Yardbirds Launch Pledge Campaign for New Album
The Yardbirds are getting ready to record their next album — and asking fans to "help preserve one of the founding most influential bands in rock history" along the way.
For its first studio effort since 2003's Birdland, the band is partnering with PledgeMusic to fund the release, which is being described as "a totally new recording of original songs with a couple of carefully selected covers done in the tradition of the how the Yardbirds deconstructed, reconstructed and resurrected old blues songs to bring them to a new wider audience." While a release date for the project hasn't been attached to the campaign yet, the group has already booked Jack Douglas for the sessions, promising that the renowned producer will be behind the boards for an analog recording tracked in a "'state of the art' recording facility."
The current Yardbirds lineup, led by founding drummer Jim McCarty, is the result of an overhaul McCarty spearheaded in 2014. As he told Ultimate Classic Rock the following year, the new blood in the band added up to "quite an experiment" — albeit one he was confident would deliver songs and performances that could stand up to the rest of the group's long legacy.
"I think the thing is that it’s such a great repertoire and I don’t think we’re going to have any trouble with that level of musicianship — it’s going to be good," said McCarty. "It’s quite energetic and it’s such a good body of songs that really stand the test of time."
In addition to physical or digital copies of the new LP, fans can pre-order a number of deluxe packages, including signed vinyl or CDs and bundles that include a Yardbirds T-shirt or pin. Check out the band's PledgeMusic page for further details.
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