Reviews (page 5 of 8)
I wondered why I hadn't listened to much of the OG Beck. And this is why. Not sure what exactly I didn't like. Too blues rocky. I didn't even really care much for the Shapes of Things revamp (my favorite version is by The Allman Joys mostly because I think I heard their version first). And on top of all that I am not a fan of Rod Stewart and, even though he isn't prominently featured, it's not doing this album any favors. Reading about "Beck's Bolero" makes it sound like it was the first heavy metal song ever written, but I didn't see the appeal.
It's very weird to listen to Rod Stewart and read people equivocate this to "proto-metal." Rod Stewart? The "Do You Think I'm Sexy?" guy? Or the guy we know now, who cornered the soft rock market. And "Old Man River"... yikes. But the album is known the first solo Jeff Beck album, and it's interesting to hear his sound develop. I mean, I first REALLY heard Beck on "What God Wants" by Roger Waters. And that was just... a force of nature. Listening to the ending portion of "I Ain't Superstitious," you see where he's going with it. And it's a good direction. It's just hard to think of Stewart in that light now. But I give it a positive because Beck just kills on this. Top tracks: "I Ain't Superstitious," "Beck's Bolero," "Shape of Things"
I'm a fan of hard rock and Led Zeppelin and this album almost led to a different version of Led Zeppelin. I'm glad we got what we got, though I appreciate this album for being some of the first hard blues rocking albums. Jeff Beck is a fantastic guitarist - just listen to Beck's Bolero. Shapes of Things, Let Me Love You, Rock My Plimsoul, and I Ain't Superstitious are also pretty crunchy and hard rocking thanks to him. But Mickey Waller is also great on the drums throughout this album (and Keith Moon on Beck's Bolero). As good as he is, I thought Rod Stewart doesn't sound exactly right for the music. Better when they slowed it down like on You Shook Me or Ol Man River, but those were a couple of my least favorite songs. Feels like a 3.5, gonna give it a slight uptick. But could have gone either way.
Headline: British guitarist puts together outstanding cover band. Even though Let Me Love You, Rock my Plimsoul, and Blues De Luxe are all credited to Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart, each are fundamentally basic blues turned up to 11, which is even more evident on the Willie Dixon covers. They also play some non-basic blues covers (e.g., Shapes of Things, Morning Dew, and Greensleeves), which I tend to appreciate more because they lead to a more original sound. You can hear how this is an essential album in the history of hard rock. In fact, it's clear Jimmy Page was "inspired" by Jeff Beck (Page is legendary for ripping off others), so that would make this a stepping stone to Led Zeppelin (you can even hear similarities between Rod Stewart and Robert Plant). It lacks that certain something that makes an album a true classic, but it's definitely a good listen and there's no question Jeff Beck was a great guitarist and highly influential (RIP). Favorite tracks: Shapes of Things (unique approach to a great song - Beck was the guitarist on the original Yardbirds version), Morning Dew, Beck's Bolero (read about the backstory - fascinating), I Ain't Superstitious (my favorite of the straightforward blues tracks on the album - fantastic guitar work).
some good guitar, nothing too exciting
Just solid without any surprises but would except those from this kind of album
Rod Stewart’s raw, bluesy vocals wrap around Jeff Beck’s fiery guitar work like a perfectly tailored glove. The album is soulful, gritty, and bursting with attitude. I had never listened to this before, and it genuinely took me by surprise — in the good way.
I mostly know Jeff Beck by reputation and as a celebrated guitarist, but haven't really heard his music that much. I wondered about the vocalist, he has a mad rasp to his singing and later find out it is Rod Steward himself. I often find the late 60's blues fad a bit tiresome, but not on this record and for the most part it leans quite a lot towards heavier rock or rockblues. While comparisons are worthless, in my sphere of knowledge this has a lot of crossover with Jimi Hendrix and someone else I can't pinpoint right now. I'm quite enjoying this record and am wondering how I never stumbled onto it back when I was digging the 60's/70's used vinyl crates.
I've seen this guy's name around my entire 4 decades of life and I still can't figure out what's supposedly great about him. Feels very average and, as such, not deserving of a place on this list.
Why is there a version of Greensleeves on this album? Why is there Rod Stewart? I couldn’t finish it, despite him being technically decent. Apparently this album was a precursor to heavy metal, but it mostly sounds like more white man blues. I don’t want hear more white man blues.
Good one
I should probably like this more. Maybe I would if I was alive then, but it doesn't really stand out. It's fine, Beck is a great guitarist, and I like blues rock quite a bit, but the music itself doesn't really hit home.
Guitar is great. Never was a fan of Rod’s.
Heard of Jeff Beck before but for some reason never got round to listening to his music. The album didn't have any tracks that stood out to me but I appreciate the overall experience 3/5
"Truth" ist das Debütalbum des britischen Gitarristen Jeff Beck und wurde 1968 veröffentlicht. Die Aufnahmen fanden in den Abbey Road Studios in London statt. Stilistisch bewegt sich das Album zwischen Bluesrock und Hardrock, wobei es als ein frühes Beispiel für die Entwicklung des Hardrock-Genres gilt. Die Jeff Beck Group bestand zu dieser Zeit aus Sänger Rod Stewart, Bassist Ronnie Wood und Schlagzeuger Micky Waller. Ergänzt wurde die Besetzung durch Gastmusiker wie Nicky Hopkins am Klavier. Das Album enthält sowohl Eigenkompositionen als auch Coverversionen bekannter Blues- und Rockstücke. Herausragende Songs sind unter anderem „Shapes of Things“, eine Neuinterpretation eines Yardbirds-Titels, das atmosphärische „Beck’s Bolero“ sowie die bluesige Version von „You Shook Me“. Auch „Morning Dew“ und „Let Me Love You“ gehören zu den prägnanten Stücken des Albums. "Truth" fand besonders in den USA großen Anklang und beeinflusste viele spätere Rockbands. Die Kombination aus Becks innovativem Gitarrenspiel und Stewarts markanter Stimme macht das Album zu einem wichtigen Werk des späten 60er-Jahre-Rock.
Decent but short listen.
I'll always think of Jeff Beck with the song "Led Boots" as it's one of the coolest guitar instrumental jams I've ever heard. That being said, hearing his debut solo record showcases his blues/jam abilities but his general sensibility for more complex songwriting. He also had a very solid vocal. Will need to revisit but some good jams on here.
Amazing musician with a mix of rock, blues and jazz.
Classic rock. Pretty darn good. I’m surprised some of these tracks weren’t on constant rotation on classic rock stations. A few irritating things like the high piano notes that bothered my ears and a tad too much repetition hold it back from full marks.
Not a big Jeff Beck guy - I heard about the greatness, but have yet to hear it in the music....
I know get why Jeff Beck was a thing. The best Rod Stewart has ever sounded.
It's been a pretty bland run of albums recently.
Sonically, some pretty good blues
I like the Blues that follows the whole record. Greensleeves was my grade 2 piano piece so revisiting that was very nostalgic for me. No real bad things to say other than noticeable production issues but that’s to be expected
Great guitars. And I do like Rod Stewart's voice.
I see this album described as early metal, but it didn’t sound like that to me? It’s blues rock. And it’s excellent.
Truth be told this was a pretty uninspiring album. Nothing wrong, per se, just immediately forgettable.
I thought this was ok but nothing stuck out for me. I thought "wow Jeff Beck sounds a lot like Rod Stewart" but uh right that actually is Rod Stewart. Guitar work is great of course but it just didn't grab me. Overall I thought it was just meh which makes me feel bad for dissing one of the guitar greats.
The seeds of Led Zeppelin. You can really hear where a lot of the influence that this album had on Zeppelin I.
Pretty good guitar riffs, sounded like an interesting precursor to Led Zeppelin. It kind of felt like Rod Stewart's vocals were out of place on this album.
