# The Yardbirds discography

The Yardbirds were an English rock group that had a string of Top 40 radio hits in mid-1960s in the UK and the US and introduced guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Their first album released in the UK, Five Live Yardbirds (1964), represented their early club performances with Clapton. The Yardbirds' first American album, For Your Love (1965), was released to capitalise on their first hit, and to promote the group's first US tour. However, Clapton had already decided to pursue a different musical direction and was replaced by Beck. Several popular singles with Beck followed, including a second American album, Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds (1965), that, as with their previous album, was a split release featuring songs with both Clapton and Beck.
In 1966, the Yardbirds recorded their first studio album of all original material. Released in the UK as Yardbirds and in the US as Over Under Sideways Down, the album acquired the nickname "Roger the Engineer" after a caption on the English cover drawn by rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja. Shortly after its release, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith left the group and was replaced by Page. Page soon switched to second lead guitar, with Dreja taking over on bass. This lineup only produced two songs – the psychedelic "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" (1966), which was the group's last song to reach the charts in the UK, and "Stroll On", the proto-heavy metal remake of "Train Kept A-Rollin'" they performed for the film Blowup (1966).
The dual lead lineup with Beck and Page did not last long; Beck had become increasingly unhappy with the constant touring and left the group, with Page remaining as the sole guitarist. The period as a quartet with Page was the Yardbirds' most stable and lasted nearly two and a half years. In the US, they continued to release singles and an album, Little Games (1967). The records, overseen by pop producer Mickie Most, were mostly out-of-step with the audience's shift to an album-oriented, more diverse sound. However, the Yardbirds' frequent concert appearances at counter-culture venues were well received. They were able to perform more experimental fare, such as "Dazed and Confused", the Page solo acoustic guitar piece "White Summer", and expanded, reworked versions and medleys of some of their earlier songs, as documented on the Page-produced Yardbirds '68 (2017). After a last American tour, the group disbanded in the summer of 1968.
Since their breakup, a number of new albums have appeared. Besides numerous anthologies, albums featuring additional live recordings and various demos and outtakes from 1963 to 1968 have been released. Although some have received favourable reviews, music critic Richie Unterberger has noted the great number of substandard releases throughout the world. In 1994, original drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja began performing and recording as the Yardbirds. Recordings with various singers and guitarists have been released.

## Original 1964–1968 releases

The Yardbirds were signed to EMI and their records were released through the Columbia Graphophone Company in the UK and Epic Records in the US. In other countries, the group's releases were handled by a variety of labels, including affiliates of Columbia and Epic, Capitol (Canada), Riviera (France), Ricordi International (Italy), Odeon (Japan), and CBS (international). Sometimes, Yardbirds' records appeared on several labels in the same territory (in Germany, there were releases by Columbia, Epic, and CBS) and were reconfigured from the original UK and US records.

### Albums

In their native UK, Columbia only issued two albums during the Yardbirds' career, Five Live Yardbirds (1964) and Yardbirds, popularly referred to as "Roger the Engineer" (1966). For Epic in the US, Yardbirds' manager Giorgio Gomelsky produced two albums, For Your Love (1965) and Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds (1965), which were collections of new material mixed in with singles and live recordings featuring both Clapton and Beck. Epic subsequently issued Over Under Sideways Down (the US reconfiguration of Yardbirds, 1966), The Yardbirds' Greatest Hits (1967), and the Mickie Most-produced Little Games (1967). Reconfigurations of the Epic For Your Love were released in Canada (Capitol's Heart Full of Soul) and other countries. All albums were released on 12-inch 33⅓ rpm LP records. Where two catalogue numbers are given, the album was released in monaural and stereo versions; otherwise it is mono only.
List of original albums :
| Title | Album details | Main charts (peaks) | Main charts (peaks) | Main charts (peaks) | Ref(s) |
| Title | Album details | UK | US | Other | Ref(s) |
| Five Live Yardbirds | Type: Live Released: 4 December 1964 (UK) Label: Columbia (33SX 1662) Notes: Recorded 20 March 1964, Marquee Club, London | — | — | — | |
| For Your Love | Type: Studio Released: 5 July 1965 (US) Label: Epic (LN 24167/BN-26167) | — | 96 | | |
| Heart Full of Soul | Type: Studio Released: 6 September 1965 (Canada) Label: Capitol (T-6139) | — | — | — | |
| Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds | Type: Studio, live Released: 30 November 1965 (US) Label: Epic (LN 24177/BN 26177) Notes: Includes four tracks from the UK Five Live Yardbirds | — | 53 | — | |
| Yardbirds a.k.a. Roger the Engineer | Type: Studio Released: 15 July 1966 (UK) Label: Columbia (SX 6063/SCX 6063) | 20 | — | — | |
| Over Under Sideways Down | Type: Studio Released: 8 August 1966 (US) Label: Epic (LN 24210/BN 26210) Notes: Same as Yardbirds but without two tracks and different cover art | — | 52 | — | |
| The Yardbirds Greatest Hits | Type: Compilation Released: 17 April 1967 (US) Label: Epic (LN 24246/BN 26246) | — | 28 | | |
| Little Games | Type: Studio Released: 24 July 1967 (US) Label: Epic (LN 24313/BN 26313) | — | 80 | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. ||||||

