Jimmy Page--whose fantasy sequence in the film featuring him climbing a hill with a hermit holding a lantern waiting at the top,he grabs the hermit's hand and Jimmy transformed into a hermit too.Though the fantasy sequences were not really explained in its entirety,Page once told an interviewer that those scenes were actually the band's inner thoughts.The band,Led Zeppelin--with their leader,producer and guitarist Jimmy Page--considered by many as one of the greatest guitarist ever to walk on this planet.
Jimmy Page revolutionized the way albums were recorded,he used that distant miking technique to have that solid drum sound on these fantastic Led Zeppelin records.Jimmy Page said,"I always thought that drums are an acoustic instrument and acoustics need to breathe.Back in the early days during my sessions,people have their mics leaning directly on the drum kit,the drummers would play like crazy but when you finally hear the record,they would sound as if they were playing on cardboard boxes.So I thought the idea of putting the mic away from the drum kit and the result was a solid drum sound".Page also employed the use of backward echo,something that he discovered during his days as a session musician.
EARLY YEARS AS A MUSICIAN AND SESSION WORK
At age 15,Page joined his first group Neil Christian And The Crusaders during which at that time he considered touring in its most primitive form.One time,the band's van broke down and they had to hitchhike all the way to their gig.Because they only had guitars in hand they would often use other people's amps which sounded horrible,plus the fact that they didn't have money at the time,they had to sleep in the club's storage rooms in between the tables and cabinets where it was horribly cold.With difficulties the band were facing,Page kept on getting ill with glandular fever that he decided to quit the band and went back instead to art college.
It was in school that Jimmy realized what his true passions were--to be a musician.He would often attend these saturday night jams at the Marquee in London where all musicians would flock over and exchange licks and guitar riffs with each other or simply just play around and jam together.This is the place where Jimmy Page met Eric Clapton and members of the Stones like Keith Richards and Brian Jones.This is also the place where Page was first approached to do session music in which he gladly accepted with the reason of enjoying his passion of playing music,earning money and at the same time wont be able tour and worry about getting ill.
During his early work as a session musician,Page claimed not being able to read music at first.But by then he had to,as the projects became more and more complicated.
Among his earliest works were with other British artists popular at the time:Brian Howard and the Silhouette, Tony Meehan and Jet Harris and Carter-Lewis and the Southerners.These artists were then popular in England alone and gradually disappeared in obscurity.
His session works were ambient and he would often go from one genre to another--ballad,pop,rock and blues.Among the other artists he worked with were,as follows:
1.Burt Bacharach-"Always Something There To Remind Me" and other instrumental scores.
2.Petula Clark
3.John Mayall's Bluesbreakers--where he met Eric Clapton again after Eric left the Yardbirds where he was also offered a slot.
4.Herman's Hermits
5.Lulu
6.Tom Jones-- where he played guitar on the song "Its Not Unusual"
7.Nico--real name Christa Paffgen,model and singer.
8.The Rolling Stones
9.David Bowie--who was known back then as David Jones
10.Donovan--where he played lead guitar on the song "Sunshine Superman"
11.The Who
Jimmy Page also played on commercial jingles in the early sixties which were often played in between radio shows in Britain back then.However,there was also a rumor about Jimmy Page playing lead guitar on the song "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks.That myth lingered on for years and nearly became a musical fact until Page himself denied it saying he got nothing to do with the song's guitar solo where he also said that Ray Davies(guitarist and lead singer with the Kinks) was miffed and was a little upset over that misunderstood fact.
Page was first offered a slot into joining the Yardbirds when Eric Clapton left the band to become a blues purist.He turned down the offer and recommended his childhood friend Jeff Beck instead,he claimed he was a little shy because he was friends with Eric Clapton too and he said he wasn't so sure about the politics behind Clapton's departure.Plus the fact that he was still worried about getting sick again while touring.
THE YARDBIRDS
Page was offered again the second time to join the Yardbirds when bassist Paul Samwell-Smith left the band.During this time of his career,Jimmy Page was having a rough time with his session works as he was slowly becoming unhappy with his job when people started to approach him to do muzak.Jimmy suddenly find his session works becoming too silly that he decided to quit his job and join the Yardbirds on bass in 1967.By the time the Yardbirds was a quintet,Jimmy Page was able to use his skills as a session musician on one of the group's songs--one track called "Ten Little Indians" in which Page regard as one of the most silly songs he ever recorded.With producer Mickie Most on the consoles,Page recalls Most telling them "Oh c'mon just try it,if it doesn't sound good we wont release it."And of course,it always gets released.With the song's poor brass arrangement,Page had the idea of making it a little interesting by using what he calls "backward echo",something that he has learned during his session days where he would turn the tape over and employ the echo for the specific sound on a spare track,then turning it back over and you get the echo preceding the signal.The result was interesting--it made the track sound like it was going backward.Nevertheless,the whole song still sounded silly and it reminds Page of his latter days as a session musician.
