Truth (Jeff Beck album)
Truth is the debut album by The Jeff Beck Group, released in 1968 in the United Kingdom on Columbia Records and in the United States on Epic Records. It introduced the talents of Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood to a larger audience, and peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200.
Content and background
After leaving The Yardbirds in late 1966, Jeff Beck had released three commercial singles, two in 1967 featuring Beck on lead vocals, and one without vocals in 1968. All had been hits on the British singles chart,[1] and all were characterized by songs aimed at the pop chart on the A-side at the behest of producer Mickie Most.[2] Harder rock and blues-based numbers were featured on the b-sides, and for music on the album, Beck opted to pursue the latter course.
Recording sessions for the album took place over four days, 14-15 May and 25-26 May 1968.[3] Nine tracks were taken from these sessions, including eclectic covers of "Ol' Man River" by Jerome Kern, the traditional ballad "Greensleeves," the modern ballad "Morning Dew" by Bonnie Dobson, acknowledgment of two giants of Chicago blues in songs by Willie Dixon: Muddy Waters' "You Shook Me" and Howlin' Wolf's "I Ain't Superstitious," the album starting off with a song from Beck's old band, "Shapes of Things." Three originals were credited to "Jeffrey Rod", a pseudonym for Beck and Stewart, all reworkings of previous blues songs: "Let Me Love You" the song of the same title by Buddy Guy; "Rock My Plimsoul" from "Rock Me Baby" by B.B. King; and "Blues Deluxe" similar to another song by B.B. King, "Gambler's Blues."[4] "Plimsoul" had already been recorded for the b-side to the 1967 single "Tallyman," and the tenth track, an instrumental featuring Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Keith Moon, and future Beck group pianist Nicky Hopkins, "Beck's Bolero," had been edited and remixed for stereo from the earlier b-side to "Hi Ho Silver Lining." Due to contractual conflicts, Moon had been credited on the original album as "You Know Who."
Reception and legacy
Truth is regarded as a seminal work of heavy metal because of its use of blues toward a hard rock approach.[5] This was confirmed in 2010 by Rhapsody, which called the album one of the all-time best "proto-metal" records.[6] Tom Scholz of Boston has listed it as his favorite album on Gibson's online magazine, stating, "I knew Jeff Beck's Truth album inside out..."[7] The album's title inspired the name of Iowa band Truth and Janey.[8]
On 10 October 2006, Legacy Records remastered and reissued the album for compact disc with eight bonus tracks. Included were two earlier takes of "You Shook Me" and "Blues Deluxe," the latter without the overdubbed applause, and the six tracks making up the three singles by Beck. The b-side to the 1968 single "Love Is Blue," "I've Been Drinking," was another "Jeffrey Rod" special, this time reconfiguring the Johnny Mercer song "Drinking Again."
Track listing
Side one
Side two
2006 reissue bonus tracks
| Writer(s) |
| 11. |
"I've Been Drinking" (stereo mix) |
Jeffrey Rod |
3:25 |
| 12. |
"You Shook Me" (take 1) |
Willie Dixon |
2:31 |
| 13. |
"Rock My Plimsoul" (stereo mix) |
Jeffrey Rod |
3:42 |
| 14. |
"Beck's Bolero" (mono single mix) |
Jimmy Page |
3:11 |
| 15. |
"Blues Deluxe" (take 1) |
Jeffrey Rod |
7:31 |
| 16. |
"Tallyman" |
Graham Gouldman |
2:46 |
| 17. |
"Love Is Blue" |
André Popp, Pierre Cour, Brian Blackburn |
2:57 |
| 18. |
"Hi Ho Silver Lining" (stereo mix) |
Scott English, Laurence Weiss |
3:46 |
Personnel
Additional personnel
Production personnel
References
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