The Yardbirds Prep Jimmy Page-Produced Double-LP Compilation
The Yardbirds will unearth “studio sketches” and live recordings for a new Jimmy Page-produced double-LP compilation set, Yardbirds ’68, out November 5th via the guitarist’s website.
The 18-track package, available now for pre-order, features eight rare studio recordings and 10 live tracks recorded at New York City’s Anderson Theater in March 1968. The set is available in three formats: CD, vinyl and a deluxe box set signed by Yardbirds alumni Page, Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja. The former bandmates assembled the collection’s sleeve notes, with Page and Dreja providing booklet photos.
“We thought this might be lost forever, but we’ve rediscovered it, re-mixed it,” the trio said of the project in a statement. “It’s of great historical importance. We’re delighted to see the release.”
Live at Anderson Theater blends covers (including Bo Diddley’s “I’m a Man”) and original tunes (like the band’s early psych-rock tracks “Shapes of Things” and “Over Under Sideways Down”). Also featured are two songs Page later re-recorded with Led Zeppelin: “Dazed and Confused” and his solo raga-rock instrumental “White Summer.” (In 1971, Epic Records released a similar collection, Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page, which documented the Anderson Theater concert.)
The “studio sketches” on Yardbirds ’68 are highlighted by two takes on “Spanish Blood” (including an instrumental version) and Page’s folk-rock tune “Knowing That I’m Losing You,” later reworked by Led Zeppelin on 1970’s Led Zeppelin III.