Record Reviews

YARDBIRDS ~ BIRDLAND FAVORED NATIONS 2280 (Barcode: 690897228023) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2003 Released: 2003 Forty years after The YardbirdsFind albums by this artist ruled the British Rhythm And Blues scene for a while and than splintered into several seminal Rock and Prog bands like Led ZeppelinFind albums by this artist, Jeff Beck GroupFind albums by this artist and RenaissanceFind albums by this artist, to mention just a few, here they are again alive and kicking. The original founding members Jim McCartyFind albums by this artist and Chris DrejaFind albums by this artist drafted three younger musicians: guitarist Gypie MayoFind albums by this artist, vocalist and bassist John IdanFind albums by this artist and harmonica player Alan GlenFind albums by this artist and reunited the Yardbirds to record this album, which includes several re-makes of classic Yardbirds material and a nice batch of new songs written by the band members. I´m usually skeptical about reunions, being right most of the time, this album however works amazingly well, as if time stood still (which is a good thing) for all these years and The Yardbirds never disbanded at all. Mayo plays some amazing guitar licks and easily joins the Yardbirds lead guitarists list (Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist, Jeff BeckFind albums by this artist & Jimmy PageFind albums by this artist), the songs smoke from start to finish and the entire album simply kicks ass. Some spectacular guest guitar players add solos as well: Jeff Beck, Steve VaiFind albums by this artist, Joe SatrianiFind albums by this artist, Brian MayFind albums by this artist and others. Definitely no regrets here – a must!

Updated: 08/05/2023Posted:

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

YARDBIRDS ~ THE ULTIMATE LIVE AT THE BBC REPERTOIRE 1464 (Barcode: 4009910146422) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1965 - 1968 Released: 2024 This is a 4CD Box Set, which collects all known live BBC recordings by the seminal British Rock group The YardbirdsFind albums by this artist, recorded between March 1965 and March 1968, presenting ninety tracks, twenty-eight of which are previously unreleased. As usual with BBC recordings, the sound quality (in most cases) is absolutely stunning, considering the equipment that existed at the time. For some strange reason The Yardbirds seem to be almost completely forgotten these days, but considering the fact that during the first period of their existence between 1963 and 1968 they had among their ranks the three top British lead guitar players of all time: Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist, Jeff BeckFind albums by this artist and Jimmy PageFind albums by this artist and they were de facto the origin of Led ZeppelinFind albums by this artist. The lineup, which recorded the music on this Box Set, includes vocalist Keith RelfFind albums by this artist, drummer Jim McCartyFind albums by this artist, rhythm guitarist Chris DrejaFind albums by this artist, bassist Paul Samwell-SmithFind albums by this artist and Beck or Page on lead guitar. When Samwell-Smith quit in 1966, Dreja became the bassist and the group continued as a quartet. Clapton is not playing on any of the BBC recordings, despite the fact that some other releases claim the contrary. Listening to the chronologically organized material is like watching a documentary, which explicitly explains how British Rock developed from the humble roots of copying American Blues and Rhythm And Blues, into a full-fledged British Rock, with exquisite new original material and way of expression, which influenced everything that happened in the years to come. The last track in this collection is no other than “Dazed And Confused”, which of course explains how things proceeded from where the first incarnation of The Yardbirds disbanded. Overall, this is a brilliant piece of musical document, which deserves to be heard by every serious music lover, in order to comprehend how Rock music developed in UK. Although a large portion of these tracks were previously released already, it’s a neat way to have a complete collection in one Box Set. The package includes a booklet with historical notes, which sadly I find lacking the proper historical perspective, but they do offer a lot of details, which I find less interesting. It is a collector’s treasure trove by all means!

Updated: 23/08/2024Posted: 23/08/2024

CD 4 Box Set Remastered Recommend To A Friend