The Yardbirds

The Yardbirds laid the foundation for everything from psychedelia to hard rock, thanks to their famous guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. Clapton was a blues devotee who left the band when they started heading in a more psychedelic direction. Beck then joined the group, bringing with him heavy distortion and more experimental sounds. Page was later added to the lineup, leading to a short period of twin guitar glory before Beck was forced out in 1966. Page took the band in a heavier direction, foreshadowing what occurred when The Yardbirds unraveled and he formed Led Zeppelin. The man known as the guitarist's guitarist soars beyond his blues rock roots. Jeff Beck's inventive use of distortion with The Yardbirds sent shockwaves through his '60s peers, while his solo work finds him redefining what can be done with six strings and an amplifier. Executing chunky riffing and blistering solos without a pick, his fingers summon a sonic maelstrom with a soulful center. The Yardbirds were a band with a split personality. A sift through their albums shows them to be tightly focused blues purists—doling out the muscular R&B of “Drinking Muddy Water”—who would also indulge in the sweet power pop of “Ha! Ha! Said the Clown,” the folkish introspection of “Puzzles,” and the exploratory freakbeat of “He's Always There.”