Jeff Beck
You Had It Coming

After the superlative "Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop" in 1989, Jeff Beck practically disappeared from the scene. A few tributes, few appearances, but above all no new material until March 1999. Ten years of absence and a return in grand style with a one-two punch capable of knocking out skeptics, detractors, but especially nostalgics.
For those who remained standing - few, to be honest - after the right hook to the face of "Who Else?", the left hook of "You Had It Coming" in 2001 comes to close any discussion.
Two records that have little to do with the previous production of the English guitarist, who in these years has absorbed and metabolized the influence of the electronic scene (Prodigy above all); two albums in which Jeff Beck skillfully fuses antithetical genres such as blues and techno, making it seem the easiest thing in the world (and perhaps it is precisely this apparent ease of genre coexistence that is the link with the earlier albums).
But let's move on to the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):

- Who is Jeff Beck?
He is one of the few - perhaps the only one - who can confidently answer "yes, I am" to the question "are you experienced?". Who else?

- What sense does it make to listen to a Jeff Beck album today? The '60s and '70s are long gone. Isn't it perhaps time for this nice nostalgic gentleman to retire and make way for the young?
Nostalgic, my foot. This album is so fresh and innovative that it sounds like a loud and boisterous screw you to everyone who now lives off past glory (any reference to Clapton and Page is purely coincidental). It is so modern that it shames all those who have done nothing but play the same song for years.

- I just listened to it and wow, it sounds like a Prodigy album. Are you sure it's actually Jeff Beck? Isn't it perhaps a case of mistaken identity?
Yes, it's him, trust me. The Prodigy has nothing to do with it. Rather, I would say it sounds as if aliens had kidnapped Led Zeppelin and Kraftwerk, blended them, shaken them, locked them in a time machine, and thrown them into a rave party in the year of Our Lord 2001.

- From the 1965 rave-up to the 2001 rave party?
Exactly. But by wandering paths.

- Is it possible to mix blues and electronic music?
Yes, and "Rollin' And Tumblin'" is the answer to your question. He has kept it for years, waiting for an arrangement that could do it justice, and he finally found it. With this version, he has assured his reputation for at least another twenty years and has flung open a door to the blues for the new millennium. Too bad that no one has walked through it yet.

- On masterpieces like "Definitely Maybe", "Where Were You", "Cause We've Ended As Lovers", "A Day In The Life", or "Brush With The Blues", Jeff's guitar seems to sing, whisper, and sometimes even cry. Is there anything like that in this album?
In "Blackbird", Jeff makes his guitar chirp. Or rather, he duets with a rather unusual partner, a little bird. But it's more of a divertissement. The real pinnacle is "Nadia", a cover of Nitin Sawhney, a sort of Indian Stevie Wonder. Here Beck chases the beautiful vocalizations of Reena Bhardwaj, reminiscent of the oriental sounds from the Yardbirds era.

- What instrument does he play in "Nadia?"
It seems incredible, but it's an electric guitar. He always plays the same yellow Fender Stratocaster and uses the same Marshall JCM 2000 amplifier.

- How does he get a practically infinite range of sounds from such a limited setup?
Good question.

- What's the difference between having many guitars and playing as if it were always the same, and always having the same guitar and playing as if it were a different instrument every time?
The same as the difference between having torn pants on the butt and a torn butt in the pants.

- Who is the female voice in "Rollin' And Tumblin'" and "Dirty Mind?" Why didn't he choose a male voice?
The voice is Imogen Heap's, although in general, his tracks are all instrumental. Jeff Beck's sound is very soft and sensual, perfectly matching with a female voice. In recent years, he has always surrounded himself with female colleagues (he is currently accompanied by a twenty-year-old girl on bass, with a groove to shake the ground).
N.B. Having dealt with somewhat unattractive folks like Rod Stewart for so many years certainly took its toll.

- The guitar parts are monstrous, but in the studio and with today's technologies, anyone can do it. Isn't it one of those artists who doesn't perform even half as well live as in the studio?Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are saying.

- I don't know anything about Jeff Beck. Can I start with this album?
It's a very accessible and easy album, but generally speaking, I'd say no. There are other Jeff Beck albums to start with, like "Truth", "Beck-Ola", "Blow By Blow", or "Wired".

- I have a very active sex life and don't have time to listen to all these albums. Is there a compilation that features the best of Jeff Beck?
Summing up over forty years of career in a compilation is like preparing for an exam by watching "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". However, I must say that "Beckology" from 1991 covers, with some oversights here and there, the best of his music production, stopping practically at "Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop". So if you want to know who Jeff Beck is before listening to this album, and the answer to the first question didn’t fully satisfy you, "Beckology" represents your bare minimum.

- If this Jeff Beck were half as good as you say, he would have been much more successful, don't you think?
No, I don't think so. Jeff Beck is not a musician who compromises. And after all, a Jimi Hendrix will be remembered more for setting his guitar on fire than for how he played it. Unfortunately.

- I've been playing the guitar for years, and I can perfectly execute all of Petrucci's solos, but I can't replicate most of the sounds that come out of Jeff Beck's Stratocaster. Why?
It's normal. Scales can be learned, but talent cannot be bought. Talent is priceless.

- It sounds very interesting. So why are there so many reviews of "Octavarium" and none of this album?
The mother of fools is always pregnant.

- I don't understand all this animosity towards Dream Theater. I love "Octavarium" and I love Petrucci. And then what does it mean that the mother of fools is always pregnant?
And you're asking me? Ask your mother directly.