FLASH

And how the times did change. Ten years prior JEFF BECK was stunning the world with his unique approach to jazz-fusion on "Blow By Blow" which launched him to the top tiers of the guitar god list. A decade later and three albums further BECK had completely dropped the world of fusion altogether and did the unthinkable for many fans, namely join the 80s new wave scene with a vocal oriented AOR / synthpop / pop rock release titled FLASH. This must've come as a shock for those who thought the jazz-rock days of yore would continue on in perpetuity but in hind sight it's really not that big of a shock since many a progressive rock artist had succumbed to the changing of the tides. Prog was out, pop hooks and synth-laced danceable music was in. So if you can't beat em, join em as the saying goes. Join em he did.

Pretty much an anomaly in the otherwise jazz-fusion and blues rock oriented albums that came before and after, JEFF BECK pretty much reinvented his entire sound to fit in with the glitz and glam of the video-killed-the-radio-star 1980s. Rather than put together a new band, this is an entire album of guest musicians including a reunion with Rod Stewart on the track "People Get Ready." Also returning from previous works was Carmine Appice on drums and both Tony Hymas and Jan Hammer on keys. Add to the list a total of four lead vocalists including BECK himself, two more keyboardists, four extra percussionists, bassist Dough Wimbish with several backing vocalists and you had yourself a bonafide 80s dance party only this one had a top tier guitarist adding some serious guitar sizzle to the monotonic drum machines and synthpop cheese.

The new wave scene was basically the antithesis of everything the 70s represented. Complexity in music was replaced with simple instantly infectious pop hooks. Subtleties were replaced by gaudy flashiness and visual interactions once reserved for live performances were suddenly available on your TV screen with oft contrived video performances leaving no wiggle room for creative interpretations of what was being presented. It must've been a nightmare for those seeing a musical experience through a certain lens but isn't it every generation's duty to shake things up and force those who came before to take a look at things in a radical new way? While some progressive artists like King Crimson and Mahavishnu Orchestra simply called it a day, others like Genesis and Yes happily accepted the new terms of agreement for their very survival and in the process learned how to craft some excellent pop tunes.

Like many artists of the day JEFF BECK was pretty much forced into the world of 80s synthpop and new wave by his record company and after a long five years after "There & Back" the album FLASH emerged replete with every 80s new wave cliche possible. Hey, if it worked for Duran Duran what could go wrong? Despite the contempt for this album by true BECK fans, the album still managed to hit the top 40 on the Billboard chart and spawn a couple singles. The first single and opening track "Ambitious" found some MTV play with a list of cameo appearances from Donny Osmond, Cheech Marin, Herve Villechaize, Marily McCoo and many others. Despite the full incorporation of 80s pop music techniques, BECK still managed to showcase some excellent guitar playing chops albeit in the context of straight on rock guitar with all traces of the world of jazz jettisoned.

Given the huge number of performers on FLASH, this one is by far the most diverse sounding of any JEFF BECK album i've experienced. Granted it's all firmly cemented in that tinny mid-80s synthpop based style but other than that the tracks range from spicy upbeat dance parties to earnest ballads and even delivers two instrumentals in the form of "Escape" and "You Know, We Know," the former of which ironically won BECK a Grammy in 1986. How much you like this one will be completely dependent on how you approach it. If you are hopelessly living in fusion-land with no flexibility then this will be the worst thing you could possibly imagine in terms of music however if you are well versed in the new wave 80s (as i am) and totally love some tubular bitchin' synthpop (like i do) then this one isn't as bad as one could imagine.

When it comes to 80s new wave there were a gazillion artists with many one-hit wonders populating the charts but relatively few consistent albums beyond the singles and MTV videos. FLASH may not be the equivalent of a Duran Duran or Oingo Boingo release but the diversity of the album and the performances are actually pretty decent for a record of this style. The pop hooks are solid, the vocal performances decent and the instrumental interplay fairly sophisticated for a pop-oriented album. It's apparent that the musicians on board are more talented than the music lets on and they offer subtle complexities between the cracks so to speak. As for the guitar performances BECK does an excellent job of offering some rock guitar over the synth-laden compositions. In a way this is one of those surreal albums like Jethro Tull's "Under Wraps" where things sound slightly familiar but eerily distant. I actually like this better than expected. The two bonus tracks on CDs are also decent AOR / pop rock.