Wikipedia

The Yardbirds

This article is about the band. For the album, seeRoger the Engineer.For other uses, seeYardbirds (disambiguation).

The Yardbirdsare an Englishrockband formed in London in 1963. The band started the careers of three of rock's most famous guitarists:Eric Clapton(1963–1965),Jeff Beck(1965–1966) andJimmy Page(1966–1968), all of whom ranked in the top five ofRolling Stonemagazine's list of 100 greatest guitarists.[5]The band's other members during 1963–1968 were vocalist/harmonica playerKeith Relf,drummerJim McCarty,rhythm guitaristChris Dreja,and bassistPaul Samwell-Smith,with Dreja switching to bass when Samwell-Smith departed in 1966. The band had a string of hits throughout the mid-1960s, including "For Your Love","Heart Full of Soul","Shapes of Things",and"Over Under Sideways Down".

The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds, 1966. From left: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Chris Dreja, Keith Relf, and Jim McCarty
The Yardbirds, 1966. From left:Jeff Beck,Jimmy Page,Chris Dreja,Keith Relf,andJim McCarty
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
DiscographyThe Yardbirds discography
Years active
  • 1963–1968
  • 1992–present
Labels
Spinoffs
Members
Past members
Websitetheyardbirds.com

Originally ablues-based band noted for their signature "rave-up" instrumental breaks,[6]the Yardbirds broadened their range intopop,pioneeredpsychedelic rockand earlyhard rock,and contributed to manyelectric guitarinnovations of the mid-1960s. Some rock critics and historians also cite their influence on the laterpunk rock,progressive rock,andheavy metaltrends.[7][6]Following the band's split in 1968, Relf and McCarty formedRenaissanceand Page formedLed Zeppelin.The Yardbirds re-formed in the 1990s, featuring McCarty and Dreja as the only original members. Dreja left the band in 2012, leaving McCarty as the sole original member of the band.

The band was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 1992.[8]They were included at number 89 inRolling Stone'slist of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time"and ranked number 37 onVH1's100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.[9][10]

History

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Beginnings and Clapton line-up (1963–1965)

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"Got Love If You Want It"
20 second sample of the Yardbirds cover "Got Love if You Want It" by Slim Harpo, from Five Live Yardbirds
Problems playing this file? Seemedia help.

The band formed in the south-west London suburbs in 1963. Relf and Samwell-Smith were originally in a band named the Metropolitan Blues Quartet. After being joined by Dreja, McCarty, andTop Topham,they performed at Kingston Art School in late May 1963 as a backup band forCyril Davies.Following a couple of gigs in September 1963 as the Blue-Sounds, they changed their name to the Yardbirds. McCarty claims that Relf was the first to use the name; he may have got it fromJack Kerouac's novelOn the Road,where it referred to railroad yardhobos.[11]He adds that Topham identified it as a nickname for jazz saxophonistCharlie "Yardbird" Parker.[11]

The quintet achieved notice on the burgeoningBritish rhythm and bluesscene when they took over as the house band at theCrawdaddy ClubinRichmond,succeedingthe Rolling Stones.Their repertoire drew from theChicago bluesofHowlin' Wolf,Muddy Waters,Bo Diddley,Sonny Boy Williamson II,andElmore James,including "Smokestack Lightning","Good Morning Little School Girl","Boom Boom","I Wish You Would","Rollin' and Tumblin'","Got Love if You Want It ", and"I'm a Man".

Original lead guitarist Topham left and was replaced byEric Claptonin October 1963. Crawdaddy Club impresarioGiorgio Gomelskybecame their manager and first record producer. Under Gomelsky's guidance the Yardbirds toured Britain as the back-up band for blues legendSonny Boy Williamson IIin December 1963 and early 1964.[12]Recordings from the performances were released two years later during the height of Yardbird popularity on the albumSonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds.[13]

The Yardbirds in 1964. L to R: Keith Relf, Eric Clapton, Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith.

