GUITAR LEGEND ACHIEVES HIGHEST CHART POSITION IN 40 YEAR CAREER WITH NEW ALBUM EMOTION AND COMMOTION

First Studio Album in Seven Years reaches number 10 in the midweek album charts

“Jeff Beck has to be the most eclectic of the great guitar heroes, rarely restricting himself to a single mode across an entire album, here his muse wanders between classic and R&B, standards and early music, with just the whiz bang of stunt-guitar flourishes”
4/5 Stars- The Independent, Album Review

The greatest guitarist in rock and one the most revered musicians on the planet returned with his first album in 7 years, Emotion & Commotion. Released yesterday it looks set to be Jeff Beck’s most successful album of all time reaching number 10 in the midweek album charts.

This spectacular achievement comes some 44 years since Jeff reached number 20 with The Yardbirds self titled album in 1966. The legendary Beck, Bogert & Appice album then later achieved number 28 in 1973.

Signing to ATCO, Emotion & Commotion is produced by Steve Lipson and Trevor Horn, features original instrumentals and compositions, rock and soul collaborations with Joss Stone and Imelda May and tracks with a 64 piece orchestra. The album is also receiving rave reviews in the US and Jeff’s sold out US tour is set to be just as spectacular.

Jeff Beck
The legendary musician’s lifelong sonic adventure has taken him from 1960s guitar hero with the Yardbirds, to heavy rock pioneer with the Jeff Beck Group to jazz, funk, instrumental and vocal albums. The Grammy Awards recently honoured him with his 5th Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for his track ‘A Day In The Life’ from last year’s album ‘Performing This Week…Live At Ronnie Scott’s’.

Throughout his career, when everyone else has turned right, Jeff Beck has turned left and Emotion & Commotion represents another innovative move from one of the most original artists in rock and a guitarist like no other.

To complement the unique tones he coaxes from his guitar, Beck recorded with the orchestra on songs that range from Puccini’s immortal aria “Nessun Dorma”, as well as “Elegy For Dunkirk” from the film Atonement to “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz and Jeff Buckley’s interpretation of “Corpus Christi Carol.”

In addition to the orchestral pieces, Emotion & Commotion showcases a number of original compositions. For “Hammerhead,” Beck fires the rocker’s opening salvo through his wah-wah pedal before falling into a deep groove carved out by the rhythm section and horn arrangement. At the opposite end of the sonic spectrum, the airy arrangement that elevates “Never Alone” provides a wide-angle soundscape for Beck’s imagination to freely explore the high-flying melody.

Beck says the idea of pairing his guitar with an orchestra evolved from the version of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 he recorded a few years ago. “It turned out amazingly well, but I didn’t want to commit to an entire album of classical music. What appealed to me instead was the idea of bringing together these seemingly contradictory sounds on different kinds of non-classical music.”

It was not all classical however. On their breathtaking interpretation of “Put A Spell On You” Beck’s sublime guitar duets and dovetails seamlessly with Joss Stone’s unique vocal.

Beck recorded Emotion & Commotion late last year at Trevor Horn’s Sarm Studios in London with the award-winning producers. To create the album’s diverse sound, Beck used a number of musicians, including appearances by frequent collaborators Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), Jason Rebello (keyboards), and Tal Wilkenfeld (bass). The album also includes contributions from a trio of singers: Imelda May (“Lilac Wine”), Olivia Safe (“Elegy For Dunkirk”) and Grammy-winner Joss Stone (“I Put A Spell On You” and “There’s No Other Me”).

For Beck, the new album and 2010’s world tour follows in the wake of a triumphant 2009 – his most successful year ever. Among the many highlights were a sold-out world tour; his second induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the release of the platinum-selling Performing This Week… Live at Ronnie Scott’s, which earned a Grammy nomination for “A Day In The Life”; and magnificent performances with his band at the 25th Anniversary Concert of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at Madison Square Garden.

Before launching a world tour to support Emotion & Commotion, Beck re-united with Eric Clapton in February and for a series of exclusive shows in London, New York City, Toronto and Montreal.

Beck and his band will then kick off the first leg of their US tour mid April including an appearance at New Orleans Jazz Festival on May 1st before returning to the UK in October for a set of special shows.



EMOTION & COMMOTION
Track Listing

1. “Corpus Christi”
2. “Hammerhead”
3. “Never Alone”
4. “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”
5. “I Put A Spell On You” featuring Joss Stone
6. “Serene” featuring Olivia Safe
7. “Lilac Wine” featuring Imelda May
8. “Nessun Dorma”
9. “There’s No Other Me” featuring Joss Stone
10. “Elegy For Dunkirk” featuring Olivia Safe




UK Tour Dates:
OCTOBER 2010 BOX OFFICE
Fri 15th Bournemouth BIC 0844 576 3000
Sat 16th Brighton Centre 0844 847 1515
Sun 17th Birmingham Symphony Hall 0121 780 3333
Wed 20th Glasgow Clyde Auditorium 0844 395 4000
Thu 21st Manchester Apollo 08444 777 677
Fri 22nd Sheffield City Hall 0114 2789 789
Sun 24th Bristol Colston Hall 0117 922 3686
Mon 25th Cardiff St David’s Hall 02920 878 444
Tue 26th London Royal Albert Hall 020 7589 8212

For Press Enquiries:
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Chris Goodman
Adam Cotton