I remember getting my first transistor radio when I was a kid and heard "Happening 10 Years Time Ago" on AM radio one day and froze in my tracks until the song was over. I was hooked.
I love going to yard sales and to my Christian outlet store in Peoria,il. Looking for older Aldums and particularly old rock bands . I have a very first album b4 they were a star albums . Of head singer for Metallica.
The Yardbirds are such an underrated, overlooked band in the history of British Invasion bands. Their sound was unique and transcendent. Clapton, Beck, and Page get all the ink, but the entire band blazed as a cohesive unit despite the changes. Thanks for this primer - looking forward to Part 2.
The Yardbirds broke the mold . They brought in the innovative guitar that had never been done before . Very exciting in person with Keith Relf , the lead singer with a howling blues harp .
I’ve said this for years. I know they’re really remembered for their triumvirate of guitar gods. But? Keith Relf and his harmonica are what I really dig. I know once they started to move off traditional blues Clapton bid them adieu. But it was a blessing in disguise. The Beck years were their best output. But again, Relf is my favorite. Without his harp there is no response to their signature call and response style.
@@jonathanneuhaus4755he was suffering from burnout, exhaustion and playing the same songs since 1963. The original band members were tired. He might have been drunk. The sound and mix was pure crap.
I saw The Yardbirds at a small jazz club in Birmingham in 1964. I had just left school and I've no idea how I managed to get in! This was the first time I saw Clapton play. All I really remember was that he had a crew cut and played a white Telecaster!
Same time as me. Marquee every month in 64. Yardbirds and High Numbers....The Who.....were residents. Then school next day but great times for us youth.
Love the Yardbirds, I always felt the super star guitarists somewhat overshadowed the core player, Keith, Chris and Jim. Great band! Thanks for posting this.
Agreed. The core was a true core and it shows how solid they were that guitar players could come and go and they still held up. Thank for commenting, Bill!
Great choice for a video! For whatever reason, the band has been overlooked for decades. The music they recorded deserves to be mentioned just as much as what the Stones, Kinks, Beatles and Who did at the same time. Don't forget to note the band's appearance in Antonioni's film _Blow Up_ in the next segment ;)
I feel privileged growing up as a teenager with this music in the sixties.Remember you could only buy the albums and go to the shows to listen to the music. Radio really only played the top twenty hits.
Around 1964 I remember waiting outside the LJS building in Kennington ( London ) & seeing this light coloured van parked up covered in graffiti ( some of it in lipstick ) on the side of the van in big letters was the name The Yardbirds. Had no idea what Yardbirds meant as I was only about 5 at the time but I’ve never forgotten it.
Great story! I do have a photo of a light colored van with the Yardbirds logo on the front and girls chasing it. I'll try to incorporate that into the Part Two video.
@@popgoesthe60s52 that’ll be good. I did hear Jeff mention that when he arrived at the Audition for the Yardbirds, their van covered in messages was parked outside.
Keith Relf is one of the greatest singer. Their best album was Having a Rave Up. The band had 3 legendary guitarists who played garage rock, psychedelia, blues rock, hard rock and a good sort of heavy metal - not the lousy heavy metal to come in the 70s. They did some great originals and did some great covers like no other band could. They always improved on earlier versions, too, despite the nonsense we still hear. Just listen to Smokestack Lightning - so much better than Howlin' Wolf - of course better technology but they were just better. Keith's cool, commanding, and slightly spooky voice are part of the "why" we dig him, and he is shockingly underrated. Their best: Heart Full of Soul/ Smokestack Lightning/ For Your Love/ I'm a Man/ Shapes of Things to Come/ Over Under Sideways / Train Kept A Rollin'/ Evil-Hearted You/ I'm Not Talking/ I Ain't Got You.
Heart Full of Soul in my opinion is one of the Best 2 min. 30 seconds ever put on vinyl,-to my ears its Perfect!!! (Its in my top 10 of the Greatest songs of the 60's)
I have always been fascinated by the Yardbirds. They always seemed to be on a course of their own without any relation to the other bands of the time such as the Beatles, the Kinks, the Who etc. They were an entirely different entity. Great band.
Saw them at Watford Trade Hall with Eric Clapton when he broke a guitar string. No guitar tech in those days he changed the string himself. Along with Pretty Things best blues r&b band around.
Was there at the Crawdaddy at the start the Stones then Yardbirds and met my wife there you had a feeling this was something big going on and lived it all. At the time the Yardbirds were my favourite but am a staunch Stones fan,wasn’t happy when Clapton left when the music changed commercially. But what a musical tree to follow with Page and Beck, Beck was a magician RIP Jeff.
Thank you was at the Marquee for the Sonny boy gig got the album and have two copy’s of five live Yardbirds (ones the wife’s) apparently original mint copy’s fetch big money sadly ours aren’t
The Yardbirds were popular in collections in the late 70s. I have a 2LP set released on Bomb records titled Shapes of Things. Later I purchased a Boxset put out by Charley's records. It had the individual albums. Sadly Roger the Engineer was missing. I had collections of later stuff that contained some horrible pop tracks like Ten Little Indians. Then to greatness with Pages White Summer. Production got hit or miss also. The Jeff Beck years are the most promising in growing as a band in general. Such a short period in time they went from straight blues to great rave ups to my favorite Still I'm Sad. To this day I get goose bumps when I here the opening riffs to Heartful of Soul. The flood gates of heaven open for me when I here that song.