After the tours with Williamson, the Yardbirds signed toEMI'sColumbialabel in February 1964, and recorded more live tracks on 20 March at the legendaryMarquee Clubin London. The resulting album of mostly American blues and R&B covers,Five Live Yardbirds,was released by Columbia nine months later, and it failed to enter theUK Albums Chart.[14]Over time,Five Livegained stature as one of the few high-quality live recordings of the era and as an historical document of both the British rock and roll boom of the 1960s and Clapton's time in the band.[15]

The Clapton line-up recorded two singles, the blues "I Wish You Would"and"Good Morning, School Girl",before the band scored its first major hit with"For Your Love",aGraham Gouldmancomposition with a prominent harpsichord part byBrian Auger."For Your Love" was a Top-10 hit in the UK, Canada and the US but displeased Clapton, a blues purist whose vision extended beyond three-minute singles. Frustrated by their commercial approach, he abruptly left the band in March 1965, shortly after the single was released.[16]Soon Clapton joinedJohn Mayall & the Bluesbreakers,but not before he recommendedJimmy Page,a prominent young session guitarist, to replace him. Content with his lucrative sessions work, and worried about both his health and the politics of Clapton's departure, Page in turn recommended his friend Jeff Beck.[17]Beck played his first gig with the Yardbirds two days after Clapton's departure.

Beck line-up (1965–1966)

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Beck's exploration of fuzz tone, reverb, feedback, sustain, distortion, andhammer-onsoloing fit well into the increasingly raw style of British beat music. The Yardbirds began to experiment with eclectic arrangements reminiscent ofGregorian chantsand various European and Asian styles while Beck infused a pervasive Middle Eastern influence into the mix. Beck was voted No. 1 lead guitarist of 1966 in the British music magazineBeat Instrumental.

The Beck-era Yardbirds produced many groundbreaking recordings, including the hit singles "Heart Full of Soul","Evil Hearted You"/" Still I'm Sad ", a cover of Bo Diddley's"I'm a Man"(US only),"Shapes of Things",and"Over Under Sideways Down",[18]and theYardbirdsalbum (known popularly asRoger the Engineer).

Beck's fuzz-tone guitar riff on "Heart Full of Soul"helped to introduce Indian-influenced guitar stylings to theUK Singles Chartin the summer of 1965.[19]The follow-up, the reverb-laden "Evil Hearted You",furthered the Eastern influence, while its B-side," Still I'm Sad ", featured the band chanting likeGregorian monks.The Diddley cover, "I'm a Man",was hard blues rock, featured the Yardbirds' signature" rave-up ", where the tempo shifted to double time and Relf's harmonica and Beck's scratching guitar raced to a climax before falling back into the original beat.

The band embarked on their first US tour in late August 1965. A pair of albums were put together for the US market:For Your LoveandHaving a Rave Up,half of which came from the earlierFive Live Yardbirdsalbum, combined with new tracks such as "You're a Better Man Than I"and"Train Kept A-Rollin'",both recorded with legendary producer Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, during the first US tour.[19]There were three more United States tours during Beck's time with the band and a brief European tour in April 1966.

The Yardbirds in 1965. Clockwise from top: Jeff Beck, Paul Samwell-Smith, Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, Keith Relf.

The single "Shapes of Things",released in February 1966," can justifiably be classified as the first psychedelic rock classic, "according to music journalistRichie Unterberger[20]and heralded the coming of British psychedelia[21]three months before the Beatles' "Paperback Writer"/"Rain".[22]Reaching number three on the UK charts[21]and 11 in the US,[23]"Shapes" was also the Yardbirds' first self-penned hit, the previous three UK A-sides having been written by Gouldman. Relf's vague anti-war protest lyrics and Beck's feedback-driven, Middle Eastern-influenced solo reflected the band's increasing embrace of psychedelia,[20]as did the UK B-side "You're a Better Man Than I" and the follow-up single, "Over Under Sideways Down".The latter was released in May and features more quixotic lyrics by Relf and another Eastern-inspired guitar line by Beck.

The "Over Under Sideways Down" sessions were held in April 1966 and produced the albumYardbirds.It was commonly referred to as "Roger the Engineer",which were the words scrawled under a cartoon by Dreja of engineer Roger Cameron that appears on the cover of the UK release.[24]In the US, an abridged version of the album, minus the cartoon cover art, was released asOver Under Sideways Down.The recording session marked the Yardbirds' split with their manager,Giorgio Gomelsky,as writerSimon Napier-Belltook over management and shared production credit with Samwell-Smith.

