“Shapes Of Things” / “You’re A Better Man Than I” (Columbia DB 7848) February 1966

The Yardbirds | Shapes Of Things | (Columbia) 1966 | A very unusual song this, written by Paul, Keith and Jim. Very “almost protest” (sorry!) – about not quite knowing what to expect next. Rather frightening, really.

It’s done with a fuzz box sort of effort that makes it sound as though it was recorded in a shoe-box. Has a very solid beat, and a terrifically angry break in the middle. It’s very good, but the tune is hard to pick-up. Be a hit though.

Other side is “You’re A Better Man Than I” (Disc Weekly, 19/02/66)

Folk fan Sam hopes to convert other Yardbirds!

ALMOST exactly a year ago, Keith Relf told me that the Yardbirds would play more pop music and less of the r-and-b that had made them famous. That worked fine, as the charts and a growing fan club will show. That experiment having been proved successful, they plan to dabble now with the world of folk.

Paul Samwell-Smith is a great folk fan. Dylan, to him, is IT. It is no doubt due to his persuasion and eagerness that the Yardbirds are seriously considering folk for recording purposes.

“Keith wants to do folk numbers,” he told me. “Chris’ll do it, Jeff especially doesn’t like folk numbers and he is an important part of us. We’ll do a couple of numbers on the next LP. It’ll probably be ready in two months, three months, because we haven’t done it yet.”

Sam and I were in a large lounge close to the West London Air Terminal. The sounds of a secretary speaking in French, a guitar being played, a coffee cup being dropped and two telephones continually ringing filtered through to us from the rest of the flat.

“Jackie De Shannon has written a song for me,” said Sam almost absently. ”It’s called ‘Green Trees’. We were talking for hours and hours and we have the same ideas about music. She adores Dylan and so do I.

“He’s lost the simplicity and charm. The genius of simplicity he had on things like ‘Girl From The North Country’. The last good thing he wrote, and probably the best, was ‘Tambourine Man’. I don’t know how a person that can write a thing like that can write the things he’s doing now. I just adored the simplicity and beauty of things like ‘Song To Woody’.”

Could Sam give any reason which might explain Dylan’s recent change of style?

“He probably got bored with people liking him.” Sam opined. “It was a bit sick the way people went for him. A big Dylan cult sprang up. It was all very sudden. I haven’t met him to discuss things with him. I’m meeting him in March.

“I do like Donovan, he’s got a lot of talent. It’s a pity the way he’s copied Dylan. I love ‘Turquoise’.“

DEMOS

Sam lit another cigarette and asked me if I’d heard Bob Lind’s “Elusive Butterfly”. He added: “I’ve got a lot of his demos. He’s a folk singer, but not with all the long hair bit. He might have by the time he comes over here, though. I’d have to guess at his age — he’s about twenty-one, nineteen.”

‘Elusive Butterfly’ is very beautiful. ‘Mr. Zero’ is very good. It’s not been recorded by anyone yet, not even by him, unless he’s put it on his LP. He’s been playing in clubs quite a while now.”

He went over to a chest and opened it to reveal a record player. Remarking that he’d have to be careful as there was a new needle on the machine, he played “Elusive Butterfly”, occasionally turning the controls to get the best possible sound effect.

“I think it does stand a good chance here,” he commented when the record finished. But I don’t know. The last thing I liked was ‘Sound Of Silence’ and that got nowhere. I think the public may have gone off the folk thing altogether. I’m talking in terms of wanting to buy it.”

MOURNFUL

He handed me the words and music of ”Mr. Zero” and fished out a demo of the song. As it played. I noticed the mournful quality of the words and wondered how a boy so young could write such sad lyrics. The mood was very sad and taken at almost a funeral pace.

“It’s gotta be done over here.” he said. ”We might do it. I suppose. It’s difficult to avoid the Byrds’ treatment on a thing like that. I’ve got a thing I might do as a solo, but not yet.”

In jeans, black leather boots, suede Texas-style jacket and khaki-coloured shirt, with curly unkempt hair and vague side-burns, Sam could himself have been a folk singer as he sat staring at the fire, singing softly to the lyrics of Lind’s records, his head resting on his hand and a cigarette dangling carelessly from his fingers.

DEADLOCK

The last strains of “Mr. Zero” died away and we began talking about the Yardbirds’ latest trip to America. Their first visit had ended in almost total deadlock with unions.

