 Eric Clapton replaced Topham in October 1963 and by early 1964, the Yardbirds had expanded their following on the home counties club circuit. The group made several attempts at recording in the studio, but were unable to reproduce their live sound to their satisfaction. Manager Giorgio Gomelsky then arranged to have a March performance at London's Marquee Club recorded. A key element of the Yardbirds' live shows was an extended instrumental section during some songs. Clapton recalled, "While most other bands were playing three-minute songs, we were taking three-minute numbers and stretching them out to five or six minutes, during which time the audience would go crazy". Dubbed a "rave up", this musical arrangement usually came during the middle instrumental section, in which the band shifted the beat into double-time and built the instrumental improvisation to a climax. The rave up has roots in jazz and became a signature part of the Yardbirds' sound. Musicologist Michael Hicks describes it:
