I used to think it was a keyboard but now I think it's a guitar that plays that bouncy melody. How was that sound made?

the main line? If I were to guess its a Clavinet into a Mutron Envelope Filter and a nice dab or reverb. You can fake it on a guitar but its definatly a keyboard.

Definitely clavinet. A vey popular electric keyboard in the 70's noted for its funky sound - like a harpsichord on steroids. I don't think there's any processing other than 'verb.

If you are going to play it on guitar, it's in C# (i think anyways all black keys) I just drop tune my Low E to Eb for the open Eb and everything else just a half step flat, adds to the vibe I think..

Check out the Jeff Beck Group's version. As I understand it, Stevie wrote that song for Beck. After he heard Jeff play it, he didn't want to give it to him. Jeff just KILLS on it. Classic JB! Touch, tone, PHRASING, it's all there.

i've seen a clip of stevie & his band playing live in a tv studio in germany for german tv.
really funky equipment & clothes circa early-mid 70's.& a complete set up of orange amps & pa equipment.& the main riff mentioned is played on a keyboard synth.its really cool,& i've seen it a few times on vh-1 classic on cable.

I can see Beck doing a great job with it. He smokes on the Stevie stuff he played on!

Didn't Jeff track on Stevie's cut? No? Carmine Appice says that the riff was Jeff's. I guess we could ring Jimmy Page, he's usually got the scoop on exactly what Jeff did and did not do.

Most everybody during that era that chose clavinets was playing Hohners (Sly Stone for one, and I think Rick Wakeman did with Yes, as well - I could be wrong, my memory sucks). If you dig the sound of clavinet, check that instrument's poet laureate, Billy Preston. The tune "Outta Space" is that instrument's swan song.

It could be Jeff's lick. He definately has that type of phrasing. Especially back then. I also love his fills, etc. on Going Down. If I could just record/play ONE track like that, I could die a happy man. But Jeff does it seemingly at will. It's just not fair.

I know on close to the edge Howe is playing chords on an electric sitar sounds sort of clavish to my ears..

That entire track except for the sax and trumpet is all Stevie. Beck plays on the tune "Lookin' for Another Pure Love" - side 2, track 4. It never even occured to me that the Superstition riff would be anything other than a clavinet (?)

quote:

Originally posted by Swain:
Check out the Jeff Beck Group's version. As I understand it, Stevie wrote that song for Beck. After he heard Jeff play it, he didn't want to give it to him. Jeff just KILLS on it. Classic JB! Touch, tone, PHRASING, it's all there.

Stevie did wwrite the song for Beck but we should all be glad that Stevie released the song first because he did a much better job.

Like it or not this song would be some obscure old track from the 70's(because JB isn't as big as a lot of guitar players would like to think) but instead Stevie's version is a classsic. Stevie did us all a favor.

Beck is great but he's no Stevie.

Who the hell did Jeff have doing vocals on that song? Should have looked harder.

Laroosco, I mostly agree with you. I believe that was (bassist) Tim Bogert handling the vocal chores on the track that you are referring to. By the way, as for Beck's vocalists of choice over the years, I'd put Bob Tench (Jeff Beck Group) up with just about anybody - very soulful voice. Rod Stewart *in his prime* requires no introduction. Jeff also briefly worked with Jimmy Hall (notably, formerly with Wet Willie, probably one of the greasiest bands the southern United States ever yielded); GREAT singer. Unfortunately, those guys collaborated on a mostly forgettable record ("Flash").

Beck, Bogert, and Appice never really blew my skirt up. The original intent of that band was to assimilate and bring forth American R&B and soul music, but they never really arrived at that, and that's pretty much why Jeff ultimately became disenchanted with the project. Not that there's anything wrong with this, but the band ultimately wound up being yet another blues rock power trio, with an ultra-busy rhythm section, sans truly great writing and a truly identifiable "voice". As I understand it, Jeff tired of such for much the same reasons that Eric Clapton tired of Cream. Jeff has certainly hired busy rhythm sections over the years, but he seems to best function with those that are somewhat concise and focused in execution of tunes.

I'm not sure how you're defining or referencing the term "big". Stevie Wonder and Jeff Beck are entirely different sorts of musicians, with entirely different approaches and intended targets. To compare the two is a bit like contrasting Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti (who, for the record, hated each other). Stevie Wonder and Jeff Beck would both make my personal list of most admired and inspiring musicians, for what it's worth.

