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[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL
"First Impression of The Yardbirds" |
02.29.12 |
BY MIKEY MIGO
Once again I’m diving deep into music I’m not familiar with. Once a month or so I take a “first listen” to a select band’s discography. I go for bands I’ve not encountered for some reason or another, bands I’ve avoided, and some bands where I only know one or two songs. The reason I do this is because I like listening to a lot of music. It’s easy to hear a song or judge a band by its genre, time frame, or even one single. We all do it. Of course Nickelback sucks, right? We don’t NEED to listen to every song from their discography to prove this. So yeah, this is a gamble. I don’t know if it’s just a band I’ve not given a fair chance to or they just really suck. If anything, I get to know what I’m hating and after the one torturous listen I can wash my hands of them knowing 100% that I don’t like them. Thankfully, every band isn’t Nickelback. I’ve encountered some awesome bands in this journey. Who would have thought Simon and Garfunkel, Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, Regina Specktor, and others would rock? I wouldn’t have, but I listened to their albums and my mind was blown. That’s right; I’m in it for the mind blowing…
Why The Yardbirds?
Why not The Yardbirds? I don’t know a whole lot about The Yardbirds going into this, but the time frame, the genre, the key players, and the singles I do know are a pretty good sign of things to come. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck were part of this super group at one point or another. That’s impressive. It really covers a nice chunk of rock and roll history. Clapton’s body of work has always been a little hard to follow for me. I can’t always figure out what’s his solo stuff, Cream, Derrick and the Dominos, or I suppose the Yardbirds. I can tell just by the title of their first album that I have heard some of the work of The Yardbirds. I’m sure I’ve heard plenty. Today I’ll consciously listen to these albums and get a grasp on what I’m sure I missed out on…
For Your Love
(1965 – 31 minutes) - This 1965 debut album kicks off with a song that anyone who has ever heard music should know. "For Your Love" is just one of THOSE songs. It’s always going to be on the “Oldies” radio stations and it’s part of classic rock history. Here’s me being honest though. I had no idea this was by The Yardbirds. "I'm Not Talking" has more of a swanky blues rock thing going on. I can’t help but nod my head to the music. For a two and half minute song, it’s a fun ride. In fact, as I look over the track listing only two songs on this album go over three minutes. No wonder it’s barely a half hour long. I think I’ve heard "Putty in Your Hands". There is a heavy surf-rock sound to this one. So far, three songs in and I don’t think I’d think it was the same band if I didn’t have the album in front of me. "I Ain't Got You" is a bold blues track. There tons of music and melody crammed into this two minute tune. You can hear Clapton’s guitar work clearly in it. The slow building opening of "Got to Hurry" is killer. When I think of old school blues rock THIS is what I think about. The guitar work on it reminds me of “Strange Brew” at times. Vocals never kick in, but by the time it’s over you don’t care because it was a nice transition into the next track. "I Ain't Done Wrong" has the guitar of Mr. Jeff Beck in it. It has a more squealed out twang. The song is pretty impressive for the time frame. They go all out with layers of noise and an all out assault of gritty swagger. I’m not sure if "I Wish You Would" is blues rock or rock-a-billy or both. It sways the hips either way. "A Certain Girl" sounds like a song that I should have heard already. It sounds a lot like a lot of songs like it. It’s good, but it’s a little hokey. The weird talking/talking back stuff in there makes me want to go punch the next person I see watching Grease. The guitar solo redeems it a little. "Sweet Music (stereo)" sucked. I won’t sugar coat it. It sounds like 1960’s pop music filler. If they have too many songs that sound like this than I’m a little nervous about the next few hours of my day. "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" tricks me. It sounds off sounding blues and then goes into a surf rock type of pop song. The guitars are blues rock and awesome, but the rest of it is pure pop. I see it’s a cover and all that, but it still didn’t work for me. The album closes with "My Girl Sloopy". This song was covered by A LOT of people. The original was only like a year before this, which is weird. I don’t know what got into them about this one. I thought they’d sound more like the song “For Your Love” when this album started. I was looking forward to some fun psychedelic rock. Instead, I got some really cool blues rock and some questionable surf rock stuff. I didn’t love this album, but I didn’t hate it. I’d much rather hear these guys doing a full album of original work rather than filling it up with half covers of songs they thing are cool themselves. For a debut though, it’s not bad. It’s the early 60’s so I can only imagine things getting a bit more “out there” as we carry on…
