In listening to the Old Zep classics I can't help but wonder why this guy's talent (which is immense) never accompanied him in his later years (look at Jeff Beck or Jorma Kaukonen for examples). Is it me or does it seem like he just dropped off a cliff? I know he's still making music but does any of his more recent stuff shine like his early stuff?
page/Plant did a fanstastic job of playing there Zeppelin catalog when I saw them during their late 90's tour in support of the "Walking into Clarksdale" album.
Live performances of many classic rock acts from the 70's I've seen in the 90s and since have been superior to what they could muster live back in the day due largely to:
1) fewer drugs/ more consistency 2) years of honing their performances of their classic tunes 3) better sound engineering for live performances
In addition to Page/Plant, others that have honed their live acts over the years that I have seen are(practice does make perfect)The Moody Blues, Dick Dale and Yes.
Just last night I saw The Church perform live and the performance overall was golden! Even they have been around now for over 25 years. God, that makes me feel old!
Yes. Sort-a. I still must go back to Reed circa Velvet Underground (the banana LP with Nico) which was really a stunner for the times. Some say Sgt.Pepper captured the times, but I say the banana LP did better. The banana LP was to music what Tom Wolf's "Electric Kool Aid Acid Test was to literature about the time. "Heroin" captured the subject and the mentality of the addict to a T, and still speaks to the junkie state of mind.
I know this will piss off plenty of aging boomers, but here goes: I heard Led Zeppelin live three times back in the 70's. I went through my youthful guitar god worship phase as did many other baby boomers who got hooked for awhile on white redo's of black blues. IMO the original Blues Breakers LP got about as close to black blues by melanin-challenged Caucasians as I can remember. If I wanted to listen to blues since the mid-eighties on, I just spun Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, etc. etc. The heavily doctored studio "magic" that Peter Grant poured into Led Zeppelin's LP's was more than apparent to me when I saw them live. They couldn't replicate the "magic" live, for what I heard (even zonked) was a pale imitation of their records. I have seen several aging black blues "legends" in my life, and they all did a much better job of replicating the "magic" that was on their studio recordings. Don't get me wrong, on there own terms I still listen to Led Zeppelin's "Black Mountain Side" & "Bron-Ar-Aur." - and those are instrumentals.
Who is still doing inspired work after their former brilliant work while using. This isn't to say you don't see flashes of the old brilliance but by and large, there's a period and after everything's cleaned up... ther goes the music. Who is not? Paul Westerburg Paul McCartney Eric Clapton Jimmy Page David Gilmour et. al.
Page is/was one of the most innovative blues/rock guitar ARTISTS with Zeppelin and ws an irreplaceable part of that group.
Emphasis on ARTIST. He did things with Zeppelin that no body else thought of or did at the time, as did the group as a whole. Their's is a very unique body of work.
That is what Jimmy Page will always be known for. What else can he do now that won't pale in comparison?
i recall hearing a famous director (might have been lucas) tell a class of film students that because they haven't started, and everything was a blank slate, that they were far more likely to make a great film than he was at this time.
and as prior poster affirms, money = comfort, and art needs sharp edges.
it amazes me that tom waits still does it, but then again, if you listen to his lyrics (and his statements about selling songs to corporations), he obviously doesnt care at all about money
an incredible guitarist in his time, which is passed
The sweetness of a blues guitarist, with the genius of someone who did things with the instrument that hadn't been done before. I'm still in awe of "The Wanton Song" thirty five years later! When he plays "Since I've Been Loving You" its pure emotion. I saw him ten years ago too. When he played "How Many More Times", it didn't seem to me like he had lost anything. Its not about that though. He's an artist, not an athlete. Its about his body of work. With Eddie, you're in awe of his hand speed. Same with DiMeola. With Page, you're in awe of how much pure sound he can get out of the instrument in any given moment. He's a one man orchestra.
He made money, he did the drugs, he was great, but maybe just is tired and not the drive to keep going, what would he do anyway? All of todays music is garbage. he was in the top 3 bands ever (imho) and what do you do after that?
