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Does Page think Hendrix is the best guitarist ever?


radiohead33

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on another forum a Zep fan suggested that Page was the best guitarist ever. My retort was that page himself has said he thought Jimi was the greatest of all time. I know I have read this in an interview. Can anyone confirm this?

I heard him say that Jeff Beck was the best before.

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on another forum a Zep fan suggested that Page was the best guitarist ever. My retort was that page himself has said he thought Jimi was the greatest of all time. I know I have read this in an interview. Can anyone confirm this?

He did say that back in the 1970's. A good example is the famous interview Cameron Crowe made for Rolling Stone in 1975. posted RIGHT HERE

I am not really sure he would consider Hendrix the best ever rock guitarist now, however - I doubt that he does, in fact.

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on another forum a Zep fan suggested that Page was the best guitarist ever. My retort was that page himself has said he thought Jimi was the greatest of all time. I know I have read this in an interview. Can anyone confirm this?

As said, Page has said on numerous occasions he thinks Beck is the best. Beck has also stated in interviews over the years that he thinks Page is the best when he plays acoustic, as "no one else can touch him" or something to that manner.

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As said, Page has said on numerous occasions he thinks Beck is the best. Beck has also stated in interviews over the years that he thinks Page is the best when he plays acoustic, as "no one else can touch him" or something to that manner.

i am getting into semantics here, but dont you think page meant, hendrix is the best all time, and that beck is the best living guitarist, or one of the best? You really think page feels Beck is better than Hendrix? Thats almost heretical!

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i am getting into semantics here, but dont you think page meant, hendrix is the best all time, and that beck is the best living guitarist, or one of the best? You really think page feels Beck is better than Hendrix? Thats almost heretical!

Why not? Everyone has a different opinion. Hendrix is widely regarded the best because he sonically changed how the electric guitar could sound. Stevie Ray Vaughn is arguably better than Hendrix...at playing Hendrix.

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Why not? Everyone has a different opinion. Hendrix is widely regarded the best because he sonically changed how the electric guitar could sound. Stevie Ray Vaughn is arguably better than Hendrix...at playing Hendrix.

i see your point, but little wing jimi style was always better than the 10 minute stevie one. Stevie is way talented, but, i dont know. Is Stevie's Slight Rreturn better than the Hendrix version? Are they really all that different? And the Little Wing that I mentoned, I am much more taken by the beauty and simoliicity of the Hendrix version. Stevie was showing off, and for good reason, you can play like him why wouldnt you show off, but just because you can play a 10 minute extended version of a 2 minute song, that doesnt make it superior.

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This is my opinion on this topic. Jimi Hendrix did revolutionize the concept and sound of the electric guitar in the mid to late 1960's. That fact seems and is beyond question. In my opinion, to a lesser extent, so did Eric Clapton (Cream) and Jeff Beck (the Yardbirds), both British guitarists. As far as I know from what I have read, Jimmy Page was friends with both Eric and Jeff. That seems to be well documented. Whatever happened between them throughout the late 1960's and 1970's is speculative. I was not there, so I do not know.

I do not know if "our" Jimmy Page had ever met Jimi Hendrix in any kind of social setting or had ever seen Jimi Hendrix ever perform live in any capacity. (From what I know I do not think that Jimmy ever saw Jimi perform live in any setting - and vice versa).

I believe that Jimmy Page was more influenced by Les Paul, Scotty Moore and James Burton (and many, many others, including Jimi Hendrix).

However, Jimmy Page is and will be around for a long, long time and I am sure that those of US who anxiously await his return will be forever rewarded. I know I will be. LONG LIVE JIMMY PAGE AND THE MIGHTY LED ZEPPELIN...

Edited by lzzoso
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This is my opinion on this topic. Jimi Hendrix did revolutionize the concept and sound of the electric guitar in the mid to late 1960's. That fact seems and is beyond question. In my opinion, to a lesser extent, so did Eric Clapton (Cream) and Jeff Beck (the Yardbirds), both British guitarists. As far as I know from what I have read, Jimmy Page was friends with both Eric and Jeff. That seems to be well documented. Whatever happened between them throughout the late 1960's and 1970's is speculative. I was not there, so I do not know.

I do not know if "our" Jimmy Page had ever met Jimi Hendrix in any kind of social setting or had ever seen Jimi Hendrix ever perform live in any capacity. (From what I know I do not think that Jimmy ever saw Jimi perform live in any setting - and vice versa).

I believe that Jimmy Page was more influenced by Les Paul, Scotty Moore and James Burton (and many, many others, including Jimi Hendrix).

