BECK, BOGERT & APPICE

After the implosion of the first version of The Jeff Beck Group in 1969, guitarist Jeff Beck had teamed up with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice both from Vanilla Fudge with the intent to record an album however the project was delayed due to contractual issues and when Beck suffered a fractured skull in a car accident in December of the same year, the project was put on hold but not forgotten. In the meantime Bogert and Appice went on to form Cactus. Once recovered Jeff Beck started a completely new version of The Jeff Beck Group and recorded two albums but ultimately that project ended and suddenly the time had come for the 3 Amigos to finally scratch that itch of putting together their own project.

Considered a power trio, the rather dully named BECK, BOGERT & APPICE was formed in 1972 and stuck it out for two years before Beck jumped ship in order to relaunch his solo career that finally launched him into the limelight as an influential guitarist. This power trio only released this sole eponymously titled album and an accompanying live album simply titled "Live" the same year in 1973. For only releasing a single album this trio embarked on an ambitious touring schedule which lasted the entire two years of this collaboration. The band was considered best as a live act with much more energetic performances than this studio album represents.

Following in the footsteps of Beck's earliest albums, Vanilla Fudge and Cactus, BECK, BOGERT & APPICE offered a stealthy mix of blues rock and hard rock with some of the later Beck Group's R&B, funk and soul influences along for the ride. Another feature that was revisited was Beck's propensity for filling up an album's real estate with a slew of cover tunes. A long time favorite, this album features not one but two covers from soul singer Don Nix and others from Curtis Mayfield and Raymond Louis Kennedy. The standout is the Stevie Wonder cover of "Superstition" which was offered as a blessing for Beck's work on Wonder's classic album "Talking Book." The originals were equally penned by all three members. Likewise all three members took turns as lead vocalist.

As a result the album sounds quite diverse and although not unlike The Jeff Beck Group's final "Orange Album" in that regard, this album features a more focused approach with the tracks being placed in the right order and infused with an energetic mojo lacking from the final lineup of The Jeff Beck Group. As it turns out all the members were actually great singers as well as more than competent on their instruments of choice. This resulted in Jeff Beck turning up his guitar playing skills a few notches. While firmly steeped in hard rock and blues with moments of R&B, funk and soul, this BECK, BOGERT & APPICE resulted in a very cool boogie rock album of the era.

Personally i find this project to be far superior to anything that Jeff Beck had accomplished on his first four solo albums. The album is consistent and competent at all levels. Perhaps what keeps this album from ranking higher amongst fans and myself is that it lacks a creative edge over the legions of hard rockers of the same era. While this album would have stood out and would have been utterly brilliant in 1969 when the band first planned this collaboration, for an album in 1973 it seems a bit dated. After all not only was progressive rock and proto-punk band Stooges changing the hard rock paradigm but even boogie-fueled hard rock bands Budgie, Alice Cooper, Montrose, Blue Oyster Cult and a gazillion others were cranking out albums much more inventive and well? interesting. This is an album that's above average in performance but lacks in anything original really. Not bad but ultimately not that great either.

3.5 stars but rounded down