Matt, another great video on one of the most important British bands ever formed. I remember getting chills when I first heard “Heart Full Of Soul”…with that unique Jeff Beck sound! I can’t wait for Part 2 of their story. I’m looking forward to hearing your insight on their “Little Games” album- one of the most underrated yet important albums of the 60s. Thanks!
I was 17 years old. I was a star after that because all the kids from my school and the surrounding towns saw my friend and I walking with The Yardbirds up to and onto the stage with them and then remained there while they performed. Such a good memory.
thanks for being so thorough and not ignoring what else was going on at the time, I hate it when documentaries just break into social issues of the 60s and act like thats backstory (most musicians arent writing about the economy and politics), what I want is the background of who was hanging with who, how did these two players know each other etc, not a quote from Yardbirds about the Beatles, but literally what did they DO because of the Beatles and so on.
Matt, thanks so much for taking on the Yardbirds story. As a fan of 60's garage rock it was impossible not to notice the influence their sound had on American bands in the mid 60's. They are also one of my favorite bands since I was 14 years old and I think Keith Relf was a fantastic singer and a totally underrated harp player. Can't wait for the next part.
Thanks for your great videos. I was born in 1950 and grew up with this great music. Saw the battles live, but in my opinion the yardbirds were superior!! Keep doing these videos please!
@@popgoesthe60s52 I watched part two and subscribed to your channel. Great stuff! Thanks for your content. Even on AM and the transistor radio ‘over under sideways down’ was my favorite as well as the other songs. I saw zeppelin live in the 70s in Chicago and Beck has always impressed me, as he grew in his talents, and he always had great drummers and the other musicians and Clapton and Cream was always on my “record player.” Great time for music back then as you would hear Aretha Franklin on WLS and the next song would be Three Dog Night and then the next song would be the Troggs and the Yardbirds and then Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole and then the Kinks and I could go on and on. I’m glad I grew upin that era. Now Japan is on fire with hevy metal and rock and most of them are female bands like Band-Maid and BabyMetal and Lovebites and Trident and Scandal and Nemophilia and others.
@@popgoesthe60s52 zepp was one of my top bands back in the 70s when I saw them live and I only paid $7.50 for the best tickets but back then that didn’t mean much. I always held a grudge against them (sort of lol) because Robert Plant didn’t really hit the high notes, and I didn’t know that the reason for that was because he was sick until I bought the Led Zeppelin book 10 years ago so for 30 years I kind of held a grudge even though I saw them again but it wasn’t like the recorded sessions. Now Deep Purple live sounded a lot better. Blackmore is definitely excellent when playing live and Ian Paice with MarkII. But I’m not gonna compare the two because I wore out so many albums and even 8 tracks by Zeppelin and Deep Purple it is ridiculous. Again, thanks for your content. Sorry for rambling, but the memories are great. You brought them back to life for me, so thanks.
Great video! I love your observation that the UK rock n roll usually pulled from traditional blues while US usually pulled from folk. I never saw it like that but it makes so much sense.
These are great videos you make and I'm hoping one of the aspects of the Yardbirds you'll cover is their HUGE influence on American garage rock of the middle sixties. There are countless cover versions of their songs by obscure teenaged bands of that time. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
So true. 'Psychotic Reaction' by the Count V was a complete Yardbirds pastiche. A great song, but it wouldn't have ever been written if it hadn't been for the Yardbirds, particularly their version of 'I'm a Man'.
I love these guys even though they were a generation before my time, my mom and my uncle schooled me about all the best music that was happening before i was around. Its given me a lifelong appreciation of so much excellent music!
Giorgio Gomelsky lived in NYC later in his life, and I am thankful to say that he was a friend of mine from 1980 through the time of his death in 2016. He was a fascinating man, who spent his entire life trying to inspire young musicians. I was 18 when I met Giorgio, and 54 when he passed. I am still digesting the stories he would tell, his influence upon me, and his example. He taught me more about a life well-lived than most of the people I have known. He was the first manager of the Rolling Stones, but when his mother took ill back in Russia he went back home to be with her before her death. In the early 1960s, this required several modes of travel, and the constant threat of imprisonment, as his family were considered bourgeoisie. When he came back to London, he found that Mick had decided he was no longer needed. Rather than becoming upset and petulant, he waved goodbye. He already had a good understanding of the band's willingness to discard people as it suited them. He then went and found the Yardbirds, and secured them their regular booking at the Crawdaddy club. If I had to pick one word to describe him, it would be a tough choice. Jovial, intelligent, soulful, loving, helpful, relentless, enthusiastic...these all might apply. But the word that keeps coming back to mind is this: indefatigable. Giorgio owned a three-story building in NYC for almost forty years, where he let generations of young bands rehearse and record for free, and let bands and all kinds of artists put on shows. The first floor was dominated by a big stage and club-sized bar. In the 1980s I had a fair amount of recording equipment I didn't have room for in my apartment, so I donated it to him, and he used it to record bands for free, bands who couldn't otherwise afford studio time, expensive in those pre-computer days. Giorgio is truly one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known. He was never haughty or condescending, but ALWAYS encouraging and helpful to all musicians, and artists of any stripe. he did not suffer fools gladly, though, and if he detected any insincerity in your work he would tell you so, in no uncertain terms. Last: he had the most youthful attitude I have ever known. He could pinpoint a way for bands of kids a half-century his junior to be more true to their age, and not try to play above their years. Thank you for making me think about Giorgio in such detail. He was my friend for thirty-six years, and I loved him more that words will allow. I honor him by spending my time inspiring young artists. Giorgio taught me much, but one thing that's invaluable: it's an honor to be one of the old lions. Damn, tears are welling up here. But emotional old Russian that he was, Giorgio was a man that was not afraid of tears. I saw him cry on a few occasions, and I know he'd take my face in his big ol' hands, make fun of me, and then give me a dismissive kiss on the forehead. I love you, Giorgio.
