Guide to British Music of the 1960s
Biography | Discography | Web Links | Books
Paul Samwell-Smith left the band in July 1966. He moved to life the other side of the glass in music production. He declared that, at the age of 23, "I'm far too old for all those screaming kids leaping about". According to Jimmy Page, he had become fed up with Relf's drinking and walked out after a university ball.
One of Paul Samwell-Smith's final tasks as a member of the Yardbirds was co-producing a new studio album Roger the Engineer with the band's manager Simon Napier-Bell. The album was recorded in just five days and must rate as one of the best examples of British R&B. Jeff Beck's guitar playing is outstanding even when one of his solos consisted of a single sustained note!
Jimmy Page had been following the band and knew the songs. The 21-year old session player joined on bass guitar in June 1966 although he was yet to play one. Page had already been invited to join the band in January 1965 when Eric Clapton left but he preferred to concentrate on his session work. It had been decided that Chris Dreja would switch to bass as soon as he became proficient with Page switching to lead guitar alongside Jeff Beck. The switch happened sooner than expected to due to Beck's health problems which saw him take a brief break from the band. While the Yardbirds were at their height, Page was not really ready to switch to guitar. However, he remained on guitar when Jeff Beck returned to the band.
With Beck and Page and dual lead guitar the Yardbirds had a phenomenal presence. However, there were just three tracks recorded by this line up. The single Happenings Ten Years Time Ago and Psycho Daisies was issued on Colombia. The tracks are also available on CD-reissues of Roger the Engineer although the remainder of this classic album is the Jeff Beck/Paul Samwell-Smith line-up. The dual guitar was also featured in the film Blow Up. The film intended to highlight "swinging London" showed the Beck/Page Yardbirds playing "live". The track Stroll On was a reworking of Train Kept a Rollin' and featured blistering guitar work by Beck and Page with Chris Dreja on bass. Beck has dismissed the film as the director, Antonioni's, view of London. He added that Antonioni really wanted The Who hence the guitar-smashing scene.
Beck was left (or encouraged to leave) the band towards the end of 1966. He was not replaced with Page playing the sole guitar. This line-up continued for about eighteen months and can be seen in full flight on footage from the German Beat Beat Beat show. This was recorded live and showed the band as a four-piece, Page sporting a mirrored Telecaster, working through powerful versions of I'm a Man, Happenings Ten Years Time Ago, Shapes of Things and Over Under Sideways Down. With Mickie Most now on board as producer the band released its final album Little Games. for many Yardbirds fans this was an intense disappointment and showed Most attempting to move the band towards a more commercial direction. This included sub-par performances of Manfred Mann's Ha Ha Said the Clown. The album was all the more disappointing given the live sound of the Yardbirds and the experimental quality of the previous album, Roger the Engineer.
Relf and McCarty were looking towards a new musical direction. This had more of a folk angle and the band Renaissance came out of this. The Yardbirds' final gig was at Luton College of Technology in July 1966. Dreja initially continued with Page but then departed for a photographic career. Jimmy Page was just getting into his stride and recruited three musicians as performed as the New Yardbirds which was later renamed Led Zeppelin.
To be completed
Making Time recommendation