I had not realized that the Yardbirds had as guitarists Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck. That has to be some sort of record for awesomeness in a band.
What's weird is that their music is fairly pedestrian, at least to my ears. Perhaps it was revolutionary when it was written in the 60s, but I was listening to a lot of music by the early 70s and it never really struck me as being particularly revolutionary. This is their biggest hit, and there's not much that would make you think "Guitar Band". It's said that Clapton left the band in disgust over this song because it was "too Pop".
Maybe it's because music like this didn't get a lot of radio time. The bit starting around 2:40 is 100% Jimmy Page.
This actually sounds like it might have been influential on The Doors.
To be honest, that was my reaction to the Yardbirds. Pretty unremarkable.
ReplyDeleteI guess the pressure to sell albums? No particularly good songwriter?
And when Clapton left the Yardbirds, his next project was John Mayall's Bluesbreakers album. Listen to the first song on Bluesbreakers - - Otis Rush's song "All Your Love" - - and you see why people would write CLAPTON IS GOD on walls throughout London. Night and day from his time with the Yardbirds.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever see the movie "Blow Up"? The Yardbirds play in a club, and I am not sure they are even mentioned in the credits. (They may not have been called the Yardbirds then. I believe a very young Eric Clapton can be seen.
ReplyDeleteInteresting movie, too.
Clapton was gone by the time the Yardbirds were in Blowup.
ReplyDeleteClapton and Beck were just getting their feet under them as guitarists during their stint in the Yardbirds. Page was the grizzled studio veteran hired to be the sauce that brings everything together.
Bob beat me to John Mayall. Jack Bruce played on that record too.
ReplyDeleteThe Bluesbreakers were some of the best blues around at that time.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Page was going to re-launch the band with all new members as the "New Yardbirds". He ran into Keith Moon at a pub and told him his plans. Moon said that band name would go over like a Led Zepplin. The rest is history.
ReplyDeleteTrue story.
So much for my memory. And until I saw the link Brian put in, I remembered the movie as black and white.
ReplyDeleteI did see it in the theater when it came out and not since.