Without whom, nothing... - The Yardbirds!

Third musical post, third category! 'Without whom, nothing...' will shine a light on bands that came to shape music as we know it, for whatever reason. First up, 'The Yardbirds'!

Who
The Yardbirds were one of the most important blues bands of the 60's, and they kickstarted a ton of careers. Formed as 'The Metropolitan blues quartet' in 1962, this London-based band started out as so many of the 'white blues' bands of the 60's did: by extensively covering their blues heroes. In the case of the Yardbirds, the early repertoire included songs by such blues luminaries as Muddy Waters and Elmore James. This wouldn't have set them apart from so many other blues bands of the time, if not for the fact that in early 1963 they would be joined by a man who would record some of the best music of the 60's. This man was the first in a line of famous guitarplayers, the true legacy of The Yardbirds.

Guitarplayer #1
Step right up, Mr. Eric Clapton.
Clapton had already started developing his signature style in the band The Roosters, and his great playing brought the Yardbirds to the upper echelon of blues bands at the time. With Clapton's playing at the forefront, the group released some quality singles. Then came their first real hit, 'For your love', written by Graham Gouldman (later of 10CC fame). But this heralded a change for the band. Clapton was not interested in pop-rock such as 'For your love', he was interested in one thing: The blues. Since the Yardbirds wanted to go in a more pop-oriented direction, Clapton opted to leave and soon after he joined John Mayall's blues breakers. Later in his career, he would play in such influential blues and rock bands as Cream, Derek & The Dominoes, Delaney & Bonnie and Blind Faith. Upon leaving, Clapton recommended that the band hire studio musician Jimmy Page to replace him. Page was unavailable though, and didn't wish to be tied down to any certain group. He in turn recommended the man who would bring the Yardbirds one step further to lasting stardom: Jeff Beck.

Guitarplayer #2
Beck brought a whole new style of playing to the Yardbirds. He was interested in experimenting with different pedals, feedback and distortion, and somehow this fit in perfectly with the rest of the band. The music changed, and the band were suddenly hailed as great innovators of psychedelia and 'garage rock'. During Beck's tenure in the band, great songs such as 'Shapes of things' and 'Still I'm sad' brought the group all the exposure they could want. Beck in turn was voted 'best guitarplayer of 1966' in several publications, and his work in the Yardbirds helped inspire some of the great players of the late 60's, such as one James Marshall Hendrix. During Beck's tenure, the band's bassplayer opted for a producer role instead, and this time the band succeeded in bringing in Jimmy Page to replace him.

Guitarplayer(s) #2 & #3
Page started out playing bass to replace the departed Paul Samwell-Smith, but as soon as rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja was ready to play bass, Page and Beck formed a lethal double-guitar attack. Occasionally, bass arrangements for songs would be so complicated that the band relied on session bassist John Paul Jones. Unfortunately the period where both guitar-players were in the band was shortlived, as Beck was fired during a tour of the US. Page was now the lead guitarist, and just like Beck before him, he was very interested in creating something noone else had heard at the time. He experimented with wah-wah pedals and violin bow-on-guitar playing, and helped create yet another sound for the Yardbirds. But soon, the Yardbirds would be no more. The band nearly imploded under the pressure of stardom, but Page had signed a contract to play concerts on a Scandinavian tour. He needed a whole new band to surround him. After asking super-singer Terry Reid to fill in for Keith Relf but getting turned down, Page was recommended then unknown singer Robert Plant. He was also recommended drummer John Bonham, by new manager Peter Grant. To fill in the bass position, Page called old friend John Paul Jones.

Wait, don't I know this band ?
They went on the road in Scandinavia as 'The New Yardbirds', and the foursome instantly clicked. A lawsuit from Keith Relf would prevent them from keeping on using the Yardbirds moniker, so they took what was initially a joke name - Led Zeppelin. The rest, as they say, is history. Led Zep would become one of the biggest bands in rock music history, and ironically would display much more blues in their music than the Yardbirds did since Clapton left. In their first year, Zeppelin would often tear off a Yardbirds song as an encore.

This leads to...
If not for the Yardbirds, no Led Zeppelin, and likely no Cream, Derek & The Dominos etc, etc.
The band were hugely influential in their lifetime, and have also left a lasting legacy.
In 1992 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame, and all 3 famous guitarists shared the stage for the occasion. A new album was recorded in 2003 ('Birdland'), featuring mostly new members.

Today, the Yardbirds are out there again (minus any of the famous guitarplayers), playing the blues and showcasing their great catalogue of songs. Their influence is still felt in bands like White Stripes and still-active contemporaries like Vanilla Fudge.

Best
An abundance to choose from! Personally I would recommend 'Over, under, sideways, down' or 'For your love'. But hey, most things they released up till the group's first breakup in 1968 is essential for blues/60's rock fans. With the Yardbird's pre-breakup output, there is NO worst!