Originally a blues-based band noted for their signature "rave-up" instrumental breaks, the Yardbirds broadened their range into pop, pioneering psychedelic rock and early hard rock; and contributed to many electric guitar innovations of the mid-1960s. Some rock critics and historians also cite their influence on the later punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal trends. Following the band's split in 1968, Relf and McCarty formed the acoustic-duo Together, and then later Renaissance, a progressive rock group memorable for being heavily influenced by medieval instruments and sound, and guitarist Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin - the latter of which was initially intended as a direct successor to the Yardbirds. Dreja was first invited to play guitar in the new group, then known as "The New Yardbirds", however he turned it down, opting to become a photographer instead. He captured the back cover of Led Zeppelin's first album.
The band formed in the south-west London suburbs in 1963. Relf and Samwell-Smith were originally in a band named the Metropolitan Blues Quartet. After being joined by Dreja, McCarty and Top Topham, they performed at Kingston Art School in late May 1963 as a backup band for Cyril Davies. Following a couple of gigs in September 1963 as the Blue-Sounds, they changed their name to the Yardbirds. McCarty claims that Relf was the first to use the name; he may have got it from Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road, where it referred to rail yard hobos. He adds that Topham identified it as a nickname for jazz saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker.
The quintet achieved notice on the burgeoning British rhythm and blues scene when they took over as the house band at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, succeeding the Rolling Stones. Their repertoire drew from the Chicago blues of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James, including "Smokestack Lightning", "Good Morning Little School Girl", "Boom Boom", "I Wish You Would", "Rollin' and Tumblin'", "Got Love if You Want It" and "I'm a Man".
Original lead guitarist Topham left and was replaced by Eric Clapton in October 1963. Crawdaddy Club impresario Giorgio Gomelsky became the Yardbirds manager and first record producer. Under Gomelsky's guidance the Yardbirds toured Britain as the back-up band for blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson II in December 1963 and early 1964, recording live tracks on 8 December and other dates. The recordings would be released two years later during the height of the Yardbirds popularity on the album Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds.
After the tours with Williamson, the Yardbirds signed to EMI's Columbia label in February 1964, and recorded more live tracks on 20 March at the legendary Marquee Club in London. The resulting album of mostly American blues and R&B covers, Five Live Yardbirds, was released by Columbia nine months later, and it failed to enter the UK Albums Chart. Over time, Five Live gained stature as one of the few high-quality live recordings of the era and as a historical document of both the British rock and roll boom of the 1960s and Clapton's time in the band.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. They were included at number 89 in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" and ranked number 37 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
The Yardbirds re-formed in the 1990s, featuring drummer Jim McCarty and rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja as the only original members. In 2003, the Yardbirds released the album "Birdland" featuring original personnel Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja, along with contributions from Jeff Beck, and John Idan replacing Relf on lead vocals.
Dreja left the band in 2012, leaving McCarty as the sole original member of the band in the present lineup.
Along with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds were part of the British blues scene of the 1960s. As the blues rock genre developed, some acts like Chicken Shack were playing a louder and more aggressive style, while the Yardbirds emphasized instrumental textures and extended instrumental improvisations. They covered blues classics like Howlin' Wolf's Smokestack Lightning (1956) and Bo Diddley's I'm a Man (1955) which had a repetitive structure where instrumental solos were brief breaks between repetition of verses. The Yardbirds often extended these instrumental sections into "heavy jams", known as 'rave-ups'.
Train Kept A-Rollin'
The Yardbirds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met a dame
She was a hipster
Man a real gone dame
She wasn't pretty
For New York City
As we strut down on that ol' fairlane
With a heave and a hoI just couldn't let her go
Get along
Sweet little woman get along
On your way
Get along
Sweet little woman get along
On your way
With a heave and a ho
I just couldn't let her go
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
With a heave and a ho
I just couldn't let her go
I made a stop round Albuquerque
She must'a thought I was real gone jerk
Got off the train at El Paso
A' looking so good I couldn't let her go
With a heave and a ho
I just couldn't let her go
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train kept a rollin' all night long
With a heave and a ho
I just couldn't let her go
The Yardbirds's song "The Train Kept a-Rollin'" is a classic rock and roll song that describes a train journey and a chance encounter with a woman. The lyrics tell the story of the singer meeting a woman on board the train, who he describes as a "real gone dame" or a hipster. She may not be conventionally pretty for New York City, but she still captivates the singer. He takes her for a ride in his car, and he just can't let her go.
The rest of the song involves the singer and the woman traveling on the train through the night, with a chorus proclaiming that the "train kept a rollin' all night long." The singer describes making a stop in Albuquerque, where the woman seems to think he's a "real gone jerk," but he is undeterred. They eventually get off the train in El Paso, and the singer can't bear to part with this woman who has caught his eye.
Line by Line Meaning
Aboard a train
I met a woman while travelling on a train
I met a dame
I met a woman
She was a hipster
She was cool and fashionable
Man a real gone dame
She was a very cool woman
She wasn't pretty
She wasn't conventionally attractive
For New York City
By New York City standards
As we strut down on that ol' fairlane
As we walked down the aisle of the train car
With a heave and a ho
With a lot of effort
I just couldn't let her go
I couldn't bring myself to leave her behind
Get along
Move on
Sweet little woman get along
Move on, sweet woman
On your way
Keep moving forward
The train kept a rollin' all night long
The train continued to move without stopping throughout the night
I made a stop round Albuquerque
I briefly stopped in Albuquerque
She must'a thought I was real gone jerk
She must have thought I was not a good person
Got off the train at El Paso
I left the train at El Paso
A' looking so good I couldn't let her go
She looked so good that I couldn't leave her behind
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Howie Kay, Lois Mann, Tiny Bradshaw
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrMaxtefarian
I saw the Yardbirds perfrom this song with Jeff Beck on lead and Jimmy Page on bass - at an old skating rink with a stage elevated about one foot. Long hair, wide whale corduroys, military jackets with gold epaulets and wind milling guitar chords. Still my favorite rock and roll experience.
@jeremybrown7470
My you saw early pink Floyd song?
@jedirocha873
@@jeremybrown7470
5631 w stack dr Milwaukee WI 5321
@jedirocha873
5631 w stack dr Milwaukee WI 53219
@rickb4806
Wow.
@cm9241
this guy is probably dead now. damn
@halbiggiam3320
Blues lovers everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to The Yardbirds and the British Invasion in the 1960s.
@JessmanCA
This is a cover of an American blues song from the 1950s
@omegajrz1269
@@JessmanCAAlmost everything the British did in the 50s, 60s and 70s was covers or imitations of American songs.
@baconbeatles2790
@@omegajrz1269 Have you ever heard of The Beatles?