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Roger the Engineer

The Yardbirds - Roger the Engineer Audio CD

A fair review of the The Yardbirds "Roger the Engineer" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Yardbirds reviews here, or go back to the The Yardbirds tabs.

Band: The Yardbirds
Title: Roger the Engineer
Rating:

Release Date: 1997-11-11
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Lost Woman 2: Over, Under, Sideways, Down 3: Nazz Are Blue 4: I Can't Make Your Way 5: Rack My Mind 6: Farewell 7: Hot House of Omagarashid 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: Psycho Daisies 14: Happenings Ten Years Time Ago

The birth of hard rock
The Yardbirds, featuring at various times Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, were perhaps the most important band in rock history, in guitarist terms, and their back catalogue is, thankfully, back in print. Hard rock, as it began in the late Sixties, basically emanates from the Brits--having thoroughly absorbed our Yank blues, R&B, and early rock and roll over the previous few years, and then combining it with psychedelia, young white English blokes (as well as a black American expatriate by the name of Hendrix) began upping the wattage and experimenting at earsplitting decibel levels. 1966's "Roger The Engineer" (formal title: "The Yardbirds"), named for recording engineer Roger Cameron, is mid-period for the band and features Jeff Beck, though future lead guitarist-bandleader Jimmy Page is also on the record ("Happenings Ten Years Time Ago", a signature early-psychedelic track featuring studio wizardry which must have been state-of-the-art for the time). "Happenings" and "Over, Under, Sideways, Down" are psychedelic rock, not blues--the band had changed a great deal from the group which had recorded with Sonny Boy Williamson just a few years earlier. There are no cover versions here. This is where hard rock started.

3.5 stars
This is all just speculation, but the similarities are there, and I think fans of Cream and/or The Who will have a great deal of appreciate for this album. Unlike Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds, which seemed to have within it the various influences of all forms of rock n' roll to come after, Roger the Engineer seems more pre-Cream than anything else, in its bluesy, psychedelic approach, though I suppose it could be said that it also served to influence some of The Who's more eccentric moments.

Because of this focusing of The Yardbirds' sound, it's a more consistent effort, throughout, though it lacks a little in character from earlier recordings. It is, however, still a strong album.

Yardbirds '66: Over Under Sideways Down
(Jimmy Page joined this lineup around June 1966, first as bass player and later - briefly - as co-lead guitarist with Beck). "Roger The Engineer" is the second album's worth of material recorded by the Yardbirds' second (and best) incarnation, which lasted from March 1965, when Jeff Beck replaced "blues purist" Eric Clapton, until October 1966 when Beck left suddenly. Musically the Y'birds made tremendous strides during this year-and-a-half, and reached their commercial peak with innovative hit singles such as "Heart Full Of Soul", "Shapes Of Things", "I'm A Man" and "Over Under Sideways Down" - the last was also the title of the original, truncated (10 tracks) US edition of "Roger" released by Epic back in 1966. The Yardbirds always had impressive chops, of course, but were still relying on outside songwriting help (Graham Gouldman, Mike Hugg, etc) until a decision was made to create an entirely self-contained effort, and "Roger" was their first and only album of all original material.
The resulting effort was an exciting and eclectic collection, and the band's finest album, highlighting the group's many strengths (sheer musical facility coupled with a willingness to experiment, the cohesion and self-awareness that comes with time spent as a working unit, and a capacity for pure visceral excitement) as well revealing those weaknesses that prevented the band from ever becoming a major "album band" in the US (inconsistency and lack of first rate songwriting talent on the order of Jagger/Richards, Lennon/McCartney, Ray Davies, Townshend, etc. ) So, this album zips along quickly and quite enjoyably, with some hot blues pastiches, some solid, catchy, and witty rock/pop gems ("Rack My Mind", "He's Always There", and "Over Under Sideways Down") that are as inventive in terms of arrangement and production as they are brilliantly performed. On the other hand, we get the occasional campy moments of proto-Goth, an OK-but-hardly-essential Beck guitar feature, and a couple of merely mediocre tracks. Nevertheless, blast this loud and you can't help but feel that rush, the pure pleasure of a real band at the peak of its powers, as well as be impressed, knowing these guys spent roughly a week in the studio to craft the whole album. This midline priced 1997 Warner Archives edition includes the 10 songs from the American vinyl, plus the two that were spliced out, so we have the UK track lineup complete plus two spectacular bonus tracks, both featuring Page along with Beck: "Psycho Daisies" - with a sardonic vocal by Beck, it's a two minute jolt of fleet, pounding rock 'n' roll - and "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago", perhaps the most accomplished recording this band made, a hallucinatory, surreal sound collage amidst truly ferocious high-energy rock and roll (I mean, The Stooges stole that amazing main riff!) that still evokes the violence and dread of the '60s and will have any fan of great rock 'n' roll still sentient (such as my dog) jumping and dancing around the room. These two tracks are easily the equal of anything Led Zep created. Also exemplary, by the way, is Ted Jansen's remastering, which is spectacular. Of the fourteen tracks, all are in stereo except for "Daisies" and "Happenings", and, wisely, "House of Omagarashid". Unless you want both mono and stereo editions of the entire album, or Keith Relf's less than essential solo singles, this is the edition to own. .

Must Have
This CD is the begging of rock and roll. This album is a must have everyone should own a copy of this amazing album. It is the greatest jazz album ever to have been written. Jeff Beck fans must own. Jimmy Page, and Led zeppelin fans must own. No doubt about it is the best Yardbirds album. .

A GREAT record!
They are noted for having arguably the three greatest rock guitarist (Clapton, Beck, & Page) pass through their ranks and while this produced some great music, it also caused problems. The Yardbirds were a fantastic band during all phases of their career. Their first albums featured a Clapton and the blues vs. Beck and his experimentations dicotomy. Their last record featured the transition from Beck to Page and hard rock. This record is all Jeff and his fantastic, experimental guitar style. Every song on this record has his stamp on it, even "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" which has Page playing a second lead. "Lost Woman", "Over, Under, Sideways, Down", "Jeff's Boogie", etc. are all terrific. This recording is always with me on road trips and just listening to what Beck can do on the guitar helps make the trip easier. I love Clapton and his blues and I love Page and his hard rock but in my opinion, Jeff Beck is the best rock guitarist of them all. No one has challenged him yet. .

You can see a complete list of all The Yardbirds discography, or go back to the The Yardbirds tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.