1968 Yardbirds sessions to see release?!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by YardByrd, Jul 21, 2016.

  1. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    notesfrom said:
    A one-off reform of the 60s Yardbirds for a Royal Albert Hall show - live album/DVD.

    Guest singers - Robert Plant For Your Love etc.



    It'd be nice if they [were to do it and] make room for John Fiddler as well !
     
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  2. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    That's why he's slated for those two! Rod can do 'Shapes'. 'Tyler' 'Train. Jane Relf on 'Turn To Earth'.

    The possiblities are there.

    YardByrd can make it happen, right?
     
  3. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world Thread Starter

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    as I said above, there's more... will post the rest tomorrow maybe...
     
  4. yarbles

    yarbles Too sick to pray

    Happy to defer to your superior knowledge, and I hear what you're saying about the slide part, but they sound far too similar in too many respects, IMO. There's no way you'd get a studio recording to sound that similar to an existing live version, and more to the point, why would you want to?

    Besides, as we all know, Jimmy's got form for this. He obviously needed material to pad out the studio stuff to a vaguely acceptable album length...without the 2 instrumentals and this 'studio' version of DMW, all he had was one side's worth of studio material. It's We're Gonna Groove all over again, I'm tellin' yer! :laugh:
     
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  5. Dondy

    Dondy Forumaniac

    Humm, in case you are REALLY right about the track being real live (and not live in the NYC studio for warming up) maybe it is taken from the 2nd Anderson Theater show? White Summer seems to be from that show as well, so... Just wildly speculating, of course...

     
  6. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world Thread Starter

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    Europe
    Well, I will say I was never a fan of Drinking Muddy Water on Little Games or the live release... the remix makes me LOVE the live version and worship the Studio Sketches take...
     
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  7. GoodKitty

    GoodKitty FloydM

    Location:
    Pacific
    Here's something I've always wondered about : what ever happened to the fresh live recordings that Peter Grant took to NYC in '68 to get Led Zeppelin an American record deal ? Wouldn't these be the very earliest live recordings of LZ ?

    Apart from that... is Gonzaga University in Spokane WA. 12-30-68 still the earliest known LZ "bootleg" ?
     
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  8. swandown

    swandown Under Assistant West Coast Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    It's worth noting that there have been several variations to this story over the years:

    + McCarty (or was it Relf or Dreja?) saw Jake Holmes at an earlier show in 1967, then the rest of the Yardbirds saw Jake at the 8/25/67 show

    + McCarty saw Holmes for the first time on 8/25, but none of the other Yardbirds did

    + the entire band saw Holmes for the first time on 8/25

    ++ McCarty bought the album on 8/26

    ++ McCarty bought the album on 8/26, then Page bought a copy of the album on 8/27

    +++ McCarty worked up most of the arrangement and then presented it to the band

    +++ McCarty, Page (and Dreja and Relf) all worked up the arrangement together

    Of course, all of these variations tell basically the same story, but different combinations give more (or less) credit to different members of the band.
     
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  9. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world Thread Starter

    Location:
    Europe
    I also think they'd been playing it for a year - unlike the other studio material - and had it down cold... probably sound-checked with it at that session, and played it with a much tighter, more cohesive live feel compared to the other studio material... will ask McCarty and Dreja WHY they would have revisited it after an album version and a B-side... 50 years later, I doubt they will remember, though...
     
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  10. DrBeatle

    DrBeatle The Rock and Roll Chemist

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    Midwest via Boston
    It is.
     
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  11. Overthehillsandfaraway

    Overthehillsandfaraway Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    In terms of known, 30/12 is the earliest. In terms of unconfirmed / rumoured etc there have long been rumours of an audience recording of the 26/12 show in Denver being hoarded by the taper! After all this time....don't know the truth of it though.

    I've seen two versions of what Grant took with him to NY "tapes of the early shows and the first album" (Mick Wall bio) or just "the first album" (most other sources). Still, I wouldn't mind betting there are early unheard tapes, and have said for a while now I bet something "1968" comes out for the anniversary.
     
