The legendary session musician and guitar player for Toto, Steve Lukather, is one of the people who had the privilege to know and, at one point, work with Jeff Beck. Appearing in an interview with Vicki Abelson recently, Lukather reflected on what the late blues rock legend was like. The two ended up collaborating on Jeff’s record back in the 1990s. Although the album never came out due to Jeff’s new creative decisions, the Toto has fond memories of this.
“I produced a record on him that never came out, sadly,” Steve recalled (transcribed by Killer Guitar Rigs). “It was really good, too, as Manu Katche, Pino Palladino, and Tony Hymas wrote the material.”
Apart from an all-star lineup at the time and Lukather’s insight as a producer, there was another mind-blowing thing about this album.
“We did it on David Gilmour’s studio in the Thames in England,” he said. However, there was a change of plan. These were the 1990s, after all. Aith technological advancements and eager anticipation of the 21st century, electronic music was taking the world by storm. He added:
“And right in the middle of it, he went techno and didn’t want to do the record we were doing. So I never had a chance to finish it.”
While we wouldn’t mind getting the chance to hear some of this stuff, it’s not certain if that will ever happen. As Lukather explained:
“Well, I’d love to get a hold of it and finish it. But Jeff was very funny about stuff. He did unreleased stuff he’s like, ‘Burn it, burn everything!’ And then some other weird shit went down with his ex-managers who ripped him off and tried to blame me for it.”
“It was very weird. It got very strange for a minute, but then I saw Jeff last year. Thank God, I got to see him a couple of times.”
Jeff Beck sadly passed away on January 10, 2023 due to bacterial meningitis at age 78. Lukather recalled getting the chance to watch him perform live in 2022, along with Johnny Depp.
Speaking of which, Lukather also shared his thoughts on Johnny Depp and his musical talents. Although best known as a Hollywood actor, Depp was also an experienced musician. Toto guitarist added:
“I saw them last year at a festival that we just happen to both be on, big outdoor festival in France. I got to spend a few minutes with them. And Johnny Depp was a beautiful cat. I love Johnny Depp.”
“He was a really lovely, humble guy. And I dig him, and I dig where he’s coming from. And I think he was a musician before he was even an actor. Because that’s the way he carries himself.”
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Going back to Jeff and their collaboration, Lukather praised the legend’s work and shared some insight into what he’s really like to work with:
“He was Jeff Beck. What can I say? God gave him a little extra. There are certain guys that God gave a little extra to, and he was one.”
“I saw it because I got to sit in the studio and see exactly the process and everything. It was really one of the greatest times of my life, working with all the people involved. It was really a lot of fun.”
“He was a hard guy to please, but at the same time, we got some great stuff. And who knows? I’m not in control. His wife’s a lovely person.”
Regarding the material that they made together, Lukather isn’t sure if it will ever see the light of day. He also adds that Jeff’s widow, Sandra Cash, would have to greenlight this first. Lukather offered:
“I’m backing off any of this, but if anybody came to me and said, ‘Hey, do you want to finish something?’ I would consider it only if I had the permission. Sandra would have to say, ‘Hey, I want you to do this.’ Otherwise, I don’t want anything to do.”
“I’m not here to like glom onto Jeff at all. I just mentioned the experience because it was a hard point in my life because he’s one of my all-time ultimate heroes.”
The recording process for this record reportedly took place in 1997, as Lukather revealed to Guitar Player earlier this year. Recalling these sessions, he said:
“We did about six weeks at David Gilmour’s studio on the Thames, starting about three days after Princess Diana died. I got to see it all up close – the whole process of how Jeff liked to do things.”
“He’d have a Marshall miked up in the live room, but he liked to play in the control room, with a little delay and reverb going in the monitors, and with a Fender Champ at his feet, facing up at his guitar.”
“Jeff was so magical. I don’t think I ever saw him tune a guitar. He would pick up a guitar that was like rotted and out of tune. I’d go, ‘Jesus, Jeff, these strings are like 20 years old. Is this a B string where the high E should be?’ and he’d go, ‘Whatever,’ and play it, and it would be perfect.”
“He had perfect pitch, and he didn’t know it, because he didn’t understand what that might be. ‘F#13’ meant nothing to him, because he was completely unschooled. But if you played it for him, he’d figure it out – and probably make it weirder!”
And the real reason why he gave up on it? Well, it was because The Prodigy were making it big and Jeff suddenly got into them:
“We had about eight songs done, and he played amazing stuff on there. But one day, he heard the band Prodigy and suddenly caught techno fever. He wanted to make a record like that, so we never got a chance to finish. Jeff probably has 10 or 11 unfinished albums hidden somewhere. Still, recording him was one of the greatest times of my life.”
Photos: Ryanhuntmuzik (Steve Lukather of Toto), Mandy Hall (Jeff Beck), Raph_PH (JeffBeckTribute1RAH220523 (43 of 136) (52920334623))
