The three most important guitarists in 1960s British rock all belonged to the same band though not at the same time. When Eric Clapton left the Yardbirds, Jeff Beck replaced him. Eventually Jimmy Page joined the bandbefore transforming it into Led Zeppelin. Separately and occasionally together, they pushed the reach of the electric guitar and along with Jimi Hendrix, defined the role of the rock guitarist.
Edited by Guitar Player’s Michael Molenda, Clapton BeckPage (Backbeat Books) collects interviews from the magazine with the three musicians from the ’60 through the ‘00s. In the case of Page, choosing wasn’t hard. The reclusive guitarist granted the magazine only one interview; like the others in the book, it was a good conversation about music between knowledgeable people. Naturally, gear enters the discussions: “What kinds of picks and strings do you use?” But some of the tech talk sheds light on how the music was made, especially when it comes to early use of feedback and distortion, and many of the discussions settle into larger musical questions. After reading these interviews, you might have a better sense for the characters of Messrs. Clapton, Beck and Page.
