SPREADING THEIR WINGS THE LEGENDARY YARDBIRDS RELEASE THEIR FIRST STUDIO ALBUM SINCE 1968, WITH HELP FROM FAMOUS FRIENDS.

Byline: Paul Andersen Correspondent

In the pop world, there is no specific timetable by which an artist works. Though there may be signed contracts with all kinds of legal verbiage attached, the creative process is still just that. Artistry moves in real time.

In the 1960s and early 1970s, it wasn't unusual to see a group release more than one new record in a year. Then, as technology moved forward, with new knobs to turn and tracks to tweak, the gap between albums seemed to grow, along with the budgets to record them. Now, it isn't unusual to see a multiyear absence in an artist's discography.

Even by those standards, 35 years between projects may well be a record. But if you ask fans of the Yardbirds, the seminal British rock band whose last studio record was released in 1968, the wait for ``Birdland,'' the group's new project, was well worth it.

``Basically, we went on to other lives, other careers,'' says founding member Chris Dreja, the band's rhythm guitarist who has partnered up again with original drummer Jim McCarty to form a new lineup. ``But this music always meant so much to us. And after all, that is what is has always been about.''

``And,'' adds McCarty, ``we have more control now. There is no one cracking a whip - working with (guitarist and Favored Nations label owner) Steve Vai has been great, he was real sensitive to us.''

``We weren't even on the radar of the five big record companies,'' continues Dreja. ``The industry used to be run by people who loved music, but now it is all financial types who rely on focus groups. The industry has changed. But we've found the perfect home for us. All Steve told us was to make the album you're happy with.''

The Yardbirds, appearing tonight at West Hollywood's House of Blues, formed in the suburbs of London in the early 1960s, beginning life as the Metropolis Blues Quartet. Changing their name to the Yardbirds, they also changed guitarists, adding a young art school classmate of lead singer Keith Relf's by the name of Eric Clapton. Playing a revved-up version of classic blues and r&b similar to the Rolling Stones (whose residency at London's famed Crawdaddy club they took over), the group was soon a favorite on the English r&b circuit.

A sound defined

By 1964 the sound that would influence generations of rock bands to this day was beginning to gel. Combining the classic feel of the blues with a rock guitar base that had high energy ebbs and flows they called ``rave- ups,'' the Yardbirds were soon performing their own material instead of just blues covers. Borrowing from the improvisational nature of jazz by leaving room for some impassioned soloing, they soon had a songbook filled with classics, with tunes like the psychedelic anthem ``Happenings Ten Years Time Ago'' and the visionary ``Shapes of Things,'' the lyrics of which are still relevant today (``Shapes of things before my eyes/ Just teach me to despise/ Will time make men more wise?'').

``It's kind of funny,'' says Dreja. ``The world was in a wobbly state when we first started. Now here we are again, and it's still wobbly. I really think that song still has a pertinent message to it.''

Along the way, the group changed guitarists a few times. Clapton, disappointed that the group was veering away from its blues roots, left to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. The group pursued Jimmy Page to replace him, but Page, a busy session player at the time, turned them down, and suggested another guitarist, a fellow session player who was playing with a band called the Tridents. His name was Jeff Beck.

Beck proved out to be an inspired choice to replace Clapton. His fuzzed-out lead guitar, which at times took on a Middle Eastern flavor similar to a sitar, was the perfect central voice for many of the Yardbirds' classic tunes, which always pushed into new pop territories. In his 18 months with the band, Beck went from obscure player to guitar god.

Eventually, Page joined the group, and for a short time they featured twin lead guitarists, with their zenith coming on the spaced out ``Happenings Ten Years Time Ago.'' Beck soon left, the Yardbirds soldiered on, but eventually splintered after releasing ``Little Games'' in 1968. Page assembled a group called the New Yardbirds to fulfill some existing contracts, and eventually changed the name to Led Zeppelin.

As for the other members, Relf and McCarty formed Renaissance, an art- rock band that had a cult following for years (Relf died in 1976), while Dreja became a professional photographer. In the 1980s, Dreja and McCarty got together again to form a band called Box of Frogs. ``It was basically a pub band, something to have fun with,'' says McCarty.

Taking wing again

Then, in 1992, the Yardbirds were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and by 1995 the group had quietly reformed. ``We had been jamming at the Marquee (in London), and we had this solid blues band going,'' says Dreja. ``But it wasn't quite there yet. Then we were lucky enough to be introduced to Gypie Mayo, a quirky guitarist similar to Jeff (Beck) - he never plays anything the same way twice. He had been with (1970s pub rockers) Dr. Feelgood for a while.''

The group already had enlisted Detroit native John Idan to play bass and serve as lead vocalist. Having been a lifelong fan of the Yardbirds, Idan was a perfect fit.

``He had come over to the U.K. from America and stayed, and has become a wonderful frontman,'' says Dreja. ``He's also our sex symbol. We joke that we had kept his DNA in a jar, on ice, waiting for the right moment.''

The last piece of the puzzle was harmonica player Alan Glen, whose harp playing calls to mind the classic lines blown by Relf. Now they are back, with an album that merges together the old and the new. ``Their new stuff really retained the integrity of the band,'' says Vai, who lends his guitar to ``Birdland's'' remake of ``Shapes of Things.'' ``After all, the principal songwriters are still there, and they've really hit the nail on the head.''

In fact, ``Birdland'' sees a whole crew of guest guitar-slingers - including Beck, Joe Satriani, Steve Lukather, Slash and Brian May - take their turns on classic Yardbirds material (Vai, Slash and Jeff ``Skunk'' Baxter have joined the group at recent gigs; guests are expected on stage in West Hollywood tonight).

``The whole album gels together, and covers both ends,'' says McCarty. ``We had a list of people we wanted to get - Joe Walsh was at the top, but he was busy with the Eagles reunions - but when Slash came in and did this great rave-up on 'Over, Under, Sideways, Down,' it was like he became one of the Yardbirds. And we realized that for many of these guys, they probably played Yardbird songs in their first bands.''

``And that's how it went with everyone,'' adds Dreja. ``We set the template for the track and they joined the band. And it is so pleasing to hear how sonically great it all sounds. We really set the record straight with this CD. It's the 21st century, and it's how we should sound. But the Yardbirds have always been a live band, and it is great to be back.''

THE YARDBIRDS

Where: House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

When: 9 tonight.

Tickets: $20. Call [phone].

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Photo:

The Yardbirds - John Idan, left, Jim McCarty, Gypie Mayo, Alan Glen and Chris Dreja - have a new album (``Birdland'') and a gig tonight at the House of Blues.