I do love Page's spontaneous improvisations here. Awesome and genial! And I don't mind Relf being "slightly" influenced :} Even while being slightly drunk, he wasn't so out of key as some other singers are (while being completely sober).
This isn’t that bad, you guys… It’s clearly resulting from a lack of vocal monitors, which was a problem in those days. Yeah, he was probably drunk as well, but Keith, while not the flashiest vocalist in the British rock&r’n’blues scene, WAS a decent and iconic singer. I’d been go so far as to say that he was one of those pioneering baritones that influenced the gothic rock scene! HEART FULL OF SOUL & EVIL HEARTED YOU??? C’mon!!
This is so rare. Lots of cool footage of Pagey. He’s really showing his guitar licks here. Keith doesn’t sound too good, maybe drunk? Of course the P.A. system is sh-t. If this is April 67, there was a little over a year left and the band would call it quits and Page would get to work putting together Led Zep.
Keith seems a bit drunk here...which is sad, because he really was a great frontman. The story goes that after Beck left and Page joined, Keith got progressively less professional, coming onstage for gigs drunk, singing at the wrong breaks...which presaged the end of the band. The sad thing to me is that all the way through, the Yardbirds were a really good band. Not just because of the Clapton-Beck-Page lineage, but just look at the catalogue of songs that go from the beginning of the band to the end. And Keith Relf was the vocalist for all of that. The members changed, Keith stayed the same, and the Yardbirds stayed avant garde and good. In retrospect, I wish Keith had appreciated that. Because he was a good vocalist.
Thanks for the interesting backstory that I would not seek on my own. Given that I like non-mainstream music (alternative rock, gothic, hardcore, etc.) .... so many of the 'rock stars' seemed so embarrassing in their conduct. What they had to say of merit was in the songs. No need to read about their political awakening or philosophical inspirations.... they were too busy doing their music.... or getting drunk.
I'm glad you didn't say "great" vocalist, because for a rock singer in a major band, he was sorta below average. And definitely drunk here. Bellowing over a great solo. What a dweeb.
When Clapton left the band and Page was first asked to join, Page was reluctant to give up his lucrative studio work and recommended instead that they check out his hometown mate Jeff Beck. But a while later Page was getting frustrated with the amount of what he describes as "Muzak" that he was having to play on sessions and was kind of reconsidering his decision. One night he went to see the Yardbirds and it was a bad night for Relf who had been drinking and was falling into the drums and swearing at the audience. Yardbirds bassist Paul Samwell-Smith had had enough and that was the night he quit the band. Page, on the other hand, loved the punk anarchy of the whole thing and said "I thought it was the greatest thing I'd ever seen!" So, in a way, if Relf's onstage professionalism had stayed at the Clapton-era level, perhaps Samwell-Smith wouldn't have quit and Page wouldn't have joined.
It's very interesting to see page at work before Zep. I now feel he was really holding back a lot on Zep 1. I knew an enthusiast who felt the first four Zep albums were fully within Page's pre Zep ability, technically speaking, and only on the fifth album do we hear him starting break new ground.
@@noname.___ My bad. Thanks for the correction. I was actually thinking of the London performance. The band hated the Denmark performance, and it's one of the reasons they never did TV again. London smashes Denmark. No reverb in Denmark. Very dry, unlively sound. I'm so glad the London was "caught" on film. Amazing. Though I could do without the flash-edits toward the end.
Interestingly, in this clip the white pickguard of the mirrored tele has already been replaced by the "dragon" tele pickguard, so I'm thinking this performance was right after he took the mirrors off and right before he painted it.
As someone who has played/ traveled in bands drinking may not be the problem here. If you've ever been in a traveling band so many things can affect your singing/ playing. Lousy hotel room, poor food, no laundry facilities, travel between dated, arguments between band members, wanting the same gal. Yes drinking could be the problem but, other things can cause this kind of performance too.
None of the things you mentioned, should ever result in a truly shiity vocal performance. If you had mentioned equipment issues, like a shitty PA systems, making it hard to hear himself... I'd have to give you a pass, and admit that you may be right. Maybe if he was seriously sleep deprived, and weakened by extreme fatigue. But emotional issues ? No way that should account for a mess like this.
Great footage!!! Especially when the sound is muted lol...Keith is still cool as hell though...give him a pass! He seems to be singing with a drunken accent too lol
Boys and Girls - this is why you wait until AFTER you play a show to drink. Poor Keith really declined, and the shame is early on he was the consummate professional and a solid (although limited) front man. I absolutely adore The Yardbirds, but I think I would have booed if I had paid money to see this show. The upside is we got Led Zeppelin instead od the next version of the Yardbirds - pretty good deal for music lovers.
Doesn’t help much that it’s not a great mono mix. The historical significance far outweighs any performance “limitations,” imho. Jimmy hits a couple of off-notes, too. So what?
I agree. This is fascinating. I wish Keith's performance sounded better, but how many times do you get to hear a band as legendary as The Yardbirds live? They made amazing records!
