Sunday, May 27, 2007

It's Cricket!




Connie Stevens as Cricket
1960

Review
by Lindsay Planer
This is Connie Stevens' second long-player and perhaps the one most directly associated with her tenure as nightclub singer Cricket Blake (1959-1963) on the television spy drama Hawaiian Eye. Through an onslaught of cross promotion, she quickly became — as unabashedly proclaimed on the cover art — "the new singing sensation of television." Under the direction of noted Hollywood and Los Angeles arrangers/conductors Carl Brandt, Warren Barker, Don Ralkle, and Hal Hidey, Stevens' vocals are scored in a number of settings which reflect the moods and temperaments of the pop music-buying public in the late '50s and early '60s. Another sign of the times is that the record company chose to borrow a quarter of the album — "The Trolley Song," "Why Try to Change Me Now," "Slow Boat to China," and "Too Young" — from her first LP, Conchetta (1958). Opening the album is the typically languid '50s love ballad "Sixteen Reasons," which would become one of Stevens' biggest singles, ultimately selling millions as well as scoring her a Top Five hit. Another tale of teen romance is "Why Do I Cry for Joey?." Both tracks feature Stevens' vocals swaddled in heavy orchestration complete with chorus — somewhat typifying the Johnny Ray-esque balladry here. Stevens' facilities as an actress are most fully incorporated into the traditional pop tunes such as "Slow Boat to China" and "Too Young," giving her renditions an emotive and almost noir jazz edge. On the other side of the pop music spectrum are the kitschy and somewhat dated "A Little Kiss Is a Kiss Is a Kiss" and "Apollo," which were among the five tracks on this LP to also be featured as subsequent 45 rpm singles. These tunes are lightweight efforts when compared to the truly affective performances that Stevens gives on the remainder of the LP. So popular were Stevens' singing appearances on Hawaiian Eye that "Let's Do It" from this disc was included on the show's soundtrack album. The ultimately favorable responses that she garnered from Connie Stevens As Cricket in 'Hawaiian Eye' would secure her third and final long-player for Warner Bros., a lushly orchestrated affair recorded in Germany called From Me to You (1962).

Full Circle


Eddie Izzard

Circle

2003



Review
by Matt Collar
British comic Eddie Izzard is many things, not the least of which is wickedly funny. The fact that he dresses in drag has always been a bit of an anomaly in regard to his comedic material in that it has so little to do with his act. Mostly, it serves as a kind of comedic "shock and awe" strategy to force his audiences to lighten up. Which is why the CD version of Circle is both an effective and inadequate document of his live show. On one hand, it allows you to fully focus on his dry wit, deep historical references, and train-of-thought jokes without the distraction of a slightly barrel-chested man in pumps. On the other hand, a slightly barrel-chested man in pumps is quite funny. That said, anyone familiar with Izzard's irreverent, intelligent brand of absurdist humor will find Circle highly enjoyable. Included on this performance from June 26, 2000, in New York City are Izzard's brilliant riffs on how the Pope is akin to Batman; how guns don't kill people, people kill people, and so will monkeys if they have guns; and how Jesus might have been a prophet to the dinosaurs. Much in the tradition of Monty Python, many Americans won't "get it," but that fact only heightens the pleasure for those who do.
1 Bastards and Make Up
2 Popeman
3 Philosophies With Strange Ideas
4 Monkeys and Guns
5 The Crusades
6 Jesus in Religions, Pt. 1
7 Americans
8 Jesus in Religions, Pt. 2
9 Jesus and the Dinosaurs
10 The Awesome Universe
11 Talk to the Animals
12 Mad European Cows
13 Hatred and Sharks
14 Greeks
15 Alternative Olympics
16 Highlights of History
17 World War II
18 Jesus and Man
19 The Future
20 The Deathstar Canteen

This file is presented as a complete show. No need to un-compress.

http://rapidshare.com/files/33779094/Eddie_Izzard_-_The_Circle___Entire_Album.mp3

