Shapes of Things
Jeff Beck and the Yardbirds
Springboard SBD-4039
1972
I was very sad to learn of Jeff Beck's passing. After Hendrix he was my favorite rock guitarist and I worshipped him like a god when I was a teenager and I still consider his music to be an important part of my life. This is hardly the record to honor him by, I think "Yardbirds" or any Yardbirds comp would be more appropriate not to mention "Truth" by the Jeff Beck Group or "Blow by Blow." However this is the album I've chosen and it was also the album I reached for when I heard he died even though it is a skimpy and shoddy record by a low budget record label that was slightly above bootleg level. Cratediggers of my generation may recall seeing bargain priced albums by Springboard in the bins. They put out records with obscure music by famous artists of the time generally from early in their careers and of dubious legality. I think it highly unlikely they were paying royalties on this stuff. To some degree you were getting what you paid for, as I recall the albums didn't even have inner sleeves to protect the vinyl. They were rip-offs, but if you were a fan of the artist, the music was often quite interesting and hard to find. I bought a bunch of them. "Eric Clapton and the Yardbirds" was the first Yardbirds album I ever bought since all the Epic albums were out of print when I became interested in the band. It is an abridged version of the show released as "Five Live Yardbirds" but it actually sounded better than that album (at least until it got remastered) and featured stage patter not on that album. This was the second Yardbirds album I bought. I picked it up in the mid-1970s shortly before Epic restored the band to its catalog with "The Yardbirds Great Hits" which is a better introduction to the group. Nonetheless hearing this record for the first time blew my teenage mind. Beck's guitar solos took my breath away. Not having many records yet, I was accustomed to listening to mid-1970s AOR or top 40 on the radio which I largely regarded as bland, so Beck's explosive and frenetic guitar work combined with the Yardbirds' pop smarts was a revelation to me. Only the Beatles with their superior songwriting excited me more. There are a mere 9 tracks on the album and Beck only appears on 8 of them since "I Ain't Got You" was recorded when Clapton was the lead guitarist in the group although I love it and consider it one of his best Yardbirds tracks so I'm not complaining. The record begins with the band's soaring 1966 single "Shapes of Things" written by band members Keith Relf, Jim McCarty and Paul Samwell-Smith. It widely considered to be one of the first psychedelic songs although its swelling riff, driven by feedback and power chords, could also be seen as a heavy-metal prototype. Beck's fiery solo embraces raga and jazz while fully rocking out and ends way too soon. It is followed by an unreleased track that is a lively instrumental version of "What Do You Want?" which appeared in a vocal version on "Yardbirds." McCarty's crisp drumming powers the song while Beck delivers a noisy smoking hot riff that culminates in a shrieking solo. The song is far more exciting than the release track. Relf's humorous "New York City Blues" was the b-side of "Shapes of Things." It is a rare foray into straight blues for Beck but he delivers the goods big time. His solo section is very compelling and majestic. "Someone to Love" is an unreleased track that is essentially a punchier version of "Lost Woman" from "Yardbirds" with different lyrics. Beck's solo is curiously subdued in comparison to the release version. "For R.S.G." is actually Bo Diddley's "Here 'Tis" which the band had previously recorded live with Clapton on "Five Live Yardbirds." This is a studio version that the band apparently recorded for the British tv show "Ready Steady Go" hence the odd title. Both the studio and live versions are very exciting, but I give this version the edge for Beck's dazzling guitarwork. He works all over the fret board and the call and response solo section is longer and more elaborate than the Clapton version. This is one of the songs that impressed me the most when I was a kid and even now it still gets my heart racing. Mike Hugg's "Mr. You're a Better Man Than I" had appeared on the American LP "Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds" where it was one of my favorite tracks. It is driven by a hypnotic riff and Beck's fuzz-toned solo is among his best with the Yardbirds and I would argue that it was the best rock guitar solo that had ever been recorded at that time. It is followed by an unreleased instrumental version of "Someone to Love." This elongated performance gives Beck plenty of room to operate and he responds with one of the most amazing guitar solos of that era or any era for that matter. Beck begins riffing over a thunderous rhythm track driven by Samwell-Smith's throbbing bass line and McCarty's explosive drumming. His riffing grows in strength and then erupts into orgasmic blasts of feedback and raw guitar noise. I would say this is the greatest moment in the illustrious history of the Yardbirds. I remember listening to this song wearing headphones as a teen and literally trembling afterwards. This song alone justifies this record's existence. The aforementioned "I Ain't Got You" appeared originally as a b-side and was on the U.S. album "For Your Love." The album ends with "I Ain't Done Wrong" which also was on "For Your Love." This is another one of Beck's best moments with the Yardbirds. He handles the blues section and the rave-up with equal aplomb. His soloing is so inspiring I can't resist breaking out my air guitar to play along. So with this album you get five legitimately released songs presumably stolen without credit from Epic/EMI four of which are essential (and easily available on legitimate releases.) You also get four unreleased songs which are extremely interesting and I would argue that "For R.S.G" and the second version of "Someone To Love" are also essential. They have appeared on a modern CD, Sony's comp "Blues, Backtracks and Shapes of Things" and there are a bunch of foreign versions of this LP so you don't have to buy this stupid record necessarily to get this music. However it is pretty easy to find and I love the cover picture and had it on display in my room when I was a teen. If you are a fan of Jeff Beck or the Yardbirds this is a must-have in some form. Maybe because I bought it so early it has an outsized importance in my mind, but it was the album that made me a fan of Beck and the Yardbirds and listening to it now about 48 years after I bought it it still sounds fresh and vital to me. Rest in peace Jeff Beck and thank you for being such a big part of my musical life. Recommended to people who prefer "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" over "For Your Love."