It's entertaining this is called Heave Metal. I have trouble hearing Rod Stewart's voice and thinking Heavy Metal. Is it just me? Guest appearances by John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Keith Moon. Solid blues-rock album with some clean guitar and quality licks throughout.
Interesting
Bien
Álbum muito bom, mas escutar em uma tacada só é cansativo, tende a parecer o mesmo sem inovação.
Bravo to Jeff Beck for playing some cool guitar parts, and bravo to Rod Stewart for sounding so confident while singing absolute garbage
Great old school brit rock
Good guitar, bad lyrics.
Classic album, don't even need to listen to it. Definitely see where zeppelin got some early influences. Plus page and beck were friends
1. jeff beck is such a good player. 2. yeah, "Morning Dew". Nick Cave said on Desert island Discs that he likes the original version. wait... einstürzende neubauten also sang it too. no wonder nick likes the song, because he is still thinking about his good old days with Blixa. 3. the vocal sounds good. oh, rod stewart sang it. 4. YOU MEAN THAT THE RONNIE WOOD WHO PLAYED WITH THE STONES IS THE BASS PLAYER HERE? 5.but i am not too interested in blues rock. so in conclusion, a 3. 3/5
Un álbum interesante que empieza muy bien y se va desinflando según avanza. No es aburrido ni malo, pero no creo que aporte nada nuevo a lo que ya he oído. Canción destacada: Shapes of Things
Great musicianship can't overcome my seemingly innate dislike of Rod Stewart. I also don't understand why this blues-derivative stuff gets so much representation on this list. No interest in revisiting this one.
Enjoyed it, lots of skill on display here.
Solo explosions Just enough scratchy vocals And blues via shred
Beck is not the great guitarist of legend. His pretty average
It’s a solid blues album featuring Rod Stewart on vocals. Can’t really see how groundbreaking this album is though
Hendrix for plebs Don't get me wrong, Jeff Beck is talented, way more so than I am, but what is this if not a bargain-bin Jimi album? And why is Rod Stewart here?? Jimi would never.
Not too bad but a bit straightforward by today's standards. Also a bit of a strange album with so many covers (and covers of odd tracks like Old Man River and Greensleeves), although Jeff Beck does a pretty good job with them. This album definitely started down the path that Led Zeppelin would take, but I decided at the start I'm not giving extra stars for influence.
My first thought was that Jeff Beck sounds an awful lot like Rod Stewart, but I eventually realized what was going on. One thing that struck me was that his version of Greensleeves was raw and unpolished compared to today’s standards. If someone today was to record a similar version it would be done to perfection with minimal noise and free of mistakes. I liked the authenticity of this version from 1968. Overall it was pretty good.
Favorite Track: Beck’s Bolero
Ok one
3.5/5
Good blues
Rod loves to say ‘oh baby’
Slow rock. I don't think it's form me. Nothing really stuck with me.
I did not expect to like this as much as I did. Figured it'd by showier and more wankery, but no. A delightful romp that doesn't overstay its welcome.
seemingly overlooked these days, this album is full of dudes everyone knows - ron wood, jimmy page, rod stewart. A real harbinger of the "british dudes stealing the blues" late 60's era. Whereas Jimmy Page had a bit more of a raw edge, Beck, even within the typical blues guitar tropes, has a more classical guitar and polished feel to it.
There seems to be a disconnect between Rod Stewart's lyrics and the music. Almost like the two were recorded completely separate from each other, without hearing how it sounded when mixed together. The album is definately back loaded. Once You Shook Me comes on, the rest of the album is so much better. Favourite songs: Rock My Plimsoul, Greensleeves, You Shook Me, Beck's Bolero Least favourite songs: Shapes of Things 3/5
Kind of cool as a time capsule album - you can tell where Led Zeppelin derived their inspiration from.
I'm sure Beck is quite talented. Nonetheless, I'd rather not.
Good shit, with a lack of complexity
A good blues album, but not much more than that, featuring Jeff Beck on guitar and Rod Stewart on vocals. Expected a bit more from the album, considering the line-up, which includes Ronnie Wood as well. The songs are mostly covers, the style is a slightly harder version of pure blues. Beck doesn't show that much on guitar, with only a couple of good solos. The brightest light for me was Rod Stewart which fit into this album pretty well and sang with nice passion and intensity. The album seems like a proto/demo Led Zeppelin album, but is not as well done as LZ albums were.
3.35
3.25
Working space was not the right place to enjoy this album. A train back from London at 11 pm seemed much more appropriate to enjoy, the blues, the guitar and some classics. The album itself is not smooth but flows quite well
This album was actually a pleasant surprise because I didn’t think I would like it much at all. It has that late 60’s/early 70’s charm to it, creating a great, easy going vibe that I enjoyed. It’s folksy, smooth and polished without sounding over produced, with hints of psychedelic rock woven throughout. It had some great guitar riffs, there is clearly a lot of skill that went into this album. I thought the vocals seemed familiar at times with scratchy, rustic sounds and it turns out… Rod Stewart. I'm not a huge fan of him and it took me out of it a bit when I realised but I can’t hold it against the album. The Greensleeves cover was interesting, apparently a popular song to cover on the guitar but I had never heard it covered before; and I don’t think this album was a bad way to be introduced. I wouldn’t buy the vinyl new but if I saw it for a good price second hand, I’d consider it.
Bello, interessante, particolare.
I wasn't into large swathes of this - but could be mood related
скучный
This was pretty great
If rod Stewart sang for led Zeppelin and the guitarist can't stop noodling. Clearly talented but mostly annoying.
Another really good album that I haven't heard before. Got some proto metal going on here.
This is not really my thing--like watching a bar band.
Pretty good, can see it as formative. Beck's Bolero stuck out the most.
bluesy old fashioned rock and roll that is above average. 3/5
Bluesy rock music where every song sounded exactly the same. Stand-out: I Ain't Superstitious
Great album. I look at the my prior guitar influences and Beck was never at the front of the line with some of the others for me and he should have been What an innovator. Beck/Clapton/Page were to me considered the true rock/blues guitarists that came out of the British Invasion and just exploded stuff up when they came over to the US. And so much influence came from them on others and that awesome hard rock/blues sound emerged in the 70s. The thing I absolutely love about Beck is his guitar just talks. It's not the normal shit. It moans. His use of wah and tremolo bar at the perfect places without overdoing it is just insane. Beck's Bolero is probably the only one I knew on this album from him. A lot of these are covers of famous blues stuff or random covers. Highlights for me were Beck's Bolero because it's just cool and so different. The random mix of just totally non-standard notes and overall musical melody is just awesome and unique. Like most of his stuff that came out as he progressed through the years. His version of Greensleeves was great and just really pretty. Loved his soloing in Let Me Love You. Overall great blues album by one of the greats. Rod Stewart's lyrics fit great with his playing and it reminds me SO much of Plant/Page in Zeppelin 1 and 2 early years. Similar feel. Back/forth between vocals and lead guitar bluesy stuff. Then they all sort of went their own unique directions - Beck probably the most since Page stuck to a lot of the blues/rock while they DID get much more innovative later and Clapton I think really stayed in a common sound/feel throughout the years and never changed a ton. Great intro to early Beck. Enjoyed this album. I prefer his more custom stuff he wrote later - but event the covers here have a very 'Beck' flavor to them and his guitar playing is awesome.