In the nick of time,Jeff Beck burned out and left the Yardbirds in early 1968,with the now foursome band,Jimmy Page switched from bass to lead guitar,with Chris Dreja switching from rhythm guitar to bass.
( photo:The Yardbirds circa 1967,left to right:Jeff Beck,Jim McCarty,Chris Dreja,Jimmy Page and Keith Relf )
With Jimmy Page in control of the group,he slowly led the Yardbirds(now a quartet) into a more experimental and hard rocking sound.First,with Jake Holmes' song "Dazed And Confused" which was rearranged by Page himself and was presented to the group with Keith Relf doing the vocals.Page at the time already used the bow creating that howling sound on the guitar,with the song's lyrics and credit to Holmes,Page neatly scraped that violin bow on his guitar creating that ghoulish sound and ghostly howl.Jimmy Page later rearranged the song,changed the lyrics and the upbeat tempo taking all the credit to himself.Page said he changed the upbeat tempo from acoustic blues(which was originally done by Holmes) to hard rock to avoid a plagiarism suit.The latter version of the song was recorded by Led Zeppelin with Robert Plant on vocals which was considered as one of the greatest hard rock songs of all time.
By mid-1968,conflicts between musical tastes and interests began to emerge with each band members.Vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf was more interested in folk music,Chris Dreja is becoming increasingly obsessed with photography,drummer Jim McCarty was more interested in classical music while Jimmy Page was more into hard rock and some things what Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience were doing.
The now foursome Yardbirds began flopping on their new singles as their producer Mickie Most failed to reignite the band's commercial success.As the summer of 1968 approaches,the band was already managed by Peter Grant--who would later on be Led Zeppelin's manager.They toured the States that summer to great acclaim in which sadly,the last time the band would ever do.The last single ever to be released by the band was "Good Night Sweet Josephine" in which the sound was in the same vein as their Mickie Most-produced songs in the earlier days.Its B side however,"Think About It" features a proto-Zeppelin sound by Jimmy Page with huge riffs and guitar solos,something that Led Zeppelin would do and accomplish later on as one of the biggest bands of the late sixties and the seventies as a whole.
TRANSITION
Vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf left the band to pursue a more folk rock direction.Bass player Chris Dreja also left to become a rock photographer.Drummer Jim McCarty also left the band and formed an acoustic duo with Keith Relf.The only man left alone in the group was Jimmy himself,with the band's breakup,Page alone is entitled to its name and sound.As he tries to put the Yardbirds back together--with new manager Peter Grant who also managed the Animals and Bad Company.He recruited fellow session musician John Paul Jones on bass.For the lead singer his real first choice was Terry Reid who was also managed by Mickie Most,Reid declined to avoid a breach of contract with his present manager and recommended instead the then unknown singer Robert Plant.There has been also reports that Page was also interested in Procol Harum's singer Gary Brooker to replace Keith Relf as the Yardbirds lead singer.Robert Plant by then recommended John Bonham to fill in as drummer,thus completing the lineup for the newly established Yardbirds.
They later toured in 1968 as the New Yardbirds to avoid a lawsuit by former member Chris Dreja who claimed the rights to the Yardbirds' trademark and name.
LED ZEPPELIN
Perhaps realizing that this is not the same band as it used to be,plus the fact that the name New Yardbirds doesn't appeal much to audiences who were.mostly fans of the former group,the band decided to change its name to Led Zeppelin basing on the suggestion by the Who's Keith Moon that the band would go down like a "Lead Zeppelin" when he first saw the New Yardbirds onstage.Lead was quickly changed to Led by Page to avoid mispronounciation.
Led Zeppelin was recorded in a very short span of time,only 30 hours including the mixing of the whole album.Page took pride in producing and arranging the album with the band very well rehearsed and was fresh from their Scandinavian tour of 1968.Not to mention,his tremendous work in the studio as a session musician.
