Customer Reviews

Yardbirds Story

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Several years ago a friend of mine was going through my CD collection and commented: "The Animals", "The Zombies", "Them" "Small Faces", why don't you have any Yardbirds on CD?" For some reason, I had never replaced my old Yardbird LP's onto the CD format. But I have since explored The Yardbirds on CD and have filled in many gaps in British musical history.

If you want the best overview of The Yardbirds music between 1963-1968, the two CD set: "Yardbirds ~ Ultimate!" is the way to go. If You want every recording that the band set to tape between December 1963, through early 1967, this is the place for you.

Disc One: 72 Minutes, live December 1963.
These are the earliest known Yardbird recordings. Eleven of these tracks feature blues legend, Sonny Boy Williamson on vocals and harp with the Yardbirds as his backing band. With Eric Clapton featured as guitar/soloist, these are historic recordings. As the past: {Sonny Boy} hands the reigns, over to the new kids: {The Yardbirds} who represent the future of the blues. These are raw sounding tapes of something different, a British beat group that plays delta/Chicago style American blues. Six songs feature The Yardbirds without Sonny Boy, and they show the Band at this early part of their musical journey as an already tight unit. This is a great sounding Disc, when you consider the age of these recordings, there is no way that these tapes should sound this good. The rave-ups are here as the band plays with their trademark ferocious frenzy. The Yardbirds 'Style' is well established here, these early shows display a band of confidence and power.

Disc Two: 79 Minutes, live & studio tracks 1964.
Making records in 1964, The Yardbirds are playing their favorite Songs; "Boom,Boom", "Honey in Your Hips", "Smokestack Lightning", "Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl", "I'm A Man", "Here T'is" and "I Ain't Got You". This disc includes; "The Five Live Yardbirds" LP and the band's first two single releases. Again, the sound is wonderful, these recordings have been remastered with much care, and they have never sounded better.

Disc Three: 74 Minutes, the hits of 1965-1966.
With: "For You Love", the single of March 1965, two things happened to The Yardbirds, they had a hit single, and Eric Clapton quit the group, as he was not going to play pop songs. With Jeff Beck onboard on lead guitar, the 'Birds' changed from strictly a blues band to a rock group that now played blues. The 1965-1966 years were the peak, the band had major success in The UK and The USA. Recording and touring filled almost every day of these two years. The Yardbirds were riding the crest of the wave here. With: "Heart Full Of Soul","Evil Hearted You", "Still I'm Sad", "Shapes Of Things", "Mister You're a Better Man Than I" and 'I'm a Man", the hits kept coming and everything got bigger. Jeff Beck, is going for broke here, as he just about re-invents guitar playing during this era.

Disc Four: 66 Minutes, from Jeff to Jimmy 1966-1967.
This last CD covers the end of the Jeff Beck era into early 1967 when Jimmy Page takes over lead guitar duties. As there are multiple takes of many songs; "Jeff's Blues", "Someone To Love" and "What Do You Want", this CD is my least favorite of the box. But there is good stuff to be found here as well. "Chris' Number" is an only take, and a great find, "Stroll On", will tell the tale of just WHO is playing lead guitar here...Is it Jeff? Is it Jimmy? Is it a roadie? This disc, closes with two live tracks from Germany in 1967 with Jimmy Page now at the controls of the band.

This is a great box set, and at this price it is a great buy. I will not go into detail here as to what The Yardbirds mean to rock music, {and this band is very important.} I will say that every kid that has since picked up a guitar HAS been influenced by this band, and the music featured here. The Yardbirds have spawned THOUSANDS of groups from garages from Seattle to Boston.

As This: "Yarbirds Story" ends in early 1967, it would take a few more CD's to complete the tale, until that happens this is the most complete document of this great band that you are gonna find.
Four Stars !!!

This is the only release available that contains the alternate mix, single-tracked vocal version of Shapes of Things. I had been looking for this for 40 years (yeah it's true). First just a rumor, then speculated to be on an obscure Dutch single, I could never find it until I bought this. From what I can tell, this is the definitive version of all The Yardbirds' Giorgio Gomelsky-era recordings. Buy this and keep your others for the artwork only. This is the real deal. The book is also the most informative account I've ever read from Giorgio's pen.