Having read the previous reviews I feel as if I'm not referring to the same record. But, as those old Latin guys said, "de gustibus non est disputandum". This 1977 live recording was made in a decade in which Frank Zappa so aptly declared that "Jazz is not dead... it just smells funny". Many jazz and rock credentials were tainted by failed attempts to turn the flirting between jazz and rock into a 'lasting relationship', and a number of records from that era are best left forgotten. This one, however, is not among those. On the contrary, it portrays a successful concert of a cohesive group of impressive musicians providing ample opportunities to hear just why is Jeff Beck indisputably one of the most amazing guitarists in popular music. Charmingly outdated (if only slightly) recording of a very good (sound) quality from the days when synthesizers were still monophonic, this record features inspired and passionate playing of Jeff Beck (g), Jan Hammer (ky, v), Fernando Saunders (b, g, v), Tony Smith (d, v) and Steve Kindler (vn, syn, g). Among rather uneven records of Jeff Beck, this is one of the few that has my undivided attention every time I listen to it. I'd give it solid 4 stars but I'll add one more in an attempt to increase the overall rating - Jeff deserves it.

I admit, I bought this because I love Jeff Beck from the 70's fusion era. Of course i'd heard of Jan Hammer, from the Mahavishnu Orchestra and elsewhere, but i'd not really heard him do much virtuoso stuff except with Beck on "Wired". Here, it's basically the Jan Hammer Group, with Jeff Beck accompanying. None of Beck's band mates from his albums of the period are on this live album, except of course Hammer. Now, let me go through the tracks. "Freeway Jam" is very cool here, it starts out with Beck and Hammer imitating car horns and things like that, and they jam out for a good 6 minutes after that. Beck is the star here of course, he plays some great solos, lots of whammy bar bends and whatnot. Hammer is doing ok too though, I think he's holding back since it's one of Beck's most well-known tracks. "Earth's Our Only Home" is of Hammer's creation, he sings here and plays some wacky synth stuff, a little bit of latin percussion and things like that. It sucks the first couple listens, but it just might grow on you. "She's a Woman" is very cool here in this live version, much more ska-ed out than the studio one, less voice box (which Beck was doing before Peter Frampton, BTW), just enough guitar to satisfy. "Full Moon Boogie" is a kinda southern-esque jam in G, more voice box from Beck, a different, albeit better, vocalist, it's what it says, a boogie. There's plenty of violin here (the disc says Hammer co-wrote with Jerry Goodman, the violinist from Mahavishnu), guitar, synths, all that buisness. "Darkness...." is the first track where Hammer really starts to dominate as soloist. He plays a dark, intense moog solo for the first 2-3 minutes, and it's definetly worth listening to. Beck is not as strong a presence on this track, maybe because Hammer wrote it. Next track is "Scatterbrain"...I loved the album version, it's near-perfect...however, on here, it's not BAD or anything, just not my favorite! Of course, people who like jams will dig this track. There's a lot of guitar playing, synths (Hammer plays a cool slap bass synth), and it definetly rocks. Last is "Blue Wind", from the "Wired" disc. It's probably the one of all that's most similar to it's album version, except Beck REALLY burns here! It is heavy, I really like it! All in all, the CD is worth the measley 10 dollars, you guitar and synth freaks will love it, you Satriani fans might like it except for the singing.....it will appeal to a lot of people, probably more middle-aged than younger though. Go see Jeff Beck live if you get the chance!

Overall, this is not a bad CD and, in fact, at $9.97, it's hard to turn down. Essentially, what you get is 7 songs featuring Jeff Beck on lead guitar backed up by, and sometimes overpowered by, Hammer's organ and the Hammer group.

Jeff performs his "Freeway Jam", "She's a Woman", and "Scatterbrain" from his "Blow by Blow" CD and "Blue Wind" from the CD "Wired" (both CD's sell for $7.99 on Amazon). Personally, I prefer the studio quality and performance of these songs, but then again, you don't have Hammer's fusion music on those discs. As with most live performances in the 70's, the quality of the recording is not great and could use some digital remastering to bring it up to todays standards.

I saw this band, playing this set, in Perth, Western Australia god know's how long ago, I knew I wasn't old enough to drive...

Remembering that all this music was done 'live' before click tracks or on stage sequencers, this was amazing.

Some of the most amazing synth solos and comping from Jan Hammer, one of the true stylists, at his most dexterous...And Jeff Beck (with whom I wasn't really familiar at the time, though I knew he was a heavyweight...) is the perfect partner. This band had an unusual and angular sound that I haven't heard anywhere else.

This cd captures a unique moment in time with some amazing players at the peak of their abilities.

Great and exciting stuff.

This is Beck's best album (which makes it great). Jan Hammer and Jeff explore many genres, and no, nobody's trying to outdo anybody, they're just having fun. These old pros are a little too mature for that. The people who didn't like the vocals probably have never heard funk before, as they resemble Earth Wind and Fire in places. A nice extra.