Despite being the premiere of heavy metal,
Jeff Beck's
Truth has never quite carried its reputation the way the early albums by
Led Zeppelin did, or even
Cream's two most popular LPs, mostly as a result of the erratic nature of the guitarist's subsequent work. Time has muted some of its daring, radical nature, elements of which were appropriated by practically every metal band (and most arena rock bands) that followed.
Truth was almost as groundbreaking and influential a record as the first
Beatles,
Rolling Stones, or
Who albums. Its attributes weren't all new --
Cream and
Jimi Hendrix had been moving in similar directions -- but the combination was: the wailing, heart-stoppingly dramatic vocalizing by
Rod Stewart, the thunderous rhythm section of
Ron Wood's bass and Mickey Waller's drums, and
Beck's blistering lead guitar, which sounds like his amp is turned up to 13 and ready to short out.
Beck opens the proceedings in a strikingly bold manner, using his old
Yardbirds hit "Shapes of Things" as a jumping-off point, deliberately rebuilding the song from the ground up so it sounds closer to
Howlin' Wolf. There are lots of unexpected moments on this record: a bone-pounding version of
Willie Dixon's "You Shook Me"; a version of
Jerome Kern's "Ol' Man River" done as a slow electric blues; a brief plunge into folk territory with a solo acoustic guitar version of "Greensleeves" (which was intended as filler but audiences loved); the progressive blues of "Beck's Bolero"; the extended live "Blues Deluxe"; and "I Ain't Superstitious," a blazing reworking of another
Willie Dixon song. It was a triumph -- a number 15 album in America, astoundingly good for a band that had been utterly unknown in the U.S. just six months earlier -- and a very improbable success. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
