Too often, the Yardbirds are merely pigeonholed as the “guitar hero farm team” that introduced Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page to the rock world. This outlook unfairly underplays their outrageous talents as a live band. For those not fortunate enough to have seen the band live in their formative years, Live! Blueswailin’ July ’64 is cause for celebration! Sourced from a tape that surfaced in 2003, these tracks capture the band in their second incarnation, with Eric Clapton on lead guitar. Clapton’s reputation was just starting to build among guitar enthusiasts and this tape provides a rare sample of his formative years. Particularly on the closing number, “The Sky Is Crying,” Clapton gives ample evidence of the skills that would soon earn him nicknames like “God,” “Slowhand” and, er, “Derek.”

But this isn’t just “the Clapton show.” Indeed, the entire band is on fire here, wailing in full “rave-up” mode! You can feel the excitement as the group takes ownership of blues classics like “Smokestack Lightning” and transforms them into something truly unique, something uniquely Yardbirds. The sound quality is astonishing, clearly eclipsing all previous live releases of the band, slim as that library was. It is a true “fly on the wall” listening experience, with the visceral flow of a band at their prime on full display. Sundazed is thrilled to present this historic recording for the first time on vinyl, high-definition vinyl, no less, meticulously remastered from the original analog soundboard recording.