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Burningthe midnightlamp: theJeffBeck Groupand JimiHendrix

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MEETING JEFF AND JIMI

In 1968, my girlfriend and I went to see the original Jeff Beck Group – Beck, Rod Stewart on vocals, Ronnie Wood on bass, Micky Waller on drums – at Steve Paul’s Scene, a small club in New York’s Times Square area. We had seen them once before at the Fillmore East and knew they were a fiery, exciting live group, whose two albums don’t quite do them justice. At the end of the gig, Beck announced that he was bringing a friend out to play with them, who turned out to be Jimi Hendrix. My girlfriend and I sat enthralled at the foot of the stage as they jammed.

Following the gig, we spotted Beck sitting alone at a table and we went over to tell him how much we enjoyed the show. Beck bade us sit down with him, and shortly afterwards Hendrix joined us. Amazingly, no-one bothered us as we chatted away. Beck was really sweet. I was touched by how humble and soft-spoken Hendrix was, given that he was already very famous by then.

During our conversation, Hendrix made it clear how much he admired Beck’s playing, telling us that he had learned a great deal from him, and that the chance of meeting Beck was one of the reasons he agreed to relocate to the UK. It’s a night I’ll always remember, especially how approachable and down-to-earth Beck and Hendrix were.

Bruce Paley, Pembrokeshire

PERFECT PARTNER

Thanks so much for publishing a playlist of Christine McVie’s long and amazing catalogue. You had a side panel of her earlier Mac-era songs. The amazing thing about a lot of those tracks was the collaboration she showed, especially on some of Danny Kirwan’s tracks. “Earl Grey” is one of Danny’s three hallmark instrumentals, but it’s nothing without her piano. Same with “Sometimes” – these tracks are skeletal without her harmonies and piano. “Morning Rain”, “Homeward Bound” and “Spare Me A Little…” are, of course, classics of hers as well. She and Danny had a troubled relationship, it seems, but she always seemed to me to be the best collaborator in the band. Lindsey seemed to figure that out as well. As troubled as it was, early Mac (but not the earliest) was my favourite era, and she provided so much perfection.

Roger Williams, Virginia, USA Ah, Roger. I’m a huge fan of ‘transitional’ Fleetwood Mac – that run of great albums headed by Danny Kirwan, Christine Perfect and Bob Welch. I hope we can agree that Future Games is the band’s overlooked masterpiece? [MB]

MERCURY PRIZED

What a wonderfully self-effacing, modest human being Mark Eitzel is [Take 311], considering he’s written such bona fide classic works as Everclear, California and the underrated Mercury. A lot of people criticised Mitchell Froom’s production on that album, but I disagree. Each track is warm and generous, maintaining a deep idiosyncratic propulsion and rich linear textures. Individual songs chime with Mark’s errant wit and charm – the jazzy croon of a despairing genius. For AMC, it’s artistic perfection. At that point, they gave The Smiths and REM a serious run for their money. Believe me, the way Wales are currently performing in the Six Nations Rugby, Mercury is the perfect accompaniment for endless solace.

DC Kneath, Swansea

COVERED IN GLORY

This is my first – and, perhaps, only – fan letter to a magazine. I became acquainted with your esteemed publication on the newsstand of my friendly neighbourhood franchise grocery store a while ago.

There was Mick and Keith on the cover in all their feral glory [Take 281]. Finally, I thought to myself, a rock mag that keeps its freak flag flying. But wait… inside there were reviews of new albums by people I had never heard of before (although household fame doesn’t seem to be the point.) Speaking about covers, if they gave out a Brit Award for Best Rock Mag Cover, Uncut would surely win for that alluring cover of Polly Jean flashing a Cheshire Cat grin at the camera [Take 282].

I also like that your mag hasn’t forgotten the pioneers of rock’n’roll, including folks like Dion and Nancy Sinatra, who haven’t seen the light of day in American mags in decades. But then, loyalty seems to be a strong suit with British music fans, judging from some of the ads. And speaking of ads, I like the fact that a music mag carries music ads, not some shiny new gadget that I can’t afford and wouldn’t buy, even if I could.

Just for the record (no pun intended) I appreciate Neil, Joni, Cat Power and Richard Thompson, all of whom you have featured on the cover, or inside the mag, to my everlasting delight. I could go on and on, but I hear the pub calling. Needless to say, keep up the fine work. WUNDERDAWG!

Richard Goertz, via email

HANDSOME REWARDS

Like many long-term readers – I’ve been on board since the first issue – I’ve discovered so much great new music through the pages of Uncut, going back to artists like The Handsome Family and, more recently, Margo Cilker, Mary Elizabeth Remington and Jana Horn. I was intrigued by Kassi Valazza on your most recent Sounds Of The New West compilation and I’m sure I’ll read/hear more about her in Uncut soon. But as much as I love those Americana artists, I’m also really pleased to have belatedly come to The Necks through Richard Williams’ review of their new album [Take 310] and the lovely work of Andrew Wasylyk. I’m sure I’m not alone in believing that Uncut provides a valuable service switching us regulars on to new sounds. We’d be lost without you!

Nick Middleton, Cambridge Thanks for the kind words, Nick. Yes, I am pretty confident that you’ll be reading more about Kassi in Uncut very soon. In the meantime, can I please steer you to page 12, where the mighty Brown Spirits are waiting for you. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

CROWS’ FEAT

Last year, after a house move, my wife was exasperated at the amount of records and CDs I’ve bought over 50 years plus. She said I have some that I’ll never play again – so I decided to start at the beginning and play them all. A friend suggested I post an Album Of The Day. So far I’ve posted 106 write-ups containing potted histories and my thoughts. Today’s was Counting Crows’ 1993 debut August And Everything After. I hadn’t heard it in a long time and was moved almost to tears with how great it still sounds. I noticed that the 30th anniversary of its release is later this year in September. It would be great to see an article in Uncut looking back on the album and how it catapulted them to fame and sold seven million copies.

Kevin Stovell, Taunton, Somerset

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

Any news on what Karl Wallinger is up to these days?

Joseph Sander, via email