@@popgoesthe60s52 He was a man of heart and soul. I am glad you appreciate my memories of him. He was a sweetheart. You would have loved to have met him. I adore your work.Keep on keepin' on. :)
Another great video, Matt. I love these band histories you do, some of your best content. Excellent idea covering the Yardbirds! It’s interesting to think of how they almost acted like an ‘apprenticeship’ group for so many incredible guitarists. Keep up the terrific work!
Alice Cooper said it best, "We all wanted to be the Yardbirds!" And so we were yardbirds, and the people danced,,,,they were raving along with the band!
Absolutely have fallen in love with your channel!!! I've been playing guitar and singing for 40 years, and my influences are The Beatles, who are my favorite band The Kinks, The Yardbirds, The Cream, and my #1 influence, The WHO. I bet I'll see them all covered here. Thanks, Keith in RVA
On December 23, 1965, at the Alexandria(Virginia) Roller Rink, The Yardbirds and The Shangri-Las performed. My band, The Beau Street Runners(Franconia, Virginia) were also on the playbill, and I STILL have the original poster. 'Having a Rave Up' was the album blueprint for all the bands of that era in my neck of the woods...especially the great 'Smokestack Lightnin'...thanks for the very comprehensive review of those trailblazers...Long Live Jeff Beck~!
I was born in '68 so I missed these bands playing but the older I got the more I throughly enjoyed them. Now at 53 I am collecting as many used records for The Yardbirds, Cream, Rare Earth, Humble Pie, Iron Butterfly, Faces, and others from that Era. No music since then can hold a candle to the sounds of the 60s to the early 70s.
A great example of The Yardbirds' influence in the US, check out The Count Five's Psychotic reaction. The band was mostly about 17 when they recorded that and they sound exactly alike. ♥
Exactly the analogy I put forth when I heard "Psychotic Reaction", the tempo change, the bass pattern change, the signature "bridge job", where strings are muted, and pick is brusquely strummed up & down crazily!!..That's signature Yardbirds motif!!
Just watched parts 1 & 2. Again, very well done. I was maybe a bit young to fully appreciate The Yardbirds in their heyday. I was 10 in 1965. But when I was 15 and really started to get better on guitar I was totally into them. And of course "Beck's Boogie" became one of my favorite things to play. I remember when I was 12 I got my first electric guitar and amp. I remember sitting in my garage playing and a kid from my neighborhood walked up and asked "Can you get Yardbird feedback?" I didn't know what it was, but I soon learned.
Love your channel....I believe they got the name from Charlie Parker, who's full nickname was yardbird, and, as happens with nicknames, was shortened to "bird"....Yes, this was considerably before the publication of "On the Road"....
Yes, the name came from Charlie Parker who was nicknamed "Yardbird" because of his appetite for chicken. A domestic chicken is called a yardbird colloquially in the South.
The Yardbirds were one of my biggest influences growing up. The showcasing of the individual talents of Clapton, Page and Beck gives us a lot to be learned from. One question though; why did they have problems obtaining a Visa?
The visa issue seems to stem from AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) who had their hands full with all the British bands coming to the US. It was a long process and manager Gomelsky failed to obtain visas for a late summer Dick Clark Tour. An Ed Sullivan appearance fell through because the English Musicians Union demanded an American band went to England on an exchange basis. The Department of Labor also held up the airing of some of their TV appearances once they did get to the US, so it was a rough entry.
@@sd31263 The visa issue seems to stem from AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) who had their hands full with all the British bands coming to the US. It was a long process and manager Gomelsky failed to obtain visas for a late summer Dick Clark Tour. An Ed Sullivan appearance fell through because the English Musicians Union demanded an American band went to England on an exchange basis. The Department of Labor also held up the airing of some of their TV appearances once they did get to the US, so it was a rough entry.
Thank you Trunk! My production values do slow down the process a bit but the graphics allow me to condense and tell a fuller story. I appreciate the kind comment!
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! Just came upon this important Great video ....so well presented. Thank you again. The Yardbirds and its various members and their histories had an enduring profound effect on my life and my joy...and with thrie passing considerable sadness. 'Still I'm Sad' but just as their music lives on eternal so will they in God's new world.
I think the Yardbirds were the first supergroup and they were so good and seeing them play live definitely proves this but they have three the best guitar players whoever lived Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy page I just want to say I am so glad I got all the records and I’m always looking for new videos of The Yardbirds🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💰💰💰💰💰
Regardless of what Jack Karoak may have said, the term, "yardbirds," came from USN shipyards. It meant civilians who worked repairing Navy ships. The other moniker for these personel was, "sand crabs".
The Yardbirds are one of my all-time favorite groups! I just acquired a genuine mono copy of the "Little Games" album as opposed to the copy I've had for decades with mono album cover and mono record labels but stereo record (per XSB prefix shown on the labels; genuine mono copies indicate XEM) As any die-hard Yardbirds fan knows, that wasn't the only boo-boo Epic made with their U.S. output
Excellent bio on the group; and much neglected early history that most folks don't know of. I also appreciate giving more detail on the three lead guitarists and their overlapping. As always, great job, Matt!
