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The Yardbirds — Over Under Sideways Down
Album: Roger The Engineer
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1270









Released: 1966
Length: 2:19
Plays (last 30 days): 1
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
Cars and girls are easy come by in this day and age.
Laughing, joking, dreams, weed smoking, till I've spent my wage.
When I was young, people spoke of immorality.
All the things they said were wrong are what I want to be.

(Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down,
(Hey!) I bounce a ball that's square and round.
(Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down,
(Hey!) I bounce a ball that's square and round.
When will it end? (When will it end?)
When will it end? (When will it end?)

(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
I find comments 'bout my looks irrelativity.
Think I'll go and have some fun, 'cause it's all for free.
I'm not searchin' for a reason to enjoy myself.
Seems it's better done than argue with somebody else.

(Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down,
(Hey!) I bounce a ball that's square and round.
(Hey!) Over, under, sideways, down,
(Hey!) I bounce a ball that's square and round.
When will it end? (When will it end?)
When will it end? (When will it end?)
Comments (123)add comment
this song plays in my head when the nightly news begins?
 ScottN wrote:

Indeed, I saw them live when I was 17, or there abouts, at an outdoor venue. They were great.  Hundreds of concerts later...tinnitus!



Last longer than the concert t-shirt.

It's my reward for years of loud music, too. 
Sucks that this song is only 2 minutes long.  It's got a great vibe, I want to hear 4 minutes of this jam.
RIP, Jeff.

Y'all go buy 18 if you haven't already (his album with Johnny Depp).  Good stuff.
"Laughing, joking, dreams, weed smoking, till I've spent my wage..." 

I see nothing wrong with any of that. 
I was in High School when this first came out.  Loved it then as I still do now.

FYI:  The title is also, among other things, instructions for tying a hitch (knot).  Just thought I'd throw that in .
 cely wrote:
What a great song that highlights Beck's incredible technique.  The song sounds easy, but I've tried to play that, and it's supremely hard to do right. 
 

All the interesting (IMO) Yardbirds  songs feature Beck.  
I want to get naked by the lake
 tonyinnj wrote:
Plus ca change. The government is still lying to us. Witness the president’s handling of the Covid crisis.
The music’s great, thank heavens we still have that!

 

 FrankMc wrote:
For what it's worth: My Lai.

Let us not forget Martin Luther King, Chicago Democratic National Convention, Kent State, Watts and Detroit burning, Watergate, Walter Cronkite stating that the U.S. Government was flatly lying about Vietnam, evacuation of U.S. Embassy in Saigon by helicopter with people hanging from the landing struts as we got out of town as fast as we could.

Exciting may not be quite the word.

A corporate trainer named Morris Massey suggests that your outlook on life is determined by what the world was up to when you were fifteen. Some of the events referenced herein were before or after that point in my life but they're all close. I'm not the most trusting individual in the world. I have managed to overcome my cynicism (to some extent) but it hasn't been easy.

gemtag wrote:
Seems that most here lived thru the bay of pigs, moon landing, Kennedy brothers. My Li. etc.

What exciting times. 

The yardbirds were my first real favorite.

 
 
I seem to recall there's a Chinese curse..."May you live in interesting times."

Tony in NJ
W.A.S.T.E.

 

What a great song that highlights Beck's incredible technique.  The song sounds easy, but I've tried to play that, and it's supremely hard to do right. 
Real great sound of goods musicians ang good singger! ...  I wish that one day, auot-tune "fell down" (ça se dit ça?)
 horseplayer wrote:
Originally Posted by RParadise: Porgie, this classic was released in the States in 1966 from a British album cut in late 1965 or early 1966. Led Zeppelin I doesn't come out until 1969. Three years only, but a long time in terms of the technology of music that was racing pell mell toward ... 8 Track?? While my comment about "a decade or more" was, I now realize, hyperbole, still, I don't think the 8 track was available for this album when it was first came out. Any audio historians out there care to set me straight? I am open to correction from an expert on the subject.
I'm no expert, but it does strike me that somebody could have put out an 8-track version of this at some point after the original vinyl release date. I say "somebody" because it doesn't have to be the original publisher. In the early 70s I worked next door to a company that made pirated 8-tracks. Pretty blatant about it, too! That guy would copy just about *anything* he thought would sell.
 
