IN MAY 1966, Melody Maker announced that Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker had joined forces to form what would arguably become the world’s first “supergroup,” the as-yet-unnamed Cream. Just a few days later, on May 16, five moonlighting musicians slipped into London’s IBC Studios to form their own impromptu supergroup. There, Yardbirds guitarists Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, Who drummer Keith Moon, renowned session bassist John Paul Jones and keyboard player Nicky Hopkins recorded “Beck’s Bolero,” the guitarist’s intended solo debut that would precipitate his departure from the Yardbirds and sow the seeds for Led Zeppelin. Here’s what went down on May 16 and 17, in the participants’ own words.
Jeff Beck was our guitarist at that point, but it had always been the four of us and him. Musically, Jeff was separate from us. Even during recording some times, he would just come in after we’d
