Word: riffs
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...motion-picture company, vainly hoping that somebody would notice his loud on-the-job singing, then he landed a spot in a small-town Pennsylvania production of West Side Story. There he found his first and, so far, only experience of discrimination in the theater. "I wanted to play Riff," he complains, "but they said I couldn't play the part because I wasn't Polish...
...WHICH is not to say that the Airmen are not skilled at their trade. Cody's piano riff, are great if you notice them frolicking around in the background. And the pedal-steel player is also proficient, he is just asked to do too much. "Semi-Truck" and "Windshield" actually turn out as pleasant little ditties, well suited for bouncing along through the countryside. "Cravin' Your Love," a slow number, is perhaps the best cut on the album, simply because it abandons the café atmosphere for a fuller sound closer to rock and roll. "Tutti Frutti...
...attempt to understand Beck's guitar work. There was always too much going on. No matter what he's playing. Beck has the audience's complete attention; you have to watch him even when he's playing rhythm because of his unique approach even then. He picks the riffs to lead off each song, and he guides the whole band's attack. He is not interested in Hendrix's wall of sound, or Clapton's trio virtuosity. Again, Beck is primarily interested in hearing himself play. In fact, my theory is that he tends to surround himself with relative mediocrities...
...Beck retains one or two stylistic focal points. He is one of the few well-known rock guitarists to rely consistently on the lower registers of his guitar. "Don't Want to be Alone" another original, opened with some lower register, bass string single picking, until he found a riff that pleased him. Beck also tends to work off one riff until he tires. A large, glissando chord took the band into Dylan's "Tonight I'll be Staying Here With You." Carmine Appice's vocal was strained a bit, but the guitar work brought the song off. Beck...
...Lover" is similarly structured. It begins with a full organ opening leading to an excellent basic riff from the rhythm section. (Ballard's chording is exceptional here, as it is on his own songs, and throughout.) Argent's gradual entry into the song for the break emphasizes his tendency to build a solo. There's a certain unpredictability in his explorations, both here and on "Hold Your Head Up," that results in an increased interest on the part of the listener. Argent's influences are subtle, and echo so well the texture of his solo that the finished whole...