Glyn Johns was the engineer of the album's sessions who also recorded later on with the Beatles' Let It Be and the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed.As awesome as the pun could ever be,Page told a story of how he and Glyn Johns would often argue over arrangement and over the mixing of the album.One particular track,"You Shook Me" wherein Page had the idea of making the song more interesting by using backward echo-the same technique he had used on the Yardbirds' "Ten Little Indians".Johns began arguing with Jimmy Page saying that such technique can't be done-Page replied by telling him that he had already tried it before and was pissed with Johns still arguing out of it by telling him that he is after all the producer and he'll be telling him what to do.The awesome result of the track's effect has surprised Glyn Johns,who as an engineer wouldn't expect that knowledge from a guitar player.
Jimmy Page would soon hire different engineers on every Led Zeppelin album in the future to let the people know that he is the one responsible for the band's awesome sound.
Led Zeppelin's second album however had sealed the band's status as not just another hippie rock band of the late sixties but a rock group worthy of timeless appeal as their contemporaries were at that time.
Led Zeppelin II saw Page teaming up with producer Eddie Kramer who also produced albums by Jimi Hendrix.With Andy Johns as engineer[Glyn Johns' brother],the record's awesome combination made this second album as one of their masterpieces.A precious gem that is still unbeaten by rock bands of today.
Jimmy Page later denied rumors about him and Jimi Hendrix jamming together and being friendly.Theres been a rumor about Page and Hendrix meeting through Eddie Kramer who also produced the latter's albums.Truth is,even though Jimmy Page wanted to meet Hendrix and wanted to hear him play live,he was too busy with his work with Led Zeppelin during the late sixties so when Hendrix was playing somewhere,Led Zeppelin was playing somewhere else too.When Page decided to go and see Hendrix play he was so exhausted coz Zeppelin just finished touring and would often shrug his shoulders saying "I'll meet him next time"...and of course,there never was a next time,Hendrix died on September 18,1970. Page later said that he was really upset about himself not seeing Jimi Hendrix in person--he really wanted to meet him and hear him live.
(left photo:Jimi Hendrix)
Led Zeppelin worked for three years straight without having any breaks as Page believed the band has got to do If they really want to create an impact.Well,it certainly paid off.
With Eddie Kramer on Led Zeppelin II Jimmy Page used a lot of backward echo and bow guitar on one of the album's most famous tracks "Whole Lotta Love" where they also used Theremin to enhance the song's effects.The theremin was also used by Page during live concert performances with the band.
(left photo: the Theremin)
Led Zeppelin worked on album number three after the 1969 US tour,the album uncannily titled Led Zeppelin III was considered a contrast on both their two previous albums.Released on October 1970,the album was more dominated with acoustic songs and with more English folk traditions.The album's cover however,was considered by Page as a disappointment.Zeppelin was on a deadline,the band had just finished recording the entire album but they still didn't have the art cover,so they ended up with this art which seem like a teeny bopperish with little chunks of corn and nonsense the band knew has nothing to do with the sound inside it.However,Led Zeppelin III made it to the top of the Billboard album charts on October 31,1970 and remained there for three weeks.
As a musician and producer,Page wanted artistic control in a vice grip,he delivered the first and second albums to Atlantic Records after the band had already finished recording.Atlantic,on the other hand,aware of Page's tremendous work both as a session musician and as a member of the Yardbirds,were very keen to have him."They were pretty hip people",quips Page who knew exactly what to do on every aspect,how the album would sound and where and when the guitars would come in.
But the record company's awesome cheer would soon go into at first misunderstanding.Flabbergasted,Atlantic was shocked to hear that the fourth album delivered to them in November 1971 where the band decreed that there'll be no album title,no record company logos,credits and catalogue numbers.The company threatened legal action but Page stated the untitled album meant not to antagonize the record label but it was instead the band's reply to the music press for believing that the band's popularity was after all by hip and not talent.With their first three albums in spite of being rated as rock classics still had bad reviews on other music magazines.
Though the untitled album spawned hit after hit Page jokes about still having bad reviews on the fourth album.
Most of the album's tracks were recorded by the band at Headley Grange, a rustic poorhouse from the 1700s.The house used to shelter the poor and the insane at that time and Led Zeppelin converted it into one of the world's largest recording booth.Haunted,Jimmy Page told a story on how he encountered spirits there having chosen to live on the toppermost floor during the band's stay.
