The Pilot CD "Cumular Limit" by Yardbirds has a group photo of Relf, McCarty, Dreja, and Beck on the cover, but the contents are from the last period with only Page on lead guitar. I still bought it because I'm a Yardbirds completist, but I wish they had chosen a cover photo with Page.

Isn't that Page on the right, though? I can barely tell in this photo.



Love this CD, but it seriously needs to be reissued. Only available at collectible prices anymore:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000050I5L/?tag=imwan-20

For those not familiar, Cumular Limit includes the final Yardbirds recordings with Jimmy Page in 1968 ~ tracks that they were working on for a new album that never came to pass. So it's a must for Yardbirds completists. An Amazon reviewer gives details:

For those Yardbirds fans who might be wondering if this release is scraping the bottom of the barrel somewhat, take note: "Cumular Limit" is nearly as essential as any of their other releases. Its purpose is to round out the previous "Little Games And More" set with recently-found material from their final 1968 studio sessions and a superb March '67 live TV appearance that appears in audio on the first disc and video on the second. The TV appearance, in which the Page-led lineup runs through blistering renditions of "Shapes", "Over Under", "Happenings" and an elongated, psychedelic "I'm A Man" (note the dancing audiences' confused reaction during the bowed guitar section!) prove that the group were still playing in peak form at this time, forging the heavy sound which would make Led Zeppelin legendary. The April '68 sessions are equally revelatory, as the group works on four tracks for their projected next studio album; freed from the restraints of producer Mickey Most that had made the previous "Little Games" a disappointment, the band turns out the lost power-pop classic "Avron Knows", the acoustic-flamenco gem "Spanish Blood", a decent singalong version of "My Baby" and the riff based rocker "Taking A Hold On Me". Page is on fire throughout, esp during "Spanish Blood" and at the end of "Avron Knows"; his fuzz and wah-wah playing also transforms the other two from standard to inspired. McCarty makes some experimental vocal contributions to "Spanish Blood" and a less-than-thrilling performance on "Taking A Hold On Me", although the latter would no doubt have been re-recorded by Relf. These cuts, which sound superb and surprisingly complete, were to be Page's last studio work before forming Led Zeppelin. As a bonus, the set also includes a live '68 TV rendition of "Dazed And Confused", another track which would probably have been recorded for the projected album, which yields a different lyric from the familiar Zeppelin take but is otherwise the exact same thrilling arrangement. "Cumular Limit" is rounded out by a few alternate versions from the '67 "Little Games" sessions; a few of these like "You Stole My Love" and "White Summer" are repeated from the earlier CD release but still sound good within the context of this one. In all, the set is worth it just to hear Page's playing alone; the songs themselves (esp "Avron Knows" and "Dazed And Confused", as well as the four on the TV appearance) are also great and with this release it now looks like all of the group's available material has been made officially available. The booklet features complete liner notes and some great color photos of the band wearing classic 1967-8 psych fashions.

I'm not sure if it's Beck or Page on the cover, to be honest.

It's Page on the cover.

Thanks for clearing that up. This thread is hereby annulled!

This made for very interesting reading. If it gets reissued, I'm in for it. I'm going to check the Amazon link right now.

If you are a Yardbirds fan the track "Avron Knows" is worth the price alone for this CD!

I checked CDU and it's not even listed over there. Hopefully, this will come out again one of these times.

Since it's Pilot doing this one, and not a major label, there's a greater chance of it going back in print.

If any of you spot a new reissue of this one again in the future, let us know about.

I could be wrong. But my understanding was that Jimmy Page got an injunction against this. That which got out, could remain out. But no more.