Roger the Engineer

The Yardbirds' third album features their first forays into psychedelic blues rock.

The Yardbirds’ third album is a definitely a move away from straight-ahead British blues towards psychedelia and even heavy metal – the intro to “Ever Since the World Began” almost sounds like a psychedelic Sabbath. And for that, it should be celebrated. And Beck does some (relatively) interesting things with his guitar, some of which likely don’t have much precedent in rock music (like that sustained note on that one song).

But the songs are pretty weak. There’s a reason you don’t hear these on the radio. There’s quite a lot of filler – well played filler but filler nonetheless. For example “Hot House of Omagarashid,” which is just one of those mindless freakouts so many bands were so fond of back then. And “Rack My Mind” sounds like the direct inspiration Spinal Tap’s “Gimme Some Money,” at least in the vocals.

A number of songs sound like they belong on a previous Yardbirds’ album – they sound like a band not capable of the psychedelic music elsewhere on the record. It’s a weird amalgam. And they don’t quite pull it off.