...............................................album of the week

The Yardbirds - (1965) Having a Rave Up

Review by Bruce Eder (AMG)

The Yardbirds are mostly known to the casual rock fan as the starting point for three of the greatest British rock guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Undoubtedly, these three figures did much to shape the group's sound, but throughout their career, the Yardbirds were very much a unit, albeit a rather unstable one. And they were truly one of the great rock bands; one whose contributions went far beyond the scope of their half dozen or so mid-'60s hits ("For Your Love," "Heart Full of Soul," "Shapes of Things," "I'm a Man," "Over Under Sideways Down," "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"). Not content to limit themselves to the R&B and blues covers they concentrated upon initially, they quickly branched out into moody, increasingly experimental pop/rock. The innovations of Clapton, Beck, and Page redefined the role of the guitar in rock music, breaking immense ground in the use of feedback, distortion, and amplification with finesse and breathtaking virtuosity. With the arguable exception of the Byrds, they did more than any other outfit to pioneer psychedelia, with an eclectic, risk-taking approach that laid the groundwork for much of the hard rock and progressive rock from the late '60s to the present.

· Track List:

01. Mr. You're A Better Man Than I
02. Evil Hearted You
03. I'm A Man 04. Still I'm Sad
05. Heart Full Of Soul
06. Train Kept A Rollin'
07. Smokestack LIghtning
08. Respectable
09. I'm A Man
10. Here 'Tis

11. Shapes Of Things
12. New York City Blues
13. Jeff's Blues (Take 1)
14. Someone To Love (Part 1)
15. Someone To Love (Part 2)
16. Like Jimmy Reed Again
17. Chris' Number
18. What Do You Want
19. Here 'Tis
20. Here 'Tis (Version For RS)
21. Stroll On


· Personnel:

Jeff Beck – lead guitar
Eric Clapton – lead guitar
Chris Dreja – rhythm guitar
Jimmy Page – lead guitar
Jim McCarty – drums, backing vocals
Keith Relf – vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar
Paul Samwell-Smith – bass, backing vocals, musical director


· About...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yardbirds


·Video:

...............................................album of the week

The Doors - (1970) Morrison Hotel


Review by William Ruhlmann & Richie Unterberger (AMG)

The Doors, one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the 1960s, were formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by UCLA film students Ray Manzarek, keyboards, and Jim Morrison, vocals; with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. The group never added a bass player, and their sound was dominated by Manzarek's electric organ work and Morrison's deep, sonorous voice, with which he sang and intoned his highly poetic lyrics. The group signed to Elektra Records in 1966 and released its first album, The Doors, featuring the hit "Light My Fire," in 1967. Like "Light My Fire," the debut album was a massive hit, and endures as one of the most exciting, groundbreaking recordings of the psychedelic era. Blending blues, classical, Eastern music, and pop into sinister but beguiling melodies, the band sounded like no other. With his rich, chilling vocals and somber poetic visions, Morrison explored the depths of the darkest and most thrilling aspects of the psychedelic experience. Their first effort was so stellar, in fact, that the Doors were hard-pressed to match it, and although their next few albums contained a wealth of first-rate material, the group also began running up against the limitations of their recklessly disturbing visions. By their third album, they had exhausted their initial reservoir of compositions, and some of the tracks they hurriedly devised to meet public demand were clearly inferior to, and imitative of, their best early work. On The Soft Parade, the group experimented with brass sections, with mixed results. Accused (without much merit) by much of the rock underground as pop sellouts, the group charged back hard with the final two albums they recorded with Morrison, on which they drew upon stone-cold blues for much of their inspiration, especially on 1971's L.A. Woman.

· Track List:

Side one: Hard Rock Cafe
01. Roadhouse Blues
02. Waiting for the Sun
03. You Make Me Real
04. Peace Frog
05. Blue Sunday
06. Ship of Fools

Side two: Morrison Hotel
01. Land Ho!
02. The Spy
03. Queen of the Highway
04. Indian Summer
05. Maggie M'Gill


· Personnel:

Jim Morrison – lead vocals
Robby Krieger – lead guitar, rhythm guitar
Ray Manzarek – organ, piano, keyboard bass, backing vocals
John Densmore – drums



· About...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doors


·Video: