Jeff Beck’s Back

Guitar giant Jeff Beck has been a hero to technique freaks since he came toprominence as Eric Clapton’s replacement and Jimmy Page’s predecessor in the iconic ‘60s British psychedelic blues-rock band the Yardbirds.

But if you focus only on the clinical aspects of his aggressive, inventive style, you’re missing the point. His melting-pot boogies and soulful blues do showcase his impeccable musicianship, but they also convey emotions as naked as any heartfelt vocal’s.

“It’s not just a series of nifty exercises. You’re trying to say something,” says Beck, 56, who will perform at the Universal Amphitheatre on Friday.

“Some people think that if somebody can play a million notes, then a million and one has got to be better. If you want to know how it should be done, listen to [Booker T. & the MG’s] ‘Green Onions.’ It’s about economy and effect, and the power is in that.”

That sounds a bit contradictory coming from an artist famed for his pell-mell riffing and extravagant note-bending. Especially considering that Beck’s two recent albums, 1999’s “Who Else?” and the new “You Had It Coming,” feature loads of notes cascading against the relentlessly slamming beats and ethereal bleeps of electronic dance music. “The scales are important, the speed is important,” he adds. “But with rock ‘n’ roll, don’t play with more notes than you really need.”

Beck’s fascination with modern pop developments has led him to a renaissance of sorts. At the end of the ‘90s, he emerged from one of several reclusive periods with his new group, featuring rhythm guitarist Jennifer Batten and bassist Randy Hope-Taylor. This trajectory came about because he fell in love with the crunching dance rhythms of such acts as the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy. “Some of the stuff is viciously powerful, heavier than even Led Zeppelin or the thrash-metal bands. I just thought, ‘I want some of this.’ ”

Beck’s solo career began after he left the Yardbirds in 1966, when he formed the influential and popular Jeff Beck Group, with bassist Ron Wood and a then-unknown singer named Rod Stewart. His highest-charting album, 1975’s “Blow by Blow” (No. 4), was a collection of jazz-fusion instrumentals.

Indeed, his wide-ranging interests arguably have had as much impact on electric guitarists as Clapton and Page. So how come he’s merely a rock legend, while the others are full-fledged household names?

“I thought records were a pain,” explains Beck, whose group with Wood and Stewart reworked classic blues into prototypal heavy metal, just like Page’s Led Zeppelin. “We’d just go, ‘Hey, that sounds great. Let’s go down to the pub!’ That’s the rock ‘n’ roll attitude I had. Jimmy was more committed and less unpredictable, less aggressive, less moody [than I was].”

As for Clapton, Beck notes, “Eric went and made ‘Layla’ and ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ and these milestone records that kept his career going. . . . Very smart move. I wasn’t about to do any of that.”

If Beck doesn’t hold any grudges, he sounds frustrated when recalling some factors that shaped his eclectic career. Stewart and Wood departed for the Faces in 1969, and shortly thereafter Beck, a car buff, had an auto accident that sidelined him for 18 months.

In part disgruntled by Zeppelin’s and Stewart’s successes, he turned away from conventional rock.

A second Beck band blended funk and metal, and then he toyed with a power-trio format. He moved into jazz-fusion territory, but his touring and album output became less frequent, and he eventually ground to a halt.

“The ‘90s were a state of complete doldrums for me,” says Beck, who did some outside projects and concentrated on restoring his beloved hot rods and his manor in Sussex.

Now that he’s back on his own musical track, Beck seems determined to stay focused. Yet when he confesses he’d like nothing more than to have his own version of the rhythmic performance troupe Stomp!, it’s clear he’ll never confine himself to convention. “I don’t worry about keeping up,” Beck says. “It’s my job to stay ahead.”

* Jeff Beck, with Willy Porter, at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 8:15 p.m. Friday. $26 to $52. (818) 622-4440.