Jeff Beck possessed in the fingers on his two arms the kind of musical tone that thousands worth of pedals and amps could not afford guitarists. And, in a world where each virtuoso is bound to, eventually be replaced by another, Jeff Beck was unlike anyone else.

Jeff Beck was part of the British Invasion for a short while. But he quickly bored of it. Instead, he focused most of his career on satisfying his artistic curiosity. His music worked with rock, blues, jazz fusion and even pop elements. It’s the work of one of the greatest rock artists of all time.

These are the 10 best songs by Jeff Beck. It’s a brilliant collection of music, even though I purposely left out his work with The Yardbirds or the numerous features, although it felt fitting to include work by The Jeff Beck Group.

The 10 Greatest Songs by Jeff Beck

10. “I Ain’t Superstitious”

People will always argue about who got to heavy metal first. The fact is that several bands flirted with a bombastic, guitar-heavy sound throughout the late 60s.

Two of the people to argue over the matter must’ve been Jeff Beck and his friend and former Yardbyrds bandmate, Jimmy Page. “Truth” by The Jeff Beck Group contains a similar selection and sound to “Led Zeppelin I.“

“I Ain’t Superstitious” is the best cut from the album. It features a wailing Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood playing bass guitar, and Jeff Beck’s most aggressive, evil-sounding guitar playing. I think that it is still something of a lost gem.

9. “A Day in the Life”

Later in his career, Beck benefitted from the advent of YouTube and the internet. Videos represented his mind-boggling playing techniques best. These could be shared with other guitar students and classic rock devotees.

Bands cover The Beatles‘ “A Day in the Life” routinely. But nobody quite made the entire song come alive from just one electric guitar in the way that Beck did here.

8. “Brush with the Blues”

Jeff Beck, just like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton or Keith Richards, began playing guitar while idolizing the American blues players. Even a man as naturally gifted as Beck learned a few things along the way.

“Brush with the Blues” is collected from the otherwise very modern-friendly “Who Else!” from 1999. It contains some of Beck’s most emotional, lyrical playing.

7. “Freeway Jam”

Beck was one of the first guitar heroes. But unlike his peers, the former Yardbirds’ career didn’t quite move in a straight line. By 1975, he was done with being part of a band, even one he could lead, and had started a full-fledged solo career.

“Freeway Jam” from 1975’s “Blow by Blow” may have just been a loose exercise in musical proficiency. But it perfectly captured just how well Beck could solo over a backing band that could really move.

6. “People Get Ready”

Since Jeff Beck wasn’t a band member, nor did he have many genuine hits, he often had to rely on great singers to guest on his songs (or vice versa). For Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready,” he brings in former collaborator, turned pop superstar Rod Stewart.

The rendition became a hit. But that’s because neither of the musicians phones it in one bit. Beck’s tone remains absolutely delightful, and Stewart’s gruff delivery fits the song well.

5. “You Know What I Mean”

Putting a supergroup together was all well and good for some. Sure, that was where the money was. But, by the mid-70s, Jeff Beck was done trying to impress rock audiences.

The fact that he is not trying per-se makes it all the more impressive. “You Know What I Mean” opens the legendary “Blow by Blow.” It’s essential to a jazz-rock fusion song. But it’s not just the technique involved that stuns.

This is one of the most memorable pieces of sophisticated electric guitar music and, I think, a testament to the man’s talent.

4. “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”

Jeff Beck’s guitar-playing technique is legendary. The maestro played without a pick, often bent in and out of tune, and could provide a surprising maelstrom of notes. His control over the instrument, for most musicians, seemed downright supernatural.

Vamping over Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” gives Beck a perfect opportunity to showcase his wide range of skills and to prove that, in many ways, he had moved past the constraints of rock n’ roll as soon as the 1970s came around.

3. “Scatterbrain”

Playing fast but controlled is the ultimate mark of musicianship in the guitarist community. Jeff Beck could play quicker but more to the point than nearly all other guitarists. “Scatterbrain” is a demonstration of his rapid-fire technique, doing things that ought to be impossible without a pick.

But “Scatterbrain” is also a great composition, credited to Beck and Max Middleton. It’s one of the few times that jazz-rock fusion music received this amount of attention.

2. “Beck’s Bolero”

One of Beck’s great collaborators, as it turns out, wasn’t a singer but another lead guitarist. His junior partner in The Yardbirds, Jimmy Page, wrote much of “Beck’s Bolero.”

The song features the epic-sounding chords of Page’s rhythm guitar. This is inspired by Maurice Ravel’s Bolero. It’s Beck, now famous, lead guitar lines propel the song into the heavens.

“Beck’s Bolero” is one of the most famous rock instrumentals of all time, and for very good reason.

1. “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers”

Jeff Beck had the reputation of a self-centred, tough guy. But he certainly knew when to recognize fellow talent. “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers,” arguably Beck’s finest recorded moment, is a song composed and gifted to him by Stevie Wonder.

Beck’s moaning guitar lines are some of the best leads ever produced by anyone. For his part, Beck dedicated the song to Roy Buchanan, lead guitar pioneer of the Fender Telecaster. And, fittingly, Guitar World picked this among its 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.