|
The Yardbirds By Vinnie Apicella |
|
You know if you're planning
to use a word such as "Ultimate!" in the title there better be plenty
of evidence to back up its use, and few could ever debate a group such
as The Yardbirds, innovative super group of the sixties and well beyond
are proof positive that ownership of said title deservedly fits like
few others-The Beatles, The Stones, The Who. The Yardbirds. Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame inductees nearly a decade ago, not only worthy of super
group status in their own right, a seminal breeding ground for top notch
talent that would go on down the golden bricked road to fame, fortune
and worldwide respectability. Surely anyone who may not be quite so
familiar with a band as The Yardbirds, having first gotten their start
back in the early sixties, will have been touched in some way or another
by the likes of Derek & The Dominos, later Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck,
and one Jimmy Page-Rock guitarists of legend, themselves helping shape
a music that while continually evolving, will always owe to a past of
influential prominence. Few can assemble a tribute or anthological collection
with the same degree of perfection as Rhino Records, and perhaps this
being their true golden moment among many, again faithfully produced
with no stone left unturned. The Yardbirds' "Ultimate!" features two
discs spanning their five years from 1963-68 and fifty two songs total
documenting the band's career, one that kept on revolving and changing
and managing to move forward to leave the legacy it has, and one that's
deserving of the exposure and accolades it is now afforded. The accompanying
booklet, ironically 52 pages, could be a best-seller on its own with
a colorfully historical strut down memory lane, documenting their life
through waves and waves of must-see photos, well written accounts for
both band and songs by the late Cub Koda. As it is, the perfect compliment
to the avid fan, or the casual but curious listener. The Yardbirds were
eclectic, never one to stay still for very long, and much of this should
not go unnoticed for the subsequent committee of guitar-laying talent
that would enter and exit their ranks. The earliest music was a palatable
blend of Folk, Funk, Blues, and Rock with a rare twinge of Bluegrass
thrown in the mix and a wholly identifiable style all their own, easily
tuning in to the latest wave of British Rock exploits while the music
industry at large must have chomped at the bit while simultaneously
biting their tongue at the smooth yet brash rumblings that would soar
from the loud speakers. Chronologically, Eric Clapton was the first
famous recruit for the quickly vacated lead guitar slot back in late
'63, and he would be on hand during the group's formative years, housed
mainly on disc one and all-time classics as "I Wish You Would," the
Pop-flavored "For Your Love," and equally enchanting style of "Heart
Full Of Soul." face it folks, even if you don't know 'em, you do. Beck
took over for Clapton a couple years later, Eric getting increasingly
more Blues-inspired, Beck brought in a mountain of fuzz and fusion with
him, uniquely adding an element of sharpness to later hits as "Shapes
Of Things," endlessly attempted but never quite duplicating the passion
of this original Rock classic. "Train Kept A Rollin," and similarly
remodeled innumerable times in future generations and the kick here
is it wasn't even a Yardbirds' original, yet it may well be since they
make it totally their own some fifteen years after it first debuted
from the work of a corn-fed Blues artist. "Still I'm Sad" is of course
worthy of mention simply because of its experimental and unusual nature
built around age-old Gregorian Chant melodies and chamber-like ensemble.
Beck left about a year and half after he began ultimately replaced altogether
by Jimmy Page but there would be in fact about a four month layover
that would see the two participating within the group for only a few,
but vital songs in this most famous of periods in Yardbirds' history.
"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" would mark the first record that Beck
and Page played together and as a song, forget its past, is a clearly
distinct, edgy, and momentarily disturbing in the middle as Beck's mumbling
and Page's string-scratching, unusual and in fact defining a rare moment
in history. Further along, "Stroll On" utilized the same "Train Kept
A Rollin" arrangement but featured both Beck and Page on lead guitar!
The band would soon become a foursome and only a couple of years later
would dissolve into a unilateral solo venture amongst its former members.
Simply, The Yardbirds as a group were tremendous and sometimes this
tends to go unnoticed when most look back and see the caliber of guitar-led
talent that it once housed. The first step in what could currently be
looked upon as a revitalization of sorts, The Yardbirds music, often
difficult to come by, now produced and packaged like never before as
a new era dawns for a regrouping that'll see original guitarist Chris
Dreja and drummer Jim McCarty bring the Yardbirds' past further into
the present while preparing to release a new record for modern day guitar-God
Steve Vai's new Favored Nation label. In the meantime, The Yardbirds'
"Ultimate!" anthology is a long overdue collection that captures the
true essence of greatness for one of Rock & Roll's rarest of commodities-skillfully
produced much as their music and the talented roster that lay the foundation
for what the world learns and loves about Rock music past, present and
future.
|
More from the Online Metal Journal |
|
|
|
|