Speaking of Outrider, I think Hummingbird is one of his truly great solos that doesn't get mentioned a lot...

Personally I don't think either guy "saved" anyone from anything. Page was certainly at a crossroads but his playing on CP was inspiring and energetic. Plant was coming off a triumph in Fate of Nations but was said to feel strange about opening up for Lenny Kravitz on a European tour. You can argue that both guys benefitted from the reunion, I don't think one guy pulled the other out of a ditch.

Uh...no. And I like C/P.

Jimmy sounds great on that Ocean intro. Thanks for posting!

For whatever reason, Nugent is one jealous and vindictive bastard when it comes to Jimmy Page.

Thanks for posting, Chicago. I remember this quote and couldn't find it...

Thanks Steve, more interesting stuff as usual! What a beautiful home. Is it still in Grant's family? If not, who owns it now?

Thanks Steve, interesting stuff. I actually thought sitting down with an acoustic for 2 or 3 songs would give him a chance to catch his breath, but that's easy for me to say!

Steve, here's one I've been wondering about with all the talk about an impending release of the O2 show on DVD. In preparations for that show, did the guys seriously discuss or debate sitting down during the show for an acoustic set? Did they ever rehearse any acoustic numbers?

You mean Peter Grant didn't approach Ron Wood about being the guitarist for a new group called Led Zeppelin? :-)

Very cool, thanks! I hope that winds up on Youtube some day...

Hey Steve, I'm reading a John Lennon biography at the moment and it mentions an early '60's meeting between Lennon, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and a beat poet by the name of Royston Ellis. The author claims that Ellis had read his poetry on TV backed by "future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page". Do you have any more information about this? Has anyone ever seen or heard it? That would be interesting.

I remember there being talk of Page, Martin, and Lee collaborating a few years ago, and I think I heard that Roy Harper had introduced Jeff and Jimmy as Roy and Jeff live near each other in the Cork area of Ireland.

I also think it's meaningful that Jimmy talks about having "artistic control in a vice grip" as being something he insisted upon when forming Led Zeppelin. After all, "Produced by Jimmy Page" means just that. I think The Firm showed Jimmy, for the first time since the sixties, NOT having artistic control in a vice grip, and the results had to be a bit of a "compromise" to the ears of many, me included. This is why in my opinion Walking Into Clarksdale had a similar reaction from many quarters. I've been skeptical about a current Page-Plant union because I really would rather hear something truly "Produced by Jimmy Page" again. I'm patiently rooting for the solo album he keeps teasing us with.

I found this quote really intriguing. Page, Jones, and Jason wanted to proceed. Surely Robert is the party who did not want to proceed. But if it's not as simple as "Robert didn't want to do it," then what really happened? Business reasons? Something else? Curious...

Thanks for the review! Did they show any video of the O2, or just talk about it?...

Thanks for posting Deb, that was great. Cool to hear from Richie Yorke, I thought his Zeppelin biography was excellent. Can't help but feel a little bad for Jason about not getting the chance to keep playing with the guys after the O2. Sounds like Jimmy isn't the only one who thought they'd continue...

I just remembered another source for this story. I heard an on-air interview with Jon Anderson of Yes on the Scott Muni show on WNEW in New York before the show. Anderson said he was in the Garden for the soundcheck and he said they sounded awesome. I remember him praising the integrity of continuing with Bonzo's son...

Really? I could have sworn I read somewhere, maybe it was Rolling Stone at the time of the show, that the soundcheck was "spectacular," they had supposedly done "I Can't Quit You Babe," in addition to the tunes they actually performed at the show. And I think I remember hearing it was just Page, Jones, and Jason, no Robert. If I can find anything on it of course I'll let you know...

Wow, thanks for posting that video Steve, very interesting. Jason has come a long way! I've always wanted to see and/or hear the soundcheck of that show, everyone says it was so much better than the actual show...

And Joni Mitchell. Jimmy was quite fond of her!

Boy is he catty!

Did anyone notice the Jimmy snub at the end? On the last page they listed acts who appeared the most, decades represented, etc. They also listed producers who appeared the most and they had 4 or 5 who were tied with 6 songs each in the top 500. Last time I checked Zeppelin had 6 songs in the top 500 and they are all produced by...Jimmy Page.

Thanks for clarifying, Kneb. It's easy to feel that when Ross slams Robert, or in this case Jason, he could be echoing things he heard from his pal Jimmy. It would be easy to make that leap, but I've been of the opinion that it would be wrong to make that leap. I do think there are still some stories to be told on the failure of the Page/Jones/Jason project to get off the ground. In Jimmy's recent interviews, he clearly states that Kennedy was brought in too early for his liking. Which made me think, "Why was he brought in if Jimmy didn't want a singer at that point?". I doubt Jimmy or Jones had even heard of Kennedy at that point. Why would Jason take the step of inviting a friend to sing with "Led Zeppelin" if Jimmy Page of all people wasn't ready for a vocalist's involvement? If Jason's father had tried a stunt like that Peter Grant would have reminded him who's the boss in no uncertain terms! Not asking for clarification, Knebby, just thinking out loud...

Very cool, thanks for posting! I'd heard Saccharine but never heard Southern Comfort. I really like Jimmy's acoustic sound from those sessions...