These videos and audio files are bonus content related to the December 2014 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now or at the Guitar World Online Store.
While Beck’s 2014 release, the sublimely organic, orchestral and acoustic Morning Phase, may have caught some fans off guard, the fact remains that acoustic guitar has always been at the core of his musicality.
Beck’s earliest performances in New York City, at age 18, were more akin to folk music than anything else (Beck’s a fan of Pete Seeger, the Weavers, Woody Guthrie and other American folk giants).
And lest we forget, his first radio hit, “Loser,” revolves around a droning acoustic slide riff, while other successes, such as “Tropicalia,” “Lost Cause” and “Girl,” rely heavily on acoustic guitar. Perhaps it was only fitting that Beck marked his 20th anniversary as a successful recording artist in relaxed acoustic fashion with Morning Phase.
“He showed me the Rickenbacker he used with the Beatles at Shea Stadium. It still had the song list taped to the side”: Released weeks before his murder, John Lennon’s final album paired him with some of the era’s finest session guitarists
“The loss overall is awful and unspeakable”: Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith and Primus guitarist Larry ‘Ler’ LaLonde among thousands who have lost homes in L.A. wildfires
