Audio CD review:
Jeff Beck - There and Back

Jeff Beck - There and Back

Band: Jeff Beck Title: There and Back Rating: Release Date: 25 October, 1990 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Star Cycle 2: Too Much To Lose 3: You Never Know 4: The Pump 5: El Becko 6: The Golden Road 7: Space Boogie 8: The Final Peace

Customer Reviews Great album, great collaborations Up until this album, jazz-fusion meant picking from the likes of Spyro Gyra, Weather Report, or Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the music was more jazz than fusion. One thing you have to say, not only is Beck one of the truly great guitarists of all time, but the man knows how to pick talent to jam with. Beck, coming as he did from perhaps the most storied rock background at the time, crafted a blowout rocking fusion album with "There and Back" that raised the bar so high, I think it has yet to be equaled yet alone surpassed. Teaming up with the likes of Tony Hymas, Simon Phillips, and the brilliant Jan Hammer (Miami Vice composer), each track displays a dynamic improv give-and-take between Beck and his teammates that allows each to shine, while never overshadowing the arrangements or eachother. Beck's famous ego seems contained, or at least balanced, in the context of his collaborative efforts, and the result is perhaps the most accessible instrumental album I've ever heard. Standout cuts include "Star Cycle" (featuring Jan Hammer's signature synth stylings), "The Pump" (made famous by Tom Cruise's film "Risky Business"), and "Space Boogie" -- a track that totally smokes! Personal fave though is "El Becko". The piano intro by Tony Hymas with synth flamenco-flourish gives way to some of Beck's tastiest slide work ever. That said, for any listener looking for a Top 10 sample collection of the Golden Age of Jazz Fusion should stop reading and add this to your shopping cart. . . NOW!. good tunes, great drums, but the synth bass and synths tarnish it Other than that, GREAT DRUMMING by Simon Phillips, and most of the tunes are decent catchy simple melodies over a slightly jazz/pop rock fusion sound. To me this album would have been way better with a real bassist, and a reduction in the overly "modern" (for the times) 80's synthesizer sounds. This album would be great if it just had a real bassist and less synths (or none at all). . There and Back Live!!! I saw this group perform the album live at the Philadelphia Spectrum on October 8th 1980. This has to be one of the best sleeper Rock/Fusion albums to date. . . of the hundreds of concerts that I have seen, the There and Back performance which include an amazing performance from a 23 year old drumming sensation Simon Phillips has to be in my top 5 along with Van Halen opening for Black Sabbath in 1978. . . I highly recommend getting "There and Back" you will not be disappointed. . . You can see a complete list of all Jeff Beck discography, or go back to the Jeff Beck tabs