That's a great question. I know that in one interview in 1990 ?? Plant expressed a real interest in working with Trevor Rabin(guitarist from Yes). At that point , I think Robert was controlling but not out of control. Trevor Rabin himself was known as a bit of a agenda setter and surely Robert realized that a project with the both of them could only be possible with heavy compromises involved. No surprise nothing came of it. On FON Robert still sounds like some of the musicians are allowed to do their thing. IMO what came afterward really sounded like Robert REALLY dictating parts to the other players. I say this because although he did this sometimes before, certain parts of certain songs sounded suspiciously simple or "mediocre", something that no one would say about the first two solo discs, or FON. Robert definetly could have driven away potential collaborators; supposedly the 2nd disc that was to come from Plant and Alison Krause tanked because Robert was trying to take over.

IMO Fate is a excellent album, in my opinion his last actual good album. It's up there with the first two, even better at times. I do respect all opinions of later material but I do think after FON Plant on most projects became a control freak. The evidence is that the supporting players as time moved on were not close to Plant's ability. Certainly not Alison Krausses's band, but supposedly one main reason there was no second album was Plant trying to take over. FON had really good players to help things along; a lot of the the post 2000 stuff is irritating because although Plant is using competent musicians most are mediocre. A shame because Plant is actually attempting really creative stuff at times.

Page has a signature Hiwatt and Marshall ??? He may have endorsed a model(???)but unless this was some kind of super limited run with no publicity, Iv'e NEVER heard of this. Possible, but never advertised, publicized, or promoted. True that Page only used the Dano sparingly, but for the last 10 years or so funky pawnshop prize type guitars have grown greatly in popularity, and many of them have greatly upgraded hardware and fretwork, and sometimes more reliable electronics, etc., . I totally agree that Page's Dano was more of a liability live than a asset, but it did sound distinctive and which other legendary guitarist had the balls to play a (at the time) $100 canoe paddle onstage ??? I think a Botswana Brown B-Bender Tele would be great, but actually I don't think Page has fond memories of the Firm; I saw them 5 times and Page did not look too happy(very close seats). So because of this reason I don't think Page wants reminders of this still IMO dark period. Others at different shows saw a different Page, so maybe.

That's true but not all contracts bind the artist to one brand, although the mega-expensive Paul's and double necks issued 8-9 ?? years ago may restrict Page's "issues". There have been jazz artists who have had signature guitars with Gibson AND Guild, for example. In rock there was a Burns and Guild Brian May model as well. However usually one model is on it's way out because especially if the guitars shared similarities it would be stupid to slit your own throat. But I really doubt Gibson would have a problem with a Page Dano....The guitar is just not competing with Gibson in any way, unless they argued that now you could have a Page signature for let's say $700, instead of $10,000.

I agree with Ipman. On many songs the Tele had IMO a more even EQ across the board and better definition than the LP's. If someone could clear up the mystery, did the Dragon have custom wiring, goddammit !?!? I do know that back then the pickups could vary considerably in windings and output, etc.. Having Telecasters myself I can tell you some (even with single coils) work very well for hard Rock.

Yeah, that's the question. There are far less popular artist signature guitars. Surely there would be a demand. Then again there is no Page Danelectro model, although the Dano's are not universally praised.

As far as I remember there is detailed story about this in a Guitar Payer interview from June ?? 77'. It is surely posted somewhere. As I remember Page lent it to a friend and the friend idiotically messed with the wiring, and basically screwed it all up. Page was not An expert guitar technician but he knew how to use a soldering iron and had some expertise with electrics in general. There is always this debate that Page's Dragon Tele was custom wired to have both pickups combine into a humbucker mode. Certainly most other Tele's around at that time never sounded as thick as Page's, although with the Tele Page did sometimes use a distortion/fuzz pedal, not sure if he used those with the Paul. Fender has in fact issued many paisley/psychedelic Tele's, but strangely enough no Dragon Tele. Actually I believe Page's friend messed up the appearance of the Dragon as well. An interesting mystery.

I believe it all comes down to impact, especially emotional, and that is why Emily and Patrycha, two women, had much to say about this entire matter. Bonham's Impact literally leaves a huge impression on everything he plays, and guys and GIRLS feel it. Ginger is great and some of his stuff anyone may notice, but a lot of his playing IMO is more academically or technically brilliant. Bonzo makes you want to move, or jump, or do cartwheels. Whatever.

