Roger the Engineer

Roger the Engineer (original UK 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 original material. Although the record was officially titled Yardbirds (and still is in authoritative chart sources, such as The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums), it has since been referred to, first colloquially, then semi-officially, as Roger the Engineer, a title stemming from the cover drawing of the record's audio engineer Roger Cameron by band member Chris Dreja. 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 after the hit song of the same name) omitted the songs "The Nazz Are Blue" (which was sung by Jeff Beck) 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 U.S. 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. "Happenings" is frequently cited as the first psychedelic rock song.

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

Track listing

All songs were written by Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, Jeff Beck, Keith Relf, and Paul Samwell-Smith (Dreja's last name is misspelled as "Drega" on the labels of the U.S. album)

Original UK release

Side one

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

Side two

1. "Hot House of Omagarashid" – 2:39 (stereo)
2. "Jeff's Boogie" – 2:25 (based on the original "Guitar Boogie" by Chuck Berry) (rechanneled)
3. "He's Always There" – 2:15 (stereo)
4. "Turn into Earth" – 3:06 (stereo)
5. "What Do You Want" – 3:22 (stereo)
6. "Ever Since the World Began" – 2:09 (stereo)

Original US release

Side one

(stereo content same as UK issue)

1. "Lost Woman" – 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)

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

Personnel

• Keith Relf – lead vocals (except "The Nazz Are Blue"), harmonica
• Jeff Beck – lead guitar, bass on "Over, Under, Sideways, Down", lead vocals on "The Nazz Are Blue"
• Chris Dreja – rhythm guitar, piano, vocals
• Paul Samwell-Smith – bass, vocals
• Jim McCarty – drums, percussion, vocals

Cover art

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

Release history

External links

• The Yardbirds at Discogs (list of releases)