Looks like it's the old marmite syndrome again - you either love it or hate it.
I first saw him live when I was 13 - I was absolutely gobsmacked, but the other guitarist in my group thought he was cr@p.
Even so ..I'm still with these guys...
Joe Satriani: - “If I could have an hours tuition from any guitarist it would be Jeff Beck.”
Kirk Hammett: - “Jeff Beck is going to be inducted into the Hall that night too and I'm a huge fan of his work. I can't wait to see him, and if he joined in the jam session, I would be so f*cking excited for that! If I got the chance to play along his side, it would a big honor me.”
Jennifer Batten (on getting the Jeff Beck tour gigs) – “ I was so excited I pissed my pants.” (I must admit that gets me going :?)
Ritchie Blackmore:-“ I can turn on some jazz guitarist, and he won't do a thing for me, if he's not playing electrically. But Jeff Beck's great to listen to.”
Jimmy Page: - “When Beck is ‘on’ he’s the best.”
There are numerous other similar quotes from Steve Morse, Eric Johnson, Steve Lukather etc
Oooh and one for Twinfan:-
Billy Gibbons: "Jeff is as good a guitarist as it gets and yet he, at one time, chose to assign the singing chores to someone else. However, I invited him to appear on ZZ Top's XXX release as a singer. It was an unexpected invitation and to capture the moment, we revisited the Robert Johnson blues recordings method of setting up the recording session in Dallas in a hotel room. One take and he nailed it! 'Hey Mr. Millionaire' became another stunning example of Jeff's genius and delivery. Mercy!"