Live at the BBC

by The Yardbirds

Overview

Over the years, the Yardbirds' performances for the BBC have been the focus of various bootlegs. But BBC Sessions is no bootleg. Assembled by Warner Bros. in 1997, this rewarding CD is a very legal collection of BBC material that spans 1965-1968. When the Yardbirds performed for various BBC radio programs, they did not have the luxury of stretching out as much as they could on stage -- they had to be succinct, and that meant that they couldn't get into extended blues-rock jams. Nonetheless, their creativity flowed; if they only had two or three minutes to perform, they would squeeze a lot of energy into those two or three minutes. Most of the material on this 75-minute CD falls into two main categories: tough, gutsy blues-rock and hauntingly melodic, quasi-Gregorian hits like "Heart Full of Soul," "For Your Love," "You're a Better Man Than I," and "Evil Hearted You." The Chess Records school of Chicago blues was a major influence on the Yardbirds, who put their uniquely British spin on "The Train Kept A Rollin'," "Dust My Broom," Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning," and other blues standards. When the Yardbirds played the blues, they were far from a carbon copy of Chicago bluesmen -- and that made for some very fresh-sounding blues-rock. Never let it be said that the Yardbirds were not versatile; they could be quasi-Gregorian one minute and unapologetically gritty the next. But one thing they weren't great at was '60s garage rock, and their performance of the McCoys' "Hang on Sloopy" falls short of the excellence that characterizes 90 percent of BBC Sessions. Most of the time, however, this collection is an exciting document of the Yardbirds' BBC appearances of the '60s. ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	09/28/1999
Label:	Repertoire
UPC:	4009910477724
Rank:	93829

Tracks

1. I Ain't Got You
2. Keith Relf Talks About the Band's Background
3. For Your Love
4. I'm Not Talking
5. I Wish You Would
6. Keith Relf Talks About USA Tour
7. Heart Full of Soul
8. I Ain't Done Wrong
9. Too Much Monkey Business
10. Love Me Like I Love You
11. I'm a Man
12. Evil Hearted You
13. Interview About the 'Still I'm Sad' Single
14. Still I'm Sad
15. Hang on Sloopy
16. Smokestack Lightning
17. The Yardbirds Give Thier New Year's Resolutions
18. You're a Better Man Than I
19. The Train Kept A-Rollin'
20. Shapes of Things
21. Dust My Broom
22. Baby Scratch My Back
23. Keith Relf Talks About His Solo Single
24. Over Under Sideways Down
25. The Sun Is Shining
26. Shapes of Things Version 2
27. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
28. Little Games
29. Drinking Muddy Water
30. Think About It
31. Interview with Jimmy Page
32. Goodnight Sweet Josephine
33. My Baby

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Yardbirds   Primary Artist
Jeff Beck   Guitar
Jim McCarty   Drums
Paul Samwell-Smith   Bass
Jimmy Page   Guitar
Chris Dreja   Bass,Guitar (Rhythm)
Keith Relf   Vocals,Harmonica

Technical Credits

Elmore James   Composer
Howie Kay   Composer
Jeff Beck   Composer
Howlin' Wolf   Composer
Lois Mann   Composer
Jerry Ragovoy   Composer
Phil Wainman   Composer
Jim McCarty   Composer
Mike Hugg   Composer
Brian Hugg   Composer
Mort Shuman   Composer
Tiny Bradshaw   Composer
Calvin Carter   Composer
James Moore   Composer
Gregg Geller   Compilation Producer
Wes Farrell   Composer
Anthony Hazzard   Composer
Mose Allison   Composer
Ira Robbins   Annotation,Liner Notes
Howard Kay   Composer
Chris Herles   Digital Mastering
Jo Motta   Project Coordinator
Mac Stanley   Composer
Harold Spiro   Composer
Tony Hazzard   Composer
Paul Samwell-Smith   Composer
Bert Russell   Composer
Bo Diddley   Composer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Billy Boy Arnold   Composer
Jimmy Page   Composer
Chris Dreja   Composer
Keith Relf   Composer
Chuck Berry   Composer
Clarence Carter   Composer
Graham Gouldman   Composer