Yardbirds '68
Yardbirds '68 is a compilation album 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] It was released as a double CD and LP record.
| 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, blues rock |
| Length | 65:45 |
| Label | JimmyPage.com |
| Producer | Jimmy Page |
Recording and release
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appeared on Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page.[2] The album was issued by Epic Records in 1971, but was quickly withdrawn.[5] Most of the eight demos were included on the limited release Cumular Limit in 2000.[4] "Knowing That I'm Losing You" with vocals by Keith Relf, was pulled from Cumular Limit prior to release to avoid a lawsuit,[5] and is officially released for the first time on Yardbirds '68, although as an instrumental.
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
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]
For the ten year anniversary edition of the Led Zeppelin biography, When Giants Walked the Earth, author Mick Wall commented on Yardbirds '68: "It's not overstating the case to describe this [album] as proto-Led Zeppelin ... it's all right there in New York in March 1968 [with] the sonic templates of 'Train Kept A-Rollin'', 'Dazed and Confused' and 'White Summer'".[7]
Track listing
Writer credits are from the album liner notes.[8] Running times (not included in the notes) are taken from the AllMusic album overview.[9]
| 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 |
| 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
- Keith Relf – vocals, harmonica, percussion
- Jimmy Page – guitars
- Chris Dreja – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Jim McCarty – drums, percussion, vocals
References
- "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.
- Reed, Ryan (25 August 2017). "The Yardbirds Prep Jimmy Page-Produced Double-LP Compilation". RollingStone.com. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- "Yardbirds '68". JimmyPage.com. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- Clayson, Alan (2002). The Yardbirds. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. pp. 191–192. ISBN 0-87930-724-2.
- Russo, Greg (2016). Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up (6th ed.). Floral Park, New York: Crossfire Publications. pp. 211, 104–106. ISBN 978-0-9791845-7-4.
- Fortnam, Ian (28 December 2017). "The Yardbirds – Yardbirds '68 album review". Classic Rock. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- Wall, Mick (2019). When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led Zeppelin (1st illustrated revised ed.). New York City: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-1250215604.
-
Yardbirds '68 (Album notes). The Yardbirds. JimmyPage.com. 2017. JPRLPCD3.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - "Yardbirds '68 – Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 December 2017.