“Yardbirds: So How Can This Be?” Dr. Rox Remember When? Article #159 May 2024
By: RLSchwinden aka: MrZerr0
So when I was a kid growing up in Sioux City, I heard this song on my Grandma Marge’s radio “For Your Love” I was blown away, this song was so amazing to me, I just couldn’t get enough of it, many years later a Manager (Dennis) at Hospe’s Mr. Music showed me how to play it and I thought to myself, “It’s much like “Steppinstone” by The Monkees. Much later on in life I learned Tommy Boyce had a tendency to listen to The Top 40 Radio and write songs similar to the current top 40 hits. A few years later I heard “Heart Full Of Soul” again I was blown away, so just exactly who was this “Yardbirds” as I usually hung around people 1 to 5 years older than me, I asked around, I got answers like “A 60s blues band from England” but then my Uncle Brad informed me “Yardbirds, I think they eventually became Led Zeppelin, I have an album of the 3 of them (Clapton, Beck, Page) playing together, it’s nothing but tear jerkin blues” so I was again blown away as at that time Led Zeppelin was my Jam.
I was puzzled as to how this band The Yardbirds, launched the careers of Clapton in “Cream”, Beck in “Truth” and Page in “Led Zeppelin” and so many I seemed to encounter were unaware of this fact? So I started looking for Yardbirds recordings. Where I lived there really wasn’t “Used Record Stores” yet, so I looked and looked all I could really find were a few 45 Singles on Epic Records of The Yardbirds, CDs had not been introduced yet, I did find one Cassette, however it was from the band’s early years, so mostly just old blues standards. But I kept searching only to find out that This Band at one time or another had 3 of the Most Famous Guitarists of all TIME!
Eric Patrick Clapton 30 March: 1945: Surrey, England Joined in October 1963 and left in March 1965, he recorded 4 Singles and 2 Albums. I had heard these songs by Clapton before I realized he was in The Yardbirds: Eric Clapton “Cocaine” “I Shot The Sheriff” “Let It Rain”
Geoffrey “Jeff” Arnold Beck: 24 June 1944: Surrey, England – 10 January 2023. He was in the band from March 1965 to November 1966. He recorded 5 Albums and 8 Singles. Likewise I had heard these songs by Beck before I knew he was in the band “”She’s A Woman” “Blue Wind” and “Superstition” by “B. B. A.”
James Patrick Page; 9 January 1944: Middlesex, England. He was in the band from June 1966 to July 1968. He recorded 2 Albums and 4 Singles. My first exposure to Page was “Whole Lotta Love” “Stairway To Heaven” again I did not know he was in The Yardbirds.
Now the interesting thing about these 3 guitarists and their time in this band, is that there is a certain amount of overlap in their recordings over their 10 Albums and 19 Singles. Yet only Beck and Page recorded together. In England the band was on Columbia Records, and on Epic in the USA for some reason you can not get all of the singles in one collection, for years I thought it was due to different labels but that’s not the case other than 1 single from Germany and 1 single from Italy, it would seem there is 3 different sets of licensing and ownership over certain periods of time, between Clapton, Beck and Page, all periods being separated by in large and controlling interests.
The other members of the band were: William Keith Relf: 22 March 1943 in Richmond, England – 12 May 1976: by guitar amplifier electrocution in his basement. He was the Lead Single, Harmonica Player and Guitarist. He released 2 Solo Singles. As well as in the bands: Renaissance, Medicine Head, Armageddon and Illusion.James Stanley McCarty: 25 July 1943 in Liverpool, England on Drums.Christopher Walenty Dreja: 11 November 1945 in Surrey, England on Rhythm and Lead Guitar and Bass.Paul Granville Samwell-Smith (born Paul G. Smith): 8 May 1943 in London, England on Bass.
Another interesting thing about The Yardbirds, like most British bands of the day, they were heavily influenced by American Mississippi-Chicago Blues Artists. And conversely the American Artists of the time were influenced by the British artists of the time. Also, The Yardbirds just like most British artists would release a single, and later a full album, and Not put the latest single on the full album, unlike the American artists, that did just the opposite, American artists would put out a full album, and then release singles off of the album. One more bit of trivia, the band really only had 2 full LPs of original material, they relied heavily on old blues stands and a lot of Bo Diddley covers and hits by songwriter for hire Graham Gouldman of 10CC. Another unusual thing about The Yardbirds, when it came to their singles, the “A” Side would be “Pop” oriented music and generally the “B” Side would be straight up “Blues” apparently the genre they actually preferred to play and record.
The Yardbirds played MN. several times: 5 August 1966 at Dayton’s Auditorium, MPLS. 2 shows. 7 August 1966 in Mentor, MN. at Maple Lake Pavillion. 8 August 1966 Detroit Lakes at the Pavillion. all with Beck. 18 April 1968 in Winona, MN. at Memorial Hall with Page.
Another thing that piqued my interest in The Yardbirds was all the other Artists that made references to them or covered songs by the band such as:
Aerosmith “Aint Got You” “Train Kept A Rollin” “Think About It”
Rainbow “Still I’m Sad”
Ace Frehley “Over Sideways Under Down” Chris Issak “Heartful Of Soul”
Mick Marrs & John Corobi “Happenings 10 Years Time Ago”
And when I opened Mr. Zer0’s in 2009 a loyal customer Wes W. brought me “Mr. Zero” by Keith Relf, a #50 hit in 1966. After logging all this particular info, I have decided to create a new “Cover Up Show” for WDGY.
Coming Soon Mr. Zer0’s Cover Up Show 2024 on The Yardbirds:
With Artists Such as: Herman’s Hermits, Manfred Man, New Colony 6, Stillroven, Human Beinz, Clevedonaires, Apple, David Bowie, Nilsson. So stay tuned to WDGY
Here is the information on;
The Yardbirds: PsychoGello Show Episode #62 October 2018 A Certain Girl
For Your LoveHeartful Of SoulShapes Of ThingsOver Under Sideways DownMr. ZeroHappenings 10 Years Time AgoHa Ha Said The ClownThink About It
Catch Mr. Zer0’s PsychoGello Show (285) 8am Sundays on Radio WDGY (Since 2017). Listen to the last 90 Episodes at www.MrZeroS.Com -Podcast. You can also hear Mr. Zer0’s Evolation Show (32) and Hits And History Show (17) at www.MixCloud.Com undr MrZero
Go hear Thee Mod Garage Alive on 16 June 2024 Sunday 1pm in MPLS. at The Joint. with Guest MrZerr0. They will be performing several Yardbirds songs at this show. You can hear Go-Go Dancer C. C. Ryder on Mr. Zer0’s PsychoGello Show 2024 Episode #285 on Sunday 8am 9 June 2024.
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