Having A Rave Up – THE YARDBIRDS***

You’re A Better Man Than I/Evil Hearted You/I’m A Man/Still I’m Sad/Heart Full Of Soul/Train Kept A Rollin’/Smokestack Lightning/Respectable/I’m A Man/Here ‘Tis

Having A Rave Up comprises a studio first half featuring new arrival Jeff Beck and a live second half showcasing the by then departed Eric Clapton. Contains the top ten singles Evil Hearted You and Heart Full Of Soul. (US:53)

"For a brief period in 1965/66, The Yardbirds turned out to be at the cutting edge of popular music. And it wasn't all because of the guitar craft of Jeff Beck, heaviest and fieriest player before Hendrix arrived on the scene. There was a good collective spirit in the band, fed by advanced songwriting from Paul Samwell-Smith and Jim McCarty as well as other factors."

"Having A Rave Up is one of the very best rock records of the entire mid-60s, a scintillating collection of tunes that plays like a best-of collection."

"This may seem like a messy and unfocused way to organize an album, but it works fantastically well - the record effectively showcases the unique talents of each guitarist, as well as the distinctive features of both eras of the band's career. The first half is marked by Beck's effects-laden guitar virtuosity."

"Side two shows off The Yardbirds when they were still a young and hungry blues-rock band, bashing out songs with more gritty passion than technical skill. It's every bit as good as the first half, a wonderful showcase of rock 'n' roll in its rawest and purest form. The cover of Howlin' Wolf's classic Smokestack Lightening captures all of the original's menace and vicious bite, throwing in a rip-roaring instrumental explosion."

"It has stood the test of time and, is one of the groundbreaking albums in rock. It was way ahead of it's time, considering it came out in 1965. A classic."

"The album is full of great songs, with a bluesy feel over very heavy bass and drum lines, making it both rock and proto-metal, while maintaining a psychedelic, progressive feel. Considered by many to be The Yardbirds' best, whether it is or hardly matters. It's good. That's all that really matters."