Yardbirds/Led Zeppelin's Dubious Recording History Yardbirds photo courtesy of Epic/EMI Records By Will Shade In July 1968, the Yardbirds finally threw in the towel. Relf and McCarty made the fatal decision that heavy, guitar dominated music was on the way out. They formed the art rock/progressive band, Renaissance. McCarty is still rueful, yet bemused, about the path he chose to follow. He has since reformed the Yardbirds several times. The latest configuration, with Chris Dreja, has toured America and Europe well into the New Millenium. They do an incredible version of "Dazed and Confused,ï¿½ seguing straight from a note perfect "Still I'm Sad.ï¿½ It would seem that McCarty and Dreja feel some right to the song. Relf and McCarty's foray into prog rock was short lived. They released only one album with Renaissance. A second Renaissance LP was half done before they packed it in and John Hawken took it upon himself to locate other musicians to finish it. Keith Relf apparently realized the error of his ways, forming a heavy metal band in the mid-70s.

Their one and only album, the self-titled Armageddon, is one of the great lost classics. It easily stands cheek by jowl with his former bandmate's work in Led Zeppelin. Chris Dreja was initially slated to be the bass player in Page's new lineup, but bowed out gracefully once a more enthusiastic replacement was found. Page obviously made the right choice. He walked away with a stockpile of songs, including heavy metal's nascent anthem, "Dazed and Confused." The stalwart Jimmy Page soon assembled a new band, which still called itself the Yardbirds. Comprised of Page, fellow session hack John Paul Jones on bass, drummer John Bonham and vocalist Robert Plant, they fulfilled the original band's final contractual obligations, touring Sweden in September 1968. Contrary to accepted facts, the band was not known as the New Yardbirds at the time. Scandinavian ads billed them as either the Yardbirds or Yardbirds with Jimmy Page. Now back to the name "Yardbirdsï¿½ itself. McCarty and Relf signed a document, which authorized Page and Dreja to fill out a Yardbirds group to satisfy the Scandinavian dates only.

Page and Dreja had the name, even when Dreja left the band to pursue his passion for photography. Chris Dreja cleared up matters in a 2001 interview with this author. He recalled an exchange with the last Yardbirds manager, Peter Grant, who would go on to guide Led Zeppelin as well. "I do remember through my own lawyer just remind Peter that I had in no way given up moral rights to the name itself whether I was a photographer or dentist or whatever. I certainly didn't hand it over to Jimmy Page," Dreja said. "I wasn't going to give up the 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 they became Led Zeppelin fairly quickly." When Chris Dreja found out that manager Peter Grant was sending the group out to tour England (October 18-19) under the name, the ex-Yardbird informed Page and Grant that he did not want them to use said name. The name change was announced in the October 19, 1968 issue of "Disc" magazine. Dreja's request caused the name change - Page has never owned it.

Around this time, the new group had entered the studio to record their first album (boxes containing the master tapes are marked "Yardbirds"). Soon, they adopted their new name, which would grace their eponymous debut. Amusingly enough, the name Led Zeppelin itself wasn't devised by any member of the band. In May 1966, Jeff Beck was growing disenchanted with the Yardbirds. He and Jimmy Page entered the studio to record a number of tracks along with John Paul Jones and the Who's great drummer, Keith Moon. Moon's bandmate, John Entwistle, was also involved in some capacity. Apocryphal legend says the recording session went so well that the four musicians discussed forming a band. Moon and Entwistle were dissatisfied with Pete Townshend's increasing dictatorial grip on the Who. They were quite keen on the idea as were Page and Beck. They bantered back and forth over what would be a fitting epithet for the band. Someone said they would "go over like a lead balloon." Entwistle's rejoinder was to the affect that the band should be called "lead zeppelin." Moon brayed with delight.

Page filed the name away in that steel trap that serves as a brain. One of the songs recorded at this session, "Beck's Bolero," figures into the scheme of things at a later point. Exhilirated by the experience, Page realized the unit would need a dynamic vocalist. One of those approached was the Small Face's diminutive, yet powerful singer, Steve Marriott. Page was quickly rebuffed by the Small Faces' management, which had shady underworld connections. Jimmy Page was asked if he could "play guitar with broken fingers" or words to that affect. Needless to say, Page never contacted Marriott. Marriott's work with the Small Faces would figure into the Led Zeppelin saga, though. Page returned to the Yardbirds until the summer of 1968. As already documented, he formed a new unit, which became known as Led Zeppelin. Once the tour of Scandinavia was over, the band entered the studio to record their first LP in the fall of 1968. Led Zeppelin's self-titled debut was recorded in under thirty hours. And it shows in the lack of originality. Jeff Beck in the meantime had formed his first solo band.

The Jeff Beck Group took the Yardbirds' formula to its logical conclusion, i.e. loud and hard psychedelic blues mutating into what we now call heavy metal. This crackerjack unit was comprised of Beck on lead guitar, Steampacket's Rod Stewart on vocals, Birds' guitarist Ron Wood on bass and Mick Waller on drums. They recorded the very first heavy metal album, "Truth." Released in August 1968, Jimmy Page was to use his ex-bandmate's album as a veritable blueprint for Led Zeppelin's debut. A track by track comparison of "Truth" and "Led Zeppelin I" is an intriguing process. Both albums had a reworking of a Yardbirds' song. The Beck album opened with a roaring, albeit less effective, version of "Shapes of Things." Led Zeppelin also used a Yardbirds' song, "Dazed and Confused." Page at this point rewrote the lyrics yet again, but he stuck strictly to the arrangement he and Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty devised. The Led Zeppelin version is solely credited to Jimmy Page, with no mention being made of Jake Holmes. In 2001, this author asked Holmes when he became aware of Led Zeppelin's version.

"When the album came out! And then, stupidly, I never followed up on it," Jake Holmes said. "In the early 1980's, I did write them a letter and I said basically: 'I understand it's a collaborative effort, but I think you should give me credit at least and some remuneration.' But they never contacted me." Holmes shared this writer's assessment of the Yardbirds proto-psychedelic version as oppossed to Zeppelin's bombastic numbskullery. Previous to 2001, Holmes had been unaware that the Yardbirds even covered it until receiving a copy of their Anderson Theatre performance. "The Yardbirds' 'Dazed & Confused' is really good. I understand what 'garage' people see in all this craziness. I like their version much better than Led Zeppelin's," Holmes said. Be that as it may, it still doesn't address Page's motivation in lifting the song and then denying credit to Holmes. In a 1990 interview with Musician magazine, Jimmy Page quickly soured when questions veered into this territory. The Q and A exchange is quoted below.

