Jump to content

The Firm Thread


Recommended Posts

  • 4 weeks later...
On 16/02/2017 at 11:18 PM, thozil said:

Brown U Herald, Apr 5, 85 and Mar 7, 86

TheFirm_Review_BrownUHerald_Apr5_85_1.jpg

TheFirm_Review_BrownUHerald_Apr5_85_2.jpg

TheFirm_Review_BrownUHerald_Apr5_85_3.jpg

TheFirmMB_Review_BrownUHerald_Mar7_86.jpg

Have to agree with a lot of this.

Love Closer and Cadillac live, but a love of the other stuff is just stodgy and quite dull.

YLTLF had to be a Rodgers choice. The arrangement is a dirge and playing this in the mid 80s was just pointless.

One thing that struck me from listening to the Firm live soundboards - there's not much variation and it's the same sound for the whole concert.

I do love Page's innovative new style on the b string bender and his Boss Chorus, but it needed a bit of mixing up.

In short, Rodgers was the wrong musical partner in crime.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I genuinely like the first Firm album. Initially it was a let down but then I viewed it as being a Honeydrippers type record but with originals. In that vein, the diminished prominence of Jimmy's guitar makes sense and his playing really quite subversive. I take the album for what it is and appreciate it for what it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...
8 hours ago, Boleskinner said:

The only song I like by the firm was Cadillac. 

The collaboration didn't work, as Page was too adventurous for Rodgers, who had a brilliant, but big old fashioned voice, and a bag of cheesy lyrics to boot.

When it comes of vocalists, with the exception of Plant & Chris Farlowe, he tends to favor style over substance. Rogers and Coverdale are great singers but shitty lyricists and one-trick ponies. Should Page record again (I know, I know...) he needs to find an innovative and imaginative vocalist to push his effort over the top, or, just do an instrumental album.

I personally liked the Firm as Jimmy's live playing was spectacular. I also prefer his work on the Tele to the LP as the Tele really brings out the best in Page.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Cadillac is quite unique, never heard anything else like it. Rodgers was certainly capable of following tricky arrangements. But Jimmy had actually said in a nice way that he wanted Paul to push his stellar vocals beyond the

very conventional boundaries he was used to. Jimmy was kind of warned by someone significant that Paul did

have a difficult personality, and even in Zep Jimmy really couldn't force songs onto the band. In fact that's why

later it was disclosed that some of the guitar arrangements on the first Firm album were Paul's; I must say now I

understand some of the minimalist guitar riffs on that release, couldn't be Jimmy. The live stuff posted here is

very good to excellent, unfortunately  Jimmy is either shut down or not an effective soloist on about half of 

the live stuff I have.. He's not sloppy at all, It's just that he sounds like he's still rehabbing his guitar work,

even in 86'. Although it's very possible the heavy alcohol intake at this stage affects his playing. One show

at Nassau Coliseum, NY I had almost FRC and Jimmy was barely moving, eyes glazed over  and solos just

not going anywhere.THEN again I have some shows with brilliant B-Bender work, totally cranking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 7 months later...
2 hours ago, The Pagemeister said:

Chris Slade Interview:

 

 

Wow, they were considering getting the Firm back together.

He seems like a really nice gentle soul.

I thought he’d be a bit of a bovver boy with the bald head and drumming style. Ha ha.

Would have been interesting to hear a new Firm album, sans Boss chorus pedal and fretless bass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...