Having A Rave Up [CD]

The Yardbirds' third album (and their second with guitarist Jeff Beck, who replaced Eric Clapton) is one of the very best rock records of the entire mid-60s, a scintillating collection of tunes that plays like a best-of collection. In its original (vinyl) incarnation, Having a Rave Up was split neatly down the middle: Side 1 consisted of six studio tunes recorded with Beck on guitar, while Side 2 featured four songs recorded live during the group's Clapton days (these recordings, as well as several others, can be found on the group's 1964 U.K. debut, Five Live Yardbirds). This may seem like a messy and unfocused way to organize an album, but it works fantasticaly well- the record effectively showcases the unique talents of each guitarist, as well as the distinctive features of both eras of the band's career. The first half is marked by Beck's effects-laden guitar virtuosity- the band's amazing rendition of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" is a hyperactive rush of fuzz-toned soloing and brutal thunderclouds of feedback. Keith Relf's exuberant, double-tracked vocals are equally inpressive. The cover of Bo Diddley's "I'm A Man" is another freewheeling classic, propelled by a storming, air-tight rhythm section and some swaggering harmonicas from Relf. The instrumental break, in which the tempo switches to a double-time gallop and Beck turns his guitar into a pure rhythm machine, is nothing short of dazzling. "Mister, You're A Better Man Than I" burns with quiet intensity, riding along on Jim McCarty's crackling drums and some bitterly sarcastic vocals. Jeff's searing, distorted guitar solo is, of course, superb. "Heart Full Of Soul" is a slice of minor-key mid 60s cool with a few superb fuzz-toned guitar interjections. The folky, melancholy "Still I'm Sad" and the puzzing paranoia of "Evil Hearted You" are also excellent. Side 2 shows off the Yardbirds when they were still a young and hungry blues-rock band, bashing out out songs with more gritty passion than technical skill. It's every bit as good as the first half, a wonderful showcase of rock 'n' roll in its rawest and purest form. The cover of Howlin' Wolf's classic "Smokestack Lightening" captures all of the original's menace and vicous bite, throwing in a rip-roaring instrumental explosion for good measure. "Respectable" keeps things going with a rip-roaring burst of R&B drenched fury, while another rendition of "I'm a Man" (compare to the one found on the first side) features a searing harmonica solo and a raucous Relf performance. Finally, the take on "Here' Tis" is a rhthmic blood-pumper with some of Clapton's coolest guitar-strangling. All in all, a superb little record. This CD edition features eleven bonus tracks, including the Beck-era non-LP single "Shapes of Things," which foreshadows psychedelia with its bold, trippy lyrics, cavernous instrumental effects, and trembling, off-kilter guitar work. This CD will fit snugly in the collection of any fan of 60s rock n roll. Totally recomended.

Having a Rave Up is one of the best albums from the 1960s. In particular, one might find interesting, I'M A MAN, STILL I'M SAD, HEART FULL OF SOUL, EVIL HEARTED YOU, and MISTER YOU'RE A BETTER MAN THAN I.

These tunes feature easy-to-learn guitar leads and riffs, some more developed than others. In subsequent recorded work, Jeff Beck produced exciting and creative lead guitar solos and riffs in LOST WOMAN, SHAPES OF THINGS, JEFF'S BOOGIE, HAPPENINGS TEN YEARS TIME AGO and BECK'S BOLERO. In particular, LOST WOMAN features the most interesting pairing of guitar and harmonica to be found in the entire genre of rock'n'roll, or perhaps even in the entire history of recorded music.

Moreover,what distinguishes this album is the deadpan, British-style singing of Keith Relf. Other examples of British deadpan singing can be found, for example, in anything by the 80s New Wave group, Squeeze, and anything by the 80s New Wave group, Gang of Four.

In guitar other work from that era, comparable lead guitar solo work can be found in Pink Floyd's COMFORTABLY NUMB, Vanilla Fudge's YOU KEEP ME HANGING ON, anything from The Greatful Dead's first album, and Quicksilver Messenger Service's THE FOOL. I might also recommend Return To Forever's first album, HYMN OF THE SEVENTH GALAXY. Unlike most "jazz fusion" albums, HYMN OF THE SEVENTH GALAXY cannot whatsoever be mistaken for easy listening music. This album features excellent, easy-to-learn guitar leads in a style not too far removed from that of Jeff Beck.

There is another Japanese issue of this album/cd that I picked up recently that has a variation on the track listing as well as those numbers actually on the album. Interestingly enough, not all of the original tracks listed on the cover of the cd are included. Missing are: Smokestack Lighting, Respectable, and Here 'Tis, yet Steeled Blues, Shapes of Things, New York City Blues, Questa Volta, Paff...Bum, What Do You Want, Jeff's Blues, Someone to Love (Parts 1 & 2), For RSG, Like Jimmy Reed Again, Chris' Number, Pounds and Stomps, Stroll On, and a more Indian-style version of Heart of Soul can be found among the 22 songs on the version I own. So, for those of you looking for particular numbers, I'd check with Amazon to see if their Japanese import is like the one I just bought in Japan.

All of that aside, it's a rocking album full of Jeff Beck's riffs and stings and the majority of tracks are classic Beck-era Yardbirds. Saddest song not here is the later Over Under Sideways Down, but then again, it wasn't recorded yet. Were it included, this would be more like a Jeff Beck's Yardbirds Greatest Hits. Regardless, things of note, the descending rapid-fire pull off lick in Evil Hearted You - a Beck trademark if there ever was one, the many instrumentals especially Jeff's Blues which borrows heavily from Howlin' Wolf's Highway 49, and the highly learnable yet still vital for nascent guitarists take on Train Kept A-Rollin,' infinitely more subtle and fun than the Aerosmith version.

This may not be a musical masterpiece but it is a crucial link in the chain from blues to hard rock and beyond and is an invaluable primer for any would-be rock and roll guitarist.