### Other album appearances

In an early bid to promote the group, manager Gomelsky arranged for the Yardbirds to serve as backing musicians for a British tour by American bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson II. Recordings during the 1963–1964 tour were later released in 1966, after the Yardbirds had a string of Top 40 hits. In 1966, after Page joined the group, the Yardbirds contributed a remake of "Train Kept A-Rollin'", titled "Stroll On", for the Michelangelo Antonioni film Blow-up (1966). In 1967, MGM Records issued the soundtrack album.
List of other album appearances :
| Title | Album details | Notes | Ref(s) |
| Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds | Type: Live Released: 7 January 1966 (UK); 7 February 1966 (US) Label: Fontana UK (TL 5277); Mercury US (MG 21071/SR 61071) | Recorded 8 December 1963, Crawdaddy Club, Richmond as backing musicians (all songwriting, vocals, and harmonica by Williamson) | |
| Blow-Up – The Original Sound Track Album | Type: Soundtrack Released: 20 February 1967 (US); 10 May 1967 (UK) Label: MGM US (E/SE-4447 ST); MGM UK (C/CS 8039) Charts: No. 92 on US Billboard 200 | "Stroll On" is the only Yardbirds contribution to the soundtrack; film score is by Herbie Hancock | |

### Singles

In the UK, singles were the only source of many of the Yardbirds' songs, until the first anthology albums were released in the 1970s. In the US, these were usually included on albums. Two singles released in Germany and Italy in 1966 remained unavailable on album until the 1980–1990s compilations by Charly Records. The last three Epic singles (unreleased in the UK) did not appear on an album until the 1991 expanded Little Games Sessions and More album. All singles and extended play (EPs) were released on 7-inch 45 rpm records.
List of original singles and EPs :
| Title (A-side / B-side) | Single details | Main charts (peaks) | Main charts (peaks) | Main charts (peaks) | Ref(s) |
| Title (A-side / B-side) | Single details | UK | US | Other | Ref(s) |
| "I Wish You Would" / "A Certain Girl" | Released: 1 May 1964 (UK); 17 August 1964 (US) Label: Columbia UK (DB 7283); Epic US (5-9709) | — | — | | |
| "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" / "I Ain't Got You" | Released: 30 October 1964 (UK) Label: Columbia (DB 7391) | 44 | — | — | |
| "For Your Love" / "Got to Hurry" | Released: 5 March 1965 (UK); 12 April 1965 (US) Label: Columbia UK (DB 7499); Epic US (5-9790) | 3 | 6 | | |
| "Heart Full of Soul" / "Steeled Blues" | Released: 4 June 1965 (UK); 19 July 1965 (US) Label: Columbia UK (DB 7594); Epic US (5-9823) | 2 | 9 | | |
| Five Yardbirds (EP) | Released: 11 August 1965 (UK) Label: Columbia (SEG 8421) Tracks: "My Girl Sloopy", "I'm Not Talking", "I Ain't Done Wrong" (all first released on For Your Love) | 5 | — | — | |
| "Evil Hearted You" / "Still I'm Sad" | Released: 1 October 1965 (UK) Label: Columbia (DB 7706) Notes: Double A-side (both songs charted) | 3 | — | | |
| "I'm a Man" / "Still I'm Sad" | Released: 11 October 1965 (US) Label: Epic (5-9857) | — | 17 | | |
| "Paff...Bum" / "Questa Volta" | Released: 4 February 1966 (Italy) Label: Ricordi International (SIR 20-010) Notes: Italian-language single recorded for the 1966 San Remo Song Contest | — | — | | |
| "Shapes of Things" / "You're a Better Man Than I" | Released: 25 February 1966 (UK) Label: Columbia (DB 7848) | 3 | — | | |
| "Shapes of Things" / "New York City Blues" | Released: 28 February 1966 (US) Label: Epic (5-10006) Notes: B-side initially "I'm Not Talking", changed 28 March to "New York City Blues" | — | 11 | | |
| "Boom Boom" / "Honey In Your Hips" | Recorded: 10 December 1963 (demo) Released: 11 March 1966 (Germany) Label: CBS (1433) | — | — | — | |
| "Over Under Sideways Down" / "Jeff's Boogie" | Released: 27 May 1966 (UK); 13 June 1966 (US) Label: Columbia UK (DB 7928); Epic US (5-10035) | 10 | 13 | | |
| "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" / "Psycho Daisies" | Released: 7 October 1966 (UK) Label: Columbia (DB 8024) | 43 | — | | |
| "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" / "The Nazz Are Blue" | Released: 7 November 1966 (US) Label: Epic (5-10094) | — | 30 | — | |
| Over Under Sideways Down (EP) | Released: 27 January 1967 (UK) Label: Columbia (SEG 8521) Tracks: "Over Under Sideways Down", "I Can't Make Your Way", "He's Always There", "What Do You Want" | — | — | — | |
| "Little Games" / "Puzzles" | Released: 3 April 1967 (US); 21 April 1967 (UK) Label: Epic US (5-10156); Columbia UK (DB 8165) | — | 51 | | |
| "Ha Ha Said the Clown" / "Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor" | Released: 17 July 1967 (US) Label: Epic (5-10204) | — | 45 | | |
| "Ten Little Indians" / "Drinking Muddy Water" | Released: 16 October 1967 (US) Label: Epic (5-10248) | — | 96 | | |
| "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" / "Think About It" | Released: 1 April 1968 (US) Label: Epic (5-10303) | — | 127 | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. ||||||

