Yardbirds [Roger The Engineer]: The Complete Mono And Stereo Album Mixes (1966)

Fraai verzorgde editie in boekvorm van het titelloze 1966-album van de Britse band, dat vaak "Roger The Engineer" wordt genoemd, naar de tekening op de hoes. "Once Jeff Beck joined the Yardbirds, the group began to explore uncharted territory, expanding their blues-rock into wild sonic permutations of psychedelia, Indian music, and avant-garde white noise. Each subsequent single displayed a new direction, one that expanded on the ideas of the previous single, so it would seem that "Roger The Engineer" -- Beck's first full album with the group and the band's first album of all-original material -- would have offered them the opportunity to fully explore their adventurous inclinations. At their best on Roger, the Yardbirds strike a kinetic balance of blues-rock form and explosive psychedelia. The result is an unfocused record (...) Nevertheless, it is the Yardbirds' best individual studio album, offering some of their very best psychedelia, even if it doesn't rank among the great albums of its era." (Allmusic)