Yardbirds fly again…
More new music & the Library

The Yardbirds, Birdland, Favored Nation Records

This writer has been a Yardbirds fan since 1965. Although primarily remembered as the launching pad for guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, The Yardbirds were greater than the sum of its parts, and the core members—drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja—tentatively put the band back shortly before they were inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. Gigs, a live album, and short tours followed, and in 1997, The Yardbirds, now with a set personnel including Dreja and McCarty, plus Gypie Mayo on lead guitar, John Idan on bass and lead vocals, and Alan Glen on harp, percussion and vocals, completed their first U.S. tour since 1968. Since then, the band has slowly been recording a comeback studio album entitled Birdland, released three weeks ago on Favored Nations Records. There are seven outstanding new songs, plus reworkings of eight Yardbird classics, including “Mr. You’re A Better Man Than I,” “Over Under Sideways Down,” “For Your Love,” “Shapes Of Things,” “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago,” “I’m Not Talking,” “The Nazz Are Blue,” and this writer’s all-time favorite, “Train Kept A Rollin.” Most of the remakes feature guest guitarists, including Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, former member Jeff Beck, and Slash from Guns ‘N Roses. The benefit of improved recording technology breathes new life into these Yardbird classics, presenting them as they’ve never been heard before. The new material is also uniformly excellent as well, and successfully conjures up the spirit of band’s older material. Even without the guest artists, The Yardbirds, with Gypie Mayo’s lead guitar guiding the way, have managed to sound totally contemporary while staying true to their blues and experimental roots, which include styles as disparate as Gregorian chant, psychedelia, hard rock and even jump swing.

Sometimes when old rock bands return, the results don’t come close to past glories. In this case, the opposite is true. The Yardbirds are back. They sound reinvigorated and fresh, not to mention energized and exciting, and will be touring the USA this summer, including a stop at B.B. King’s in Manhattan on June 3.

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles, Mr. Stranger Man, Shanachie Records

The New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tribes are a fixture in the Crescent City, with their outlandishly colorful costumes and equally colorful music. Big Chief Monk Boudreaux carries on the music of The Wild Tchouptoulas, the Wild Squatoulas and other Indian tribes, with this soulful slice of Nawlins’ rhythm and blues and funk. Boudreaux is an amateur vocalist at best, but he’s suitably funky, and with help from Dr. John, Cyril Neville of The Neville Brothers, Anders Osborne, Tab Benoit and The Golden Eagles vocal group, he delivers an album that celebrates the rich musical legacy of New Orleans, one that echoes centuries of folk tradition. The street band influence is evident, as are swampy sounds and reggae influences that tell tall tales of voodoo, skeletons, graveyards, banana boats, firewater and much more. Mr. Stranger Man will get you up on your feet if nothing else.

Kelly Pardekooper, House of Mud, Trailer Records

Kelly Pardekooper is an alt country singer/songwriter/guitarist whose first album contains some worthwhile material, but runs out of steam about three-quarters of the way through, bogged down by ballads that remain earthbound. When Pardekooper rocks, his greasy, sleazy vocals do justice to the material, but his tendency to over-emote on the slower tunes becomes tiresome. Next time, Pardekooper should strive for a more balanced mix of songs and styles. Nevertheless, House of Mud shows promise for this young musician who will most likely come into his own.

The Library: Back Beat Books from San Francisco has again supplied this writer with a couple of books for review. “Turn! Turn! Turn!-The ’60s Folk-Rock Revolution” by Richie Unterberger is an exhaustive look at the birth, evolution and legacy of folk-rock music, as it developed in the ’60s. Unterberger spends a great deal of time discussing Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Mamas & Papas, Lovin’ Spoonful, Donovan, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie and many other musical luminaries of the period. This is a fascinating book that will satisfy fans of ‘60’s. On the other hand, “The Yardbirds” by English music journalist Alan Clayson, is a self-indulgent, florid and flawed history of this beloved English band. Clayson’s precious writing style is so annoying, I found myself skipping over entire paragraphs, and his overuse of British slang may turn off American readers. Clayson focuses more on his own relationship with The Yardbirds instead of the facts. Leave this stinker alone and let it find its way into the bargain bins of the world.