Yardbirds

Whiteman blues has been tiresome since day dot.

One of the few 60s albums that has a genuine sense of jaunty fun without becoming extremely annoying. "Hot House of Omagarashid" is amazing, just so layered and jaunty, while "Ever Since the World Began" seemingly sets the template for Black Sabbath's dark voyages.

A few good songs on here. Wasn't bad, just a bit bland on the whole

3 ⭐️

1.57

In this year of 2024 this is really a two star album for me, but I am going to take into account that this was made in the early years of rock. I can hear some interesting experimentation. I can’t say I found listening to it that enjoyable, but I can see where this was a jumping off point for more interesting works.

Some really cool grooves on this one. But still not very outstanding from that era

Jeff Beck is pretty obviously the star of the show here. The Yardbirds are one of many groups from this era whose studio albums don't really paint the clearest picture of their history or impact, and I'm generally lukewarm on them anyway, but this is still highly listenable to me. "Over Under Sideways Down" the clear highlight.

3.5/5

Roger the Engineer is a case of an album that has good ideas but falls a bit short due to poor mixing. I learned that Jeff Beck worked on this album and his guitar work absolutely shines here. Many of the songs also tried unique things like all sorts of different sounds that fit surprisingly well together. The album is also a short one too at around only 30 minutes so it never feels like its dragging. The main issue i have is, like i said, the poor mixing making it sound more like a live album rather than a studio album and it can feel like the music drowns out the vocals and vice versa. This is still a decent album, it just needed some better audio mixing.
Best Song: Hot House of Omagararshid
Worst Song: Ever Since the World Began

Ik had een ander beeld bij Tuinfluiters. Maar ach ja. Dit is best een geinig plaatje. Niet om regelmatig op te zetten. Meer iets dat je hoopt tegen te komen op een klein festival. Het voelt lekker ongedwongen. Dat zal met het decennium te maken hebben. Je hoort ook wel wat experimentjes, zoals ook in dat decennium hoort. Maar het schiet daar niet in door.

3,5 ster

* geluisterd naar de UK-versie.

Roger is a darn good engineer

The album is completely being carried, and feels like whole, due to the amazing guitarwork from Jeff Beck. Besides that there's some great songs on here, as well as some decidedly mediocre tunes.

Jeff Beck lifts this up, but it's still fairly generic psychedelic tinged rock pop, 1966 was loaded with this style.

Pretty solid bluesy classic rock. Definitely sounds like the 60s.

Jeff Beck is a super underrated guitarist. He's fuckin awesome. And the bassist on this album is puttin in work! Definately blues rock with hints if psychadelic rock

Favourite songs: The Nazz Are Blue, Jeff's Boogie, Lost Women, Rack My Mind, He's Always There

Least favourite songs: I Can't Make Your Way

3/5

Fun but fairly run of the mill 60s fare.

A really good album with that unmistakable mid sixties energy.

The Yardbirds have such a strong 60s sound. Bluesy, slightly psychedelic and full of attitude. You can hear how influential they were, especially in the guitar work, which feels sharp and inventive throughout.

Lost Woman is a standout for me. It has that driving rhythm and edge that makes the album so enjoyable. The whole record has a raw, youthful feel and never drifts.

There are no obvious weak moments. It is consistently strong and a great snapshot of British rock in that era.

Favourite song: Lost Woman
Least favourite song: None. No bad songs on here
Album artwork: I am a fan. Bold, colourful and very much of its time

It's alright. It's fine, but entirely forgettable. It lacks any kind of bite.

2.5 rounded down.

No Clapton, No problem.

This album is a great showcase of the Yardbirds' blues and psychedelic rock sound, with Jeff Beck's guitar work being the highlight. The songs are catchy, energetic and diverse, ranging from hard rockers like "Over Under Sideways Down" and "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" to mellow ballads like "Turn into Earth" and "Ever Since the World Began".

The album is not flawless, as some tracks are less memorable than others, and the production is a bit dated by today's standards. However, it is still a very enjoyable and influential album that deserves recognition as one of the best of the 60s. I give it 4 stars out of 5.

The Yardbirds doing the blues. It is cool that its all originals, I can respect a band trying to add to a musical cannon and not just ripping it off.

A very english take on the blues, from what we would probably now call a privileged position. No need for all the bonus tracks - a lot of them are alternate takes of songs, and the rest weren't on the album. Is it too much to ask to have the whole album and nothing else? Apparently it is!