REWIND: The Yardbirds - 'Shapes Of Things'

Posted on the 07 August 2014 by Rw/ff @rwffmusic
'Shapes Of Things' is a 1966 hit single by The Yardbirds, and their first self-written song to become a chart hit. Although Jeff Beck's groundbreaking guitar playing (including an early musical use of controlled feedback) is pivotal to the track, Beck didn't receive a writing credit. According to "musical director" and bassist Paul Samwell-Smith: "Jeff didn't get a composing credit for 'Shapes of Things' when he really should have done, just for the way he developed it when the song was being formed. Keith (Relf, singer) had this idea for a riff, and I definitely wrote most of the lyrics, but the riff and the lyrics aren't really what 'Shapes of Things' is all about. It's a lot more than that." Hailed as "the first psychedelic rock classic" by sections of the music press, 'Shapes Of Things' is lyrically thought to be a pro-environmental or anti-war message...