Musician: I understand "Dazed & Confused" was originally a song by Jake Holmes. Is that true? Page: [Sourly] I don't know. I don't know. [Inhaling] I don't know about all that. Musician: Do you remember the process of writing that song? Page: Well, I did that with the Yardbirds originally... The Yardbirds were such a good band for a guitarist to play in that I came up with a lot of riffs and ideas out of that, and I employed quite a lot of those in the early Zeppelin stuff. Musician: But Jake Holmes, a successful jingle writer in New York, claims on his 1967 record that he wrote the original song. Page: Hmm. Well, I don't know. I don't know about that. I'd rather not get into it because I don't know all the circumstances. What's he got, The riff or whatever? Because Robert wrote some of the lyrics for that on the album. But he was only listening to... we extended it from the one that we were playing with the Yardbirds. Musician: Did you bring it into the Yardbirds?

Page: No, I think we played it 'round a sort of melody line or something that Keith [Relf] had. So I don't know. I haven't heard Jake Holmes so I don't know what it's all about anyway. Usually my riffs are pretty damn original. [laughs] What can I say? Yardbird Chris Dreja provided his take on the matter - and probably the most insight - when this author asked him to muse on Page's 40-year denial. "It's the guilt," he said simply. Both albums (Truth and Led Zeppelin I) also contained a traditional English folk song. Beck's LP had a lovely acoustic arrangement of "Greensleeves." He didn't take any credit for the song. Page, on the other hand, showcased his companion piece to "White Summer." The song was called "Black Mountainside." It is credited solely to Page, yet humorously enough it is a centuries old tune. He probably picked it up from Bert Jansch, who is one of Page's primary acoustic influences. Further, Jansch had been playing the song for years, using its original title "Black Waterside." He never took credit for the song.

Jimmy Page, however, boldly stamped his name on the tune. As a side note, Davey Graham probably devised the D-A-D-G-A-D tuning used on "Black Waterside" and on "White Summer." Annie Briggs, another influence on Page, was also known to do a version of "Black Waterside." "The accompaniment was nicked by a well-known member of one of the most famous rock bands, who used it, unchanged, on one of their records," Jansch was quoted as saying in Doug Kennedy's 1983 "The Songs and Guitar Solos of Bert Jansch. " This contrasting of heavy songs with light acoustic numbers was to become Led Zeppelin's trademark. Yet the Jeff Beck Group did it first and to better affect. Beck is as dazzling a guitar player as Jimmy Page, yet he is far more precise and capable of restraint. Interestingly, Jeff Beck's solo debut contained a rock 'n roll interpretation of Ravel's "Bolero." Entitled "Beck's Bolero," the piece came from the aborted 1966 supergroup session that had found Beck, Page, John Paul Jones and Keith Moon collaborating.

Page provided some propulsive acoustic rhythm work upon which Jeff Beck overlaid stinging lead guitar. The song is once again credited only to Jimmy Page. Beck and Page have feuded over the songwriting rights in numerous interviews. To this day, Beck insists he came up with the arrangement. After all, it wasn't called "Page's Bolero." Strangely, this is what Jimmy Page himself had to say about the song in a Trouser Press article, (October 1977, number 22 "Paging the Yardbirds" part two of a three part interview with Dave Schulps): "Keith Relf had a melody on tape and we used that as the main part of the song. I don't think that Beck actually came in on the backing tracks - he just did the overdubs and wrote the central section - the riffy bridge," Page said. It is left up to you, gentle reader, to make up your own mind as to where the origins of this song truly lie. Truth also contained a version of the Muddy Waters classic, "You Shook Me." For some reason, Page also decided to include this song on Led Zeppelin's first album.

While the song is properly accredited to its author, Willie Dixon, Jeff Beck was less than enthusiastic upon hearing Led Zeppelin's demo. With Truth still on the charts, he was unable to understand Page's decision to record the song for Led Zeppelin I. As recounted in the Led Zeppelin biography, Hammer of the Gods, Beck's eyes teared with rage as he demanded, "Jim, why?" Page just shrugged sheepishly, unable to explain why he wanted to upstage his former bandmate. A hamfisted rewrite of Eddie Cochran's rockabilly classic "Nervous Breakdown" appeared on Led Zeppelin's first album. Entitled "Communication Breakdown," this interpretation made no mention of Cochran, being credited to Bonham/Jones/Page. Annie Briggs' fingerprints were all over another song on Led Zeppelin I. Her original, "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You," was appropriated by the foursome with the credits reading Bredon (her real name)/Page/Plant. Whether Page and Plant added anything to the song is debatable. Led Zeppelin I closed with the ultimate pastiche.

"How Many More Times" opens with a bass riff that came straight from the Yardbirds' reworking of "Smokestack Lightning." Lyrically it is comprised of Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years," Albert King's "The Hunter" and bits of Gary Farr and the T-Bones' "How Many More Times." Further, there was a direct quote of Jimmy Rodgers' pop hit, "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine." A listen to the Yardbirds Last Rave-up in L.A. bootleg reveals an interesting fact. "Smokestack Lightning" has the bolero section from "Beck's Bolero." Page also used this on "How Many More Times.ï¿½ The only thing original about the song is Page's violin bowing. "How Many More Times" is credited to Bonham/Jones/Page, though. During 1969, Led Zeppelin toured continually. They recorded their sophomore effort in various studios while they were on the road. The resulting album is uneven and shows less originality than its predecessor. "Whole Lotta Love" opens Led Zeppelin II. As mentioned earlier, Steve Marriott and the Small Faces figure into the Led Zeppelin saga.

That mod foursome were known for a killer live version of the Muddy Waters "You Need Love." The following paragraph is from Small Faces: The Young Mods' Forgotten Story by Paolo Hewitt (1995, Acid Jazz Books). 'A few years later, one of the LP's outstanding tracks, the Marriott/Lane 'You Need Loving,' cropped up again to create rock history, albeit in a different format. '"Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin was nicked off that album,' Marriott pointed out. 'Percy Plant was a big fan. He used to be at all The Small Faces gigs. We did a gig with The Yardbirds which he was at and Jimmy Page asked me what that number was we did. "'You Need Loving'," I said, "it's a Muddy Waters thing" which it really is, so they both knew it, and Percy used to come to the gigs whenever we played in Kidderminster or Stowbridge, where he came from. He was always saying he was going to get this group together. He was another nuisance. He kept coming into the dressing room, just another little Mod kid.

