The Yardbirds: The Band That Launched Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page (Paperback)

~ Alan Clayson (Author), Eric Clapton (Author), Jeff Beck (Author), Jimmy Page (Author) "For the Tibetan monk out there who's never heard of The Yardbirds, I ought to recount the old, old story for the trillionth time....." (more)
Key Phrases: beat boom, beat group, sun mon, Jeff Beck, Chris Dreja, Eric Clapton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Although together for only five years, The Yardbirds exerted tremendous influence on the music and style of the Õ60s and for decades beyond. Their impact has been felt throughout the rock genre, from psychedelia to blues-rock, heavy metal, and the music of todayÕs jam bands. The Yardbirds came from middle-class England, embraced the soulful music of the African-American South, and helped re-import it back into the States as the embryo of heavy metal music. In the process, the band produced three guitar greats: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. Every fan of The Yardbirds, or of Õ60s-derived music in general, will revel in this book (which includes more than 50 photos from the groupÕs heyday, plus a detailed diary of every gig, recording and broadcast they did) and enjoy reading the stories - old and new - as much as Clayson enjoys telling them.

About the Author

Alan Clayson is a professional musician, composer, performer, and writer. He is the author of numerous books on music, including the best-selling Backbeat, on which a major film about The Beatles was based. Clayson has also written for The Times, The Guardian, Record Collector, and several other music magazines.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879307242
• ISBN-13: 978-0879307240
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #513,814 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beat Merchant, September 9, 2002

By	G.J. Donnelly (Phoenixville, Pa. United States) - See all my reviews

High class bio of the Most Blueswailins, immaculately designed with dozens of rare photos (though precious little of the LITTLE GAMES era band). Author Alan Clayson makes it clear his book is a stylized, highly-personal take on the band, so it came as no surprise the pages were filled with empurpled hipster prose. Yet Clayson succeeds in eliciting trenchant quotes (both archival and new) from each member of the group, and captures the band's seat-of-the-pants creativity with eloquence and humor. On the downside, Clayson can't maintain a narrative and wastes too much ink on irrelevent details about other artists---especially aesthetic peewees like Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick and Tich and the Downliners Sect, both of whom make the Seeds look like the Beatles. There are also a number of factual errors (though only a pedant would care that Keith Relf didn't write "Shapes In My Mind") and a puny chronology almost entirely cribbed from Greg Russo's superior (though more workmanlike) ULTIMATE RAVE UP. The biggest problem with the book is Clayson's unwillingess to allow the band's story to unfold on its own. Virtually every paragraph is crammed to the gills with snoozy hyperbole that says more about the writer's fascination with his prose than it does about the subject. Nevetheless, it's a worthy pick up for fans of the Yardbirds, who have waited eons for the kind of journalistic respect accorded to the Who, Cream, Beatles, Stones and their other rivals. Where before we had to trawl through [the webites] to hunt down a battered copy of John Platt's 1983 book and pay [good money], now we have two quality reads---and despite his pretentions, Clayson's love for the band that gave us "For Your Love" and "Shapes of Things" shines through brightly. I can't knock him for that.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Review of Clayson's THE YARDBIRDS, December 22, 2002

By	Bill Ashton (Leominster, MA United States) - See all my reviews

With great anticipation I ordered Mr. Clayson's book, however having finished it last evening I would have to say that I am somewhat disappointed.

There is certainly no lack of research or knowledge on Mr. Clayson's part, but perhaps it was his style of prose that put me off. He writes not necessarily in a high-minded manner, but perhaps it is English dry-wit which makes it hard for an American to slog through; in many cases I could almost picture Mr. Clayson and another UK resident nodding and winking at each other across the bar. Annette Carson's JEFF BECK: CRAZY FINGERS was written in a much easier-to-digest style.

The Yardbirds were known, at least in my youth here in the USA, as a band much better seen in person than to hear on record. Mr. Clayson certainly explains to the reader why that is so. The description of life on the road, for The Yardbirds, should be enough to put off any youngster with delusions of trying the same; that is, if he could get through to that point in the book.

Being somewhat of a "gearhead," I missed discussion of the bands' equipment or more technical side. The photographs printed in this book are quite wonderful though, and to a degree appeased my appetite; Chris Dreja certainly went through some guitars! It is just a pity that things such as this were not spoken of in the text.

I can see where this book would appeal much more to the English market than the American, given the discussion of musical groups never heard of here, and in that way the work is much like Mo Foster's 17 WATTS, where one must sort through that tedium.

All in all, not a bad book, but not an easy read. That said, the overleaf shows that Mr. Clayson has published many works on music of the era, so he certainly has the authority of his research behind him. THE YARDBIRDS and his other work are surely the "go-to" source for any trivia you may wish to ferret out.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Monkey Business, May 1, 2003

By	Colin Hansford (Rochester, New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I didn't really learn anything new about the Yardbirds after reading this. Considering they were one of the most exciting and important bands in rock history, I would have expected more 'meat'. I felt Alan Clayson's writing style got in the way at times, distracting somewhat. However, the photos are really outstanding, particularly the cover shot showing them at Studio 51 in London (I think). What a classic moment frozen in time. Glad I read it. Any Yardbird book is better than no Yardbird book, however, there are better ones.