Live 1973 & 1974

 

Before his death in January, legendary guitarist Jeff Beck revisited concert recordings made by Beck, Bogert & Appice, the power trio he formed in 1972 with drummer/singer Carmine Appice and bassist/singer Tim Bogert. The live music captures the band at the beginning and end of its short-but-influential partnership, with two shows in Japan in 1973 and one of the group’s final performances in London a year later.

 

All three band members were involved in creating LIVE IN JAPAN 1973, LIVE IN LONDON 1974, and the collection is dedicated to Beck and Bogert, who died in 2023 and 2021, respectively. The set includes an expansive booklet with extended liner notes detailing the group’s history by music journalist/manager Bruce Pilato, along with memorabilia, archival photos, and a replica poster.

 

Beck and Appice mixed all the concerts in this set from the original multi-tracks that had been in Beck’s archive for almost 50 years, thus knocking the many bootleg quality releases, that Beck hated, out of the park! The two performances at Koseinenkin Hall in Osaka, Japan (recorded May 18 and 19, 1973) were released exclusively in Japan a few months after the shows, but never in the U.S. The complete concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London, England (recorded January 26, 1974) has never been released anywhere.

 

In the booklet, Pilato explores the short existence and lasting legacy of Beck, Bogert & Appice, a supergroup that critics once hailed as “the first successor to Cream” (Melody Maker) and an “ensemble of virtually unparalleled magnificence” (NME).

 

LIVE IN JAPAN 1973 was recorded only a few weeks after Beck, Bogert & Appice’s self-titled debut came out. The music ripples with raw energy as the group delivers exhilarating live versions of nearly every song on the album, including “Superstition,” “Lady,” and “Livin’ Alone.” The trio also played songs by the Yardbirds (“Jeff’s Boogie”) and the Jeff Beck Group (“Morning Dew” and “Going Down.”)

 

The concert on LIVE IN LONDON 1974 was recorded eight months after the shows in Japan and right before the trio disbanded. The performance introduces several songs the group planned to record for BBA’s never-completed second studio album, including “Satisfied,” “Jizz Wizz,” and “Solid Lifter.”