We used to say, "That kid's here again." Anyway we used to play this number and it became a stock opener after that album. After we broke up they took it and revamped it. Good luck to them. It was only old Percy who'd had his eyes on it. He sang it the same, phrased it the same, even the stops at the end were the same, they just put a different rhythm to it.' He laughs. 'For years and years I would hear it come on the radio while driving in America, and I would think, "Go on, my son," until one day I thought, "Fucking hell, that's us, that is. The bastards!"' "Whole Lotta Love" is obviously, as Steve Marriott pointed, a direct nick of the Small Faces take on "You Need Love." The lyrics are basically the same as the Muddy Waters version. Further, Robert Plant's vocal stylings are indeed modeled directly on Marriott's delivery. One listen to the Small Faces version will lay any doubt aside. Unfortunately, the Small Faces songwriting credits made no mention of Willie Dixon. Of course, neither did Led Zeppelin.

Interestingly enough, Willie Dixon's own daughter, Shirley, brought it to her father's attention. As reported in the October 8, 1994's edition of The Los Angeles Times by Steve Hochman, Shirley Dixon first heard Led Zeppelin's version when she was thirteen. She played it for her father, who agreed it was his song. Willie Dixon was receiving no royalties from it. In 1985, Dixon sued Led Zeppelin for royalties to "Whole Lotta Love." The case was settled out of court two years later, with a generous settlement to Willie Dixon. Today, Shirley Dixon heads the Blues Heaven Foundation (established by her father), which helps blues artists recover their royalties and rights. Another blues classic on Led Zeppelin II became famous as "The Lemon Song." Derived directly from Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," there is also the infamous quote about squeezing lemons that comes from Robert Johnson's "Traveling Riverside Blues." Chester Burnett, a.k.a. Howlin' Wolf, received no credit for "The Lemon Song." In the early '70s, Arc Music sued Led Zeppelin for copyright infringement. The suit was settled out of court.

The album closed with a song credited to Page/Plant, "Bring It On Home." Discerning listeners realized it was the old Sonny Boy Williamson song of the same name, albeit with a furious Page solo. Once again, the song's author, Willie Dixon, won a settlement. Led Zeppelin III found Page still rummaging through his suitcase of Yardbirds castoffs. An album track, "Tangerine," was one Page had worked on with the Yardbirds in the spring of 1968. At that time, it was called "Knowing That I'm Losing You." The two arrangemens are identical. The Yardbirds had never copyrighted the piece, which made it easy for Page to usurp it in its entirety. The song was attributed solely to Jimmy Page with no mention being made of Keith Relf, who had written a significant chunk of the lyrics that appeared in Led Zeppelin's version.

"He [Keith Relf] should really be given a credit for that one," Jim McCarty said, referring specifically to the second verse's lyrics in "Knowing That I'm Losing You," which appear intact as the first verse in "Tangerine." This author conducted interviews with McCarty, Dreja and Keith Relf's sister, Jane, in the autumn of 2001 for a story on the Page era Yardbirds, which appeared in the 2002 edition of Ugly Things magazine. Lest readers think plagiarism is a victimless crime, Jane Relf's reaction to information on the "Knowing That I'm Losing You" and "Tangerine" situation should give cause for pause. "My brother plucked that session man out of obscurity and gave him a job and that's how he repaid him?" Jane Relf mused. "My brother was not well-off at the end of his life and the royalties for that song could have helped out considerably." She was refering to Keith Relf's financial straits at the time of his death in 1976. As for "Knowing That I'm Losing You" and "Tangerine." both feature a steel guitar courtesy of Page.

Once again, the Yardbirds' unreleased version is superior. Relf's vocals are heartbreaking and McCarty's drums much lighter and better suited to the song's fragility. Their take has a prominent Morricone touch and the massed vocals at the end take it to new heights. Led Zeppelin's version simply pales in comparison. Page, though, had the good sense to realize the song's appeal and it has since gone onto be one of Zeppelin's most beloved songs, free as it is of Plant's insipid cliches that pass themselves off as lyrics. Page claimed authorship of the entire song, including the lyrics. The Yardbirds had never copyrighted the piece, which made it easy for Page to usurp it in its entirety. The flower-child verses smack of Keith Relf, though. Another track from Led Zeppelin III, "Since I've Been Loving You," lifted significant lyrical passages from Moby Grape's "Never." In doing so, Robert Plant can't really be accused so much of plagiarism as sheer laziness. Both tracks are meandering and desultory nonentities. Why in the world would Plant use verses that Moby Grape member Bob Mosely was obviously making up on the fly?

Most likely, it was meant as an homage, considering Plant's love of West Coast hippy bands. Both songs are generic blues jams and Plant would have been better served by devising new lyrics. This would come back to haunt him. In 2005, according to an anonymous source, Led Zeppelin came to a financial agreement with Mosely although he will never be acknowledged in the credits of "Since I've Been Loving You" as part of the arrangement. "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is basically an original song with Jones/Page/Plant being listed as the song's authors. However, the intro is lifted from "The Waggoner's Tale" by Bert Jansch. Nineteen-seventy-one's Led Zeppelin IV, showed the band to be up to their old tricks. The drum intro to "Rock 'n Roll" was a direct lift from Little Richard's "Keep A-Knocking." One listen to that early nugget will prove the point.

Further, elements of the solo from the old Yardbirds warhorse "Train Kept A-Rollin" show up in "Rock 'n Roll." But it is that holiest of Holy Grails, "Stariway To Heaven," that will shock the faithful. On one of Led Zeppelin's early tours, they had opened for the California art-rock group, Spirit. In the liner notes to the reissue of Spirit's 1968 eponymous debut, the band's guitarist Randy California mentions the fact that Jimmy Page took special interest in an original entitled "Taurus." There is no doubt that Page appropriated the opening guitar lines note for note on "Stairway To Heaven." Further, the chord progression in "Stairway To Heaven" is incredibly similiar to a song by the Chocolate Watch Band, "And She's Lonely." The Yardbirds played with the Chocolate Watch Band during Page's tenure. It would be quite ironic if he did indeed lift the chords from the Chocolate Watch Band. The Chocolate Watch Band, to those in the know, were the ultimate Yardbirds clone. Wouldn't it be fitting that a former Yardbirds guitarist ripped off something from a band that based an entire career around sounding like that famed quintet?

