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In Rolling Stone’s new issue, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton sit down for the first time to discuss old rivalries, blues heroes and the secrets of their craft. Here’s more from David Fricke’s conversation with Beck: the guitarist on the orchestral twist on his next album Emotion & Commotion and the art of capturing the perfect guitar solo.
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The new album is a mix of everything you do — fusion, heavy rock, R&B — but with several tracks that are just you on electric guitar and a full orchestra.
But they’re not swamping the music, like “Hey, we’ve got an orchestra!” The original idea was I was going to make a classical record — a complete and utter departure from all of the things I’d ever done. That was an idea that was put to me by [Blow by Blow and Wired producer] George Martin in 1976.
Just you and strings?
Absolutely, a full orchestra. George brought a bagload of records to the house. We had a lovely luncheon, and he said, “Learn all that, and come and see me.” [Laughs] It was too early for me to get into it. I put it on the back burner. I probably left it a bit too long.
Later, I had a stab at “Nimrod” [from Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar], without an orchestra, all on keyboards, and that sounded nice. Then I heard Mahler’s Fifth [Symphony No. 5], and I just melted. I did a version of that, overlaid on a sample of the New York Philharmonic and a bit of harp. It sounds amazing. It was used as Exhibit A from me to the record company, to see if they liked it. They loved it and said, “Where’s the rest of it?” I just couldn’t rattle off another eight or 10 songs, because that too...
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily