Eagle Rock Entertainment recently released “On The Run – The Story of Jeff Beck.” This film is a wonderful companion to their earlier acclaimed feature, “Jeff Beck – Live at The Hollywood Bowl” (released on DVD in November 2017). The film has just about everybody in rock speaking on Jeff’s behalf; Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Joe Perry, Slash, Rosie Bones, Beth Hart, Jan Hammer, George Martin, Ron Wood, Jimmy Page, Sir Rod Stewart, and the ultimate Yardbirds groupie, Steven Tyler. That’s right folks, Tyler once snuck into a Yardbirds show by posing as a roadie and carrying in Jimmy Page’s guitar cases.
This documentary isn’t just another concert film though, it shows Jeff’s history from his early days and roots, to his passion for building hot rods. Jeff’s story is something of the chapter Genesis in the holy book of rock music, as he recounts his initial meeting with a fresh-faced Jimmy Page in his hometown of Epsom after being put together by his sister. Jeff describes the meeting, noting that Jimmy had a “mouth-watering record collection” and all kinds of primitive recording equipment. I guess some things never change…
Having covered the concert and Jeff’s book launch previously, this makes three times I’ve covered something Beck-related, and it never gets old. Neither does Jeff it would seem, as neither his playing abilities or his look seem to have taken any hit at all from Father Time. I honestly don’t know how nothing on this man has diminished over time, but I wish he’d let us all in on it.
Seriously though, the very history of what is often referred to as “the second wave of the British Invasion” is detailed here and it’s a wonderful recollection of the holy trinity of Beck, Page, and Clapton, and if you can’t find something relevant in that, you’ve stumbled into the wrong room. Also recounted in detail is the formation of The Jeff Beck Group with bandmate Sir Rod Stewart, whose concerts just took place at The Hollywood Bowl this week.
There’s some wonderful footage of Jeff working on his hot rods in his shop, and if you look closely, you can see me for about a second, but I won’t tell you where, you’ll have to buy it and watch closely (don’t blink, you’ll miss it). There’s also a lot of great concert footage. It’s a complete detailed account of this guitar hero’s lengthy and varied career, from his earliest days right through to the present.
The film is available on iTunes, digitally, and in DVD formats. More information can be found on the website. Additionally, Jeff will be starting his summer tour on July 18, 2018, with Ann Wilson of Heart and Paul Rodgers of Bad Company. Tickets can be had at Livenation. I can’t imagine Jeff Beck not touring any longer, but I wouldn’t miss out on the tour or this rockumentary if I were you.