This is the worst Relf performance I have ever heard. It may even be the worst performance by anyone that I have ever heard. And I generally like Relf!
Relf's drunkenness has been cited by both original bassist Paul Samwell-Smith and Jeff Beck as contributing factors for them leaving the band. Man, he is plowed here!
I do love Page's spontaneous improvisations here. Awesome and genial!
And I don't mind Relf being "slightly" influenced :} Even while being slightly drunk, he wasn't so out of key as some other singers are (while being completely sober).
Page is page which is awesome - hey what do you think of this version ? ua-cam.com/video/693zJNOoFqY/v-deo.html
I agree
He looks pretty fried alright, but I’ll bet he couldn’t hear himself too well in what passed for monitors
Awesome rare footage thanks for the uploading !!!
dwight harrington LOOKING AT THIS PERFORMANCE THANK GOD FOR ROBERT PLANT ✊🏾
Great!!!! Live Yardbirds
Page had it from birth -- I can smell a page riff a mile away.
He bends notes like nobody else!
chuckbeers HELL YEAH HE IS THE MAN😁
TJ RIGHT ON TJ TELL THAT TRUTH 👏👏👏👏👏
@@chuckbeers obviously you have never listened to rory gallagher or roy buchanan, they would blister page
The song created when Jeff Beck was in the band - pre-Page. Beck's riff originally.
I blame the audience for turning up sober - a great performance by Keith.
Great to see, sounds like a garage practice session.
Not one of Keith's better performances
But Page is hot!
@@barrygreenstein8383 keith is also hot
@@user-rj2ms3pk8i I was referring to the musical performance, not the appearance!
I can hear a lot of Jimmy's solo from "Happenings 10 Years Time Ago" on this.
WooHoo- is that the pre-mirrors dragon tele?! Nice!!
This isn’t that bad, you guys… It’s clearly resulting from a lack of vocal monitors, which was a problem in those days. Yeah, he was probably drunk as well, but Keith, while not the flashiest vocalist in the British rock&r’n’blues scene, WAS a decent and iconic singer. I’d been go so far as to say that he was one of those pioneering baritones that influenced the gothic rock scene! HEART FULL OF SOUL & EVIL HEARTED YOU??? C’mon!!
Beautiful Keith Reillf vocals
Okay. What did you eat ? Orange sunshine ? 4-way windowpane ? If it was mushrooms, you must have eaten a bunch.
This is so rare. Lots of cool footage of Pagey. He’s really showing his guitar licks here. Keith doesn’t sound too good, maybe drunk? Of course the P.A. system is sh-t. If this is April 67, there was a little over a year left and the band would call it quits and Page would get to work putting together Led Zep.
Keith seems a bit drunk here...which is sad, because he really was a great frontman. The story goes that after Beck left and Page joined, Keith got progressively less professional, coming onstage for gigs drunk, singing at the wrong breaks...which presaged the end of the band. The sad thing to me is that all the way through, the Yardbirds were a really good band. Not just because of the Clapton-Beck-Page lineage, but just look at the catalogue of songs that go from the beginning of the band to the end. And Keith Relf was the vocalist for all of that. The members changed, Keith stayed the same, and the Yardbirds stayed avant garde and good. In retrospect, I wish Keith had appreciated that. Because he was a good vocalist.
Thanks for the interesting backstory that I would not seek on my own. Given that I like non-mainstream music (alternative rock, gothic, hardcore, etc.) .... so many of the 'rock stars' seemed so embarrassing in their conduct. What they had to say of merit was in the songs. No need to read about their political awakening or philosophical inspirations.... they were too busy doing their music.... or getting drunk.
I'm glad you didn't say "great" vocalist, because for a rock singer in a major band, he was sorta below average. And definitely drunk here. Bellowing over a great solo. What a dweeb.
@@Frip36 Keith is my favorite vocalist even if people say he wasn't that good i think he is one of the best
When Clapton left the band and Page was first asked to join, Page was reluctant to give up his lucrative studio work and recommended instead that they check out his hometown mate Jeff Beck. But a while later Page was getting frustrated with the amount of what he describes as "Muzak" that he was having to play on sessions and was kind of reconsidering his decision. One night he went to see the Yardbirds and it was a bad night for Relf who had been drinking and was falling into the drums and swearing at the audience. Yardbirds bassist Paul Samwell-Smith had had enough and that was the night he quit the band. Page, on the other hand, loved the punk anarchy of the whole thing and said "I thought it was the greatest thing I'd ever seen!" So, in a way, if Relf's onstage professionalism had stayed at the Clapton-era level, perhaps Samwell-Smith wouldn't have quit and Page wouldn't have joined.
A good observation Steve.
JIMMY PAGE MAKES GUITARS MATTER ✊🏾
THE SWAMP DWELLERS SHOULD HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS EVERYDAY!