Led Zeppelin IV found the band tackling a Memphis Minnie original, "When The Levee Breaks." In this case, Memphis Minnie is credited, but so are the four members of Led Zeppelin. What they contributed to the song - besides a sluggish beat - is once again debatable. Led Zeppelin continued to appropriate songs throughout the rest of their career, albeit with less frequency. For the most part, the songs examined in this article are the most notorious cases of Led Zeppelin lifting others artistic works. Is this hair-splitting? Isn't rock 'n' roll all about taking influences, warping and twisting them until they come out sounding new? Yes and no. Rock n roll's great idiot savant, Elvis Presley, married blues to country, creating the 20th century's most popular form of music. And while his first single at Sun Studios, a breath-taking version of Arthur ï¿½Big Boyï¿½ Crudup's ï¿½That's All Right Mama,ï¿½ doesn't sound anything like the sluggish original it is still properly credited to the rightful author. Same goes for all three of the Beatles covers of Carl Perkins songs. Taking a stray riff is one thing.

Appropriating an entire song's music and lyrics while listing yourself as the author is quite another. In the summer of 2000, two Yardbirds CD's from the Jimmy Page era were released. The first release was a limited edition of the famed Live Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page issued by Mooreland Street Records. Contrary to rumors, Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja are quite content with the quality of the show as is Keith Relf's family. Page had this album surpressed twice before in the '70's. The CD's sold out quickly. Apparently Mooreland Street Records had dealings with Page's represenatives. Russ Garrett, head of the company, also runs a Yardbirds fan forum on the internet. He has alluded to legal scuffling with "800-pound gorillas in buisness suits" on the website. Garrett would not respond to repeated requests for an interview. The other Yardbirds release was issued by New Millenium. It contained the legendary final studio sessions from New York City in April 1968. Called Cumular Limit, the CD had fans salivating.

This was especially true, because McCarty hinted in a interview from the spring of 2000, that a take on "Tangerineï¿½ would be included. The Yardbirds version was called "Knowing That I'm Losing You." However, that track does not appear on the new release. "I was advised that one of the members wasn't exactly delirious with the album,ï¿½ Carlton Sandercock at New Millenium said. Considering that Keith Relf was tragically electrocuted in 1976 and that both McCarty and Dreja participated in the CD's liner notes, it doesn't take much detective work to figure out which member is unhappy with the release. Asked what happened to the inclusion of "Knowing That I'm Losing You" on the CD, Sandercock would not go into details. "Unfortunately, one of the songs was not released,ï¿½ he simply said. "Knowing That I'm Losing You" appeared on at least one file-sharing internet site in the winter of 2007. A Google search might turn it up for the avid web detective.

Cumular Limit also has a live version of "Dazed and Confusedï¿½ from French television in the spring of '68. For once, the song is credited properly, reading "Jake Holmes; arr. Yardbirds." It came as no surprise that the CD was surpressed within a short time of its release and is no longer available except as a Japanese pirate. A video of the Yardbirds on the French television show crop up regularly on YouTube . And for those who still think the Yardbirds called their version of the song, "I'm Confused," take note how the French MC introduces it as "Dazed & Confused," laying that myth to rest for once and all. The tangled web that is "Dazed & Confused" was unsnarled to a degree in 2004 when Jake Holmes' LP saw the light of day in the digital age. The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes appeared on CD in America on the itsaboutmusic.com label and on Radioactive in the UK. His original version of "Dazed & Confused" is finally garnering some of the attention it was always due, with mainstrem rags like Mojo showcasing its parent album.

For folks who have yet to hear the original, visit: and feast your ears! As for the man himself, Jake Holmes is looking for a lawyer who will not be cowed by the Page's fearsome business and legal reputation. This author - with tongue firmly in cheek - suggested forcing the issue with Holmes recording a Led Zeppelin staple like "Kashmir" and taking credit for it. Holmes only laughed. He has learned to view this chapter in his life with a sense of humor and take it with a grain of salt. This investigative piece may appear to be gratutious Page-bashing, but rest assured it's far from it. To this day, Jimmy Page is unacknowledged as one of the, if not the greatest psychedelic guitar players ever. Page's criminially underrated work with the Yardbirds and on countless sessions (take note of his hypnotic work with Donovan in particular) illustrate that he set the standard for lysgeric discord par excellence. And in light of the fact that Page played on hundreds of uncredited session tracks in Britain between 1963 and 1966, and was instrumental in the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin, he is probably the most recorded major rock guitarist ever.

His fretwork itself is unassailable. Even on the lightweight session material he appears on, Page's guitar playing is impeccable, which is amazing if you consider that the majority of those forgotten groups should not have been within earshot of a studio. In the end, though, it is his habit for taking credit for other's people's material that is being examined here, not his guitar sorcery. Thanks to Greg Russo and Mike Fornatale for providing valuable insight and information. This piece originally appeared in Perfect Sound Forever in 2001. Certain sections have been added and updated from stories Will Shade wrote for both Ugly Things and Shindig magazines subsequent to this piece's original debut. For more information on Jake Holmes, please visit this online magazine's interview Check out the rest of PERFECT SOUND FOREVER Led Zeppelin - Biography - IMDb Led Zeppelin Jump to: Overview (1) | Mini Bio (1) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (46) Overview (1) Led Zep Mini Bio (1) Led Zeppelin are a popular British band best known for their iconic "Stairway to Heaven" as well as for co-creating the music genre of heavy metal.

Since their nine albums were recorded between 1968 and 1979, Led Zeppelin has been one of the most popular bands of all time, having sold more than 300 million records and millions of concert tickets worldwide. The quartet was conceived at the end of the Hippie love era, in a group marriage of blues, rock and roll, soul, rockabilly, folk ballad, jazz, classical and Eastern music, and something else scattered over some woozy sounds of their songs. It was their mutual artistic stimulation, their group interplay and imagination that incorporated mythology and mysticism, and concocted their inimitable style, and established the concept of album-oriented rock career. Jimmy Page was already an experienced lead guitarist who worked with multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones in 1967, and they agreed to work on the next project. In August 1968 Page invited Robert Plant and John Bonham to join his band, the New Yardbirds, for a September tour in Scandinavia. In October 1968 they took the name Led Zeppelin, which stemmed from a humorous conversation among several musicians about their chances of going down like a lead balloon.

