John Paul Jones + Jimmy Page

[Raman]

I have an ongoing feud with a guitarist whom I used to play with.
In a word: He hates Jimmy Page, which he views as "sloppy" with his technique. He prefers guitarists such as Van Halen and Slash...

I'm fine with his view, but I think it's short-sighted. Page may be sloppy, but that's only because he can afford it, since he's backed up by Jones and Bonham.
You can't understand Page's guitar if you don't pay attention to the background of Jones' bass.

 

[Bob_Ross]

The problem is, Page got sloppier in the latter part of Zep’s career; there are recordings from>1975 where no amount of God-Level Bedrock Rhythm Section can mask the fact that the guitar player is duffing every other note.

 

[Swerve]

I don’t give a hoot about Page’s live technique or lack thereof. His compositions are god tier and second to none. He is the goat imo.

 

[WG Plum]

Alcoholism/drugs bad, m'kay?

He did write some legendary riffs (stole some too).

 

[KenD]

Page must have had some clue about how to play guitar - he was one of the busiest session players in London before founding Zeppelin.

 

[mazdah]

This is funny, because all three of them had nothing but respect towards them. All three of them are (were) in a league, where no-one had to prove anything anymore.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

The guitar solo in Heartbreaker had two (maybe three?) dead-on klunkers.

To my mind, Page's third (or fourth klunker) was allowing the solo to leave the studio in that condition.

 

[Rocket Queen]

The problem is, Page got sloppier in the latter part of Zep’s career; there are recordings from>1975 where no amount of God-Level Bedrock Rhythm Section can mask the fact that the guitar player is duffing every other note.

Honest curiosity: Could you call out specific recordings?

 

[scowboy]

Watch the ‘08 reunion. He slayed dragons and scared young children for miles. What ever slop he dished in the later years of Zep were forgotten that night.

 

[Max7]

I don’t give a hoot about Page’s live technique or lack thereof. His compositions are god tier and second to none. He is the goat imo.

I always liked the fact that Page played on the edge and was great at improvising on the fly. The rhythm section of Jones and Bonham is second to none IMO.

 

[Spectrum]

The guitar solo in Heartbreaker had two (maybe three?) dead-on klunkers.

To my mind, Page's third (or fourth klunker) was allowing the solo to leave the studio in that condition.

That's part of what makes it so awesome.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

That's part of what makes it so awesome.

That's one person's opinion. I think it makes it sloppy:squared.

 

[Shepsdad]

That's part of what makes it so awesome.

Exactly! And I can’t imagine hearing it any other way.

 

[KenD]

Read the second quote in my signature line.

Exiting troll now.

 

[ELG60]

Joe Bonamassa had a different perspective:
He talks about Page starting at 16:45

 

[Rev_Slinky]

It's been my experience that the vast majority of people that complain about Page being a sloppy player are just mad because they will never play anything remotely as good as Page at his loosest. Zeppelin's live approach of fast-and-loose is why their bootlegs are so sought after. They pushed it every night, even when they didn't have to. Did they make mistakes? All the time. But they also made magic. When someone can capture a fraction of that lightning in a bottle, then I will listen to their critique.

 

[60bass]

Pagey has always been a bit sloppy. However when you consider the copious amounts of sex, drugs, and rock n roll consumed by the band on tour, it's easy to see why. Paige always sounds good on his records but in the studio you have , plenty of time to get things perfect. That said, I once read a book about the making of Zep 4 and in it the author states that when Jimmy Page did his lead in Stairway to heaven he just walked in with a Telecaster. Then he leaned up against the side of a big Tannoy Studio Monitor and knocked out the lead in one take.

 

[Spidey2112]

You can't understand Page's guitar if you don't pay attention to the background of Jones' bass.

Well put.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Honest curiosity: Could you call out specific recordings?

The soundtrack to the concert film The Song Remains The Same, for starters.

 

[MVE]

The guitar solo in Heartbreaker had two (maybe three?) dead-on klunkers.

To my mind, Page's third (or fourth klunker) was allowing the solo to leave the studio in that condition.

Im sorry, but on what planet would you call any note in that solo a klunker?
Number one, it was totally improvised.
Number two, it was meant to be a chicago electric blues tare down, not a Joe Pass jazz masterpiece.