Proto-Metal (Pre 1969)

[Hepcat]

The Yardbirds- Evil Hearted You

Evil Hearted You would be my third place pick from the Yardbirds' catalogue.

No Jeff Beck,No Heavy Metal IMHO

My word! What an immense and horrible guilt trip to lay on the shoulders of one individual - the responsibility for everything from AC/DC to Van Halen to Guns n' Roses to Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Anthrax, Cradle of Filth and all the other black death metal practitioners! I'm surprised that poor old Jeff is still managing to hang in there.

Here's a cut though from the seminal Truth LP he recorded in 1967 after he left the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page guesting on twelve string rhythm guitar:

Beck's Bolero - Jeff Beck Group

[Dr.Cyclops]

Evil Hearted You would be my third place pick from the Yardbirds' catalogue.

My word! What an immense and horrible guilt trip to lay on the shoulders of one individual - the responsibility for everything from AC/DC to Van Halen to Guns n' Roses to Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Anthrax, Cradle of Filth and all the other black death metal practitioners! I'm surprised that poor old Jeff is still managing to hang in there.

Here's a cut though from the seminal Truth LP he recorded in 1967 after he left the Yardbirds with Jimmy Page guesting on twelve string rhythm guitar:

BECK'S BOLERO (1967) by the Jeff Beck Group - with backwards guitar ending

To quote Ginger Baker when a 'Fathers of Heavy Metal' statement was thrown at him with regards to Cream.His reply:"It should have been aborted" (Beware Mr.Baker)

With regards to Beck's Bolero
There seems to have been some sneaking around behind the backs of their fellow Yardbirds as this track was recorded in 1966
while both Beck and Page were still both defacto Yardbirds.If you read between the lines it becomes apparent that after Beck was canned and Pagey probably felt bad that his friend was sacked (Page being partly responsible)that he let Beck have this song when in fact it was probably destined to be a Yardbird's track had not Beck been fired.IMO

[Hepcat]

To quote Ginger Baker when a 'Fathers of Heavy Metal' statement was thrown at him with regards to Cream.His reply:"It should have been aborted" (Beware Mr.Baker)

That's because Ginger Baker was steeped in the blues and the more metal deviated from its blues roots, the less he liked it. Me I'm with Ginger Baker. Let me put it this way. I'd rather listen to the Cream or some super group consisting of Jeff Beck, Ginger Baker and a couple of other players than any of those other bands I mentioned.

[Dr.Cyclops]

^
100% in agreement.''
Without the Black/Blues element today's Metal is (to borrow a label from Grand Funk) just 'loud white noise'.

[Dr.Cyclops]

The Yardbirds - Dazed and Confused LIVE
Here's a good example of the sonic direction the Yardbirds' were moving towards (see above)whilst their producer Mickey Most was trying to mold them into the Archies (see below)
The Yardbirds - Ha Ha Said The Clown

[Hepcat]

Here's a good example of the sonic direction the Yardbirds' were moving towards (see above)whilst their producer Mickey Most was trying to mold them into the Archies.

Mickey Most had built a very successful career being the architect behind a string of hit singles by musicians as diverse as the Yardbirds, Animals, Herman's Hermits, Donovan and Lulu. He was therefore focused entirely on top forty radio hit singles. While very talented in his own right, he was simply the wrong producer for the increasingly sophisticated rock bands of the late sixties who had moved from a focus on hit singles to an album oriented one.

Led Zeppelin's first LP from 1968 was instrumental in launching the heavy metal movement:

Good Times Bad Times

Communication Breakdown

Dazed and Confused

[Dr.Cyclops]

^
Still my favorite Zep album to this day.

[Hepcat]

Another guitar legend who blazed the trail for heavy metal was Peter Green. Here he is with Fleetwood Mac which he formed in 1967 after leaving John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers:

Need Your Love So Bad

Albatross

Oh Well

[Dr.Cyclops]

Oh yeah Hepcat, I love me some Green tinted Mac
Fleetwood Mac - The Green Manalishi (Digital Remaster)

[Dr.Cyclops]

More hardrock than protometal but one of my favorite songs from an underated band:
Procol Harum - The Devil Came From Kansas

[Dr.Cyclops]

Pink Floyd gets HEAVY:
01: The Nile Song

And the badboys of Detroit:
MC5 - Kick out the jams

[Hepcat]

Were it not for recordings such as these by the Butterfield Blues Band in 1965-66 featuring Paul Butterfield on harmonica and Michael Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop on lead guitar, heavy guitar based blues-rock might not have carved out a niche in the mainstream music marketplace in the U.S.:

Born in Chicago

Walkin' Blues

Get Out of My Life Woman

...his storming sound was a major catalyst in bringing electric Chicago blues to white audiences who'd previously considered acoustic Delta blues the only really genuine article.

Interesting that Paul Butterfield Blues Band members Mike Bloomfield, Jerome Arnold on bass and Sam Lay on drums were together with Al Kooper on organ in the five piece band backing up Bob Dylan during the four song set with which he electrified the folk music establishment at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival!

Bob Dylan - Newport Folk Festival

[Hepcat]

And the badboys of Detroit:
MC5 - Kick out the jams

The Stooges were also from Detroit. Here's perhaps their best proto-metal track:

I Wanna Be Your Dog

[marsattacks666]

The Stooges were also from Detroit. Here's perhaps their best proto-metal track:

I Wanna Be Your Dog

👍🏻

[Hepcat]

Here is a baker's dozen of pre-1969 proto-metal tracks:


I Put a Spell on You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins

You Really Got Me - Kinks

Over Under Sideways Down - Yardbirds

Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels

Beck's Bolero - Jeff Beck

Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix Experience

You Keep Me Hangin' On - Vanilla Fudge

Sunshine of Your Love - Cream

Summertime Blues - Blue Cheer

Born to Be Wild - Steppenwolf

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly

Five to One - Doors

Helter Skelter - Beatles


Thoughts? Suggestions? Complaints?