I mean what can I honestly say.. The guitar. The SOUL. I can’t believe I have never listened to this before (also can’t believe I didn’t know Rod Stewart was part of this band for a little bit). Stewart’s voice on a majority of there covers fit so well with the rhythm and blues and blended so nicely with Beck’s guitar. I found myself getting lost in every single guitar solo and I never wanted them to end. I had never heard any of the songs on here, but I loved everything about this album. I think I might just keep listening to “Blues Deluxe” into I gaslight myself into thinking I’m in some random blues club listening to them perform. Also the piano on that song is amazing and I think needs to be talked about more. Thank you Jeff Beck for this masterclass debut album.
solid bread'n'butter rock
own
For being released in 1968, you can’t deny that “Truth” is a groundbreaking album that played a significant role in the development of hard rock and heavy metal. This blues rock album has a very unpolished, raw, and hard rock feel to it. Unfortunately, Rod Stewart’s voice was a real stumbling block for me. I just didn’t like the sound of his voice or his vocal style at all. Other than that, the musical elements were pretty impressive, which is why I thought the instrumental tracks were the best and most enjoyable.
The guitar work is of course superb, but the rest of it didn't impress me at all. There are better songs on other records by Jeff Beck. The higher ranking is for the guitar only.
не тот Бек! этот слишком гитарный для меня (Род тоже не интересует)
3x 3.0
I listened to this. Last couple tracks pulled me in a little more
Surprisingly I liked this. Especially Greensleves
i hate blues rock... but this album is wild cuz i had NO idea it wasn't beck himself singing and to learn the vocals on this album were done by ROD STEWART of all people... anyways i have affinity for beck and honestly i have no idea why cuz who cares about the yarbirds ... this guy wasn't even in any famous bands ... why do i like him ?
Iconic!
Enjoying the bluesier songs later on in the album. Album seemed pretty incoherent and all over the place though
I find this genre a bit boring idk
Fantastic. Great early 70s rock. Stewart's vocals are great. (5 known / 8 new)
I know he’s talented and that this is good, but it’s hard for me to get into it. Just blends into muddy-ness and lacks dynamics. The guitar work is great and the vocals are of course tight. Just kinda exists, ya know?
I had heard this album before and appreciated it then. After reading more about it I have officially moved from appreciation to full on admiration. Rod Stewart’s vocals on here are epic, bluesy, nothing like the swaggering drunk romantic pop star of the 1980s. Ronnie Wood’s bass playing could only be better if it was John Paul Jones, which also happened on Bolero, along with Jimmy Paul on 12-string and pre-horse tranquilizer Keith Moon on drums. … it cannot be disputed the star of the show is Jeff Beck himself fresh off the Yardbirds and stretching his versatility as one of the best gunslingers out there. What I love about it is he isn’t a frontman, but a member of a group of musicians who love music, and the Dixon cover Ain’t Superstitious is a perfect example. I don’t know if this album is his best, but it was definite coming out party. This is a commit to vinyl kind of album for me…
Despite knowing of Jeff Beck as a famous guitar hero for years, I don’t think I’ve actually ever listened to him before this. Everything about this was solid and classic rock staples. I’d have to listen to it a few times more to really hear it bit this sounded like something that was awesome and groundbreaking but that other artists took and perfected. Maybe why he is spoken of so highly but not listened to as much.
Seems like a decent blues-rock album. Reminds me of Led Zeppelin. I didn't know Rod Stewart appeared in all these bands before going solo. I like Rod's voice on this type of music, but my favorite tracks were the instrumentals: Beck's Bolero and Greensleeves.
More white, British guys acting like they discovered the Blues. Fine for the lost part, but feel like there's a lot of it on this list.
You know what never gets old? White dudes aping Black musicians. Rod Stewart bemoaning the aches & pains of an overworked riverboat worker on 'Old Man River' is definitely a new ... high? Low? It's something.
Old school. I liked the faster beat songs.
Very middle of the road. It might have been influential, but the vocals and lyrics of rod Steward sounds dated and written without much thought. Were they written at all. Becks bolero is the highlight, it's all instrumental
Awesome shit. Ron wood did not know u could play bass like that
cool start, but lost steam as per usual. i'm sorry, it's me, not you.
Not bad. Bluesy old school rock. Sounds like Faces; no real surprise there. Only problem for me is after two full listens only a couple tracks stand out; all the rest just melded together.
vocals and lyrics didn’t do much for me but the guitar is epic
If this isn’t excellent, it’s close to it. If it’s the beginnings of heavy metal, it’s early enuf not to be overwrought or to neglect its origins. Unsung heroics: Micky Waller, a put-together of Mitch and Ginger (got the fluidity of the former, uses the toms like the latter). The rendition of Ol’ Man River is more than up to snuff: it’s sincere. And I don’t know much about guitar chops, but Beck sure does seem to live up to the hype. I'll go w/ excellent.
𝘐 𝘢𝘪𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘈 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘪𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘢𝘪𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Stand Out Songs: 3. Morning Dew, 𝟖. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤'𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐨, 10. I Ain't Superstitious This is quite literally the first time I've had an out of body experience upon hearing someone playing the guitar, genuinely listening to this album feels like being on the highest peak of a rollercoaster that's about to go down. Good God Almighty this album is so excellent in such a full bodied and high spirited way, Jeff Beck you single handedly have given early British Rock a semblance of credibility.
pretty good!
Итс окэй, но музыка не совсем моя. Лучшая песня - Greensleeves.
why is everything offtune is this just his singing style help me and i also gaev up on this album because i hate the way he sings and i am annoying so deal with it, would give 0 if i could
First listen. Meh.
How have I not heard this one before? Why is Rod Stewart singing? So many questions. Whatever, it all came together great. Such a groovy, bluesy album. Cream would probably be the closest comparison I can think of. Wikipedia says early heavy metal - I'm not sure about that, though some metal bands were influenced I'm sure. I recognized I Ain't Superstitious from Megadeth's cover, and I'm certain Gene Simmons copied Rod Stewart's singing style from this album. I'm adding it to my library. Favorite track: Shapes of Things. I think it sounds a bit like Pictures of Home from Deep Purple.
It is very 1960s guitar but in the best way - do not know what green sleeves gives us though
Grandad-rock zzz.
yes, yes, yes, finally an album that I like. The version of "Morning Dew" is great. Rod Stewart's voice sounds a bit strange at times. "Shapes Of Things" I have to admit that I'm not a big Rod Stewart fan. Overall, I give the album a solid, or even a better 3.
So I'll admit that, for a long time, I confused Jeff Beck with Beck. I think that's fair when you have no context for either artist. Obviously they were at their peak popularity in different eras and it's silly to get them mixed up once you know that, but that was me for the longest time. Moving on. This was heavy, man! Bluesy and heavy. Jeff Beck really lays it on thick. He's a guitar god, obviously. Anybody who was in the Yardbirds at that time would've been (Paige and Clapton say hello). But man this is was amazing. Such attitude, such delivery of said attitude. Yeah, they aren't all originals. And yeah there's some interesting choices here ("Greensleeves," for one. Don't get me wrong - it's beautiful and I'm glad it's here. Just kind of a weird choice.), but man when this hits, it HITS. Just some nice, heavy blues rock that's good for the soul. I'll take it any day. Five stars. Standout Tracks: Shapes of Things, Let Me Love You, You Shook Me, Ol' Man River, Rock My Plimsoul, Blues Deluxe
Like the bluesy influence. Recognize a couple songs from other bands covering. Overall a good album. 3/5 Might listen again
4.5/10
I'm not a blues fan, but I was happy that this album was mostly a classic rock album with only a couple true blues songs. Overall, it's still not something I love or would go back to, but I definitely appreciate Beck's playing and songwriting. It doesn't just sound like a "guitar album," but it does have actual songs with well done vocal melodies and song structure.
He's kinda shredding on this one, and Rod's vocals are perfect for bluesy music like this.
Jeff Beck! Woo!
not bad just not my taste. Probably won't revisit any of the songs besides blues deluxe, hi ho silver or rock my plimsoul.
Not very good. Plus I never could warm up to Mr. Hot Legs.