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  12. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world Thread Starter

    Location:
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    The problem I have with anecdotal info like this is you never see direct quotes from anybody involved. It's music writers who keep passing down the same stories, which end up getting very distorted. Relf, Page and Dreja have never been quoted directly on Dazed and its genesis except for Page who gets skittish and never explains how it came into the band (one time he laid it at Relf's feet) and how it was arranged etc.

    I have only seen direct quotes from McCarty and gotten direct quotes from him. Hell, the music writers make mistakes and pass it on down until it becomes accepted fact. Case in point, the song being about a bad acid trip. I was the first to interview Holmes and ask him if that was true. He laughed and said no, he had never done acid. It was just a song about a girl who can't make up her mind.

    This copy/paste method of music writing perpetuates myths. Writers should ask questions before the participants are dead, not just lazily hand down threadbare anecdotes that are easily disproven. That isn't aimed at you by the way, just the rock writers who can't be bothered to pick up a phone and do an interview.
     
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  13. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

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    Northeast USA

    No, NO, NooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooooOOOoooooOOO!!!
     
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  14. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast USA

    ... which is enough for anyone to swallow an entire BAG of acid.

    Lawls.
     
  15. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world Thread Starter

    Location:
    Europe
    I think Page is using Beck as a template (he has to obviously on songs that are identified with that era) but he's very much his own man here... he's using a Tone Bender like Beck but it is a different model (the MK II) and has a two pickup Tele, not single pickup Esquire... since he's got no rhythm guitar player behind him like Beck did, Page has to fill more air... consequently, his tone is more muscular than Beck's sinewy leads... both are fuzzy but goodness how Page is wringing those kind of mids out of that set of single coils is a mark of genius (did he modify the pups himself I wonder)... yeah, he's using Beck as a springboard but this show is his and his alone... my favorite guitar tone ever... I love him with a Fender through a Fender... don't like his Les Paul anywhere near this much...
     
  16. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world Thread Starter

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    Europe
    back on page 50, post #1237 is part one of this interview I did with McCarty & Dreja back in 2001. This is part two. Part three will follow later.


    Part two of Happenings Ten Years Time Ago 1966-1968
    (An interview with Yardbirds Jim McCarty & Chris Dreja)

    Question: And you guys are playing there in the year 2001!

    Chris Dreja: A bit ironic, isn’t it? But we got along well with the American people. We had the ability to swing with it. We just wanted to play music. There was the Vietnam War and other problems. People thought we were a bit freakish, but not really dangerous. We had to take those domestic flights and run the gamut of curiosity. We were something different than what they considered normal. We were insulted and ridiculed by the straight business type of American. But it didn’t lead to any major problems. We were in a bit of a bubble. We had each other.

    Q: When ”Happenings” came out, it peaked at #30 in the States.

    Jim McCarty: It was a bit of a disaster, wasn’t it?

    Q: In retrospect, for something that revolutionary to go Top 40 is pretty amazing.

    JM: Yeah, that’s true.

    Q: Did that knock the wind out of your sails? Prior to that, you’d been charting in the Top 20 at least.

    JM: Definitely. Suddenly, there was this calamity. We thought it was a decent song.

    Q: So did Hendrix. He used one of the lead lines on a song of his later.

    JM: Oh, did he? He uses one of the guitars, does he? I knew he liked Jeff’s guitar playing. I always said it was a good song. It came in quite high and then it didn’t do anything. I suppose it was a bit of a blow. That was the start of the end of the beginning… or the beginning of the end! Then we started doing all those weird singles that were out of character.

    Q: ”Happenings” definitely had John Paul Jones on bass?

    JM: Yes.

    Q: Which Yardbirds recordings are you most happy with in retrospect? How do you like ”Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” and ”Think About It”?

    JM: I always liked ”Shapes of Things” best, but ”Happenings” is a great track.

    Q: Tell me about the songwriting process within the band during ’66-’68.

    JM: With ”Happenings,” Keith and I got the idea together, the tune and the chords and the words. Then Jimmy put that riff into it and then Jeff did that weird solo. So, we built up the arrangement all together.

    Q: The lyrics were you and Keith. Was that true most of the time.

    JM: Yeah, I guess so. ”Shapes of Things” was more Paul and Keith. I’d sort of put in my three pence. ”Over, Under” was me and Keith.

