美国国家公共电台 NPR--Acclaimed rock and roll guitarist Jeff Beck dies at 78

Acclaimed¹ rock and roll guitarist Jeff Beck dies at 78

Transcript²

Jeff Beck, know as a "guitarist's guitarist," had contracted bacterial³ meningitis. Beck first came to prominence⁴ playing in The Yardbirds, where he replaced Eric Clapton.

(SOUNDBITE OF JEFF BECK'S "FREEWAY JAM")

DWANE BROWN, HOST:

One of the greatest guitar players in the world; he blazed a trail impossible to follow - that's how Mick Jagger and Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley described Jeff Beck. Beck died yesterday at the age of 78. We're joined this morning by music reviewer Tom Moon. Thanks for being here, Tom.

TOM MOON: Great to be with you.

BROWN: I can only imagine that if I looked up the word guitarist, Jeff Beck's face would be the one I would see.

MOON: That's right. And if it was audio attached, you would probably hear him. And you might only hear one note, and that might be all you need. He was a master of the instrument in its most basic form. He could - he was distinctive⁵ just through the sound of the instrument.

BROWN: And he could play any style of music.

MOON: That's right. I mean, he comes along. His career begins with one of the trailblazing bands of the '60s, the Yardbirds. He replaces Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds. He's there during 1966. They record one studio record with him. He takes the Yardbirds from really, like, a blues⁶ rock cover band playing classic Delta⁷ blues that everyone in the U.K. was obsessed⁸ with into a realm of psychedelia - you know, a lot of fuzz tones and different things. You hear that on "Heart Full Of Soul," which was one of the hits from that record.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE YARDBIRDS SONG, "HEART FULL OF SOUL")

BROWN: But, Tom, Beck wasn't as well-known as, say, Eric Clapton. Why not?

MOON: I think he was more of a musician than a rock celebrity⁹. He was very much interested in the art of the instrument and the art of music. He explored a lot of different things. He had periods where he played basically all instrumental music - jazz-rock. And there, what made him so riveting¹⁰ was you wanted to follow him. He would start a solo with essentially¹¹ a single note, often, with lots of space in between everything, and it was that patience that made it riveting. You hear him - some of these solos from the early '70s, like this record "Wired," where he covers Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." And it's not shredding¹². It's slow. It's kind of oozing¹³. But he pulls you into his journey, and you're with it the whole way.

(SOUNDBITE OF JEFF BECK'S "GOODBYE PORK PIE HAT")

BROWN: Beck's career spanned more than six decades, Tom, but he didn't really seek the limelight. What do you think he'll be most remembered for?

MOON: The fact that he influenced everyone else who did it, all the arena¹⁴ rock bands of the '70s - bands like Aerosmith. Joe Perry, the guitarist from Aerosmith, checked in with a loving tribute. Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top, Guns N' Roses - essentially, everyone who did this on that scale took something from the technical aspects that Jeff Beck brought and the sound. He was basically a towering figure in the world of guitar. But he was a musician, not necessarily a celebrity, so he never got that limelight in the same way. But his work carries on. When you hear Eddie Van Halen, you're hearing someone who listened to Jeff Beck.

(SOUNDBITE OF JEFF BECK'S "GOODBYE PORK PIE HAT")

BROWN: Tom, thank you, my friend.

MOON: Thanks so much for having me.

BROWN: That's music reviewer Tom Moon, author of "1000 Recordings¹⁵ To Hear Before You Die." Guitarist Jeff Beck passed away yesterday at the age of 78.

(SOUNDBITE OF JEFF BECK'S "GOODBYE PORK PIE HAT")

1 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

4 prominence   

n.突出；显著；杰出；重要

参考例句：

• He came to prominence during the World Cup in Italy.他在意大利的世界杯赛中声名鹊起。
• This young fashion designer is rising to prominence.这位年轻的时装设计师的声望越来越高。

5 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

6 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

7 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

8 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

9 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

10 riveting   

adj.动听的，令人着迷的，完全吸引某人注意力的；n.铆接（法）

参考例句：

• I find snooker riveting though I don't play myself.虽然我自己不打斯诺克，但是我觉得它挺令人着迷。
• To my amazement,I found it riveting.但令我惊讶的是，我发现它的吸引人处。

11 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

12 shredding   

v.撕碎，切碎( shred的现在分词 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件）

参考例句：

• Like the Tehran experience, the shredding may be all for naught. 如同德黑兰事件中的情况一样，切碎文件可能是徒劳的。 来自时文部分
• How shredding began is subject to some guesswork. 粉碎处理行业的起源是个有争议的问题。 来自时文部分

13 oozing   

v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的现在分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出

参考例句：

• Blood was oozing out of the wound on his leg. 血正从他腿上的伤口渗出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wound had not healed properly and was oozing pus. 伤口未真正痊瘉，还在流脓。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

15 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