Beckology

Beckology by guitarist Jeff Beck was released in 1991 as a 3 CD career retrospective. Beckology covers the work of a guitarist widely acknowledged as one of the most influential and gifted exponents of the electric guitar, from early days with The Tridents through to his Guitar Shop album in 1989.

Volume 1 includes previously unreleased tracks from The Tridents, earthy mono recordings of Yardbirds classics like "Steeled Blues" and "Heart Full of Soul", four tracks from a Yardbirds BBC session, and Jeff's first solo single sides.
Volume 2 covers both incarnations of The [Jeff Beck Group] which each released two albums and finishes with Beck, Bogert and Appice tunes. Highlights here include the reworking of the Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things" with Rod Stewart on vocals, the driving "Plynth", the beautiful guitar work on "Definitely Maybe" and the reworking of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition".
Volume 3 tracks through what the sleeve notes call the "instrumental era" of the 1970s with tracks from the jazzy Blow by Blow and the acclaimed George Martin produced Wired albums. There is a live performance of "Freeway Jam" from 1977 with Jan Hammer, with whom Jeff had been touring and collaborating.

A 60-page booklet comes with the album, and includes a biography by Gene Santoro.

Reception

gave an enthusiastically positive review of the set, asserting that the mastering quality is far superior to any previous release while applauding the selection of material: "to survey Jeff Beck's entire career would be a hopeless task, given the amount of anonymous session work that the guitarist did circa 1964–1966, but Beckology still manages to touch a few unexpected bases, even as it strings together all of the obvious and most of the important sides in Beck's output."

Track listing

;Volume One

"Trouble in Mind" – The Tridents
"Nursery Rhyme" – The Tridents
"Wandering Man Blues" – The Tridents
"Steeled Blues" – The Yardbirds
"Heart Full of Soul" – The Yardbirds
"I'm Not Talking" – The Yardbirds
"I Ain't Done Wrong" – The Yardbirds
"Train Kept a Rollin'" – The Yardbirds
"I'm a Man" – The Yardbirds
"Shapes of Things" – The Yardbirds
"Over Under Sideways Down" – The Yardbirds
"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" – The Yardbirds
"Hot House of Omagarashid" – The Yardbirds
"Lost Woman" – The Yardbirds
"Rack My Mind" – The Yardbirds
"The Nazz Are Blue" – The Yardbirds
"Psycho Daisies" – The Yardbirds
"Jeff's Boogie" – The Yardbirds
"Too Much Monkey Business" – The Yardbirds
"The Sun Is Shining" – The Yardbirds
"You're a Better Man Than I" – The Yardbirds
"Love Me Like I Love You" – The Yardbirds
"Hi Ho Silver Lining" – Jeff Beck
"Tally Man" – Jeff Beck
"Beck's Bolero" – Jeff Beck

;Volume Two

"Shapes of Things" – The Jeff Beck Group
"I Ain't Superstitious" – The Jeff Beck Group
"Rock My Plimsoul" – The Jeff Beck Group
"Jailhouse Rock" – The Jeff Beck Group
"Plynth " – The Jeff Beck Group
"I've Been Drinking" – The Jeff Beck Group
"Definitely Maybe" – The Jeff Beck Group
"New Ways Train Train" – The Jeff Beck Group
"Going Down" – The Jeff Beck Group
"I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You" – The Jeff Beck Group
"Superstition" – Beck Bogert Appice
"Black Cat Moan" – Beck Bogert Appice
"Blues Deluxe/BBA Boogie" – Beck Bogert Appice
"Jizz Whizz" – Beck Bogert Appice

;Volume Three

"'Cause We've Ended as Lovers" – Jeff Beck
"Goodbye [Pork Pie Hat]" – Jeff Beck
"Love Is Green" – Jeff Beck
"Diamond Dust" – Jeff Beck
"Freeway Jam" – Jeff Beck
"The Pump" – Jeff Beck
"People Get Ready" – Jeff Beck featuring Rod Stewart
"Escape" – Jeff Beck
"Gets Us All in the End" – Jeff Beck
"Back on the Street" – Jeff Beck
"Wild Thing" – Jeff Beck
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" – Jeff Beck
"Sleep Walk" – Jeff Beck
"The Stumble" – Jeff Beck
"Big Block" – Jeff Beck
"Where Were You" – Jeff Beck