Roger the Engineer

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Roger the Engineer
Roger the Engineer cover
Studio album by The Yardbirds
Released July 15, 1966 (UK)
August 8, 1966 (U.S.)
Recorded Advision Studios, London, England in the spring and summer of 1966
Genre Rock, blues-rock, psychedelic rock
Length 35:52
Label Columbia (UK)
Epic LN 24210/BN 26210 (U.S.)
Epic BN26254 (FRG)
Riviera 231196 (F)
Capitol ST 6202 (Can)
Producer Paul Samwell-Smith, Simon Napier-Bell
Professional reviews
The Yardbirds chronology
Having a Rave Up
(1965)		 Roger the Engineer
(1966)		 Little Games
(1967)
Singles from The Yardbirds
  1. "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" b/w "Jeff’s Boogie"
    Released: May 1966 Columbia DB7928 (UK)
  2. "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" b/w "Jeff’s Boogie"
    Released: 1966 Epic BN10035 (USA)
  3. "Yardbirds" (E.P.): "Over Under Sideways Down", "I Can't Make Yor Way" b/w "He's Always There", "What Do You Want""
    Released: 1/1967 Columbia SEG8521
German album sleeve
German album sleeve: "Over Under Sideways Down" Epic Records
German album sleeve: "Over Under Sideways Down" Epic Records

Roger the Engineer (original title: Yardbirds, US, German, and French title: Over Under Sideways Down) is an album by the English blues rock band The Yardbirds, released in 1966. It was produced by bassist Paul Samwell-Smith and Simon Napier-Bell. It was the only Yardbirds album with all originally-written material. Although the record was officially titled The Yardbirds, it has since been referred to, first colloquially, then semi-officially, as Roger the Engineer, a title stemming from the drawing on its front cover, a cartoon of the record's audio engineer Roger Cameron by band member Chris Dreja. (It should be emphasised that this is one in a long and distinguished line of albums that have acquired a "rename" following a mistake, usually made by fans and / or reviewers - for example, The Beatles never made "The White Album", nor Jackson Browne "Saturate Before Using"; in all these cases, the proper album title is eponymous.) Due to the influence of Jeff Beck's experimentation with guitar distortion, the album is considered a precursor to heavy metal.

The original American versions of this album (issued with a completely different album cover and entitled "Over Under Sideways Down") omitted the songs "The Nazz Are Blue" and "Rack My Mind" and are mixed differently to the British editions. Regardless, record collectors have sought out both the mono (LN 24210) and stereo (BN 26210) versions since several tracks are featured with slight differences in the mixes (see US album listing below). Epic's 1983 reissue (simply entitled The Yardbirds) featured the original UK album cover, the two missing tracks, duplication of the British mixing, and two additional tracks, the 1966 single "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" b/w "Psycho Daisies", both featuring Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 349 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

All songs were written by Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, Jeff Beck, Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith

[edit] Original UK release

[edit] Side one

  1. "Lost Women" – 3:16
  2. "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" – 2:24
  3. "The Nazz Are Blue" – 3:04
  4. "I Can't Make Your Way" – 2:26
  5. "Rack My Mind" – 3:15
  6. "Farewell" – 1:29

[edit] Side two

  1. "Hot House of Omagarashid" – 2:39
  2. "Jeff's Boogie" – 2:25
  3. "He's Always There" – 2:15
  4. "Turn into Earth" – 3:06
  5. "What Do You Want" – 3:22
  6. "Ever Since the World Began" – 2:09

[edit] Original US release

[edit] Side one

  1. "Lost Women" – 3:16
  2. "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" – 2:24
  3. "I Can't Make Your Way" – 2:26 (Mono version includes opening beat missing from stereo version)
  4. "Farewell" – 1:29
  5. "Hot House of Omagarashid" – 2:39 (Beck's lead guitar differs noticeably between the two mixes)

[edit] Side two

  1. "Jeff's Boogie" – 2:25
  2. "He's Always There" – 2:15 (Longer fadeout and extended vocals at the end of the mono version)
  3. "Turn into Earth" – 3:06 (12-bar opening drum riff on mono version, 8-bar opening on stereo version)
  4. "What Do You Want" – 3:22
  5. "Ever Since the World Began" – 2:09

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Cover art

  • Chris Dreja – cover design and artwork
  • Jim McCarty – sleeve notes

[edit] Release history

Region Date Title Label Format Catalog
UK 06/1966 The Yardbirds Columbia stereo LP SCX6063
UK 06/1966 The Yardbirds Columbia mono LP SX6063
USA 08/1966 Over Under Sideways Down Epic stereo LP BN26210
USA 08/1966 Over Under Sideways Down Epic mono LP LN24210
FRG 1966 Over Under Sideways Down Epic stereo LP BN26254
France 1966 Over Under Sideways Down Riviera LP 231196
Canada 1966 Over Under Sideways Down Capitol LP ST 6202


v • d • e
The Yardbirds
Original members (1963-68): Keith Relf  · Chris Dreja  · Paul Samwell-Smith  · Top Topham  · Jim McCarty  · Eric Clapton  · Jeff Beck  · Jimmy Page
Rod Demick  · Laurie Garman · Alan Glen · John Idan  · Ben King  · Billy Boy Miskimmin  · Ray Majors  · Gypie Mayo
Albums
Roger the Engineer · Little Games · Blue Eyed Blues · Birdland  · Cumular Limit
Live albums
Compilations
For Your Love · Having a Rave Up · The Yardbirds Greatest Hits · Ultimate!
UK Singles
(EMI Columbia)
"I Wish You Would" · "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" · "For Your Love" · "Heart Full of Soul" · "Evil Hearted You" · "Shapes of Things"  · "Over Under Sideways Down"  · "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"  · "Little Games"  · "Goodnight Sweet Josephine"
Other songs
"Boom Boom"  · "My Girl Sloopy" · "I'm a Man"  · "Train Kept A-Rollin'"  · "Ha Ha Said the Clown" · "White Summer" · "Ten Little Indians" · "Think About It" · "Dazed and Confused"
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