I've never heard this album before. Another 60s album with bad blues. Ugh. This album meant a lot to a lot of people. But looking at it now there isn't much about it I can recommend. - The rhythm section is inconsistent. As in, they can't keep a beat to save their lives. - Rod Stewart had yet to figure out how to best use his voice. On a few of these songs his inclusion is a negative. - The guitar playing is beautiful on some songs but pretty sloppy on others. - The production values are as bad as anything I've heard in a long time. It makes this album unlistenable on headphones. Barely giving it 2 stars.
I liked hearing this album even if I wasn't a huge fan: Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood.
It was fine to listen to. Interesting that it featured Rod Stewart. I bet it would have been great to hear this live. Overall it made me appreciate Led Zeppelin even more (yes, another Led Zeppelin comparison).
Excellent guitar work, and nice blues. This really wants to be a Led Zeppelin album, but blues doesn't seem to be Rod Stewart's natural element the same way that it is for Robert Plant. I think Rod Stewart's later work better represents his strengths. Jeff's humility and constant collaborations are notable, considering his raw skill.
Had not listened to this before...enjoyed it. A lot of similarities to early Led Zeppelin...which makes sense since both Beck and Jimmy Page were in The Yardbirds together.
All time favorite album. The album just has a feel of being truly an entire album, not just a collection of songs.
Enjoyed this one. I’ve never been exposed much to Jeff Beck, but I appreciate his guitar virtuosity.
rod can be a real cornball man…
This whole album feels like I’m a little tipsy at a blues club… Let Me Love You is a groove. Ohhhh okay, I know his voice. “He don’t plant taters.” :) I Ain’t Superstitious is fun.
I liked this. A little rock. A little blues. A ballad or two. The variety of the album kept this from getting stale at any point. But I couldn’t get past how he sounds like Rod Stewart.
Only the first 6 seconds of the album i liked.
Have to admire the guitar skills and I didn’t hate it but it just all conjured quite a sleazy image. Also, Greensleeves.
Do we need each mediocre solo project from every 60s/70s western blues rock band?
Jeff Beck is a legend with a very distinct guitar style. But this album didn’t do much for me. I have enjoyed other stuff of his more.
Nothing to dislike but nothing I could really get excited about.
Bloody blues brings back bloody bad broken backs Blimey Beck
Good Guitar, Rod Stewart singing and yet pretty bland overall. It gets a solid Meh
Just fine. I had never listened to Jeff Beck intentionally prior to this, and now that I have, I may not do it again. Almost the entire album was forgettable. Jeff Beck isn't really anything special as a singer, or at least, I've heard others do it better. I struggled to care.
Less than the sum of its parts given the talent involved. Slow and plodding and recorded badly to my inexpert ears.
Its aight.
It was fine. Not my style, and I see the value in it. Felt like a bad Jimi Hendrix
Lyrics: 1/5 Music: 3/5 Production: 3/5 Cohesiveness: 2/5 Overall: 2/5 Stand out songs: Shapes of things
I was wondering how I never knew that Jeff Beck sounded so much like Rod Stewart… Anyway, another blues heavy album by a bunch of English white dudes in the late 60s. Nothing remotely interesting here unless you’re really impressed by blues after the invention of a wah pedal.
With exception of the cover of "Greensleeves", I found the rest of this album to be a fairly boring blues album. Performances are competent but the choice of covering so many standards feels less than inspired. Yes, Jeff Beck's playing is crisp and technical, but this type of blues rock is very tiresome for the 2020s.
Jeff Beck being Jeff Beck. White guy playing black music. Not bad, but not my cuppa.
Pretty fun album. Incredible list of personnel who helped record this album.
What a star studded album!
Oh at first I thought this was Jeff Buckley. Then I saw the year, 1968 def not him. I liked the blues sounds for sure! 3 stars.
还行
Day 73- No idea when this was generated Mid. 3/5
A pretty strong start, with 3 great tracks that set the stage with forward riffs and heavy drums. Then comes the string of covers. "Morning Dew" and "You Shook Me" works well, but "Old man river" and "Greensleeves" just sound incredibly tired and dated. My spotify version of this album didn't have "Beck's Bolero" or "Blues Deluxe", and honestly I didn't care enough to hunt them down on other services.
I was going to moan about this album being too long before I realised that the last 5 tracks were CD bonus tracks not part of the original work. Musically, it's all pretty samey, which is why the length annoyed me. It also felt rather fret wanky and, frankly, a bit dull.
Shape of Things and Morning Dew are incredible but the rest of the album feels like just laying the groundwork for what Led Zep was able to do in a more expansive and interesting way.
I enjoyed the more blues-rock-y songs
Pretty damn good. I like Rod Stewart as a rocker.
Not my thing blues based rock is so fucking boring Rating: 2.2
Muito bom! Tenho q ouvir mais Jeff Beck
Solid guitar album. Beck's playing is fantastic. It's strange hearing Rod Stewart's voice yet he's not the featured artist. The instrumentals are the strongest tracks here. I do like Beck's version of You Shook Me more than Zeppelin's version. One complaint, this isn't metal yet the generator thinks it is. Trust me, it's not metal. Oh well.
I much prefer the instrumental tracks.
I was listening and thought “Jesus this guy sounds like rod stewart” and now I’m seeing it was actually rod stewart. Ugh. Jeff Beck is clearly talented but not a single song stood out to me and I can say for certain I won’t return to this one again.
I've never heard of him tbh. Apparently it's metal and hard rock and maybe rock and roll too. I'll probably like it, though not all songs are available so I have to listen to the 2005 remaster, I hope it's an actually improved version rather ruined. I have no expectations about anything so I'll just dive in. The album cover itself caught my eye, I honestly thought it was a relatively new artist. First song, I kinda don't like his voice. Sonically it's basic. It's not bad, but I just listened to Doors and this is pain in the ass. Instrumental break didn't flop finee. I'm not vibing with this, it's dumbly chaotic. I can see the talent but I never actually enjoyed this. I've never been this extreme but his vocals are awful. Last part is kinda good with that headphone play. Second song, good start. This song is much better, just his voice is still not voicing. Such a beautiful instrumental break that took me away but ofc ruined by his voice god damn. Headphones play was quite nice. The guitar on the right really scratched my brain. Basically there should only be instruments here or a different voice. Third song, appealing start, with the instruments, but instantly ruined by his vocals like it's extremely irritating atp. Why is he screaming at every possible chance and doing that thing with his throat idek. I am waiting for the part when he's not singing otherwise I'm not gonna talk, is just painful ugh. I have no reason to actually vibe with or like this song because vocals. The end is the best part, how ironical. 4th song, idk what to say and this is quite rare. The sameness of the songs is sooo badd. Idk man I am just deeply unimpressed. It's the same old rock shit that I don't fw, even though I love rock, and as I said I just listened to The Doors and they were on a different level. 5th song, relatively better song, the drums and the dramaticness is actually good, but that's probably it. Otherwise it's too slow and not listening to the lyrics I lost that perspective too. This is by far the most interesting and different from the basic ass fucking rock and roll. There were many paused at the start and at the almost end. He still started singing in the worst way, what a man ughh. 6th song, liked this one tbh. It has a little nostalgic vibe that caught my ears, plus there's no voice of HIM. I really don't wanna listen to the Bside too like leave me alone. I have no mood for writing so ehh. 7th song, just shut up maaan you ain't good at this for me. Ik how this can sound good, and I honestly prefer metal screaming than this scratchy whiny ass voice I cannot. So much time for sonical parts that are not even that good, they must be hard to do, but still. I took out my right headphone and the song is suddenly much better, his voice is far far away like an echo. Ew FUCKING SHIT AM I MAD OR I JUST CAN'T KEEP THE IDEA OFF THAT HIS VOICE FUCKING SUCKS. same happens with The Rush main singer. 8th song, what an instrumental start, I hope he won't appear. Jeff, don't ruin this sonical masterpiece. He screamed like a little pig ugh, fitted the vibe plus the song got progressive. This was more nice at the start, but it's fine atp. 9th song, 7 minutes of this man's voice is torture. I am a viCtim of Jeff and... he started singing and took my trace of thought. It's live? I really wanna skip half of this. I'm doing it. He can fuck off with his Blues. I've never hated a man just because of his voice and maybe I just am obsessed with the idea rather than actually hating it, but no, I stand by it. 10th song, much more upbeat song, but that's it. I love rock and I have no idea what he thought he was doing with adding his voice to this instrumental greatness. There are so many good sonical parts, but it's cruelly balanced with his agitating voice JUST STFU. oh he did. He better not appear anymore, I wanna add these songs so badly but without his voice is that so hard. I love Björk and I have problem with this? This was torture, a pure one. Not gonna listen to more even though there are more on 2005 remaster. I'm gonna be straightforward, if I could rate only the sonical part it's be at least 4, but I'm gonna go with 3 now. I would rate it 1 because I'm just that much of a hater of his voice, but to be objective and low-key forget Jeff's voice exists 3 seems like a normal rate since it is still a part of most songs so. I've never wanted to talk this less and even skip some songs, but ofc there were times when both sonical and lyrical parts were extremely bad, at least for me.