    Q: What is ”Happenings” about?

    JM: We were trying to do a song about reincarnation. It’s about people that we’d seen that we knew from somewhere before. I think it was a bit beyond the grasp of the regular public. (recites the lyrics) ”Walking in the room I see/things that mean a lot to me.”

    Q: What influenced that?

    JM: Keith and I had always been interested in that sort of thing. We started out reading about flying saucers and then moved onto Atlantis and that sort of stuff. Reincarnation just seemed a normal thing to write about.

    Q: A bit too weighty for a pop song in ’66. Or 2001 for that matter!

    JM: Yes. (laughs)

    Q: As Jeff left the band, you began to bring in outside material. As far as the original stuff you were writing, how much was Jimmy contributing? For example, tell me about the songwriting for ”Think About It.”

    JM: That was similar to ”Happenings.” Jimmy was involved in it. I don’t remember who actually created the tune. The three of us might have done that together. ”Tinker, Tailor” was something I did with Jimmy. Keith wasn’t really involved. ”Glimpses” was a bit ”Still I’m Sad”-ish.

    Q: Chris, what’s your take on the songwriting process around that time?

    CD: It was a shame at the time with this new set-up, because the four-piece was quite a dynamic band, that we fell down on the songwriting. Being on the road so much affected us negatively. We had ideas that never came to fruition. And by that time Jim and Keith were on a different tack.

    Q: The acoustic thing.

    CD: Yes, I’m sure they would agree with that. Whereas Jimmy and I were more heavy. There was a bit of a conflict that screwed the cohesiveness up a bit. We didn’t really get much opportunity to get in the studio anyway.

    Q: Of the opportunities you did have, what about ”Think About It” for example?

    CD: Oh, that’s a great song. I like that a lot. That’s exactly the direction I wanted it to go. You know, the four-piece, the bass and guitar riffing together and the tightness. And that’s where I think it was going. I don’t think Jim and Keith were particularly into that thing. But certainly Jimmy and I were. It was getting too late by then, but yes that’s the direction it would have gone.

    Q: Speaking of which, where did you stand in relation to the music itself, not the personal loyalties or that sort of thing.

    CD: It’s an interesting question. Obviously, Jim, Keith and I originated the band. We went back a long way. As a person I would like not to say that I was in anybody’s particular camp. But as a player, at the time, with the band and Jimmy it seemed a very natural route for the band to go in that format. Obviously, as a part of the rhythm section it helps to keep the cohesiveness going both onstage and off. But I would have to say when you feel something is right for the players that you have, that’s what I thought was right. On the other hand, ”Dazed & Confused” also had a delicacy in there as well. Our entire approach could have been handled in the same fashion. With the delicacy and eclecticism that The Yardbirds had always had. We had a natural ensemble with Jimmy that worked better in a heavier approach. Not that this would have precluded Jim and Keith’s more acoustic thing. But when something has a natural bend, you tend to go with it. I felt frustrated that we could have gone further. I got over it pretty quick. But there were moments I felt that we had something natural here and what a shame that we can’t at least take it to a point… we never took it to the full potential.


    Part three to follow
     
  17. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world Thread Starter

    Location:
    Europe
    third and final part of an interview conducted with McCarty and Dreja by yours truly back in 2001. First part can be found on page 50, post #1237

    Happenings Ten Years Time Ago part 3

    Q: Once again, myth says that when you played live "Glimpses" would involve a light show and movies being projected behind the band. True?

    JM: We tried to get those things together, but we never got around to it. I remember that we had this incense burner, one of those metal things you carry around, that Keith would swing. And we’d have candles. We didn’t actually have a light show. Some of these gigs we played had light shows anyway. So we didn’t have to worry about carrying them around.

    Q: Did you notice a difference in the British and American light shows?

    JM: I can’t really remember. There was a club called UFO in London that had a light show. I remember going to the Fillmore to see the Airplane. It was the woman before Grace Slick (ed. note: Signe Anderson). I thought, "Oh, this is great." It was the first light show I’d ever seen. All this sort of moving things, dancing around, this great big blob and all these films going.

    Q: Speaking of the UFO, you saw Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd, right?

