Well, if the Yardbirds were going to be poured into a "pop" singles band mold, at least their final single was a rip-roaring farewell. Thanks to Jimmy Page and his fuzzed out guitar work, Goodnight Sweet Josephine rocks and rolls in a very upbeat way. Maybe the best pop song ever about a hooker! After the gentle 12 string acoustic picking for the opening riff, on its second pass the electric guitar lets us know Mr. Page was not going to let the band pass away gently.
For the third single in a row neither Jim McCarty (drummer) or Chris Dreja (bass) participated. Clem Cattini played drums, John Paul Jones (future Led Zep) on bass, and Nicky Hopkins played piano.
Released in March of 1968 in only the US, the song bubbled up to #127 on the charts. Such a sad showing for their last bit of official recording. The B-side Think About It is a wonderful guitar-led workout that is more representative of the band at this late stage in their career. The failure of the single in the US resulted in no release in the UK.
Songs Of The Week, 2024: 12/14-12/20
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1 comment:
Sweet Josephine -- she's the kind of a girl makes the News of the World; you could say she was exactably built! :-)
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