By "8-track", that person was referring to a reel-to-reel tape recorder with eight recording tracks, not the pre-recorded eight-track tapes which were common in the 1970s.  I believe 8-track (reel-to-reel) recorders existed by the late 1950s but were more expensive and not yet widely used.   The Beatles recorded "Sgt Pepper" with 4-track recorders.  The Yardbirds would likely not have had access to an 8-track recorder in 1966.
Yay! One of my favorite Yardbirds tunes.

 ekin wrote:
picture of braying donkey
 

What a flattering selfie of you, ekin! But I think we were all expecting a pic of the other end. 


 ginniet wrote:
That takes me back to high school.  {#Dancingbanana_2}

 
Yep, long time ago.

If you look up "seminal group" in Wikipedia, you see a picture of the Yardbirds (or you should).  Great just great!
 ginniet wrote:
That takes me back to high school.  {#Dancingbanana_2}

 
Takes me back to summer visits to Pennsylvania, discussing music with my cousins, fishing, good time ... probably not a typical reaction.

But, hey . . .

{#Bananajam} 
This has got to be the best worst album cover of all time.
That takes me back to high school.  {#Dancingbanana_2}
 FrankMc wrote:
For what it's worth: My Lai.

Let us not forget Martin Luther King, Chicago Democratic National Convention, Kent State, Watts and Detroit burning, Watergate, Walter Cronkite stating that the U.S. Government was flatly lying about Vietnam, evacuation of U.S. Embassy in Saigon by helicopter with people hanging from the landing struts as we got out of town as fast as we could.

Exciting may not be quite the word.

A corporate trainer named Morris Massey suggests that your outlook on life is determined by what the world was up to when you were fifteen. Some of the events referenced herein were before or after that point in my life but they're all close. I'm not the most trusting individual in the world. I have managed to overcome my cynicism (to some extent) but it hasn't been easy.

gemtag wrote:
Seems that most here lived thru the bay of pigs, moon landing, Kennedy brothers. My Li. etc.

What exciting times. 

The yardbirds were my first real favorite.

 
 
I remember being woken up in the middle of the night by a thunderstorm in the early 60's. Seeing the flashing of light scared the hell out of me, thinking it was the dreaded A-bomb and I was about to be obliterated.

Very exciting times indeed. 


 


Became familiar with this song in May 1979, right at the occurrence of this huge tragedy. Hence the title...felt it was ironic.
Absolute sonic orgasm....! {#Clap}
Wasn't this one of Jeff Beck's guitar leads?
 FrankMc wrote:
For what it's worth: My Lai.

Let us not forget Martin Luther King, Chicago Democratic National Convention, Kent State, Watts and Detroit burning, Watergate, Walter Cronkite stating that the U.S. Government was flatly lying about Vietnam, evacuation of U.S. Embassy in Saigon by helicopter with people hanging from the landing struts as we got out of town as fast as we could.

Exciting may not be quite the word.

A corporate trainer named Morris Massey suggests that your outlook on life is determined by what the world was up to when you were fifteen. Some of the events referenced herein were before or after that point in my life but they're all close. I'm not the most trusting individual in the world. I have managed to overcome my cynicism (to some extent) but it hasn't been easy.

gemtag wrote:
Seems that most here lived thru the bay of pigs, moon landing, Kennedy brothers. My Li. etc.

What exciting times. 

The yardbirds were my first real favorite.

 
 
  ????? so whats the statements got to do with the Lyrics and The Yardbirds ... Or is this site now become a political platform. ?


For what it's worth: My Lai.

Let us not forget Martin Luther King, Chicago Democratic National Convention, Kent State, Watts and Detroit burning, Watergate, Walter Cronkite stating that the U.S. Government was flatly lying about Vietnam, evacuation of U.S. Embassy in Saigon by helicopter with people hanging from the landing struts as we got out of town as fast as we could.

Exciting may not be quite the word.

A corporate trainer named Morris Massey suggests that your outlook on life is determined by what the world was up to when you were fifteen. Some of the events referenced herein were before or after that point in my life but they're all close. I'm not the most trusting individual in the world. I have managed to overcome my cynicism (to some extent) but it hasn't been easy.

gemtag wrote:
Seems that most here lived thru the bay of pigs, moon landing, Kennedy brothers. My Li. etc.

