TCCDM Pulls One Out..."Nature Boy" - Joe Beck (1969)

 "Nature Boy" - Joe Beck (1969)

This is a really good album.  Joe Beck is better known for his jazz guitar wizardry, having jammed with Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, and dozens of others, but on "Nature Boy"...jammin' psych-rock is on tap.  And his vocals are perfect for what's going down.  Six of the nine tracks are over 5-minutes long and each song rocks, trips, and floats without falling into a dull "sameness" that so often plague otherwise good albums.

Don't be fooled by the laidback, country-charm album cover, either.  "Nature Boy" has some fire.  Beck is extremely solid on the guitar, throwing down wah-wah, fuzz, and killer lead runs all in just the right measures.  And any jazz dust flowing out of Beck's fingers only serve to kiss the sky.  It was also cool to find Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten lending a hand on this gem, as well.

"Nature Boy" - Joe Beck (back)

Favorites include the killer title track..."Nature Boy."  "Please Believe Me” has a dreamy jazz-psych quality that builds into a frantic guitar burn before returning to its dreamy groove.  The garage-like "Maybe” is a cool jam.  And the shortest track clocking in at just over 3-minutes is the dark and portent "Spoon’s Caress.” 

This OG copy is on the Verve label still in shrink.  It has a round yellow sticker on the plastic and a bb hole in the bottom-right corner.  I've never seen this one in the wild, so I decided to make an early eBay bid and won.  I own it now for $28 shipped which is a bit of a steal.  The album is also recommended in The Acid Archives, but I think I enjoyed the spin even better than they did.

Verve Forecast label

Cat #
FTS3081  /  FTS-3081
SIDE A  MATRIX
MGS 2044-1  S-1  FTS-3081  11  DC  <--(this might be an at symbol.)
SIDE B  MATRIX
FTS 3081  Side 2  MGS-2045  21  DC  <--(this might be an at symbol.)

"Nature Boy" - Joe Beck / "Nature Boy" (1969)

TRACKS:
A1  "Nature Boy" 5:29
A2  "Spoon's Caress" 3:06
A3  "Let Me Go" 3:43
A4  "Come Back: Vision Without You" 6:07
A5  "Maybe" 3:18
B1  "No More Blues" 6:21
B2  "Goodbye L. A." 6:15
B3  "Please Believe Me" 5:35
B4  "Ain't No Use In Talkin'" 5:34

PERSONNEL:
Joe Beck - guitar, bass, organ, vocals
Don Payne - bass (B2, B4)
Danny Whitten - rhythm guitar, vocals (A3)
Donald MacDonald - drums. percussion
Randy Brecker - trumpet (A4)

Good stuff.

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