I never viewed "Rain" as related by the Yardbirds. A better cousin of "Rain" is their own "Ticket To Ride" with it slow droning ringing guitars and off kilter drumming. Doesn't "Ticket To Ride" actually pre-date both "See My Friends" or "Heart Full of Soul"?
This discussion would be endless because we'll always find an earlier root of anything. The point that I stated here more than two years ago and I still maintain is that "Shapes Of Things" and "Eight Miles High" were the first straight psychedelic songs, both lyrics and music, and of course that previous influences existed, like everything. The Beatles did the next step with "Tomorrow Never Knows", that was certainly the definitive psychedelic song.
The guitar drone on "Rain" is certainly derived from Indian music and that unusual backward vocal fade-out in which both are absent on "Shapes of Things". I love Jeff Beck but he certainly didn't invent heavy metal guitar. We need to go around 1968/1969 for that.
I can hear Indian music elements in "Shapes Of Things" as well, if not as prominent as in "Rain". And I didn't talk about heavy metal guitar, just heavy rock guitar. The instrument had never been used like that before, just listen to songs like "You're A Better Man Than I", "Evil Hearted You" or "The Train Kept A-Rollin'". And if we talk about proto-psychedelia, "Still I'm Sad" was released as a B-side in October 1965, when the Beatles started to record
Rubber Soul. You can hear eastern influences there too.
Nothing against The Byrds either but without The Beatles influencing them to form in the first place because they thought folk with rock music would work there would have been no Byrds. I know George Harrison "I Needed Someone" was a Byrds influenced track but I think Rubber Soul is more influenced by Dylan and pot.
You don't need to convince me that the Beatles were a much more important influence for the Byrds than the Byrds for the Beatles, because I totally agree with that, of course. And you don't need to make me see that the Beatles were the most important group in rock history, because I believe that too. But you shouldn't underestimate the important contributions of other bands like the Byrds or the Yardbirds; admiting that they also were a big influence for the Beatles doesn't mean putting the Fab Four down, is just talking about this amazing interaction during the 60's.
You have to remember The Beatles were already going the path of both folk rock and country rock on Beatles for Sale and 12 string jangle pop on both "A Hard Day's Night" and Beatles for Sale before The Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man.
Yes, but the Byrds did the next step with
Mr. Tambourine Man, then the Beatles went further with
Rubber Soul, then the Beach Boys answered with
Pet Sounds, then we had
Sgt. Pepper's, etc.
Have you really listened to the Byrds'
Mr. Tambourine Man? It really defined Folk Rock as a genre, if we shouldn't say that they invented it (that would be hard to tell). "If I Needed Someone" is very similar to "The Bells Of Rhymney" (initial riff and harmony vocals), but that was not the unique influence, "Norwegian Wood" is almost "I Knew I'd Want You" with added sitar, "Drive My Car" is a soft rocker with a consecutive guitar-bass-drums intro just like in "It's No Use", the anti-love theme of "You Won't See Me" and "I'm Looking Though You" was already done in "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" (Dylan had done that but not in a rock-pop context), etc.
See,
Rubber Soul is my very favorite album of all time, but that's exactly why I go back and admire the previous influential work of the Byrds. Don't be afraid of recognizing other bands merits.
By the way, welcome to the forum and thank you for reviving this thread.