''For Your Love'' is the first American album by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

the Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

. Released in July 1965, it contains new studio recordings along with previously released singles. The album features some of the earliest recordings by guitarists

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

and his replacement

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

. The Yardbirds' manager,

Giorgio Gomelsky Giorgio Sergio Alessando Gomelsky (28 February 1934 – 13 January 2016) was a filmmaker, impresario, music manager, songwriter (as Oscar Rasputin) and record producer. He was born in Georgia, grew up in Switzerland, and later lived in the Unit ...

, who selected the songs, planned to capitalise on the group's hit "

For Your Love "For Your Love" is a rock song written by Graham Gouldman and recorded by English group the Yardbirds. Released in March 1965, it was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group's blues roots in ...

". The album, released as the Yardbirds were preparing for their first American tour, reached number 96 in ''

Billboard's ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

Top LPs The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

chart. It was unissued in the UK, although the songs with Beck were released in August 1965 on the ''Five Yardbirds'' EP.

Recording and composition

''For Your Love'' features three songs from

's first recording sessions with the Yardbirds: "I'm Not Talking", "I Ain't Done Wrong", and "My Girl Sloopy".

provided the guitar for the remainder of the tracks, that include the three Yardbirds singles (with B-sides) released up to that time and two demos which were not released in the UK until the 1980s (see

discography Discography is the study and cataloging of published sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified music genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry ...

for singles information). "I Ain't Done Wrong" was solely credited as a

Keith Relf William Keith Relf (22 March 194312 May 1976) was an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist and harmonica player for rock band the Yardbirds. He then formed the band Renaissance with his sister Jane Relf, The Yardbirds ex-drummer J ...

composition, as part of the group's desire to emulate

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and other some other British groups that were doing their own songwriting. In reality, though, "I Ain't Done Wrong" was largely a rewrite of

Eddie Kirkland Eddie Kirkland (August 16, 1923 – February 27, 2011) was an American electric blues guitarist, harmonicist, singer, and songwriter. Kirkland, known as the "Gypsy of the Blues" for his rigorous touring schedules, played and toured with John ...

's " I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong", by way of

Elmore James Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fam ...

' own rewrite, "Done Somebody Wrong". Clapton, who had left the band four months earlier, is not pictured on the album cover nor mentioned in the liner notes. Group chronicler Gregg Russo notes, "The cover was somewhat of a joke, as Jeff Beck was humorously seated in front of a keyboard that he did not play on the album."

Charts and reception

The album reached number 96 in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s

chart. It was the Yardbirds' first charting album; their British debut, ''Five Live Yardbirds'', did not reach the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

and was not issued in the US. In a retrospective review,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

writer Bruce Eder gave the album three out of five stars, who notes the inconsistency of the Gomelsky-selected material. He describes the songs with Beck as "hard, loud, blazing showcases... show ngwhere the band was really heading" and although the material with Clapton is "primitive" compared to his later efforts, it "was some of the best blues-based rock & roll of its era 964"

Track listing

Original album

Songwriter credits are taken from the original Epic LP. However, since the running times are not given, those from ''The Yardbirds Story'' (2002), produced by Gomelsky, are used instead.

Album reissues

The Yardbirds' 2001 compilation album ''

Ultimate! ''Ultimate!'' is a comprehensive career retrospective album by English rock group the Yardbirds. The 52-song two–compact disc compilation was released in 2001 by Rhino Records. The tracks span the period from the group's first demo recordi ...

'' contains eight of the eleven tracks from the original album. ''For Your Love'' has been reissued by several record labels, including JVC, Castle, and Repertoire. In addition to the eleven tracks from the original album, the Repertoire reissue includes 13 non-album single and demo tracks.

Personnel

The Yardbirds *

– lead vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar on "Heart Full of Soul" *

– lead guitar on all tracks, except those with Beck and "Questa Volta" *

– lead guitar on "I'm Not Talking", "I Ain't Done Wrong", "My Girl Sloopy", "Steeled Blues" and "Paff...Bum" *

Chris Dreja Christopher Walenty Dreja (born 11 November 1945 in Surbiton, Surrey) is an English musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist and bassist for rock band the Yardbirds for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. E ...

– rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Questa Volta" *

Paul Samwell-Smith Paul Granville Samwell-Smith (born Paul Smith, 8 May 1943, in Richmond, Surrey, England) is an English musician and record producer. He was a founding member and the bassist of the 1960s English rock band the Yardbirds, which launched leading g ...

– bass guitar, backing vocals, musical director *

Jim McCarty James Stanley McCarty (born 25 July 1943) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Yardbirds and Renaissance. Following Chris Dreja's departure from the Yardbirds in 2013, McCarty became the only member of the band to featur ...

– drums, backing vocals Additional musicians *

– backing vocals on "A Certain Girl" *

Brian Auger Brian Albert Gordon Auger (born 18 July 1939) is an English jazz rock and rock music keyboardist who specialises in the Hammond organ. Auger has worked with Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Sonny Boy Williamson, a ...

– harpsichord on "For Your Love" *Denny Pierce – bongos on "For Your Love" *Ron Prentice – bowed bass on "For Your Love", bass on "Heart Full of Soul" *

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...

– keyboard and backing vocals on "Sweet Music" * Paul Jones – backing vocals on "Sweet Music" *

Mike Hugg Michael John Hugg (born 11 August 1940) is a British musician who achieved fame as a founding member of the 1960s group Manfred Mann. Biography Hugg was born in Gosport, Hampshire in 1940. His parents condoned his jazz drumming as long as he ...

– vibes on "Sweet Music" * Tom McGuinness – guitar on "Sweet Music" *

Mike Vickers Michael Graham Vickers (born 18 April 1940) is an English musician who came to prominence as the guitarist, flautist, and saxophonist with the 1960s band Manfred Mann. He was born in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey. At the age of seven, his famil ...

– guitar on "Sweet Music" *unidentified –

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

on "Heart Full of Soul" *unidentified –

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

on "Heart Full of Soul" *unidentified – keyboards on "Paff...Bum" and "Questa Volta"

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{Authority control The Yardbirds albums 1965 albums Albums produced by Giorgio Gomelsky Epic Records albums Albums recorded at IBC Studios Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios