artist british
The Yardbirds
1963–1968 · London
The British blues laboratory that passed through Clapton, Beck and Page, turning Chicago repertoire toward feedback, riffs and hard rock.
The Yardbirds began close to the London blues circuit but became more important as an experiment engine. Eric Clapton represented blues purism; Jeff Beck pushed noise, sustain and texture; Jimmy Page carried the final lineup’s weight into the formation of Led Zeppelin.
Few bands make the transition from British blues to blues rock and hard rock so visible. In the graph, they are a hinge rather than a destination.
Part of
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Blues Rock
genreElectric blues stretched to rock volume: riffs, solos and amplifiers turned Chicago forms into the core grammar of late-1960s rock.
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British Invasion
genreBritish guitar groups returned American blues and rock 'n' roll to the US charts as a new pop language: Beatles melody, Stones grit, mod attack.
Sources
- Life — Keith Richards with James Fox (2010). Little, Brown and Company · Book
- Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: Pop from the Beginning — Nik Cohn (1969). Weidenfeld & Nicolson · Book
- Led Zeppelin: The Oral History of the World's Greatest Rock Band — Barney Hoskyns (2012). Wiley · Book
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