The Yardbirds Greatest Hits

The Yardbirds Greatest Hits
The Yardbirds Greatest Hits
Greatest hits album by the Yardbirds
Released	March 1967
Recorded	1964–1966
Genre	Rock
Length	30:26
Label	Epic
Producer	Giorgio Gomelsky, Simon Napier-Bell
The Yardbirds' US album chronology

The Yardbirds Greatest Hits is the first compilation album of songs recorded by the Yardbirds. It was released in the United States in March 1967 by Epic Records and included all six of the Yardbirds' American A-side singles up to that time, plus three B-sides and the live "Smokestack Lightning" from Having a Rave Up and Five Live Yardbirds.^[1]^[a]

The album was the group's highest charting LP record in the US, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard 200 album chart.^[2] Despite the modest peak, it ranked number 73 on the magazine's year-end "Top LP's – 1967" chart because of its longevity.^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]

AllMusic critic Bruce Eder gave the album four and a half out of five stars, who comments "the whole platter summed up, just about as neatly as it was possible to do across just ten songs, what made the Yardbirds a great band."^[2] He notes that since the focus is on "hits", most of the selections feature guitarist Jeff Beck, although Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page are represented with one song each.^[2] Eder adds:

Given its layout and purpose, as well as complications brought about by the subsequent shifting ownership and licensing of different parts of the group's library, this ended up being the best single-disc LP compilation ever issued on this band ... And it was responsible for introducing many fans to the full range of the group's work.

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original Release	Length
1.	"Shapes of Things"	Paul Samwell-Smith, Keith Relf, Jim McCarty	single	2:24
2.	"Still I'm Sad"	Smith, McCarty	B-side of "I'm a Man" (US)	2:59
3.	"New York City Blues"	Relf	B-side of "Shapes of Things" (US version 2)	4:17
4.	"For Your Love"	Graham Gouldman	single	2:27
5.	"Over Under Sideways Down"	Chris Dreja, McCarty, Jeff Beck, Relf, Samwell-Smith	single	2:22

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original Release	Length
1.	"I'm a Man"	Ellas McDaniel a.k.a. Bo Diddley	single (US)	2:35
2.	"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"	Relf, Dreja, McCarty, Beck, Jimmy Page	single	2:49
3.	"Heart Full of Soul"	Gouldman	single	2:28
4.	"Smokestack Lightning"	Chester Burnett a.k.a. Howlin' Wolf	Five Live Yardbirds	5:35
5.	"I'm Not Talking"	Mose Allison	For Your Love	2:30

Notes

^ Group chronicler Greg Russo also gives a secondary "street" release date of 17 April 1967.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Russo, Greg (2016). Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up (6th. ed.). Floral Park, New Jersey: Crossfire Publications. pp. 78, 80, 214. ISBN 978-0-9791845-7-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Eder, Bruce. "The Yardbirds' Greatest Hits – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
^ "Top Records of 1967: Top LPs". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 52. 30 December 1967. p. 42. ISSN 0006-2510.

[2] Group chronicler Greg Russo also gives a secondary "street" release date of 17 April 1967.^[1]

[Russo-1] Russo, Greg (2016). Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up (6th. ed.). Floral Park, New Jersey: Crossfire Publications. pp. 78, 80, 214. ISBN 978-0-9791845-7-4.

[Eder-3] Eder, Bruce. "The Yardbirds' Greatest Hits – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 July 2016.

[4] "Top Records of 1967: Top LPs". Billboard. Vol. 79, no. 52. 30 December 1967. p. 42. ISSN 0006-2510.

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v t e The Yardbirds
Original members (1963–1968): Keith Relf Paul Samwell-Smith Chris Dreja Jim McCarty Top Topham Eric Clapton Jeff Beck Jimmy Page Later members (since 1992): John Idan Gypie Mayo Alan Glen Jerry Donahue Ben King Johnny A. Kenny Aaronson Myke Scavone
Studio recordings	For Your Love Having a Rave Up Roger the Engineer Little Games Birdland
Live albums	Five Live Yardbirds Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds Live Yardbirds! Featuring Jimmy Page Live! Blueswailing July '64
Anthologies	The Yardbirds Greatest Hits Shapes of Things Ultimate! Glimpses 1963–1968 Yardbirds '68
Soundtracks	Blow-Up – The Original Sound Track Album
Bootlegs	Golden Eggs More Golden Eggs
Singles	"I Wish You Would" "A Certain Girl" "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" "For Your Love" "Heart Full of Soul" "Evil Hearted You" "I'm a Man" "Shapes of Things" "You're a Better Man Than I" "Boom Boom" "Over Under Sideways Down" "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" "Ha Ha Said the Clown" "Ten Little Indians"
Other songs	"Let It Rock" "Who Do You Love" "You Can't Judge a Book by Looking at the Cover" "Too Much Monkey Business" "Smokestack Lightning" "Five Long Years" "The Sky Is Crying" "My Girl Sloopy" "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" "Spoonful" "The Stumble" "Dust My Blues" "White Summer" "Drinking Muddy Water" "Stealing Stealing" "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" "Dazed and Confused" "Knowing That I'm Losing You" "I'm Waiting for the Man"
Related	Discography Members Cream Jeff Beck Group Led Zeppelin Renaissance Box of Frogs