Live! Blueswailing July '64
Live! Blueswailing July '64 is a live album recorded by English blues rock band the Yardbirds in July 1964. The recordings were discovered in 2003 and the exact date and location of the performance is unknown.[1]
| Live! Blueswailing July '64 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 23 September 2003 | |||
| Recorded | July 1964 | |||
| Genre | Blues rock | |||
| Length | 31:29 | |||
| Label | Castle Music | |||
| The Yardbirds chronology | ||||
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Recording
After the song "Got Love If You Want It", it is announced that Eric Clapton's guitar needs to be tuned, and in the meantime, Keith Relf tells the story of how at an earlier gig, Chris Dreja's Gibson guitar was broken in two by a falling speaker cabinet. He also claims that Clapton's guitar is the only black Fender Jazzmaster in the world. Dreja adds:
He's [Clapton is] playing to the words [and Relf's vocal on "The Sky Is Crying"] ... In a way, it's that pivotal moment when he started to master the style that's lived with him his whole life. He suddenly started to feel confident to play the style I think is what Eric's all about. He was playing as a true accompanist on the guitar.[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek gave the album three out of five stars.[2] He believes that the Yardbirds' performance and the sound quality of the recording is superior to the group's first live album, Five Live Yardbirds (1964).[2] He notes:
[I]n the clos[ing track] – one of the most startling rock versions of "The Sky Is Crying" on record – the listener gets the clearest picture yet of Clapton as an early and worthy guitar hero.[2]
Track listing
Songwriters and track running times are taken from the original Castle/Sanctuary CD.[1] Other releases may have different listings.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Someone to Love Me" | Snooky Pryor | 1:22 |
| 2. | "Too Much Monkey Business" | Chuck Berry | 3:01 |
| 3. | "I Got Love If You Want It" | James Moore a.k.a. Slim Harpo | 2:31 |
| 4. | "Smokestack Lightnin'" | Howlin' Wolf | 5:24 |
| 5. | "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" | Sonny Boy Williamson I[3] | 2:35 |
| 6. | "She Is So Respectable/Humpty Dumpty" | O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley | 5:18 |
| 7. | "The Sky Is Crying" | Elmore James[4] | 6:41 |
Personnel
The Yardbirds
- Keith Relf – harmonica, vocals
- Jim McCarty – drums
- Eric Clapton – guitar
- Chris Dreja – rhythm guitar
- Paul Samwell-Smith – bass
Technical
- Roger Dopson – coordination
- Neil Slaven – liner notes, annotation
- Norman Jopling – quotes researched and compiled
- Nick Watson – audio restoration, digital mastering
- Sam Szczepanski – product manager
- Paul Bevoir – artwork, design
- Hamish Grimes – photography
References
- Slaven, Neil (2003). Live! Blueswailing July '64 (Album notes). The Yardbirds. Castle Music/Sanctuary Records. p. 2. OCLC 178825608. 06076-81331-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Jurek, Thom. "The Yardbirds: Live! Blueswailing July '64". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 February 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- For "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl", "Demarais" is listed s the songwriter on the original Five Live Yardbirds album; some reissues list Don Level and Bob Love.
- Additional album credits for "The Sky Is Crying" include Clarence L. Lewis and Morris Levy. BMI lists the writers as James, Lewis, and Morgan C. Robinson.