## Releases after 1969

A large number of Yardbirds anthologies of recordings originally produced by their first manager Gomelsky have been issued by numerous record companies over the years. These do not include songs recorded with other producers after March 1966, such as "Over Under Sideways Down", "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago", and "Little Games". Often, the albums are a haphazard mix of studio and live recordings from the Clapton and early Beck eras. Music critic Richie Unterberger wrote:
   Their [Yardbirds' song] catalog, however, has been subject to more exploitation than any other group of the '60s; dozens, if not hundreds, of cheesy packages of early material are generated throughout the world on a seemingly monthly basis.
However, a few early Epic anthologies and the Rhino Records set Ultimate! (2001) managed to cross license material from the different producers. Many albums of live recordings focusing on performances with Clapton or Beck have appeared and, in 2017, the Page-produced Yardbirds '68 was released. One studio album and several live albums recorded by the post-1999 reconstituted Yardbirds have been issued.
List of selected albums since 1969 :
| Title | Album details | Notes |
| The Yardbirds Featuring Performances by Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page | Type: Compilation Released: 31 August 1970 (US) Format: 2-LP record Label: Epic (EG-30135) Charts: | 20 tracks from 1964 to 1967 not already included on The Yardbirds Greatest Hits (1967) |
| Live Yardbirds! Featuring Jimmy Page | Type: Live Released: 13 September 1971 (US) Format: LP Label: Epic (E 30615) | Recorded 1968 in New York City; withdrawn shortly after release, but frequently bootlegged; superseded by Yardbirds '68 (2017) |
| Remember...The Yardbirds | Type: Compilation Released: 18 June 1971 (UK) Format: LP Label: Regal Starline (SRS 5069) | 12 tracks, limited to pre-Roger the Engineer recordings |
| Shapes of Things | Type: Compilation Released: 9 December 1977 (UK); 1978 (Canada) Format: 2-LP Label: Charly UK (CDZ 1); Bomb Canada (104.5) Charts: | 24 tracks, pre-Roger the Engineer recordings |
| London 1963 – The First Recordings! | Type: Live Released: 17 July 1981 (Germany) Format: LP, audio cassette Label: L & R (44.001) | Recorded 8 December 1963, Crawdaddy Club, Richmond, UK; 10 December 1963, R.G. Jones Studio, Morden, UK (demo) |
| Yardbirds ...On Air | Type: Live Released: 7 May 1991 (UK) Format: Compact audio disc (CD) Label: Band of Joy (BOJCD 200) | Recorded 1965–1968 at BBC studios; re-released as BBC Sessions (1999) |
| Little Games Sessions and More | Type: Compilation Released: 8 April 1991 (US) Format: 2-CD Label: EMI USA (0777-7-98213-2 7) | Both stereo and mono versions of original album tracks, plus non-album singles and alternate takes/mixes |
| Train Kept A-Rollin' – The Complete Giorgio Gomelsky Productions | Type: Anthology Released: 11 May 1993 Format: 4-CD boxed set Label: Charly (CD LIK BOX 3) (UK) | Most available pre-Roger the Engineer recordings, including previously unreleased 1963–1964 demos and live recordings, and later alternate takes; re-released as The Yardbirds Story (2002) |
| Reunion Jam | Type: Live Released: 1 December 1999 Format: CD Label: Mooreland St. (70729-2) | Recorded 1992 in London |
| Cumular Limit | Type: Compilation Released: 25 August 2000 Format: 2-CD Label: Burning Airlines (Pilot 24) | Includes demos recorded in New York in 1968 and enhanced CD of four live songs from 1967 German TV show |
| Ultimate! | Type: Compilation Released: 31 July 2001 Format: 2-CD Label: Rhino (R2 79825) | 52 tracks from 1963 demos to 1968 last single |
| Birdland | Type: Studio Released: 21 April 2003 Format: CD, LP Label: Favored Nations (FN2280-2) Charts: | First studio album in Dreja-McCarty era, recorded 2003 in Los Angeles and London with several guests |
| Live! Blueswailing July '64 | Type: Live Released: 23 September 2003 Format: CD Label: Castle Music (06076-81331-2) | Recorded in July 1964 at an unknown venue |
| Live at B.B. King Blues Club | Type: Live Released: 30 March 2007 Format: CD Label: Favored Nations (FN2580-2) | Recorded in 2006 in New York City |
| Reunion Jam Vol. II | Type: Live Released: 25 June 2007 Format: CD Label: Voiceprint (VP419CD) | Recorded 1992 in London |
| Glimpses 1963–1968 | Type: Compilation Released: 5 December 2011 Format: 5-CD boxed set Label: Easy Action (EARS 035) | Mostly live recordings, including some unreleased and those previously scattered among various semi-official and bootleg releases |
| Making Tracks | Type: Live Released: 7 October 2013 Format: CD Label: Wienerworld (WNRCD5069) | Recorded during 2010–2011 US tours |
| Yardbirds '68 | Type: Compilation Released: November 2017 Format: 2-CD, 2-LP Label: JimmyPage.com | Recorded March and April 1968 in New York City |