Well the thing with much prog-rock is that there is usually some very tight interplay between instruments, and though Zep certainly had a few numbers requiring strict tightness(BD,Carouselambra, some of IMTOD,etc.)much of their timing had much more to do with R&B and Soul. Zep was mainly about stretching the time, not playing exactly on the beat. Page could definetly play prog, but play stuff like Close To The Edge or the really bizarre Relayer Yes stuff ??? This stuff is not just about technique, the timings are insane.

Well I thought Chris Squire would have been a better fit than Tony Franklin. The XYZ "Fortune Hunter" IMO kicks more ass than Franklin's part, because despite all the prog-rock baggage, Squire can really crank when needed. And although Steve Howe can definetly do the Page tight but loose thing, I have have never heard live stuff or seen him play anything but above-average. Howe has never played remotely close to the steep decline that Page had from 77' on. I agree that had the XYZ band gone on Squire may have confronted Page about drugs, but the article I read Squire said they both we're partying heavily. Actually Page's playing on the tracks, solos included IMO wasn't half bad.

Well if Page had to solo over Steve Howe era-Yes there may have been trouble, but Midnight Moonlight with the Firm is pretty complex. Both Chris Squire and Alan White later commented that the stuff that was done with Page inXYZ was considered a real project, not just jamming. Page was very dismayed that Plant didn't come along, who said the music was too complicated.

The analogies with the art stuff are right on and really help distinguish Page from the hordes of other rock players. Even EVH said in plainer terms that Page doesn't always execute things properly, but he is still a genius. That's also why it's sometimes frustrating to try to explain that Page's musical vision is so vast that he is looking at the earth from the perspective of someone being on the moon. As opposed to someone earthbound imagining how the earth looks from the moon. Well, whatever.

Very illuminating points. Vai, Satch, and Malmsteen can't be fairly grouped together. Satriani is far more versatile than the other two, and can lay back a little and be bluesy, but also play very complex and be avant-guarde. Vai is great but IMO plays a lot of stuff that sounds almost like cartoon music. Absolutely innovative, no doubt. Listenable for more than 1/2 hr ??? debate able. Malmsteen took what Blackmore did and took it much further, the classical solos can be amazing. But weak compositions/songwriting has been an enormous problem. Ocean 87 has said many truths about Page's playing. One of my biggest disappointments was that I somehow thought after Zep Page would pickup the pieces and continue to make brilliant, awe-inspiring music. There was no net then and being that Jimmy was such a secretive person few if any knew about his addictions . Also at that time there weren't even many boots from the 77' tour to show Page's serious decline. If you heard the solos on ITTOD, Page seemed alive and kicking. And I agree that compared to many peers, Page wasted a ton of talent with drugs and not practicing.

I think a major point missing here is many(not all) of the shredders/technicians tend not to be the best composers/songwriters. I mean, quick, how many of the "burners" around(Let's say Vai, Malmsteen, and Johnson)can you off the top of your head name two well known songs ??? 99% of people, can't. Basically the SOLO is the song, whereas with Page/Hendrix/Halen/Allman,etc. you are getting songs with each part having equal importance (or reasonably so). Nothing wrong with liking shredders and amazing technique, it's just that this sub genre demands the guitarist spend a great deal of time just keeping up their chops, usually diminishing compositional quality. To get back to Page, there are certainly jams/solos from 72'/75' where Page plays solos almost at shredder speed and precision. And then slop here and there, but you can't pigeonhole him.

Well actually there are computer programs which can remove vocals from a track. There are also digital vocal trainers which are used quite obviously to erase the vocals so you can perfect your own. However these can cost from $150 to very high!?!?!!. The main problem, especially with the cheaper ones is that they can remove very small to moderate amounts of the instrumentation. Obviously, you want what Page has done with some of the Zep tracks. All I'm saying is yes it can be done, but to get it right, MUCHO DINERO. Forget it.

Can't believe how catty and petty all this has turned out. Baker and Bonzo are apples and oranges, but a quick listen to any of Zep's live Elvis or Rockabilly jams within WLL show Bonzo's unmistakeable ability to "swing". And Baker's drumming on "Sunshine" is unprecedented, leaving many drummers baffled. This whole thing is almost as invalid as trying to argue that Chet Atkins was a better guitarist than Page. Yes Baker was a early innovator, but actually many rock drummers can't even play/imitate some of his jazzier stuff.

