Ultimate!
| Ultimate! | ||||
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| Compilation album by The Yardbirds | ||||
| Released | 31 July 2001 | |||
| Recorded | December 1963 - March 1968 | |||
| Genre | Blues rock | |||
| Label | Rhino | |||
| Producer | Gary Stewart, Bill Inglot | |||
| The Yardbirds chronology | ||||
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Ultimate! is a two-disc compilation album by English blues rock band The Yardbirds, released in 2001 on Rhino Records, catalogue R2-79825. This is the first official "complete" compilation to feature the group throughout its entire recording era.
Contents |
[edit] Content
The set includes every single, both A and b sides, released in either the UK or US during the band's lifetime, as well as the Italian single "Questa Volta" and the Dutch-only single from their first recording session, a cover of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom". The b-side to the US-only single "I'm A Man" was "Still I'm Sad", and "I'm Not Talking" had initially been the flip to the American release of "Shapes of Things", pulled and replaced with "New York City Blues". The single "Over Under Sideways Down" and its b-side were released seven weeks ahead of their home album in the UK. "Drinking Muddy Water" appeared also as the b-side to the single "Ten Little Indians" three months after its release on the LP Little Games.
In addition to the 32 tracks issued as singles, the album includes 20 tracks released on long-playing records. Tracks five through eight on disc one derive from a live gig at the Marquee Club in London in early 1964, released on the Five Live Yardbirds album. The first ten tracks on disc two approximate the Yardbirds album of the summer of 1966, those ten tracks identical to sides one and two of the British LP with the final tune on each side excised, bringing the British running order down from twelve tracks to the American length of ten. During the final year of the band's existence, the band's management concentrated on the American market, with only one EP and the single "Little Games" released in the UK after 1966.
The set includes the only recordings by the line-up while both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were in the band, "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago", "Psycho Daisies" and their reworking of "Train Kept A-Rollin'", "Stroll On", for the film Blow-Up by Michelangelo Antonioni. Also featured are three Keith Relf solo tracks recorded just prior to and following the Roger The Engineer sessions in 1966 and released as singles, which were extremely difficult to obtain until their issue on this compilation.
Studio recordings done at R.G. Jones Studios, Olympic Sound Studios, IBC Studios, Advision Sound Studios, De Lane Lea Studios, and Sound Techniques Studios in London; Columbia Recording Studios in New York City; Sam Phillips Recording Studios in Memphis, Tennessee; and Chess Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Original recordings were produced by Giorgio Gomelsky, Paul Samwell-Smith, Simon Napier-Bell, and Mickie Most.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Rolling Stone | (not rated) link |
| Allmusic |  link |
[edit] Track listing
Chart positions for UK LPs and singles from Record Retailer; for US LPs and singles from Billboard Top Pop Albums and Billboard Hot 100 chart. UK albums and singles released on British Columbia; US albums and singles released on Epic Records.
[edit] Disc One
| Track | Recorded | Catalogue | Release Date | Chart Peak | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12/10/63 | CBS 1433+ | 3/11/65 | Boom Boom | John Lee Hooker | 2:31 | |
