I’ve often said that The Yardbirds are the most influential band in the world when it comes to guitar players, and I really think I might be onto something.
Each guitarist from The Yardbirds – Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck – brought something to the band that is now considered a quintessential part of every guitar player. Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton both showed guitarists how they could blend different styles and still make something cohesive, such as the blues, R&B, acoustic music and heavy rock music. Meanwhile, Jeff Beck, as well as showcasing his guitar-playing brilliance, also showed people how to act when on stage.
Before Beck came along, the majority of guitar players merely saw themselves as band members. They stood in the shadows, played their music and accepted the applause when it came their way. Where’s the fun in that? Beck certainly didn’t know, which is why he came to the front of the stage, started playing flamboyantly, and enjoying himself on stage.
Despite The Yardbirds clearly being a proving draw for great guitar loafs, every member eventually left and moved onto other things. Jeff Beck, having made such a name for himself not only as a guitarist but also a performer, decided to go it alone. He started writing music himself, and when he eventually started a band, he decided to name it after himself.
Of course, he needed band members to play with him, and this is where Rod Stewart came in. While it’s easy for us to hear Stewart these days and recognise him as a musical great, in the mid-60s, he was still making a name for himself. Ever proving himself to have an ear for great music, Beck decided to hire him to play in the band.
Stewart was happy to accept, as being the vocalist for one of the most prolific guitarists in music at the time is a pretty sweet gig to land. That being said, despite the appeal, the pressure Stewart was under really mounted when he took to the stage for that first show. The singer became so nervous that he opted to stay behind the amps for the first few songs.
“I was just petrified. I did the first song sitting behind the amps,” he recalled, “[Then] I looked over the top of the amps, and the crowd was going wild. They loved it. I was like, ‘Oh, I like this. I’ll go out in front now.’”
The show went great, and the band had a pretty good run, but for a lot of fans, it was over before it had even started. Both Stewart and Beck have gone on to do a lot with their careers, but there remained fans who wanted nothing more than to see a reunion with an original lineup. There was a reunion of sorts in September 2019, when the group got together for a one-off show in Hollywood, but naturally, a lot of fans didn’t get the chance to go.
Nile Rodgers admitted when he spoke to Rod Stewart that he had always wanted the group to reform. It’s sad we will never get this reunion now that Beck has passed away, and it’s even sadder knowing Rod Stewart was up for it.
Nile Rodgers admitted: “When I was working with Jeff [Beck] on the album Flash, my secret desire was to try and get you guys to reform The Jeff Beck Group.”
Seems like a long shot, but it turns out Rod Stewart was game. “Well, listen, if you want to get us back together, you can do it,” he said, “You can speak to Jeff. I know Ronnie would do it. Ronnie would love to play bass again. I’m up for it, mate.”
