Ultimate!
| Ultimate! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by The Yardbirds | ||||
| Released | 31 July 2001 | |||
| Recorded | Various locations and dates, December 1963 – March 1968 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 150:16 | |||
| Label | Rhino (R2 79825) | |||
| Producer | Gary Stewart, Bill Inglot | |||
| The Yardbirds chronology | ||||
| ||||
Ultimate! is a comprehensive career retrospective album by English rock group the Yardbirds. It was compiled by Rhino Records in 2001 and comprises 52 songs on two compact discs. The songs are arranged chronologically by recording date and span the period from their first demo recordings in 1963 to the last singles in 1968. It includes all 17 of the group's singles (both A- and B-sides) supplemented with more than a dozen album tracks, their performance for the film Blow-Up, and three early solo numbers by singer Keith Relf.
Previous attempts at career compilations were hampered by cross-licensing problems. Yardbirds' recordings from different periods have different owners (corresponding to the tenures of their three main producers), which proved to be an obstacle. Ultimate! is the first official group compilation to feature songs from all four recording lineups of the Yardbirds—Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and Beck/Page.
Background
Prior to Ultimate!, several Yardbirds compilation albums were issued. In March 1967, Epic Records released the ten-song collection, The Yardbirds Greatest Hits.[1] It was the group's most successful American album on the record charts[1] and was included on Billboard magazine's 100 Top LPs of 1967 chart.[2] Since it preceded the recording of the Little Games album with Jimmy Page, the album does not include any songs by the Page-quartet lineup. In 1970, Epic issued a second compilation album, The Yardbirds Featuring Performances by Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page.[3] The two-LP, 22-song collection includes songs from Little Games, but lacks any of the material recorded by the dual-lead guitar lineup with Beck and Page. Starline Records in the UK, an EMI Records subsidiary, released a compilation titled Remember... The Yardbirds in 1971. It includes twelve songs with Clapton and Beck.[4]
Beyond these early attempts by their official record companies, music critic Richie Unterberger commented that the Yardbirds' catalogue of songs "has been subject to more exploitation than any other group of the '60s; dozens, if not hundreds, of cheesy packages of early material are generated throughout the world on a seemingly monthly basis".[5] With the advent of compact discs, this trend accelerated. When the Yardbirds' were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, Sony Music Entertainment, parent of Epic, prepared two compilations. Both sets contained two CDs worth of haphazardly-sequenced songs (with overlap) from the Giorgio Gomelsky-era Yardbirds (material with Eric Clapton and pre-Roger the Engineer Beck).[6] In Europe and the UK, Gomelsky licensed Yardbirds' material to several different record companies, who issued seemingly random tracks on a large number of "best of" albums, often with Clapton's or Beck's names and images prominently displayed. (After Rhino's release of Ultimate!, another package of Gomelsky-era product was issued with the title Ultimate Collection.) However, the early Epic compilations continued to be the only ones to include songs from Roger the Engineer and Little Games, which were not owned by Gomelsky.[7]
In 2001, Rhino Records issued Ultimate! Unterberger commented, "It had to happen sometime, and after about 30 years of piecemeal Yardbirds compilations, here it is: a lengthy best-of anthology that manages to cross-license material from the Clapton, Beck, and Page eras". [8]
Song selection
The songs selected for Ultimate! represent a significant portion of the material found on their albums released between 1964 and 1967 by Columbia Records in the UK and Epic Records in the US:
- Five Live Yardbirds: four out of ten tracks
- For Your Love: eight of eleven
- Having a Rave Up with The Yardbirds: eight of ten
- Roger the Engineer aka Yardbirds/Over Under Sideways Down: ten of twelve
- The Yardbirds Greatest Hits: all
- Little Games: six of ten
The balance are non-album singles and "Stroll On" from Blow-Up.[9]
Since the focus of Ultimate is on officially released songs from 1963 to 1968, it does not include material released elsewhere. Omitted are live recordings (except from Five Live Yardbirds) released by various record companies found on Sonny Boy Williamson and The Yardbirds, Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page, Yardbirds ... On Air/BBC Sessions, Live! Blueswailing July '64, and Glimpses. Demos and alternate takes/mixes included on Train Kept A-Rollin': The Complete Giorgio Gomelsky Productions (re-released as The Yardbirds Story), Little Games Sessions and More and Cumular Limit are likewise not included.
