The Yardbirds
Keith Relf - harmonica/vocals (born March 22nd 1943, Richmond, died May 14th 1976, London)
Eric Clapton - lead guitar (born March 30th 1945, Ripley)
Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar (born November 11th 1945, Surbiton)
Paul Samwell-Smith - bass guitar (born May 8th 1943, Richmond)
Jim McCarty - drums (born July 25th 1943, Liverpool)
The Yardbirds virtually wrote the book on guitar-oriented blues-based rock 'n' roll. They were a crucial link between mid-Sixties R&B and late-Sixties psychedelia, setting the groundwork for heavy metal. This seminal band spawned three major guitar heroes - Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page - who pioneered almost every technical guitar innovation of the era, including feedback and fuzz.
The band formed in 1963 with Relf, Dreja, Samwell-Smith, McCarty and guitarist Anthony "Top" Topham. Topham decided to stay on at college and was relaced in October '63 by Clapton. Originally called the Metropolis Blues Quartet they initially played strict covers of American blues material. They quickly attracted a large cult audience, especially ater they took over the Rolling Stones' residency at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond. They toured Europe with blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson, and recorded an album with him in 1965.
The group's first singles - "I Wish You Would" and "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" didn't make the top twenty, but the more pop-orientated "For Your Love" was a top three record in the spring of 1965. Clapton objected to this commercial direction the band was going in and quit the Yardbirds shortly after the release of the single. In order to stick with purist blues, he joined John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. His replacement was Jeff Beck, and the band soon enjoyed two more hits "Heart Full Of Soul" and "Evil Hearted You". More hits followed in '66, but then Samwell-Smith left to become a full-time producer.
He was replaced on bass guitar by Jimmy Page, who switched to lead as soon as Chris Dreja learned bass. By the summer of 1966, Page and Beck were co-lead guitarists. This line-up only lasted until November. Beck had been missing many shows because of illness, and at the end of the year he suffered a full breakdown. The Yardbirds floundered from there. More records were released but they didn't go far, and the band broke up in July 1968.
Singles
|
May '64 |
I Wish You Would/A Certain Girl |
Columbia DB 7283 |
- |
|
Oct '64 |
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl/I Ain't Got You |
Columbia DB 7283 |
UK#44 |
|
Feb '65 |
For Your Love/Got To Hurry |
Columbia DB 7499 |
UK#3 |
|
Jun '65 |
Heart Full Of Soul/Steeled Blues |
Columbia DB 7594 |
UK#2 |
|
Oct '65 |
Evil Hearted You/Still I'm Sad |
Columbia DB 7706 |
UK#3 |
|
Feb '66 |
Shapes Of Things/You're A Better Man Than I |
Columbia DB 7848 |
UK#3 |
|
May '66 |
Over Under Sideways Down/Jeff's Boogie |
Columbia DB 7928 |
UK#10 |
|
Oct '66 |
Happenings Ten Years Time Ago/Psycho Daisies |
Columbia DB 8024 |
UK#43 |
E.P.
|
1965 |
Five Yardbirds - My Girl Sloopy/I'm Not Talking/I Ain't Done Wrong Columbia SEG 8421 |
L.P.s
|
Dec '64 |
Five Live Yardbirds - Too Much Monkey Business/I Got Love If You Want It/Smokestack Lightnin'/Good Morning Little Schoolgirl/Respectable/Five Long Years/Pretty Girl/I'm A Man/Here 'Tis Columbia 33SX 1677 |
|
Jan '66 |
The Yardbirds With Sonny Boy Williamson - Bye Bye Bird/Mr. Downchild/23 Hours Too Long/Out On The Water Coast/Baby Don't Worry/Pontiac Blues/Take It Easy Baby/I Don't Care No More/Do The Weston Fontana TL 5277 |
|
Jul '66 |
The Yardbirds - Lost Woman/Over Under Sideways Down/Nazz Are Blue/I Can't Make Your Way/Rack My Mind/Farewell/Hot House Of Omagararshid/Jeff's Boogie/He's Always There/Turn Into Earth/What Do You Want?/Ever Since The World Began Columbia SX 6063 |
Selected Re-issues
|
1997 |
BBC Sessions - I Ain't Got You/For Your Love/I'm Not Talking/I Wish You Would/Heart Full Of Soul/I Ain't Done Wrong/Too Much Monkey Business/Love Me Like I Love You/I'm A Man/Evil Hearted You/Still I'm Sad/Hang On Sloopy/Smokestack Lightning/You're A Better Man Than I/The Train Kept A-Rollin'/Dust My Broom/Baby Scratch My Back/Over Under Sideways Down/The Sun Is Shining/Shapes Of Things/Most Likely You'll Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine/Little Games/Drinking Muddy Water/Think About It/Goodnight Sweet Josephine/My Baby |
|
1999 |
The Ultimate Collection - Baby What's Wrong/I Wish You Would/A Certain Girl/Good Morning Little Schoolgirl/I Ain't Got You/For Your Love/Got To Hurry/My Girl Sloopy/I'm Not Talkin'/Heart Full Of Soul/Steeled Blues/Evil Hearted You/Still I'm Sad/I'm A Man/New York City Blues/Shapes Of Things/You're A Better Man Than I/The Train Kept A-Rollin'/Smokestack Lightnin' (live)/You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover (live)/Let It Rock (live)/Too Much Monkey Business (live)/Got Love If You Want It (live)/Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (live)/Five Long Years (live)/Louise (live)/Boom Boom/Honey In Your Hips/Talkin' 'Bout You/Putty In Your Hands/Sweet Music/I Ain't Done Wrong/Jeff's Blues/Someone To Love/Like Jimmy Reed Again/Stroll On |