Friday, May 25, 2007

Then & Now

Derek St Holmes
Then & Now
2000





Review
by Michael B. Smith
Derek St. Holmes made quite a name for himself beginning in 1973 when he was hired by Ted Nugent as his guitarist and singer. St. Holmes was a staple of many Nugent tours and albums, most recently recording Spirit of the Wild with him in 1995. With the release of Then and Now, St. Holmes steps into a pair of comfortable shoes performing his own music, a bluesy, pop/rock that is a lot easier on the ears than some of the gonzo Ted recordings. The set opens with "Dr. Love," with an infectious rock & roll beat underscoring St. Holmes' powerhouse vocals, which hook you and reel you in before you even realize fishing season is open. "Just an Illusion" tells the age-old story of getting the wool pulled over your eyes in a relationship. He plays his guitar with heart and soul and lots of emotion, whereas many guitarists choose the path of speed and guitar tricks. "In too Deep" is another track that showcases Derek's superb guitar artistry, and "Sunsets" is a mesmerizing acoustic ballad, with a haunting melody and flawless vocals, one of the finest tracks on the album. Next up is "Standing in the Rain," which gets my vote for the absolute best song on the record with it's electric-blues feel that sends chills up and down your spine, more great guitar, both electric and acoustic, and the arrangements are right on target. Chase Chitty on bass and Steve Pace on drums help to make this a killer track. "Sometimes" rocks the house, followed by "My Turn to Cry," another acoustic ballad filled with excellent lyrics, "If loving you is crazy I don't want to be sane." I suppose we've all shared those sentiments at times. Fabulous acoustic rhythm guitar, underscored by Russ Still's B-3 organ. Next up is "The Wind," another great rocker, hot on the heels of the ballad "Surrounded" and the show-stopper, "Sheila," featuring a truckload of guitars, digital delay and drums, a powerful song about the heartbreak of a breakup, soulful blues. Then and Now is one of the freshest, most exciting CDs I've had the pleasure of spinning in some time now. You won't be able to get the songs out of your head.



1 Dr. Love
2 Just an Illusion
3 In Too Deep
4 Sunsets
5 Standing in the Rain
6 Sometimes
7 My Turn to Cry
8 The Wind
9 Surrounded
10 Sheila



http://rapidshare.com/files/33333626/Derek_St_Holmes_-_Then_And_Now.rar

Thursday, May 24, 2007

No Hodads Here






Nice

Galvanize






Don't Hold Back!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Here Come The Sunz


My Three Sunz

Unclassified

2007





The Sunz formed in London in 1980 and moved state side to Milwaukee in the summer of 1985. They had heard about the thriving music scene in Beer city . So they jetted there way here. Once they set up camp on Milwaukee's East side. They began establishing there rock steady doses of punk, surf ,rock core . To which Beaumont one member mildly stated "We were not your A typical American hardcore type band we had hard working English backgrounds. We kind of brought that English punk, early mod movement to the table. I think that was reflective in our music". That being said the Sunz enjoyed college radio success. Loved playing their shows around the midwest and in their home land of England. Last I heard Bill was living in Brooklyn . Barry is back in Liverpool and Mikky Rad is in South Carolina. As for a reunion show it is not likely . As one member put it. "We have all moved on to other projects. That and the fact we are all spread out around the globe."
James A Blackman The Liverpool Express. Liverpool, England

1. I've Got Nothing
2. Rocker
3. Straight Time Rock
4. Wheres Our Trechcoats
5. Skateboarding Trend
6. Seaside Punk

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Beyond The Beach


Beyond The Beach







Review
by Cub Koda
Beyond The Beach is a 19-track compilation of contemporary surf and instrumental combos. Rocket fueled with twangy guitars drenched in reverb (with the occasional fuzz-charged tip of the hat to Link Wray), the music collected here takes the instrumental form straight into the '90s. Highlights include Teisco Del Rey's "Twango" (with guest appearance by Duane Eddy's saxman, the late Steve Douglas), Finnish group Laika & The Cosmonauts' "Global Village," The Goldentones' "Outbound," and Paul Johnson (of The Bel-Airs) cranking out "Tsunami."


1 Go! Daytonas
2 Depth Charge Jon And The Nightriders
3 Drive Through at Molly's Reach Huevos Racheros
4 Ocean Beach Mermen
5 Flash Flood Woggles
6 Spanish Blue Aqua Velvets
7 Bowling Ball Gardens Halibuts
8 Meximelt Southern Culture On The Skids
9 Outbound Golden Tones
10 Global Village Laika And The Cosmonauts
11 Flesh Hammer Hillbilly Frankenstein
12 Volcano Juice Insect Surfers
13 Tsunammi Paul Johnson
14 Twango Teisco DelRey
15 Nitrous Burn Out 2112 Man or Astro Man?
16 Spy Beach Spies Who Surf
17 Needles on the Beach Tin Machine
18 Straight Arrow [Davie's Theme] Ultras
19 Shadow Land Falcons