| 2. | 12/10/63 | CBS 1433b+ | 3/11/65 | Honey In Your Hips | Keith Relf | 1:55 | |
| 3. | 3/64 | DB 7823b | 5/1/64 | A Certain Girl | Allen Toussaint | 2:42 | |
| 4. | 3/64 | DB 7823 | 5/1/64 | I Wish You Would | William Arnold | 2:35 | |
| 5. | 3-4/64 | Five Live Yardbirds | 12/31/64 | Too Much Monkey Business | Chuck Berry | 2:02 | |
| 6. | 3-4/64 | Five Live Yardbirds | 12/31/64 | Got Love If You Want It | James Moore | 2:31 | |
| 7. | 3-4/64 | Five Live Yardbirds | 12/31/64 | Smokestack Lightning | Chester Burnett | 2:58 | |
| 8. | 3-4/64 | Five Live Yardbirds | 12/31/64 | Here 'Tis | Ellas McDaniel | 2:24 | |
| 9. | 8/6/64 | DB 7391 | 10/30/64 | #44 | Good Morning Little Schoolgirl | Sonny Boy Williamson | 2:27 |
| 10. | 8/6/64 | DB 7499b | 3/5/65 | Got to Hurry | Giorgio Gomelsky | 2:32 | |
| 11. | 9/19/64 | DB 7391b | 10/30/64 | I Ain't Got You | Calvin Carter | 2:12 | |
| 12. | 2/1/65 | DB 7499 | 3/5/65 | #3 | For Your Love | Graham Gouldman | 2:38 |
| 13. | 4/13/65 | For Your Love | 6/13/65 | US#96 | I'm Not Talking | Mose Allison | 2:12 |
| 14. | 3/15/65 | DB 7594b | 6/4/65 | Steeled Blues | Jeff Beck and Keith Relf | 2:15 | |
| 15. | 4/20/65 | DB 7594 | 6/4/65 | #2 | Heart Full of Soul | Graham Gouldman | 2:36 |
| 16. | 3/15/65 | For Your Love | 6/13/65 | US#96 | I Ain't Done Wrong | Keith Relf | 2:24 |
| 17. | 9/65 | DB 7848b | 2/25/66 | You're A Better Man Than I | Brian Hugg and Michael Hugg | 2:28 | |
| 18. | 12/65-1/66 | DB 7848 | 2/25/66 | #3 | Shapes of Things | Samwell-Smith, Relf, McCarty | 2:31 |
| 19. | 9/65 | Having A Rave-Up with The Yardbirds | 11/15/65 | US #53 | Train Kept A-Rollin' | Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, Lois Mann | 2:01 |
| 20. | 9/65 | Epic 10006b | 3/25/66 | New York City Blues | Keith Relf and Chris Dreja | 2:23 | |
| 21. | 8/23/65 | DB 7706 | 10/1/65 | #3 | Evil Hearted You | Graham Gouldman | 2:08 |
| 22. | 9/65 | Epic 9857 | 10/6/65 | US#17 | I'm A Man | Ellas McDaniel | 2:34 |
| 23. | 7-8/65 | DB 7706b | 10/1/65 | Still I'm Sad | Paul Samwell-Smith and Jim McCarty | 2:24 | |
| 24. | 1/66 | Ricordi MRL 6050# | 2/4/66 | Questa Volta | Roberto Satti, Sergio Bardotti, Samwell-Smith | 2:33 | |
| 25. | 1/66 | Ricordi MRL 6050b# | 2/4/66 | Pafff...Bum | Gianfranco Reverberi, Bardotti, Samwell-Smith | 1:58 |
+ released in The Netherlands; # released in Italy
[edit] Disc Two
| Track | Recorded | Catalogue | Release Date | Chart Peak | Song Title | Writer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 5-6/66 | Yardbirds | 7/15/66 | #20 | Lost Woman | Beck, Dreja, McCarty, Relf, Samwell-Smith | 2:08 |
| 2. | 4/66 | DB 7928 | 5/27/66 | #10 | Over Under Sideways Down | Beck, Dreja, McCarty, Relf, Samwell-Smith | 2:37 |
| 3. | 5-6/66 | Yardbirds | 7/15/66 | #20 | The Nazz Are Blue | Jeff Beck | 2:40 |
| 4. | 5-6/66 | Yardbirds | 7/15/66 | #20 | I Can't Make Your Way | Dreja, McCarty, Relf, Samwell-Smith | 2:16 |
| 5. | 5-6/66 | Yardbirds | 7/15/66 | #20 | Rack My Mind | Beck, Dreja, McCarty, Relf, Samwell-Smith | 2:02 |
| 6. | 5-6/66 | Yardbirds | 7/15/66 | #20 | Hot House of Omagararshid | Beck, Dreja, McCarty, Relf, Samwell-Smith | 2:13 |
| 7. | 4/66 | DB 7928b | 5/27/66 | Jeff's Boogie | Jeff Beck | 2:30 | |
| 8. | 5-6/66 | Yardbirds | 7/15/66 | #20 | He's Always There | Jim McCarty and Paul Samwell-Smith | 2:41 |
| 9. | 5-6/66 | Yardbirds | 7/15/66 | #20 | Turn Into Earth | Rosemary Simon and Paul Samwell-Smith | 2:13 |
| 10. | 5-6/66 | Yardbirds | 7/15/66 | #20 | What Do You Want | Beck, Dreja, McCarty, Relf, Samwell-Smith | 2:08 |