Jimmy Page,being an awesomely talented guitarist and producer,have figured out upon visiting the house that the place had good acoustics that he immediately booked the Rolling Stones' mobile recording studio and began work with ace engineer Andy Johns.With band members constantly moving their respective equipments inside the house,you can hear the cool results not only on the fourth album but the band has also polished some tracks on what would be their sixth album Physical Graffiti. (top right photo:Headley Grange)
"We revitalized the energy at Headley,the place became lighter as a result of our stay there",recalls Page.It certainly did,the spirits haunting the said house must've been captured or vanished perhaps by Zeppelin's magic spell. (upper right photo:Headley Grange)
GROUPIES,RELATIONSHIPS AND RUMORED USE OF THE OCCULT
Jimmy Page,who is obviously happy having groupies around,had some relationships with several women including with one of the famous Plastercasters--two women who had the pleasure of having rock stars' genitals casted and molded over plaster of paris and have them as a souvenir--they also had Keith Moon and Jimi Hendrix's as well.Not to mention one famous groupie Pamela Des Barres who also had a brief relationship with both Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler.But none could be legendary other than Page's relationship with the 14 year old model Lori Maddox in 1972.
Though some critics say Page got away with a child abuse suit,Page and other members of Zeppelin claimed they weren't aware at the time that Maddox was only 14 years old.As Lori herself confessed that as a model for Star magazine in the early seventies,she described on how the publications make 14 year olds look like they were 40.
(upper right photo:Jimmy Page and Lori Maddox)
So Jimmy Page had a relationship with a minor,and he definitely got away with 'murder'.But none could be legendary than his rumored fascination with the English occultist Aleister Crowley.
Crowley,who is also known as the English Beelzebub,and dubbed as the world's most evil man was said to have influenced Page by enhancing Zeppelin's popularity using the occult according to Crowley's dicta,Page has always denied such rumor,often referring to Led Zeppelin's immense popularity fueled by the band's talent and not merely by hype.Not to mention his tremendous working experience in the studio as a session musician which propelled Led Zeppelin in its artistic form as we know them all today.
However,Page do admit on reading a lot about Crowley and how he was fascinated over the magician's principles.He also took pride of owning some of the magician's personal belongings--including Crowley's ceremonial robe and knives.He also bought Boleskine House who once belonged to the magician.Not to mention his use of the "Zoso" magical symbol, which is the magic term for Saturn,was often used by sorcerers and magicians in the early 16th century.
The Zoso was used by Page on the untitled album(aka Led Zeppelin IV) and on the band's one and only featured movie The Song Remains The Same.
Going back to Crowley,its unquestionable on how the man has appealed on most rock stars,he has a huge impact not only on Zeppelin but on other rock bands of the sixties,particularly the Beatles wherein he also appeared on the sleeve of the band's 1967 album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.wherein he is situated between Sri Yukstewar Giri and Mae West.John Lennon had always remarked that the people they included on the collage of Sgt Pepper were the ones who had influenced their lives both as a Beatle and a private individual.John Lennon was also known to be impressed by Crowley's dicta particularly the magician's philosophy "Do What Thou Wilt".Other rock bands such as the Doors were also known to be fascinated over Crowley particularly one heavy metal godfather Ozzy Osbourne.
MID-SEVENTIES CAREER AND HIATUS
In the mid seventies in spite of success of albums such as Houses Of The Holy(1973) and Physical Graffiti(1975) in which the latter contains tracks that were recorded by the band during the fourth album's sessions in Headley Grange,Led Zeppelin had experienced some sort of a temporary setback when Robert Plant,his wife Maureen and Jimmy Page's daughter got into a road accident wherein Plant suffered fractured elbows,hips and ankle and had to be in a cast.His wife suffered a fractured skull and had to be in the hospital for some time.
Though Presence catapulted to number one on Billboard in 1976,it remains as one of their poorest efforts compared to the success of their earlier albums. (upper left photo: Presence album cover)
LAST US TOUR
Jimmy Page once told a story of getting "high" wherein he didn't care at all and just climbed over one of these tall buildings in New York City and sitting over these box air conditioners outside the windows,sitting there just seeing the whole city around,he talked about being careless and admitted he could've died instantly by doing so.But as far as drugs were concerned,people who use them often think they were invincible.Well,Page did lived to tell the whole story didn't he? While a fewer less mortals had their lives extinguished prematurely like what happened to singer Gram Parsons,but I think we should not move to that.
LAST ZEPPELIN ALBUM,LAST TOUR,AND DEATH OF JOHN BONHAM
Led Zeppelin made one more album in 1979 called In Through The Outdoor.Unlike Presence,which was more dominated by Jimmy Page,this album--unfortunately what would be the band's last was more dominated by bass player John Paul Jones.it is also the very first time Jones worked closely with singer Robert Plant collaborating on some songs.However,Jimmy Page stated a feeling of not fully satisfied with the results,saying that he finds the album a little soft.Page was by then rumored that he has seemed to lost enthusiasm with the band as to how he had little contribution over the album,Jimmy Page strongly denies this saying that he was discussing plans for a hard driven rock album with John Bonham shortly after the album's release.Of course,the planned album was never to be.
