‘Dem Yardbirds Just Won’t Fly Away – An Xperience Article

‘Dem Yardbirds Just Won’t Fly Away – An Xperience Article – by Tony Mastrianni.

The Yardbirds recently played at Daryl’s Club in Pawling, NY, and at the Bethel Woods  Museum. They once again thrive, with the current iteration of the rekindled band led by original member/drummer Jim McCarty and a group of talented support musicians. They play a tight set, recapturing several renditions of classic Yardbirds originals and covers, of which “Train Kept A Rollin’” is the showstopper. Highlighting the band is guitarist Godfrey Townsend, who had played with a variety of other legendary musicians such as John Entwistle, Alan Parsons, and the late Jack Bruce, and who shares vocals with Myke Scavone, who was the lead singer of the classic rock band Ram Jam. You may remember their ’70s hit single “Black Betty” (the famous Leadbelly classic).

They work hard, and touring can be a grind, but they seem tireless in their upbeat approach and full-fledged performances. McCarty hinted at a live LP coming out in the future. After the show, I asked him if he could tell us a bit about the Yardbirds’ original legendary three-headed guitar army of Eric Clapton (1963-65), Jeff Beck(1965-66), and Jimmy Page (1966-68).

This is what he said verbatim:

“They were all very different.

“Eric (Clapton). I remember Eric stayed with me one time. When I got up for breakfast, he was already playing blues records, copying solos – B.B. King, for example. He would copy the solos, then develop his own. Eric was also quite magnetic, especially with women, which was always a bit mysterious.  As good as it gets, that’s Eric.

Jeff (Beck) was much more down-to-earth, did not care what he looked like. He would wear a dirty t-shirt and jeans. He was not a dedicated bluesman like Eric and could play all sorts of music spontaneously, including jazz.  He smashed his guitar out of frustration at a practice one time. He introduced us all to a sitar in the studio, and we recorded with it.  And, he left us to go with his girlfriend in California in the middle of a tour!

Jimmy (Page) to me was much more like a business character. He did what you wanted because he was a session guy. He planned out everything, intricately worked it, before we started. He was a fine studio musician and kept at it when he first joined the band as bass player. Then replaced Jeff on guitar. He was a great fit for us, transitioning from bass to guitar. He even played lead guitar with a violin bow on occasion.”

Let us look at the albums “The Mighty Three” debuted following the Yardbirds’ collapse in 1968:

“Fresh Cream” was the first album by the British rock band Cream in 1967. Eric Clapton had been part of John Mayall’s Blues Breakers following his departure from the Yardbirds; however, this was his first lead band, which also included bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. All three were considered the finest musicians of their instruments, making them the first rock supergroup.

Cream’s “Fresh Cream,” like the Jeff Beck Group, was a great mix of blues standard covers like “Spoonful,” “I’m So Glad,” and “Rollin’ and Tumblin’.” The original material was mostly written by Jack Bruce by, with two contributions by Baker: the vivacious “Sweet Wine” and rock’s first ever groundbreaking full-length drum solo “Toad.” A pair of songs were also co-written by Bruce’s first wife, Janet Godfrey: the other original “Sleepy Time” with Jack, and “Sweet Wine” with Ginger. Jack’s “I Feel Free” (included on the US version of the album) was the first product of Bruce’s songwriting ability and his collaboration on lyrics with poet Pete Brown, which provided a more appropriate representation of their style. “Wrapping Paper” stormed up the UK charts upon the release of this spectacular debut album. However, the gem here is a rendition of Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful,” showcasing Clapton’s tour de force of blues/rock/metal and psychedelia all in one.

Two observations: (1) “Fresh Cream,” while a prolific debut, was one-upped by the follow-up, “Disraeli Gears,” the following year—arguably the group’s best album ever recorded. (2) Eric continued to grow, becoming more involved in songwriting and vocal support as the years passed. This, with his unsurpassable guitar play, made him into a multi-dimensional powerhouse beyond Cream into his solo years, which continue to this day.

“Truth” was the debut studio album by the late great Jeff Beck, released in 1968. It introduced the members of his band later hailed as the Jeff Beck Group, with vocalist Rod Stewart’s heavy, raspy, velvety voice sounding splendid (decades before he succumbed to becoming “the Wayne Newton of pop”), along with bassist Ronnie Lane and piano player Nicky Hopkins (who was the hottest keyboard session player of the era). Mick Waller was the drummer. Looking back, “Truth” has been widely thought to be trailblazing for this era. It also influenced hard rock and even heavy metal (just ask Tony Iommi).

Mostly hard-edged rock and famous blues songs were featured on this epic album. Of course, Jeff was the ultimate iconoclast, bending and distorting notes like no one had ever heard, though he never lost control of his notes and chords. This experimental psychedelia was first seen with his time in the Yardbirds.

Nine dynamic songs were taken from recording sessions to form the album, including covers of classic blues tracks like the public domain “Greensleeves.” Beck interprets two Chicago blues classics: Willie Dixon’s “You Shook Me” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “I Ain’t Superstitious.” He turned the rock world inside out, inviting in Keith Moon for drums and John Paul Jones for bass on the genre-bending original song, “Beck’s Bolero,” which turned classical music upside down. The album starts with “Shapes of Things,” a track that he made famous while rejuvenating the sound of the Yardbirds a couple of years earlier.

“Led Z eppelin”  (sometimes referred to as “Led Zeppelin I”) was the initial studio album by Jimmy Page’s foundational and precocious all-time great band and was released in 1969. This hard rock-married-to-psychedelia album was light years ahead of its time. It contains a mix of original material worked out in rehearsals and redesigned contemporary blues and folk-laced music. The recording sessions took place before the group officially had a recording contract. The album was produced by Page and mixed by Glyn Johns. Page brought together band members Robert Plant (lead vocals, harmonica), John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards), and John Bonham (drums). The album cover depicts the historical Hindenburg disaster, as designed by George Hardie.

It was a huge success in the US as well as Europe, despite Page’s reluctance to release singles. Thus, only “Good Times Bad Times” backed with “Communication Breakdown” was released in the U.S. Besides these two iconic, groundbreaking songs, the entire album was played all over classic rock and FM radio stations like never before. I should mention that, like Beck, Page and company also recorded Willie Dixon’s great blues song “You Shook Me” herein. It shocked the listening world and brought much attention to “the new psych-blues” sound of the generation.  And to think, this was before the string of tremendous albums that were to follow. The rest is history. Page also showed great dexterity with brilliant acoustic songs here, most notably “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” the opening track penned by Page.

I could go on forever, but we will end here, with more of dem Yardbirds stories yet to come. Special attention to two guys who travel faithfully and never miss an opportunity to see dem Yardbirds at all costs! A shout out to these XTREME loyal readers, Joe Carpenter (Clifton Park) and Ben Mastrianni (Niskayuna).

Till next time, have a RAVE UP!

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