http://rapidshare.com/files/32859965/Beyond_The_Beach.rar

Monday, May 21, 2007

Come Surf With Me


Aki Aleong & The Nobles

Come Surf With Me

1963
A nice one from 1963 or thereabouts. The Nobles were a hot reverby surf group with some classics such as Earthquake, Body Surf and Hiawatha later covered by the Surfaris amongst others.As was sometimes common in those more innocent times as part of a recording deal the producer got to add his name to the group. Aki Aleong was one such producer and as far as I know did not actually add anything musical to the album.I noticed that Aki was credited as an actor in the Jim Carrey flick Cable Guy. If you look up Aki on imdb he's had a varied career as producer and movie actor and he's still active at over seventy years of age. Anyhow here's the Nobles with one of my favourite vintage surf albums.





Miserlou
Earthquake
Body Surf
Apache
Surf Beat
Panic
Mary Ann
Pipeline
Torture
Gun & Surf
Hiawatha
Surf Rider


Shamelessly lifted from Sandy's Surfspot. This site was one of the first blogger sites that I found along with Chrislovesrock that introduced me to the crazy world of blogs. Alas, Sandy has not been updated for many month now so I have taken it upon myself to continue to share some of the fantastic tunage that Sandy brought to our attention in the past.

Sandy, we miss you.


http://rapidshare.com/files/32479574/Aki_Aleong___The_Nobles_-_Come_Surf_With_Me.zip

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Don't Change That Station!


Channel Surfing With The Astroglides

The Astroglides


The band formed around 1997. Lee-Or was trying to get a group of friends together (none of them knew each other) to start a band, preferably a surf/garage band (and to use the band’s music for a Russ Meyer-style movie). The guy who was supposed to be the guitarist had a baby to take care of, so he was out of the question. Lee-Or asked Ran if he was interested, and Ran, having just divorced, jumped on the opportunity. The guys met and were talking about rehearsing, but nothing materialized until Ran booked a rehearsal at a Tel Aviv rehearsal room. Back then the band consisted of a drummer, a bass player, Ran (on guitar) and Lee-Or (bonding everyone together, bringing ideas, and trying to find a way to fit in musically). After a while, the band started developing the musical style, Ran and Lee-Or realized the Theremin would be the best way to make Lee-Or a musician, so that was added. Over that time, many people came and went, for different reasons, one of them was Jonathan, who was the second drummer, but left to go to Australia for a few years. The first gig was in the summer of 1999. More members came and went (if you count the changes, there have been around 15 different line ups), we recorded 2 albums, gigged mostly in central Israel, and finally Jonathan came back as a guitarist, which helped push creativity a lot. Our third and most recent album, "Channel Surfing With… The Astroglides" is the fruit of this process.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Famous Blues Session



Mick Jagger & The Red Devils

The Famous Blues Session

(aka Nature Of My Game)





"The Nature of My Game" is Mick Jagger interpreting his favourite blues singers, such as Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson. Still, this is a white man's blues. The overall sound makes me think of those 60s British and American pop groups playing the blues, say The Yardbirds and The Animals in their early days. The pace is usually uptempo and the band lays down a very tight and not too subtle rhythm with too much stres on bass and drums. The guitar playing is rather uninspired, but the harmonica is fine. There must be hundreds of white blues bands sounding like The Red Devils. The sound is rather muted, but acceptable. An equalizer or sound field processor will upgrade the sound quality to a certain extent, but will not do away with the hiss and rumble in the background. Still, I wish the Stones or Jagger would release more stuff like this.


Track listing:
1: Mean Old World (Little Walter)
2-4: Blues With A Feeling (Little Walter - 3 takes)
5: You Better Watch Yourself (Little Walter)
6-7: Still A Fool (Two Trains Running) (Muddy Waters,2)
8: Checkin' Up On My Baby (Sonny Boy Williamson)
9-10: One Way Out: (Sonny Boy Williamson - 2 takes)
11: Talk To Me Baby (Can't Hold Out) (Elmore James)
12-14: Evil (Howlin' Wolf - 3 takes)
15: That Ain't Your Business (Slim Harpo)
16: Shake 'm All Down (Bukka White)
17: Don't Go No Further (William Dixon)
18-19: Dream Girl (J. D. Miller & Slim Harpo - 2 takes)
20-21: Forty Days and Forty Nights (B. Roth - 2 takes)



