the Yardbirds
Maybe we’ll never know who wrote the book of love, but when it comes to bluesbased guitar crunch rock ’n’ roll, it was definitely the Yardbirds. Laying the groundwork for heavy metal, the Yardbirds, formed in London in 1963 (Keith Relf: vocals, Chris Dreja: guitar, Jim McCarty: drums, Paul Samwell Smith: bass, Anthony Topham: guitar, and Eric Clapton: lead guitar), are often rumored to be the missing link between the early '70s rock and soul and the dawn of psychedelia.
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the Yardbirds
Maybe we’ll never know who wrote the book of love, but when it comes to bluesbased guitar crunch rock ’n’ roll, it was definitely the Yardbirds. Laying the groundwork for heavy metal, the Yardbirds, formed in London in 1963 (Keith Relf: vocals, Chris Dreja: guitar, Jim McCarty: drums, Paul Samwell Smith: bass, Anthony Topham: guitar, and Eric Clapton: lead guitar), are often rumored to be the missing link between the early '70s rock and soul and the dawn of psychedelia. Although they couldn’t always hold on to their guitar players, the group managed to spawn three of the most famous ever: Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Between them, they managed to create just about every technical fuzz and feedback sound imaginable.
Initially playing only strict blues covers, the Yardbirds attracted a major cult audience, touring Europe with Sonny Boy Williamson and releasing their first LP, For Your Love. The band’s second LP, Having A Rave Up, featured Eric Clapton, but they soon lost him in 1965 when he balked at the band’s commercial leanings. His replacement was Jeff Beck, who enjoyed the group’s success with “Heart Full Of Soul,” “Evil Hearted You,” “Shapes Of Things” and “Over Under Sideways Down.”
When bassist Samwell Smith left in ’66, Jimmy Page replaced him. Page and Beck became co-lead guitarists. After that, the band floundered. With producer Micky Most, they recorded Little Games, but it consisted mainly of leftover tracks and didn’t fare well. Although they officially broke up in 1968, the Yardbirds continue to be a part of classical hard rock’s roots. With Jimmy Page at the helm, of course, the band evolved into Led Zeppelin.
