Search - The Yardbirds :: Volume 2: Blues, Backtracks And Shapes Of Things

A Sloppy Overview of a Great Group

donnelly117 | 12/15/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This 2 CD set of Yardbirds odds and sods was rendered superfluous by Rhino's release of ULTIMATE. A few interesting inclusions help, like the sitar version of "Heart Full of Soul" and a few outtakes from the sessions that would result in ROGER THE ENGINEER, but otherwise this is a mess. "Shapes of Things" and "Stroll On" are also here, but they're also available on ULTIMATE. Worse, several tracks are repeated from Sony's earlier SMOKESTACK LIGHTING (again rendered superfluous by ULTIMATE). Sony clearly didn't care much about the band, one already notorious in collectors circles for its confused catelogue. To top it off, Bruce Eder's liner notes are dull and uninformative and chockfull of middlebrow disdain for his subject. Not to be too much of a pedant, a photo featuring Paul Samwell-Smith is mistakenly listed as being from "Blow Up." Skip it unless you're desperate to hear "Pounds and Stomps" or "For RSG.""