Tracks
Disk #1
Disk #2
Also by The Yardbirds
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A collection like this really makes me wonder why the Yardbirds weren't bigger than they were. They are known more, these days, for the legendary trio of guitarists who were members at various times: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. All three are counted among the greatest of all time. When they split up in 1968, Page created Led Zeppelin, making this band a direct descendent. But during their peak active years (the band has since reformed without the big three, and continues to tour, mostly as a nostalgia act), they had some great, innovative stuff, things no other band at the time was doing. Before Jimi Hendrix, The Yardbirds played with feedback; before Zeppelin, they put electrics into the blues, and incorporated fuzz and distortion in their music.
A band like this doesn't just get content and play a song they same as the studio release every time, so it's great that this connection includes some live tracks, even if it's only a few. "Here 'Tis" benefits from the live energy, and "Smokestack Lightning" shows where the band can go outside of the constraints of a pop single. Where most of the tracks are two and a half minutes, this one goes close to six as they play with arrangements and solos.
Perhaps they were overshadowed by The Beatles and Stones, but songs like "Certain Girl", "Honey in Your Hips" and "I Aunt Got You" match up with what either was doing, at least in the early part of the sixties. To me, the best is "Heart Full of Soul", a blues-inspired tune that has a really intense tone. More traditional blues like "Train Kept A' Rollin'" and "new York City Blues" also benefit from their dense, electric-driven sound. "Shapes of Things" feels like a predecessor to the psychedelic movement that would come shortly after.
This was a band that was not afraid to experiment, and that lead to some great musical innovations. The band gets a bad rap as kind of a footnote from the British Invasion, but this set is a start on helping show how great they really were. They are Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, but they somehow still feel underappreciated. Take a listen to this set and hopefully you'll be able to appreciate them better. Look for their live albums, too.
A band like this doesn't just get content and play a song they same as the studio release every time, so it's great that this connection includes some live tracks, even if it's only a few. "Here 'Tis" benefits from the live energy, and "Smokestack Lightning" shows where the band can go outside of the constraints of a pop single. Where most of the tracks are two and a half minutes, this one goes close to six as they play with arrangements and solos.
Perhaps they were overshadowed by The Beatles and Stones, but songs like "Certain Girl", "Honey in Your Hips" and "I Aunt Got You" match up with what either was doing, at least in the early part of the sixties. To me, the best is "Heart Full of Soul", a blues-inspired tune that has a really intense tone. More traditional blues like "Train Kept A' Rollin'" and "new York City Blues" also benefit from their dense, electric-driven sound. "Shapes of Things" feels like a predecessor to the psychedelic movement that would come shortly after.
This was a band that was not afraid to experiment, and that lead to some great musical innovations. The band gets a bad rap as kind of a footnote from the British Invasion, but this set is a start on helping show how great they really were. They are Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, but they somehow still feel underappreciated. Take a listen to this set and hopefully you'll be able to appreciate them better. Look for their live albums, too.