This three CD set is a great but not perfect representation of guitarist Jeff Beck's exciting mix of blues, rock, jazz and funk. Like a tomcat on the prowl he, scratches, cries and wails, always landing on his feet with his impeccable sense of time.

The first CD starts out with several tracks from the Tridents, Beck's pre-Yardbirds blues group. Beck was well on his way to defining his style in this group with surprising accomplished slide work on "Trouble In Mind" and the sonic blasts on Bo Diddley's "Nursery Rhyme." The bulk of Disc One highlights his work with the Yardbirds. In addition to the hits, "Heart Full of Soul," "Over Under Sideways Down" and "Shapes of Things," two numbers, "The Nazz Are Blue" and "Jeff's Boogie, " showcase his brand of blues. The "Nazz Are Blue" features Mr. Beck on vocals! Four of the Yardbirds songs are from a live BBC taping, including " You're A Better Man Than I." The disc ends with three cuts from the start of his solo career including the silly but fun "Hi Ho Silver Lining."

Disc two consists of songs from both incarnations of the Jeff Beck Group and songs from the heavy, sometimes leaden, Beck, Bogart and Appice (BBA.) The first six cuts feature Rod Stewart on vocals, including the hard to find, "I've Been Drinking." Unfortunately, there is only one song from the post Stewart album, Rough and Ready, with Bob Tench on vocals. The version of "Blues Deluxe" is a live track by BBA, not the Rod Stewart version from the Truth album.

Disc three starts with the sublime tribute to Roy Buchanan, "Cause We've Ended As Lovers." Having been written by Stevie Wonder and produced by George Martin for Blow By Blow, it's no surprise that this track is five minutes of sheer aural ecstasy. Only one other song, "Diamond Dust," is taken from Blow By Blow. It is baffling why two ballads were used when there was so much great funk on the album. The version of "Freeway Jam" is a live version and while it is not as sleek as the Blow By Blow version, it is fun listening to Beck and Jan Hammer try to break the sound barrier. The 1984 hit "People Get Ready" is also on here, with Rod the Mod on vocals,once again.

The rest of Disc three is a mixed bag from Beck's eighties work. Some of it leans toward a techno sound and other tracks are retro. Some of the techno tracks sound forced as if he's trying to keep up with the guitarists he originally influenced like Van Halen, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani. But the remake of "Train Kept A-Rollin" holds up and his slide work on "Sleep Walk"(you'll know this oldie when you hear it) is reminiscent of his early work with The Tridents. The set concludes with two solid numbers from the 1989 album Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop with Terry Bozzio and Tony Hymas.

Too bad some of his mid-eighties work with Mick Jagger and the Honeydrippers is not included. But overall, Beckology, compiles a generorus overview of 25 years of unique sound explorations by one of music's premier electric guitarists

Jeff Beck is my mind, is arguably the greatest guitarist today. I saw him this year (2001, as we speak), have heard his new album and he sounds as fresh as ever. He broke ground in the 60s, 70s, 80's and now today mainly cause he never stuck to one thing. He kept experimenting all the time and often succeding in it. With a very ecletic career (spanning from the Yardbirds and present), it would be difficult to capture it all in a box set.

But this doesn't mean this 3- disc box set could have been better assembled. While Disc 1 contains some Tridents stuff and some of his early solo singles as "Hi Ho Silver Lining,", Disc 1 uses 3/4 of his content to the Yardbirds. Sure, some of Jeff's work with Yardbirds was needed, but do we need almost a whole's disc work of it, since there's a lot more to Beck than the Yardbirds? Above all, there are plenty of Yardbirds greatest hits for those who need it.

Disc 2 is the groups. Jeff Beck Group 1-2 and Beck Bogert and Appice get adequate and somewhat fair treatment. I would have taken a few out and added a few in. But overall, an alright job.

Disc 3 sadly dedicates a few tracks to what was arguable Jeff's best period from "Blow by Blow"-"There & Back". Only a couple of tracks are there (some which weren't the most important of the period) and yet so many essential tracks are lost, denying a listener to what made that period wonderful in Jeff's career. Strangely, "Flash", Jeff's worst album, gets more than what we need to hear.

