Search - Birds :: Collector's Guide to Rare

Mod power-pop freakbeat maximum r & b explosion

Robert Schell | Townsville, Texas | 05/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Birds were a great Mod heavy R & B influenced act, similar to the Pretty Things, Fairies, The Who, and similar mid-60's groups. Unfortunately, they didn't record much material or last long, so you get a lot of alternate versions of the same songs on this collection. Despite that, this is essential music, brimming with energy and youthful Mod swagger. Their version of "Leaving here" is crunchier and much more energetic than the Who's version. They also do a cover of "Run run run" which you'd swear is The Who. Most of the songs are pretty straightforward: blues structure, distored guitar, primitive, simplistic drumming. But you also get the unabashed Mod-pop of "Say those magic words," some near psychedelia, and even a stab a twee-pop ("Granny rides again"). As a bonus you get a track they performed in the B-movie (Bee movie?) "The Deadly Bees," which is taken directly from the movie soundtrack and has voiced-over dialogue from characters in the movie! All in all this is of great historical interest to fans of mid-60's rock, Stones/Ron Wood fans (Wood was the lead guitarist), as well as just being great rock 'n' roll."

"Pounding Beat & Savage Music!"

J P Ryan | Waltham, Massachusetts United States | 06/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The title of my review is borrowed from the posters Ron Wood painted advertising club gigs by The Birds - it's as apt a description of the music they made as any I can think of.

The Birds (1964 - 67) are certainly a historical curiosity, most noteably as Ron Wood's first band until he left the nest in January 1967 for superstardom with The Jeff Beck Group, Faces, and for the past 33 years, The Rolling Stones. Another founding member, bassist Kim Gardner, achieved a modicum of fame as a member of the legendary Creation (to be joined, for a few months, by Wood). But though the group's output was rather slim - three singles for Decca in 1964-65, a fourth on Reaction in 1966 - this superb compilation makes a case that they were more than a footnote, that in fact they were one of the most exciting bands of their too-brief time. This set collects all the bands singles, cancelled singles, unissued tracks, and a few alternate versions. The set begins with their powerful debut, Wood's "You're On My Mind," b/w a primal, incendiary version of Bo Diddley's "You Don't Love Me," (issued November 1964). This was followed by the oft-covered (but never better than here) Motown fave "Leaving Here" (which Ron revisisted on his 2002 solo cd, "Not For Beginners") backed with another Wood original, "Next In Line." These tracks show just why the Yardbirds occasionally used Ron Wood to fill in when Keith Relf was ailing - his slashing guitar and energetic harmonica would add to any rave-up, even though (amazingly) he was only 17 years old (and 19 when he left to join the Beck Group)! The Birds' third single represents a massive leap forward in terms of sheer raw power and authority. "No Good Without You" (another early Motown gem, but the Birds make it their own) and especially Wood's "How Can It Be," are astonishing: bassist Kim Gardner and drummer Pete McDaniel provide a dense bottom to vocalist Ali Mackenzie's undeniable charisma and Wood's (abetted by second guitarist Tony Munroe)remarkable guitar - exquisitely deployed sheer sonic filth, chunky, slashing, sputtering shrapnel in every direction, all seemingly improvised (within the songs' framework) but in fact great excercises in tension and dynamics. These tracks are as viscerally powerful as any the Kinks/Who/Small Faces were issuing at the time, and reward repeat listens with an array of cool details. And lest we forget, vocalist Ali Mackenzie (who shoulda been a contender...) projects punk attitude and absolute confidence without any excessive mannerisms or even a whiff of self-indulgence. Just as the Birds were improving with each new release, and gaining a devoted following for their live shows, the group left Decca to sign with Robert Stigwood's new Reaction label in late '65. Around this time things started to unravel. Various factors, including the sudden superstardom of the US Byrds, who made a very successful British debut, prevented the Birds' Reaction debut single from coming out 'til 11 months after its predecessor, destroying what momentum had been developed. "Say Those Magic Words" is a driving, splendidly melodic rocker, but once again it's the Wood/Munroe b-side, "Daddy Daddy" that displays the remarkable and ongoing musical growth: at over 4 minutes, 'Daddy...' has an unusual, occasionally surreal lyric of confusion and dread as well as an unconventional structure. A powerful garage/psych gem, around the halfway mark they switch gears with a long, dense instrumental section exploding with darkly relentless guitar interplay and pummeling rhythm.

And that, for the time being, was that - the group made an appearence in "The Deadly Bees," (1967) - a very cool-sounding Wood song that, a master evidently eluding our compilers, only exists in fragmentary form on the film's track, so it's included as an unlisted coda complete with the actors' dialogue over the band's performance (in the film, the Birds appear on TV while the characters go about their business). I certainly hope the master for this marvelous rocker - and other titles apparently recorded but not included, is eventually unearthed and issued! The rest of this set gathers some terrific unreleased material, including a cancelled Reaction single, the fine pop-soul-rocker, "Good Times" and two versions of Pete Townshend's "Run Run Run" that outrun the Who's; more quite worthy alternate versions of previously mentioned tracks; the group's very first (June '64) demo of "You're On My Mind"/"You Don't Love Me", warmer and bluesier, if less intense, than the debut single. The most recent song is a late '66 Wood track, "Granny Rides Again," that Ali Mackenzie completed as the band fell apart, in early '67 - their jauntiest yet, reminiscent of some of Creation's circa '68 tracks, but with the relieable rock-solid bottom & thick/crunchy sound that characterized Wood's playing during the period. This terrific set comes with a booklet featuring period photos and memorabilia and a decent history of the band, housed in a nice slipcase. Is there more material in the vaults? I hope so, & that as great as this Deram comp is, additional tracks will be recovered. One final minor complaint: I don't like Jon Astley's work w/ the Who catalog, & I hope he isn't once again the remastering engineer if that next, REALLY definitive Birds set is released - and why not? There still has yet to be ANY US cd of this great group's work, despite Wood's subsequent stardom and the raw power of this music. Bob Irwin (of Sundazed), are you listening??? But for now, if you like the primal energy of early Who/Kinks/Small Faces, or just superfine rock 'n' roll, or if you became aware of Ron Wood through his fine work with Faces or the Rolling Stones, this collection will surprise you and rock your socks off. PLAY LOUD!"

Bluesy British '65 Garage Rock

burttb | San Francisco | 07/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This fantastic collection brings together all 4 of The Birds long out of print and extremely rare 1964-1965 Decca singles, along with 10 unreleased demos, alternate takes, and unissued rarities, all painstakingly restored to digital brilliance. The first track features The Birds first single "You're on My Mind", and sets the mood for a hard rocking British R&B Mersey beat sound similar to the early Beatles, The Stones, The Who, and The Pretty Things. In fact, young guitarist Ron Wood would later go on to greater fame in The Creation, The Faces, and the Rolling Stones. But it is in The Birds that Woody was part of an aesthetic rock'n'roll perfection featuring raw guitars, soulful bluesy singing, wailing harmonica, and primitive pounding drums - in short a proper driving energetic rock'n'roll sound that will soon have you shaking like its 1966. All of these fantastic elements are put brilliantly into great songs, such as the blazing singles "No Good Without You Baby" and "Say Those Magic Words". Also recommended but harder to find is "The Clarion Singles Collection", a British import EP that compiles another 3 Birds singles released on the Clarion label."