Incredible guitar, which is a given, and Rod Stewart's vocals work so well for the more bluesy tracks. Beck's Bolero is a major highlight.
I was thrown off by Rod Stewart on vocals, but the guitar work is definitely great, and made the album worth while to listen to. The songs are decent, but it’s not a total standout, so I’d say it’s a solid 3/5.
Pretty good.
Some solid Rock and Roll - Greensleeves got me pumped for the holidays.
Alright. Didn't realize Rod Stewart sang for him at the start
Dit klinkt op zich prima, maar wel heel veel gitaar-gepriegel.
3.5 - Some nice guitar
3/5
- Nices Projekt. - Ziemlich packed mit fetten Musikern: Rod Stewart am Gesang, Ronnie Wood am Bass, Jeff Beck selber natürlich an der Gutarre. Dazu Gastbeiträge von Leuten wie John Paul Jones, Keith Moon oder Jimmy Page - Blues Rock par excellence, kannst nicht meckern. - Sehr lässig fand ich den mega souligen „Morning Dew“ - Greensleeves natürlich im wahrsten Sinne ein Klassiker. War schön. - Blues Deluxe kannte ich in der Version von Joe Bonamassa, die ich nen Ticken geiler finde. Trotzdem geiler Blues Track. - Tallyman fandbich den geilsten Track. Hat krasse Beach Boys Vibes. Jeff Beck klingt einfach genau wie Mike Love und der mehrstimmige Backing Gesang und der Beat klingt einfach sehr Beachig. - Und dennoch fehlte mir insgesamt so ein bisschen der Moment, wo das Feuer ganz überspringt. Wie gesagt alles gut gemacht und gefühlvoll, konnte ich gut hören, aber trotzdem wollte sich das Gefühl nicht so 100%ig auf mich übertragen, um höher zu bewerten. Rating: 3,25-3,5/5
Sounds sort of like proto-Led Zeppelin, even sharing versions of Muddy Waters You Shook Me. The most interesting songs are the versions of Ole Man River, which doesn’t work at all as a Blues Rock song, and Greensleeves, which translates pretty well to late 60’s Folk. I think British Blues has been so thoroughly overshadowed by the legacies of Zeppelin, Sabbath and Deep Purple that this early work sounds kinda… quaint. Sean Egan said that the album showed ‘a lack of songwriting base’ which is definitely the main problem. That seems to be a large feature of Rod Stewart’s career in general, I can’t think of a popular song of his that he wrote himself
Good blues-based rock and some good blues cover plus Rod Stewart on vocals is a 7/10 for me.
3.5
Was für ein power-Album. Das ist sowas von abwechslungsreicher Rock, Bluesrock mir gigantischen Arrangements. Man weiß gar nicht, wann welches Instrument durch die Kopfhörer saust, man staunt einfach über die unglaublich kreative Hand der Macher, das aber so mitreißend ist, dass einem die Sprache ausbleibt vor Staunen. Für mich war das so erfrischend, dass es ab jetzt zu einen meiner besten Alben gehört.
Incredible instrumentals.
Proper blues ! Classic, nothing fancy but ideal while working or doing something else at the same time !
I'm not usually a very big fan of blues-rock that features histrionic elctric guitar solos, but I'm finding that this album is more than that. Jeff Beck is undeniably a guitar genius and his talent on the elctric guitar is undeniable. But the guitar virtuosity on display seems to be in service to the song and does not overshadow the other aspects of the arrangements. One exception is the song. One exception to this can be found in the song Let Me Love You, but the rest of the album is thankfully more understated, subtle and tune oriented. Morning Dew has a beautiful melody and a driving rhythm section, even You Shook Me, normally a showcase for guitar over indulgence is more subtle than I'm used to and in this case puts the piano and synthesizers at the forefront as well as Rod Stewarts beautiful vocal perfomance. Other standards like Ol' Man River and Greensleeves are given the reverence they deserve. A very enjoyable album. 4 stars
Good solid enjoyable bluesy rock and roll. Beck's Bolero shows it could have been great as a different, instrumental (or mostly instrumental) album. I do feel it deserves a place on this list, though not really in my personal rotation.
Jeff Beck's first solo album after the Yardbird years. This album has a lot of covers, a backing band with Rod Stewart singing before he was famous and many brilliant musicians from the era, including John Paul Jones, Ronnie Wood, Nicky Hopkins or Keith Moon. This sounds a bit like a proto-Led Zeppelin album to no surprise. 'Beck's Bolero's is one of the best rock instrumentals ever. I enjoyed it a lot. 4.5/5.
the best part about this album is reading all the reviews on here saying the singer reminds them of rod stewart
Hard rock blues pivot for Beck that rings your ears well enough.
These vocals ruin it. When Rod shuts up I enjoy it more, like Greensleeves. Whilst it's definitely not the worst thing I've ever listened to, it's boring, not really any stand out tracks. The riffs are decent and the drums are good, but it evokes nothing in me. Combined with the god awful singing makes this a long one to listen to.
There's some good blues and rock on here with superb guitar work, but a rather odd choice of material with Bolero, Ole Man River, Greensleeves.....it also feels oddly like a solo album - Rod Stewart is in the band, but doesn't seem very present.
