Official Bootleg USA '06

AMG Review of Official Bootleg USA '06

Greg Prato
All Music Guide

A release originally only sold at shows and on his web site, 2007's Official Bootleg USA '06, documents most (but not all) of a Jeff Beck performance at the Greek Theater in California. Joining Beck were keyboardist Jason Rebello, bassist Pino Palladino, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, as well as a string section for a portion of the set. Compared to a live Beck release that would appear a year later, 2008's Performing This Week...Live at Ronnie Scott's, Official Bootleg features much looser playing from the guitarist. Case in point, on renditions of such mid-'70s classics as "Blue Wind" and "Led Boots," and a cover of Billy Cobham's "Stratus" (a nod to one of Beck's favorite players -- the late great Tommy Bolin -- who played on Cobham's Spectrum album). But when Beck's playing catches fire, look out, as evidenced by a simply rip-roaring rendition of "Scatterbrain." And the string section makes an otherwise guitar a cappella rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" simply chilling. While the aforementioned Performing This Week...Live at Ronnie Scott's is probably better due to the strength of Beck's playing that night, Official Bootleg USA '06 still includes many highlights for many a Beck-head.