Five Live Yardbirds – THE YARDBIRDS***

Too Much Monkey Business/Got Love If You Want It/Smokestack Lightning/Good Morning Little Schoolgirl/ Respectable/Five Long Years/Pretty Girl/Louise/I’m A Man/Here ‘Tis

Five Live Yardbirds is the first album from the British blues influenced group The Yardbirds. Unusually for a debut it was recorded live, this taking place at London's Marquee Club in March 1964. Although the LP never troubled the UK charts it is notable for the first recorded appearance of guitar genius Eric Clapton.

"What we have here isn't half-bad, and it does set a number of major historic 'firsts'. It's the first LP to have Eric Clapton appearing on it, already stealing the show from his band mates, when he gets the chance. It's the first Yardbirds LP, introducing a band that would occupy its rightful place among the great ones. It's the first live LP of a British rock band, as far as I'm aware, it's the first case of a band making their first LP a live one - a clear symbol of rock music coming on as a major active force that had to be judged as spontaneous performance, rather than just a hastily assembled set of half-hearted covers and half-baked originals."

"At this point, The Yardbirds still weren't performing any of their own material, so the set list is packed with the usual blues, rockabilly and Bo Diddley standards. They are, of course, nowhere near as authentic as the black masters; they aren't as tight and dedicated as The Stones either."

"They are able to rip it up, even on the lengthier 'rave' numbers whose purpose is to enthral the listener rather than just entertain him. They are competent with their instruments. And, of course, they have Eric Clapton out there. Perhaps the biggest crime of this album is that Eric is given far fewer chances to shine than he should."

"It was the first important - indeed, essential - live album to come out of the 1960s British rock & roll boom. In terms of the performance captured and the recording quality, it was also the best such live record of the entire middle of the decade."

"Wow! That's all I could say when I first heard this record. Ten songs that made you want to get up and move. Not dance necessarily, but sort of sway to the music. Keith Relf plays a blistering good harmonica that reminds me of Little Walter. Eric Clapton is, well, he's Eric Clapton, a guy who plays like he was born with a guitar in his hand."