The band, led by Relf and McCarty, eschewed cover material, writing the entire album themselves. They were allotted "a whole week" to record the album, according to Dreja,[25]resulting in a "crammed" albeit an eclectic mix of blues, hard rock, monkish chanting ( "Turn into Earth", "Ever Since the World Began" ) and African tribal rhythms ( "Hot House of Omagararshid" ). Beck's guitar lines were a unifying constant throughout.Roger the Engineerwas ranked at number 350 onRolling Stonemagazine's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[26]

Beck/Page line-up (1966)

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Roger the Engineerwas released in June 1966. Soon afterward, Samwell-Smith quit the band at a drunken gig at Queen's College in Oxford[27]and embarked on a career as a record producer.Jimmy Page,who was at the show, agreed that night to play bass until rhythm guitarist Dreja could rehearse on the instrument.[27]The band toured with Page on bass, and Beck and Dreja on guitars, playing dates in Paris, the UK, theMidwestern US,and the California coast. Beck fell ill late in the latter tour and was hospitalised in San Francisco. Page took over as lead guitarist at the Carousel Ballroom (San Francisco) on 25 August and Dreja switched to bass. Beck stayed in San Francisco to recuperate[28]with his girlfriend Mary Hughes,[29]while the rest of the band completed the tour. After the Yardbirds reunited in London, Dreja remained on bass and the group's dual lead guitar attack was born.[28]

The Beck/Page lead guitar partnership created theavant-gardepsychedelic rock single "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"(with future Led Zeppelin bassistJohn Paul Joneson bass instead of Dreja), which the band recorded in July and September 1966. The single's UK B-side was "Psycho Daisies",two minutes of garage punk sludge[30]featuring Beck on vocals and lead guitar, and Page on bass. The single's B-side in the US, "The Nazz Are Blue", also features a lead vocal by Beck.

The Yardbirds also recorded "Stroll On", a reworking of "Train Kept A-Rollin'",recorded forMichelangelo Antonioni's critically acclaimed filmBlow-Up.Relf changed the song's lyrics and title to avoid having to seek permission from the copyright holder. Their appearance in the film, about a hip fashion photographer (played byDavid Hemmings) undergoing an existential crisis inSwinging London,came afterthe Whodeclined and theIn-Crowdwere unable to attend the filming.Andy Warhol's "Factory" bandThe Velvet Undergroundwas also considered for the part but was unable to acquire UK work permits.[31]Director Antonioni instructed Beck to smash his guitar in emulation of the Who'sPete Townshend.[32]The guitar that Beck destroys in the film was a cheapHöfnerinstrument.

The Beck/Page line-up recorded little else in the studio. No live recordings of the dual-lead guitar lineup have surfaced, except for "Great Shakes",[33]a commercial recorded for Great Shakes milkshakes using the opening riff of "Over Under Sideways Down",included on the 1992Little Games Sessions & Morecompilation.

One recording made by Beck and Page in May 1966, just weeks before Page joined the Yardbirds, was "Beck's Bolero".This piece was inspired byRavel's"Bolero" and credited to Page (although Beck also claims to have written the song), with John Paul Jones on bass,Keith Moonon drums andNicky Hopkinson piano. Around the time of this session, the idea of a "supergroup"involving Beck, Page, Moon, and Who bassistJohn Entwistleoriginated, with Entwistle suggesting it would "go over like a lead balloon" and Moon quipping that they could call the band "Lead Zeppelin".[34]Although all the musicians remained with their respective bands, Page recalled the conversation in 1968 when deciding on the name for Led Zeppelin. "Beck's Bolero" was first released in 1967 as the B-side of Beck's first solo single, "Hi Ho Silver Lining",and was included the following year onThe Jeff Beck Group's debut album,Truth.

The Yardbirds opened for theRolling Stones' 1966 UK tour(withIke & Tina Turner,Peter JayandLong John Baldryalso on the bill), released the "Happenings"single, shot their scenes inBlow-Up,[35]and then headed back to the US for a show at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, and a slot onAmerican BandstandhostDick Clark's "Caravan of Stars" tour, which they joined in Texas. After a few shows with the Caravan, Beck stormed out and headed back to San Francisco and Mary Hughes. The band, still in Texas, continued on the Dick Clark tour as a quartet, with Page as the sole lead guitarist. They caught up with Beck in late November, at which point Beck officially left the band. Beck's lack of professionalism, his temper, Relf's drunkenness, the gruelling and unrewarding Dick Clark Caravan, and other pressures were cited, none of which involved Beck being fired.[28]Beck's official departure was announced on 30 November in the US.[28]The Yardbirds finished their remaining US dates with Page as sole lead guitarist and headed back to the UK for more shows scheduled by Napier-Bell.