“There was union trouble again,” Sam revealed. “We were only allowed to do three TV shows. We had all the visas lined up before we went, but when a man came hack from being ill, he didn’t agree and cancelled a lot of things. The visas had been issued by his deputy.

“We played for three nights at the Hullabaloo Club on the Strip in Hollywood. The sound there was immaculate — the best sound we’ve ever had, except from the Marquee Club, London. One night we had three thousand people in.

“The RCA studio in Hollywood is a very good studio. We did the hacking for ‘Paff Bum’ by going ‘ba ba ba’ and it sounded like a chorus. In some studios. you play well and the sound is tinny. The Rolling Stones recorded ’19th Nervous Breakdown’ at RCA. I don’t like the sound they’ve got on the record though. We did ‘Shapes Of Things’ there.”

With all the current fuss about Ravi Shankar and the sitar, I asked Sam if the sitar sound towards the end of ‘Shapes Of Things’ had been intentional.

“We used a sitar on ‘Heart Full Of Soul‘, but not on the final record,” he replied. “It was Georgio’s idea. On ‘Shapes Of Things’ it’s just Jeff’s feed-back, that’s all.”

ANTI-BRITISH

Things didn’t go all that well for the Yardbirds at the San Remo Song Festival. Various reports filtered through to London about the organisation and anti-British feeling. I asked Sam just what had happened to the group.

“The first song, ‘Questa Volta’ was written by Bobby Solo and was really very much in the early Elvis Presley style, like ‘Don’t’, and it suited him very well but for us it was wrong.” he began. “We played badly and it just didn’t go down well. The Italian TV people gave us just one mike apart from the one for the singer.

“The second night. ‘Paff Bum’ was much better. It was very much the same riff as ‘Sloopy’. We did quite well I think and we very nearly got into the final with it. The chap who did it with us was very tiny, about four feet nothing. He was a great chap, with a beard. Very short, but stocky. He came on and sang his heart out.

IMPRESSED

“We played at a party on Saturday night in our hotel and a lot of the Press and a lot of the artistes were there to hear us. We played very well and everybody was very impressed. One of the female contestants wanted us to go on TV with her.

“There’s not so much an anti-British feeling as an anti-long hair attitude in Italy. The Roman Catholic parents don’t like their children to like that sort of thing. Long hair is supposed to be immoral, in the general sense, not in the sexual sense.

“At least we got through to the Press and the young people that managed to see us. It was mainly old people. very middle-class and very wealthy. Seats were about £25 each. In our hotel, a beer cost six and six! We will play again in Italy, on TV and maybe a few clubs and concerts. The contest was unfortunate, but we managed to get through to enough people.” (Record Mirror, 26/02/66)

Yardbirds’ solo discs

THREE of the Yardbirds, including singer Keith Relf, arc to make solo records. Manager Georgio Gomelsky is discussing his plans with them and hopes to begin recording shortly. Keith will make the Bob Lind composition“Mr. Zero” which the group brought back with them from America in January. The song is in a similar vein to “Elusive Butterfly”.

Paul Samwell-Smith, who produces the Yardbirds’ records with Gomelski, vocalist for “Green Trees”. The number was specially written for him by Jackie De Shannon – again while the group were in the States. It is planned to use among the backing instruments a French horn and a Hungarian instrument rather like a piano which is played by striking it with sticks.

Lead guitarist Jeff Beck will record an instrumental number, but it has not yet been decided what the material will be. Said Gomelsky: “We are writing a rock and roll symphony as well. This is part of the expansion of the group and pop music. We have progressed beyond r-and-b and are always experimenting with new ideas.”

Relf and Samwell-Smith will be completing their records within the next three weeks and, providing release arrangements are tied up, will be issued in late April or early May.

After their “Ready Steady Go” stint In Paris – on April 1, the Yardbirds fly to Copenhagen for concerts (6 and 7). They then visit Germany and Belgium for similar dates before returning to England. (Record Mirror, 19/03/66)

IT’ s nice to see THE YARD-BIRDS in the charts with “For Your Love”. I went to see them at the Marquee earlier this week. The new guitarist JEFF BECK is great and had the audience up in arms yelling for more. This is pretty unusual for a Monday night crowd. I noticed T-BONE WALKER in the audience, obviously digging what was happening. Sharing the bill with the Yardbirds were the under-rated MARK LEEMAN FIVE. They set the place jumping when they opened up with “Baby Please Don’t Do It” and kept the pace going, varying their programme nicely. They were unearthed by members of MANFRED MANN. (Music Echo, 20/03/66)

YARDBIRDS: must we jump about on stage to please the fans?

