Super-Group Beck, Bogert & Appice Finally Get Boxed Set Treatment
They were loud as hell. They were flashy, in-your-face and knew it. British guitarist Jeff Beck [1944-2023] came originally from The Yardbirds. New York drummer Carmine Appice, 76, and bassist Tim Bogert [1944-2021], who graduated Ridgefield High School in Bergen County, came out of Vanilla Fudge and Cactus. Now a new boxed set unleashes previously unreleased live performances: Live in Japan 1973/Live In London 1974 (Atco-Rhino) comes out September 15 as a four-CD box, an eight-sided vinyl box, digitally, streamable or on purple vinyl. The Japanese shows took place May 18 and 19, 1973, at Koseinenkin Hall in Osaka, and released months later in Japan but never in America. The Brit shows took place January 26, 1974, at The Rainbow Theatre in London, but never released anywhere. The CD and LP packages will contain an expansive booklet with extended liner notes by Bruce Pilato as well as memorabilia, archival photos and a replica poster. The shows serve as bookends on a band life way too short. Japan happened months after they got together. Great Britain happened months before they broke up. In fact, during the London show, they performed songs that were to be on their second studio album—“Satisfied,” “Jizz Wizz” and “Solid Lifter”—that they never got to record.
Appice: “It was artistically fulfilling at the time, but it was too quick. The fact that we got to play together was great. Jeff, Tim and I did play great together, but before we knew it, it had ended.”
Beck formed BBA in ’72 with Appice and Bogert after using them as the drums/bass rhythm section for a Jeff Beck Group tour. Melody Maker in England immediately called them “the first successor to Cream.” Beck had these tapes collecting dust in his drawer for almost 50 years. Numerous bootlegs of these shows have been released through the years, all of which Beck reportedly hated.
Beck in 1972: “I saw the Fudge’s potential as a group, but I didn’t see anything in common with my playing. It’s just when they were jamming. I found that Carmine had some other things going aside from the Fudge stuff, and Tim did as well. Tim plays like a Martian from Motown.”