Page line-up and split (1966–1968)

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Page subsequently introduced playing the guitar with acello bow(suggested to him by violinistDavid McCallum Sr.)[36]and the combination of awah-wah pedalin addition to a distortionfuzzbox.Other innovations included the use of a taped noise loop in live settings (on the psychedelic dirge "Glimpses" ) andopen-tuned guitarto enhance the sitar-like sounds the Yardbirds were known for.

Meanwhile, the act's commercial fortunes were declining. "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"had only reached No. 30 on the US Hot 100 and had fared worse in the U.K. The band dropped Napier-Bell and entered into a partnership with Columbia Records hit-making producerMickie Most,known for his work withthe Animals,Herman's HermitsandDonovan,yet this move failed to reignite their chart success. Most was hired by the Yardbirds' label to broaden their pop appeal and rectify their waning chart performance; however, the band's change in sound under his direction was poorly received. After the disappointing sales of "Happenings", the single "Little Games"released in March 1967 flopped so badly in the UK (where it was backed by" Puzzles ") that EMI did not release another Yardbirds record there until after the band broke up. A 1968 UK release of the" Goodnight Sweet Josephine "single was planned but cancelled. A version ofTony Hazzard's "Ha Ha Said the Clown" (recorded by Relf with session musicians and none of the other Yardbirds), backed by the Relf–McCarty original "Tinker Tailor, Soldier Sailor", was the band's last single to enter the US top 50, peaking at No. 44 on theBillboardchart in the summer of 1967.

Poster ad for Fillmore West shows, July 1967.

Epic releasedThe Yardbirds Greatest Hitsin the US in March 1967.Greatest Hitsdescribed to the Yardbirds' growing American audience an almost complete picture of "what made the Yardbirds a great band", according toAllMusiccritic Bruce Eder.[37]In the description by author Greg Russo, the compilation also presented young garage rock musicians of the psychedelic era with a handy textbook of the band's work during 1965–66.[38]Greatest Hitswas the Yardbirds' best-selling US album release, peaking at No. 28 on theBillboardchart. The band spent the first half of 1967 touring Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, and France (including a stop in Cannes to help promoteBlow-Up).They also played a handful of shows in the UK in June, before heading to Vancouver to begin their fourth tour of North America with Page.[38]

Their final album,Little Games,was released in July 1967, again only in the US. It was a commercial and critical non-entity. A cover ofHarry Nilsson's "Ten Little Indians"charted briefly in the US. The Yardbirds spent much of the rest of that year touring in the US with a new managerPeter Grant,their live shows becoming heavier and more experimental. The band rarely played their 1967 Mickie Most-produced singles on stage, preferring to mix the Beck-era hits with blues standards and experimental psychedelia, such as "Glimpses", a Page-written piece fromLittle Gamesfeaturing bowed guitars, pre-recorded noise loops, and a hypnotic wah-wah guitar groove. They also coveredthe Velvet Underground( "I'm Waiting for the Man"),Bob Dylan( "Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine") and American folk singerJake Holmes,whose "Dazed and Confused",with overhauled arrangement by Page and lyrics modified by Relf, was shaped in fall of 1967 and a live fixture of the final American tour in 1968." Dazed and Confused "went down so well that Page selected it for the first Led Zeppelin record, on which it appears with further revised lyrics and Page credited as the writer. (Page and Holmes would settle on an" Inspired by "credit for Holmes in 2011).[39]

By 1968, the psychedelic blues rock ofthe Jimi Hendrix Experienceand former Yardbird Eric Clapton's bandCreamwas enormously popular, yet Relf and McCarty wished to pursue a style influenced by folk and classical music. Page wanted to continue with the kind of "heavy" music for which Led Zeppelin would become iconic. Dreja was developing an interest in photography. By March, Relf and McCarty had decided to leave but were persuaded by the other two to stay at least for one more American tour. The band's final single was recorded in January and released two months later. Reflecting the divergences of the band members and their producer, the A-side, "Goodnight Sweet Josephine", was another Mickie Most-produced pop single, while the B-side, "Think About It", featured a proto-Zeppelin Page riff and snippets of the "Dazed and Confused" guitar solo. It failed to chart on theBillboardHot 100.