Having a Rave Up
(1965 – 37 minutes) - The second album by The Yardbirds kicks off with "You're a Better Man Than I". It’s a folky tune that borders on psychedelic. The vocal delivery reminds me a little of Paul Simon. I mean that in a good way. "Evil Hearted You" was apparently a single. I’ve never heard it. It’s a weird almost-droney song. It has a slight ghostly howl going through it, but it’s still far from anything super innovative. I dig the guitar solo towards the end. "I'm a Man", a Bo Diddley cover, is a great blues rock track. It’s a solid head banger. It’s got plenty of groove and attitude. I wish there was more of this type of stuff, but in their own voice. I’m already tired of covers and I can see that I’m in for like two dozen more before this day if over. Yeesh. I’m creeped out by the chanting groans that start off "Still I'm Sad". It’s a pretty interesting down tempo track. It’s nothing like anything else on their albums so far. I know I had to have heard "Heart Full of Soul" before. It’s a single from back then. It’s got a solid song structure, clear cut choruses and verses, and it pops out at you compared to the other tunes on this album so far. It’s an obvious single and a good one. I love the chaotic blues jabber that we get to hear in "Train Kept A-Rollin'". It’s one of the better songs on this album. It’s almost like blues punk… almost. Maybe I’m giving it too much credit, but I definitely appreciate it. Now we get a live track? Weird. "Smokestack Lightning" is a live cover performance. It sounds great for a live song from well over 40 years ago. As my father would say, “good jam!”. Same situation with "Respectable". It’s more in tune with the other more poppy rock from the time. It’s an Isley Brothers cover. If you didn’t get enough of the Bo Diddley cover from the first half of the album you can hear it AGAIN, but this time live. Yep… "I'm a Man"… again. On the SAME album. This version apparently has Clapton on guitar and the studio one was Beck. I’m surprising myself by saying this, but I think I like the studio cut better. The album closes out with "Here 'Tis". It’s another live track. It’s got some grit and static to it. It’s not perfect, but I think that’s the charm of it. It breaks down like a mofo at the end. Really good closer. In 2003 Rolling Stone listed this album as 353 on their “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. It was really good, but I don’t feel it’s THAT good. Too many covers, a double dip on tracks, oddly placed live tracks, and some stuff not all that great. I enjoyed a few songs on this album A LOT, but I think as a whole the first album was a bit better.
Over Under Sideways Down aka Roger the Engineer
(1966 – 36 minutes) - "Lost Woman" has a slow burn, but it’s a glowing burn. It’s a nice soulful rock tune. Hey! I know "Over, Under, Sideways, Down"! I’ve heard this song before. I just didn’t know it was the Yardbirds. The melody and “hey!” of the song are things you just can’t avoid. What a fun and upbeat tune. The blues guitar on "The Nazz Are Blue" is worth studying in schools. Wow. "I Can't Make Your Way" is a folksy song. It’s a nice mix up from what we’ve heard for awhile. You can’t help but tap along to it. The weird groans pretty much ruin it though. The soulful cries of "Rack My Mind" are outstanding. I don’t see this on the band’s list of singles. I don’t get why not. This is a song that I should know by heart already. "Farewell" is only about a minute and a half. It’s like a children-style poem-slash-song. I have no clue what the hell is going on in the opening of "Hot House of Omagarashid". The weird noises and layers almost make it sound like it was produced on a computer with modern “beats” so to speak. It’s like a really decent “Neptune’s” beat. "Jeff's Boogie" is basically Jeff Beck showing off his chops in homage to Chuck Berry’s “Guitar Boogie”. He is a master in his craft and this is one of those songs that prove it. The pimptastic strut in the breakdown on "He's Always There" is smoother than Usher Raymond. "Turn into Earth" is almost an instrumental track except for the droning vocals. The vocals suck. I’d like it a lot more if the music spoke for itself. It’s not bad, the vocals were just a little lame. It’s like he wanted to make a melody out of going “ahhhh”. A big stand out on the album has to be "What Do You Want". It takes on the load of everything this band sounds like and puts itself together in one really good rock song. I’m surprised I’ve not heard this and if I have I’m surprised it didn’t have more of a lasting impact. Shit gets trippy with the closer, "Ever Since the World Began". It has the haunting political darkness of an old Black Sabbath tune, but it takes a great turn for the psychedelic as it goes on. In 2003 Rolling Stone listed this album as 349 on their “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”… four spots above the last album. So they ARE progressing in that sense. It’s clearly the best album of the three I’ve listened to so far today.