    JM: It was at Hammersmith Olympia. Hendrix was on as well. It was a bit of a flip out! I can’t remember. We were probably tripping out! (laughs) I actually bought the single "See Emily Play!"

    Q: What do you consider the band’s best psychedelic song?

    JM: It would have to be "Happenings."

    Q: Chris, what do you think were the best Yardbirds songs from that era?

    CD: By that time we had probably become, because it was a four-piece, a slightly heavier band than the preceding versions. We did quite a lot of different arrangements of material. But I would still say “Shapes Of Things” along with “Dazed And Confused” and “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago.”

    Q: I think your best bass playing is on “Dazed And Confused.” Speaking of which, how long did it take you to switch from rhythm guitar to bass.

    CD: About half an hour actually. (laughs) When Jeff left, we had commitments. I had to go on the bass straight away. But I loved the bass. All that energy.

    Q: What’s your favorite psychedelic song by another band?

    JM: "Tomorrow Never Knows" would have to be one of the greats, wouldn’t it? And some of that Donovan stuff. "Season Of The Witch" and "Sunshine Superman." It’s not outright psychedelic, but it’s kind of trippy. That whole album really. Jimmy’s guitar work (ed. note: Page played on many of Donovan’s sessions) on that album is really good.

    Q: How did your studio recordings differ from your live performance during the later years? Like on LAST RAVE-UP IN L.A., you were really stretching things out. Probably just to keep yourselves from getting bored.

    JM: I think we got to the point that we lost the creative impetus about a year before we split up. We were working so hard and we’d been doing it for so long, we didn’t really have the time and space to create good things. Listening to the stuff now, like CUMULAR LIMIT, it doesn’t sound too bad. But at the time it felt like it was throwaway material. We were trying too hard to get another "Shapes Of Things" or a hit. It’s a bit difficult to get good songs together. So, we’d go around to "Smokestack Lightning" again and think of a new way of doing it.

    Q: It seems like you were still pretty dynamic on stage, though.

    JM: Yes, we could be. We always really went for it. We always tried to create an excitement.

    Q: Chris, in a previous interview with me, you told me, and I quote, "Live as a four-piece, when Jimmy was playing guitar, I think those were some of our best shows.”

    CD: Yes, I still back that. I quite liked it as a four piece. It was a strong band as a four piece. It was moving in interesting directions.

    Q: It seems that it was a little more consistent live at least.

    CD: Yes.

    Q: Maybe you didn’t catch your potential in the studio, but you certainly could still storm on stage.

    CD: Live was great, I would agree with you. The studio was our problem at that time. Part of that was because we didn’t have Paul (Samwell-Smith) anymore. Paul was always a very cohesive factor in the studio. We weren’t really in control of our destiny in the studio, which was a great shame. The band should have come off the road and spent more time in the studio. Mickie (Most) was assigned to us. He was the designated hit maker and did produce some wonderful stuff. But he wasn’t right for us. It was the wrong marriage.

    Q: What drums were you using around this time, Jim?

    JM: I played Ludwig. Later I played a Premier. I got a concession. But I never thought the Premiers were as good as Ludwig.

    Q: You probably weren’t even miking the bass drum when you played live then, were you?

    JM: No. I don’t think we miked anything except for the voice.

    Q: What were you playing, Chris?

    CD: There were a lot of guitars, but usually a 335 (Gibson). With amplifiers it was a mixed bag, especially on those American tours. We did a sponsorship for a while with Jordan amps. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a problem with them. They were all transistor and we blew them up all the time. They were completely wrong for us. And then we got a deal with Fender. That was probably the best equipment we had. I remember me and Jimmy got invited to the Fender factory and literally chose what we wanted. They were really good. We had two each and we’d split them across the stage.

    Q: That was the Epiphone Rivoli bass you had once you switched over?

    CD: That bass went from Paul to Jimmy to me. Everybody’s blood was on it. I’m not sure what happened to it. When we quit some of the equipment got stuck with Zeppelin. But John Paul Jones played a (Fender) Jazz bass. Don’t know where ours went to.

    Q: Besides a fuzz box, what else were Jeff and Jimmy using on their guitars?