What exciting times. 

The yardbirds were my first real favorite.

 
 


 kaybee wrote:
What a fun song!  What a fun time to be a teenager!
  Indeed, I saw them live when I was 17, or there abouts, at an outdoor venue. They were great.  Hundreds of concerts later...tinnitus!


What a fun song!  What a fun time to be a teenager!

The correct artwork. This is the first LP this song came out on in 1966
 gemtag wrote:
Seems that most here lived thru the bay of pigs, moon landing, Kennedy brothers. My Li. etc.

What exciting times. 

The yardbirds were my first real favorite.

 
 
This was the first album I ever bought. Still a favorite.

Edit: Ah no,  It was Yardbird's Greatest Hits - thought the cover was wrong.

Seems that most here lived thru the bay of pigs, moon landing, Kennedy brothers. My Li. etc.

What exciting times. 

The yardbirds were my first real favorite.

 
Drug-addled and confusing— I LIKE IT!
So, our Drill Sargent would walk out of the barracks and see us all standing there at parade rest and yell, "You look like a bunch of yardbirds!  You're all yardbirds!  You know what yardbirds are!!"
And my thought, which I never spoke but always wanted too, was "Yea, aren't they a 60's English rock band!"  And then he would tell us to drop and do push ups.

Ah, fun times..
.
.
.
(Goes looking for a smiley doing push ups.  NSL)

Okay, they're remembered more today for incubating three of the greatest guitarists ever in rock, but IMHO The Yardbirds were a terrific band with McCarty and Relf anchoring an ever-changing line-up.
I loved hearing Bowie break into this one toward the end of Jean Genie live back in 1990 — I think
Oh this is just Grand!
 bluedot wrote:

Eric wasn't even the guitar player on this song...it was Jeff Beck!

 
According to Wikipedia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_Under_Sideways_Down> Clapton wasn't even on this track.

IMHO Jeff beck is/was the best of the three virtuosos
Good stuff! Still sounds great decades later.
Freekin great song man!!{#Clap}
BIG BAND!
("7-8")
 jagdriver wrote:
Gee....what EC could have aspired to.....
 
... could have, but Jeff Beck he will never be

 Nimitz-68 wrote:
Eric Clapton is just a kid on the album cover. (far right)
 
Eric wasn't even the guitar player on this song...it was Jeff Beck!

Hard drivin' Rock n' Roll!
Gee....what EC could have aspired to.....
Amazing...
Hey! {#Roflol}

Now that I listen to this again, it has that early 1960's British skiffle music sound to it.  Great stuff.


 1wolfy wrote:
Makes me want to get off my a__ and rock.
 
You misspellt Arse ;)
Or are you behind a corporate firewall monitoring what passes as "profane" in the US? ;)
Bill?  You out there?  New York City Blues!!!!   Train Kept A'Rollin'!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!{#Drummer}
what a blast from the past!
{#Roflol}{#Lol}
{#Bounce}{#Iamwithstupid}
Terrific song from a great group.  Spawned 3 major lead guitarists (Beck, Clapton, Page) and had a timeless sound with unique instrumentation.
Damn, I missed it!  Frustrated   This song was a heavy influence on Echo and the Bunnymen's "the Cutter" over 15 years later.
 countyman wrote:

I agree.  It can't even be called the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
More like the Music Hall of Fame.
When "that girl" from Detroit is in it, it ain't rock.

 
Rock is a big enough place for all voices to be heard. Let the d*ck-heads on the other side exclude people. If you don't like it, don't listen.{#Cheers}
 lionirons wrote:


I don't know...that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is
a useless, worthless and pointless institution, perhaps?
 
I agree.  It can't even be called the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
More like the Music Hall of Fame.
When "that girl" from Detroit is in it, it ain't rock.

