Yardbirds '68 | |
---|---|
Compilation album by | |
Released | November 2017 |
Recorded | March–April 1968 |
Venue | Anderson Theater, New York City |
Studio | Columbia Recording, New York City |
Genre | Hard rock |
Length | 65:45 |
Label | JimmyPage.com |
Producer | Jimmy Page |
Yardbirds '68 is a double CD and LP recordalbum by English rock group the Yardbirds.[1] Recorded in 1968 in New York City when the group was a quartet with guitarist Jimmy Page, it includes live performances and demos.[2] Page produced the album, which was released in November 2017 on his own record label.[3]
Recording and release[edit]
CD1: 1966 – Live & Rare. 17 remastered tracks plus a booklet with liner notes by music journalist, Chris Welch. Featuring live performances from French TV show Music Hall De France, the legendary 1966 NME Poll Winners. The Yardbirds live in 1967, 19 remastered tracks plus a booklet with liner notes by music journalist, Chris Welch.
The tracks were recorded during the Yardbirds' last American tour in 1968;[4] the live recordings are from their performance at the Anderson Theater on 30 March and studio recordings are demos from sessions at Columbia Recording Studio in April.[5] Previously, the ten live tracks appeared on Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page.[2] The album was issued by Epic Records in 1971, but was quickly withdrawn.[5] Most of the eight demos were included on the limited release Cumular Limit in 2000.[4]
The live performance follows a typical Yardbirds' set list for the period and includes several of their best-known songs, including 'The Train Kept A-Rollin', 'I'm a Man', 'Shapes of Things', and 'Over Under Sideways Down'.[6] Ryan Reed of Rolling Stone noted that among the songs are three which carried over to Led Zeppelin: 'Dazed and Confused', 'White Summer', and 'Knowing That I'm Losing You', which was later reworked as 'Tangerine'.[2]
All three surviving members of the 1968 lineup (Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja and Jimmy Page) participated in preparing the album[2] and issued a joint statement:
We thought this might be lost forever, but we’ve rediscovered it, re-mixed it. It’s of great historical importance. We’re delighted to see the release.[3]
Critical reception[edit]
In a review for Classic Rock magazine, Ian Fortnam gave the album four out of five stars.[6] While he has favourable comments on some of the demos, he notes 'the main attraction here is the live set' that includes Yardbirds' standards and 'Dazed and Confused'.[6] He adds that the audio has a brighter, cleaner sound than the 1971 Epic album; however, the song introductions and banter (provided by singer Keith Relf) have been unfortunately removed.[6]
Track listing[edit]
Writer credits are from the album liner notes.[7] Running times (not included in the notes) are taken from the AllMusic album overview.[8]
Live at Anderson Theatre (CD/LP 1) | |||
---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1. | 'The Train Kept A-Rollin' | Lois Mann, Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay | 3:05 |
2. | 'Mr, You're a Better Man Than I' | Mike Hugg, Brian Hugg | 5:05 |
3. | 'Heart Full of Soul' | Graham Gouldman | 1:48 |
4. | 'Dazed and Confused' | Jimmy Page (inspired by Jake Holmes) | 6:07 |
5. | 'My Baby' | Jerry Ragovoy, Mort Shuman | 2:50 |
6. | 'Over Under Sideways Down' | Chris Dreja, Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith, Jeff Beck, Jim McCarty | 2:17 |
7. | 'Drinking Muddy Water' | Dreja, Relf, Page, McCarty | 2:56 |
8. | 'Shapes of Things' | Relf, Samwell-Smith, McCarty | 2:30 |
9. | 'White Summer' | Page | 3:48 |
10. | 'I'm a Man' (contains 'Moanin' and Sobbin') | Ellas McDaniel a.k.a.Bo Diddley; Page, Dreja, Relf, McCarty | 10:19 |
Studio Sketches (CD/LP 2) | |||
---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
1. | 'Avron Knows' | Page, Relf, McCarty | 3:49 |
2. | 'Spanish Blood' (instrumental with spoken verses by McCarty) | Page, McCarty | 3:15 |
3. | 'Knowing That I'm Losing You (Tangerine)' (instrumental) | Page | 2:54 |
4. | 'Taking a Hold On Me' (vocal by McCarty) | Page, McCarty | 3:02 |
5. | 'Drinking Muddy Water' (version two) | Page, Dreja, Relf, McCarty | 2:49 |
6. | 'My Baby' | Ragovoy, Shuman | 2:59 |
7. | 'Avron’s Eyes' (instrumental) | Page | 2:56 |
8. | 'Spanish Blood' (instrumental) | Page, McCarty | 3:11 |
Personnel[edit]
- Keith Relf – vocals, harmonica, percussion
- Jimmy Page – guitars
- Chris Dreja – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Jim McCarty – drums, percussion, vocals
References[edit]
- ^'Jimmy Page-era Yardbirds album, featuring rare live and studio recordings from 1968 due in November'. ABC News Radio. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ abcdReed, Ryan (25 August 2017). 'The Yardbirds Prep Jimmy Page-Produced Double-LP Compilation'. RollingStone.com. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ ab'Yardbirds '68'. JimmyPage.com. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ abClayson, Alan (2002). The Yardbirds. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. pp. 191–192. ISBN0-87930-724-2.
- ^ abRusso, Greg (2016). Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up. Floral Park, New York: Crossfire Publications. pp. 211, 104–105. ISBN978-0-9791845-7-4.
- ^ abcdFortnam, Ian (28 December 2017). 'The Yardbirds – Yardbirds '68 album review'. Classic Rock. Retrieved 2 September 2018.Italic or bold markup not allowed in:
|website=
(help) - ^Yardbirds '68 (Album notes). The Yardbirds. JimmyPage.com. 2017. JPRLPCD3.CS1 maint: others (link)
- ^'Yardbirds '68 – Overview'. AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
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