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [8] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [10] |
| Vintage Guitar | Recommended[11] |
Reviews for Ultimate! are generally favorable and usually note that the compilation covers the group's entire career. Dan Forte of Vintage Guitar magazine called it "the closest-to-definitive collection of a band that’s been woefully under-represented on CD".[11] The Austin Chronicle's Raoul Hernandez described the album as "lend[ing] ample credence to the supposition that the Yardbirds are the not-so-missing musical link between Sixties pop and Seventies rock".[10] However, he points out that the Mickie Most-produced tracks with Page "flounder", making the collection less of a concise statement.[10] Similarly, while Richie Unterberger gave it AllMusic's five star rating, he questioned the inclusion of some of the more obscure material.[8] He felt that the early demos, the Italian-language single, and the Keith Relf solo numbers detract from "the overall tone of a set largely selected on the basis of quality, rather than collectability".[8] Forte notes that more songs from Five Live Yardbirds and two strong Page-era songs, "Glimpses" and "Smile on Me", were not included.[11]
Track listing
The songwriter's names, dates recorded, and track running times are taken from the Ultimate! CD booklet and may differ from other releases. For discographical information (release dates, chart positions, catalogue numbers, etc.), see The Yardbirds discography.
| Disc One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Date(s) recorded | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Boom Boom" | John Lee Hooker | 10 December 1963 | 2:26 | ||||||
| 2. | "Honey in Your Hips" | Keith Relf | 10 December 1963 | 2:20 | ||||||
| 3. | "A Certain Girl" | Allen Toussaint | March 1964 | 2:19 | ||||||
| 4. | "I Wish You Would" | William Arnold | March 1964 | 2:20 | ||||||
| 5. | "Too Much Monkey Business" | Chuck Berry | March–April 1964 | 3:53 | ||||||
| 6. | "Got Love If You Want It" | James Moore | March–April 1964 | 2:40 | ||||||
| 7. | "Smokestack Lightning" | Chester Burnett | March–April 1964 | 5:42 | ||||||
| 8. | "Here 'Tis" | Ellas McDaniel | March–April 1964 | 5:15 | ||||||
| 9. | "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" | Sonny Boy Williamson | August–September 1964 | 2:46 | ||||||
| 10. | "Got to Hurry" | Giorgio Gomelsky | 6 August 1964 | 2:29 | ||||||
| 11. | "I Ain't Got You" | Calvin Carter | 19 September 1964 | 2:01 | ||||||
| 12. | "For Your Love" | Graham Gouldman | 1 February 1965 | 2:31 | ||||||
| 13. | "I'm Not Talking" | Mose Allison | 13 April 1965 | 2:35 | ||||||
| 14. | "Steeled Blues" | Jeff Beck, Relf | 15 March 1965 | 2:40 | ||||||
| 15. | "Heart Full of Soul" | Gouldman | 20 April 1965 | 2:30 | ||||||
| 16. | "I Ain't Done Wrong" | Relf | 15 March 1965 | 3:42 | ||||||
| 17. | "You're A Better Man Than I" | Michael Hugg, Brian Hugg | September 1965 | 3:59 | ||||||
| 18. | "Shapes of Things" | Paul Samwell-Smith, Relf, Jim McCarty | December 1965 – January 1966 | 2:27 | ||||||
| 19. | "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" | Tiny Bradshaw, Sydney Nathan, Howie Kay | September 1965 | 3:26 | ||||||
| 20. | "New York City Blues" | Relf, Chris Dreja | 21–22 September 1965 | 4:21 | ||||||
| 21. | "Evil Hearted You" | Gouldman | 23 August 1965 | 2:26 | ||||||
| 22. | "I'm A Man" | McDaniel | September 1965 | 2:39 | ||||||