Got this vinyl somewhere in my box of LP's.....And I remember having posters of the Yardbirds on my bedroom wall. :)
pbm
mojoman wrote:
A most excellent blast from the past.
I agree completely. This was so completely new and wonderful when it came out, and it has stood the test of time.
segueman wrote:
A Jeff Beck era tune yet Clapton still gets the cover shot.
Wasn't that always the way? *Sigh.*
A Jeff Beck era tune yet Clapton still gets the cover shot.
Makes me want to get off my a__ and rock.
ThePoose wrote:
Jimmy Page has been inducted into the R+R Hall of fame twice: once for Led Zep and once for the Yardbirds. Eric wasn't on hand for the Yardbirds' induction. What does that tell you?
I don't know...that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a useless, worthless and pointless institution, perhaps?
This is great! Thanks RP!
A most excellent blast from the past.
The genius of Jeff Beck was starting to show....... There was a mid-late 60's surf movie with the same name as this track, from memory.
Five bucks says The Count Five's 'Psychotic Reaction' is up next. I dig this bluesy pre-psychedelia (can that possibly be a word?) c.
Nimitz-68 wrote:
Eric Clapton is just a kid on the album cover. (far right)
a baby more like!
yea, Yardbirds!
Eric Clapton is just a kid on the album cover. (far right)
Matts wrote:
I'm losing my sense of direction here
I'm losing my lunch.
I'm losing my sense of direction here
Tapping a mighty fine groove here, Bill, and I see you are going even further down the TimeLine...(Count Basie from the Woodside next) Yeah, some JUMPIN' STUFF, Baby!
Gregorama wrote:
Okay, now how about "Happenings 10 Years Time Ago"? That would really give a nice taste of the early Yardbirds psychedelia...
I second that!
Shesdifferent wrote:
Not sure what I was thinking in my previous post, as this is clearly "Pre Page" I do like the live version featuring Page more than this, but still... how far ahead of its time was this?? Track just got upgraded from a 9 to a 10. My God, these guys are just awesome. Just picked up a live show from the Clapton days in 1964 and the Sonny Boy Williamson album from the same year, and they are both just really, really good. Also picked up the Little Games Sessions (the only full album with Page on guitar). Other than that... I believe there are three tracks or so with Page/Beck both on lead together (including Stroll On which was the track in Blow Up which was previously mentioned).
My favorite group from my high school days.
Go ahead. No one's looking. You know you want to get up and dance!
jbwiv wrote:
Another song I hadn't heard...another reason I'm grateful for RP.
Ditto!
awesome song, gets me jumpin' every time.
bobringer wrote:
I've got a video of this on my iPod, and it is most certainly Jimmy playing. Might have been Jeff Beck on the album, but the playing here and on the live version I have sounds very, very much like the same guy.
I think Beck played on the album. The video is probably from later years after Beck had left the band. They were both playing guitar in the band for a short time! Would've been something to see that lineup (which you can, in the 60's film "Blowup")
Jimmy Page has been inducted into the R+R Hall of fame twice: once for Led Zep and once for the Yardbirds. Eric wasn't on hand for the Yardbirds' induction. What does that tell you?
Mikec445 wrote:
Jeff Beck.
I've got a video of this on my iPod, and it is most certainly Jimmy playing. Might have been Jeff Beck on the album, but the playing here and on the live version I have sounds very, very much like the same guy.
This.....is......
Mari wrote:
haven't heard the yardbirds for years we used to have an album or two in the house as kids
You were raised right...
boy the squares can really rock! - good friday music
Mangoman wrote:
Odd how the Yardbirds' tunes just don't stand the test of time. They would have been long forgotten, if not for the historical context & the personalities involved.
They were a really good R&B band who launched some really famous names. But they also had to make money. Hence the pop rock, such as this. Close to being rubbish, but it kept the band afloat
Odd how the Yardbirds' tunes just don't stand the test of time. They would have been long forgotten, if not for the historical context & the personalities involved.
Damn,another 'old folks' tune! Oh wait :-k
Perhaps the funnest song of any RP playlist.
i love the yardbirds!
One of my favs from the "old days"
Mikec445 wrote:
Jeff Beck.
yip. the album was cut in may-june 4 1966 and page didn't join up until later that june.
What a FUN song. Why have I not heard this before? Wish I could dance!
Jeff Beck.
CaptTofu wrote:
That's gotta be Jimmy Page's guitar...? Nice. Wish I had a time machine.