A concert and some album tracks were recorded in New York City in March and early April (including the unreleased song "Knowing That I'm Losing You", an early version of a track that would be re-recorded byLed Zeppelinas "Tangerine").[40]All were shelved at the band's request, but after Led Zeppelin became successful Epic tried to release the concert material asLive Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page.The album was quickly withdrawn after Page's lawyers filed an injunction. The Yardbirds played their final shows on 31 May and 1 June at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and on 4 and 5 June at the Spring Fair at the Montgomery International Speedway in Alabama. The Los Angeles shows were documented in the bootleg releaseLast Rave-Up in L.A.The Yardbirds announced the departure of Relf and McCarty in a press release on 12 June ( "Two Yardbirds Fly" )[41]and returned home to play one last show, on 7 July 1968, at theCollege of TechnologyinLuton,Bedfordshire,[42][38]supported by the Linton Grae Sound.[43]Rolling Stonemagazine announced the break-up by saying that Page "intends to go into solo recording work".[44]

The New Yardbirds/Led Zeppelin (1968)

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Main article:Led Zeppelin

Page and Dreja, with a tour ofScandinaviascheduled for late summer 1968,[41]saw the break-up as an opportunity to put a new lineup together, with Page as producer and Grant as manager. Page initially described his vision for the new band as "a new sort of collage of sound" that would includemellotronkeyboard while still featuring the guitar.[45]DrummersB.J. WilsonofProcol Harum,Paul Francis, and session manClem Cattini,who had guested on more than a few Yardbirds tracks under Most's supervision, were considered for the band,[38]as was vocalist and composerTerry Reid.Reid declined because of a new recording contract with Most and recommended the then-unknownRobert Plant.[46][47]Plant, in turn, recommended his childhood friendJohn Bonhamas a drummer.[48]Dreja bowed out to pursue a career as a rock photographer.[38]Bassist/keyboardist/arrangerJohn Paul Jones,who had worked with Page on countless sessions including several with the Yardbirds, approached Page and offered to be the new bassist.[49]Rehearsals began in mid-August 1968; in early September, Page's revised Yardbirds embarked as the New Yardbirds on theScandinavian tour,after which the band returned to the UK to produce what would become thedebut Led Zeppelin album.

Jimmy Page on stage with Led Zeppelin, 1969

While Page's new roster still played a few songs from the Yardbirds' canon – usually "Train Kept a-Rollin'","Dazed and Confused "or" For Your Love "and snatches of Beck's" Shapes of Things "solo – a name (and identity) change was in order in October 1968. They appeared on contracts, promotional material, ticket stubs[50]and other collateral as "The Yardbirds" or "The New Yardbirds" for three shows in October 1968, with the Marquee Club date reported as the Yardbirds' "farewell London appearance"[51]and the Liverpool University show 19 October announced as the Yardbirds' "last ever appearance".[52]This may have been motivated, at least in part, by a cease-and-desist order from Dreja, who claimed that he maintained legal rights to "The Yardbirds" name,[53]although most sources indicate that Page and Grant fully intended to change the name after they returned from Scandinavia with or without the nudge from Dreja.[54]From 19 October 1968 onwards, they wereLed Zeppelin,the name taken fromThe Whobandmembers Moon and Entwistle's "lead balloon" discussion of the "supergroup" that had played on the "Beck's Bolero" sessions in May 1966.[34]The spelling of "lead" was changed to avoid confusion over the pronunciation. This effectively marked the end of the Yardbirds for the next 24 years.[55]

After the Yardbirds (1968–1992)

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Relf and McCarty formed anacoustic rockband called Together and thenRenaissance,which recorded two albums forIsland Recordsover two years. McCarty formed the band Shoot in 1973. Relf, after producing albums forMedicine Head(with whom he also played bass) and Saturnalia, resurfaced in 1975 with a new quartet,Armageddon;a hybrid ofheavy metal,hard rockandfolkinfluences, which now included former Renaissance bandmateLouis Cennamo,drummerBobby Caldwell(previously a member ofCaptain BeyondandJohnny Winter), and guitaristMartin Pugh(fromSteamhammer,Rod Stewart'sAn Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down,and most recently in7th Order). They recorded one promising album before Relf died in an electrical accident in his home studio on 12 May 1976.[56]In 1977,Illusionwas formed, featuring a reunited lineup of the original Renaissance, including McCarty and Keith's sisterJane Relf.

