Led Zeppelin was one of the greatest rock bands of all time. They have been and always will be a major influence on me. My favorite albums are I, III (very underrated IMHO), IV, and Physical Graffiti.
I collected over 30 bootleg CDs from shopping at underground record stores back in the early 90s. I paid over $40 a disc so I could hear how great my favorite band at the time sounded in their glory days. Much to my surprise, they sounded like a garage band most of the time. Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones were on their marks just about every show, but Jimmy Page’s playing was AWFUL most of the time. Perhaps it was due to the alcohol and heroin addiction he had been suffering from at the time, but I'd say 80% of the shows I've heard that are not “official” releases are almost unlistenable. It’s my opinion that if Page knew he was going to be recorded (such as the BBC shows, Royal Albert Hall, Madison Square Garden, etc.), he'd be spot on and sound great. However, if it was just a regular show, he'd play so bad you would swear someone cut his arms off.
Eddie Van Halen best describes my feelings on Page:
"Jimmy Page is an excellent producer. Led Zeppelin 1 and Led Zeppelin 2 are classics. As a player, He's very good in the studio. I never saw him play well live. He's very sloppy. He plays like he's got a broken hand and he's two years old. But if you put out a good album and play like a two-year-old live. What's the purpose?" - Guitar World, January 1981
Sorry to rain on everyone's parade, but I have to agree with him 100%. I think the man is one of the greatest songwriters and riff writers in the history of the universe, but his live playing just wasn’t as legendary as everyone seems to believe. Maybe while on drugs it sounded cool, but to my uninfluenced ears, it was appalling.
To be fair, I did see both Page & Plant tours. On the 1st time around, he only played basic songs and wasn't that impressive to me. The solos were basic and the songs weren’t their best or most challenging material. The 2nd time around however, Jimmy blew me away. It was the best I'd ever heard Jimmy play and the concert was easily one of the best I’d ever witnessed.
Eddie later made this statement on Page:
"He's a genius. He's a great player, a songwriter, a producer. Put it this way, he might not be the greatest executor of whatever, but then you hear a Page solo, he speaks. I've always said Clapton was my main influence, but Page was actually more the way I am, in a reckless-abandon kind of way." - Guitar World, February 1990
I know the material on the Led Zeppelin DVD set is great – but that is because they knew they were being recorded as I stated before. Same goes for The Song Remains The Same. An incredible concert! But, other shows reveal how rough Jimmy Page was.
If you think I’m off my rocker, I can provide some sound clips that will make your ears bleed and your body shudder if you have to hear for yourselves. Be forewarned, it’s really disappointing.