Somebody shove Jimmy Page's guitar up Trump's ass sideways!!!
Well, we can all have an off day sometimes...
Sounds a lot better than previous :-)
Hard to believe how young Page was and he’d one day console me
Outstanding
David Estrada Insanity - Thanks for sharing this fantastic Yardbirds footage, where and when was it filmed ?
RIP Keith Relph
Wow! I love it rare, Keith is pretty drunk though.
Oh my.
Bad
Is it possible to know the date this was recorded? Seems like mid-late 1967 to me
April 30 1967 seems to be the guess according to Yardbirds Official
Just keep in mind the technology wasn't there yet! He probably couldn't hear his vocals though the shifty PA system........ 😎
It's very interesting to see page at work before Zep. I now feel he was really holding back a lot on Zep 1.
I knew an enthusiast who felt the first four Zep albums were fully within Page's pre Zep ability, technically speaking, and only on the fifth album do we hear him starting break new ground.
That tele became Zep's "Mirrors" tele
Yep. You can see the painted version on the Swedish live Dazed and Confused from '69.
@@Frip36 and in the Denmark performance 1969
@@noname.___ My bad. Thanks for the correction. I was actually thinking of the London performance. The band hated the Denmark performance, and it's one of the reasons they never did TV again. London smashes Denmark. No reverb in Denmark. Very dry, unlively sound. I'm so glad the London was "caught" on film. Amazing. Though I could do without the flash-edits toward the end.
Interestingly, in this clip the white pickguard of the mirrored tele has already been replaced by the "dragon" tele pickguard, so I'm thinking this performance was right after he took the mirrors off and right before he painted it.
This was in between the mirrors and the dragon. You can see that it’s still painted white but has the dragon’s pickguard.
Keith was a little off key on his vocals, probably no monitors so he couldn't hear himself.
This wouldn't be out of place in a Ramones song.
As someone who has played/ traveled in bands drinking may not be the problem here. If you've ever been in a traveling band so many things can affect your singing/ playing. Lousy hotel room, poor food, no laundry facilities, travel between dated, arguments between band members, wanting the same gal. Yes drinking could be the problem but, other things can cause this kind of performance too.
None of the things you mentioned, should ever result in a truly shiity vocal performance. If you had mentioned equipment issues, like a shitty PA systems, making it hard to hear himself... I'd have to give you a pass, and admit that you may be right. Maybe if he was seriously sleep deprived, and weakened by extreme fatigue. But emotional issues ? No way that should account for a mess like this.
HEAVY drugs back then, eh?
2.10- 2.50 Keith was singing in Simms language
Great footage!!! Especially when the sound is muted lol...Keith is still cool as hell though...give him a pass! He seems to be singing with a drunken accent too lol
WOW ! THAT WAS NASTY ! NOW I WONDER WHO REALLY SANG ON THE RECORD ?
Lively crowd there...
Heart Full of Soul ? More like Belly Full Of Beer !
I would say he is high as fuck!.
I think he's stoned, just about the time the band fell apart
I prefer studio quality in any kind of music.
Kool
Is Heart full of Soul a ripoff of Secret Agent Man, or the other way around?
No, it's not.
Boys and Girls - this is why you wait until AFTER you play a show to drink. Poor Keith really declined, and the shame is early on he was the consummate professional and a solid (although limited) front man. I absolutely adore The Yardbirds, but I think I would have booed if I had paid money to see this show. The upside is we got Led Zeppelin instead od the next version of the Yardbirds - pretty good deal for music lovers.
Great guitar riff by Page and a disappointing solo by Relf. In other videos Keith Relf was a talent and strong front person for the Yardbitds.
Frontman. Not front person. Don't be a ninny.
page playing a jeff Beck song
Doesn’t help much that it’s not a great mono mix. The historical significance far outweighs any performance “limitations,” imho. Jimmy hits a couple of off-notes, too. So what?
I agree. This is fascinating. I wish Keith's performance sounded better, but how many times do you get to hear a band as legendary as The Yardbirds live? They made amazing records!
just cause it's bad doesn't mean it's not entertaining
Besides the drunkeness. The mic was very bad. Kmart mic.
This is the worst Relf performance I have ever heard. It may even be the worst performance by anyone that I have ever heard. And I generally like Relf!
Relf's drunkenness has been cited by both original bassist Paul Samwell-Smith and Jeff Beck as contributing factors for them leaving the band. Man, he is plowed here!
This was before stage "Monitor" systems, and since the band is playing on ten, he no doubt couldn't hear his own voice.....
William Fitzgerald Even Jimmy Page was known to get upset with Keith Relf's unprofessional stage antics, because Keith Relf would get drunk.
@Truth seeker Bollocks, the fucking truth is there between your truth seeking deaf ears
love it
He's drunk .
Such a shame
"slow hand" on bass.
No, that's Chris Dreja.
Any band that’s known for three guitarists days a lot about the singer. Sorry but Keith was average .
Crap singing spoils it totally