First time listen - really good! I never listened to his solo stuff until the 80's release, and he is a talent. A lot of covers, which he rocks. Never heard \"Old Man River\" with such power (even if you are not familiar with the song from the 1920s)/ Even his over of Led Zeppelins' You Shook Me (I know ... that version is cover as well) ... wait - actually, they may have covered Beck on that one.... Hmmm
Tired old format
Truth Had no idea what to expect from this, and had no idea Rod was the vocalist when his voice kicked in on Shapes of Things. Rod’s voice is great on that track, not just the rasp but the tenderness and delicateness he peppers in, particularly in the falsetto parts. The guitar tone is pretty interesting on it too, it sounds much more 70s/80s than late 60s. I can see why a lot of the 80s rock and metal bands idolise Beck, based on this track alone. Let Me Love You is not great in comparison to Shapes of Things, a plodding, pedestrian, uninspired and rather woeful slice of late 60s blues rock. Morning Dew is more interesting, it’s folk origin giving it a different slant, and with the wah wah, droning Indian influences and that nice galloping bassline it adds up to a little bit of a gem, pointing to where Rod and Ronnie would head with the Faces and Rod’s early country and folk flecked solo albums. Why did every blues band in the UK in the 60s and 70s cover You Shook Me? I know it’s cast in iron as a cornerstone of the blues, but I’ve never quite understood why everyone just kept doing it, despite everyone else doing it. This is a particularly bad version, Beck's guitar is egregiously showy and the whole thing just feels like a pointless addition to the wheelie bin full of covers of this song. Ol’ Man River is a bit of a curio, the orchestral timpani and kettle drum al teals give it a different flavour, and I get that they were going for a big echoey feel, but it feels a bit half baked (if you can bake an echo?). Nice vocal though, the style of this does suit Rod well. Greensleeves is actually very pleasant, but you can understand why Beck was such a big influence for the character of Nigel Tufnell just from this. Rock my Plimsoul returns to the staid and lumpen blues rock well, and pulls up another bucket of plod. Beck’s Bolero at least tries for something different with it’s rhythmic foundation, but is largely unexciting. While he is obviously a very good guitarist, and despite the technical proficiency I find his playing particularly unmoving, lacking a visceral sense of excitement I get from other guitarists in this period. Blues Deluxe disappears into the morass of blues rock, despite listening to it 3 times today I don’t think I’d recognise it if I heard it on the radio again. Finally a more dynamic and enjoyable heavy blues track shakes off the treacle and emerges in, I Ain’t Superstitious. Nice rhythmic propulsion, good licks and a nice vocal make this one good. Shapes of Things and Morning Dew gave me hope this might be a charming if uneven ragtag bag of late 60s blue rock, but unfortunately the moments that do work, like the above, are undermined somewhat by most of the remaining songs, rather dull exercises in showcasing Beck’s cold virtuosity and him and Rod’s ability to cover/nick/rip off blues classics. Not even Rod’s voice, which is approaching his peak, can make up for the lead booted nature of most of the songs. I guess it was influential on the nascent Cream and Led Zep (I know Page et al feature on here), but they produced more interesting versions of this type of thing. Kind of stuck between 2 and 3 with this, it has its moments, Rod’s voice is strong throughout, but I’m unlikely to really come back to it. Hmm, I’ll go against type and settle on the lower score. 🎸🎸 Playlist submission: Morning Dew
An OK album. I disliked the mastering, but the tunes were decent. 'I Ain't Superstitious' was my fave on this. I liked both instrumentals too.
I have never gotten in to Jeff Beck, but this shit went hard.
Proto Zeppelin John Paul Jones playing organ on You Shook Me Jimmy Page and JPJ playing with Keith Moon on Beck's Bolero And Robert Plant is clearly cut from the same cloth as Rod Stewart Excellent early hard rock from the virtuoso himself
Looks like Jimmy shook Jeff the way he stole his song all night long
Enjoyed that.
I first started listening to Jeff Beck late 70s early 80s when he was doing his jazz fusion stuff, Blow by Blow etc. Only just recently have I listened to his earlier stuff and it’s absolutely fab! Great use of Rod Stewart’s vocals too.
It sounds like classic rock, walks like classic rock, and smells like classic rock. I can bet everyone knows what it is.
Really big stinker, Jeff!!!! Not a one star cause it does seem like it led the way to better things like led zeppelin
meh
it was nice, but kinda boring.
Now that I'm learning some of the history with these bands (Yardbirds, Cream, Faces), I can appreciate why it might sound like a plug-and-play. If you subbed in Clapton here, I know exactly what that sound would be. I don't think that I realized that Rod Stewart had these type of credentials though. My favorite parts will probably all bass.
Sure! Okay!
rocker
This was great and glad I found this album. Really something nice to put on and have play.
Solid performances, especially Beck’s guitar work. Songs were mostly blues standards covered, and green sleeves randomly? It was solid, would give a 3.5
Good album
blues rock from the UK. got a song or two that's good.
I know Rod Stewart was involved in this album, because it sounds like the dirty rock of the Faces sound at the time, not a bad thing, but at the same time pretty derivative.
I’d never heard this before and I never realized that it was the Jeff Beck band. Rod Stewart was the lead singer at this time. I ended up listening to more Jeff Beck after the album ended and actually enjoyed it more. I did enjoy the the album though.
Not bad but nothing special. Musically it is good, but not enough to excite me.
3/5 I liked it. Good blues.
Idk, maybe it was cool for its time, but it was pretty boring to me. Felt like it suffered the same thing as the Dead do for me. It's fairly devoid of catchy melodies. Nothing very ear catching. But, eh, it's not Bjork so it can't be a one. Maybe like a 2.5
perfect
Perfection
Gear: Fostex TH610 Artwork: 🫀🩹🥀 Mix: 🔪👂🩸 Musik: 🎸💙🛞 Wertung: 🩹🩹(🩹)/5
Very nice!
Nice voice, not super memorable but I liked it
I was really feeling this album. It was overall really solid and I’ve never really listened to Jeff Beck. I dig his style and sound for sure.
Ok. I’m not sure if it’s just the last few albums or what but I felt like they’ve all blended together in the 2-3 range. I appreciate the length, but I felt the album wasn’t anything special.
I honestly had no idea that Rod Stewart got his start with Jeff Beck, so I was surprised to hear his voice throughout this album. The second half is so much stronger than the first. The blues tracks are what takes this album from a two to a three.
Is this a Jeff Beck or a Rod Stewart album? I've always been a fan of Stewart's voice, so this is like discovering brand new songs of his. Becks guitar is great, but I probably won't be coming back to this.
Not bad. Kinda interesting at times. 3/5
Album was fine.
dude was way too horny but slay
great guitar and good voice
Where has this been all my life? Why has Jeff Beck been just a name? It came out before I was born, contains covers of at least three songs I love, feels new and familiar at the same time because of the Rod Stewart vocals, the guitar is sensational, and has a Sixties/blues/verging on metal sound that ticks so many boxes.
I truly enjoyed this album. Great guitar and you can't beat Jeff's voice!
This sucks. I don’t care about his skills and Rod Stewart did better things. Nothing about this excited me.
It's always a nice surprise when you find a great album, which you were not aware of before. And that is what happened to me here. A bit sceptic at first, I started listening, thinking this is probably one of so many average albums on the market. But no, this was totally different. Great songs, great playing. Of course everything very 70s. But if one like the 70s rock music, I think one will also love this album.
The guitar is good but there's only so much Rod Stewart I can take in one sitting. As I said in other instances with Rod - if we were in a dark, smoky bar this would be great. At home in my pajamas not so much. 2/5
Was surprised to hear Rod Stewart start singing on this. Early Rod Stewart isn’t bad. As for Jeff Beck, I like him better than Clapton, but this album drags, especially the more traditional blues songs.
Pretty good. Yet again nothing very special though. Nice to have in the background because of the instruments and nice singing.
First time hearing Jeff Beck and such a unique voice Rod Stewart has. Great guitar riffs.
Well, I at least liked Greensleeves
One of the greatest guitarists to ever grace this planet and an incredible album from him!
I'm already familiar with Jeff Beck as a legendary guitarist, and this album marks his solo debut after exiting the Yardbirds. It's a solid album with a mix of original songs and covers. Jeff's guitar playing is the big highlight followed by Rod Stewart's showmanship on the mic. Ronnie Wood on bass and Micky Waller on drums provide a meaningful rhythm section. There's some fine playing here with the likes of the cover of "Shapes of Things" from Jeff's prior group, the cover of "Greensleeves" and "Beck's Bolero". The only songs that felt odd were the cover of "Ol' Man River" with the crackling stereo panning in the mix, and "Blues De Luxe" where audience reactions were overdubbed - a choice Jeff later regretted. Overall, it's a solid album from a respectable guitarist early in his career, with just enough flourish to work a bit past an average debut album from the 1960s. It's worth a listen.
Today i had the much more interesting truth by Jeff beck, bluesy cool vibes I enjoyed this alot, the random greensleves is a bit random, but yeah really enjoyed this so think it's getting a 5
I like Jeff Beck as a guitarist (particularly with the Yardbirds), less so as a singer. You can hear where Rod Stewart really evolved into his sound over time in his later solo work; some of this seems uneven to me, especially Shapes of Things. No massive stand out hits but the overall sound is great classic rock without the cheesiness or overplayed aspect of some of the other bands of the time. Loved some sneaky Led Zeppelin vibes in Beck’s Bolero! 3 ⭐️
I should listen to more Beck.
