Customer Reviews

Five Live

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ignore commentary that this was "the poorest" version of the Yardbirds; it is only "poor" if you prefer artistic nuances like raga stylings and instruments to great raw live shows. Portions of this material were originally available in the US as just one side of the LP "Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds," our first taste of how hot the band was in concert. Our first real exposure to Eric Clapton's power, so how can you lose? Ultimately "Five Live" arrived at our shores and now we have several versions available to choose from, so be careful which one you buy so you don't feel left short.

It was fun to compare the progression and developement of the live guitar work of Eric Clapton when with the Yardbirds and troughout the years. It has pretty decent sound for a live recording from that time period!

Although I grew up during the golden age and had always heard about the Yardbirds,I only bought this - my first Yardbirds album - a week ago. I never thought that anyone at that time could have been better than the Stones, and dare I say it, I think the Yardbirds were. This version of 'Smokestack Lightning' was regarded Howlin' Wolf as better than his own! What an accolade. And the vocalist is better than Jagger in those early days. On top of all of this, Five Live Yardbirds was their unusual debut (unusual in that it was a wild, raucous live album; most groups then followed up a series of studio albums with a live one)- what a wonderful place for me to start! And I unreservedly recommend it to you.

Part of this was on side 2 of Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds. Some of it appeared on various one offs, so it was time I got the entire concert! This was a great show with Eric Clapton at the helm. There might be better versions of this, but as a five dollar download, it suited me just fine. Go back to the early 60's and this was the introductory passion of a live show, which is now standard. Clapton would soon leave to join John Mayall, then to form Cream, and ...well, you know! This is bedrock, where it all began. Enjoy.

Wow! That's all I could say when I first heard this record. Ten songs that made you want to get up and move. Not dance necessarily, but sort of sway to the music. Keith Relf plays a blistering good harmonica that reminds me of Little Walter. Eric Clapton is, well, he's Eric Clapton, a guy who plays like he was born with a guitar in his hand. Jim McCarty's drums could drive a train. This is the blues, white guys doing the blues and doing it as well as anyone out there. They're doing a little rock, too.

And they're playing like they're years older than their young selves. Sadly the recording technology back then isn't as good as we have today, but then, listening to songs like "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl, "Respectable", Bo Diddley's "Pretty Girl", "I'm a Man" and 'Here 'Tis" done by these guys, well who cares that the recording's not up to todays standards, just turn it up and groove and move with the Five Live Yardbirds.