,” a fizzy trifle pitched halfway between mod and music hall, managed to make its way to No. 14 in 1967. Despite its success, Beck didn’t care for either the song or his own lead vocal, his disdain propelling him to find places where he could concentrate on playing guitar. He found that with “Blow by Blow,” a record where he turned the exploratory fusion of John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra into something digestible to a broad audience — something smooth, melodic and funky.
Beck later explained, “The basic lack of drive is because of lack of material, really.” Songwriting didn’t come easily to him, a problem compounded by his tetchiness with lead singers, leaving him on a constant hunt for new material or writing partners. During the periods he didn’t have those collaborators on hand, he retreated to his home garage, tinkering on old automobiles and hot rods.
These latter-day albums showcased a mature musician who had perfected an instrumental technique yet still strove to find new wrinkles, and who figured out how to surround himself with sympathetic spirits who could keep pace with his gallop.
Beck remained a compelling player when he was comfortable — he was too particular and precise to not command attention — but he shone when battling his bandmates or serving as a hired gun. He mined the beauty laying within Stevie Wonder’s “