Thank you so much for your next covering to be the Yardbirds. This is a band I’m getting into right now and I have two of there earliest recordings so far which are Five Live Yardbirds and Clapton’s Cradle: The Early Yardbird Recordings!
Fabulous! Taken together, all of your videos present (and future) create a wonderful library of music from the 60s. Thank you once again and keep up the great work … please! :)
@@jonathansteadman7935 Not all of them were art students. Jokes aside, it happens to be that the person who founded the most famous *progressive rock* band was inspired by the blues. Not every band inspired by the blues from the '60s formed an entirely new form of music. It isn't as trivial as you make it seem, and your antagonistic attitude isn't necessary regarding a comment as simple as mine.
Never before has there been a band who's parts were greater than the whole, and that says a lot because I really loved their sound. Many great bands of that era, but precious few that had their unpretentious edge.
Rocka Billy was big in England too. Sonny Boy said the Brits wanted to play the blues badly, and they did! The Yardbirds were a big influence in blues rock and psychedelic music!
“Still I’m Sad” was released as the B-side of “I’m A Man” on Epic in the U.S.-so, in essence, it WAS released as/on a single… which you had stated otherwise, Matt. Great job, nonetheless!🙂🎶😎
I never owned a Yardbirds album. Every hit they had on L.A. radio was fantastic. Maybe five hits, total, 66 or so. I came to believe they had five good songs. Yes, I play blues. And everything else.
One of the most important bands of all time
RIP Jeff Beck.
Grew up listening to the Yardbirds.
Talented young men.
I just heard. His is certainly a heavy hitter.
YES! ABSOLUTELY!
I remember getting my first transistor radio when I was a kid and heard "Happening 10 Years Time Ago" on AM radio one day and froze in my tracks until the song was over. I was hooked.
I saw the Beatles in Paris in June of 1965 and this group I'd never heard of, The Yardbirds, was their warmup band. Great show.
Wow, what a great show that must have been!
Lucky you!
Jon ham and I was Robert Johnson party partner ...yeah right
@@cazamilfs8945 I went to high school in Paris. Check out June 20, 1965, a-hole. www.concertarchives.org/bands/the-yardbirds?page=2#concert-table
I love going to yard sales and to my Christian
outlet store in Peoria,il. Looking for older Aldums and particularly old rock bands .
I have a very first album b4 they were a
star albums . Of head singer for Metallica.
The Yardbirds are such an underrated, overlooked band in the history of British Invasion bands. Their sound was unique and transcendent. Clapton, Beck, and Page get all the ink, but the entire band blazed as a cohesive unit despite the changes. Thanks for this primer - looking forward to Part 2.
Thank you Dana! The core of the group was quite strong and no matter what guitarist passed through, they made it work!
Not with me
The yardbirds were unknown in the States but in UK (especially around London) they were huge.
The Yardbirds broke the mold . They brought in the innovative guitar that had never been done before . Very exciting in person with Keith Relf , the lead singer with a howling blues harp .
I’ve said this for years. I know they’re really remembered for their triumvirate of guitar gods. But? Keith Relf and his harmonica are what I really dig. I know once they started to move off traditional blues Clapton bid them adieu. But it was a blessing in disguise. The Beck years were their best output. But again, Relf is my favorite. Without his harp there is no response to their signature call and response style.
When I put on a Yardbirds record I honestly don't care who's playing guitar because it really doesn't matter. All their stuff is great.
Relf had an excellent voice with the benefit of a slightly commercial pop edge to it.
Listen to the recording from France. He sounds tone deaf!
@@jonathanneuhaus4755he was suffering from burnout, exhaustion and playing the same songs since 1963. The original band members were tired. He might have been drunk. The sound and mix was pure crap.
Yessss keith relf made esrly yardbirds that harmonica his voice imma man that build up slow up build up wow ..that was talent
My top 3 favourite guitarists are Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. I'm a fan of the Yardbirds. Cheers! ✌️
Stay tuned for Part Two in a few days!
@@popgoesthe60s52 Thanks! I have The Yardbirds in my music collection. Cheers!
I saw The Yardbirds at a small jazz club in Birmingham in 1964. I had just left school and I've no idea how I managed to get in! This was the first time I saw Clapton play. All I really remember was that he had a crew cut and played a white Telecaster!
Wow what a great experience! Thanks for sharing it.
Same time as me. Marquee every month in 64. Yardbirds and High Numbers....The Who.....were residents. Then school next day but great times for us youth.
Love the Yardbirds, I always felt the super star guitarists somewhat overshadowed the core player, Keith, Chris and Jim. Great band! Thanks for posting this.
Agreed. The core was a true core and it shows how solid they were that guitar players could come and go and they still held up. Thank for commenting, Bill!
I loved these Guys when I was a Kid.Legendary Band.
Jeff Becks passing brought me back to this channel just to listen to the Yardbirds history again.
That is a high compliment, Peggy! Thank you!
I absolutely love the Yardbirds. Discovered them in high school in the ‘70s.
Exactly the same for me! Five Live Yardbirds still gets blasted a handful of times each year at my house!
Great choice for a video! For whatever reason, the band has been overlooked for decades. The music they recorded deserves to be mentioned just as much as what the Stones, Kinks, Beatles and Who did at the same time. Don't forget to note the band's appearance in Antonioni's film _Blow Up_ in the next segment ;)
Blow Up is AWESOME!!! Love that movie!!!👍
They were always in that same class of groups in my house!
