Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
- Matt Wilson
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Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Got into a conversation last night about what the best representation of UK guitar is for 1966 on LP. The Yardbirds (or Roger the Engineer) LP with Jeff Beck's innovative fretwork, or John Mayall's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton album with its Les-Paul-maxed-out-to-eleven vibe. Don't know if we came to a conclusion. Possibly Beck's exploratory tones and riffing was more progressive but that the Beano LP was more consistent overall? Can't really recall.
Anyway, what say you?
Anyway, what say you?
- robertff
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
They represent different genres to me really, Mayall’s is straight blues whereas the Yardbirds album covers a greater variety genres and is more innovative. Mind you Eric was ‘God’ soon after this so perhaps this represents the best guitar album for ‘66 and Eric’s status was assured for quite sometime.
As an album I easily prefer the Yardbirds but certainly recognise the importance of the Mayall album. Although I’m a great fan of Mayall, for me this album is far from his best, it started a great run but the four that immediately followed knock it into the shade. Always tickles me that this album is the one that’s always the recommended album for Mayall but is nowhere near his best.
Yardbirds easily as the more enjoyable album but ‘Beano’ for legacy.
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As an album I easily prefer the Yardbirds but certainly recognise the importance of the Mayall album. Although I’m a great fan of Mayall, for me this album is far from his best, it started a great run but the four that immediately followed knock it into the shade. Always tickles me that this album is the one that’s always the recommended album for Mayall but is nowhere near his best.
Yardbirds easily as the more enjoyable album but ‘Beano’ for legacy.
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- Matt Wilson
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
No, I know they're not the same genre. I guess I'm promoting the issue of breakthrough guitar playing in the LP format pre-Hendrix in the UK. Jimi did "Hey Joe" later that year, and of course Are You Experienced followed in '67. But if you're an album guy and you're looking to England for guitar pyrotechinics in 1966, then it would be either these two records or Fresh Cream in December. All advance the idea of the guitar hero. The only comparable album in the US that year was Butterfield's East-West with Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. Another fine offering but I doubt it would rank alongside these two LPs here at BCB.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Matt Wilson wrote:No, I know they're not the same genre. I guess I'm promoting the issue of breakthrough guitar playing in the LP format pre-Hendrix in the UK. Jimi did "Hey Joe" later that year, and of course Are You Experienced followed in '67. But if you're an album guy and you're looking to England for guitar pyrotechinics in 1966, then it would be either these two records or Fresh Cream in December. All advance the idea of the guitar hero. The only comparable album in the US that year was Butterfield's East-West with Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. Another fine offering but I doubt it would rank alongside these two LPs here at BCB.
It was certainly a fine offering but I agree, it definitely didn’t have the same impact as the two you mentioned in the UK and perhaps not here on BCB.Their first album was pretty good as well and was a year earlier. Fresh Cream had a huge impact and cemented Eric’s status as guitar hero no. 1 until Jimi came along.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Fresh Cream was December of '66 and "Hey Joe" was about the same time. It's perhaps unfair to compare guitarists to Jimi, so that's what I was trying to do - give Jeff and Eric some in terms of UK albums that year. Anyway, I love it all - Yardbirds, Blues Breakers, and Fresh Cream
- GoogaMooga
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Yardbirds, no contest. I like Jeff Beck better than Clapton, although the latter had more hits.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
I think the Beano album always gets mentioned because of the cover. Mayall did other albums that were just as good, to my mind.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
I'd rather listen to the Beck Yardbirds than the Clapton just about anything. Especially Cream.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Muskrat wrote:I'd rather listen to the Beck Yardbirds than the Clapton just about anything. Especially Cream.
Yes!
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
So how come these Yardbirds fans don't vote?
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Matt Wilson wrote:Possibly Beck's exploratory tones and riffing was more progressive but that the Beano LP was more consistent overall?
My first thought.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
GoogaMooga wrote:Muskrat wrote:I'd rather listen to the Beck Yardbirds than the Clapton just about anything. Especially Cream.
Yes!
Totally.
Bugger off.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Matt Wilson wrote:Fresh Cream was December of '66 and "Hey Joe" was about the same time. It's perhaps unfair to compare guitarists to Jimi, so that's what I was trying to do - give Jeff and Eric some in terms of UK albums that year. Anyway, I love it all - Yardbirds, Blues Breakers, and Fresh Cream
Me too, although as I said, following your initial premise of 'furthering the notion of guitar hero', I think the 'Beano' album wins pretty easily out of the two. I remember very clearly at the time the Yardbirds album received a very muted reception and was regarded with disappointment, whereas the Mayall album was regarded as something more forceful and inspiring altogether.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Matt Wilson wrote: The only comparable album in the US that year was Butterfield's East-West with Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. Another fine offering but I doubt it would rank alongside these two LPs here at BCB.
