Yardbirds - Birdland (15 tracks) +Album Reviews

No Eric, no Jimmy, very little Jeff, get it anyway!!!

chris meesey Food Czar | The Colony, TX United States | 04/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the Yardbirds first new disc in 30+ years, fabled guitarists Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page are nowhere to be found, and Jeff Beck only plays on one cut ("My Blind Love"). Still, this is a very worthwhile effort. If you've read Alan Clayson's excellent biography ("The Yardbirds: The Band That Launched Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page."), then you realize that drummer Jim McCarty and bass/guitarist Chris Dreja were far more instrumental to the band's sound that they are usually given credit. They form the nucleus of the new Yardbirds, along with guitarist Gypie Mayo (fine solos throughout), bass player and Keith Relf-sound alike singer John Idan (exceptional on "Mister, You're a Better Man Than I"), and harmonica man Alan Glen (whose delightful solos are an unexpected plus). Throw in a few guest guitarists like Skunk Baxter, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai and the result is an appealing blend of timeless classics and excellent new material. Standouts of the new songs are McCarty compositons "Please Don't Tell Me 'Bout the News" and "Dream Within a Dream". Finally, those old chestnuts, Mose Allison's "I'm Not Talking," and the Steve-Vai-led "Shapes of Things" sound brighter than ever. Listen, please don't fall into the trap of "Eric-and-Jimmy-and-Keith-aren't-on-this-record-so-it-can't-be-any-good." Give this disc a serious listen or two and I don't think you'll be disappointed."

A Surprisingly Good Cd From One Of The Sixties Best Bands!

highway_star | Hallandale, Florida United States | 05/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was shocked to see there was a new cd from the sixties British group The Yardbirds. My first thought was that this was a cd of unreleased material, but low and behold an all new release from this great rock band. Original members of The Yardbirds, Jim McCarty (drums) and Chris Dreja (rhythym guitar) as well as lead guitarist Jeff Beck who does a guest appearance are on this new release and a host of other artists such as Slash, Steve Lukather, Brian May, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, etc. This cd, while obviously not as stunning as the original 60's Yardbirds material, is suprisingly good. You've got some classics remade such as "I'm Not talking", "For Your Love", "Train Kept A Rollin'", "Shapes Of Things", "Over Under Sideways Down", "Mr You're A Better Man Than I", "Happening Ten Years Time Ago", "The Nazz Are Blue" as well as other songs such as "Crying Out For Love", "Please Don't Tell Me 'Bout The News", "Mr Saboteur", "My Blind Life", "Mystery Of Being", "Dream Within A Dream" and "An Original Man" (a song for Keth Relf). The Yardbird's new vocalist John Idan, (on some songs, mostly the classics) tries very hard to sound like original vocalist Keth Relf who died years ago, and he does a fantastic job. As a matter of fact the entire new line up of Yardbirds sounds great alongside the several original members. This is a cd that will not only appeal to those of us that grew up in the 60's and loved the music of this great rock band, but also to a new generation of music lovers. Long Live The Yardbirds! Highly Recommended."

Yardbirds - 'Birdlands' (Favored Nation)

Mike Reed | USA | 03/12/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Boy,talk about all the reunions you never,and I do mean never expect to see take place.Two original members of the Yardbirds reunite for this fifteen track CD.Half old songs redone,half new tracks.Which most of them are quite good.I mean,I would expect maybe a reunion awhile back of the surviving members of the Beatles or Zeppelin before the Yardbirds,and with a half of lp's worth of new material,mind you.Very nice 2003 release,the older cuts of course,rock like "For Your Love","Train Kept A Rollin'","Shape Of Things","Over Under Sideways Down"(one of my favorite tunes of all time),"Mr,You're A Better Man Than I Am" and "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago".The new cuts,like "Crying Out For Love","Please Don't Tell Me About The News" and "My Blind Life" are actually pretty decent,I thought.On most of these tunes,I thought the lead vocals sound very close to that of their late frontman Keith Relf.Line-up:Chris Dreja-rhythm guitar,Jim McCarty-drums,John Idan-bass&vocals,Gypie Mayo-guitar and Alan Glen-harmonica.Just all around good British blues rock revitalized.Recommended.They even toured the states awhile back."