I thought that it was Jeff Beck's guitar on that lead. Anyone know for sure??
aharamanx wrote:
Wore this LP out in my youth.
you too, huh?
CaptTofu wrote:
That's gotta be Jimmy Page's guitar...? Nice. Wish I had a time machine.
Cool tune! I'll bet you're right about the guitar, Capt. I'll ck the liner!
Okay, now how about "Happenings 10 Years Time Ago"? That would really give a nice taste of the early Yardbirds psychedelia... Had both this and that one on 45s--almost 40 years ago. And the songs still sound great, on whatever media. This was about the time when my older brother put a 4-track tape player in his car...several years before 8-tracks came out. :)
That's gotta be Jimmy Page's guitar...? Nice. Wish I had a time machine.
OK, giving the dead horse one more swat: Just as we have plenty of cds of music that long predated the medium, the same was the case for 8-Tracks I had a few of them. No Yardbirds, but I did have Iron Butterfly. I actually switched over to cassettes way before 8-Tracks peaked, and thought myself quite superior audio-technology-wise for a while. Problem is I still listen to the things. So much for superiority.
Rats, missed it again! Thanks for playing it though. Yeah! Heard it this time. My favorite Yardbirds tune!
Another song I hadn't heard...another reason I'm grateful for RP.
It\'s a trip listening to these old recordings on decent cans- my V6\'s put the sound all over the place. It feels like it\'s being delivered in surround, all of the instruments discrete rather then blended. Great sound, though.
Timeless.
Originally Posted by RParadise: Porgie, this classic was released in the States in 1966 from a British album cut in late 1965 or early 1966. Led Zeppelin I doesn't come out until 1969. Three years only, but a long time in terms of the technology of music that was racing pell mell toward ... 8 Track?? While my comment about "a decade or more" was, I now realize, hyperbole, still, I don't think the 8 track was available for this album when it was first came out. Any audio historians out there care to set me straight? I am open to correction from an expert on the subject.
I'm no expert, but it does strike me that somebody could have put out an 8-track version of this at some point after the original vinyl release date. I say "somebody" because it doesn't have to be the original publisher. In the early 70s I worked next door to a company that made pirated 8-tracks. Pretty blatant about it, too! That guy would copy just about *anything* he thought would sell.
The 8 track cartridge you listened to has nothing to do with how many tracks were used in the recording studio. Two way different beasts. Beck\'s \'birds have always been my favorite version. He\'s still more innovative than those other two guys.
I shared a bedroom with my older brother who taped this off WLS on his reel-to-reel. 65.
Originally Posted by Porgie_Tirebiter: Some of the first 8-tracks I had were from Led Zep, so I gotta say this song undoubtedly *WAS* available in that quaint & quirky format... :p
Porgie, this classic was released in the States in 1966 from a British album cut in late 1965 or early 1966. Led Zeppelin I doesn't come out until 1969. Three years only, but a long time in terms of the technology of music that was racing pell mell toward ... 8 Track?? While my comment about "a decade or more" was, I now realize, hyperbole, still, I don't think the 8 track was available for this album when it was first came out. Any audio historians out there care to set me straight? I am open to correction from an expert on the subject.
Great song to define the \"Beck\" version of the \'birds. Amazing how Clapton, Beck and Page each created such a distinct sound within the same band. Would be nice to hear one of the three with Page and Beck on dual lead... (Stroll On, Happenings Ten Years Time Ago, Goodnight Sweet Josephene) (it was GSJ, right? I love that song and haven\'t heard it in ages... need to get it off of cassette)
Great to hear this nugget again. The Yardbirds were a hell of a band!
Originally Posted by RParadise: Sorry, Leslie. This song pre-dates 8-tracks by a decade or more. This is an original classic from the band that gave us Clapton, Page, and other guitar gods.
Some of the first 8-tracks I had were from Led Zep, so I gotta say this song undoubtedly *WAS* available in that quaint & quirky format... :p
Sorry, Leslie. This song pre-dates 8-tracks by a decade or more. This is an original classic from the band that gave us Clapton, Page, and other guitar gods.
WOW! I\'ve never heard this song before. Or maybe I have but I was 12 years old or so and don\'t remember! If I did hear it back then I\'m sure it was on 8-track tape ;)