Not alongside, but streets ahead. There was nothing particularly innovative about Clapton's playing on the Beano album - my blues-loving mates at school all thought he was a knock-off of various black Americans - while everyone I knew thought of the Yardbirds as a great singles band, and no-one bought the LPs. The release of East-West, thoughm was an event, streets ahead of their first album (and indeed of any album in any genre released that year), with both Bloomfield and the under-rated Bishop taking the guitar to new places.
Some people I know consider it the first psychedelic album: I woukdn't go that far, but I can still listen to it without wincing today, and that's saying quite a bit.
I voted for Roger, btw, on the general principle, Beck > Eric.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Rayge wrote:Matt Wilson wrote: The only comparable album in the US that year was Butterfield's East-West with Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. Another fine offering but I doubt it would rank alongside these two LPs here at BCB.
Not alongside, but streets ahead. There was nothing particularly innovative about Clapton's playing on the Beano album - my blues-loving mates at school all thought he was a knock-off of various black Americans - while everyone I knew thought of the Yardbirds as a great singles band, and no-one bought the LPs. The release of East-West, thoughm was an event, streets ahead of their first album (and indeed of any album in any genre released that year), with both Bloomfield and the under-rated Bishop taking the guitar to new places.
Some people I know consider it the first psychedelic album: I woukdn't go that far, but I can still listen to it without wincing today, and that's saying quite a bit.
I voted for Roger, btw, on the general principle, Beck > Eric.
I threw the Butterfield album in because I'm a fan, but there aren't that many around here so figured I'd make it a UK thing. For the record, I went with the Blues Breakers album because it's the most consistent, and there was plenty of innovative playing on it. If you aren't keen, I won't bother with analysis. The Yardbirds record is also great, but I think the first two tracks overshadow the rest to the point that the whole endeavor wouldn't even make my top five albums of that year. It is entirely self-written by the band though - so there's that. East-West is also marvelous, but the title track is where the psychedelia you speak of comes in and if it didn't have that - it would be more or less along the lines of their first album. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course. Finally, there's Fresh Cream, which really is the start of a whole new thing - as each of the three musicians was a master of his instrument and the blues was taken to a heavier level while still retaining that pop feel so integral to Yardbirds recordings. Probably should've included it in the poll - only I feel Clapton's playing doesn't top what he did on the Beano LP.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Matt Wilson wrote:Possibly Beck's exploratory tones and riffing was more progressive but that the Beano LP was more consistent overall?
Yes, that about sums it up for me. Also, not only is 'Beano' more consistent, it's a much better guitar showcase than 'Yardbirds.' The latter album is diluted by an excess of throwaway pop and stuff the band obviously improvised in the studio. I'll bet more of the American garage rockers and future metal pioneers preferred the 'Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds' album.
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- Matt Wilson
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
pcqgod wrote:Matt Wilson wrote:Possibly Beck's exploratory tones and riffing was more progressive but that the Beano LP was more consistent overall?
Yes, that about sums it up for me. Also, not only is 'Beano' more consistent, it's a much better guitar showcase than 'Yardbirds.' The latter album is diluted by an excess of throwaway pop and stuff the band obviously improvised in the studio. I'll bet more of the American garage rockers and future metal pioneers preferred the 'Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds' album.
That's something I would definitely analyze if I were to do a Yardbirds thread. I like the Roger the Engineer (or whatever you want to call it) album fine, but my, there is a fair bit of filler to be found isn't there? Side one of Having a Rave Up decimates it and even the For Your Love LP is underrated. Probably only about a third of Little Games makes the grade though, the rest being marginal.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
Matt Wilson wrote:pcqgod wrote:Matt Wilson wrote:Possibly Beck's exploratory tones and riffing was more progressive but that the Beano LP was more consistent overall?
Yes, that about sums it up for me. Also, not only is 'Beano' more consistent, it's a much better guitar showcase than 'Yardbirds.' The latter album is diluted by an excess of throwaway pop and stuff the band obviously improvised in the studio. I'll bet more of the American garage rockers and future metal pioneers preferred the 'Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds' album.
That's something I would definitely analyze if I were to do a Yardbirds thread. I like the Roger the Engineer (or whatever you want to call it) album fine, but my, there is a fair bit of filler to be found isn't there? Side one of Having a Rave Up decimates it and even the For Your Love LP is underrated. Probably only about a third of Little Games makes the grade though, the rest being marginal.
Agreed, seems like the American market always got the better deal with the Yardbirds than the UK market.
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Re: Yardbirds vs Bluesbreakers
GoogaMooga wrote: Mayall did other albums that were just as good, to my mind.
Better
Crusade two albums on [from 1967] for one
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