The Yardbirds
Making Tracks: On Tour 2010-2012 DVD
Review by Gary Hill
It’s amazing to me all the hits this group had. I mean, I found myself watching this thinking, “great song” over and over again. And yet, I don’t often think of the Yardbirds as being hit makers. I think the sound and video on these live recordings are sort of marginal at times. Mind you, I’m not saying that it’s bad. I’m saying that it just doesn’t seem as good as it should be. The band, though, are amazing. Veteran members Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty are joined by some newcomers, and a couple of those guys really impressed me. Ben King plays lead guitar and you really have to think about the history of this band to understand the significance. I mean, when you are playing lead guitar in a band that’s featured Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page at different times in their history, that has to be an intimidating place to be. King pulls it off with style and finesse, though and makes it look easy. I’m even more impressed by Andy Mitchell, though. He’s the front man and his vocals are simply awesome. He also plays guitar on a lot of the songs. He just wows on the performances here. If you’ve ever been a fan of The Yardbirds, this thing comes highly recommended. Even if you’ve barely heard the band and just like old school bluesy hard rock, you must get this. It’s great.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2013 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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