Yardbirds, Having a Rave Up, Epic LN 24177, MONO, Jeff Beckf, Clapton, RARE '65

$

35

The Yardbirds

Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds

Epic LP LN 24177

1965

MONO

Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton

Having a Rave Up With The Yardbirds is the second American album by English rock band The Yardbirds. Released in 1965, the album is a mix of US-only tracks, previously released singles, and material from Five Live Yardbirds. The album spent thirty-three weeks in Billboard's Top LPs chart where it reached number 53. Having a Rave Up "proved to be their most durable LP, remaining in print until 1972, longer than any other Yardbirds album on Epic".[2] In 2003, the album was ranked number 353 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", which called the album "the bridge between beat groups and psychedelia". [3]

The album features three songs that were recorded when the Yardbirds were on their first US tour in August–September 1965: "Train Kept A-Rollin'", "You're a Better Man than I", and "I'm a Man" (studio version with Jeff Beck). ("Train Kept A-Rollin'" and "I'm a Man" were eventually released in the UK in 1976–1977[4] and in February 1966 "You're a Better Man than I" became the UK B-side of "Shapes of Things" – see discography for singles information.) Also included are three previously released singles ("Heart Full of Soul", "Evil Hearted You", "Still I'm Sad"). The second side of the album has four songs (with Eric Clapton, who left the band eight months earlier in March 1965 and is not pictured on the album cover) from the 1964 UK live album Five Live Yardbirds, including the influential "Smokestack Lightning".

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, #355

Side 1

1.   "You're a Better Man Than I"  Mike Hugg, Brian Hugg                              3:17

2.   "Evil Hearted You"                   Graham Gouldman                                      2:24

3.   "I'm a Man"                                Bo Diddley                                                     2:37

4.   "Still I'm Sad"                            Paul Samwell-Smith, Jim McCarty            2:57

5.   "Heart Full of Soul"                  Gouldman                                                      2:28

6.   "Train Kept A-Rollin'"              Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, Lois Mann 3:26

Side 2   "Live" w Eric Claptop (Five Live Yardbirds)                                                                                                                                               

1.   "Smokestack Lightning"     Howlin' Wolf                                                           5:35

2.   "Respectable"                      O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley        5:28

3.   "I'm a Man"                            Diddley                                                                    4:24

4.   "Here 'Tis"                             Diddley                                                                    5:04

§  Keith Relf – vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar

§  Jeff Beck – lead guitar (Side 1 and all reissue bonus tracks)

§  Eric Clapton – lead guitar (Side 2)

§  Chris Dreja – rhythm guitar

§  Paul Samwell-Smith – bass, backing vocals, musical director

§  Jim McCarty – drums, backing vocals

§  Giorgio Gomelsky – producer, lower range backing vocal on "Still I'm Sad"

§  Ron Prentice - bass on "Heart Full of Soul"

“Beck has gone on to create some of the most interesting and innovative music imaginable; his recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was long overdue. ”W. Cohen  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement

“This is the real deal and no other album of this period was so well done in its melding of genre's... do yourself a favor and buy it.. ”Mark L. Mckenzie  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement

The Yardbirds' third album (and their second with guitarist Jeff Beck, who replaced Eric Clapton) is one of the very best rock records of the entire mid-60s, a scintillating collection of tunes that plays like a best-of collection. Having a Rave Up is split neatly down the middle: Side 1 consists of six studio tunes recorded with Beck on guitar, while Side 2 features four songs recorded live during the group's Clapton days (these recordings, as well as several others, can be found on the group's 1964 U.K. debut, Five Live Yardbirds). This may seem like a messy and unfocused way to organize an album, but it works fantasticaly well- the record effectively showcases the unique talents of each guitarist, as well as the distinctive features of both eras of the band's career. The first half is marked by Beck's effects-laden guitar virtuosity- the band's amazing rendition of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" is a hyperactive rush of fuzz-toned soloing and brutal thunderclouds of feedback. Keith Relf's exuberant, double-tracked vocals are equally inpressive. The cover of Bo Diddley's "I'm A Man" is another freewheeling classic, propelled by a storming, air-tight rhythm section and some swaggering harmonicas from Relf. The instrumental break, in which the tempo switches to a double-time gallop and Beck turns his guitar into a pure rhythm machine, is nothing short of dazzling. "Mister, You're A Better Man Than I" burns with quiet intensity, riding along on Jim McCarty's crackling drums and some bitterly sarcastic vocals. Jeff's searing, distorted guitar solo is, of course, superb. "Heart Full Of Soul" is a slice of minor-key mid 60s cool with a few superb fuzz-toned guitar interjections. The folky, melancholy "Still I'm Sad" and the puzzing paranoia of "Evil Hearted You" are also excellent. Side 2 shows off the Yardbirds when they were still a young and hungry blues-rock band, bashing out out songs with more gritty passion than technical skill. It's every bit as good as the first half, a wonderful showcase of rock 'n' roll in its rawest and purest form. The cover of Howlin' Wolf's classic "Smokestack Lightening" captures all of the original's menace and viscous bite, throwing in a rip-roaring instrumental explosion for good measure. "Respectable" keeps things going with a burst of R&B drenched fury, while another rendition of "I'm a Man" (compare to the one found on the first side) features a searing harmonica solo and a raucous Relf performance. Finally, the take on "Here' Tis" is a rhthmic blood-pumper with some of Clapton's coolest guitar-strangling. All in all, a superb little record. This album demands inclusion in the collection of any fan of 60s rock n roll. Totally recomended.

"Having a Rave Up" actually came out in late 1965 ... "Heart Full of Soul" was a hit in London during the summer of that year. I bought this album without hearing it on the basis of comments made by Clay Cole in the December 1965 issue of 16 magazine ... he said that, "if you were a guitar fan, Jeff Beck was the best one out there (even George Harrison and Keith Richards said so!)." He was right.

This album changed my life. It redefined rock & roll, and was the first (and one of the all-time best) examples of what can happen when musicians push the envelope. Beck has gone on to create some of the most interesting and innovative music imaginable; his recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was long overdue.

Buy it. You won't be disappointed!

Freed from Eric Clapton's blues purism and spurred by Jeff Beck's reckless exhibitionism, the Yardbirds launched a noisy rock & roll avant-garde. This is the bridge between beat groups and psychedelia.

Condition

Cover:  VG+, some wear ring, one split about 1” on lower front open cover side, one cut-out rivet top left corner, one cut-out drill hole lower left corner.

Vinyl: VG+, small scuffs and scratches that do not affect play.

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