Legacy US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Reissued and remastered by Legacy, Truth is the debut studio album by the massively influential guitarist and rocker Jeff Beck, released in 1968. A crisp and rollicking blues rock screamer, the album introduced the talents of his backing band the Jeff Beck Group, specifically Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, to a larger audience. The fallout of its release was nothing short of radioactive, leading many to claim that it was in fact the "first metal album", occupying the liminal threshold between metal and blues rock - whether this was the case, it was almost certainly the LP that out-and-out defined the British incarnation of the latter sound, and most importantly established Beck's career thereafter.

Review: Where do you start with someone like Dolly Parton. Singer, songwriter, actress, philanthropist, entrepreneur, she's been there, done that, got a stack of t-shirts and survived to tell the tale. Fiercely determined and staunchly independent, the fact she's one of the best-selling female artists of all time, with more than 100million units shifted, speaks volumes about her ability to capture a lived experience on record. The fact she managed to navigate a notoriously ruthless industry during its most notorious decades proves her grit.
The Monument Singles Collection presents a convincing case for all this. Comprising early work for the eponymous Monument label, this was Parton emerging from a successful but largely unsung period as songwriter for others, and becoming a veritable star in the making. Songs about overcoming adversities from poverty to patriarchy, which would go on to become anthems in their own right.