Yezda Urfa formed in London in 1969 with Keith Relf from The Yardbirds on vocals, Clive Mitchell on guitar, Andy Ward on bass, and Tony Kaye on drums. Their self-titled debut album came out that same year, mixing acoustic guitar and sitar with progressive rock arrangements. The track "(My Doc Told Me I Had) Doggie Head" got some attention for its odd lyrics.
They put out two more albums, "The Only Way" in 1972 and "Five" in 1973, before breaking up in 1975. Their sound was hard to pin down, pulling from progressive rock and psychedelic folk with some Eastern touches. Songs like "Boris And His Three Verses" and "Cancer Of The Band" show that off.
Relf had drug problems that affected the band, and they went through lineup changes in the early 1970s. They never found much commercial success, but progressive rock fans kept listening to their records after they were gone.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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