Most underrated Brit band from the 60's and I was so glad to see a video on them.. Thanks for the presentation
I feel privileged growing up as a teenager with this music in the sixties.Remember you could only buy the albums and go to the shows to listen to the music. Radio really only played the top twenty hits.
Heard Heart Full of Soul on radio first time and wondered at exotic sound of guitars.
Around 1964 I remember waiting outside the LJS building in Kennington ( London ) & seeing this light coloured van parked up covered in graffiti ( some of it in lipstick ) on the side of the van in big letters was the name The Yardbirds. Had no idea what Yardbirds meant as I was only about
5 at the time but I’ve never forgotten it.
Great story! I do have a photo of a light colored van with the Yardbirds logo on the front and girls chasing it. I'll try to incorporate that into the Part Two video.
@@popgoesthe60s52 that’ll be good. I did hear Jeff mention that when he arrived at the Audition for the Yardbirds, their van covered in messages
was parked outside.
Thats awesome! Still I'm Sad supposedly was one of those songs chanted in the van.
the free, best bass player ever....and the most beautiful atmosphere, any group ever created....❤️❤️❤️
The Yardbirds are still one of my favorite bands.
Keith Relf is one of the greatest singer. Their best album was Having a Rave Up. The band had 3 legendary guitarists who played garage rock, psychedelia, blues rock, hard rock and a good sort of heavy metal - not the lousy heavy metal to come in the 70s. They did some great originals and did some great covers like no other band could. They always improved on earlier versions, too, despite the nonsense we still hear. Just listen to Smokestack Lightning - so much better than Howlin' Wolf - of course better technology but they were just better.
Keith's cool, commanding, and slightly spooky voice are part of the "why" we dig him, and he is shockingly underrated.
Their best: Heart Full of Soul/ Smokestack Lightning/ For Your Love/ I'm a Man/ Shapes of Things to Come/ Over Under Sideways / Train Kept A Rollin'/ Evil-Hearted You/ I'm Not Talking/ I Ain't Got You.
@@oppothumbs1
I also ❤ "Mister, You're a Better Man than I" -- a great 1960s anthem by Mike & Brian Hugg.
Evil hearted you, happenings ten years ago, over under sideways down, I'm not talkin', shapes of things, heart full of soul. Those are my favorites
Heart Full of Soul in my opinion is one of the Best 2 min. 30 seconds ever put on vinyl,-to my ears its Perfect!!! (Its in my top 10 of the Greatest songs of the 60's)
I have always been fascinated by the Yardbirds. They always seemed to be on a course of their own without any relation to the other bands of the time such as the Beatles, the Kinks, the Who etc. They were an entirely different entity. Great band.
Thank you for crafting this immaculate review.
My pleasure!
ive always loved the yardbirds learned alot
Thanks for commenting, Andrew.
Saw them at Watford Trade Hall with Eric Clapton when he broke a guitar string. No guitar tech in those days he changed the string himself. Along with Pretty Things best blues r&b band around.
Three best guitarists in rock ‘n’ roll, Jeff Beck (RIP), Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton💯%😎🎸
It’s about time you covered Yardbirds
Where you been, Tim - these are 6 months old already!
Was there at the Crawdaddy at the start the Stones then Yardbirds and met my wife there you had a feeling this was something big going on and lived it all. At the time the Yardbirds were my favourite but am a staunch Stones fan,wasn’t happy when Clapton left when the music changed commercially. But what a musical tree to follow with Page and Beck, Beck was a magician RIP Jeff.
Thank you was at the Marquee for the Sonny boy gig got the album and have two copy’s of five live Yardbirds (ones the wife’s) apparently original mint copy’s fetch big money sadly ours aren’t
The Yardbirds were popular in collections in the late 70s. I have a 2LP set released on Bomb records titled Shapes of Things. Later I purchased a Boxset put out by Charley's records. It had the individual albums. Sadly Roger the Engineer was missing. I had collections of later stuff that contained some horrible pop tracks like Ten Little Indians. Then to greatness with Pages White Summer. Production got hit or miss also. The Jeff Beck years are the most promising in growing as a band in general. Such a short period in time they went from straight blues to great rave ups to my favorite Still I'm Sad. To this day I get goose bumps when I here the opening riffs to Heartful of Soul. The flood gates of heaven open for me when I here that song.
Matt, another great video on one of the most important British bands ever formed. I remember getting chills when I first heard “Heart Full Of Soul”…with that unique Jeff Beck sound! I can’t wait for Part 2 of their story. I’m looking forward to hearing your insight on their “Little Games” album- one of the most underrated yet important albums of the 60s. Thanks!
Thank you, Scott! Part 2 should be out in a day or so.
I was 17 years old. I was a star after that because all the kids from my school and the surrounding towns saw my friend and I walking with The Yardbirds up to and onto the stage with them and then remained there while they performed. Such a good memory.
Thank you for this essential history, and the diligent care to be precise.
Thank you, Bill!
Listening to them even in the context of the amount of talent making music at that time, you just knew they were doing something transcendent
Born in 53' here and your channel is such a blessing. Top notch work.
Thank you, Michael - More to come.
thanks for being so thorough and not ignoring what else was going on at the time, I hate it when documentaries just break into social issues of the 60s and act like thats backstory (most musicians arent writing about the economy and politics), what I want is the background of who was hanging with who, how did these two players know each other etc, not a quote from Yardbirds about the Beatles, but literally what did they DO because of the Beatles and so on.
