Roger the Engineer [Bonus Tracks]

by The Yardbirds

Overview

Once Jeff Beck joined the Yardbirds, the group began to explore uncharted territory, expanding their blues-rock into wild sonic permutations of psychedelia, Indian music, and avant-garde white noise. Each subsequent single displayed a new direction, one that expanded on the ideas of the previous single, so it would seem that Roger the Engineer -- Beck's first full album with the group and the band's first album of all-original material -- would have offered them the opportunity to fully explore their adventurous inclinations. Despite a handful of brilliant moments, Roger the Engineer falls short of expectations, partially because the band is reluctant to leave their blues roots behind and partially because they simply can't write a consistent set of songs. At their best on Roger, the Yardbirds strike a kinetic balance of blues-rock form and explosive psychedelia ("Lost Woman," "Over, Under Sideways, Down," "The Nazz Are Blue," "He's Always There," "Psycho Daisies"), but they can also bog down in silly Eastern drones (although "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" is a classic piece of menacing psychedelia) or blues tradition ("Jeff's Boogie" is a pointless guitar workout that doesn't even showcase Beck at his most imaginative). The result is an unfocused record that careens between the great and the merely adequate, but the Yardbirds always had a problem with consistency -- none of their early albums had the impact of the singles, and Roger the Engineer suffers from the same problem. Nevertheless, it is the Yardbirds' best individual studio album, offering some of their very best psychedelia, even if it doesn't rank among the great albums of its era. [Roger the Engineer is also available in a release with added bonus tracks.]

Product Details

Release Date:	02/12/1999
Label:	Diablo Records Uk
UPC:	0740155485221
catalogNumber:	852
Rank:	7108

Tracks

1. Lost Women
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 Omagararshid
8. Jeff's Boogie
9. He's Always There
10. Turn into Earth
11. What Do You Want
12. Ever Since the World Began
13. Happenings Ten Years Time Ago
14. Psycho Daisies
15. Lost Women
16. Over, Under, Sideways, Down
17. The Nazz Are Blue
18. I Can't Make Your Way
19. Rack My Mind
20. Farewell
21. Hot House of Omagararshid
22. Jeff's Boogie
23. He's Always There
24. Turn into Earth
25. What Do You Want
26. Ever Since the World Began
27. Mr. Zero
28. Knowing
29. Shapes in My Mind
30. Shapes in My Mind
31. Blue Sands

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Yardbirds   Primary Artist
Jeff Beck   Bass,Guitar,Vocals
Jimmy Page   Bass,Guitar
John Paul Jones   Bass
Jim McCarty   Drums
Chris Dreja   Rhythm Guitar
Keith Relf   Harmonica,Vocals
Paul Samwell-Smith   Bass

Technical Credits

Jeff Beck   Composer
Jim McCarthy   Liner Notes
Jim McCarty   Composer,Liner Notes
Simon Napier-Bell   Producer
Chris Dreja   Composer,Contributor,Artwork,Cover Design
Keith Relf   Composer
Paul Samwell-Smith   Composer,Producer
John Platt   Liner Notes
Val Jennings   Liner Notes