'60's beat band The Yardbirds are best known for being the band where three stellar guitarists got their start. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page all served time. Except for a few months where Beck and Page were in the band, none of their tenures overlapped.
During those few months, the band released one single and appeared in Antonioni's Blow Up. The one single released during that period is a stunning sample of how heavy blues meshed with psychedelia.
Happening Ten Years Time Ago b/w The Nazz Are Blue (Epic 1966)
I found this one at my local record emporium with a rare picture sleeve showing the Beck/Page line-up. Left to right we have Jimmy Page, Chris Dreja (eventually the bass player), Jim McCarty (drums), Jeff Beck and Keith Relf (singer).
The B-Side features one of the few vocals by Jeff Beck. I can see why he opted to get other singers in his subsequent bands.
Gradually this lineup dissolved. Jeff Beck left after a few months and started up the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. Evidently his ego didn't allow for contribution from others. A personality trait that kept most of his subsequent bands short lived. The Yardbirds carried on as a foursome for about a year, Chris Dreja left to pursue a career in photography and graphic design. Relf and McCarty left to form their own band Renaissance. Relf later was killed Spinal Tap style by playing electric guitar in the bathtub.
Jimmy Page was left holding the bag with some gig commitments to fulfill in Scandanavia. He ended up filling the obligations with Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham. The departed band members got miffed that the current band played the gigs as The New Yardbirds. Page ended up changing their name to Led Zeppelin. Their first album features a band photo on the back by Chris Dreja.
Here's a fuzzy clip of the Beck/Page line up. For some reason, Keith Relf always reminded me of a cross between Brian Jones and Davey Jones.
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