Thanks, yes, I try to give some context of the band within the overall scene. Thanks for the comment!
Matt, thanks so much for taking on the Yardbirds story. As a fan of 60's garage rock it was impossible not to notice the influence their sound had on American bands in the mid 60's. They are also one of my favorite bands since I was 14 years old and I think Keith Relf was a fantastic singer and a totally underrated harp player. Can't wait for the next part.
Yes, his harp playing is some of the finest of all the rock bands. Thanks for watching, Martin.
Thanks for your great videos. I was born in 1950 and grew up with this great music. Saw the battles live, but in my opinion the yardbirds were superior!! Keep doing these videos please!
YES Matt!!! I Love the Yardbirds!!!👏👏👏👍
Love the way you Explained this regarding the early Years , Great Vid
Fantastic & interesting. Thanks for this. Learned a lot I never knew about them
Great stuff, thanks for posting. -Just so you know, Clapton didn’t get “disenfranchised” with The Yardbirds, he got “disenchanted”.
Everything seems to piss Clapton off.
Fantastic. Big Yardbirds fan back in the day but of course we did not know all of this info in your video. Thx for promoting them.
My pleasure. Thank you for watching!
@@popgoesthe60s52 I watched part two and subscribed to your channel. Great stuff! Thanks for your content. Even on AM and the transistor radio ‘over under sideways down’ was my favorite as well as the other songs. I saw zeppelin live in the 70s in Chicago and Beck has always impressed me, as he grew in his talents, and he always had great drummers and the other musicians and Clapton and Cream was always on my “record player.”
Great time for music back then as you would hear Aretha Franklin on WLS and the next song would be Three Dog Night and then the next song would be the Troggs and the Yardbirds and then Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole and then the Kinks and I could go on and on. I’m glad I grew upin that era.
Now Japan is on fire with hevy metal and rock and most of them are female bands like Band-Maid and BabyMetal and Lovebites and Trident and Scandal and Nemophilia and others.
@@popgoesthe60s52 zepp was one of my top bands back in the 70s when I saw them live and I only paid $7.50 for the best tickets but back then that didn’t mean much. I always held a grudge against them (sort of lol) because Robert Plant didn’t really hit the high notes, and I didn’t know that the reason for that was because he was sick until I bought the Led Zeppelin book 10 years ago so for 30 years I kind of held a grudge even though I saw them again but it wasn’t like the recorded sessions. Now Deep Purple live sounded a lot better. Blackmore is definitely excellent when playing live and Ian Paice with MarkII. But I’m not gonna compare the two because I wore out so many albums and even 8 tracks by Zeppelin and Deep Purple it is ridiculous. Again, thanks for your content. Sorry for rambling, but the memories are great. You brought them back to life for me, so thanks.
@@gmac6503
Nice variety.
I like your narration. You have a good speaking voice.
Wow. Just wow! I love the Yardbirds!
Really excellent video Matt. Thank you. I haven't heard some of those B sides for many a year! What a great band. Looking forward to part two.
Thank you, Mike!
This is excellent.
'Ain't Got You' was the UK A-side for their first UK Columbia single. I saw them mime it on Ready Steady Go in June '64. I loved it.
Great video! I love your observation that the UK rock n roll usually pulled from traditional blues while US usually pulled from folk. I never saw it like that but it makes so much sense.
I think that's why the guitarists from England were generally better players - the blues education.
such a great band. jeff beck, baby
Once again...my hero! Thanks!!!
R.I.P Jeff Beck.
These are great videos you make and I'm hoping one of the aspects of the Yardbirds you'll cover is their HUGE influence on American garage rock of the middle sixties. There are countless cover versions of their songs by obscure teenaged bands of that time. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
So true. 'Psychotic Reaction' by the Count V was a complete Yardbirds pastiche. A great song, but it wouldn't have ever been written if it hadn't been for the Yardbirds, particularly their version of 'I'm a Man'.
I love these guys even though they were a generation before my time, my mom and my uncle schooled me about all the best music that was happening before i was around. Its given me a lifelong appreciation of so much excellent music!
Thank you for the comment, Rhonna!
Amazing group. Also (OT) Relf and McCarty helped birth Renaissance a much loved prog band.
Giorgio Gomelsky lived in NYC later in his life, and I am thankful to say that he was a friend of mine from 1980 through the time of his death in 2016. He was a fascinating man, who spent his entire life trying to inspire young musicians. I was 18 when I met Giorgio, and 54 when he passed. I am still digesting the stories he would tell, his influence upon me, and his example. He taught me more about a life well-lived than most of the people I have known.
He was the first manager of the Rolling Stones, but when his mother took ill back in Russia he went back home to be with her before her death. In the early 1960s, this required several modes of travel, and the constant threat of imprisonment, as his family were considered bourgeoisie. When he came back to London, he found that Mick had decided he was no longer needed. Rather than becoming upset and petulant, he waved goodbye. He already had a good understanding of the band's willingness to discard people as it suited them. He then went and found the Yardbirds, and secured them their regular booking at the Crawdaddy club.
If I had to pick one word to describe him, it would be a tough choice. Jovial, intelligent, soulful, loving, helpful, relentless, enthusiastic...these all might apply. But the word that keeps coming back to mind is this: indefatigable.
Giorgio owned a three-story building in NYC for almost forty years, where he let generations of young bands rehearse and record for free, and let bands and all kinds of artists put on shows. The first floor was dominated by a big stage and club-sized bar. In the 1980s I had a fair amount of recording equipment I didn't have room for in my apartment, so I donated it to him, and he used it to record bands for free, bands who couldn't otherwise afford studio time, expensive in those pre-computer days.