Artists or any craftsmen who do adapt, manage to stay relevant, and hone their crafts into their later years are to be admired. They get "it", whatever "it" is, and they know that "it" seldom stays put for long.
Tastes change as you get older. Some artists evolve, some can't. This may be particularly true with rockers who didn't really have anything like a complete musical education, they are one-trick ponies. I just wish we could have had Hendrix and Vaughan into old age, to see what was possible. Robbie Robertson can barely play at all now. That Page isn't playing like classic Zep now should be no surprise. He's probably even sicker of Stairway than the rest of us. I admire Plant's adventurousness, but even he admits on the public television show with Raising Sand performances that he is a fish out of water, he doesn't really get what modern bluegrass is about. He may get better, I think the problem with Sand is that he tried too hard to tone down the things he is good at. I don't think he needs to pay the rent, I think he's just a wealthy musician staying busy and trying new things; besides, who would pass up a chance to play with Alison Krause? Anyone who wants to argue in favor of what the Stones are now...
I know for some time Page was doing alot of soundtracks for movies and such. His talent never withered, but the generation that saw and appreciated his talent did and the newer generations are into much different music than we rockers of the 70's and as mentioned by others some have managed to stay current and do it well. Cheers
It's surely easier to live on the cutting edge of a genre like rock when you're young.
Many classic rock artists have managed to evolve their music and hone their craft effectively though as they "live and learn".
The Moody Blues are often acclaimed as better in concert in recent years than they were back in their heyday. They also managed to adapt the themes of their new music releases well over the years, particularly Justin Hayward.
Then there is the codgey ol'Bob Dylan who just goes out there and does what he feels like doing at the moment, concert after concert, and has managed to produce some top notch material as only he can over the last 10 years. I hope I can remain as independent yet relevant as him somehow when I reach his age.....
Santana is a chameleon, able to retain a distinctive identity yet able to adapt to the times and forge new collaborations that work with most anyone. I admire his art and accomplishments more than ever these days. BTW, his music is often extremely well recorded as well, audiogoners.
Are artists most productive in their 20's to mid 30s and "dry up" afterwards? I noticed the quality of many of my favorite "60-70's classic rock artist" began dropping as they got deeper into their 30's. (Even the individual Beatles never reached the same heights as their collective younger works.) I think Page fits here. His first 5 Zep records rank among the rock canon of classics while the latter Zep albums were forgetable as he entered his 30's. With a few exceptions of this era, many artists simply ran out of "hook lines, memorable riffs, and revelancy" comparable to their 20's output. This leads me to encourage teens and 20-somethings to use this window of life to take chances - be daring, push the boundries, and follow their own muse, just as Page, Dylan, Beatles, Elvis, Simon & Garfunkel, Allman Brothers, Santana, The Who, Stones, and others did. For most artists the most fertile period is a window of a short decade or two. After that, you pray the royalty checks will carry you through to hopefully your next career. Audiogoners, what do you say?
I saw Page/Plant live about 10 years ago and he still had "it" in regards to guitar playing.
I'm guessing that after Zep, he has just moved on beyond the stage where he has the desire or feels the need to put his abilities out for public display anymore. I'm sure he's set for life and what is there for him to prove anymore?
I wish him well but welcome any opportunities to hear him some more whenever he decides to display his talents further.
Heroin will do that to you. Unlike, for example John Frusciante who was also deep into it Jimmy never seemed to be able to regain the form he once had.
I'm pretty sure I read that he's doing a documentary on guitarists that's supposed to be released soon. This film will focus on 3 players, one of whom is Page (can't recall the other 2 with certainty- might be The Edge and Jack White). I think it's called "Get Loud" and you might want to keep an eye out for it.
i saw the yardbirds when page was on 'bass'(yep, dreja and beck duked it out).. more of an arranger, technician, and organizer than a guitar 'slinger', his work on others recordings alone (hurdy gurdy man, etc) make him a legend.
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