2. Over, Under, Sideways, Down
3. The Nazz Are Blue
4. I Can't Make Your Way
5. Rack My Mind
6. Farewell
7. Hot House Of Omagarashid
8. Jeff's Boogie
9. He's Always There
10. Turn Into Earth
11. What Do You Want
12. Ever Since The World Began
In which the great minds who came up with this list charmingly subject me to two blues rock albums in a row. Of course, this isn't blues the way John Mayall plays it, all straight and traditional. No, these guys are weird. Not 13th Floor Elevators weird, but it at least sounds good.
The Yardbirds are one of those second-tier British Invasion groups that had a decent number of hits, but an unstable lineup and disagreements leading to the band splitting up after only a few years. They're best known for having Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton as guitarists at varying points in the group's history (though rarely at the same time). This here album was recorded during the Beck era, soon before Jimmy Page showed up and then turned the band into Led Zeppelin using magic.
Despite being steeped in the blues, the Yardbirds manage to get a relatively diverse set of songs together. There's psych-esque Eastern-sounding riffs, and and this weird Latin-style chanting song called 'Hot House of Omagarashid' (say that ten times fast). There's even songs that sound like they're influenced by medieval music! 'Turn Into Earth' sounds like a combination of '60s rock and music I'd hear in some BBC documentary about the black plague.
'Over Under Sideways Down' matches an utterly unique guitar riff with a strangely somber sounding middle part. On paper, that doesn't exactly sound like hit single material, but it's really catchy and ended up being their last big hit. Sometimes it pays to experiment.
Naturally, this being 1966 and this not being a Beatles album, there's a good amount of filler. My life will not be adversely effected if I were suddenly unable to listen to 'Jeff's Boogie' again. Same with 'Hot House of M. Night Shyamalan'. They must've been on so many drugs. 8/10
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