The Yardbirds

The Yardbirds are an English rock band that formed in London in 1963. The original lineup consisted of Keith Relf (lead vocals, harmonica), Chris Dreja (rhythm guitar), Paul Samwell-Smith (bass), Anthony “Top” Topham (lead guitar) and Jim McCarty (drums). They are best known for their association with three of the most influential guitarists of the 1960s – Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page – all of whom were members of the band at some point.

The Yardbirds released a number of singles and albums during their career, including Five Live Yardbirds (1964), Having a Rave Up (1965) and Roger the Engineer (1966). Their most popular songs include “For Your Love” (1965), “Heart Full of Soul” (1965) and “Shapes of Things” (1966).

An interesting fact about The Yardbirds is that they were the first rock band to use feedback as an integral part of their sound. They achieved this by positioning their amplifiers at angles to each other and cranking up the volume to the point where it caused the speakers to feedback.