The Yardbirds ↘↖
The Yardbirds “You’re a Better Man Than I” (3:58)
(Recording sources vary, listing this as started September 12, 1965 at Sun Studios, Memphis, TN and finished later in September, 1965 at Columbia Records Studios, New York)
Jeff Beck - Lead Guitar
The Yardbirds “I’m Not Talking” (2:32)
(Recorded April 20, 1965 Advision Studios, London)
Jeff Beck - Lead Guitar
The Yardbirds “I Ain’t Done Wrong” (3:39)
(Recorded April 20, 1965 Advision Studios, London)
Jeff Beck - Lead and Slide Guitar
The Yardbirds “Evil Hearted You” (2:25)
(Recording sources vary, listing this as started in July, 1965 at Olympic Studios, London and completed August 23, 1965, at Advision Studios, London)
Jeff Beck - Lead Fills and Slide Guitar
The Yardbirds “The Train Kept A-Rollin’” (3:26)
(Recording sources vary, listing this as started September 12, 1965 at Sun Studios, Memphis, TN and finished later in September, 1965 at Columbia Records Studios, New York)
Jeff Beck - Lead Guitar
The Yardbirds “New York City Blues” (4:19)
(Recording sources vary, listing both September, 1965 at Chess Records Studios, Chicago or January, 1966 at Columbia Records Studios, New York)
Jeff Beck - Lead Guitar
The Yardbirds “The Nazz Are Blue” (3:02)
(Recorded in 1966 at Advision Studios, London)
Jeff Beck, Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
Paul Samwell-Smith, Bass
Chris Dreja, Rhythm Guitar
Jim McCarty, Drums
The Yardbirds “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” (2:57)
(Recorded in July, 1966 at IBC Studios, London)
Keith Relf, Lead Vocals
Jeff Beck, Lead Guitar, Spoken Interlude
Jimmy Page, Lead Guitar
Chris Dreja, Rhythm Guitar
Jim McCarty, Drums
John Paul Jones, Bass
“Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” was The Yardbirds first single to feature guitarist Jimmy Page, who had recently replaced original Yardbirds bassist Paul Samwell-Smith. It was also the first of three recordings pairing Page with lead guitarist Jeff Beck. The other two were “Psycho Daisies” and “Stroll On”
John Paul Jones played session bass on the song, and he would later play on the song “Beck’s Bolero” with both Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Nicky Hopkins, and Keith Moon.
The Yardbirds “Psycho Daisies” (1:51)
(Recorded in July, 1966 at Advision Studios, London)
Keith Relf, Lead Vocals
Jeff Beck, Lead Guitar, Vocals
Jimmy Page, Bass
Chris Dreja, Rhythm Guitar
Jim McCarty, Drums
The Yardbirds “Stroll On” (2:44)
(Recorded in 1966)
“Train Kept A-Rollin” is a song written by Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, and Lois Mann. Bradshaw first recorded the song in 1951- his best known recording. After a rock and roll version of the song was recorded and released by Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio in 1956, numerous other such versions have been recorded since. The Yardbirds helped make the song a garage-rock staple when they covered it on the 1965 album Having a Rave Up. The riff Jeff Beck used for their version of the song was later used in another song written by Beck and Keith Relf titled “Stroll On”, which was recorded for the Michelangelo Antonioni film Blowup, and features a twin lead-guitar break by Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. The published sheet music for the Yardbirds’ version is titled “Train Kept A Rollin’ (Stroll On)”, with credit given to Jeff Beck, Keith Relf, Jimmy Page, Chris Dreja, and Jim McCarty.
The Yardbirds “I Ain’t Got You” (2:01)
(Recorded in 1964)
The best version of this Clarence Carter classic is this one by The Yardbirds, which includes blistering lead guitar work by a 19 year old Eric Clapton.
Five months after this recording, Eric Clapton quit The Yardbirds when they began moving towards a more commercial / psychedelic sound with “For Your Love”, their first major hit, on which Clapton played guitar, with strong reluctance.
Clapton, at the time a blues purist, left the group in protest to join John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.
Clapton recommended Jimmy Page, a prominent young studio session guitarist, as his replacement. Page, uncertain about giving up his lucrative studio work and worried about his health, recommended in turn his friend Jeff Beck, who played his first gig with the Yardbirds only two days after Clapton’s departure in May 1965.
The Yardbirds (1963 - 1965)
Jim McCarty, Paul Samwell-Smith, Chris Dreja , Keith Relf
and Eric Clapton
The Yardbirds (1966)
Jimmy Page, Chris Dreja, Jim McCarty, Jeff Beck and Keith Relf
