They were two powerful personalities who couldn’t stick around in each other’s orbits long before needing to separate. But when they did come together, Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck generally produced something very special.
In 1985, when most rock fans had long since given up hope for some kind of rapprochement between the two, they joined together for a single. In so doing, they gave Beck his biggest ever US hit.
Jeff Meets Rod
By the late 60s, Jeff Beck stood tall as one of the emergent pack of lead guitarists who gained as much, if not more, attention than the lead singers of the era. After a stint with The Yardbirds, he formed the Jeff Beck Group and took a chance on a singer named Rod Stewart, who, at the time, was lacking much renown.
Stewart contributed to a pair of Beck albums, Truth in 1968 and Beck-Ola in 1969. While Beck’s Stratocaster work generally played the central role on these records, Stewart’s force-of-nature lead vocals aided in establishing the music’s bluesy authenticity.
Although Stewart and Beck gibed musically, they didn’t quite connect on a personal level. Eventually, Stewart wanted a role where he’d be more out in the spotlight. He left the group in 1969. Since they didn’t collaborate again for many years, most assumed there was bad blood between them.
“Ready” for Reunion
Stewart and Beck suddenly re-emerged after the two crossed paths in Los Angeles in 1983. They decided they’d try something in the studio. Beck got together with Duane Hitchings, one of Stewart’s co-writers at the time. When Beck tried out one of Hitchings’ guitars, he found out that it only sounded good in the key of D.
Beck started playing a riff that launched into “People Get Ready”, the 1965 classic soul song written by Curtis Mayfield for his group The Impressions. When Stewart joined the two men in the studio, he added his potent vocals to the mix.
Once Beck committed to making a new solo album, “People Get Ready” was a natural choice for the first single. The two men united as well on the video, which quickly went into heavy rotation on MTV. Beck, long known for his fusion-style albums full of heady instrumentals, suddenly found himself a pop star thanks to the No. 5 chart peak of the song.
Missed Opportunities
Around that time, Beck also played lead guitar on “Infatuation”, a Top 10 hit from Stewart in 1984. But the two just couldn’t make their newfound connection stick. At one point, they attempted to tour together, but Beck lasted just three shows before he went on his merry way.
In 2009, the two men appeared on stage during a Stewart concert. In interviews after the fact, Stewart also admitted that they had been in contact about possibly doing an album together again. But they disagreed about the details, and the plan was scuttled.
Jeff Beck passed away in 2023. Rod Stewart delivered a statement praising his old musical partner. “People Get Ready” offers evidence of their musical chemistry, even if their personal differences kept them from revisiting it very often.
Photo by Jeffrey Mayer
The post Remembering When Two Rock Legends Reunited After 16 Years for a Top 5 Hit in 1985 appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Jim Beviglia