Customer Reviews

Very Best of the Yardbirds

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The Yardbirds were one of the most influential British Invasion groups, alongside The Who, Kinks, and (duh) The Beatles. This band, founded originally in 1963 and ending in 1968, was a revolving door and launchpad for three of the hottest guitarists in England at the time (in chronological order)--Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Also of note was a solid, tight band in the form of Chris Dreja (rhythm guitar), Jim McCarty (percussion), and the very underrated frontman Keith Relf. While not a great belter in the vein of, say, Roger Daltrey, he had a distinctive and pure voice that worked well with The Yardbird's unique style.

The Clapton era (1963-1965) was probably the least interesting period, though I find their singles to be stronger than most of their contemporaries at the time (that includes The Beatles)--an adventurous concoction of bluesy proto-hard rock and pop. Wish You Would, I Ain't Got You, and hit single For Your Love (which sounds surprisingly fresh for '64) are all here representing this period.

The band really took off when Clapton left for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Jeff Beck stepped in, adding his own highly inventive approach to guitar that resulted in awesome tunes like Heart Full Of Soul (my pick for best Yardbirds single with its raga-like Beck leads), Shapes Of Things, Bo Diddley cover I'm A Man, and Mister You're A Better Man Than I. Also notable were psychedelic experiments like Still I'm Sad with its weird Gregorian chant-esque vocals. Single for single in 1965-66, The Yardbirds were easily the equal of other better-known British bands.

Jimmy Page entered the band in '66 after their original bass player left, and played on the second Yardbirds studio album Roger The Engineer and on several singles, most notably Happenings Ten Years Time Ago (which isn't here, regrettably). Shortly after Beck called it quits and the Page-led band eventually imploded, Page formed a new band titled The New Yardbirds, later known as Led Zeppelin. We all know how that turned out.

Anyway, this is a solid import that features some fairly rare Yardbirds tracks, including Italian single Paff... Bum (decent, but generally forgettable), Someone To Love (Parts 1 & 2), and the Keith Relf track Mr. Zero. Unfortunately, two crucial singles (Happenings Ten Years Time Ago, Over Under Sideways Down) are missing. So instead of buying this, I'd spring for the import best-of single disk Over Under Sideways Down (which includes pretty much everything here plus those two singles) or the Ultimate! two-disc comp. Then get Five Live Yardbirds and Roger The Engineer to complete your Yardbirds collection.

Good, solid twenty track compilation of the Yardbirds repertoire. Don't get me wrong, I've always been a major Yardbirds fan - always will be. However, I truly believe their 'Ultimate' 2-CD pick on the Rhino label cannot be beat. Still, it's great to hear tunes on this budget-priced CD like "I Ain't Got You", "Steeled Blues", "Shapes Of Things" (loved hearing this song on the radio when I was like ten), "Train Kept A Rollin'" and a couple that I didn't immediately recognize like "Sweet Music" and "Stoll On". Handy to play while on the road.

We were discussing "Shapes of Things" at band practice one night, and I knew I had to purchase a Greatest Hits compilation. This one fit the bill. The price was right and it contained all the tunes I was looking for. I think we will attempt a "cover" of "Shapes" based on this CD.

PS: Their version of "I'm a Man" is one of the greatest rock tunes of all time.

The VERY BEST OF THE YARDBIRS is the epitomy of sixties rock and roll. Several of the songs on this cd have been twords the top of the charts. EVIL HEARTED YOU and FOR YOUR LOVE are probobly the most recognized songs of the YARDBIRDS. The YARDBIRDS sound is pretty much the same as the BEATLES. Which means then, that it is different than the EAGLES. The YARDBIRS were never as popular as the BEATLES, with the baby boomer generation. This can probobly be atributed to there lack of origanil sound and lack of quality lyrics over the long term. this is one of those British clone bands however they really can not be faulted for this as it was the the thing to do at the time. in the song I ANIT GOT YOU they sing about women and there Mojo and how they have every thing exept whats really important to them. Either way its a great CD.