Recouping after a car crash and faced with the loss of
Rod Stewart
and
Ron Wood
,
Jeff Beck
redefined what
the Jeff Beck Group
was about, deciding to tone down the bluesy bombast, adding keyboardist
Max Middleton
for a jazz edge, then having
Bob Tench
sing to give it an overblown early-'70s AOR edge. As expected, these two sides are in conflict and
Tench
can be a little overbearing, but there are moments here that bring out the best in
Beck
. Namely, these are the times when the group ventures into extended, funk-inflected, reflective jazzy instrumental sections. These are the moments that point the way toward the success of
Blow by Blow
, yet this remains an unabashed rock record of its time, and it falls prey to many of its era's excesses, particularly lack of focus. Still, there are moments that are as fine as anything
played here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine