The Yardbirds

No mere hyperbole in the title, here are the very first batch of Yardbirds recordings, all with a very young Eric Clapton in the lead guitar slot. Kicking things off is the the three-song session with Mike Vernon that led to their first single, "Boom Boom" b/w "Honey in Your Hips," with the added bonus of the previously unissued "I'm Talkin' About You." Next up is the Yardbirds' opening set from December 7, 1963 at the Crawdaddy Club, followed by the group backing blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson on a half-dozen tunes taken from the same two-night stand. A live version of "Honey in Your Hips" closes out this set, a curious batch at best, but historically important as a nice document of Clapton's early style and the band's development from R&B group to the psychedelic rock combo of the late '60s. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide