Arguably best known as a finishing school for three of Britrock’s most celebrated guitarists – Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page – The Yardbirds are a band whose recorded output is rarely held in the same regard as contemporaries such as the Rolling Stones and The Beatles, both of whom made significant strides of their own in 1966.
Listening to The Yardbirds’ sole UK LP (aka Roger The Engineer) it’s easy to see why. With one foot in their blues past and the other in the psychedelic present, this is an erratic album that’s held together by Beck’s frequently dazzling displays.
Over, Under, Sideways, Down is where both threads are bound together, while What Do You Want finds Beck letting rip in fine style. Alas, Hot House Of Omagarashid’s throwaway psych and the lightweight Turn Into Earth are too slight to convince.
Presented in both mono and stereo formats, with a seven-inch single of Happenings Ten Years Time Ago, an additional disc of 1966 studio recordings plus a 24-page booklet with contributions from Wayne Kramer and Thurston Moore, The Yardbirds remains a curate’s egg that at once highlights stunning musical talent alongside some pretty pedestrian songwriting.
