Yardbirds Ultimate! CD

Those who worship at the Guitar God altar will have their prayers answered on July 17, when Rhino delivers The Yardbirds - Ultimate!, the first-ever collection to include tracks by the patron saints of guitar rock: Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page. Boasting more than 50 songs, the two-CD anthology marks the first time a truly comprehensive Yardbirds collection has ever been available, despite beliefs to the contrary, fostered by numerous falsely titled collections claiming to be definitive but not even close. The Yardbirds - Ultimate! spans 1963 to 1968 and features numerous cuts from their British and American albums, many single sides, and a trio of solo recordings from the late Keith Relf, vocalist and founding member. This Rhino Records release in packages in double tri-fold digipak.

The Yardbirds: Keith Relf (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, tambourine); Jeff Beck (vocals, guitar, bass); Chris Dreja (guitar, piano, bass, maracas); Jimmy Page (guitar, bass); Anthony "Top" Topham, Eric Clapton (guitar); Paul Samwell-Smith (bass, background vocals); Jim McCarty (drums, percussion, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Hamish Grimes (spoken vocals); Al Gorgoni (guitar); Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins (piano); Brian Auger (harpsichord); Rick Nielsen (organ); Ron Prentice, John Paul Jones, Joe Macho, Joe Osborne (bass); Dougie Wright, Clem Cattini, Bobby Gregg, Hal Baline (drums); Denny Piercey (bongos); Chris Karan (tabla).
Producers: Giorgio Gomelsky, Paul Samwell-Smith, Simom Napier-Bell, Mickie Most.
Compilation producer: Gary Stewart.
Recorded between 1963 and 1968. Includes liner notes and song annotations by Cub Koda.
Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch & Bill Inglot (DigiPrep).
Personnel: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page (guitar).
Recording information: Advision Sound Studios, New Band St., London, England; Chess Recording Studios, Chicao, IL; Columbia Recording Studios, New York, NY; De Lane Lea Studios, Kingsway, London, England; I.B.C. Studios, Portland Place, London, England; Marquee Club, Wardour St., London, England; Olympic Sound Studios, Baker St., London, England; R.G. Jones Studios, Morden, Surrey, England; RCA Studios, Hollywood, CA; Sam Phillips Recording Service, Madison Ave., Memphis,; Sound Techniques Studios, Chelsea, London, England.
It had to happen sometime, and after about 30 years of piecemeal Yardbirds compilations, here it is: a lengthy best-of anthology that manages to cross-license material from the Clapton, Beck, and Page eras. The result is a two-CD, 52-song anthology that includes all of their big hits, most of their outstanding albums tracks and non-hit singles, and a few rarities. If you're looking for one Yardbirds compilation, either as a starter or a summary, this is it. Previous anthologies almost always had to be divided in early 1966 after the "Shapes of Things" single for licensing reasons, but finally you can hear early blues-derived Clapton sides, 1965 initial British Invasion hit singles, "Shapes of Things," "Over Under Sideways Down," "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago," and the (comparatively slight) highlights of the 1967-1968 Page lineup all in one place. As quite minor quibbles, one could argue that some of the album tracks that were passed over -- like "Respectable," "Ever Since the World Began," and "Glimpses" -- would have been better choices than some of the cuts that did make it. A few relatively obscure items are included -- the late 1963 recording "Boom Boom"/"Honey in Your Hips," the 1965 B-side "Steeled Blues," the 1966 B-side "Psycho Daises," the Blow-Up soundtrack item "Stroll On," the weird Italian pop single "Questa Volta"/"Pafff...Bum," and particularly the three pop-folky 1966 songs from Keith Relf's solo singles. Some of those lesser rarities are at cross-purposes with the overall tone of a set largely selected on the basis of quality, rather than collectability. Still, with fine liner notes and packaging, overall it gives the musEntertainment Weekly (7/27/01, p.71) - "...They are the font from which flowed the white-hot proto-metal that inspired hundreds of garage bands....why would you even 'dream' of skipping this primo 2-disc compilation." - Rating: A
Q (11/01, p.146) - 5 out of 5 stars - "...This is a perfect compilation..."
Down Beat (12/01, p.86) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...A thorough overview..."