Over a remarkable 50-year career, Jeff Beck’s style of guitar playing reshaped the world of music. One of the essential guitarists of the British Invasion, Beck possessed a mercurial, lyrical style that sounded equally at home in thunderous blues-rock and soft-focus fusion. He played both styles in his long career, channeling psychedelia, heavy metal, and jazz-rock as he did so. 

In this episode, Alex pays tribute to the late, great guitarist with a few special guests. Vernon Reid joins to talk about the impact that Beck had on the world of music, including his work with Stevie Wonder and the complicated story behind the song Superstition. Carmine Appice shares stories from their days in Beck, Bogert, and Appice, the legendary supergroup they formed in the early 70’s, and explains his decision to pass on being part of Jeff’s ‘Blow by Blow’ album and tour in order to join Rod Stewart’s band. Beck’s longtime publicist Melissa Dragich joins the conversation and reminisces about a missed opportunity between Beck and Prince, and music journalist Dave Rubin describes that one time he saw Beck put BB King on notice.

Listen to the playlist inspired by this episode on Spotify, curated by Alex Skolnick

Read Alex’s essay on Jeff Beck: “Goodbye PorkPie Strat”

Watch the 2018 documentary on Jeff Beck: “The Jeff Beck Story: Still On The Run”

Follow Alex on IG and Twitter @alexskonick

Moods & Modes is presented by Osiris Media. Hosted and Produced by Alex Skolnick. Osiris Production by Kirsten Cluthe and Matt Dwyer. Music by Alex Skolnick. Artwork by Mark Dowd.

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