[Jeff Beck colaboration] Originally, I even wrote this song especially for him. Jeff Beck plays in another dimension. With only one note, he can floor you. When he came into the studio to record his guitar parts, I wasn't able to anything except sit down and watch him play; so much of what he does is magic. I didn't feel able to take my turn on a guitar and jam with him, he is just too much impressive! He played it solo therefore, but he was not completely satisfied, and said me that he would work on it and to come back to record it again. I had nearly waited for a year when Jeff ended up coming back to record this magnificent solo. With him, you cannot do it any other way; that is how he wants it! But you know that whatever he comes up with, he will make something brilliant out of it, and that is what makes the wait worthwhile. This chap is fabulous; you only need the minimum of patience when you have the chance to work with him!
The Guv'nor was a tune for a film about a bare-knuckle boxer. A true story. An English guy. Rather an unsavoury character, actually. A very scary kind of guy, who basically rose from the gutter because of his ability with his fists. The film didn't get made because they ran out of money. But I had this song. And I started thinking this would apply to Jeff. Because Jeff, in our world, is the guy on the block who's scary. He's someone you don't mess with. You don't even try to play his stuff. He is the Guv'nor: the standard by which you judge yourself. I think a lot of us view him that way. And there came a moment when I plucked up enough courage to ring him up and say, 'What do you think, Jeff? Do you fancy being the Guv'nor?' I explained the idea to him, played him the track, and he loved it. He thought it would be a good laugh.