In the 1980s McCarty, Dreja, and Samwell-Smith formed a short-lived Yardbirds semi-reunion calledBox of Frogs,which occasionally included Beck and Page plus various friends with whom they had all recorded over the years. They recorded two albums for Epic, the self-titled "Box of Frogs" (1984) and "Strange Land" (1986). McCarty was also part of 'The British Invasion All-Stars' with members of Procol Harum,The Creation,theNashville Teens,theDownliners SectandThe Pretty Things.[57]Phil MayandDick Taylorof the Pretty Things, together with McCarty, recorded two albums inChicagoas the Pretty Things–Yardbirds Blues Band –The Chicago Blues Tapes 1991andWine, Women, Whiskey,both produced byGeorge Paulus.

1998 handprints of members of the Yardbirds at theRock and Roll Hall of Fame:(left to right) Page, Beck, Dreja, McCarty, Clapton

The Yardbirds were inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 1992. Nearly all the surviving musicians who had been part of the band's heyday, including Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, appeared at the ceremony (original lead guitarist Top Topham was not included).[58]Eric Clapton, whose Hall of Fame induction was the first of three, was unable to attend because of his obligations while recording and working on a show for theMTV Unpluggedseries.

Reformation (1992–present)

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Jim McCarty on stage, 2008

In 1992, Peter Barton from Rock Artist Management contacted Jim McCarty about the prospect of reforming the Yardbirds. McCarty was interested but only if Chris Dreja would agree, but at the time he thought it highly unlikely that Dreja would want to tour again. Barton then contacted Dreja, who agreed to give it a try. Their debut gig was booked at the Marquee Club in London along with the newly reformedAnimals.It was a great success. The lineup featured John Idan handling bass and lead vocals. Barton managed the band and booked all their dates for over a decade; he still works with the band on occasion.

The Yardbirds atLangueux,France, 9 September 2006. L to R: John Idan, Jim McCarty (behind the drums) and Chris Dreja. Photo: Corentin Lamy.

In 2003, a new album,Birdland,was released under the Yardbirds name on theFavored Nationslabel by a lineup including Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, and new membersGypie Mayo(lead guitar, backing vocals), John Idan (bass, lead vocals) andAlan Glen(harmonica, backing vocals), which consisted of a mixture of new material mostly penned by McCarty and re-recordings of some of their greatest hits, with guest appearances byJoe Satriani,Steve Vai,Slash,Brian May,Steve Lukather,Jeff "Skunk" Baxter,John Rzeznik,Martin Ditchum and Simon McCarty. Also, Jeff Beck reunited with his former bandmates on the song "My Blind Life". And then there was the rare and improbable guest appearance on stage in 2005 by their first guitarist from the 1960s, Top Topham.

After the release ofBirdland,Mayo was replaced briefly byJerry Donahue,and subsequently in 2005 by the then 20-year-old guitaristBen King,while Glen was replaced by Billy Boy Miskimmin fromNine Below Zerofame. In 2007 the Yardbirds released a live CD, recorded on 19 July 2006, entitledLive at B.B. King Blues Club(Favored Nations), featuring the McCarty, Dreja, Idan, King, and Miskimmin line-up. The first episode of the 2007/08 season forThe Simpsonsfeatured the Yardbirds' "I'm a Man" from the CDLive at B.B. King Blues Club(Favored Nations).

According to his website, Idan resigned from the Yardbirds in August 2008,[59]although his last gig with them was on Friday 24 April 2009, when they headlined the first concert in the new Live Room venue atTwickenham rugby stadium.This was also Glen's last gig with the band after temporarily standing in when Miskimmin was unavailable. Idan and Glen were replaced by Andy Mitchell (lead vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar) and David Smale (bass, backing vocals), brother of the virtuoso guitarist Jonathan Smale. Dreja sat out the US spring 2012 tour to recover from an illness. It was announced in 2013 that he was leaving the band for medical reasons and would be replaced by original Yardbirds guitarist Topham.[60]

McCarty announced in December 2014 that the current lineup of the Yardbirds had disbanded. He told fans in an email that he would be "working on solo ventures and other Yardbirds projects in 2015.”[61]However, the Yardbirds continued to tour in 2015.[62]In May 2015 Topham left the band and was replaced byEarl Slick,[63]although Slick never played a gig with the band.

