Beck's Bolero

Song Review by Richie Unterberger from allmusic.com

Details of the circumstances which led to the recording of "Beck's Bolero" remain fuzzy. It's beyond question, though, that it was a magnificent instrumental, and one that was quite ahead of its time regardless of when it was recorded. When it was recorded is something that does remain in doubt, but it was certainly cut before its first release, as the B-side of a Jeff Beck solo single in March 1967. Though credited to Beck, the record was cut by what was in effect an early supergroup: Beck and Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, Nicky Hopkins on piano, and Keith Moon on drums. The song indeed starts in bolero rhythm, played by an acoustic-sounding guitar and Beck's distinctive piercing, sinister tone on a Spanish-like riff that brings to mind a rock'n'roll bullfight. Like a good bolero should, the song builds in tension as the instrumental textures thicken with the introduction of piano and drums, suddenly setting off from the main motif into a beautiful serene section highlighting slide-glissando guitars. Downward-swooping slide-glissandos are overlaid on the track as it returns to the riff, the pound becoming more furious and Moon's drums splashing more and more. Moon's scream, naturally, kicks off another section entirely in which the band grind out a devious boogie-tinged burst of hard rock. Then it's back to the main riff, this time done with more force and purpose than ever, and more cross-faded layers of buzzing and humming guitars and effects, before coming to an abrupt cold stop. How exactly this lineup came together isn't certain. Annette Carson's bio Jeff Beck: Crazy Fingers reports that it was a May 1966 session (when Beck was still in the Yardbirds) for a supergroup that never launched. Alan Clayson's Yardbirds bio also places the session in May 1966. On the other hand, Tony Fletcher's Keith Moon biography places the session after Beck left the Yardbirds in November 1966, and describes it as an attempt by Beck to form a band with Jimmy Page. And Page ended up with the songwriting credit, although Beck remembers contributing to its composition. Anyway, this lineup didn't turn into a group, but "Beck's Bolero" became pretty well known when it was retrieved from its initial use as a B-side and placed on Beck's hit 1968 album Truth. It's also notable as the best Keith Moon drumming on record other than his appearances with the Who.