seven even made it into the Top 20. Five went Gold, two Platinum...
Are there enough guitar players in this country to generate those kinds of sales?
58Bassman
Tele-Holic
I found out that he passed when I was looking for something to watch on TV and saw Gene Simmons, so I stopped and the crawl at the bottom showed the bad news. He said that anyone who isn't aware of Jeff Beck should immediately go out and get a copy of the Jeff Beck Group album.
He was considered best by enough guitar to be considered in the conversation of best.
saltyseadog
Tele-Holic
He was certainly the best at what he did, no discussion needed.
lammie200
Friend of Leo's
Definitely the best at being Jeff Beck. No question.
TeleBrew
Doctor of Teleocity
That would be me.
2HBStrat
Friend of Leo's
That's good but does that make him the best? Should sales figures be compared? Does sales = the best?
I've read several recent articles about Jeff Beck after his death. I get the impression that he was unhappy about the success of some of his albums, 'Guitar Shop' in particular. He seemed to have been questioning some of his musical choices and also money as in what he would do if he had a million quid.
if the lineage is like: Berry, clapton, page, van halen blah blah... then, no.
but, Jeff Beck was always more interested in doing his own thing without looking at whether or not people liked it... that even the 'best' guitar players were impressed by his singularity and his talent as he displayed it. JB never seemed desperate for accolades or attention. He wasn't needy.
Maybe Jeff Beck might be 'most fully realized vision of what mattered to him'
in another vein, a player like Danny Gatton or Roy Buchanan were similar in some of their aesthetic, but had more deep need of people 'getting it' while absolutely refusing to compromise.
Beck did not seem to care at all. The other two seemed to be so crestfallen that people were not getting what they were doing (at least not to the degree of real fame and fortune.)
They said they didn't care, but they kind of looked over their shoulder as to where everyone was.
Maybe I'm wrong about that. I didn't know any of them, but all three were master musicians. Maybe 'the best' is the artist who can have an extreme high level skill and can translate it to something the common man can grasp?
but, Jeff Beck was always more interested in doing his own thing without looking at whether or not people liked it... that even the 'best' guitar players were impressed by his singularity and his talent as he displayed it. JB never seemed desperate for accolades or attention. He wasn't needy.
Maybe Jeff Beck might be 'most fully realized vision of what mattered to him'
in another vein, a player like Danny Gatton or Roy Buchanan were similar in some of their aesthetic, but had more deep need of people 'getting it' while absolutely refusing to compromise.
Beck did not seem to care at all. The other two seemed to be so crestfallen that people were not getting what they were doing (at least not to the degree of real fame and fortune.)
They said they didn't care, but they kind of looked over their shoulder as to where everyone was.
Maybe I'm wrong about that. I didn't know any of them, but all three were master musicians. Maybe 'the best' is the artist who can have an extreme high level skill and can translate it to something the common man can grasp?
sax4blues
Poster Extraordinaire
I know definitively I am the best rock guitarist who has ever lived in my house.
Fiesta Red
Doctor of Teleocity
There is no best.
There are favorites, and legends, and pioneers, and ground-breakers, and extraordinarily talented players, and people who were/are popular…but there’s no best.
I’m not even the best at being me.
There are favorites, and legends, and pioneers, and ground-breakers, and extraordinarily talented players, and people who were/are popular…but there’s no best.
I’m not even the best at being me.
Fiesta Red
Doctor of Teleocity
.
Chicago Matt
Friend of Leo's
Everyone has an opinion.
Mine is that he was great and unique.
He blazed a trail all his own.
I miss him.
Mine is that he was great and unique.
He blazed a trail all his own.
I miss him.
My point wasn't about sales equating to best; rather about whether Beck's audience extends beyond guitarists. The sales figures seem to indicate that it has for a long time.
2HBStrat
Friend of Leo's
The same can certainly be said about Clapton, Hendrix, Page, Satriani, Mayer and many other guitarists
Certainly!
teleplayr
Friend of Leo's
No such thing as "The Best". One of the best...yes!
