Your favorite Yardbirds song

Of the listed songs, I usually choose Shapes as my favorite. I voted other for Keith’s Only The Black Rose.

 

Cast my vote for “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” since it’s so much fun to listen to - I love the guitar break, McCarty’s drums, the doubled vocal, the train-off-the-rails ending... I’m referring to the studio version. So much cool going on there. I could’ve just as easily chosen “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago,” “You're a Better Man Than I,” “Shapes Of Things,” the BBC version of “Smokestack Lightning,” “Stroll On,” “Think About It” (BBC version), “Still I’m Sad,” “I’m Not Talking,” “Glimpses.” So many great tracks in their catalog.

 

Always liked that one. I actually worked out a version of it in some weird (and I'm sure wrong) tuning during my college days and used to perform it at coffee houses, etc.

 

Chime in on your favorite song on their Little Games LP

Your favorite song on the Yardbirds Little Games LP

 

So, I voted for Happenings, because it seemed to signal the start of something exciting in music. That something didn't necessarily end well, but it was interesting getting there.

Honorary mention for the BBC version of Dazed And Confused.

 

Other>>Too Much Monkey Business:



From the iTunes 2003 compilation album "Blueswailing July '64 (Live)". Sadly this iTunes compilation no longer seems to be available for those of you wanting to check it out. It is my favorite live Yardbirds material. It was recorded several months after "Five Live Yardbirds" and to me it is superior in ever way, except it has only 7 tracks, not 10 like "Five Live Yardbirds. It has better sound with much less distracting echo. The performances are better and tighter. They seem to be more confident and assured. "Too Much Monkey Business" is just over the top. They don't turn it up to 11, they turn it up to 12!! Clapton's first solo is on fire, I can't remember hearing someone play faster. Then comes the second solo, where he plays even faster and the rest of the band is right there with him. One of the most amazing live performances I have ever heard.

Honorable Mentions:
Over Under...
The first record I bought with my own money at the age of 9. I had started getting an allowance and I bought "Over Under Sideways Down" b/w "Jeff Boogie" for a whopping 69 cents when it came out in the summer of '66.

Happenings...-
Just an amazing song, then and now.

 

Is this the version you mean?

 

Yep, that's the one. In fact songs 9-16 are the 7 songs on the iTunes album I mentioned above. I have "Glimpses" on CD and I somehow forgot these tracks were on there too.

So what did you think of this track? Did they rock the house down or what?

 

I always considered the Yardbirds to be the bluepoint for bands like Cream and Led Zeppelin. However, they were much more than that if you study their catalog.

"For Your Love" is great pop song. I also like some of their exotic sounding songs to it like "Heart Full of Soul" and "Shapes of Things". For some reason I don't know why "Heart For Soul" reminds me of "Things We Said Today"

"Shapes of Things" is my favorite song by The Yardbirds.

Nice controlled use of feedback. I hear some raga influences on the guitar solo and at times the song verges on early psychedelia. I used to get this song confused with the Byrds for years.

 

Shapes Of Things.

Total stormer of a song.

 

Went with "Shapes Of Things", but considered voting for other and making my vote for "Mr. You're A Better Man Than I".

 

Too many classic tracks to narrow it down to just one selection...


But tonight, I'll go with "Heart Full of Soul"

--- Specifically, the live version recorded at New York City's Anderson Theater, 1968.


It smolders, smokes, and then finally erupts! A sensational epic performance.

 

Surprised that Happenings leads the poll... I agree it's their best but never realized so many others think so as well...

 

Happenings Fifty Two Years Ago!

 

*
Happenings Ten Years Time Ago

 

Train kept a Rollin for me ..great riff

 

Sorry, I forgot the.... time!

 

Yeah, it was an easy choice for me, but I didn't think it would be that many peoples' favorite.

 

My personal favourite song of the Yardbirds is 'White Summer'

 

+1 Couldn't have said it better! It's spaced-out, futuristic, still melodic and embellished with a sufficient helping of "Beck"- IMHO, The Yardies' most ambitious composition and their musical pinnacle.

 

I'd probably go for 'Stroll On' - essentially a reworking of Train Kept A-Rollin' but with the extra benefit of having Jimmy Page as well as Jeff Beck. The addition of having Jimmy makes Stroll On a much heavier sounding song than Train.

 

Great choice! While I like "Stroll On" a lot, I do not like it quite as much as "Train Kept a Rollin' " from the Clapton or Beck periods of the band. For the record I will state that while I still liked the Yardbirds, and the New Yardbirds /early Led Zeppelin periods with Jimmy Page, it is my least favorite period for the band. "Train Kept a Rollin' " with Clapton is far more bluesy sounding to my ears than "Stroll On" which is far more Psychedelic and Heavy Metal. The Beck versions fall in the middle, blues and psychedelic. I love all, I prefer the earlier versions. But "Train... " or "Stroll On" are probably my 4th fave Yardbird songs. It is truly amazing how many outstanding songs they have to choose from.

A Sidebar:
I saw "Blow Up" for the first time in the mid 70's and I did not know about the Yardbirds appearance in it. I was blown away as David Hemmings strolled into the halls of the club and you heard loud music coming from the stage. First of all I immediately recognized "Stroll On" was a rebadged version of "Train Kept a Rollin' ". I wondered: Why the remake?. Then I thought gee this band sounds a little like the Yardbirds, but that can't be. Then when Hemmings got into the club and I saw the anonymous band WAS the Yardbirds, I was shocked. Suddenly a so-so movie for me, became a must have when it came out on VHS.

 

I don't think there is a version of "Train..." with EC. Sorry to burst your bubble, mate! (Happy to get corrected, though).

 

Whoops you are of course absolutely right! No it is my bad. I have an early live version of "Train..." which is less psychedelic than it later became. But it is after Clapton left for sure. Perhaps I have been hanging around in that club in "Blow Up" in my dreams and inhaled too much.

 

Heart Full Of Soul gets my vote. I think the first time I heard it was when it was released as a single here in the States. It got a lot of air play when I was a kid growing up. For Your Love was when I first recall hearing them and it got much more air play, but HFOS still resonates with me today.