However, British bands were highly anticipated in the USA, and the Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun signed the new band without even seeing them. Their debut album, 'Led Zeppelin', recorded and mixed in just about 36 hours in October 1968, at Olympic Studios in London, kicked open the door for all extremes and experiments. The phallic image of the blown up Hindenburg airship on the cover, designed by George Hardie, announced the hardening of rock and coming of the new super-group. While ascending to musical success as a powerhouse band, Led Zeppelin explored a variety of styles, from English folk ballads to blues and rock, and created their own inimitable style. Prior to the release of their first album, Led Zeppelin made live appearances at the University of Surrey and in London in October 1968, then went on their first American tour in December 1968. In their first year, Led Zeppelin made four concert tours in the USA, and another four tours in the UK. Their second album was recorded entirely on the road at several American recording studios, and was an even greater success than the first one.

"Whole Lotta Love", "Heartbreaker", "Living, Loving Maid", and "Ramble On" became big international hits. Each member of the quartet contributed to their compositions, thus setting a fine example of group creativity. Their songs and albums rambled on with the highly versatile voice-guitar interplay. Plant's incredible vocal range and Page's enchanting guitar solos were as responsible for the band's singularity as its musical wanderlust. Plant's and Page's musicianship was supported by the tight playing by John Paul Jones on bass, and John Bonham on drums. The intense interaction of all four players on stage gave their live performances a visual counterpoint to well intertwined harmonic and rhythmic structures of their compositions. Their third album, Led Zeppelin III, influenced by folk and Celtic music, offered more inventiveness with acoustic/electric sound-work, and revealed more of the band's versatility with such compositions as the "Immigrant Song" and "Since I've Been Loving You". With the release of their fourth, and most popular album, Led Zeppelin achieved a reputation of the biggest band in the world.

'Stairway to Heaven' became the most played radio hit, several other songs became rock classics, and nobody knows how many more times their lines would help other musicians (like the opening riff from "How Many More Times" was later used by Pink Floyd in their hit "Money"). Capitalizing on the success of their first four albums, the band toured extensively in the 1970s. At that time they chartered a private jet, nicknamed the Starship, that carried the band's name and later added the famous 'Swan Song' winged Apollo image on the tail. Going to California turned into a ritual of wildness and excess, most notably at the Hyatt House hotel on the Sunset strip in Los Angeles, known colloquially as the "Riot House" for a series of some most exciting off-stage events, such as riding a motorcycle inside the hotel and throwing TV set out of the window. One of their concerts under a heavy thunderstorm in Florida ended with police using tear gas, and led to a temporary pause in their concert tours. During the 70s their career was interrupted several times by accidents, deaths and other unfortunate events.

In September 198O on the eve of an American tour, John Bonham accidentally died from pulmonary oedema after a day of drinking. In December 1980, Led Zeppelin disbanded, albeit the public could still feel their presence. In 1982 a collection of out-takes from various sessions from the 70s was released as their last album, Coda. During the 80s the remaining three members experienced a serious communication breakdown, until they briefly united for a short set in 1985, and once again, in 1988, with Bonham's son, Jason, for the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary show. In 1994 Page and Plant showed their softer side when they performed live together on 'MTV Unplugged', which was released the same year as album titled 'No quarter'. Then they made an international tour with an orchestra. In 1995 Page and Plant were joined by Jones when the band was indicted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, albeit the three former band-mates did not perform together. By that time Jimmy Page as well as Robert Plant had pursued individual careers touring and recording with their own bands.

Another ten years gone. Page's and Plant's call-and-response interplay took them through good times and bad times. Their sonic originality had sparked imagination and creativity in millions of open minds. Singers, songwriters, armies of music fans and a rainbow of dedicated 'led heads', as well as guitarists and guitar collectors worldwide remained united through the acquired experience and conditioning to the Led Zep sounds. Hats off to Led Zeppelin, who opened the new extremes of musical expression, and are now back in the light confirming their presence. Their long anticipated reunion in December 2007 was a true celebration day. Their live performance was as tight as a rock band can be, and their living, loving song remains the same since we've been loving them. That's the way! Thank you, Friends. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Shelokhonov Trade Mark (1) Often covered blues standards Trivia (46) Reunited on December 10, 2007, and gave a sold-out two-hour performance before 22,000 fans at the O2 arena in London, England.

The name "Led Zeppelin" stemmed from a humorous conversation among several musicians about the new band's chances of going down like a lead balloon. Won the 2006 Polar Music Prize. Won the 2005 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Their song "Misty Mountain Hop" is named after J.R.R. Tolkien 's "Misty Mountains"; "Ramble On" refers to Gollum and Mordor and "The Battle of Evermore" is an allegory from the "Battle of the Pelennor Fields" from "The Return of the King". VH1 named the group the #1 Greatest Artist of Hard Rock. On 12 January 1995 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH. Jimmy Page had also been previously inducted as a member of The Yardbirds . Jimmy Page 's first choice as singer was Terry Reid , but he declined and recommended Robert Plant instead. Plant accepted and brought in John Bonham to be the drummer. The band traveled in a jet nicknamed "The Starship".

On the week ending 3 November 1979, the band set a new Billboard record for the most number of albums (nine) by a single artist in the Billboard 200 album chart, in any charting week. The band had surpassed the previous record, held by them in March 1975. During 1975 three other albums by Swan Song recording artists-- Bad Company , The Pretty Things and Maggie Bell --were also in the Top 200. The band was formed under the name "The New Yardbirds". They were based on the original The Yardbirds rock band, which was the last band that Jimmy Page played in before joining Led Zeppelin. They were formed to finish performance commitments that The Yardbirds had booked in Scandinavia before the break-up of the original band. Robert Plant was given the nickname of Percy while he was a member of the band. "Dazed and Confused", "In the Light, In the Evening" and "How Many More Times" are the only Led Zeppelin songs in which lead guitarist Jimmy Page bows the guitar with a violin bow. "In My Time of Dying" is the longest song that Led Zeppelin ever recorded on a studio album.