However, Jimmy Page is and will be around for a long, long time and I am sure that those of US who anxiously await his return will be forever rewarded. I know I will be. LONG LIVE JIMMY PAGE AND THE MIGHTY LED ZEPPELIN...

Jimmy said in a fairly recent interview that he met Jimi in a social setting once but Hendrix was fairly out of it at the time. He never saw him perform or had a chance to play with him.

There was an interview in the 70's where Page said "We've lost the best of us..." in reference to Hendrix. And I'm sure he probably felt that way at the time. Does he still feel that way? I don't know. I think he probably rates Beck as the best there is now and that's not exactly a controversial stance for any guitarist to take!

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i am getting into semantics here, but dont you think page meant, hendrix is the best all time, and that beck is the best living guitarist, or one of the best? You really think page feels Beck is better than Hendrix? Thats almost heretical!

Technically speaking, Beck blows away Hendrix, Clapton & Page. The guy is an animal.

Beck has never been much of a songwriter though. He certainly doesn't touch Page or Hendrix in that realm.

I also know that Clapton said Beck was the best he'd ever seen when they did the Arms Benefit for Ronnie Lane,

and Clapton's seen em' all.

Jeff Beck is so good 'right now' it's fucking scary:

Edited by snapper
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Technically speaking, Beck blows away Hendrix, Clapton & Page.

Woahhh, I wouldn't go that far lol. I think Clapton is better than Hendrix was (also SRV) but not Beck. He's great but not Clapton great. Although he's probably a bit more innovative with his technique but not as skilled as EC.

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Slightly off topic, but I heard that Jimi Hendrix was once asked who HE thought was the greatest guitar player. Hendrix replied that there was this guy in Texas that blew him away. The guitarist he was speaking of was Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top fame).

Anyone know if THAT is true???

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Slightly off topic, but I heard that Jimi Hendrix was once asked who HE thought was the greatest guitar player. Hendrix replied that there was this guy in Texas that blew him away. The guitarist he was speaking of was Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top fame).

Anyone know if THAT is true???

I believe he said that on the Dick Cavett Show. I don't know if he said Gibbons was the best, I think he named him as a young player he really liked.

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Woahhh, I wouldn't go that far lol. I think Clapton is better than Hendrix was (also SRV) but not Beck. He's great but not Clapton great. Although he's probably a bit more innovative with his technique but not as skilled as EC.

EC is my second favorite guitarist next to Page but I agree that Beck crushed him last week at MSG. EC is more entertaining to listen to but Beck is on a different level. He blows everyone way. Page, EC, Santana, and Pete Townsend have all said he was the best too. BTW, no love for Randy Rhodes?

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Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Les Paul have all been on record each believing that Django Reinhardt was the ultimate guitarist. Les Paul actually followed Django around Europe in the early years befriending Django and copping as much of Django's style as he could. What Django did on an acoustic guitar with only two functioning fingers is really unbelievable.

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Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Les Paul have all been on record each believing that Django Reinhardt was the ultimate guitarist. Les Paul actually followed Django around Europe in the early years befriending Django and copping as much of Django's style as he could. What Django did on an acoustic guitar with only two functioning fingers is really unbelievable.

This is true. Django's influence is just huge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJ7bs4mTUY

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Django was amazing. Anyone ever see the Woody Allen movie "Sweet and Lowdown"? Great movie about a guitar player named Emmett Ray (Sean Penn) who is obsessed with Django:

A comedic biopic focused on the life of fictional jazz guitarist Emmett Ray. Ray was an irresponsible, free-spending, arrogant, obnoxious, alcohol-abusing, miserable human being, who was also arguably the best guitarist in the world. We follow Ray's life: bouts of getting drunk, his bizarre hobbies of shooting rats and watching passing trains, his dreams of fame and fortune, his strange obsession with the better-known guitarist Django Reinhardt, and of course, playing his beautiful music.

Edited by Wolfman
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I believe he said that on the Dick Cavett Show. I don't know if he said Gibbons was the best, I think he named him as a young player he really liked.

It's been rumored for years that when Jimi Hendrix appeared on The Tonight Show (Flip Wilson was guest host) he was asked what it felt like to be the greatest guitarist in the world. His response supposedly was "I don't know, you'd have to ask Phil Keaggy that".

No tape of the program is known to exist, so like I said, just a rumor.

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Apparently both Hendrix and Page are/were not the most/best technical guitarists, but their spirit and composition skills have been rarely matched. Haven't read much of Page's responses to Hendrix when he made his splash on the London scene in 1966, but do know people like Clapton, Beck, Townshend, McCartney were totally blown away and even intimidated from what they saw of Hendrix. Beck specifically said he thought he would have to change vocations after he first witnessed Hendrix.

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