The Jeff Beck Group's second studio album Beck-Ola was released in 1969. The album was generally well-received and sold well upon release. Nicky Hopkins, who played piano on a few songs on their debut Truth, was asked to join the band full time and his playing is prominent throughout the album. Beck has said that he was purposefully leading the band in a heavier direction on the album. After its release, the band toured the US and were scheduled to perform at Woodstock but fighting within the group caused them to break up before the event. Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood would join with the members of the band Small Faces to form a new iteration of the band Faces. Before joining the band, however, Stewart would recorded his first solo studio album (which we will cover next) with Wood.
That many will pin the stylistic shift on the influence of Led Zeppelin's first release--and Rod Stewart does sound more like Robert Plant now--neglects the major source of refinement in the band's work: more significant contributions of pro-session pianist Nicky Hopkins. His instrumental song "Girl from Mill Valley" takes the cake for best song on the album and his playing elsewhere spices up and enhances Beck's virtuoso talents. Where Hopkins doesn't play, Beck leads the band in a heavier direction and it's certainly an improvement instrumentally, but dammit these nitwits haven't gotten any better at songwriting--"Just like water down the drain, I'm wasting away/And oh, doctors can't help, a ghost of a man, that's me" is as confusing as covering Elvis in this genre. B- [Later: C+]