Giorgio is truly one of the finest gentlemen I have ever known. He was never haughty or condescending, but ALWAYS encouraging and helpful to all musicians, and artists of any stripe. he did not suffer fools gladly, though, and if he detected any insincerity in your work he would tell you so, in no uncertain terms.
Last: he had the most youthful attitude I have ever known. He could pinpoint a way for bands of kids a half-century his junior to be more true to their age, and not try to play above their years.
Thank you for making me think about Giorgio in such detail. He was my friend for thirty-six years, and I loved him more that words will allow. I honor him by spending my time inspiring young artists. Giorgio taught me much, but one thing that's invaluable: it's an honor to be one of the old lions.
Damn, tears are welling up here. But emotional old Russian that he was, Giorgio was a man that was not afraid of tears. I saw him cry on a few occasions, and I know he'd take my face in his big ol' hands, make fun of me, and then give me a dismissive kiss on the forehead. I love you, Giorgio.
Thank you for sharing your history with Giorgio! He seemed like quite a character.
@@popgoesthe60s52 He was a man of heart and soul. I am glad you appreciate my memories of him. He was a sweetheart. You would have loved to have met him.
I adore your work.Keep on keepin' on. :)
@@jahnbon Thank you, sir!
One of best YT tribute comments or replies I ever read.
Another great video, Matt. I love these band histories you do, some of your best content. Excellent idea covering the Yardbirds! It’s interesting to think of how they almost acted like an ‘apprenticeship’ group for so many incredible guitarists.
Keep up the terrific work!
Thank you, Charles!
One of my all time favourite bands. Love them, love the music, have Roger the Engineer, the album, on vinyl, had it many yrs. Great album.
Alice Cooper said it best, "We all wanted to be the Yardbirds!" And so we were yardbirds, and the people danced,,,,they were raving along with the band!
Absolutely have fallen in love with your channel!!! I've been playing guitar and singing for 40 years, and my influences are The Beatles, who are my favorite band The Kinks, The Yardbirds, The Cream, and my #1 influence, The WHO. I bet I'll see them all covered here.
Thanks, Keith in RVA
Yes, I do plan on tackling all those bands and more. Thank you for the warm comment!
Your taste in music could mirror mine at the time though add the Stones to the mix.
On December 23, 1965, at the Alexandria(Virginia) Roller Rink, The Yardbirds and The Shangri-Las performed. My band, The Beau Street Runners(Franconia, Virginia) were also on the playbill, and I STILL have the original poster. 'Having a Rave Up' was the album blueprint for all the bands of that era in my neck of the woods...especially the great 'Smokestack Lightnin'...thanks for the very comprehensive review of those trailblazers...Long Live Jeff Beck~!
My pleasure, thanks for watching!
Such a fascinating and seminal band. Especially Jeff Beck breaking the sound barrier.
Beck deserves the most credit but probably gets mentioned the least.
Ever since I found you, I can't quit you. Your channel, is honey to the bee's, a jones to my bones,
I appreciate the support, Scott! Much thanks!
I was born in '68 so I missed these bands playing but the older I got the more I throughly enjoyed them. Now at 53 I am collecting as many used records for The Yardbirds, Cream, Rare Earth, Humble Pie, Iron Butterfly, Faces, and others from that Era. No music since then can hold a candle to the sounds of the 60s to the early 70s.
I agree, Michael! Thank you for commenting.
@@popgoesthe60s52 when will part 2 come out?
Just found it! I thought I knew all their records to look for but you are showing records I didn't know about. Awesome!
Loved this group -any lineup. Drummer is great
A great example of The Yardbirds' influence in the US, check out The Count Five's Psychotic reaction. The band was mostly about 17 when they recorded that and they sound exactly alike. ♥
That was a American garage band 💎 gem, Psychotic reaction.
Exactly the analogy I put forth when I heard "Psychotic Reaction", the tempo change, the bass pattern change, the signature "bridge job", where strings are muted, and pick is brusquely strummed up & down crazily!!..That's signature Yardbirds motif!!
Just watched parts 1 & 2. Again, very well done. I was maybe a bit young to fully appreciate The Yardbirds in their heyday. I was 10 in 1965. But when I was 15 and really started to get better on guitar I was totally into them. And of course "Beck's Boogie" became one of my favorite things to play. I remember when I was 12 I got my first electric guitar and amp. I remember sitting in my garage playing and a kid from my neighborhood walked up and asked "Can you get Yardbird feedback?" I didn't know what it was, but I soon learned.
Thanks for watching Dennis!
My favorite U.K. band of the 60s! I’ve got all the US releases in Mono. PLAY LOUD
Love your channel....I believe they got the name from Charlie Parker, who's full nickname was yardbird, and, as happens with nicknames, was shortened to "bird"....Yes, this was considerably before the publication of "On the Road"....
Yardbirds is also a term for jailbird ( jail yard ).
Yes, the name came from Charlie Parker who was nicknamed "Yardbird" because of his appetite for chicken. A domestic chicken is called a yardbird colloquially in the South.
The Yardbirds were one of my biggest influences growing up. The showcasing of the individual talents of Clapton, Page and Beck gives us a lot to be learned from. One question though; why did they have problems obtaining a Visa?