In August 2015, it was announced they would play the Eel Pie Club inTwickenham,west London on 17 October with a line-up of Jim McCarty, John Idan, Ben King, David Smale, and Billyboy Miskimmin. On 12 August 2015, it was announced thatBoston-based guitaristJohnny A.[64]would become the newest member of the Yardbirds for their North American tour running from 30 October to 22 November 2015. Johnny A. continued to tour as the Yardbirds' lead guitarist throughout 2016, 2017, and 2018 performing a total of 110 shows before departing. Johnny A.'s last show with The Yardbirds was on 23 June 2018 at The Egyptian Theater, Park City, Utah. FormerRam Jamharmonica playerMyke Scavonejoined the band at the end of 2015. On 15 April 2016, the band played at theUnder the Bridgevenue in London with a line-up of Jim McCarty, John Idan, Johnny A, Kenny Aaronson, and Billyboy Miskimmin.[65]

Musical style

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Along withJohn Mayall's Bluesbreakers,The Yardbirds were part of theBritish bluesscene of the 1960s. As theblues rockgenre developed, some acts likeChicken Shackwere playing a louder and more aggressive style, while the Yardbirds emphasized instrumental textures and extended instrumental improvisations. They covered blues classics likeHowlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning"(1956) andBo Diddley's 1955 "I'm a Man"which had a repetitive structure where instrumental solos were brief breaks between repetition of verses. The Yardbirds often extended these instrumental sections into" heavy jams ".[66]

Members

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Main article:List of the Yardbirds members

Current members

  • Jim McCarty– drums, percussion, backing vocals (1963–1968, 1992–present)
  • John Idan– lead vocals (1995–2009, 2015–present), lead guitar (1992–1994), bass (1994–2009), rhythm guitar (2015–present)
  • Kenny Aaronson– bass (2015–present)
  • Myke Scavone– harmonica, percussion, backing vocals (2015–present)
  • Godfrey Townsend – lead guitar, backing vocals (2018–present)

Discography

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Main article:The Yardbirds discography

See also

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References

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Citations

  1. ^The following sources refer to the Yardbirds as blues rock:
    • Knowles, Christopher (2010).The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll.Viva Editions.ISBN978-1573444057.
    • Talevski, Nick (1999).The Encyclopedia of Rock Obituaries.Omnibus Press. p.356.ISBN978-0711975484.
    • Witmer, Scott (2009).History of Rock Bands.Abdo Publishing Company. p.18.ISBN978-1604536928.
    • Wadhams, Wayne (2001).Inside the Hits: The Seduction of a Rock and Roll Generation (Pop Culture).Omnibus Press. p. 189.ISBN978-0634014307.
  2. ^The following sources refer to the Yardbirds as psychedelic rock:
  3. ^The following sources refer to the Yardbirds as rhythm and blues:
  4. ^Ramirez, AJ (8 August 2012)."5 Great Bands (Spun Off from Other Great Bands)".PopMatters.Retrieved14 August2023.
  5. ^"100 Greatest Guitarists".Rolling Stone.18 December 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 30 December 2015.Retrieved29 April2017.
  6. ^ab"The Yardbirds Biography".Rolling Stone.Retrieved29 April2017.
  7. ^Bangs 2003,eBook.
  8. ^"The Yardbirds: inducted in 1992".The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 26 April 2012
  9. ^VH1: '100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists': 1–50.VH1:Rock on the Net. Retrieved 16 April 2012
  10. ^Tyler, Steven."The Yardbirds: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time".Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 April 2012
  11. ^abMcCarty 2018,p. 62.
  12. ^Russo 2016,p. 241.
  13. ^"Sonny Boy Williamson & the Yardbirds – Album Review".AllMusic.Retrieved1 August2017.
  14. ^Koda & Russo 2001.
  15. ^"Five Live Yardbirds– Album Review ".AllMusic.Retrieved1 August2017.
  16. ^Schumacher 2003,pp. 44–45.
  17. ^"Jeff Beck Interview"(PDF).Hit Parader.April 1966. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 September 2010.Retrieved16 September2011.
  18. ^Gilliland, John(1969)."Show 38 – The Rubberization of Soul: The great pop music renaissance. [Part 4]"(audio).Pop Chronicles.University of North Texas Libraries.
  19. ^abPower 2011,eBook.
  20. ^ab"The Yardbirds – Biography".AllMusic.Retrieved24 March2018.
  21. ^ab"YARDBIRDS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company".Officialcharts.com.Retrieved24 March2018.
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