| 11. | 7-10/66 | DB 8024 | 10/21/66 | #43 | Happenings Ten Years Time Ago | Beck, Page, McCarty, Relf | 2:50 |
| 12. | 9-10/66 | DB 8024b | 10/21/66 | Psycho Daisies | Beck, Dreja, Page, McCarty, Relf | 2:43 | |
| 13. | 10/66 | Blow-Up Original Soundtrack MGM SE4447 |
2/20/67 | Stroll On | Beck, Dreja, Page, McCarty, Relf | 2:23 | |
| 14. | 3/5/67 | Epic 10156 | 3/24/67 | US#51 | Little Games | Phil Wainman and Harold Spiro | 2:10 |
| 15. | 3/5/67 | Epic 10156b | 3/24/67 | Puzzles | Dreja, Page, McCarty, Relf | 2:23 | |
| 16. | 4/67 | Little Games | 7/24/67 | US#80 | White Summer | Jimmy Page | 2:20 |
| 17. | 4/67 | Epic 10204b | 7/10/67 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor | Jim McCarty and Jimmy Page | 1:51 | |
| 18. | 4/67 | Little Games | 7/24/67 | US#80 | No Excess Baggage | Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico | 4:10 |
| 19. | 4/67 | Little Games | 7/24/67 | US#80 | Drinking Muddy Water | Dreja, Page, McCarty, Relf | 2:31 |
| 20. | 5/1/67 | Little Games | 7/24/67 | US#80 | Only the Black Rose | Keith Relf | 2:26 |
| 21. | 9/25/67 | Epic 10248 | 10/9/67 | US#96 | Ten Little Indians | Harry Nilsson | 1:56 |
| 22. | 6/67 | Epic 10204 | 7/10/67 | US#45 | Ha Ha Said the Clown | Tony Hazzard | 3:22 |
| 23. | 3/68 | Epic 10303 | 3/29/68 | US#127 | Goodnight Sweet Josephine | Tony Hazzard | 1:53 |
| 24. | 1/68 | Epic 10303b | 3/29/68 | Think About It | Page, McCarty, Relf | 2:05 | |
| 25. | 4/16/66 | DB 7920+ | 5/13/66 | Knowing | Keith Relf | 2:05 | |
| 26. | 4/16/66 | DB 7920b+ | 5/13/66 | Mr. Zero | Bob Lind | 2:31 | |
| 27. | 8-9/66 | DB 8084+ | 11/25/66 | Shapes In My Mind | Simon Napier-Bell | 1:56 |
+ Keith Relf solo singles
[edit] Personnel
- Keith Relf — vocals, harmonica, tambourine, acoustic guitar
- Eric Clapton — electric guitar disc one tracks 1 through 12
- Jeff Beck — electric guitars disc one tracks 13 through 25, disc two tracks 1 through 13, 25 and 26; bass guitar on "Over Under Sideways Down;" vocal on "The Nazz Are Blue" and "Psycho Daisies"
- Jimmy Page — guitars disc two tracks 11, 13 through 24, and 27; bass guitar on "Psycho Daisies"
- Chris Dreja — rhythm guitar disc one, disc two tracks 1 through 10, 25, and 26; lead guitar on "Questa Volta;" bass guitar disc two tracks 13, 15, 17, 19, and 24
- Paul Samwell-Smith — bass guitar disc one except track 15, disc two tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 25 and 26
- Jim McCarty — drums except disc two tracks 14, 21, 22, 23, and 27
[edit] Additional personnel
- Brian Auger — harpsichord on "For Your Love"
- Denny Piercey — bongoes on "For Your Love"
- Ron Prentice — bass on "For Your Love;" bass guitar on "Heart Full of Soul"
- Giorgio Gomelsky — backing vocals on "A Certain Girl" and "Still I'm Sad"
- Joe Osborn — bass guitar on "Shapes In My Mind"
- Hal Blaine — drums on "Shapes In My Mind"
- John Paul Jones — bass guitar on "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago," "Little Games", "No Excess Baggage," "Ten Little Indians," and "Goodnight Sweet Josephine;" arrangements on "Little Games" and "Ten Little Indians"
- Dougie Wright — drums on "Little Games"
- Chris Karan — tabla on "White Summer"
- Ian Stewart — piano on "Drinking Muddy Water"
- Al Gorgoni — guitar on "Ha Ha Said the Clown"
- Rick Nielsen — organ on "Ha Ha Said the Clown"
- Joe Macho — bass guitar on "Ha Ha Said the Clown"
- Bobby Gregg — drums on "Ha Ha Said the Clown"
- Nicky Hopkins — piano on "Goodnight Sweet Josephine"
- Clem Cattini — drums on "Ten Little Indians" and "Goodnight Sweet Josephine"
