Fans around the globe are mourning the loss of Jeff Beck, the legendary guitarist who died Tuesday after reportedly contracting bacterial meningitis.
The 78-year-old artist will be remembered as one of the greatest musicians in rock ‘n’ roll history, a two-time inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — first as a member of the Yardbirds in 1992 and then in 2009 as a solo artist — whose amazing influence on the instrument is impossible to fully calculate.
Yet, unlike many other iconic rock guitarists — like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and David Gilmour — Beck’s music isn’t in constant rotation at many classic rock radio stations. Indeed, many casual listeners might have a hard time mentioning more one or two of Beck’s song titles.
There’s no better why to understand Beck’s greatness than to let his guitar do all the talking.
With his loss hanging heavy in the air, here’s a list of five of his greatest guitar songs.
1. “Heart Full of Soul” (1965)
It was the first single that the Yardbirds released after Jeff Beck joined the group, replacing another guitarist you might have heard of — Eric Clapton.
2. “Going Down” (1972)
Beck’s version of this Don Nix classic, which was popularized by the great Freddie King a few years earlier, is nothing short of a barnburner on the self-titled third (and final) studio album by the Jeff Beck Group.
3. “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers” (1974)
Beck’s playing is so vivid and emotional on this Stevie Wonder-penned tune, which was a highlight off the guitarist’s second solo offering, “Blow by Blow.”
4. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (1976)
Beck takes the 1959 jazz standard penned by Charles Mingus and shapes it into blues-rock instrumental gold on his third solo album, “Wired.”
5. “Big Block” (1989)
It’s down and dirty, with a Texas-style blues groove grappling with a spacey fusion feel, and it leaps out of your speakers once you drop the needle on the guitarist’s sixth solo album, “Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop.”