Jeff Beck is extremely popular with a lot of guitar players and people of a certain age, but fflies under the radar in grand scheme of things. Stevie Wonder is a household name. Everyone I know(except my 96 year old grandfather) can tell me the name of a Stevie Wonder song. I now tonss of people who know Jeff by name only.


My point was that had Stevie not released Superstition, it would be another forgotten track. Jeff just isn't a mainstream enough artist, and his interpretation of that tune was never going to appeal to a lot of people IMO. I for one am glad that Stevie shared that song with the world.

IMO Stevie Ray's versioon from Live Alive appeals to me more than the Beck version. The tempo of Becks version is just plodding and aalmost makes me angry...as ridiculous as that seems

I sure won't arrgue that Rod Stewart was great, but I'm don't really know Beck's other singers. All I know is tht after i heard Freddie King's version of "Goin Down" I immediately searched for the Beck version which I hadn't heard in years. I wanted to see how they compaared since I lways loved that song.
I laughed out loud when I heard it. No comparison. The screechy vocals were nowhere as good as Freddie's and what the hell was with that ridicculous guitar solo? Sometimes I really think that Jeff just noodles for the sake of sounding strange..all IMO of course. I love out of the box playing but a lot of Becks stuff just doesn't ssound mussical to me.

Joe Gagan aand I had a friendly disagreement about Blow by Blow one day while we were working together. I never cared for the album(except for a couple song)and he sited it as one of his first and maain influences. No wrong answers of course I've just come to the conlusion that I'm not really a guitar players guitar player.

What I mean is that instrumental guitar albums almost always leave me cold. I can appreciate a lot of it but you'll never catch me listening to too much Eric Johnson, etc. I would much rather hear a good singer than the guitar doing all the melody lines. The guitar is such a small part of the bigger picture I hate to one instrument constantly focused on. .

Lawrence, it occurs to me that we're brothers of a different mother. I've probably said this about 57,000 times here (but hey, what's once more!)... and not that it matters, but I'm a "song guy", not a "guitar guy". It didn't start out that way, but I'm certainly happier, as a result.

I'm an old guy, and I've been a fan of Stevie Wonder since he was "Little Stevie Wonder". "Innervisions" is one of my fave records, and "I Wish" is one of my fave grooves (far cooler than "Superstition", at least, for my tastes). Long story short, I've basically idolized the guy since I was in short pants.

Just to stir the pot a bit... whose version of "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" hits you harder in the gut - Stevie's original track, or Jeff Beck's reading? And since we're on the subject, do you prefer Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watch Tower" (Robert wrote it), or do you like the Jimi Hendrix reading? No worries, it's not a rhetorical question, and there are no correct answers, it's just a matter of curiosity on my part.

I love Freddie King's version of the Don Nix tune "Going Down". It's great. Jeff Beck's reading of that tune is so large (for me personally) that it simply defies further comment. That particular Jeff Beck Group record is the biggest reason that I'm still interested in "lead guitar", as cartoonish as its legacy might be, after all these years. The thing about a tune like that is that it's not really about "composition" - it's more of a "vehicle". I do that tune in drop D tuning, and I make it a cold, hard point to listen to neither of those guys, as reference to the tune. To me, that would "spoil the vibe" of what might possibly happen.

Usually, and I'll say that this is simply with regard to *my taste and experience*, whenever I read of the "guitaristic" preferences of guys that don't dig Jeff Beck, I know for sure that I won't see eye to eye with them, and the best that I can do subsequently is to agree to disagree, and go back to talking about "songs", and go about my merry way. Joe Gagan might not have always been the most consumate businessman, but from what I know about his musical convictions, I most certainly agree with him.

Jeff Beck - Joe Gagan ... Both great guitarists. One doesn't put out enough records, the other still has my Bronto Boost .

I have only heard Stevie's version of that tune once maybe twice and it's been so long that I really can't remember what it sounds like. I personally can't imagine liking any version of that tune better than the Beck version. Jeff did that one right IMO.

I did hear a muzak version of that song in a 24 restaraunt in Albuquerque. It was 4 in the morning and I was eating green chile enchiladas with some friends. Not what we were expecting. lol.

I much prefer Jimi's version of Watchtower, and I also prefer his version of Hey Joe

As far as Gagan is concerned, like him or not(wwhich I still do) you can't argue that the guy can play, and knows what he's talking about where all things guitar are concerned. I witnessed it first hand.

Jeff's version of "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" is a high water mark. Not just as a great song. But, also as a step forward in what is possible with the electric guitar. Truly an outstanding piece of work. I don't think anything has surpassed it.

Did anyone hear SRVs Version - That's all Guitar!!!