    JM: Jeff would have used a sustain pedal on "Shapes." I’m not sure if he had a volume pedal. He would have used the volume knob on the guitar to swell the volume up and down with his little finger.

    Q: In the studio, Jimmy of course used an acoustic on "White Summer." But when you played it live, did he use a Danelectro on that?

    JM: Probably. He’d swap guitars because of that special tuning.

    Q: Yeah, D-A-D-G-A-D.

    JM: That’s the one. He wouldn’t tune his Telecaster down, so he’d swap guitars.

    Q: Do you remember the first time he brought the violin bow in to use on a guitar? What did you think?

    JM: Oh, dear. He didn’t do it with Jeff. But I can’t remember when he did start. It was a good idea because it was another sound. It wouldn’t have been with Jeff. Without Jeff he felt like he could do a bit more, have a bit more space to establish his identity.

    Q: In retrospect, how do you feel about the LITTLE GAMES album now?

    JM: It’s not as good as ROGER THE ENGINEER. Some of it’s quite good. It’s interesting in a weird way. Now and then I hear it and I say, "That’s actually quite good." It’s weird. A bit hodge-podge really.

    Q: Do you have any favorite cuts off it?

    JM: (starts laughing) "I Remember The Night." It came up during those sessions, though it wasn’t released until years later. Mickie Most said, "Oh, we don’t want to do a silly song." It was left off the album. It’s quite funny they put it on later. It’s got John Paul Jones on piano and Jimmy Page played on it as well.

    Q: I can’t imagine Zeppelin doing it!

    JM: (laughs) No!

    Q: Any others?

    JM: I think "Drinking Muddy Water" was a good song. I liked doing it live.

    Q: You’d do "Smile On Me" live, too, wouldn’t you?

    JM: Yeah, that was good. "Glimpses" was good live, too. We’d do that freaky violin bow and the incense.

    Q: Would that go over as well in Britain as in the States?

    JM: No, it wouldn’t have been quite the same. We played some freaky gigs in England, but that would have been in the cities. In the small towns they would have wanted to hear our hits. We’d have to be in the right sort of club to play the trippy arrangements.

    Q: What were some of your favorite places to play at that time?

    JM: The Marquee for sure. And the Roundhouse maybe. I can’t remember. They had light shows. I saw The Doors and The Airplane there.

    Q: Is the Anderson Theatre (ed. note: released as the star-crossed LIVE YARDBIRDS! FEATURING JIMMY PAGE) show fairly representative of the band at the time?

    JM: Pretty well, yeah. I don’t know if it’s the best show we did on that tour. But it’s good. The usual thing is that they made such a big thing out of recording the show that we got a little nervous and that seized it up a bit. Doesn’t sound too bad now.

    Q: Chris, how do you feel about the Anderson show?

    CD: Now as a historical piece, with the arrangements and the excitement, I think it’s a valid piece. At the time, you could argue that the recording could have been a lot better. But in retrospect, with the arrangements going on, it was a surprise when I heard it again recently. It’s very exciting. It’s very interesting.

    Q: ROGER gets the acclaim, but as far as dynamics go, LIVE YARDBIRDS! FEATURING JIMMY PAGE is my favorite album you guys did.

    CD: Is it? (surprised)

    Q: It’s a loud and brutal album. Very dark and moody.

    CD: I think you’re right really. God knows what all the realities are behind that particular album, but it’s a wonderful piece of the band at the time and where we were taking things. Personally, as a piece of musical history it’s very important. You can feel the energy with the Anderson show. When I got my hands on the bass (laughs) there was so much energy. It’s ragged here and there, but hell, listen to Jimi Hendrix sometimes. It could have been a better performance and it could have been a worse performance. But in terms of innovativeness and sheer energy it was good.

    Q: What was your role in arranging and expanding the Jake Holmes song "Dazed and Confused" (ed. note: originally on Holmes' LP THE ABOVE GROUND SOUND OF JAKE HOLMES, 1967; the Yardbirds’ version is on the Anderson Theatre recording)?

    JM: We played with Jake Holmes in New York and I was struck by the atmosphere of "Dazed and Confused." I went down to Greenwich Village and bought his album and we decided to do a version. We worked it out together with Jimmy contributing the guitar riffs in the middle. Don’t you think he’s the riff-master?

