🔘 Truth – Album: Nov. 1968

Jeff Beck’s debut album arrived as a seismic statement in late‑1968, bridging blues rock, hard rock, and the earliest rumblings of heavy metal. Featuring Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood before their rise to stardom, the record established the Jeff Beck Group as one of the most powerful forces in British rock. Its mix of Yardbirds‑era reinterpretations, blues standards, and explosive originals positioned Beck as a defining guitarist of the era.

Released on 15 November 1968 by Columbia (SCX 6293), the album marked Beck’s first full‑length project after leaving the Yardbirds. Produced by Mickie Most, it showcased a heavier, more muscular sound than his earlier singles. The release generated strong critical praise and became a foundational influence on the development of hard rock and early metal.

Label: Columbia

Catalogue Number: SCX 6293

Format: LP (12") — Stereo (also issued in Mono: SX 6293)

Released: 15 November 1968 (UK)

🔘 Track List

UK LP — Columbia – SCX 6293 — 1968

Side A

• Shapes Of Things

• Let Me Love You

• Morning Dew

• You Shook Me

• Ol’ Man River

Side B

• Greensleeves

• Rock My Plimsoul

• Beck’s Bolero

• Blues Deluxe

• I Ain’t Superstitious

Writing Credits

• Jeff Beck — arrangements

• “Jeffrey Rod” (Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart) — selected adaptations

• Traditional / blues sources — as noted

Production Credits

• Produced by: Mickie Most

• Arranged by: Jeff Beck

• Recorded: 1968, EMI Studios

🔘 Key Highlights

• Released 15 November 1968

• Lead single(s): none (album‑driven release)

• Chart performance: US Billboard 200 peak #15

• Recorded at: EMI Studios

• Notable collaborators: Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Nicky Hopkins, John Paul Jones

• Era significance: one of the earliest heavy rock/metal blueprints

🔘 The Story

After leaving the Yardbirds in 1966, Jeff Beck released several singles under producer Mickie Most, balancing pop‑leaning A‑sides with blues‑driven B‑sides. For his debut album, Beck abandoned the pop direction entirely, embracing a raw, heavy blues‑rock sound that would influence generations of guitarists.

Recorded with the Jeff Beck Group — Rod Stewart on vocals, Ronnie Wood on bass, and Micky Waller on drums — Truth reimagined Yardbirds material (“Shapes of Things”), blues standards (“You Shook Me”), and traditional pieces (“Greensleeves”) with unprecedented power. Guest musicians included Nicky Hopkins, John Paul Jones, and Keith Moon (credited as “You Know Who”).

Upon release, the album was hailed as a breakthrough. Al Kooper called it a “classic,” comparing it to the Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton LP. Over time, Truth has been recognized as one of the earliest heavy metal prototypes, predating Led Zeppelin’s debut by several months.

🔘 Personnel

Jeff Beck Group

• Jeff Beck — electric guitar, acoustic guitar (“Greensleeves”), pedal steel (“Shapes of Things”), bass (“Ol’ Man River”), liner notes

• Rod Stewart — lead vocals

• Ronnie Wood — bass guitar

• Micky Waller — drums

Additional Personnel

• John Paul Jones — bass (“Beck’s Bolero”), Hammond organ (“Ol’ Man River”, “You Shook Me”), arrangements

• Nicky Hopkins — piano (“Morning Dew”, “You Shook Me”, “Beck’s Bolero”, “Blues Deluxe”)

• Keith Moon (“You Know Who”) — drums (“Beck’s Bolero”), timpani (“Ol’ Man River”)

Technical

• Mickie Most — producer

• Ken Scott — engineer

• Stephen Goldblatt — front cover photography

🔘 Variants (UK)

• LP — Columbia – SCX 6293 — UK — 1968 — Stereo

• LP — Columbia – SX 6293 — UK — 1968 — Mono

• LP — Columbia – SCX 6293 — UK — 1968 — Stereo Test Pressing

• Issued in laminated flipback sleeve

🔘 Sleeves

• Primary sleeve: black cover with abstract portrait artwork

• Back cover notes: tracklist, credits, monochrome Beck portrait

• Record label notes: blue/black Columbia labels (mono & stereo variants)

• Alternate sleeves: US Epic edition; Japanese red‑wax editions

🔘 Chart Performance

US — Billboard 200

Peak Position: 15

Total Weeks: [not specified]

First Chart Date: 1968

Canada — RPM Top Albums

Peak Position: 37

🔘 Context & Notes

• Album era: early heavy rock; pre‑Led Zeppelin blues‑rock explosion

• Singles: none directly from the album

• Production: Mickie Most

• Sleeve notes: Stephen Goldblatt photography

• Historical placement: widely cited as a proto‑metal landmark

• Reissues: numerous Columbia/Epic reissues and remasters

🔘 Related Material

• Beck‑Ola (1969)

• “Tallyman” / “Hi Ho Silver Lining” (1967 singles)

• Yardbirds recordings (pre‑Truth era)

🔘 Discography

Truth — 1968

Beck‑Ola — 1969

Rough and Ready — 1971

🔘 Mini‑Timeline

✦ 1966 — Jeff Beck leaves the Yardbirds

✦ 1967–68 — Singles and early sessions

✦ 15 Nov 1968 — Truth released in the UK

✦ 1969 — Beck‑Ola follows

🔘 Glam Flashback

Before the amps roared into the ’70s, Beck lit the fuse with a blues‑rock detonation that reshaped everything.

#ReleaseChronicle #JeffBeck #Truth #1968 #Columbia

🔘 Sources

Primary reference sources: Columbia, Discogs, Billboard, contemporary music‑press documentation, archival references.