The visa issue seems to stem from AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) who had their hands full with all the British bands coming to the US. It was a long process and manager Gomelsky failed to obtain visas for a late summer Dick Clark Tour. An Ed Sullivan appearance fell through because the English Musicians Union demanded an American band went to England on an exchange basis. The Department of Labor also held up the airing of some of their TV appearances once they did get to the US, so it was a rough entry.
"One question though; why did they have problems obtaining a Visa?"
Maybe they had a bad credit rating.
@@sd31263 The visa issue seems to stem from AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) who had their hands full with all the British bands coming to the US. It was a long process and manager Gomelsky failed to obtain visas for a late summer Dick Clark Tour. An Ed Sullivan appearance fell through because the English Musicians Union demanded an American band went to England on an exchange basis. The Department of Labor also held up the airing of some of their TV appearances once they did get to the US, so it was a rough entry.
@@popgoesthe60s52 Unbelievable! 😯
Excellent as always Matt. Your production on these vids blows everyone else doing similar stuff out of the water!
Thank you Trunk! My production values do slow down the process a bit but the graphics allow me to condense and tell a fuller story. I appreciate the kind comment!
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! Just came upon this important Great video ....so well presented. Thank you again. The Yardbirds and its various members and their histories had an enduring profound effect on my life and my joy...and with thrie passing considerable sadness. 'Still I'm Sad' but just as their music lives on eternal so will they in God's new world.
Thank you, Robert. Doing the Yardbirds series was very satisfying for me. Thank you for watching.
The Sky Is Crying 14:37 in rainy England - the sun is shining but don't you know it's raining in my heart.
I think the Yardbirds were the first supergroup and they were so good and seeing them play live definitely proves this but they have three the best guitar players whoever lived Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy page I just want to say I am so glad I got all the records and I’m always looking for new videos of The Yardbirds🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💰💰💰💰💰
I've always been unclear as to which tracks have Clapton and which have Beck on the "For Your Love" album. Is it documented anywhere?
Thank you for this excellent introduction to a band I don't really know a lot about. I'll enjoy digging into their stuff after seeing
This.
thanks, i didn't know too-too much about this famous band; this was a great overview
Excellent .
Lovely, lovely summation of their early career. Man, your channel deserves a far bigger audience! Well done.
Thank you, Pat!
Tremendous Matt!
Very informative, Matt.
Regardless of what Jack Karoak may have said, the term, "yardbirds," came from USN shipyards. It meant civilians who worked repairing Navy ships. The other moniker for these personel was, "sand crabs".
This is great stuff. I never knew much about the Yardbirds. Can't wait for pt. 2.
The Yardbirds are one of my all-time favorite groups! I just acquired a genuine mono copy of the "Little Games" album as opposed to the copy I've had for decades with mono album cover and mono record labels but stereo record (per XSB prefix shown on the labels; genuine mono copies indicate XEM)
As any die-hard Yardbirds fan knows, that wasn't the only boo-boo Epic made with their U.S. output
Thanks for the Yardbirds videos! Excellent! Really enjoyed them!
Excellent bio on the group; and much neglected early history that most folks don't know of. I also appreciate giving more detail on the three lead guitarists and their overlapping. As always, great job, Matt!
Thanks Git. Much appreciated!
Thank you so much for your next covering to be the Yardbirds. This is a band I’m getting into right now and I have two of there earliest recordings so far which are Five Live Yardbirds and Clapton’s Cradle: The Early Yardbird Recordings!
Fabulous! Taken together, all of your videos present (and future) create a wonderful library of music from the 60s. Thank you once again and keep up the great work … please! :)
Thank you - plenty more coming! I wish I could do this full time.
Like your review, very concise! 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇸
hope you will do the Eagles as well and found out like myself, Eric Burdon , Brian Jones Keith also had asthma
These Guys were incredible.They couldn't write songs like the Beatles,,the Stones or the Beach Boys.
But they ,ould play circles around them
Syd Barrett was an art student and also heavily inspired by blues music.
Who cares about Sid Barrett ?
@@jeanmenard3060 Me.
So was nearly every member of most bands in the sixties, so what's your point ?
@@jonathansteadman7935 Not all of them were art students. Jokes aside, it happens to be that the person who founded the most famous *progressive rock* band was inspired by the blues. Not every band inspired by the blues from the '60s formed an entirely new form of music. It isn't as trivial as you make it seem, and your antagonistic attitude isn't necessary regarding a comment as simple as mine.
Syd was very influential and unique
Never before has there been a band who's parts were greater than the whole, and that says a lot because I really loved their sound. Many great bands of that era, but precious few that had their unpretentious edge.
We’ll said, Free Fallin’
Rocka Billy was big in England too. Sonny Boy said the Brits wanted to play the blues badly, and they did! The Yardbirds were a big influence in blues rock and psychedelic music!
“Still I’m Sad” was released as the B-side of “I’m A Man” on Epic in the U.S.-so, in essence, it WAS released as/on a single… which you had stated otherwise, Matt. Great job, nonetheless!🙂🎶😎
Nice to see you on YT Matt!
Awesome! Bring on part 2. Thanks Matt.
I never saw The Yardbirds in concert but I have seen their guitar players - Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.
Don,t forget keith relf!
Great job researching! I never knew most of this even though I was a fan. Three great British guitar players out of one band!
Another great video on one of my favorite bands! Talk about musical trendsetters!
I never owned a Yardbirds album. Every hit they had on L.A. radio was fantastic. Maybe five hits, total, 66 or so. I came to believe they had five good songs. Yes, I play blues. And everything else.