Sunday, May 13, 2007

Pickin' On The Blind Boy


Blind Blake

Ragtime Guitar's Foremost Fingerpicker

1990




Review
by Thom Owens
Ragtime Guitar's Foremost Fingerpicker contains a total of 28 prime tracks from Blind Blake. Alternating between solo acoustic numbers and songs recorded with a string band, the set demonstrates how exceptionally gifted the guitarist was — he's playing arrangements and rhythms that several subsequent generations were never able to completely figure out. Blind Blake was one of the finest acoustic guitarists of the '20s and '30s and this is the definitive compilation


1 Blind Arthur's Breakdown
2 C.C. Pill Blues
3 Black Biting Bee Blues
4 Hard Pushing Papa
5 Black Dog Blues
6 Georgia Bound
7 Hastings Street
8 Skeedle Loo Doo Blues
9 Rope Stretching Blues, Pt. 1
10 Chump Man Blues
11 Diddie Wa Diddie
12 Sweet Jivin' Mama
13 Itching Heel
14 Too Tight Blues, No. 2
15 Southern Rag
16 One Time Blues
17 Playing Policy Blues
18 Hey Hey Daddy Blues
19 Sweet Papa Low Down
20 Police Dog Blues
21 Wilson Dam
22 Come on Boys, Let's Do That Messin' Around
23 You Gonna Quit Me Blues
24 Let Your Love Come Down
25 Bad Feeling Blues
26 Righteous Blues
27 Down the Country Blues
28 Seaboard Stomp

http://rapidshare.com/files/31123841/Blind_Blake_-_Ragtime_Guitar_s_Foremost_Fingerpicker.rar

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Tiki-A-Go-Go


Surfaholics

Tiki-A-Go-Go

1995


Formed in 1991, they have evolved into a 4 piece instrumental combo. Dual guitar, bass, and drums pound out wave after wave of powerful surf. You couldn't possibly listen to the swelling tunes and sit still. Their music will pull you off the sandy beach and deep into the break. You'll have plenty of company on the dance floor. In additional to playing the local circuit, they have also opened concerts for their national counterparts, Laika and the Cosmonauts.
They recorded their splashing debut in the summer of 95. They caught the interest of producer Stan Pixler of Pixler Discs, who provided the financial support necessary to launch the project. The recording expertise of Don Dixon shines through loud and clear. He has worked with greats such as REM, the Smithereens and Marshall Crenshaw. TIKI-A-GO-GO is clean and punchy with great emphasis on raw talent. If you're in the Cleveland area, tune in to WENZ 107.9 weekday mornings. If you listen closely, behind Tobin's news spots, you can hear the Surfaholics. Just enough to give you taste of the salt. They've also been (and may be) heard on WENZ's Inner Sanctum show which airs Sunday nights beginning at 9:30 p.m.

"..."Ungowa" sets the tone as their twin guitar attack lay down an unusual and frantic rhythmic pattern of riffs. With pounding drums and a deep, rich bass it's a storming start...Better still is the more original "Surfana" with guitars fighting it out in rounds between subtly suave spells of calm...Overall the lasting impression is of an exciting band using all the tricks they know to spice up some repetitive riff-laden originals rather than lay down yet another album of covers. Their use of dynamics is great, their arrangements are excellent, and they are a very tight band." - Pipeline Instrumental Review

1 Ungowa

2 Frankensurfer

3 Big Rat Daddy

4 Smells Like Surfana

5 Mother's Worry

6 Swang 10

7 Get Lost

8 Toxic Beach

9 Habla Deville

10 Davinadagaga

11 Another Cloudy Day

12 Zombie Bolero

13 Ghost of Dragster Beach

14 Pedal To The Metal

16 Dangerous Undertow

http://rapidshare.com/files/30900209/Surfaholics_-_Tiki-A-Go-Go_Pt1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/30906239/Surfaholics_-_Tiki-A-Go-Go_Pt2.rar

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The Life and Work of Mark Twain


Yeah, I'm gettin all literary on you all. But I think you might enjoy this one. It's a set of lectures by Dr Stephen Railton, one of the formost experts in all things Mark Twain, one of America's greatest authors.

We can all use a little of the humor and commonsense that was such a part of his wonderful tales.

Let me know what you think.

