portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Friday, April 07, 2023

More from the Twilight . . . . THE YARDBIRDS GREATEST HITS 1983

The Yardbirds - Greatest Hits 1983 - TwilightZone


A couple of blasts from the past sixties wise from Twilightzone too! This is pretty good quality wise but is a lift from vinyl so pretty much as is on the record and none the worse for that. some stereo tracks included but I’m a back to mono freak! A fascinating history volume as detailed below

...The new lineup recorded a single, "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" b/w "Psycho Daisies," that showed off their new potential, and the Yardbirds made an appearance in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 art house hit Blow Up, playing an instrumental called "Stroll On" that bore a strong resemblance to "Train Kept A-Rollin'.”..


...However, tensions were beginning to grow, and after a U.K. tour opening for the Rolling Stones and in the midst of a string of American dates as part of Dick Clark's "Caravan of Stars" tour, Beck abandoned the group to visit his girlfriend in San Francisco. They continued on with Page as sole guitarist, and once they finally caught up with Beck, he officially quit the act. (The following year, he formed the Jeff Beck Group.) Reworking themselves as a quartet, Page started showing off new techniques on guitar (including the violin bow trick that would become one of his trademarks), and with Paul Samwell-Smith (who produced most of their sessions as well as playing bass) out of the group, the Yardbirds partnered with Mickie Most, who had produced dozens of hits for Donovan, the Animals, Herman's Hermits, and many others, with an eye toward improving their declining commercial fortunes. However, the pop-oriented tunes that Most insisted the group record were a poor fit for the Yardbirds, and the 1967 album Little Games proved to be a severe disappointment that sold poorly and left fans cold. The Yardbirds put their emphasis on touring, as their new manager, Peter Grant, kept them busy on the road in the United States. Meanwhile, Page took to pointing their music toward a heavier and more experimental direction that would prove to be a dry run for his later work with Led Zeppelin, who, in their initial gigs, were billed as "the New Yardbirds." (In 1971, once Led Zeppelin were firmly established, Epic Records would issue an album called Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page drawn from March 1968 recordings of the band on-stage in New York City. Page, who had not authorized its release, quickly filed suit and the album was promptly withdrawn, making it a much-sought-after collector's item.) However, Keith Relf and Jim McCarty were growing disenchanted with their new sound and wanted to explore a different approach influenced by folk and classical sounds. In June 1968, Relf and McCarty quit the Yardbirds, and after one final U.K. concert, Page dissolved what was left of the band. After the collapse of the Yardbirds, Keith Relf and Jim McCarty would form the arty folk-rock band Renaissance, cutting two albums with them before they moved on. McCarty would go on to form the group Shoot while Relf launched Armageddon, an ambitious fusion of folk and hard rock. Armageddon released their self-titled debut album in 1975, but the group came to a tragic end when Relf died in 1976 in an electrical accident in his home studio. Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith, and Jim McCarty reunited in the 1980s with the group Box of Frogs, who cut a pair of albums for Epic (1984's Box of Frogs and 1986's Strange Land) that included guest appearances from Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. In 1992, the Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and that same year, Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty introduced a new edition of the Yardbirds with a concert at London's Marquee Club. The debut performance was a success, and the Yardbirds would tour regularly in the years to come, with a steady stream of musicians accompanying Dreja and McCarty. In 2003, the Yardbirds recorded an album, Birdland, that included guest appearances from Brian May, Slash, Joe Satriani, and Jeff Beck. In 2013, Dreja dropped out of the Yardbirds and McCarty soon retired the band. However, he had a change of heart, and in 2015, his edition of the Yardbirds returned to duty and continued to play for their fans. Jeff Beck died on January 10, 2023 at a hospital in Southern England after contracting bacterial meningitis; he was 78 years old. Founding guitarist Anthony "Top" Topham died on January 23, 2023 at the age of 75. - by Mark Deming


traxfromwax:
1 Evil Hearted You 2 The Train Kept A Rolling 3 I Ain't Got You 4 What You Want 5 Got To Hurry 6 Too Much Monkey Business 7 Steeled Blues 8 Shapes Of Things 9 Still I'm Sad 0 New York City Blues 11 Heart Full Of Soul 12 I'm Not Talking 13 You're A Better Man Than I 14 Jeff's Blues 15 I Wish I Would 16 A Certain Girl 17 Sweet Music 18 Good Morning Little Schoolgirl 19 She's So Respectable 20 I'm A Man 21 A Certain Girl (Live) 22 Smokestack Lightening 23 Here 'Tis 24 Got Honey In Your Hips 25 Boom Boom 26 Pretty Girl 27 Got Love If You Want It 28 Putty 29 Five Long Years 30 My Girl Sloopy 31 For Your Love

For Your Love (1965)

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