JEFF BECK – TRUTH -August 1968 -1960′s Historic & Classic Rock Album
EXPERIENCE PSYCHEDELIC BLUES HARD ROCK HISTORY!
JEFF BECK – TRUTH – August 1968
Here is one of my personal Top 20 all-time favorite Rock albums; a truly Historic and Classic album which also indelibly stamps the winter of ’69 at the beach as one of the best times of my life.
While within my Top 20 it seriously may be in my Top Ten, or maybe even the greatest Rock album ever!
This LP sounded like I felt; the sound of “Truth” will always make me feel liberated, hip, young, cool, rebellious, free, righteous and filled with the Spirit of Rock ‘n’ Roll in a dreamy, misty, mind-bending and mind-blowing beach-in-the-winter atmosphere in a fantastic world where just being alive to experience the assured daily adventures was thrilling.
Jeff Beck, straight from another top favorite band of mine, the Yardbirds, stepped-up and electrified-in-stone his place in Rock with “Truth” which began a highly successful life-long career as a True Guitar God and a proven innovator and genre-fusing solo artist.
Beck generously and notoriously gives others the chance in the spotlight (view awesome link at bottom) as he does here with Rod Stewart, who gets to showcase his vocals extraordinaire.
Ron Wood on bass (who would later again join up with Rod on his solo ventures and with the Faces before becoming a Stone) and Micky Waller on drums (who performed and recorded with all the heavies) and with guest drummers Keith Moon and Aynsley Dunbar made for a tight band with Nicky Hopkins tickling the ivories and John Paul Jones on Hammond organ and Jimmy Page’s signature touch here and there.
I know everyone has their own personal feelings and attachments to their own favorite LPs and artists, but “Truth”, like Them’s self-titled LP both feel as a part of me, it’s weird – but it is what it is.
It trips me out when music that someone creates then becomes an entity unto itself and then becomes a part of your life to the point that your being yearns for it, understands it, loves it – it’s like finding a soul mate. Maybe this sounds crazy, or maybe I’m just expressing what all Rock ‘n’ Rollers and all Music Lovers feel, if so, then we are a very fortunate group to be moved in this way.
Every track on “Truth” is perfect and together make one of the most important historic and classic Rock albums of all time!
Side One:
1. “Shapes of Things“ Jim McCarty, Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith 3:22
Love Kieth Relf, but Jeff and Rod make this their own – sounds like they’ve been playing together for years.
2. “Let Me Love You” Jeffrey Rod 4:44
Cock-sure delivery and great repartee between Rod and Jeff. Feels like crusin’ the sleazy part of town or just drivin’ my poor heart crazy.
3. “Morning Dew” Bonnie Dobson 4:40
I was familiar with this as a folk song; electrified, it seems even more relevant with the pain and sorrow that Rod soulfully layers on while Jeff warms up on the wah-wah is sadly beautiful.
4. “You Shook Me” Willie Dixon, J. B. Lenoir 2:33
Nicky Hopkins’ piano can be heard on nearly all of the top bands at one time or another; here he Rocks the joint with John Paul Jones on Hammond organ and Ron doin’ his thing while Jeff continues his wah-wah agression.
5. “Ol’ Man River” Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II 4:01
Soul; Rod’s got it, as does everyone in this group. Jeff plays bass, nice touch. What an exceptional side-ender choice and done perfectly, thanks Jeff, you’re a classy guy!
Side Two:
1. “Greensleeves” (Anonymous) 1:50
Another excellent inclusion, done beautifully. I’ve loved this song my whole life – you can’t get any more melancholy and spirited at the same time. Plus it’s easily my favorite version.
2. “Rock My Plimsoul” Jeffrey Rod 4:13
Rod’s never sounded better than at this time in his life with the freedom to be the Rocker he is/was.
3. “Beck’s Bolero” Jimmy Page 2:54
Whew! The theme to a spaced-out rockin’ spaghetti western – just a flat-out stone cold hot instrumental with a kick-ass climax! Written by fellow Yardbird Jimmy Page.
4. “Blues Deluxe” Jeffrey Rod 7:33
We’d have ongoing arguments as to whether this was live or “engineered”; it didn’t matter because the feeling was there – late night near closing at a bar with a responsive audience. Nicky Hopkins works the keys, Micky pounds the drums and Ron lays down the rhythm while Rod and Jeff pour their souls into every note – I’ll have another whiskey, please.
5. “I Ain’t Superstitious” Willie Dixon 4:53
You can feel the massive momentum from the first seconds as Jeff starts out with some dirty wah-wah that he’d only been messin’ with up ‘til now.
Beck manifests some amazing wah-wah sounds, cat-calls, dog howls and distorts that eventually build into torturous levels all because that “black cat crossed my trail” – and then turns into a Beck wah-wah extravaganza which gives way to an excellent Micky Waller drum flourish whereby Beck finally destroys the wah-wah in one of the best climax/finishes in Rock history!
This gives me cold chills, goose bumps and raises the hair I have left on my head!!!
This is a wonderful album to end the 2012 year, play it loud, play it proud:
JEFF BECK – TRUTH
Full Complete Album
00individual wishes all Rockers world-wide the best in 2023!
Here’s a terrific JEFF BECK send off
that will put a New Year’s smile on your face!
‘CAUSE WE’VE ENDED AS LOVERS
Live at Ronnie Scott’s – 2007
with Tal Wilkenfeld!
Was very fortunate to see Jeff live up on the Sunset Strip House Of Blues a few years before it closed – “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” was gorgeous – was 20 feet from jeff all night – blessed.