Search - Armageddon :: Armageddon (Dig)

Swansong for a Yardbird

A. Kesselman | Phoenix, AZ United States | 07/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recently discovered this great recording when I was at Revolver Records, a record shop in Phoenix, and the vinyl was playing. I did not know what I was hearing initially, but it sounded Yardbirds influenced. Lo and behold, this album ended up being the final part of the Keith Relf recording legacy.



Having purchased the vinyl, I went ahead and got the CD here on Amazon and was impressed with the packaging and sound. Repertoire Records did their typically thorough job on packaging the CD, and the sound is outstanding. It sounds like it was recorded with the technology available today rather than that of the 1970s.



As for the music itself, I think this release stands up to the best of the 1970s hard rock/progressive/metal music. There is not a bad track on the album, and the musicianship is top notch throughout. Perhaps if the Yardbirds had continued on, they might have put out a recording like this. In fact, some of the musical passages present in this album evoke the style of music the Yardbirds were playing live near the end of their existence (check out "Live at the Anderson Theater" to get a better understanding). It is certainly a shame the band disbanded shortly after the album was released and Keith Relf ended up dying soon after. Fortunately, this recording lives on forever as a proud reminder of the man and his music."

This is the way it was.

T. J. May | Kansas City, MO | 08/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the way music was at the time of its inception. Going for broke, yet tasteful. Similar in style and approach to early Tull works (Stand Up, Benefit) but with that wonderful vocal styling of Keith Relf. My god, even though I'm a proud American, the English at this time just kept exploding onto the scene. What a history of progressive, creative music during the late 60's/early 70's.



The whole album is strong from start to end, but especially the final lengthy track "Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun." It's the kind of music that makes you remember, and admire the early works that haven't worn out there welcome in today's polished (which I enjoy also) world of not so "real" music.



What a horrible loss Keith Relf's accidental death was/is. It would have been exciting to have had a couple more Armageddon albums!



Buy This Music."