Customer Reviews

Yardbirds: The Ultimate Rave-Up

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For years I dreamed of writing the definitive Yardbirds tome to honor the legendary group behind "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Happenings 10 Years Time Ago" and the phenomenal "Shapes of Things". But my hopes were dashed with the appearance of the second printing of this magisterial biography. How hard core is this? Let's examine the evidence: 1) We learn Relf's middle name was Keith; his first name was William 2) We learn future Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen played organ on "Ha Ha Said the Clown" 3) We have a thorough rundown of the band's gigs from 1963-68 4) We have labels from the tape cartridges of the group's final NY recording sessions 5) We learn Page's revamped Yardbirds lineup was never called "New"; Russo reprints numerous concert ads for the pre-Zep quartet - poster after poster bills the combo as "Yardbirds" or "Yardbirds with/featuring Jimmy Page" 6) We learn what the heck happened to Top Topham after he made way for some guy named Eric Clapton. Granted, the book favors the recollections of drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja. You don't suppose it's because they were the only ones (bar Keith Relf) in the band from start to finish, do you? After all the misinformation that has been passed down over the years concerning ownership of the band's name, what records they played on and the behind-the-amps friction that contributed to their early demise, it's refreshing to finally hear the whole story outside the context of a Clapton, Beck or Page bio. Anything anyone would want to know about the Yardbirds, from asthmatic Relf's three-pack a day smoking habit to the band's recipe for lemon butter chicken is in here in greater detail and affection than I could have dreamed possible. The holy grail of Yardbirds information.

I got an advance copy of Greg Russo's new book on the Yardbirds in January. An act of love for a band that is virtually unknown to many. His coverage of the early blues scene in Britain gives the initial context for what was to follow, but the way it took shape could not have made as much sense without his also includeing the milieu thriving in British art colleges. From there the bulk of the original Birish Invasion sprang. He quickly sets the Yardbirds apart from their comtemporaries. Because their strengths were never in sales, writing, promotion, or production the with consistency of say, the beatles or Rolling Stones. The focus is on what they were as a creative and daring musicial force which even today still sends ripples in the pop music world. The accurate use of recording, touring, and performing dates is especially well handled and narrowed down as much as can be. This makes for a logical and smooth transition as the group matured and the progession becomes more obvious because Russo,using exact, dates and interviews fills in the gaps left out by most other Yardbirds articles and linear notes, and even the members themselves in some cases. This creates the awarness of just how avant garde they really were. What could have been. Should have been. "Collector Alert!" sections were not just good for page lay-outs; they also served to highten the mystique and awareness of how the popularity of the Yardbirds has remained and grown. HIs review of the Yardbirds final shows and commercial out puts force a re-evauation of the Jimmy Page era unique to his book. In additon to those are the listings of pertinent yardbirds recordings with special attention given to each member of the group with up dates as rescent as the the fall of 1997! The question that had long nagged me was answered: "Why are there not any more that one well recorded complete concert?!" The answer is something you'll have to find out by getting the book. "How come Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck were not recorded more and in concert?!" "How did they do against other bands of their time?!" "How close were they to really making it big?!" All these are answered. Legal questions about music ownership are also delt with. The book is well rounded without being scandlelous. The Yardbirds destroyed and then re-inventied rock and roll as rock easily, casually, and they paid a price! Listings of radio show on the BBC from the 1960's and pertinent broadcasts since then, session dates of the individudal members before and after the Yardbirds are listed to boot. In additon to that are Greg Russo's inclusion of Yardbirds sessions that have not been released and educated guests as to where, what, and when they were recorded. Web sites relative to the Yardbirds are given in the front of the book. All in all, a thorughly satisfying book! What part two is going to be must be seen to be believed!

If you're a fan of this seminal blues rock band, this book tells their story and puts all their songs and records on one place. I like it because it gave me a better understanding of the various albums produced of the group. I wanted to collect their body of work, but with so many different albums, I needed something to make my selections. This book is it!

This book is well researched and written conatining all of the details that are presented in a precise and concise fashion (along with many great photos). A great purchase for British Invasion fans - Mike Rivas

This is a wonderful read. I have been a Yardbird fan since the mid 60's and this account reveals much great information that I simply did not know.The photographs of record sleeves and discography information is a treat to have. Greg has done a marvelous job in assembling the facts and what was once considered lost information. This is a must for all Yardbird and in fact music fans in general. Simply a superb read.

This is a book any hardcore yardbirds fan should have in their collection. It has a full discography of all of the members works in the back of the book. Something you probably won't find anywhere else. It has many rare album covers and pictures of the band. It has a discography on all of the band members solo careers that were extensive and interesting. I was especially glad to see information on the solo careers of Jim McCarty, Keith Relf and Chris Dreja. Out of all of the sources I have looked at on the Yardbirds, this is the only source I have come across that has this much information on their solo careers. This was one of the few high points of the book.

However, I was dissapointed with this book for a number of reasons. When I bought this book I was expecting information on the members personalities and their interests in general. The only personal the author listed was about Jeff Beck's interest in cars and his nervous breakdown-that's it. He spent most of the time writing about the recordings themself. He hardly talked about the band and their interactions outside of recording the music. This is a major reason as to why I found this dissapointing and boring. If your an aspiring record producer this might interest you, but I didn't interest me. He could have used more sources to add more depth. The book was only 86 pages long (text) and the discogaphy was about half of the total makeup of the book. In general this book was informative; but it had an impersonal feel to it. If you are up and coming Yardbirds fan I would suggest reading Hammer of the Gods or the page booklet inclosed in The Yardbirds: BBC Sessions cd. You can find interviews with Chris Dreja in both of these publications which has much information about the band itself than this book did. This book comes from a small publishing company. Which could mean that they might not make many more prinings of this. So if you are a hardcore fan, consider buying this book.

The book came in bubble wrap and a box that perfectly fits it's size. It's sold by Greg Russo himself, and I loved giving my brother the autographed version. It was cheaper than many other websites too and the autograph is priceless. Fast shipping also!

Read this book from cover-to-cover in a day. Now that we're getting more perspective on this period, as we get older, the ramifications of this band are pretty astounding. In my mind, the Yardbirds were better than the bands that their three superstars spawned, but I'm not so sure what the ramifiactions of the band was when they were active. Eric Clapton, JImmy Page and Jeff Beck, however, re-shaped rock n' roll.

This book is so detailed, but without a lot of commentary, that it leaves one to draw conclusions about the band to themselves. Well worth a read.

This is THE book about the Yardbirds. So well researched that you can use it as an encyclopadia for ever. So detailed that you will be amazed. The discographies are the best ones around. All members have their own discography as solo artist.

If you are a Yardbirds fan or Eric Clapton fan, BUY IT!

That guy knows his stuff!!

Greg Russo did his homework, and I could tell he's a big fan of the band. He even helped put together the "Little Games and More" CD. I especially liked the section on the four former Yardbirds guitarists, (didn't know before I read this that Anthony Topham was the original guitarist). The inclusion of the Yardbirds' concert dates was also helpful.