Ultimate! (CD - 2001)

The Yardbirds: Keith Relf (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, tambourine); Jeff Beck (vocals, guitar, bass); Chris Dreja (guitar, piano, bass, maracas); Jimmy Page (guitar, bass); Anthony "Top" Topham, Eric Clapton (guitar); Paul Samwell-Smith (bass, background vocals); Jim McCarty (drums, percussion, background vocals).

Additional personnel: Hamish Grimes (spoken vocals); Al Gorgoni (guitar); Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins (piano); Brian Auger (harpsichord); Rick Nielsen (organ); Ron Prentice, John Paul Jones, Joe Macho, Joe Osborne (bass); Dougie Wright, Clem Cattini, Bobby Gregg, Hal Baline (drums); Denny Piercey (bongos); Chris Karan (tabla).

Producers: Giorgio Gomelsky, Paul Samwell-Smith, Simom Napier-Bell, Mickie Most.

Compilation producer: Gary Stewart.

Recorded between 1963 and 1968. Includes liner notes and song annotations by Cub Koda.

Digitally remastered by Dan Hersch & Bill Inglot (DigiPrep).

Personnel: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page (guitar).

Recording information: Advision Sound Studios, New Band St., London, England; Chess Recording Studios, Chicao, IL; Columbia Recording Studios, New York, NY; De Lane Lea Studios, Kingsway, London, England; I.B.C. Studios, Portland Place, London, England; Marquee Club, Wardour St., London, England; Olympic Sound Studios, Baker St., London, England; R.G. Jones Studios, Morden, Surrey, England; RCA Studios, Hollywood, CA; Sam Phillips Recording Service, Madison Ave., Memphis,; Sound Techniques Studios, Chelsea, London, England.

With two discs, 52 songs and a 52-page book, this is a wonderful roller coaster ride through the vitally important Yardbirds catalog. Not only did guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page emerge from their ranks, but the group spearheaded a unique meld of blues and ferocious rock & roll. Formed in the era of British blues bands, the Yardbirds released a series of singles that gave them Top 40 clout. Though this hastened the exit of Clapton, who decried their abandonment of a purer strain of blues, it created some incendiary, forward-looking material anchored in one of the era's underrated rhythm sections.

Flush with the experimentation that was fueling the era, there are countless treasures to be heard here. "I Can't Make Your Way" is a mix of skiffle, cowboy swagger, and infectious riffing. "He's Always There" is pre-psych fuzziness combined with cool background vocals and handclaps. And then of course, there are all the hits, richly mastered and delivering a hefty wallop. minimize