It clocks at 11 minutes and 4 seconds. It is found on the "Physical Graffiti", album which they released in 1975. The band's concert in Uniondale, New York, at the Nassau County Coliseum on June 14, 1972, is the longest concert the band has ever performed in. It lasted 4-1/2 hours. The tune "Stairway to Heaven" is reputed to be the most played song of all-time on radio, even though it was never officially released as a single. Jimmy Page 's guitar, the 1959 Gibson Les Paul , is known for its powerful and distinctive sound that defined the music of Led Zeppelin. The guitar is considered one of the most valuable musical instruments ever. Page authorized a limited reissue edition of signature guitars to be made by the original maker. "Presence" is the only Led Zeppelin album that does not have any pianos, organs or keyboard-type instruments being used on any of the songs. Former member of The Yardbirds Chris Dreja took the picture that appears on the back of the self-titled first Led Zeppelin album.

In "Rolling Stone"'s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All time, Jimmy Page was ranked at #3. Robert Plant re-united with Jimmy Page in 1993 for a tour and album, "No Quarter.". "Dazed and Confused" was originally 6 minutes and 26 seconds on the band's first album. In concert, they would improvise and stretch the song from its original time to 7, 10, 20, and by 1975 it was stretched to 40 minutes. Sometmes the band would include parts of their other songs, like "Walter's Walk" and "The Crunge", and Scott McKenzie 's "San Francisco". After John Bonham 's death, there were media rumors that Cozy Powell , Carmine Appice , Simon Kirke or Bev Bevan might replace him as the band's drummer, but there was never any real consideration for this. Jason Bonham , the son of John Bonham , is widely considered as good a drummer as his father was. He successfully played his father's classic drums solos at the band's reunion concert in 2007.

Jack Black videotaped a plea to Led Zeppelin to use "Immigrant Song" in his movie School of Rock (2003) After receiving the message, the band gave him permission to use the song for his movie. Steve Winwood , Steve Marriott and Donovan were considered for the job of lead singer for Led Zeppelin before Robert Plant was hired. Sandy Denny is the only guest vocalist ever to be included in a Led Zeppelin song. She sang "The Battle of Evermore" with them on their untitled fourth album. The untitled fourth Led Zeppelin album has been referred to as "Untitled", "Zoso", "Runes", "Sticks", "Man With Sticks" or simply "Led Zeppelin IV". The largest concert in the history of the band took place in August 1979 at the Knebworth Festival where 420,000 people witnessed them perform. Their last official concert before John Bonham 's death was in Berlin, Germany, on July 7, 1980, at the Eissporthalle.

They made several unofficial reunion performances during the 1980s and 1990s at various parties and anniversaries. Finally the official reunion concert was performed on December 10, 2007, in London. When the band first played in Denmark, the Countess Zeppelin (relative of the designer of the famous dirigibles) angrily protested about their use of her family name. To defuse the situation, they played Danish shows under the name "The Knobs". They are the only rock band to have all of their albums, including re-releases and compilation albums, reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Before their one-off reunion in 2007, they had never played "Ramble On" live. After the group broke up, Jimmy Page would perform "Stairway to Heaven" as an instrumental. He felt no one could do the song justice except Robert Plant . The group was well-known for their reluctance to license their music. Two notable exceptions are the Cadillac television commercials featuring "Rock and Roll" and the appearance of "Immigrant Song" in School of Rock (2003).

The New Yardbirds - Led Zeppelin The Story Of The New Yardbirds. The beginnings of Led Zeppelin can be traced back to the British blues-influenced rock band The Yardbirds. Jimmy Page joined The Yardbirds in 1966 to play bass guitar after the original bassist, Paul Samwell-Smith, left the group. Shortly after, Jimmy Page switched from bass to second lead guitar, creating a dual-lead guitar line up with Jeff Beck. Following the departure of Jeff Beck from the group in October 1966, The Yardbirds, tired from constant touring and recording, were beginning to wind down. Jimmy Page wanted to form a supergroup with himself and Jeff Beck on guitars, and The Who's rhythm section - drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle. Vocalists Donovan, Steve Winwood and Steve Marriott were also considered for the project. The group never formed, although Jimmy Page, Beck and Moon did record a song together in 1966, "Beck's Bolero", which is featured on Beck's 1968 album, Truth.

The recording session also included bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones, who told Jimmy Page that he would be interested in collaborating with him on future projects. The Yardbirds played their final gig in July 1968. However, they were still committed to performing several concerts in Scandinavia, so drummer Jim McCarty and vocalist Keith Relf authorised Jimmy Page and bassist Chris Dreja to use the Yardbirds name to fulfil the band's obligations. Page and Dreja began putting a new line-up together. Page's first choice for lead singer, Terry Reid, declined the offer, but suggested Robert Plant, a Black Country singer he knew. Plant eventually accepted the position, recommending a drummer, John Bonham from nearby Redditch. When Dreja opted out of the project to become a photographer—he would later take the photograph that appeared on the back of Led Zeppelin's debut album—John Paul Jones, at the suggestion of his wife, contacted Jimmy Page about the vacant position. Being familiar with Jones' credentials, Page agreed to bring in Jones as the final piece. The group played together on record the first time on the final day of sessions for the P. J. Proby album, Three Week Hero.

Proby recalled, "Come the last day we found we had some studio time, so I just asked the band to play while I just came up with the words. ... They weren't Led Zeppelin at the time, they were The New Yardbirds and they were going to be my band." The band completed the Scandinavian tour as The New Yardbirds. One account of the band's naming, which has become almost legendary, has it that Keith Moon and John Entwistle suggested that a possible supergroup containing themselves, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck would go down like a lead zeppelin, a term Entwistle used to describe a bad gig. The group deliberately dropped the 'a' in Lead at the suggestion of their manager, Peter Grant, to prevent "thick Americans" from pronouncing it as "leed". Peter Grant also secured an advance deal of $200,000 from Atlantic Records in November 1968, then the biggest deal of its kind for a new band.

Atlantic was a label known for its catalogue of blues, soul and jazz artists, but in the late-1960s it began to take an interest in progressive British rock acts, and signed Led Zeppelin without having ever seen them, largely on the recommendation of singer Dusty Springfield. With their first album not yet released, Led Zeppelin made their live debut at the University of Surrey, Guildford on October 15, 1968. This was followed by a U.S. concert debut on December 26, 1968 (when promoter Barry Fey added them onto a bill in Denver, Colorado) before moving on to the west coast for dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities. Top 10 Supergroups Top 10 Supergroups REDDIT George Stroud, Getty Images As rock and roll flourished into its second era during the '60s, on the back of the Beatles ' trailblazing vision for self-contained rock groups, gifted instrumentalists began earning almost as much fame as the singers who had dominated '50s rock, backed only by anonymous sidemen.