    Q: Are you happy with the material on CUMULAR LIMIT, especially the songs from the last studio session?

    JM: The funny thing about that later stuff is it seems to get better. As time goes by it seems to sound better. At the time it sounded a bit lame compared to ROGER. It’s not as bad as we always thought.

    Q: Who were your biggest rivals in Britain at this time?

    JM: The Stones weren’t really rivals. They were too big. The Pretty Things, The Animals and The Moody Blues.

    Q: Would you try to blow any of these other bands off stage?

    JM: Yeah, we were very competitive. Oh, yeah and The Kinks. We toured with them in ’66. Dave Davies and Mick Avory got into a fight on stage. Dave kicked over Mick’s crash cymbal. And then he picked up the stand and bashed it over Dave’s head. Then Mick disappeared. Dave fell, his head was bleeding. They pulled the curtain. That was in Cardiff. They pulled the curtain and we had to go back on because The Kinks couldn’t play anymore. Mick Avory ran off.

    Q: What did you think of The Pretty Things at the time? What did you think of their album S.F. SORROW?

    JM: I liked The Pretty Things. I saw them play at the Albert Hall and once had a drink with Viv Prince. I’m afraid S.F. SORROW passed me by at the time, but I like it now.

    Q: Did you feel any competition with the American bands or were they too far behind you at that point? Ever see The Byrds?

    JM: I remember when they came over on their first tour. I thought they were just copying Bob Dylan and playing 12 strings. No great shakes for me. They made some nice records.

    Q: At the time, were you aware so many of these American bands were imitating you?

    JM: Oh, yeah. Often we’d play with these support bands in America and they’d play all our songs! (laughs) That was really frustrating. We’d have to go on and play the same songs. And all those records by bands like The Count V, all these garage bands, they sounded like us.

    Q: That must have been frustrating. The Count V’s "Psychotic Reaction" came out soon after "Happenings" . . .

    JM: And it was a big hit! (laughs)

    Q: And it was actually kind of retro, because it’s what you guys sounded like a year earlier!

    JM: I know! Really weird. I suppose it was quite nice, very flattering. All these bands were playing like us.

    Q: These support bands that opened for you, using your material, did you ever take the stage and show them who those songs really belonged to?

    JM: Yeah. We played with this German band not too long ago. They were these young guys and they had that 60s look. And they played "I Ain’t Done Wrong"! Just like the old days. Our opening band was playing our material! (laughs)

    Q: Speaking of young bands, there’s this great Swedish band right now that are influenced by you guys. They’re my favorite new band. They’re called The Strollers. They named themselves after your song, "Stroll On"! The more things change, the more they stay the same; you had bands like The Nazz naming themselves after your songs 35 years ago and here it is 2001 and it’s still happening.

    JM: Funny thing is I was in a band called The Strollers back in school! (laughs)

    Q: Was there really this Swinging London we’ve been led to believe after the fact?

    JM: Like in THE SPY THAT SHAGGED ME and that? (laughs)

    Q: Exactly.

    JM: I used to buy stuff in Granny Takes A Trip. It was better than Carnaby Street. Carnaby Street was a bit naff. Granny and Dandy were really good. Dandy had those jackets with the big collars. Sort of an Edwardian jacket. I remember going in there one time and The Beatles came walking in to pick up some jackets. They had just made SERGEANT PEPPER’S. We used to speak to them at this club called the Speakeasy. We’d all hang out, having a drink with Keith Moon and Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon. That was actually a bit psychedelic itself. But we’d stay at home and get stoned before going out around midnight. Then go out to the club and see a band or hang out with people from other bands. Or maybe try and pull a chick! (laughs) And come home at five or six in the morning.

    Q: Did you have any troubles pulling birds? Especially since you were a Yardbird!