John


Cynthia Lennon

John

2005


When she was eighteen years old, a girl named Cynthia Powell met a boy named John Lennon and they fell in love. Their ten-year relationship coincided with the start of the Beatles phenomenon — from Liverpool's dockside clubs to the dizzying worldwide fame that followed. And Cynthia Lennon, John's first wife, was an integral part of the swirl of events that are now an indelible part of the history of rock and roll.
In John, Cynthia recalls those times with the loving honesty of an insider, offering new and fascinating insights into the life of John Lennon and the early days of the Beatles. And with the perspective only years can provide she also tells the compelling story of her marriage to a man who was to become a music legend, a cultural hero and a defining figure of the twentieth century.
Cynthia has seldom talked in any detail about her marriage and the painful events that followed John's tragic assassination in 1980. Now she candidly reveals the good and the bad, the loving and the cruel sides of John. She tells of the breakdown of their marriage and the beginning of his relationship with Yoko Ono in more detail than has ever been disclosed before and documents the difficulties estrangement from John — and his subsequent death — brought for herself and their son, Julian.
In John, Cynthia Lennon has created a vivid portrait of the 1960s, the Beatles and the man she never stopped loving.

9 CD's in total

http://rapidshare.com/files/30565507/Cynthia_Lennon_-_JOHN__Disc_1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/30572611/Cynthia_Lennon_-_JOHN__Disc_2.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/30577381/Cynthia_Lennon_-_JOHN__Disc_3.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/30587226/Cynthia_Lennon_-_JOHN__Disc_4.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/30592494/Cynthia_Lennon_-_JOHN__Disc_5.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/30629693/Cynthia_Lennon_-_JOHN__Disc_6.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/30633045/Cynthia_Lennon_-_JOHN__Disc_7.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/30635418/Cynthia_Lennon_-_JOHN__Disc_8.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/30638145/Cynthia_Lennon_-_JOHN__Disc_9.rar

Enjoy

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

A Hunting We Will Go


Fifty Foot Combo

Go Hunting
1997






The story of FIFTY FOOT COMBO is quite unique for a Belgian band, thrillingly hot and exciting at the same time. Since the starting up of the band, they could count on a very loyal and ever growing fanbase. Soon (late 9ties) came their first full album "GO HUNTING" . The album got praised by any self-respecting surfhead, hailed by even the most critical garagepimp. The 'Combo got launched into the international underground-top of vintagemusic fuzz.

As their reputation kept on growing, live appearances multiplied, and the birth of the so called MONSTROPHONIC sound was a fact ! The power emerging from their livegigs was until then only a rare phenomenon which very few had witnessed before seeing the 'Combo at work. Garage, surf fuzz, exotica, horror and thunder make the 'Combo to be a very infectious experience you'll never forget. It is an undisputable fact that Fifty Foot Combo is one of Belgium's five hottest live-acts, and for some unknown reason they manage to keep on getting more impressive. Smooth but trashy, wild and exciting but stylish...

In the meantime FFC toured all over Europe, and performed bonecrushing concerts on some of the most prestigious stages on the continent. Top-range albums such as "EVIL A GOGO" , "STRIKE" , "CAFFEINE," "LIVE AT ERNESTO'S" and "GHENT-BXL" confirm one by one the general addiction these cats can cause. And still, they keep on burning rubber and spreading their instrumental GoGo sounds all over the planet to anyone in need of some serious Monstrophonic Mayhem. They are a highly regarded guest in of Europe's most fashionable circles !!






1. It's Alive
2. The Tunnel
3. Doe De Duif
4. Inspection #5
5. Robin Boy Wonder
6. Dimitrius
7. The Brain From Planet X
8. I Think I Shot Her
9.Drums A Go-Go
10.The Escape
11. Minesweeper
12. Hully Gully Stomp
*****NEW DOWNLOAD LINK 5/9 @8:45 PST

Monday, May 07, 2007

More Spicy Italian Stuff




Ray Daytona & Googoobombos


Great Expectations


2005


Due to the great response to the last Ray Daytona album, we are going to run up another one for your listening pleasure
Enjoy


01, Ray' S Own Business
02, Showdown
03, X-Rated Doll
04, Elsa Riverside
05, The Fuzz
06, Adopt The Highway
07, Wipe Out
08, Pipeline
09, Daytona Connection
10, Area 51
11, Toto' The Moko'
12, Gotham City
13, By The Time The Get To Rockaway
14, Real Black King
15, Strict Mistress
16, Sick Of You Baby
17, Blues' Theme
18, Hole In The Ground
19, Have Love Will Travel
20, Boss Hoss
21, Here Like The Cops
22, Death Of Johnny Coast




http://rapidshare.com/files/30096310/Ray_Daytona___Googoobombos_-_Great_Expectations.rar









Check out this wacky video also......



