Beck-Ola (Cosa Nostra)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Professional reviews
Beck-Ola

Studio album by The Jeff Beck Group
Released	June 1969
Recorded	De Lane Lea November 19, 1968 - April 19, 1969
Genre	Blues Rock Hard Rock
Length	30:29
Label	Epic
Producer(s)	Mickie Most
All Music Guide link
The Jeff Beck Group chronology
Truth (1968)	Beck-Ola (1969)	Rough and Ready (1971)

Beck-Ola (Cosa Nostra) was the second full-length LP by Jeff Beck and his backing group. It was released in the U.S. on Epic and in the U.K. on EMI/Columbia.

Released four months before the group's disbanding, it famously boasted that it wasn't anything original, but is nonetheless a fine example of British blues-rock. Featuring five originals by various pairings of band members (with two radically reworked numbers originally done by Elvis Presley filling out the remainder), it continuing the second chapter of Beck's career as a musician (the first being the days before his solo career began).

The album features a cover of "All Shook Up," a Dylan-ish tune called "Spanish Boots," a piano instrumental called "Girl from Mill Valley," "Plynth (Water down the Drain)","Hangman," and a sizzling power trio instrumental called "Rice Pudding" which concludes the album.

The Jeff Beck Group lineup on this album includes Beck on guitar, Rod Stewart on vocals, Nicky Hopkins on keyboards, Ron Wood on bass, and Tony Newman on drums (the previous album featured Mick Waller).

Nicky Hopkins, who had been a sideman on Truth was promoted to a full band member for the album.

It was rumoured that UK versions of the album included a song called "I've Been Drinking Again." However, this song was never released, and is in fact a recording of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," with Rod Stewart's vocal hastily overdubbed (the original vocal can still be heard faintly in spots). "I've Been Drinking Again" was finally released in 1990 on Rod's "Storyteller" boxed set.

Following the release of this album the Jeff Beck Group toured the United States.

The Jeff Beck Group nearly played Woodstock, but internal fights broke up the group. The band is listed on posters promoting the festival. When Jeff Beck next recorded, he had an entirely new group.

[edit] Track listing

"All Shook Up" (Otis Blackwell) – 4:53
"Spanish Boots" (Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) – 3:37
"Girl From Mill Valley" (Nicky Hopkins) – 3:49
"Jailhouse Rock" (Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) – 3:14
"Plynth (Water Down the Drain)" (Nicky Hopkins, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) – 3:09
"The Hangman's Knee" (Jeff Beck, Nicky Hopkins, Tony Newman, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood) – 4:49
"Rice Pudding" (Jeff Beck, Nicky Hopkins, Tony Newman and Ron Wood) – 7:22