Truth...: Rod Stewart, Ron Wood and The Jeff Beck Group Paperback – January 1, 2006

To the best of my knowledge, and I've lived through this period of British rock, there is not much known about the inner workings of the first Jeff Beck Group. Mr Thompson does a very decent job of researching the band's history; the intrigues amongst the personnel and personalities like Mickie Most and Peter Grant; and reasons behind the band's meteoric rise and collapse.Beck was one tough musician to work with- very narcissistic and immature. A brilliant guitarist in those days, but very undisciplined and unfocussed. The band was so talented that they made musical history with two great albums and an unforgettable musical legacy despite themselves- to my mind it was almost divine intervention...Thompson chronicles the history of the band well, and the writing is very good. There are many, many typos, however, and the book suffers from poor editing and publishing to the point that it was a little bush league. Still a good read.

Now that I have your attention: Truth is the definitive book about Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart, including the Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Relf, Peter Grant, Mickie Most, etc. This is an amazing book! and I've read hundreds of rock books. Dave Thompson, the author did a masterful job weaving everything into place. There is so much information that you are amazed he could piece it together so well.And while I love Jeff I'm not really a fan of his or Rod. But I loved this book!!! It really is that good. In fact it's so good, I took out my Jeff Beck bootleg from 1968 and listened to it again first time in years and heard what Dave talks about.This book is wonderful because it gives you a real feel of the times. Jimi Hendrix and Beck were hanging out jamming in NY with a bunch of other people. The quotes are rare and lots of new ones. Jeff can be so candid with his thoughts. And did Led Zeppelin steal JBG's sound? It's all in this informative, dense book. The pages are filled from top to bottom and I really enjoyed reading it. I had to force myself to read slower in order to enjoy it more. Most rock books are the same old thing about drugs and orgies etc but this was different. It also talked about the genius, crazy, bossy, egomaniac that is Jeff Beck at least back then.Great book thank you Dave Thompson. I highly recommend this book. Now go out and buy the CD why don't you.

A very annoying book. As someone who was already an avid Beck fan when Truth came out, I was very interested to find out what there could be to know about the conceiving and executing of a tantalizing if frustrating album. Guess what? There's less than 10 pages in this highly padded book specifically about the album. What you get is a meandering essay about English bluesy rock filled with speculation, conjecture and misinformation.Particulaly irksome are authorial intrusions presuming to follow the streams of consciousness of Beck and his cohorts. I get the feeling Thompson has scoured the internet for available Beck quotes and then, taking them at face value in whatever context, assembled them in some kind of time line, connecting them with color from back issues of Rolling Stone and English music weeklies of the time.Believe me, even if you are very passionate about this music and and would like some insight into the process that created it, you are not likely to be satisfied by what Thompson presents. And by the way, something should be said about the scant and bizarre choice of photographs: a picture of the Yardbirds without Beck? a picture of Led Zep? no pictures of any of the managers and producers that Thompson writes so negatively about? No pictures of the actual group that recorded Truth? Shoddy thinking, and emblematic of this offering in general. Save your money, buy some vitamins or something.

I will never forget the first time that I heard Truth in 1968 or the first time that I saw the Jeff Beck Group. Fast forward forty five years since 1968 and God knows how many times that I have seen Jeff in the ensuing years; this book is a must read for any fan of Jeff's. Why? The book goes into such detail of the hirings and firings of the members of the group that it offers a ton of insight into the way things were if you were lucky enough to have been in the Club scene in London during the mid to late 60's. This band could be either tremendous or horrible. My collection of the JBG performances extends from 67' to the second to last show in 69' and the performances vary... A much better book than "Crazy Fingers"

I bought this because it appeared it would have new 'insider' information on this band. There is some minor info here and there which I had not seen before (I am a big fan of this very brief period of JB's career) - However, all of it is suspect, because there are glaring errors on other facts which are very well known, and easily verifiable (Jimmy Page's age, for one - I mean, come on!)... Therefore everything in this book is suspect. And there are very few photos, so that is not a redeeming point. Very disappointed.

This was a gift for someone. He said he liked it and I said I was so pleased that he did. What else can I say?

Jeff Beck is GOD as far as i'm concerned...!

AAA great

Great book and great service

A good read

I've had Annette Carlson's 'Crazy Fingers' for years but - despite being a big Jeff fan - never did get beyond the first couple chapters (I must revisit that). But this book I whipped through and enjoyed very much. As a longterm follower of Beck and his bands, most of this was familiar stuff, though that shouldn't deter anyone from having a read. Indeed, this serves to remind us of how the London music scene of the 60s was like one big family affair. Indeed, it was most incestuous, with players bouncing from band to band.As for Jeff, he rode out the 60s as a moody perfectionist who constantly put himself under the pressure of trying to achieve what - due to various factors - he couldn't always make happen. Seeing Hendrix (who was a HUGE Jeff fan) may have initially caused Jeff to consider giving up on the guitar, but as history has shown, Jeff would take guitar playing in more directions than anyone before or since.So, a fast, fun read that will inform you on the carrying ons of messrs. Beck, Wood and Stewart, while possibly giving you and appreciation for the British wunderkind who grew up to be the world's most daring - and excellent - exponent of electric rock guitar playing.

Fascinating read. You won't find a better insight into the early history of Beck, Stewart, et all anywhere. From ground zero to the masterpiece of Truth, with all the triumphs, setbacks, inspirations and kerfuffles.

100% Satisfied