This is the first album by The Yardbirds to feature all original material. Jeff Beck was still in the group at this point. More importantly, this album featured a large array of different kinds of genres covered by the group, despite the fact that they were very much based on their Blues roots throughout their career. This is often seen as their best album, although the group’s career had many ups (as well as downs). Let’s take a listen to this 1960s album, and hopefully, it will be a good listen.

Lost Woman begins with hi-hats and some interesting bass guitar work, launching quickly into a very upbeat and listenable song that still sounds great today. This song is very 1960s and is also very timeless. There is a harmonica led breakdown after the chorus, and this sounds very well played and also, very interesting. This is eventually followed by some intense drumming, feedback guitars and some great sonics all around. If anything, this music is very underrated, to this day. A wonderful and interesting listening experience, this does sound very decent and fluid in terms of overall musicality. Towards the end, the sounds stop except for the bass guitar, and the rest of the band quickly resumes afterwards. A great three minute long Pop/Rock song.

Over, Under, Sideways, Down begins with some weird guitar sounds, and some chanting and launches into a feel good tune that sounds really euphoric. There is some heavy bass guitar on this tune, and some very trippy Psychedelic musical elements to it. Nonetheless, this is far better than expected and the music on this tune is very professional and accomplished. The breakdowns throughout are really deeply moody and hallucinogenic. All in all, another great song that demands to be listened to. A very wonderful piece of music.

The Nazz Are Blue quickly launches into a nice piece of Rock and Roll, featuring Blues influences and Jeff Beck playing his Fender Esquire very nicely. It sounds insanely good because it is. Some singing eventually enters, and this piece comes alive very well. “I can’t find a woman, no matter how hard I try…” is a core lyric that sums up this song, which is male lust for women out there who don’t care about said man. Towards the middle is a really excellent guitar solo with vibrato and feedback that sounds really excellent. Soon enough, this resumes back into the song section itself. A great listen, and better than expected from this album. Dramatic 12 Bar Blues in a Rock context, this sounds really fantastic. Worth a listen, and it sounds very, very great from start to finish. Nice work.

I Can’t Make Your Way begins with some strange guitar licks, processed studio based sounds and layered chanting. All the same, this is a really awesome and brilliant listening experience that sounds very 1960s. Surprisingly, this has lasted very nicely to this day, and has some neat guitar licks throughout, even if the chanting is quite out of tune, which is disappointing. Still, this is a really awesome and tremendous listening experience that sounds really fluid and wonderful. A little repetitive as well, but this is still easily forgivable at this point. Another good song, although it probably could have been done better in retrospect.

Rack My Mind is another quirky song with Fender Esquire licks, harmonica and some traditional Blues music based progressions. It is a lot more subdued and quiet than previous listens on this album, but it works just as well as other numbers on this album. It quickly launches into a louder chorus which is a little weaker as a song than you’d expect. Still, The Yardbirds give it what they have got musically. A decent listen nonetheless, this set of songs may not be the best of the 1960s, but they are highly enjoyable and listenable all the same. The quiet/loud and stop/start dynamics pre-date Nirvana’s efforts by many years in this area of focus. Towards the end is some great guitar playing by Jeff Beck, before this concludes nicely. Job well done.

Farewell is a very short piano piece that is a minute and a half long. This has some singing present as well, but it isn’t really that good here. Still, one can appreciate the effort here, despite the fact that the singing on this album is very tuneless. In any case, it is okay, not fantastic. Short and sweet, however. This really should be at the end of the album, not at this point of the album.

Hot House Of Omagararshid begins with loose drums, weird vocal samples and other weird additional backup noises, quickly launching into a really excellent and weird tune without vocals and just some harmony based chanting. Some interesting electronic sounds are throughout as well, and this piece of music really sounds great and fantastic. Underrated, for sure. This sounds clever, quirky and pleasant listening. Soon enough, some great guitar playing in the left channel emerges, whilst the other instrumentation plays in the right channel. A very enjoyable listening experience, and something worth your ears. Wonderful music from start to finish.

Jeff’s Boogie begins with some awesome Fender Esquire guitar parts and launches into an excellent Rock based groove that is really fantastic and swell. The music here is uptempo, instrumental and groovy. This is a great example of the 1960s music that swings so well. A variety of guitars, drums, bongos and other Rock styled instrumentation are present here. Jeff Beck points ahead to himself being a Rock God in his solo career from here on in. A really awesome tune to hear, this instrumental sounds dramatic from start to finish. Great work.

He’s Always There begins with a quick kick drum intro, followed by maracas, bass guitar, fuzz electric guitar and singing. The chorus eventually comes in, and this tune comes alive. A short, simple and interesting piece of music with some interesting guitar riffing throughout. All the same, this does sound really clever and great. It’s not the best album of the 1960s, but songs like these do leave a positive impression on the listener. Towards the end is a fuzz laden pseudo woman tone guitar solo. This quickly fades out afterwards.

Turn Into Earth begins with some unique kick drum beats and percussion, with singing and sound effects in the right channel. This sounds very trippy and spacey. Some harmonies emerge in the left channel, and proper singing eventually commences here. A pleasant listening experience, and something really unique and wonderful to listen to. A short piece at around three minutes long, this does sound fantastic for what it is. Nonetheless, this music is really Psychedelic and inspired. This no doubt would have influenced others to pursue Psychedelic Rock music, and it sounds tranquil and lovely to hear here. A really awesome listen, one of the better songs from this album.

What Do You Want begins with some pounding drums, gurgling basslines and jangly electric guitars. It quickly enters into an awesome and listenable piece of music that sounds upbeat, clever and refreshing. The playing on this record is amongst some of the best you will ever hear from the 1960s. A catchy and bold number from The Yardbirds, this is worth repeat listens and sounds really awesome and cool. There are some neat breakdowns in the second half, followed by jangly guitars and playing that is really superb, verging on loud feedback for the most part. Some really great instrument playing is here. A top effort from The Yardbirds, it fades out gently.

Ever Since The World Began is the final track here. It is a tale of Christian beliefs and has some singing about the corruption of the world, and the evil nature of money as well. Rather unnecessary and nonsensical at this point of the album, this still sounds very interesting, much like the rest of the album. In the second half is a pretty and interesting change and there is a pseudo-Communist philosophy against money in the lyricism and chanting here. A great listen, this concludes the album here, even though there is a mixed message lyrically.

This is a very good 1960s Rhythm and Blues Rock album that is great to listen to but just falls short of being a great album, due to the patchiness of the recorded material here. Still, this is better than most of The Yardbirds albums before it, and the inventiveness and artistic nature of the material cannot be denied here. Should you listen to this album? Only if you are really a fan of Classic Rock or Blues, otherwise maybe not. Still, this is a genuinely good effort for this style of music.

Almost there.

8/10