Editing Rod Stewart (section)

===1967–1969: Jeff Beck Group period===
Guitarist [[Jeff Beck]] recruited Stewart for his new post-[[the Yardbirds|Yardbirds]] venture,<ref name="carson-71">Carson, ''Jeff Beck'', pp. 71–72.</ref> and in February 1967, Stewart joined [[the Jeff Beck Group]] as vocalist and sometime songwriter.<ref name="Gray-18-21">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', pp. 18–21.</ref> This would become the big break of his early career.<ref name="cby-375"/> There he first played with [[Ronnie Wood]]<ref name="nb-61"/> whom he had first met in a London pub in 1964;<ref name="Gray-10"/> the two soon became fast friends.<ref name="carson-71"/> During its first year, the group experienced frequent changes of drummers and conflicts involving manager [[Mickie Most]] wanting to reduce Stewart's role. They toured the UK and released a couple of singles that featured Stewart on their B-sides.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/><ref name="carson-78">Carson, ''Jeff Beck'', pp. 75, 78, 83–86.</ref> Stewart's sputtering solo career also continued with the March 1968 release of non-hit "Little Miss Understood" on [[Immediate Records]].<ref name="Gray-18-21"/>

The Jeff Beck Group toured Western Europe in spring 1968, recorded, and were nearly destitute. Then assistant manager [[Peter Grant (music manager)|Peter Grant]] booked them on a six-week tour of the United States starting in June 1968 with the [[Fillmore East]] in New York.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/><ref name="nyt061568"/><ref name="carson-81">Carson, ''Jeff Beck'', pp. 81–82.</ref> Stewart, on his first trip to America, suffered terrible stage fright during the opening show and hid behind the amplifier banks while singing. Only a quick shot of [[brandy]] brought him out front.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/> Nevertheless, the show and the tour were a big success,<ref name="cby-375"/><ref name="carson-81"/> with [[Robert Shelton (critic)|Robert Shelton]] of ''The New York Times'' calling the group exciting and praising "the interaction of Mr. Beck's wild and visionary guitar against the hoarse and insistent shouting of Rod Stewart",<ref name="nyt061568">{{Cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F40711FD38541B7B93C7A8178DD85F4C8685F9|title=Jeff Beck Group Cheered in Debut|first=Robert|last=Shelton|author-link=Robert Shelton (critic)|newspaper=The New York Times|date=15 June 1968|page=38|format=fee required}}</ref> and ''[[New Musical Express]]'' reporting that the group was receiving standing ovations and pulling receipts equal to those of [[Jimi Hendrix]] and [[the Doors]].<ref name="Gray-18-21"/>

In August 1968, their first album, ''[[Truth (Jeff Beck album)|Truth]]'', was released, and by October, it had risen to number 15 on the [[Billboard 200|US albums chart]] but failed to chart in the UK.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/> The album featured Beck's masterly guitar technique and manipulated sounds as Stewart's dramatic vocalising tackled the group's varied repertoire of blues, folk, rock, and proto-[[heavy metal music|heavy metal]].<ref name="rshist-377"/><ref name="carson-78"/><ref name="amg-truth">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1564|pure_url=yes}}|title=Truth: Review|first=Bruce|last=Eder|author-link=Bruce Eder|website=AllMusic|access-date=14 February 2010}}</ref> Stewart also co-wrote three of the songs<ref name="amg-truth"/> and credited the record for helping to develop his vocal abilities and the sandpaper quality in his voice.<ref name="rs-intv-70"/> The group toured America again at the end of the year to a strong reception, then suffered from more personnel upheaval<ref name="Gray-18-21"/><ref>Carson, ''Jeff Beck'', p. 89.</ref> (something that would continue throughout Beck's career). In July 1969, Stewart left following his friend Wood's departure.<ref name="rs-intv-70"/><ref name="Gray-22">Gray, ''Rod Stewart: The Visual Documentary'', p. 22.</ref> Stewart later recalled, "It was a great band to sing with, but I couldn't take all the aggravation and unfriendliness that developed.... In the two and a half years I was with Beck I never once looked him in the eye – I always looked at his shirt or something like that."<ref name="Gray-18-21"/>

The group's second album, ''[[Beck-Ola]]'', was released in June 1969 in the US and in September 1969 in the UK, bracketing the time the group was dissolving; it also made number 15 in the US albums chart and reached number 39 in the [[UK albums chart]].<ref name="cby-375"/><ref name="Gray-22"/><ref>{{cite web| url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1566|pure_url=yes}}|title=Beck-Ola: Review|first=William|last=Ruhlmann|website=AllMusic|access-date=14 February 2010}}</ref> During his time with the group, Stewart initially felt overmatched by Beck's presence, and his style was still developing; but later Stewart felt the two developed a strong musical, if not personal, rapport.<ref name="Gray-18-21"/><ref>''The New Rolling Stone Record Guide'', p. 34.</ref> Much of Stewart's sense of phrasing was developed during his time with the Jeff Beck Group.<ref name="rs-intv-70"/> Beck sought to form a new [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] with [[Carmine Appice]] and [[Tim Bogert]] (of the similarly just-breaking-up [[Vanilla Fudge]]) joining him and Stewart, but Stewart had other plans.<ref>Nelson and Bangs, ''Rod Stewart'', pp. 74, 76.</ref>