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHjj70yJ5H0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2F66%2E218%2E71%2E231%2Flanguage%2Ftranslation%2FtranslatedPage2%2Ephp%3Flp%3Dit%5Fen%26urltext%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww%2Emyspace%2Ecom%252F

This one is even better. Kickin' some Zombie ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ9-FoEgyM4&eurl=http%3A%2F%2F66%2E218%2E71%2E231%2Flanguage%2Ftranslation%2FtranslatedPage2%2Ephp%3Flp%3Dit%5Fen%26urltext%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww%2Emyspace%2Ecom%252F

Sunday, May 06, 2007

One


Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night "One"

1969

Review
by Lindsay Planer
Three Dog Night's self-titled debut is one of the strongest and most cohesive offerings by the combo. Their claim to fame would come via overhauls and sleepers from a wide spectrum of luminous singer/songwriters. The moniker refers to lead vocalists Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells, but credit is overdue for the incendiary instrumentalists: Mike Allsup (guitar), Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass) and Floyd Sneed (drums). The combo's initial achievement came in April of 1969 after their remake of Harry Nilsson's loner/heartbreak anthem "One" landed in the Top Five. So successful was the track, the record label emblazoned the name of the song onto the cover art — resulting in the long-player also (albeit erroneously) being identified as "One." The contents are as eclectic as one might hope to find during the free-form album rock era. The dearth of originals might initially relegate Three Dog Night to the ranks of a competent bar band, what became essential to their burgeoning accomplishments was their ability to consistently turn their interpretations into sizeable hits, whereas the composers weren't able to. For example, Nilsson did not score at all with "One," and their take of "Try a Little Tenderness" placed at a respectable number 29, faring almost as well as Otis Redding's reading which had only reached number 25 three years earlier. While there are few substandard inclusions, among the other notable entries are "Nobody," a secondary R&B classic from Larry Williams, the a cappella redux of John Lennon/Paul McCartney's "It's for You," Traffic's "Heaven Is in Your Mind," and a hard-driving and edgy "Chest Fever" from Robbie Robertson.


Get Down


The Yardbirds

Having A Rave Up

1965

Review
by Bruce Eder
In its original U.S. vinyl release, this album, comprised of several singles and B-sides plus excerpts off of Five Live Yardbirds, was one of the best LPs of the entire British invasion, ranking on a par with the greatest mid-1960s work of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; it was also just a step away from being a best-of the Yardbirds as well. The contents have reappeared numerous times in many different configurations, but no collection has ever outdone the sheer compactness and high quality of Having a Rave Up. One major problem since the 1960s, as with all of the Yardbirds material owned by Charly Records, has been the sound — for years, Charly only had substandard master materials to offer. That situation improved significantly in the mid- to late 1990s, and Repertoire Records is working from sources that are the cleanest and most impressive to have surfaced on these tracks during the CD era; one suspects that there might still be room for improvement, but not nearly as much as was previously the case — a quick comparison of tracks between this and the contents of Train Kept A-Rollin' reveals somewhat superior sound here. The Repertoire reissue also adds 11 songs that cut across the group's history: principally outtakes from later in their careers and some odd studio sides from much earlier, plus the B-side "New York City Blues" (a rewrite of "Five Long Years"), the single "Shapes of Things, and their featured number from the Antonioni movie Blow Up, the "Train Kept A-Rollin'" rewrite "Stroll On," featuring Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page in the lineup. There are new notes by Chris Welch that, although structured somewhat haphazardly, give a good account of the history of the varied (and overall stunning) contents of this CD.
1 Mr. You Are a Better Man Than I
2 Evil Hearted You
3 I'm a Man
4 Still I'm Sad
5 Heart Full Of Soul
6 Train Kept A Rollin'
7 Smokestack Lightning
8 Respectable
9 I'm A Man
10 Here 'Tis
11 Shapes Of Things
12 New York City Blues
13 Jeff's Blues
14 Someone To Love Pt 1
15 Someone To Love Pt 2
16 Like Jimmy Reed Again
17 Chris' Number
18 What Do You Want
19 Here 'Tis
20 Here 'Tis
21 Stroll On