From this development, there emerged an audience receptive to a new kind of rock band – one where established instrumental stars could move beyond the groups that originally made their name and join forces to create entirely new entities. Thus was born the “Supergroup,” and, as the following list will make evident, their peculiar intra-band dynamics were uniquely responsible for shaping their careers, and brand new qualities associated with the category. So here we go with the Top 10 Supergroups! 10 Vocalist/bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice spent the latter half of the '60s contributing to the birth of heavy metal as the rhythm section of Vanilla Fudge, later holding down the fort with the bluesier Cactus before hooking up with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in the first supergroup on our list. An established solo artist and guitar hero in his own right by this time, Beck had of course done time with The Yardbirds back in the ‘60s and apparently frequently crossed paths with Bogert and Appice over the years, setting the stage for this musical merger.

The trio spent most of 1973 touring across the globe in support of their sole, eponymous album, but dissolved early the next year while attempting to record its follow-up – setting an all too common one-and-done precedent for many of the groups listed below. Almost lost to the vagaries of time and overshadowed by the towering monolith that is 'Don’t Stop Believing,' it’s now easy to forget that Journey started out as a Santana splinter group, dedicated to performing portentous art rock instead of radio-friendly AOR. The band was masterminded in 1973 by Santana manager Herbie Herbert, who coaxed vocalist/keyboardist Gregg Rolie and guitarist Neal Schon away from Carlos, bassist Ross Valory and rhythm guitarist George Tickner out of psych outfit Frumious Bandersnatch, then corralled journeyman drummer Aynsley Dunbar (ex-Mothers, Retaliation, Jeff Beck Group, etc.) into the fold.

And, while Journey’s first three albums didn’t lack for the occasional, muso-pleasing highlight, the group didn’t truly become ‘super’ in the commercial sense until sole survivors Schon and Valory brought in new singer Steve Perry towards the end of the decade, ushering the arena-conquering second phase of their career. Another one-and-done supergroup, with but one eponymous 1969 LP to its name, the aptly named Blind Faith proved something of a spur-of-the-moment hangover for former Cream members Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, who teamed up with precocious Spencer Davis Group and Traffic alum Steve Winwood , plus the comparatively un-legendary Ric Grech (also Traffic, Family, later Baker’s Air Force). That album nevertheless handily claimed the #1 spot on both the US and UK charts, yielded a few all-time classic tunes (Winwood’s 'Can’t Find My Way Home,' Clapton’s 'Presence of the Lord'), and even sparked a ton of controversy with its provocative cover art photo, featuring a much-too-young girl, naked, holding a phallic-looking automobile hood ornament.

Yes, we’re still trying to figure out the thought process behind that one, too. Boasting four egos so large not even a continent-sized name seemed big enough to contain them, Asia assembled the considerable talents of reformed prog rockers, vocalist/bassist John Wetton (King Crimson, Roxy Music, Wishbone Ash and others), guitarist Steve Howe ( Yes ), keyboardist Geoff Downes (Yes, The Buggles) and drummer Carl Palmer (the ‘P’ in ELP, Atomic Rooster, etc.). Together, they proceeded to celebrate surviving the ravages of punk rock with some relatively ‘light entertainment,’ in the shape of sleek, bombastic ‘80s AOR. A stunning departure from their shared, overwrought musical past, the quartet’s blockbuster 1982 debut took off like a shot, on the strength of several arena rock hit singles and music videos eagerly replayed again and again on the nascent MTV. But they almost as quickly disintegrated upon reentry into the stratosphere, leaving fans coughing in a cloud of debris and hubris for decades thereafter – suffice to say that two competing versions of the band are currently on the road. Mr.

Clapton’s second (and not even final) appearance on this list was ironically conceived under the Derek & the Dominoes pseudonym specifically to avoid supergroup connotations. But with bad-ass session men like drummer Jim Gordon (Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, and countless others), keyboardist Bobby Whitlock (a former Stax regular) and bassist Carl Radle (Delaney, Bonnie & Friends) lending their considerable talents, alongside some red-headed dude on slide guitar named ‘Skydog’ (er, Duane Allman!), there was no chance in hell of that happening. Heck, even the producer in charge of 1970’s ‘Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs’ – recording technology pioneer Tom Dowd – added some more ‘super’ to this super bunch; and while ‘Layla’ also proved to be yet another one-off LP (albeit a double) and no Dominoes tour ever took place, that curious bogus named still reverberates louder down the years than many, non-invented monikers in rock.

When the names of those involved are so imposing they supersede an actual, you know, band name, then you’re usually treading on supergroup terrain, my friends, and perhaps no band epitomized this mythical epoch when musical dinosaurs walked the earth as overtly as Emerson, Lake & Palmer – ELP for short. Assembled in 1970, the trio’s impressive resumés already included stints with The Nice (Emerson), King Crimson (Lake), Atomic Rooster and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (Palmer), and yet all these credentials would soon pale ‘neath the sun-obfuscating prog-symphonic excess to follow. By the time ELP ground to halt towards the decade’s end (via the derisory ‘Love Beach’ LP), entire cities had been razed to the ground, fundamental human decency compromised, and even a few laws of physics (never mind good taste) brought into question. Let’s just say you could probably lay at least 30% of the blame for punk rock’s emergence and censorious retort upon ELP’s magniloquent musical endeavors.

Another product of 1973 (possibly the apex year in supergroup history?), Bad Company not only fulfilled all key supergroup requirements by matching Free’s Paul Rodgers (vocals) and Simon Kirke (drums) with Mott the Hoople’s Mick Ralphs (guitar) and King Crimson’s Boz Burrell (bass), but, as the first artists signed to the Swan Song imprint, satisfied the egos of Led Zeppelin, to boot. If only all those involved, including Zep manager/enforcer, Peter Grant, could have known how tragically prescient the label’s falling Icarus logo would prove, before too long. Contrary to most of the other bands on this list, however, Bad Company’s music was of course distinguished by its unassuming, almost Spartan simplicity. But before you get excited and credit this humbler aesthetic for the band’s relative longevity by supergroup standards (ten years and six albums), don’t forget ELP hung around just as long. Even by the loftiest supergroup standards, The Travelling Wilburys almost exceed definition in human terms.

