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Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds


Carl

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Jim McCarty was the drummer for The Yardbirds, where he played with Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. Sometimes lost in Yardbirds lore are the contributions of their other outstanding musicians - their original songs were full band creations.

I started by pulling out something Jim said in 1965: The only bands doing anything new are The Yardbirds and The Who (not everyone was enamored with The Beatles back then).

He went on to explain, with the benefit of hindsight, exactly what they were doing that was so original. Hindsight also came in handy when I asked if he was enjoying himself at the time. His answer makes me appreciate California.

We covered the songs, and his thoughts on the famous guitarists. Jim was generous and kind, sharing stories about his life and music that put him in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is still making terrific music, but it's more in the sound of his post-Yardbirds band Renaissance.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

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Great insight to the vibe ...

"We started playing R&B songs that we had coming from the States: Howling Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddley and stuff. We were very keen on that sort of music, because it was something very fresh to us, and very exciting. "

"Over, Under, Sideways, Down" was more about the situation of having a good time - a bit of decadence, really - in the '60s. Cars and girls are easy to come by in this day and age, and laughing, drinking, smoking, whatever, till I've spent my wages, having fun."

:bow:

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Glad you picked that one out Blues. In speaking with Jim, it was clear that while I'm sure he enjoyed California, he's not driven by hedonism. He seems to appreciate a quiet, spiritually-fullfilling lifestyle these days, but he may not have gotten there if he wasn't able to experience the best of American decadence.

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