I thought I could start sharing what I write to my friends at work about each of these albums on the list as we listen. This is what I wrote.
Sure this is a Jeff Beck album, but lets face it Rod Stewart owns this album. My first real exposure to Rod Stewart was as a kid during his "Do you Think I'm Sexy?" stage and to be honest I thought he was a bit of a joke. In my mind his image only got worse through the 80s. It wasn't until much later in the late 90's that I gained an appreciation for his earlier solo work and was exposed to albums like Jeff Beck's "Truth". Rob on this album is setting an even more solid template for hard back blues that would eventually lead to Led Zeppelin. Sure we had Cream, but I think the vocals of Cream were the weakest element. Here, you've got an amazing band, fantastic guitar work by Jeff Beck and then an absolute killer on vocals. Rod on "You Shook Me" is the highlight for me. I love every song on this record, but that track is on another level. And I think it directly points to the work Page and Plant are going to do on Led Zeppelin I and II. There is a call and response, give and take, back and forth between Rod and Beck that is great on so many of the tracks. :Rock My Plimsoul": has a great example of this.
I do also like the instrumental tracks. "Beck's Bolero" is basically a proto-Zeppelin track. It was written by Jimmy Page. Wikipedia says "The recording session brought together a group of musicians, including Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, John Paul Jones, and Nicky Hopkins, who later agreed that the line up was a first attempt at what became Led Zeppelin."
"Blues Deluxe" is another track that basically sounds like it could have been on either of the first two Zeppelin albums. I would say as a blues number and a blues vocal performance I'd put it up there against B.B. King or Albert King any day. I have to make a specific call out to the Nicky Hopkins piano solo on that track, which is tops. On the liner notes on the back of the album Jeff Beck about this sone writes "Thanks to Bert and Stan, we were able to to give you. perfect example of 'live' blues music that we sometimes give forth, and please let's won up about the piano solo." He is speaking truth there.
On "Ol' Man River" there are hints of Sam Cooke coming from Stewart's pipes. Sometimes his gravelly voice takes over, but there are moments where his voice gets a smooth soulful Sam Cooke things going on. And I say that not as a knock of course, but as extremely high praise. It is a great update to that song.
I've listened to this album quite a few times over the years and I enjoy it every time.
So those were my thoughts on "Truth" and this was something I saw today.
No comments:
Post a Comment