BOOK REVIEWS
by: Jaime Pina
Blow By Blow: The Jeff Beck Story
Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill -
Da Capo Press
While not an oral history, this book relies on interviews from many sources. Both authors are associated with Guitar World magazine and have interviewed Beck and people close to him many times and the book was put together by piecing these interviews into one cohesive whole. Thankfully we are spared the usual opening chapters telling of Beck’s childhood. After a brief look at Beck’s upbringing that focuses on how he was inspired early on to play guitar, the authors get right to Beck’s first band experiences, with him gaining a reputation with a band called The Tridents. From there he replaces Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds, and the rest is guitar fury history.
Part of the appeal of this book is the quotes from the interviews but also the author’s habit of not shying away from Jeff’s many foibles. He shoots himself in the foot so many times it makes the reader dizzy wondering how someone with that much talent could mess things up so much. In the early days he had a habit of packing his bags and getting on a plane either back to his California girlfriend or back home to England while on tour. As one producer mentions, there are stacks of 24-track tapes with brilliant guitar work by Beck that will never see the light of day either because he didn’t think he played well enough or simply got bored and moved on to something else. But the authors also discuss his steady activity toward the latter days of his career and how he made many high-profile guest spots on hit records and appeared at many important gatherings but could not exploit these situations to further his career due to one thing or another. In a way, he felt that he had not achieved the fame and success of his friends and contemporaries Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. But his first album with The Jeff Beck Group was the blueprint for what Jimmy Page would turn to platinum with Led Zeppelin, and Beck wipes the floor with Clapton in almost every way. A great read, but another plus is that it comes with a guide to Jeff’s guitars at the end. Pretty cool to see Jeff’s 1983 Jackson Solist that Tina Turner scratched her name into.
Tin Knocker
Mike McGrann - DiWulf Publishing
The CH3 story continues in this second book by guitarist and singer Mike McGrann. In his first book, Miles Per Gallon, he chronicled the rise of CH3 from a punk band practicing in a garage and gaining fame to a band dealing with the decision to stay in the realm of punk rock or to allow themselves to grow as musicians and songwriters.
In this installment Mike picks up the story as the band has grown their hair long while working on a new record that will seal their fate. With bigger labels and real management interested, will the band be able to make the transition into the bigtime? The story is tragic and humorous as Mike lets it all hang out when he gets a real job and is torn between what may be a dissolving band situation and the promise of a working class career with real stability.
Along with books by Nathan Jones of The Hip Priests and Mike Hodsall of DOA, Mike’s two books give a flipside view of the music industry. Most books by rock musicians detail the fun parts like the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll while leaving out the less glamorous parts like having a day job to pay the rent when music isn’t covering the bills. These stories need to
be told as they are commonplace in the punk scene while swept under the rug by musicians from other genres.
Mike is the kind of writer with a style that invites you directly into his head and allows the reader to experience things vividly. Whether he is sweating it out working on one of the intimidating machines at his day job, having a drink with his co-workers after a shift or sweating out decisions that could make or break the band, you feel like you are there. This book is a little shorter than the previous one and it moves faster because it is a harrowing ride. In one moment, Mike is on his motorcycle cruising by an industry party and engaging in the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll while a short time later he is seeing the hard work sink down the drain as fickle industry people make it clear the band has missed their chance at the brass ring of the big time.
If you enjoyed the previous book, then you need this to complete the story but I really suggest reading both back to back. The story of Mike and CH3 is an interesting if cautionary, tale. They were way ahead of the game. And they continue to be one of the best SoCal bands of all time.