Box of Frogs Rides Again

Jay Kinney | San Francisco, CA USA | 05/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don't get me wrong. This is an enjoyable CD, and one that all Yardbirds fans should own. However, if I have a beef, it is with its marketing. This isn't the first Yardbirds album in 30 some years. It is, when you get right down to it, the first Box of Frogs album since 1986. Let me explain. 1984 saw the release of "Box of Frogs" on Epic Records - a band that included Yardbirds' drummer Jim McCarty, Yardbirds' rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja and Yardbirds' Bassist Paul Samwell-Smith. Jeff Beck guest-starred as lead guitar on four tracks. It was a solid electric blues album that got little publicity and no airplay. More's the pity. If you don't have it, get it. A 1986 follow-up album got even less attention.Cut to 17 years later. McCarty and Dreja had obviously learned their lessons. Ex-Yardbirds minus the group name didn't generate much buzz. So now we have "The Yardbirds" (McCarty and Dreja minus Samwell-Smith) regrouping in a CD that includes remakes of numerous old Yardbird numbers plus seven new songs by Dreja or McCarty. This time out we have Jeff Beck guesting on one song and a mix of other guest stars (including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Slash.) The good news is that the remakes are no worse than the originals, and in a couple of cases may out-dazzle the originals. The bad news is that the original Yardbirds were so perfect in their Top 40 rock-blues pop hits that re-recording them is almost pointless.As for the new numbers by McCarty and Dreja, they are solid rock-blues songs that I'm glad to hear. But they aren't *really* Yardbirds songs - at least not any more than the Box of Frogs' numbers were. The one and only time I saw the Yardbirds live was in a low-rent suburban Chicago teen club in 1968 on their final U.S. tour. Vocalist Keith Relf had had dental surgery earlier in the day and was out of action. The other band members stood in for him by singing the songs from lyric sheets, and Jimmie Page contributed some blistering guitar-work. Their velvet rockstar shirts were worn thin and the band seemed to be superstars on a sad, diminished final tour. It was a bitter-sweet moment of faded glory.This CD beats that moment. It rocks. But let's be real. The Yardbirds we loved disappeared after "Little Games" and this CD is the classic Yardbirds rhythm section filled out with some solid players and guest stars. I'm not talking, that's what I got to say, If I said things were splendid, someone might be offended."

Classic Remakes and New Songs From a legendary Group

Dominique Morrow | Las Vegas, NV United States | 08/17/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to admit that as a lifetime Yardbirds fan that I was somewhat apprehensive about this album as it contains remakes of classic Yardbirds songs. Was this going to be like Ted Turner getting a hold of classic black and white films and colorizing them I wondered? I'm happy to report that, at least to my ears, the results are quite spectacular. The eight remakes benefit from modern recording techniques (Chris Dreja explained in an interview that the originals where not always recorded under optimal conditions) and from top caliber guest guitarist like Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter, Steve Lukather, Brian May, Slash, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai who's solos stay within the bounds of the originals but to which they add their own unique twist. I think that these guitarists like a lot of us, came of age listening to the Yardbirds and so this is a labor of love and respect. New permanent member John Idan (Bass and lead vocals) sounds a lot like deceased original lead singer Keith Relf but less nasally. These songs really rock!This is like two albums fused into one as the other seven songs are new originals mostly written by original member/ drummer Jim McCarthy. Despite these songs being built around classic Yardbirds rifts they never seem to take off quite like the classics. Yardbirds songs in the past where either written by outside writers or tended to be group collaborations. Jeff Beck sits in on one cut.For those who may not know, this band is from the original British invasion circa.1963-66 and it is impossible to overstate their importance. The Beatles got there first and introduced a new look (long hair). They took the lead in stretching the boundaries of rock to the limits. They wrote their own songs (rare in those days) and took the emphasis off singles, making albums into an art form. The Rolling Stones and the Animals popularized the blues. The Kinks interjected power cords and The Zombies jazzed things up a bit. All shared a love of American rock and roll, initially imitating it and ultimately reshaping it. However, it was The Yardbirds, more than any other group, who prominently featured the lead guitar (Eric Clapton, Jimi Page, Jeff Beck) in their work and in that sense they are the prototype for every almost rock band that came after.Also check out The Box of Frogs cd, which is really a Yardbirds project without the name (I understand that legalities kept the band from using their name). Besides Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja, it also has original bassist Paul Samwell-Smith. Jeff Beck on alt least six track and Jimi Page on several tracks. How come Clapton never sits in? It starts with a great John lee Hooker-boogie type song, "Back Where I Started'. It has a Yardbirds remake; "Heart Full of Soul" and great guest guitarist like Ray Majors and Rory Gallagher.Hope that they make more."

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