Little Games
(1967 – 31 minutes) - What most people consider The Yardbirds final studio album starts off the title track, "Little Games". This was apparently a single as well. It’s a single that I’ve never encountered. I’m not a fan of it. The backing music sounds like scene transition music on “Love Boat”. "Smile On Me" is a soulful blues rock song. The repetitive surf-rock type of guitar over blues rock swagger is weird. You can hear where music at that time is heading, but it’s not quite to that Woodstock level yet. Jimmy Page dug "White Summer" so much that he’d often sneak it into medleys while touring with Led Zeppelin. It’s a great string strummer. So apparently "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor" is some sort of nursery rhyme inspired song. It’s a little too tongue-in-cheek for my liking. "Glimpses" is like the sequel to “What Do You Want” from the last album. Lots of “ahhhs” and trippy music. The music would be much cooler on its own. Give the singer a tambourine and tell him to shut the hell up. There is some more “ahhhs” on "Drinking Muddy Water", but we still get normal vocals. It’s another groove-filled blues rock jams. I don’t know what the hell is up with "No Excess Baggage". The music is okay, but vocals are lame and lyrics take me out of the enjoyable groove. Another “sing-a-long” type of cover comes in "Stealing Stealing". It sounds like a loud-mouth drinking song. It’s a pleasant “ditty”, but it’s nothing I want to hear again. "Only the Black Rose" is a down tempo trip-fest. It has that almost-creepy reverb to the vocals that make you feel like everything in is slow motion - acid trip mode. This one closes out with "Little Soldier Boy". It has a cadence drum, but the melody and pretty much everything else about it seems cheesy. Bad finish for sure. I think this IS the weakest album of the four. It’s not horrible, but by the third song I was just ready for it to be over.
THE VERDICT
(1965 – 1969) - In 2003 a few members of the band tried to record a “new” Yardbirds album. It was basically a “Greatest Hits” album with a few odds and ends thrown in. I’m not going to review that album. Most of the songs were covered already and anything “new” just wouldn’t be fair to include in their legacy of work. It’s a legacy of work I can respect. It’s not fully my cup of tea, but I can see why they were so popular. I wasn’t completely sold on them though. There was some clear brilliance in there, but some stuff was just cheap. Why the hell did they have to have more covers than original songs? They were OBVIOUSLY great musicians. To do it like that felt cheap and a cop out. They’d have been a much better band with two albums of their best own work than four albums of a few really good songs, some interesting songs, and a whole lot of covers and filler. I’m going to respect the Yardbirds because they did have a valid impact in music, but as a whole I was a little underwhelmed and disappointed. On the bright side, I don’t feel this time was wasted. The music was generally good, but not really my cup of tea. I gave it a shot and it wasn’t for me. I’d recommend you’d do the same before making any judgments. They do deserve that much. Like I said, this IS Clapton, Beck, and Page…
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