Post Reply - The Yardbirds aren't on here yet?

   Back in my high school days I eagerly sought out proto-metal bands like Iron Butterfly, Cream, Blue Cheer and so on. I found a lot of excellent stuff on the Yardbirds compilations I bought. Here are nine tracks that I think pointed in the direction of the nascent metal genre.
1. Ain't Got You - Heavy beat and guitar though no distortion. The guitar solo works as a blueprint for Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" solo.

2. Mr. You're a Better Man than I - Jeff Beck plays a very cool solo with heavy sound and distortion.

3. I'm not Talking - A rollicking rocker with a dirty, gritty feel and two awesome guitar solos by Mr. Beck.

4. Train Kept a Rollin' - The Yardbirds made this song a heavy rock foundation. Later covered by Aerosmith and Motorhead.

5. Stroll On - The Yardbirds re-write of "Train Kept a Rollin'" for the movie "Blow Up". Heavier than the original and featuring Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page together.

6. Happenings Ten Years Time Ago - Another Beck/Page track. Not as heavy as "Stroll On" but definitely a proto-metal tune.

7. I Ain't Done Wrong - Simple crunchy chords and a solo section that sounds like 60's Metallica. Were the Yardbirds going for speed metal in twelve bar blues?

8. Someone to Love (part 2) - An instrumental version of part one with Jeff Beck seriously making use of distortion and heavy guitar effects.

9. Think About It / Dazed and Confused - "Think About It" features the original workings of the Zeppelin "Dazed and Confused" solo. The Yardbirds took it further by actually recording "Dazed and Confused" (rare live recordings exist) - a different version than the one Zeppelin would record a year later.