Yardbirds/CA,USA 1967 & 1968 New Source

Looking back, I think it can be said that the Yardbirds were a band that continued to be in a period of transition. The biggest factor was that the band didn’t have a great songwriter. With the departure of Paul Samuel-Smith, who had the most songwriter-like qualities in the group, the band naturally began to rely on their guitarist for the direction of their sound. Of the so-called three great guitarists produced by the group, it is no surprise that the Yardbirds, with Jimmy Page, who had outstanding songwriting ability, had the longest active period. As a result, the most abundant live sound sources and videos are from the Page era, but in August, suddenly two new performances were discovered that captured the stages in the United States in 1967 and 1968. Audience recordings appeared on the internet and became a hot topic among enthusiasts around the world. It goes without saying that both are very valuable sound source excavations in the Yardbirds’ career, but the first thing that surprises me is that the sound quality is surprisingly good for an audience recording in the late 1960s. Speaking of the Yardbirds’ audience, the Shrine Auditorium in 1968 (distant sound image) or the Fillmore in the same year (sound cracking) have value in their existence as sound sources, and are at a level for enthusiasts to listen to as music. I wonder if I can remember the sound source. However, when it comes to this sound source, the balance of performance and vocals is surprisingly good, and the freshness of Page’s guitar is overwhelming. It boasts unparalleled ease of listening among Yardbirds audience recordings. It’s hard to believe that a tape of this quality has been lying dormant for over 50 years. First of all, the first picture is a picture of the Yardbirds at the Fillmore. It is also an extremely valuable excavation that surprised enthusiasts greatly in the fact that the same Fillmore was released in 1967 rather than 1968, which has been around for a long time. As I mentioned earlier, the 1967 Yardbirds are well known for their radio recordings from Stockholm in April and live footage from a French festival that was discovered in recent years, but this time the Fillmore is from July. This was held as part of the American tour that started on the 10th. What is noteworthy is that while the radio sound source and video mentioned earlier had the sound of the Jeff Beck era, this Fillmore featured the album “LITTLE GAMES” that was about to be released, or the sound that heralded the arrival of the Page era. It’s probably a sudden change. What is most surprising is that the psychedelic number “Glimpses” from the same album is played. In fact, only this precious song has been circulating on YouTube for seven years, and it surprised enthusiasts so much that one commented, “Isn’t there a full-length version of this sound source?” This means that the “full-length version” has finally appeared. What’s more, this “Glimpses”, like the album version, is surprised by the fact that even the latter half of the dialogue is reproduced on stage, but it seems that tape was used, and the fact that they even tried to produce such a production is surprising. I can’t help but be surprised. Furthermore, I am surprised that “Smokestack Lightning” suddenly became “How Many More Times” in 1967. The live sound source of 1968 has a feeling of “the eve of ZEP”, but even in July of 1967, when the Page era began in earnest, there is a scene where you can clearly see that he was beginning to show his true potential. Sho. What’s more, the sound quality is good, so it’s nice to be able to clearly convey the evolution of the sound. The second disc contains the stage performance at Concord in May 1968, but the one that took place before that was at the Fillmore, and the one that took place after this was the classic Yardbirds sound source from the LP era to the end. Shrine Auditorium. In other words, the fact that there are multiple audience recordings during this period is the best evidence of how popular they were in America. And as I said earlier, the big appeal is that the sound quality is much better than those two sound sources. However, the quality of the Shrine Auditorium is similar to early ZEP audience recordings in the United States, and it is a level that enthusiasts can fully enjoy. Please enjoy them on the CD-R “FOUR LIVE YARDBIRDS”. The reason why Shrine Auditorium has been so useful to enthusiasts is not only because it was the final audience for the Yardbirds just before they disbanded, but also because it was able to fully capture the two shows that were held. On the other hand, this time’s sound source seems to capture everything from the first show that was held twice, judging from the set list. Although the sound quality of this sound source is slightly inferior to the first 1967 Fillmore, it is still much easier to listen to than the past 1968 audience mentioned above. From “Train Kept A-Rollin”’ to “Heart Full of Soul,” which was also the anchor at the Anderson Theater in March, “LIVE YARDBIRDS” can now be enjoyed without overdubbing at “YARDBIRDS 68.” Keith Relph also introduced the song that can be called the footsteps of ZEP, with the title “Dazed and Confused”, after smoothly playing the opening pattern that is played in quick succession. Another great point is that you can listen to the high-quality performance of “Happenings Ten Years Times Ago” by the late Yardbirds, which was not included in “YARDBIRDS 68”. As a result, the Yardbirds’ final American tour took place from the end of May to the beginning of June, but as Page later testified, he was concerned about the state of the group at the time and the American audience. Satisfied with the response, Page was even more motivated to take the Yardbirds to the next level. However, Relf and drummer Jim McCarty, who had been with the Yardbirds since their days as an R&B band, became tired of the long American tour and announced their withdrawal within a week of the end. The Yardbirds quickly disband. It is true that “Dazed and Confused” is more complete than “YARDBIRDS 68”, and we can fully predict the evolution of YARDBIRDS. However, Relph, who was originally trained in a gentle singing style, could not keep up with the changes, and he and McCarty left the group, and Chris Dreya also retired from being a musician. And for the time being, the new group that took over as the New Yardbirds in the fall will become a big airship that will leave a big footprint in rock history. After all, The Yardbirds ended as it was meant to end. The Concord stage where the final completed form of the “eternal transitional band” was captured. The Fillmore was released in 1967, when Page broke away from being a beat group and breathed new life into the band with great enthusiasm. Both have surprisingly high sound quality. Upon its release, the pitch deviations and noise specific to vintage audiences were carefully adjusted. In particular, it seems that the first few songs of the Fillmore could not be recorded, and instead the first two songs were borrowed from Concord and released as an edit, but of course the sound source, which is completely different in time and place, was cut out. The historical excavation vintage audience has been polished to its best condition. This is amazing! Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, USA July 1967 PERFECT SOUND(NEW SOURCE) Concord Coliseum, Concord, CA, USA 29th May 1968 PERFECT SOUND(NEW SOURCE) Disc 1(67:31) Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, USA July 1967 1. Introduction 2. Heart Full of Soul 3. I Wish You Would-Hey Gyp 4. My Baby 5. You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine 6. Shape of Things 7. I’m a Man 8. Smokestack Lightning 9. Bye-Bye Bird 10. Happenings Ten Years Time Ago 11. Smile on Me 12. Glimpse 13. Ain’t Done Wrong 14. Over Under Sideways Down ★Correct the randomly large and low pitches as much as possible. Disc 2 (53:08) Concord Coliseum, Concord, CA, USA 29th May 1968 1. Introduction 2. Train Kept A-Rollin’ 3. Mr. You’re a Better Man Than I 4. Heart Full of Soul 5. Dazed and Confused 6. Shapes of Things 7. White Summer 8. Happenings Ten Years Times Ago 9. I’m a Man ★Corrected the pitch about 30% higher than a semitone. Keith Relf – vocal Jimmy Page – guitars Chris Dreja – bass Jim McCarty – drums