The album's reception had mixed reviews,however,In Through The Outdoor went to number one on September 15,1979 and stayed at the top spot of the Billboard charts for seven weeks.The RIAA awarded the album in the US as 6x platinum,selling over six million copies.
Shortly after this tour,Led Zeppelin was eager to record and release a new album.On September 24,1980, drummer John Bonham was on his way to Page's Windsor house for rehearsals on what would be their next album.Bonham was reportedly drunk by the time he reached the house after dropping by the bar where he drank several shots of Russian vodka.In the rehearsals,it was said that he continues to drink until the rehearsal mutated into a party.It was always the band's habit to record at a comfortable working environment and see what happens next."We were never a band who do 96 takes of the same thing",says Page,"If the track isn't happening,we tend to drop it and move on to another song."
The rehearsals,as I have said,mutated into a party with John Bonham drinking continously until he passed out.He was carried into a room to sleep it off,the following day,he didn't respond to wake up calls and when his bandmates turned him over he was already blue.John Bonham,the extraordinary drummer who played drums with his fists,had died at the age of 32.
LED ZEPPELIN BREAK-UP
Following John Bonham's death due to alcohol intoxication,the surviving members of Led Zeppelin announced in December 1980 that the band would no longer continue.Perhaps Jimmy Page also felt that John Bonham was irreplaceable.
(photo:John Bonham,Led Zeppelin drummer May 31,1948-September 25,1980)
POST-ZEPPELIN
After Led Zeppelin broke up both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant embarked on separate solo careers while they still communicate as friends,they always tell the press that they rarely talk to fellow Zeppelin John Paul Jones in which they didn't really clarify the main reason why they did such.Robert Plant had a moderately successful solo career while Page worked on the soundtrack album of Charles Bronson's film Death Wish II and subsequently its sequel in 1985 Death Wish III.Jimmy Page also formed a supergroup in the mid eighties with former Free lead singer Paul Rodgers,calling the group The Firm,their debut album peaked at number 17 on the US charts.
1985 also saw Led Zeppelin performing for the first time in five years,persuaded by Bob Geldof,the surviving three performed at Live Aid with Phil Collins and another guest drummer on drums.The reunion was cut short and it was ruled out that they only reunited for Live Aid and the members of Zeppelin went back on their own separate ways after that.Three years later,the band reunited again this time with John Bonham's son Jason on drums on the 40th anniversary of Atlantic Records in 1988.However,a concert tour with the three surviving members failed to materialize.
In 1994,Jimmy Page reunited with former bandmate and songwriting partner Robert Plant and formed a duo.They toured the US with enormous success and released three albums,one particular album, "No Quarter:Jimmy Page And Robert Plant Unledded" wherein John Paul Jones was said to have not been notified of the said supposedly Led Zeppelin reunion.It was also noted at the time that the former Zeppelin bass player filed suit concerning the No Quarter title as he claimed he is also entitled to the name Led Zeppelin.The case was said to have been settled out of court. The duo disbanded in 1998 after releasing two more albums.
LED ZEPPELIN REUNION AND MORE RUMORED REUNIONS
With Led Zeppelin being inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 1995,rumors started to buzz in the music industry,"is Led Zeppelin going to reunite and tour again?" They did however ,reunited again two years after Jimmy Page received a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys.It sure surprised every single rock fan,considering Led Zeppelin didn't won any Grammy awards in the sixties and seventies throughout their 12 year career as a recording unit,unlike their contemporary which is the Beatles.Page was said to have been having thoughts of though Zeppelin were really popular across the globe,he merely thinks they weren't really grammy material,and when he was presented with a lifetime achievement award it was obvious on how the guitarist was happy to receive it.
On December 2012,Page along with surviving members Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were given an award at the Kennedy Center Honors hosted by Jack Black and presented by President Obama.The said event is the US's highest award giving body for influencing American culture through music and arts.
Will Led Zeppelin reunite again? I guess releasing a new album with all new material seemed impossible with the absence of John Bonham as rock music's drumming fist of fury.But we'll never know whats in the mind of Jimmy Page,he maybe thinking of having Led Zeppelin back together or not at all.In the meantime,we can always go back to their albums that always sounded fresh.The true classic albums that defines Led Zeppelin's immortality and timeless appeal.
(c) Keith Vernon Adagio
