"By using only contemporaneous media accounts as his foundational material, Stanfield has constructed an authentic, richly evocative account of the Yardbirds' transformative journey from youthful blues merchants to pioneering pop futurists, without the distorting filters of hindsight or revisionism. Exactingly researched, it's the definitive biography of one of the sixties' most innovative and influential rock groups, written with style, energy and luminous clarity."--Mike Stax, editor of Ugly Things magazine

"Traces the band's evolution from a blues-wailing unit to their foray into psychedelia and then to a more experimental sound after the departure of Clapton and the addition of guitarists Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. . . . Stanfield captures the emergence and evolution of 1960s British blues that will captivate classic rock fans."-- "Library Journal (starred review)"

"Four stars. Richly detailed, nuanced account of Britain's trailblazing beat combo. . . . Via an artful sifting of the contemporary press, coupled with a well-tuned listening ear, author Stanfield's evocative account unpicks the contradictions at the heart of the group."--Mark Paytress "MOJO"

"Not so much a biography of the Yardbirds as an earnest plea that their importance in the story of UK rock be fully recognised, and a righteous endorsement of their significance alongside a comprehensive history of the development of R&B in the UK during the early 1960s. As author Stanfield points out, the Yardbirds went from R&B to psychedelia and acid rock and wound up as precursors to heavy metal via Led Zeppelin, and in the course of this bumpy journey became the training ground for Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page--not a bad legacy by any means. Stanfield's research has involved a comprehensive trawl through the cuttings of every UK music magazine and elsewhere not only for mentions of the Yardbirds but for the growth of R&B in general. The definitive Yardbirds book."--Chris Charlesworth, author of "Just Backdated - Melody Maker: Seven Years in the Seventies"

"[This book] contains a wealth of detail that brings clarity and focus to the often complex story of The Yardbirds."--Dave Lewis, Led Zeppelin author and chronicler