Yardbirds: Making Tracks

Few legendary rock bands have undergone as many radical personnel changes over 50 years as the Yardbirds, the British blues-rock ensemble that yielded three legendary guitarists (Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page) and at one point contained all of the members of Led Zeppelin. After breaking up in 1968, the band stayed dormant until 1992, when co-founders Jim McCarty (drums) and Chris Dreja (rhythm guitar) put together a new lineup that has changed frequently ever since. Yardbirds: Making Tracks is an unimpressive—depressing, actually—performance showcase for the contemporary Yardbirds, basically two old guys (Dreja and McCarty) and three young fresh fellows with nary a grey hair or hint of inspiration between them. Not even a cohesive concert, the 15-song Making Tracks is culled from multiple 2012 shows, although all exhibit a bar-band level of craftsmanship. If you're familiar (and still in love) with such Yardbirds classics as “Heart Full of Soul” and the glorious “Shapes of Things,” prepare to be heartbroken by the renditions here. A bonus disc features extras including a behind-the-scenes documentary, brief interviews with McCarty and Dreja, and a pair of performances by the Jim McCarty Band. Not a necessary purchase. (T. Keogh)