Box of Frogs – Doyle’s Space: Music Hall of Fame – Shining Star Award

Box of Frogs was an English rock group formed in London in 1983 by three former members of the Yardbirds, guitarist Chris Dreja, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, and drummer Jim McCarty. The three musicians had last worked together in the Yardbirds before that influential band broke up in 1968, but they reunited in 1983 for a performance at London’s Marquee Club.

Rather than attempt to resurrect the Yardbirds, they decided to form a new group and recruited singer John Fiddler, formerly of Medicine Head and British Lions. The name Box of Frogs was chosen for the new project, which combined the musicians’ roots in British blues and rock with a more contemporary sound suited to the 1980s. The group remained active for only about three years, from 1983

through 1986, but its two albums featured an extraordinary collection of musicians. The principal members were Fiddler on vocals, guitar, percussion and synthesizer, Dreja on rhythm guitar and percussion, Samwell-Smith on bass, percussion, synthesizer and backing vocals, and McCarty on drums, percussion, keyboards and backing vocals. Samwell-Smith also produced the band’s recordings.

Dreja had been a member of the Yardbirds throughout much of its classic period, while McCarty had been the band’s drummer from its earliest years through its final incarnation. Samwell-Smith had been the Yardbirds’ original bassist and became their producer before leaving the group in 1966. Fiddler brought a different musical background to the project, having achieved recognition as the singer and

principal songwriter of Medicine Head. The combination gave Box of Frogs a genuine connection to the Yardbirds without making it simply a reunion act. The first album, Box of Frogs, was released by Epic Records in 1984. Its songs included “Back Where I Started,” “Two Steps Ahead,” “Into the Dark,” “Just a Boy Again,” “Poor Boy,” “The Edge,” “Another Wasted Day,” “Love Inside You,” “Harder,” and “Nine Lives.”

Much of the material was written by members of the group, with songwriting frequently involving Fiddler, Dreja, McCarty and Samwell-Smith. The album was especially notable for its guest musicians. Jeff Beck, who had been the Yardbirds’ guitarist from 1965 to 1966, played on several tracks, while Rory Gallagher also contributed guitar.

Other musicians involved with the sessions included Dzal Martin, Ray Majors, Mark Feltham, Max Middleton and Peter-John Vettese. Beck’s participation gave the record an unusual historical significance because it reunited him in the studio with three of his former Yardbirds colleagues. “Back Where I Started” was released as a single and became one of the

group’s best-known recordings, while “Into the Dark” and “Two Steps Ahead” were also issued as singles. Despite the musicians’ impressive credentials, Box of Frogs did not become a major commercial success or establish the kind of touring career that might have given the group greater exposure. There was interest in touring the United States,

but those plans did not develop into an extensive American tour. Consequently, the group remained primarily a recording project, and its reputation has tended to be strongest among listeners interested in the Yardbirds, British blues-rock and the careers of the musicians involved.

Box of Frogs returned in 1986 with its second and final album, Strange Land. The record was even more of an ensemble project than the first album. John Fiddler remained involved, but other singers were brought in, including Graham Parker, Ian Dury and Roger Chapman. The instrumental guest list was again remarkable, with Rory Gallagher and Steve Hackett among those contributing.

Most strikingly, Jimmy Page, who had succeeded Jeff Beck in the Yardbirds and later founded Led Zeppelin, played lead guitar on “Asylum.” This meant that the two albums by Box of Frogs included appearances by both Beck and Page, the two guitarists who had followed Eric Clapton in the Yardbirds’ famous succession of guitar players. Other songs on Strange Land included “Get It While You Can,” “Average,”

“House on Fire,” “Hanging from the Wreckage,” “Heart Full of Soul,” “Strange Land,” “I Keep Calling,” “You Mix Me Up,” and “Trouble.” Strange Land proved to be the group’s final statement. After its release in 1986, Box of Frogs disbanded, leaving behind only two studio albums. The two records were later issued together on CD, making it possible to hear the group’s

complete studio output in one collection. Although Box of Frogs had a short existence, its personnel and guest musicians make it an unusually interesting part of British rock history. It brought together three musicians from the Yardbirds’ classic lineup with a new vocalist and then added appearances by Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Rory Gallagher, Steve Hackett,

Graham Parker, Ian Dury and Roger Chapman. Rather than simply recreating the Yardbirds, Box of Frogs represented an attempt by several veteran musicians to continue creating new music while drawing upon the blues-rock tradition that had originally brought them together. Its limited catalog means that the band is a

relatively obscure chapter in the history of its members, but for anyone interested in the Yardbirds and the development of British rock, its two albums provide a fascinating post-Yardbirds reunion project.