Beck's a baller but I never really liked Rod Stewart's singing voice, and that's Truth.
I always enjoy listening to Jeff Beck, and even have the classic "Blow by Blow" as well a couple of his later albums, so this was nice to get a different side of Jeff Beck. I'm not sure if all of his later work were solely instrumentals, but the three albums I own are definitely in that vein, so it was a bit of a surprise to get very lyrics-based songs/tracks on this album (and even more surprising to hear Rod Stewart belting them out). This is definitely a lot less funky and experimental than what I was expecting (and not nearly as interesting as "Blow by Blow"), but it's still an enjoyable set of tracks, with a few great moments of guitar-licks and overall a great relaxed vibe (and "Ol' man river" is truly inspired). I'm not sure this really ranks as a great Jeff Beck album, but it's probably Rod Stewart's finest moment. :) And while I would give the book's editors negative-100 stars for making this the only Jeff Beck album in this collection, I'm not going to take this out on poor Jeffrey Rod.
very much enjoyed this--first time listen. Rod Stewart sounds better than he ever has in his solo career. Not a great album, but a fun escape into late 1960s bluesy guitar.
If you've ever passed by a rundown bar with a wood paneling, full of small-town locals that exclusively drink Miller of Blue Moon, you've heard this exact type of bland music playing through those speakers, connected to a 50 year old jukebox that inexplicably is still kicking.
Solid 60's British Blues I guess. Interesting to hear the Led Zep antecedents, but can't see that I would need to go back to it.
Good album!
Nice album
Sure I guess
Pretty standard blues rock for the most part. Didn’t love or hate anything, but I liked the Greensleeves cover.
Really enjoyed this, although it lasted a bit too long.
On a positive note the guitar was very good. However on most of the songs it felt like there was somthing missing. Also it gave me Rod Stewart vibes
It was alright, didn’t hate anything or love anything massively. Wouldn’t turn off but wouldn’t choose to put on. It gave me Faces vibes
This is a good Blues rock album with Rod Stewart on vocals.
Quality late 60s blues rock. As with many blues albums, the songwriting isn't incredibly diverse in structure, but I still enjoy the sweet sounds of electric blues. I like this more than the solo work I've heard from Rod Stewart
Blues rock from the late sixties. This should be my kind of music. Beck has always been hailed as a guitarists guitarist. So many of my favourites list him as a major influence. And Ron Wood and Rob Stewart before Rod really found hoarse. But I hate it. I don't know if Beck is technically great, or innovative or what. But whatever his technical brilliance or innovations I wish he hadn't. They don't add anything for me. A grudging 2 as there are a couple of OK tracks.
The vocal is horrendous. No thank you.
Decent guitar driven rock, no doubt it was heavy and loud at the time, but didn't get the blood rushing for me.
Good. Best - Morning Dew, Beck's Bolero, and I Ain't Superstitious Worst - No bad songs 3.00-3.25/5
8.5/10
Blues gjort til rock, solid guitar, men ikke så fængende
Better than expected, but nothing I'd listen to again.
I just couldn't get into this one!
I know JB, but didn't know this album. Rod Stewart's unmistakable voice opens things up on the classic rock track "Shapes Of Things" and continues into the Hendrix-esque "Let Me Love You". Setting the table nicely with this punch, counterpunch intro to Truth. Rod could sing the phonebook and make it sound good so props to JB for adding him without front cover acknowledgement. Remake of "You Shook Me" can't touch Zep's but it's respectable. I did "Rock My Plimsoul" which I didn't know. "Greensleeves" and "Beck's Bolero" are instrumental classics and show his guitar prowess. Amazing piano on "Blues Deluxe"! Wrapped it up nicely with "I Ain't Superstitious". Solid album top to bottom.
On paper I should love this. But it leaves me cold and I think it’s Rod’s voice mainly. There is something pedestrian and lacking here that failed to capture my attention
Enjoyed this one! Shame it was just a bit too long. Good stuff though 4 ⭐️
Really skillful guitarist.
Really dreaded listening to this when I saw it pop up. Just that standard guitar based bluesy fare from the 60s that I find so boring and uninteresting. I'll say that this seems like it's on the better end of that kind of music. It's a bit far out and reaching. But still not doing much for me.
Sometimes you just need to jerk off. You don't have to do it with a guitar in your hand. Yes, a lot of these guys became rock legends. But this is just boring for me. The late 60s English rock guys who just did blues covers is so played out. The originals got good but Americans did this part better.
No thoughts boss. It's good rock music.
A style I would best describe as "discount Led Zeppelin". It has essentially all the blues elements (and one of the songs) of LZ's debut album, but with less of the punchiness, musicianship, or raw energy that shot LZ1 into the musical stratosphere. But then, this did come out one year earlier, so I guess it's technically one year more impressive. Apparently this was a proto-metal cornerstone that inspired the heavy metal of the 70s and 80s, and I definitely see it. Pretty cool. The mixing splits the instruments almost too harshly, giving an odd impression of standing right in front of the band and facing away from them into the audience. (And once you notice it, it's hard to ignore.) Despite this, you can clearly hear the robust, punchy rhythm sections (particularly the bass, which is pretty great), along with Beck's loud and bluesy guitar. I have some qualms with the vocals, which are probably good for their time, but in a broader blues context, incredibly generic. The vocal mannerisms ("oh baby, you shake me, gimme all your lovin' baby...") are ridiculously overdone and it would take a little bit more than that to wow me into giving a 4- or 5-star rating. 3/5 Key tracks: You Shook Me, I Ain't Superstitious, Blues Deluxe
“Beck’s Bolero” is by far the greatest instrumental rock song I know of. Recorded in 1966 with Keith Moon of The Who, Nicky Hopkins of The Rolling Stones (starting in 1967), and Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones who would go on to form Led Zeppelin, it’s probably the greatest group of musicians on a single track that isn’t some kind of charity thing like Band Aid or We Are the World. There’s some disagreement about who wrote the song between Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck, with Page generally receiving writing credit despite the song being called “Beck’s Bolero” and released as a Jeff Beck song. I’m inclined to believe that Page is really the author. The reason for that is because almost everything else that Jeff Beck has written has been garbage. Most of this album consists of covers of blues standards or re-recordings of songs from when Beck was in the Yardbirds. A handful of songs were co-written by Beck and Rod Stewart and they’re terrible. In fact, Rod Stewart is really bad on the whole album. Not that I like his music much to begin with, but his delivery is particularly insufferable here. Jeff Beck is an extremely talented guitarist and it’s a good thing this album is credited to him, and that there are a handful of instrumentals here. Because otherwise if Rod Stewart was leading, the album would probably be total garbage. So yeah, I could go on and on about how “Beck’s Bolero” is one of my favorite songs of all time, but the rest of the album is okay or bad.
Sound album bit nothing stuck with me other than the bonus track ‘I’ve Been Drinking’ which is a song saved to the old playlist. Warrants another listen to be fair
I really enjoyed this listen. I was not familiar with this early collaboration of these two and I was surprised at the depth of blues vocals that Rod the Mod could go to. The Beck guitar stylings speak for themselves as he is great talent.
How can you not dig this? I mean, blues ain’t my go-to bag…but with ‘ol Rod providing vocals it simply elevates it into a much higher realm. Beck has always been an under appreciated guitarist too. His licks are tasty and he knows how to serve the song. Rock n’ roll doesn’t have to be complicated when you have the firepower of these players.
I’m down with early Rod vox and I brake for guitar gods. Really enjoyable listen, and frankly an album I wasn’t aware of
Man, Jeff Beck is great. I haven’t gone deep enough into his catalog but need to. His playing style was one of a kind too…I don’t think he used a pick (although that was maybe later in his career) and a lot of work on the whammy bar for vibrato. He just got more feels out of the guitar. And rod stewart has such a great rock voice.
