| No band ever went through a more eye-popping array of lead guitarists than London’s masters of rave-up, the Yardbirds! The fabled London combo managed to go from Eric Clapton to Jeff Beck to jimmy Page in the featured role, and tweaked their sound every step of the way. Vocalist Keith Relf, on board for the entire 6-year trip, saw the band evolve from their wild, early R&B days, through less-frenzied, British Invasion-style, chart-toppers to distortion and feedback-laced voyages into the psychedelic unknown. A band widely admired and used as a blueprint by many of the U.S. garage combos sprouting like mushrooms on the front lawn in 1966, the Yardbirds are revered today by those in search of the bedrock of British rock ‘n’ roll. |