    JM: I didn’t have much trouble, even though I was a bit modest about telling people I was in a band. I remember I was in Hollywood one time and I went to see a film. I had these really weird shoes on. I’d had them made in Camden Town. They were sort of Indian shoes. They were in this double color, leather two-tone. I was standing and waiting to get the tickets. And this guy came up to me and said "Wow, man. Those are cool shoes. You’re a cool dude. I bet you’re in a band like The Seeds." (laughs) And I said, "No, I’m in The Yardbirds." And he nearly fell down fainting! (laughs loud) I was a bit modest and a bit shy about all that.

    Q: Chris, tell me about the break-up and the subsequent role you had during Zeppelin’s formation.

    CD: Basically Jim and Keith left the band. They informed us during the American tour that that was it for them. In fact that was one of our best tours because you knew where you were going. Where you were going was ending the band, so it was a bit of a relief. It took the pressure off. We were able to relax and have a bit more fun. And it showed in our playing. By that time I had been through enough with everybody else that it was nice to be able to wake up and not rely upon anybody else, especially three or four other people who were not necessarily going in the same direction. I made the decision that I was going to move into photography, which had always been a passion of mine. I stayed friends with Jimmy and Peter Grant for some years. I wasn’t intending to carry on playing unless it was with The Yardbirds. But I think they wanted my opinion and wanted me to accompany them to see Bonham and Plant for their first audition. I didn’t have an intention to carry on playing, like I’ve said. I had by that time made the very conscious decision that I was going to wake up in the morning and whatever I did was going to be my own responsibility.

    Q: Please clear up the confusion over the name Yardbirds and whether Jimmy ended up with the rights to the name.

    CD: The reality of it was that Jim and Keith informed us they were going to leave The Yardbirds. There were some outstanding contracts to fulfill (ed. note: a Scandinavian tour in September, 1968). After coming back from that American tour there was going to be no more Yardbirds. Jimmy started putting together the players who became Zeppelin. Those dates were available. Jimmy had only been in the band for a year or so. I’d had enough. It seemed unreasonable to try to piece something together again, with all the changes we’d had, to continue as The Yardbirds. I do remember through my own lawyer just reminding Peter (Grant) that I had in no way given up moral rights to the name itself whether I was a photographer or a dentist or whatever. I certainly didn’t hand it over to Jimmy Page. On the other hand, I stayed friends with Jimmy and saw Led Zeppelin play several times. There is no acrimony on that score. I was just concerned at the time about them using the name The New Yardbirds. I thought that was wrong. I wasn’t going to give up any moral rights to my status and what the band was. And through my lawyer I informed them of that. It was nothing heavy, but it’s interesting that they became Led Zeppelin fairly quickly. (laughs) And whether that was coincidence, I don’t know. By this time I’d gone into photography and a completely new life. I had no intention to carry on as a musician after the death of The Yardbirds. But I was obviously concerned and I wasn’t going to hand it over to complete strangers.

    Q: As always, thanks for your time. I hope these questions were a little bit more interesting to you.

    JM: Thank you.

    CD: Thanks.
     
  18. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Excellent. Thanks for posting.
     
    simond9x likes this.
  19. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world Thread Starter

    Location:
    Europe
    at this point it's getting hard to ask them questions for a couple of reasons... I like to ask something that they haven't been asked before... if you ask something they've been asked a million times, they just go on autopilot and give you the same answers they've parroted back numerous times... further, when I interviewed them last, it was only 33 years since '68... McCarty was still fairly sharp in the memory department, Dreja less so... now, 17 years later, even Jim is getting foggier... and I have asked most of the questions I wanted in the past... will soon post the main story that went with this interview, which also focuses on the Page era...
     
  20. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Very true.
     
  21. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    Can't hurt to ask, nevertheless. You never know what unique memories will be jogged.

    The guys are still with us, and that's a great thing.
     
  22. Zack

    Zack Senior Member

    Location:
    Easton, MD
    I think Page accidentally invented Heartbreaker during the middle of that.
     
  23. notesfrom

    notesfrom Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC USA
    I hear bits of 'Over The Hills' in the 'White Summer's.
     
    Zack and Arnold Grove like this.
  24. Arnold Grove

    Arnold Grove Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I hear bits of "Taurus" in ... Oh , never mind ... ;)
     
  25. John Rhett Thomas

    John Rhett Thomas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Macon, GA, USA
    Zep's "For Your Love" is clearly forecasting The Firm.
     

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