## Videos

List of videos :
| Title | Details | Notes |
| Blow-Up | Type: Feature film Released: 1966 Label: MGM Pictures | The group performs "Stroll On"; reissued on DVD by Warner Home Video in 2004 |
| Yardbirds: Where the Guitar Gods Played | Type: Documentary film Released: 26 November 1991 Label: A*Vision | Performances and interviews; reissued on DVD by Rhino in 2003 |
| Making Tracks | Type: Concert film Released: 11 December 2012 Label: MVD Visual | Filmed during 2010–2011 US tours; released on audio CD in 2014 |

## Other charts

* ↑ For Your Love (album) reached No. 20 in Germany.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000020-QINU`"'
* ↑ Although a chart published on 27 May 1967 by the Canadian music magazine RPM shows that The Yardbirds' Greatest Hits on Capitol reached No. 20,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000028-QINU`"' there is no other indication that such an album was actually released. Later in October, Capitol released a compilation, titled The Hits of the Yardbirds,'"`UNIQ--ref-00000029-QINU`"' but it did not reach the RPM chart.
* ↑ "I Wish You Would" reached No. 26 on the NME chart in the UK, but did not appear on the main Record Retailer chart.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000003F-QINU`"'
* ↑ "For Your Love" reached No. 1 in Canada;'"`UNIQ--ref-00000043-QINU`"' No. 21 in Germany;'"`UNIQ--ref-00000044-QINU`"' and No. 10 in Ireland.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000045-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Heartful of Soul" reached No. 2 in Canada;'"`UNIQ--ref-00000048-QINU`"' No. 22 in Germany;'"`UNIQ--ref-00000049-QINU`"' No. 3 in Ireland;'"`UNIQ--ref-0000004A-QINU`"' and No. 10 in Norway.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000004B-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Evil Hearted You" reached No. 33 in Germany;'"`UNIQ--ref-0000004F-QINU`"' and No. 6 in Ireland.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000050-QINU`"'
* ↑ "I'm a Man" reached No. 4 in Canada.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000053-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Paff...Bum" reached No. 5 in Italy.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000056-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Shapes of Things" (backed with "Paff...Bum") reached No. 22 in Germany.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000059-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Shapes of Things" (backed with "I'm Not Talking") reached No. 7 (3 weeks) in Canada.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000005C-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Over Under Sideways Down" reached No. 5 in Canada;'"`UNIQ--ref-00000060-QINU`"' and No. 35 in Germany.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000061-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" reached No. 31 in Canada.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000064-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Little Games" reached No. 27 in Australia;'"`UNIQ--ref-00000069-QINU`"' No. 36 in Canada;'"`UNIQ--ref-0000006A-QINU`"' and was listed second on the UK Record Mirror "Bubbling Under" expanded chart.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000006B-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Ha Ha Said the Clown" reached No. 38 in Canada.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000006E-QINU`"'
* ↑ "Ten Little Indians" reached No. 50 in Canada.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000071-QINU`"'
* ↑ The Yardbirds Featuring reached No. 88 on US Cash Box Top 100 Albums.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000007D-QINU`"'
* ↑ Shapes of Things (album) reached No. 96 in Canada.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000088-QINU`"'
* ↑ Birdland reached No. 25 on US Billboard's Independent Albums chart'"`UNIQ--ref-00000092-QINU`"' and No. 67 in Germany.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000093-QINU`"'