The two legendary bands Jeff Beck could have joined: “I don’t think I would have lasted”
Jeff Beck made history all on his own. Sure, first he made it in The Yardbirds, but after leaving its comfort, Beck went on to not only become one of the most influential musicians in history, but a true guitarist’s guitarist – the player that everyone wanted to play with and wanted to play like.
That was evident pretty early on in his career, as almost instantly, something special was spotted in him. Replacing Eric Clapton isn’t a gig many would dare take on, but Beck dared when he joined The Yardbirds, and he did it so singularly that he didn’t feel like a replacement at all; it felt like his band. When his role as lead guitarist was then handed over to Jimmy Page, it was truly the passing of a legendary baton.
But after his name was already made, the Jeff Beck Group became the band everyone wanted to be part of. At one point or another, the group featured an all-star lineup with names like Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart being members, and the likes of Keith Moon, John Paul Jones and Page stepping in for sessions.
It seemed that at every step of his career, Beck was a light that the scene revolved around like moths drawn to his talent. They wanted to play with him, they wanted to play for him, and, in the case of two bands, they mustered the courage to ask him to play for them.
In both cases, the reason he said no came down to the same attitude. He said he was simply not a “joiner, really”. But if you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you never try, you’ll never know.
Pink Floyd didn’t have the guts to ask, though—they just thought about it. After having to eventually fire Syd Barrett, they needed a new member. Before recruiting David Gilmour and changing the course of their history with that decision, they wanted Beck.
“Pink Floyd wanted me, but they didn’t have the nerve to pop the question,” Beck told the BBC, recounting the tale like it was nothing more than silly nerves between childhood crushes. Pink Floyd really did want Beck, but given his already looming and respected reputation, they couldn’t bring themselves to ask, fearing the rejection they’d face.
The Rolling Stones had more than guts. They barely even asked; they simply tried to trick Beck into joining, inviting him down to an audition under the guise of a session. After the loss of Brian Jones, Beck was once again in the running to fill a void, but again, Beck refused.
“Some people might find it hard to believe that you’d walk away from the Stones gig, but Keith and I wouldn’t have gone through an album without punching each other out anyway,” he said of the experience. But largely it came down to feeling like he wasn’t a good fit for them, nor were they a good fit for him.
“I would have loved to have been a Rolling Stone,” he said, “But the thought would have been better than the act, I think—the fantasy of it. I don’t think I would have lasted, number one. I don’t think, musically, they were on the same path.” Instead, he kept forging his own historic road to artistic immortality.