Perhaps Aaron could explain better, but from what I heard the original was crap. The company/ project quickly went bankrupt. It was brought about at least partially by members of 10cc, a British pop group. Obviously Page never used it live on ITE. I suppose the device was unreliable for live work, or Page was too far gone to get the part together. Remember the live solos for Hot Dog, Page never quite soloed over the changes properly, so that wasn't together either.

That is the best attitude about the whole thing. But Zen masters and legitimate gurus are in short supply.

I think there is a certain brutality that somehow pervades all the songs. Even though HOFN and RO seem like fun songs, even they ultimately have frenetic guitar and drum arrangements. And it really is a shame that no live material from this release will be issued. The 5/22 ?? Ft.Worth 77' Achilles is probably the most powerful version ever. Page and Bonham seem to be locked in some sort of instrumental mortal combat that is far more violent than anything Iv'e ever heard by any speed or thrash metal band.

I believe absolutely the right decision at the right time. What is fascinating is that at the time despite Zep's huge popularity, the band was still not all that well known except thru their live and studio output. Page in particular was an enormous enigma; very few knew the the extent of his addictions or the real danger he was in, as was Bonzo. They rarely gave interviews(Page from the early to mid 70's , disgusted by critics, gave maybe 6-7 ?? interviews), whereas now or the last 15 years or so Page is practically on rock or guitar mags almost continuously. Anyway few were aware of the gigantic schisms forming in the band, or even that Page's and Bonzo's playing had Declined notably. So even if Bonham had not died, the 80' tour, whether on paper or theoretically, IMO would not have been a likely success. These days with the net, half this stuff would be known , and fans would know what to expect.

Page is my fave, but I have to sort of comment on Hendrix. Hendrix overall took much more drugs, etc., than Page . But Hendrix was known even up to the last days to practice at least a few hours a day , if not 5-6. I find it impossible to believe that Page after 1973 was consistently practicing daily, let alone for hours and hours. Plus Hendrix was constantly wrangling with his whammy bar, constantly throwing the guitar out of tune . Just listen to "Wild Thing" , from 1967 Monterey Pop.. And Hendrix's rhythm guitar style was far more complex than Page's ; What Page is doing on the Rain Song Hendrix is doing live every few songs, ballad or rock. And although Hendrix could get "sloppy", he always quickly recovered, and kept the thread. Your'e talking about totally different types of sloppiness, although again Page is multifaceted, not simply sloppy overall.

It's a good thing few if any have ever complained that Bonzo can sometimes recreate the chaos and din of battle. Page's sloppiness ultimately is not just "incorrect", it's another device among many others that is often used artistically, obviously naturally. Of course sometimes the sticky fingers were at times sabotaged by various demons, but as a whole you can't pigeonhole him as sloppy.

I just have to chime in and say that although 98' P/P live was not Zeppelin, The 3 shows I saw Jimmy absolutely blew the roof off as far as stunning guitar brilliance. He was very consistent, had almost shredding technique(no bull !!!) his tone was killer with a ton of emotion. Many have somehow almost criminally overlooked these shows, also downplaying even some actual critic's reviews, who had pointed out that Page was playing with the fire and gusto of someone half his age. A point well made about a acoustic reunion, it would ease many of Plant's concerns and lighten Page's load. But I thought Plant had actually half-heartedly suggested this a while ago.

Likely I comment too late, but Slash's solos are far more predictable than Page's IMO , although I never heard that particular show where Slash called Page "boring". Slash is certainly really good but one of the main reasons he stood out in the late 80's was not because he was so immortal but because of the glut of shredders and hair metal at the time. What has he done so great since G'n R' He should shut up, even though I myself learned some of his solos oh no , I stupidly didn't realize my post wouldn't be paired with a 2008 entry. Commander, if necessary, delete at will.

One thing that Page mentioned that I'm not sure was mentioned here was Jimmy's perceived or actual almost ESP connection with Bonzo live, with the other band members as well. They were close but not nearly as close socially wise as many would suspect. But Jimmy also said besides a new drummer matching Bonzo's overall prowess, a tremendous problem in itself, the new drummer would have to improvise brilliantly during songs at certain parts, something Jimmy said would put totally unreasonable pressure on the best of drummers.. So IMO the breakup wasn't 100% social as some would believe, although certainly it was very important.