When
Jeff Beck died in January 2023, he was preparing several projects.
Beck, Bogert & Appice formed in 1972 after two years of scheduling difficulties (the guitarist led the
Jeff Beck Group while bassist
Tim Bogert and drummer
Carmine Appice served together in
Vanilla Fudge and
Cactus).
BBA's self-titled studio album appeared in 1973; they toured the globe and cut a live album from concerts in Osaka, Japan. It was released there briefly. A sophomore effort was planned, but
Beck abandoned the trio shortly after a January 1974 London gig. The tapes of those shows sat in
Beck's vault for nearly 50 years. In the early 2020s, he and
Appice mixed them from the original multi-track tapes, resulting in
Live 1973 & 1974. The LP's pristine sound quality captures the trio at the very beginning of their existence and at the very end with excellent performances. The Rainbow Theater gig includes songs intended for a second studio album. The box's first two discs were recorded at Osaka's Koseinenkin Hall in 1973. It kicks off with a cover of
Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." It and "Sweet Surrender" (starting off disc two) were released as a single to promote the Japanese tour. The former is raw, unruly, and explosive.
Beck's intro gives way to unhinged playing from
Bogert, as
Appice's drumming walks the line between the propulsive power of
Keith Moon and the jazz-funk savvy of
Billy Cobham. Their studio album is referenced only once more on the first disc, with the raucous, blues-metal "Lose Myself with You," followed by "Beck's Bolero"/"Jeff's Boogie," a screaming "Goin' Down," and a sprawling, 14-minute "Morning Dew."
Tim Bogert's vocals are serviceable but that's all: they lack identity.
Appice is a stronger singer and he's used half the time. If this box has a weak point, generic vocals are it. The
BBA album is also represented on disc two by "Living Alone," the shambolic "I'm So Proud," the
Yarbirds-esque "Lady," and the rootsy hard rock of "Why Should I Care."
The Rainbow gig opens with the unreleased "Satisfied," a bluesy soul workout with funky breaks in overdrive. Also included are performances of unissued instrumentals: "Solid Lifter" (that quotes
Jimi Hendrix's "Third Stone from the Sun") and the blasting "Jizz Whizz," a free-form rocking blues jam where
Beck references the
Allman Brothers and
Les Paul. Disc four kicks off with a revisioned high-octane cover of the soul tune "Name the Missing Word (Praying)" and a pile-driving read of the traditional "Get Ready (Your Lovemaker's Comin' Home)," "Superstition," and a medley of "Blues Deluxe"/"You Shook Me," all of which gloriously elevate the proceeding.
Live 1973 & Live 1974 is packaged in a handsomely designed black-and-white box with four discs with their sleeves replicated in rice paper. The box includes a 60-page hardcover book with rare photos, a facsimile tour program and poster, and an exceptional historical liner essay by manager
Bruce Pilato. No odds-and-sods collection,
Live 1973 & 1974 proves
BBA's might as a power trio who combine a heaviness, groove, and musical virtuosity on par with
Cream and the
Hendrix bands, making it an essential document. ~ Thom Jurek
