Happenings Ten Years Time Ago

"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" is a 1966 song by the English rock band the Yardbirds. It has been described as psychedelic rock[1] and psychedelic pop,[2] as well as a prototype of heavy metal music.[3] With special effects and dual lead guitars by Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, it was considered groundbreaking for the time. However, it only made a modest showing in the record charts and ended the group's six Top 20 singles run in the UK and US.

"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"
American single picture sleeve
Single by the Yardbirds
B-side
  • "Psycho Daisies" (UK)
  • "The Nazz Are Blue" (US)
Released
  • 21 October 1966 (1966-10-21) (UK)
  • 4 November 1966 (US)
RecordedJuly, September, October 1966
StudioDe Lane Lea, London
Genre
Length2:55
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Simon Napier-Bell
The Yardbirds singles chronology
"Over Under Sideways Down"
(1966)		 "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"
(1966)		 "Little Games"
(1967)

Recording

The Yardbirds recorded "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" after the sessions for Yardbirds (also known as Roger the Engineer (UK) and Over Under Sideways Down (US)). Paul Samwell-Smith, founding member and bassist, left the group in June 1966 to pursue record production full-time and was initially replaced by studio guitarist Jimmy Page.

However, by "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago", Page switched to second lead guitar alongside Jeff Beck.[4] Rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja took over on bass, although for the recording session musician John Paul Jones provided the bass.[4] Beck, Page, and Jones had recorded earlier together for "Beck's Bolero" in May 1966. Drummer Jim McCarty added harmony vocal to singer Keith Relf's lead vocal.[5]

During the guitar solo, Beck parodies some comments heard during the group's visit to a health clinic:

Pop group, are ya? Bet you're making money ... [laughing]
Why you lot wear your long hair?
I bet you're appearing in a club again, are you? Singing every night there on stage ...[4]

Charts and reception

"Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" reached number 30 on Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and number 43 in the UK Single Chart.[5] In a song review for AllMusic, Matthew Greenwald describes "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" as

Led by a dark, Middle Eastern/psychedelic guitar riff, the song is quickly transformed into a frenetic, almost psychopathic rhythm, giving the whole affair a weird and powerful atmosphere. The idea of going back and forwards into time is paramount here, and was certainly one with the overall psychedelic ambience of the time.[6]

He adds it is "One of the greatest, lost singles from the 1966/1967 era ... this very progressive record was somewhat lost in the shuffle."[6] The song appears at number three in Record Collector’s chronological list of the "100 Greatest Psychedelic Records".

Picture sleeve and label

As with previous Epic releases, "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" releases include several errors. The American picture sleeve, featuring Beck and Page in the photo, only coincides with the A-side of the Epic single. The B-side, "The Nazz Are Blue", features the pre-Page lineup with Paul Samwell-Smith, as well as a rare lead vocal by Beck.[5] The UK single's B-side "Psycho Daisies" similarly features the earlier line-up and vocals by Beck.[5] Additionally, the sheet music erroneously used the same pre-Beck group photo with Eric Clapton that was also mistakenly used for the US single picture sleeve for "Heart Full of Soul".

Additional mistakes were made with the songwriter credits:

  • The American single label lists the songwriters as "C. Drega, K. Relf, P. Samwell-Smith, J. McCarthy, J. Beck".
  • The original The Yardbirds Greatest Hits (1967) (the song's first appearance on an album) lists "K. Relf, J. McCarthy, G. Beck, J. Page".

The comprehensive career retrospective, Ultimate! (2001) lists Relf, Beck, Page, and McCarty,[5] as does ASCAP.[7]

References
  1. Luft, Eric V. D. (2009). Die at the Right Time!: A Subjective Cultural History of the American Sixties. Gegensatz Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-933237-39-8 – via Googlebooks.
  2. Gulla, Bob (2009). Guitar Gods: The 25 Players who Made Rock History. ABC-CLIO. p. 153. ISBN 978-0-313-35806-7 – via Googlebooks.
  3. Helander, Brock (1999). Rocking Sixties. Schirmer Books. p. 409. ISBN 978-0-02-864873-6 – via Googlebooks.
  4. Russo, Greg (2016). Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up. Floral Park, New York: Crossfire Publications. pp. 63, 65, 66. ISBN 978-0-9791845-7-4.
  5. Koda, Cub; Russo, Gregg (2001). Ultimate! (Boxed set booklet). The Yardbirds. Los Angeles: Rhino Records. pp. 39, 46, 48. OCLC 781357622. R2 79825.
  6. Greenwald, Matthew. "The Yardbirds: 'Happenings Ten Years Time Ago' – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  7. "ACE Repertory". ASCAP. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
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