PEOPLE ARE APT to nod their heads knowingly when the name of the Yardbirds is mentioned. “Ah yes,” they say, “A very good group.” But show them a picture of a cheery faced tall boy in a £10 furry coat and it’s doubtful whether they would recognise him as Chris Dreja.

“Keith and Jeff” said Chris thoughtfully as they sat with Paul Samwell-Smith in a Kensington pub last week, “yes,—they have got images. But the rest of us aren’t really known as personalities. “Of course Paul, Jim and I have personalities. Well,” he said threateningly over his beer, “We HAVE, haven’t we?

“I,” said Paul Samwell-Smith with a tinge of doom in his voice, “am very disillusioned about being a pop star.

“I thought it meant that the audiences knew what you were trying to do and appreciated it. But all they want you to do is leap around and smile. I won’t leap about and smile,” he said —and smiled.

This dreadful searching for separate identification is one thing that has led the Yardbirds to split up on records. “People are being very peculiar about this separate recording thing,” said Chris.

“All it means is that if we do a date we’ll do Keith’s song, or Paul’s as part of the act.”

The next question is—when will the Yardbirds have time to do separate recordings? It’s a well known fact that they rarely find time to record their own singles, never mind anything else.

“Yes they’re all yelling about our next LP,” said Paul. “And if we don’t do something soon as a group I’ll go off my head. I’m already waking up in the morning and reaching for the whisky bottle!

“But the Yardbirds basically don’t have the time—and are, basically, just lazy!” (Disc Weekly, 26/03/66)

KEITH: Back in His Own Back Yardbird!

JUST as the Beatles have turned Weybridge and Esher into the “Beatle Belt” of Surrey, so Teddington and Mosely are becoming the “Yardbird Beat”. This week, Keith Relf and April, his wife of just a month, are settling down to married bliss in a comfortable modern flat overlooking the River Thames at Teddington.

“At long last we’ve found a place of our own,” Keith announced joyfully, when he brought his shy attractive young bride into London the other day.

“I’ve never liked living in town. I can’t stand the hustle and bustle of sound all the time.”

By moving from what Keith described as “our pad in Bayswater” the Relfs become near neighbours of Yardies Paul and Jim, and the Drejas (Chris and wife, Pat).

“It makes it easier for us all,” he went on. “Now our van can pick us up for dates in one go. It was convenient living in town for some reasons, but I was spending a small fortune in taxis and always being recognised anyway. Besides, the air’s better in the country!”

FAN POPULARITY

What about Keith’s popularity with the fans now?

“It’s still a bit early to judge. It must affect me to a certain extent. I expect there’ll be a slight dropping off—but pop marriages have become generally accepted these days,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Relfs are saving like mad and carefully planning furnishings for their new home —and Keith’s art training and study of antiques will come in handy.

“Despite what people may believe, I’m not that rich,” he grinned. “We may have had four consecutive top ten hits (including two Number Ones), but a lot of our cash is tied up in the group. For example, we own all our equipment and the bandwagon.

“I’m still the only Yardbird without a car. But only because I haven’t had time to take a test!”

Being without transport means Keith and April will have plenty of time in their new home.

“l’m not a mad club-goer. Once in a while, perhaps. We’d sooner stay in and watch TV.”

Romance has taken quite a hold on the group. With Chris and Keith married, and Paul and “Ready Steady Go!” girl Rosie Simons “very close,” only the debonaire Jim McCarty clings to confirmed bachelorhood.

SOLO SINGLES

What is the story behind the Yardbirds cutting solo records?

Said Keith: “We’ve realised during the last two or three weeks that the poor Yardbirds are imagelcss. And it’s all a bit worrying. So we’re concentrating on the development of individual personalities to create a group image.

“I don’t think we lack fans. The success of our records has shown this. But we want people to be really impressed by the Yardbirds.”

“Instead, now, I’ll be cutting Bob’s ‘Mr. Zero.’ Sam’s got a Jackie De Shannon song in mind—and Jeff’s written one for himself with an orchestrated introduction.

“The others—Chris and Jim—have this weird sense of humour which they want to put on record.” All these items, Keith explained, would be worked into their stage act somehow or other. (Disc Weekly, 09/04/66)