Jeff Beck Truth CD

The Jeff Beck Group's debut, 1968's TRUTH remains a stunner, probably the best work of the guitarist's long career. Perhaps energized by the bust-up of the Yardbirds, Beck is positively overflowing with ideas throughout the entire album, which pointedly starts with a completely different recasting of the Yardbirds hit "Shapes of Things." TRUTH then continues through an impressively varied set of tunes, ranging from an achingly slow, bluesy version of the Broadway standard "Ol' Man River" to a technically astounding acoustic solo version of "Greensleeves" and a killer pair of Willie Dixon covers including a take on "You Shook Me" that shreds Led Zeppelin's contemporaneous version. Throughout, the then-unknown Rod Stewart sings his heart out; he's as important to the album as Beck himself, and it's unsurprising that when Stewart and bassist Ron Wood left to form the Faces, the Jeff Beck Group never recovered.

Jeff Beck's Truth -- which was already regarded as the pioneering heavy metal blues album of its era, beating Led Zeppelin to the punch by about six months -- got a lot better with this British import remastered reissue, which puts all prior editions of the CD to shame. EMI Records have remastered the original LP in 24-bit digital, which puts Beck's guitar and John Paul Jones' organ on "You Shook Me" practically in your lap, and the amp on the former almost up against your ear, and Mickey Waller's drums and Ron Wood's bass on "Shapes of Things" into a position of similar intimacy, so you can almost hear the action on the bass strings. And Rod Stewart's voice is not only close but flows out with a resonance that can't entirely be covered by his rasping delivery -- "Ol' Man River" now seems like an ideal choice for him (as well as a distant precursor to his later recordings of standards), and Keith Moon's timpani performance is totally larger-than-life here. Beck's guitar sounds like it's in the room with you on "Rock My Plimsoul," and Stewart's singing is presented in such detail, that his nuances now seem fine and intimate. There are so many details revealed in the playing here in this remastering, that even longtime listeners are certain to find nuances in the playing and the different parts that are new to them -- and that's just the established album. The original ten songs have been very judiciously augmented with a brace of killer bonus tracks, starting with "I've Been Drinking," where Rod Stewart first treaded into Sam Cooke territory stylistically, which somehow never got included on the LP and ended up relegated to the B-side of the Beck single "Love Is Blue" in mono (it's in stereo here, natch); there's also the undubbed, stripped-down first take of "You Shook Me," filled with instruments that are nice and close and crunchy (especially the guitar); the early, single-take of "Rock My Plimsoul," remixed to stereo here; "Beck's Bolero" in its original mono single version; the previously unissued first take of the shattering "Blues De Luxe"; and the earl

Includes liner notes by Jeff Beck.

Additional Tracks

Reissue producer: Bruce Dickinson.

Personnel: Jeff Beck (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar); Jeff Beck; Jimmy Page (electric 12-string guitar, 12-string guitar); Mysterious Scottish Bloke (bagpipe); John Paul Jones (organ, bass guitar); Ron Wood (bass guitar); Keith Moon (drums, timpani); Mickey Waller (drums); Ken Lewis , Ken Lewis (background vocals); Rod Stewart (vocals); Nicky Hopkins (piano); Aynsley Dunbar, Clem Cattini (drums); John Carter, Madeline Bell (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Peter Mew.

Audio Remasterer: Peter Mew.

Recording information: Abbey Raod Studio 3 (07/12/1966-05/26/1968); Abbey Road Studio 3 (07/12/1966-05/26/1968); De Lane Lea (07/12/1966-05/26/1968).

Photographer: Baron Wolman.

Arranger: Jeffrey Rod.

Personnel: Jeff Beck (guitar, bass); Rod Stewart (vocals); Nicky Hopkins (piano); John Paul Jones (Hammond organ); Ron Wood (bass); Mick Waller (drums).

ProRolling Stone (9/28/68, p.29) - "...this album is a classic, much the way the Clapton-Mayall album [THE BLUES BREAKERS WITH ERIC CLAPTON] is....The singing is gorgeous and...first-rate throughout the album....As a group they swing like mad..."
Uncut (p.132) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Arriving a year before Led Zep's debut, TRUTH has a strong claim as the original template for what became heavy metal..."