LED ZEPPELIN HAS become the stuff of rock legend, with all four members celebrated in their own right. Back in 1968, it was Jimmy Page who assembled bassist John Paul Jones, singer Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham, to form a band that would use what he called ‘light and shade’ to demolish musical boundaries, raise the bar for all who followed and virtually invent heavy rock in the process.
Page first picked up the guitar at 13, influenced by the rock and rollers of the day: Scott)’Moore, Cliff Gallup and James Burton. Though these influences were to continue, he also absorbed the contemporary acoustic
styles of John Renbourn, Bert Jansch and Davy Graham with relish, alongside the blues, courtesy of Hubert Sumlin, Freddie and BB ICing and, of course, Willie Dixon, who originally wrote and performed this track. Such a range of influences was bound to produce a versatile and interesting player -though his fusion of them all would not be heard in public just yet. Page began his professional career as a teenager, pausing to study art when it seemed his health might not withstand the rigours of life on the road. However, he continued jamming with friends – including Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck -
attracting enough attention to be called in as a session guitarist for a few recordings. Before long, he was playing on (and sometimes producing) sessions for artists as diverse as Petula Clark, Van Morrison and The Kinks. Page became one of the busiest session players in London, but as the direction of pop music became increasingly ‘sugar/ and shifted away from the guitar, he grew disenchanted with studio life and left it behind, athough he would later say it had been an invaluable learning experience.
Page’s next move was to join The Yardbirds (with whom he had previously hooked up old jamming partners Clapton and Beck). Finding life on the road more agreeable than before, he was dismayed when the band disintegrated round him. He resolved to carry on and
honour their remaining bookings with a fresh line up called The New Yardbirds. Enter Bonham, Jones and Plant…
Now, Page was able to fully express what he has referred to as his ‘textbook of ideas’ built up over the preceding years, incorporating heavy riffs, blues, alternative tunings and what would now be described as ‘World’ influences. Also, he occupied the producer’s chair, popularising and even inventing techniques such as ambient/ distance miking and backwards echo. The first Led Zeppelin album was recorded in short, intense sessions as a mostly live affair. All the elements were present, from the acoustic open tunings of White Summer/Black Mountain Side to the proto-punk of Communication Breakdown. I Can’t Quit You showcases Jimmy’s love of the blues and his ‘light and shade’ approach.