The Yardbirds : the band that launched Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Paige

This is the definitive work on the seminal '60s British rock band that produced a trio of guitar heroes and two of the world's biggest supergroups - Cream and Led Zeppelin.

Although together for only five years, The Yardbirds exerted tremendous influence on the music and style of the times and for decades beyond.

Their impact has been felt throughout the rock genre, from psychedelia to blues-rock, heavy metal, and the music of today's jam bands.

The Yardbirds came from privileged, middle-class England, embraced the soulful music of the USA's African American South, and helped re-import it back into the States as the embryo of heavy metal music.

In the process, the band produced three of the world's greatest guitar heroes: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck.

Sensitively written, with evocative photographs from the era, The Yardbirds offers an essential piece of the late-20th century pop jigsaw puzzle.