| 23. | "Still I'm Sad" | Samwell-Smith, McCarty | August–September 1965 | 3:04 | ||||||
| 24. | "Questa Volta" | Roberto Satti, Gianni Marchetti, Giulio Rapetti | January 1966 | 2:35 | ||||||
| 25. | "Pafff...Bum" | Gianfranco Reverberi, Sergio Bardotti, Samwell-Smith | January 1966 | 2:38 | ||||||
Total length: |
75:56 | |||||||||
| Disc Two | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Date(s) recorded | Length | ||||||
| 1. | "Lost Woman" | Dreja, McCarty, Beck, Relf, Samwell-Smith | May–June 1966 | 3:14 | ||||||
| 2. | "Over Under Sideways Down" | Dreja, McCarty, Beck, Relf, Samwell-Smith | April 1966 | 2:24 | ||||||
| 3. | "The Nazz Are Blue" | Beck | May–June 1966 | 3:03 | ||||||
| 4. | "I Can't Make Your Way" | Dreja, McCarty, Relf, Samwell-Smith | June 1966 | 2:27 | ||||||
| 5. | "Rack My Mind" | Dreja, McCarty, Beck, Relf, Samwell-Smith | May–June 1966 | 3:14 | ||||||
| 6. | "Hot House of Omagararshid" | Dreja, McCarty, Beck, Relf, Samwell-Smith | May–June 1966 | 2:44 | ||||||
| 7. | "Jeff's Boogie" | Beck | April 1966 | 2:25 | ||||||
| 8. | "He's Always There" | McCarty, Samwell-Smith | May–June 1966 | 2:29 | ||||||
| 9. | "Turn into Earth" | Samwell-Smith, Rosemary Simon | May–June 1966 | 3:12 | ||||||
| 10. | "What Do You Want" | Dreja, McCarty, Beck, Relf, Samwell-Smith | May–June 1966 | 3:22 | ||||||
| 11. | "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" | Relf, Beck, Jimmy Page, McCarty | July, September–October 1966 | 2:57 | ||||||
| 12. | "Psycho Daisies" | Dreja, McCarty, Beck, Relf, Page | September–October 1966 | 1:50 | ||||||
| 13. | "Stroll On" | Relf, Page, Beck, Dreja, McCarty | 3–5 October 1966 | 2:46 | ||||||
| 14. | "Little Games" | Phil Wainman, Harold Spiro | 5 March 1967 | 2:25 | ||||||
| 15. | "Puzzles" | Dreja, Page, McCarty, Relf | 5 March 1967 | 2:03 | ||||||
| 16. | "White Summer" | Page | 28–29 April 1967 | 3:51 | ||||||
| 17. | "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor" | Page, McCarty | 28–29 April 1967 | 2:54 | ||||||
| 18. | "No Excess Baggage" | Roger Atkins, Carl D'Errico | 28–29 April 1967 | 2:39 | ||||||
| 19. | "Drinking Muddy Water" | Dreja, Page, McCarty, Relf | 28–29 April 1967 | 2:54 | ||||||
| 20. | "Only the Black Rose" | Relf | 1 May 1967 | 2:52 | ||||||
| 21. | "Ten Little Indians" | Harry Nilsson | 25 September 1967 | 2:17 | ||||||
| 22. | "Ha Ha Said the Clown" | Tony Hazzard | 13–19 June 1967 | 2:29 | ||||||
| 23. | "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" | Hazzard | March 1968 | 2:46 | ||||||
| 24. | "Think About It" | Relf, McCarty, Page | November 1968 | 3:50 | ||||||
| 25. | "Knowing" | Relf | 16 April 1966 | 1:55 | ||||||
| 26. | "Mr. Zero" | Bob Lind | 16 April 1966 | 2:47 | ||||||
| 27. | "Shapes in My Mind" | Simon Napier-Bell | August–September 1966 | 2:19 | ||||||
Total length: |
74:20 | |||||||||
Personnel
- Keith Relf – vocals, harmonica, tambourine, acoustic guitar
- Chris Dreja – rhythm guitar (disc one, disc two tracks 1 through 10, 25, and 26); lead guitar ("Questa Volta"); bass guitar (disc two tracks 13, 15, 17, 19, and 24); piano, maracas
- Jim McCarty – drums (except disc two tracks 14, 21, 22, 23, and 27); percussion, backing vocals
- Paul Samwell-Smith – bass guitar (disc one except track 15, disc two tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 25 and 26)
- Eric Clapton – guitars (disc one tracks 1 through 12)