Not to mention, we miss some of Jeff's guest work with Stevie Wonder, Donovan, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger and the Robert Plant-led Honeydrippers. And some tracks of that never-released Motown album cut with Cozy Powell is missing as well. I know it would be impossible to get all that is worthwhile there, especially to satisfy a hard core fan as myself. But let's face it, hard core fans as me were going to be the main buyers here and should we get something we didn't get anywhere else.

Those who are casual fans may only get a taste of Beck here, but to fully experience the magic of Jeff Beck and what made him a great player, they are recommended to start with his invidiual albums.

A disappointing box set for several reasons. One, too much Yardbirds where those tracks have been represented elsewhere. Second, over half of the third disc is derived from later Jeff Beck albums, such as the unlistenable Flash. Third, far too little of his Group and solo work is representated. As an introduction to Jeff Beck, Beckology is adequate, but otherwise, too much of this is redundant.

This was a great purchase foe even tho I already have every Jeff Beck cd!(Except the newer rematsered "Truth" & "Beck-Ola")

Buying this you'll get a great sampling from almost every period

of Beck's muscial career up until after "Guitar Shop". Jeff Beck has always been a guitar pioneer! He revolutionized the way the electric guitar sounded influenced by his idol Les Paul! Jeff even played Gibson Les Paul guitar's until deciding on going with the Stratocaster. He made his 1st electric guitar or at least altered it & did alter his amp re-wiring it so it would produce strange sound effects like Les Paul!

Beck has always reinvented himself throughout the yrs! From the begining w/the "Tridents" & "Yardbirds"(my fave guitarist of the 3 Yarbird bands)& then thruoughout "Jeff Beck Group #8"! He almost aslways used Marshall amplification(he strayed away a few times but always came back to Marshall's)& this can be heard thruout these recordings. I w have been lucky enough to see almost every incarnation of the differing Jeff Beck Groups 'live' & saw the incredible power trio "BBA" live from 10 feet away! Incredible! Some of that material is available here. I had to order my dbl vinyl "BBA LIVE" from Japan in 1974!

So almost every period of his brilliant career is heard here! While 1 disc is almost entirely made up of "The Tridents" & "The Yardbirds" which some find unecessary, I like it. Sure some of his greatest tunes werew left off but hey you'd have to buy a 30 disc set to get almost everything!! I miss "Spanish Boots" & Ron Wood's incredible bass solo which that song fades out during just as Ron was getting going! A shame. However, you do get unreleased cut's like, Tident songs & others & the cuts only available before if you bought soundtract albums! Plus B sides of 45's most people reading this will have never heard before.!

Jeff is 1 of my fave artists & guitarists & belongs on a Mount Rushmore for Guitarists! He is still innovative & new & I just got a dvd of his 60th Bithday Concert(boot)that is great! It features Jan Hammer & special guests!

If you like Jeff Beck this would be a great purchase for you! EXCELLENT 3 disc boxed set with a great booklet that features a "Timeline" that shows the progression of Jeff's bands & the groups the memebers he used,in his bands came from. The entire ine-up's of both! Superb feature for history buffs of musicology! BUY THIS!

This is a CD spanning Jeff Beck's entire career. It starts with the Tridents and goes all the way through Jeff Beck's guitar shop.

As you probably know Jeff Beck was with the Yardbirds and later in the Jeff Beck Group along with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood.

He also was with Beck, Bogart and Appice and another formation of the Jeff Beck Group with a different cast.

With Blow By Blow in the early 70's he started his instrumental phase which he continues to this day.

Beck has always been known but never in the forefront.

You get all the classic Yardbirds hits like Heart Full of Soul, I'm a Man, Shapes of Things,Over Under Sideways Down and Happenings Ten Years Ago.

You also get his classics with Rod Stewart including Jailhouse Rock, Plynth (water down the drain) among others.

And his work with BB&A including Superstition, Black Cat Moan.

You also get his instrumental era including Cause We Ended As Lovers,Freeway Jam, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Love is Green and the Pump from There and Back.

Also included is his duet with Rod Stewart, People Get Ready, a killer version of Sleep Walk, Big Block and Where Were You.

This is an Anthology that any Jeff Beck fan should not be without.