Spanning several generations of rock and roll royalty, The Wilburys included (better sit, now), one vintage ‘50s rocker in Roy Orbison, one folk-rock messiah in Bob Dylan , one Beatle (ferchrissake!) in George Harrison, one of America’s favorite singer/songwriters of the ‘70s and ‘80s in Tom Petty , and one symphonic rock-genius-cum-producer-to-the-stars in Jeff Lynne. Oh yeah, and some dude called Jim Keltner sat in on drums. Good God! Needless to say, such a jaw-dropping assemblage of musical talent on this humble mortal coil clearly tipped the hand of fate, forcing some higher power to reset the cosmic balance by sadly calling Orbison home prior to the Wilburys second LP; but it’s some small consolation to us all that musical history had already been made by their first album. Dang, and the ‘Y’ is almost optional!

Not to immediately nullify our barefaced blubbering over supergroup #3, but David Crosby (of The Byrds), Stephen Stills (of Buffalo Springfield and the also seminal Kooper, Bloomfield & Stills ‘Super Session’) & Graham Nash (of The Hollies) – plus their sometimes partner Neil motherfriggin’ Young – may epitomize the supergroup, above all other contenders. No, they weren’t the first or most enduring, but theirs was arguably the first collection of individual names – not a band name – to be given top billing in rock. What’s more, as their heavenly vocal harmonies swarmed radio waves and wafted over Max Yasgur’s farm during the Woodstock Festival (their second gig ever!), CSNY was arguably more responsible than any other entity for first introducing the supergroup concept into the mainstream conscience.

Though absent from the band’s classic first LP, Young had joined in time for Woodstock, went on to participate in 1970’s sophomore ‘Déjà Vu’ album, and, before year’s end, joined in the mutual egomaniacal implosion that scattered all four members to the winds of solo careers, marked by intermittent reunions that have kept both the CSN and CSNY brands chugging along over the ensuing decades. When you’re dealing with so many rock and roll deities, sometimes the only course of action in choosing #1 is to start at the very beginning, with the ensemble generally acknowledged as the world’s first rock supergroup, Cream. Formed in 1966, the original ‘power trio’ literally comprised ‘the cream’ of Swinging London’s instrumentally-accomplished musical elite, having been conceived as a custom-built vehicle for none other than ‘GOD’ – as former Yardbirds and Bluesbreaker guitarist Eric Clapton had by then been anointed – and Graham Bond Organization alums Jack Bruce (vocalist, songwriter and bassist extraordinaire) and Ginger Baker (a versatile drummer as proficient with rock and R&B as he was jazz and other , more exotic styles).

Over the course of just three years and four, almost universally acclaimed albums (the first and last had their flaws, but second and third efforts, ‘Disraeli Gears’ and ‘Wheels of Fire,’ remain utterly essential), Cream would also go on to define virtually all of the chart-topping highs (thanks to timeless singles like 'Sunshine of your Love' and 'Badge,' etc.) and self-indulgent lows (see their seemingly endless, ego-driven on-stage jams and solo sections) of the supergroup life cycle, plus every triumph and pitfall in between. Hence their presence at the top of this list, as they were at the dawn of the supergroup era. What's Your Favorite Supergroup? Did we list your favorite supergroup too low, or perhaps not at all? Well, don't take it lying down! Let us know who we missed or misplaced in the comments section below. Yardbirds Discuss Their Hey-Day Years With Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page Yardbirds Discuss Their Hey-Day Years With Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page {{article.article.images.featured.caption}} Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Full Bio The author is a Forbes contributor.

The opinions expressed are those of the writer. Loading ... Loading ... This story appears in the {{article.article.magazine.pretty_date}} issue of {{article.article.magazine.pubName}}. Subscribe With hits like For Your Love, Shapes Of Things and Heart Full Of Soul, The Yardbirds were one of the most influential of the early 1960s blues-rock bands. They also enjoyed the distinction of having three of the world’s great guitarists – Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page – in the band at various times. Clapton joined in 1963 but left because the group was becoming “too commercial.” Beck replaced him in 1965, and later Page dropped in before forming Led Zeppelin. In 1992, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Of late, two Yardbirds original members – Chris Dreja (rhythm guitar) and Jim McCarty (drums) – have resurrected the group to tour in various incarnations. I caught up with them for some rock history trivia. Following are edited excerpts from a fascinating conversation.

The Yardbirds, late 1960s (left to right): Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja,Jimmy Page, Keith Relf. (Photo courtesy of The Yardbirds) Jim Clash: The Yardbirds toured with The Beatles in the day, correct? Chris Dreja: In the early sixties, they used to come to London for a Christmas show. We were the local London band, so they invited us to be part of it. We played with them every day for a week. They were the great, the fully formed characters we know now. John Lennon was the bright, in-your-face guy; Paul McCartney was charming; Ringo [Starr] was the funny one; and George [Harrison], the quiet one, got on very well with Eric [Clapton]. In those days, as fellow performers, we had unlimited access. They used to come to our dressing room and try out new songs. Paul played something called Scrambled Eggs for us that later turned into Yesterday. We knew that once he got the lyrics right, it was going to be very nice. Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja (far right), two founding members of The Yardbirds, with the band's recent lineup.

(Photo courtesy of The Yardbirds) Jim Clash: You worked with Clapton, Beck and Page. What do you recall about each? Top 10 Yardbirds Songs Top 10 Yardbirds Songs REDDIT John Pratt, Hulton Archive, Getty Images The Yardbirds ‘ storied history often overshadows the great music the band made during their five-year run. Like many of their British contemporaries, they started as a pure blues group, covering songs by the American blues legends they worshiped. But they maintained a not-so-secret weapon throughout their career: three great guitarists, starting with Eric Clapton , who got fed up with the Yardbirds’ sporadic pop success and quit. He was replaced by Jeff Beck , who, in turn, was replaced by Jimmy Page . After one album with the band, Page restructured them with a new singer, bass player and drummer and initially called them the New Yardbirds before settling on Led Zeppelin . Our list of the Top 10 Yardbirds Songs emphasizes the music, not the history, but all three guitar gods are represented. 10

Question: Which super group were originally called the 'New Yardbirds'
Answer: Led Zeppelin