Tasty licks? I'm in. Rodney Stew doing Rodney Stew things? Sure, why not. 3.5/5
Favourite tracks: Greensleeves; I ain't superstitious; rock my plimsolls
First time listening to this artist. I can say enjoy the distortion effects and piano playing compliment each other real nice
For being released in 1968, you can’t deny that “Truth” is a groundbreaking album that played a significant role in the development of hard rock and heavy metal. This blues rock album has a very unpolished, raw, and hard rock feel to it. Unfortunately, Rod Stewart’s voice was a real stumbling block for me. I just didn’t like the sound of his voice or his vocal style at all. Other than that, the musical elements were pretty impressive, which is why I thought the instrumental tracks were the best and most enjoyable.
Hey, it turns out I love a lot of 60s blues rock. Whoever could have guessed? This is great. Thoroughly enjoyed listening to it, and even happier to realise that Jeff Beck is not Jeff Buckley!
I have wasted my entire life underappreciating Jeff Beck. This is not just excellent out of context, but considering when it's from, it's brilliant. It sounds like a guide post for what Zeppelin would become, and Beck is amazing the whole way through. Rod Stewart is excellent here in his very early days, too. This would be a 5 star for me except for the weirdly placed "Greensleeves" that is well done but belongs on a different album.
Shapes of Things 3.1 Let Me Love You 3.2 Morning Dew 3.2 You Shook Me 3.3 Ol' Man River 3.5 Greensleeves 3.1 Rock My Plimsoul 3.2 Beck's Bolero 3.6 Blues De Luxe 3.4 I Ain't Superstitious 3.5 Score: 3.31
I like the jeff beck part but not the rod stewart part :D Favorite track: Blues Deluxe other picks: Let me love you, Greensleeves, Beck's bolero
I had always seen Jeff Beck mentioned in the great guitarist conversations but never really spent any time listening to him. Not much I like more than a bluesy guitar and Beck certainly delivers that here. Feels like Led Zeppelin 0 and that’s definitely a compliment.
3.5 Does the Clash's clampdown rip off Shapes of things? Found the stereo mix a bit distracting on the headphones. I think Rod fits in pretty good here, compared as to the Faces ( I prefer non-Rod Faces) and Jeff beck rips,
Okay, this album was just gonna get this response: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ That is, until I heard the last track, which immediately gives this album a minimum of 3/5 just for being on Martin Scorsese's Casino Soundtrack.
Just an average blues album for me
Not for me. Whether it's the blatant cultural appropriation, covers of freaking Greensleeves, or just Rod Stewart's voice, or a combination of all three, I'm not sure. Not particularly impressed by Jeff Beck's guitar stylings either. On the plus side...naaaaa. One star.
Voice reminds me of Bowie. Another one in the "like but didn't love" column.
Sure. Why not. I've heard the name Jeff Beck before. I was pretty hopeful for this album, but then I found out something that worried me. Jeff Beck didn't do the vocals on this album... Rod Stewart did. I didn't really like his album Gasoline Alley that much when I listened to it back in December, and his voice was a reason for that. However, I feel like his voice is better here. Sure, I still can't get the feeling that he sounds like Chris Rock out of my head, but the vocals on this album feel bluesier than on Gasoline Alley, and I kind of like that. Who knew that 2 years would make your voice more annoying. The writing is also just kind of fine. It's a bit repetitive, but I wouldn't say the writing's bad. Where this album really shines however is in the instrumental work, which is great. Jeff Beck's guitar work is quite good. Dare I say, it's great. The other instruments like the pianos, bass, and drums add to the sound in positive ways as well. Overall, this is a solid album, but not one that I'm super passionate about. High 3/5.
Huonolle albumille joka ei ärsytä annetaan kahta töhteä eikä yksi, koska tällä listalla riittää päätä runnocaa musiikkia, sekä erilaisia vihantunteita joita itsestäön tiennytkään ennen projektin aloittamista.. siksi tämä mitätön albumi jodta en edes raaskinut spotifystä löytymättömiö biisejö kuunnalsta läpi saa kahden verrsn... objektia? Ehkä high grain-subjektia, kaiken maailman ratovaa nilseää ja sikisevää arviota rukeltava, kynänkärttä terottamatta, huvin lutveen peittämänä, elämässä elämättä, musiikkia päähän kuolematta, Ikusisesti niinkuin se valleuksen perpsektiiviin sovelttuna koettavana, vaelluksen päättyminenhän ei itse vaellusperspektiiviin kuuluva, ja siksi sitä tuskaa muuttana, vaan kestävä ja virtova on voima joka päätä hangattava...
A rock band in the era of psychedelics. They didn’t let the psychedelic scene dictate their music, they let it influence them and played an album true to themselves. This is just cool as fuck rock n roll, no fakeness.
Thoughts before listening: Jeff Beck is a great guitarist. I know a lot of his solo work is instrumental, so perhaps this is as well? I believe Rod Stewart was in his band for a while though, so perhaps this has him on it. Either way, I'm interested that this is on the list and look forward to listening. Review: This is a mostly vocal album with Rod Stewart leading the way, but as is indicated by the album being listed under Jeff Beck's name, its definitely still a guitar album. There are a couple instrumentals on here, but Rod sings on most of the tracks. I don't believe I had heard this album before although a couple songs are familiar to me i.e. \"Beck's Bolero\". This is very good though with the cover of \"Morning Dew\", \"Ol Man River\", \"Blues Deluxe\", and \"I Aint Superstitious\" being favorites. 4-stars
This album was a vital stepping stone for blues rock/Led Zeppelin type stuff. However, it seemed to have slipped under the cracks a tad and isn’t recognized the way Zeppelin is. I understand why. While I can appreciate and recognize the importance of an album like this, I don’t particularly love it. There are certainly tracks here that I thought were great, but when it comes down to it, most of the album consists of covers. Some of those are good, some aren’t that interesting. When I listen to an album with primarily covers, the music has to be interesting enough to make me truly feel like it’s THAT artist’s work. I don’t know how much I feel that with the songs on “Truth,” but what I can say is that Jeff’s performance on here was undeniably important for the progression of blues rock into the ‘70s, as well as for how it laid the groundwork for how is career would shape out in the next few decades.
Might have been groundbreaking in 1968, but I could walk into any bar in any town and hear a band that sounds exactly like this.
The links this site has to Spotify are weird. The full record is up on Spotify if you just search, but the current link misses ten minutes of it. Anyway for the most part this passed me by. Probably because of Rod Stewart but this feels very mid 70s. Which I guess as it came out in 68 makes it ahead of its time? 56 years later it doesn't feel essential anymore. Mainly feels like a Led Zep album without any standout tunes. This might have come first but it's definitely not better.
not slay 2/5
I love finding out about the rock-n-roll ouroboros of the 60s British Blues Boom. I had no clue that Sir Rod and Sir Ronnie were part of the backing band of Jeff Beck’s “solo” efforts. That said, I enjoyed the tracks that featured Jeff Beck more than the bluesy Rolling Stones-style efforts of the majority of the A side of the album.
Music? Yes, decent. Vocals? Nah, I can absolutely leave them.
A times I thought I was onto something really exciting as he and the band are clearly all fantastic and can really rock out. But then I also found bits of this just odd - lots of it is covers or sort-of covers, including his take on 'Greensleeves' among the blues standards, and it has a weird flow, to me. Doesn't feel like a coherent album. One or two highlights but will have to move on to the next.
My second favorite blues artist and he doesn't even strickly fall into the genre. Wears his influences on his sleeves and is better for it!
I found this terribly boring. 2 stars minus 1 because of Rod bloody Stewart.
I Beck this album was big
the inside scoop is that he named the album truth because verisimilitude was too hard to pronounce