- Jeff Beck – guitars (disc one tracks 13 through 25, disc two tracks 1 through 13, 25 and 26); bass guitar ("Over Under Sideways Down"); vocal ("The Nazz Are Blue" and "Psycho Daisies")
- Jimmy Page – guitars (disc two tracks 11, 13 through 24, and 27); bass guitar ("Psycho Daisies")
Additional personnel
- Brian Auger – harpsichord on "For Your Love"
- Denny Piercey – bongoes on "For Your Love"
- Ron Prentice – double bass on "For Your Love;" bass guitar on "Heart Full of Soul"
- Giorgio Gomelsky – backing vocals on "A Certain Girl" and "Still I'm Sad"
- Joe Osborn – bass guitar on "Shapes in My Mind"
- Hal Blaine – drums on "Shapes in My Mind"
- John Paul Jones – bass guitar on "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago," "Little Games", "No Excess Baggage," "Ten Little Indians," and "Goodnight Sweet Josephine;" arrangements on "Little Games" and "Ten Little Indians"
- Dougie Wright – drums on "Little Games"
- Chris Karan – tabla on "White Summer"
- Ian Stewart – piano on "Drinking Muddy Water"
- Al Gorgoni – guitar on "Ha Ha Said the Clown"
- Rick Nielsen – organ on "Ha Ha Said the Clown"
- Joe Macho – bass guitar on "Ha Ha Said the Clown"
- Bobby Gregg – drums on "Ha Ha Said the Clown"
- Nicky Hopkins – piano on "Goodnight Sweet Josephine"
- Clem Cattini – drums on "Ten Little Indians" and "Goodnight Sweet Josephine"
Technical personnel
- Gary Stewart – compilation producer
- Bill Inglot – sound producer, remastering enigineer
- Dan Hersch – remastering engineer
- Sevie Bates – art director, designer
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eder, Bruce. "The Yardbirds' Greatest Hits — Album Review". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ↑ "Top LP's—1967". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc) 79 (52): 42. 30 December 1967. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Yardbirds/Featuring Performances by Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ↑ Russo 1998, p. 97.
- ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "The Yardbirds — Artist Biography". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
- ↑ Russo 1998, p. 106.
- ↑ Russo 1998, pp. 117-120.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Unterberger, Richie. "The Yardbirds: Ultimate! — Album Review". AllMusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ↑ Many of the non-album singles and "Stroll On" were included on the 1975 bootlegs Golden Eggs and More Golden Eggs.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Hernandez, Raoul (21 September 2001). "The Yardbirds: Ultimate! (Rhino)". AustinChronicle.com. Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Forte, Dan. "The Yardbirds — The Yardbirds: Ultimate". VintageGuitar.com. Vintage Guitar, Inc. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
References
- Clayson, Alan (2002). The Yardbirds. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-724-2.
- Gomelsky, Giorgio; Cohen, Phil (2002). The Yardbirds Story (Box set booklet). The Yardbirds. Charly Records. SNAD 905 CD.
- Russo, Greg (1992). Little Games Sessions and More (CD booklet). The Yardbirds. EMI North America. E2–98214.
- Russo, Greg (1998). Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up. Crossfire Publications. ISBN 0-9648157-3-7.
- Russo, Greg; Hinman, Doug (2001). Ultimate! (CD booklet). The Yardbirds. Rhino Records. R2 79825.
- "The Yardbirds Official Website". theyardbirds.com. Triangle Media. Retrieved 3 December 2013.