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Appreciation for Jimmy Page's Musical Legacy


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I dunno about some people who post of this Forum, but have no time whatsoever for these people who bark on endlessly about Jimmy's lack of creative output (made public) since the demise of Led Zeppelin. Sure, like any other Page fan, I would have loved for his abundant relationship with his muse to have continued, but it didn't. Lest we forget the density of guitar ideas, let alone other musical and producing input, in a Zeppelin album (sole exclusion ITTOD), was equivalent to what most songwriters and musicians would contribute to two or three albums.

Most creative giants, whether they be musicians, writers, painters, film makers, typically have a period of optimum creativity, during which they produce their best work and soar to the pinnacle of their creative potential and thereafter their work rarely scales the same heights. People who are not of a creative disposition do not practically comprehend how much mental energy and emotional force goes into producing "works of art".

I venture the physical body also has its limitations of endurance regarding what it can absorb experiential. If one also considers the intensity of Zeppelin's live performances in the 1970s, they transcended the parameters of mere concerts, they were "communal spiritual events." The sheers magnitude of the energy coming from stadiums filled with crowds tripping the light fantastic, which flowed towards the band is quite inconceivable to those not on the stage. Not everyone has the rigorous physical body of a Bruce Springsteen. Page never had a strong physical body, as his serious illnesses in the 1960s testifies, combined with his propensity for alcohol and drugs consumption is not a combination that will lend itself to indefinite physical and creative endurance.

A further point is the change in his physical body after the demise of Zeppelin, Page put on more weight and I would say this was not just to do with stopping heroin. There was clearly a shift in the type of body he had, esoterically speaking I wager a movement from a 7th Ray physical major body to a 3rd Ray physical major body. The 7th Ray par excellence provides a mechanism for giving structure and form to creative expression, whereas the 3rd Ray equal offers a natural medium for expression in a business context. Page has, from the 1990s, invested considerable personal effort to cultivate a robust business platform on which to secure the musical legacy of Led Zeppelin. Page is the remaining member who has devoted by far the greatest efforts to prepare, produce and deliver projects with material, which have enhanced the band's creative arsenal: The Remastered back catalogue, the Box Set compilations, the BBC Sessions, How The West Was Won, the live DVD, etc..

So, let's be grateful for the brilliant sonic body of work Page has produced for us to enjoy thus far in his lifetime and forget the might have beens and maybes.

Cheers,

Indi.

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So, let's be grateful for the brilliant sonic body of work Page has produced for us to enjoy thus far in his lifetime and forget the might have beens and maybes.

This should also be applied to Plant, particularly the "might have beens and maybes". Perhaps Page will soldier forward in 2011 and show folks that it's possible for him to exist (and even prosper artistically) in a world without Led Zeppelin. I don't doubt the effort he's put into his work post Zep but he's clearly been the least prolific of the surviving three.

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I've said this before, IMHO he reached his artistic zenith in November 1975 while recording Presence in Munich.

Your one sentence above would be difficult not to agree with.

If memory serves me somewhat, Steve, at one time you said something like, "the well is dry, that dog won't hunt." That one sentence has stuck with me for years now, and your insight I value. But I still hold hope Jimmy Page unleashes new magic upon us.

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Your one sentence above would be difficult not to agree with. If memory serves me somewhat, Steve, at one time you said something like, "the well is dry, that dog won't hunt." That one sentence has stuck with me for years now, and your insight I value. But I still hold hope Jimmy Page unleashes new magic upon us.

I did say that and it must have resonated as you got it right word for word. Even so, the New Year can be for him and for EVERYONE a blank canvas measuring 365 days long by 24 hours wide...

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Outstanding post, Indi.

Jimmy is the coolest of all the cats out there, always will be. He's alive, presumably happy and preserving the legacy of Zeppelin with dignity and class.

I appreciate him as much now as i ever have.

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I dunno about some people who post of this Forum, but have no time whatsoever for these people who bark on endlessly about Jimmy's lack of creative output (made public) since the demise of Led Zeppelin. Sure, like any other Page fan, I would have loved for his abundant relationship with his muse to have continued, but it didn't. Lest we forget the density of guitar ideas, let alone other musical and producing input, in a Zeppelin album (sole exclusion ITTOD), was equivalent to what most songwriters and musicians would contribute to two or three albums.

Most creative giants, whether they be musicians, writers, painters, film makers, typically have a period of optimum creativity, during which they produce their best work and soar to the pinnacle of their creative potential and thereafter their work rarely scales the same heights. People who are not of a creative disposition do not practically comprehend how much mental energy and emotional force goes into producing "works of art".

I venture the physical body also has its limitations of endurance regarding what it can absorb experiential. If one also considers the intensity of Zeppelin's live performances in the 1970s, they transcended the parameters of mere concerts, they were "communal spiritual events." The sheers magnitude of the energy coming from stadiums filled with crowds tripping the light fantastic, which flowed towards the band is quite inconceivable to those not on the stage. Not everyone has the rigorous physical body of a Bruce Springsteen. Page never had a strong physical body, as his serious illnesses in the 1960s testifies, combined with his propensity for alcohol and drugs consumption is not a combination that will lend itself to indefinite physical and creative endurance.

A further point is the change in his physical body after the demise of Zeppelin, Page put on more weight and I would say this was not just to do with stopping heroin. There was clearly a shift in the type of body he had, esoterically speaking I wager a movement from a 7th Ray physical major body to a 3rd Ray physical major body. The 7th Ray par excellence provides a mechanism for giving structure and form to creative expression, whereas the 3rd Ray equal offers a natural medium for expression in a business context. Page has, from the 1990s, invested considerable personal effort to cultivate a robust business platform on which to secure the musical legacy of Led Zeppelin. Page is the remaining member who has devoted by far the greatest efforts to prepare, produce and deliver projects with material, which have enhanced the band's creative arsenal: The Remastered back catalogue, the Box Set compilations, the BBC Sessions, How The West Was Won, the live DVD, etc..

So, let's be grateful for the brilliant sonic body of work Page has produced for us to enjoy thus far in his lifetime and forget the might have beens and maybes.

Cheers,

Indi.

:goodpost:

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There's not much I can add to this discussion, except that Page has stood the test of time and is revered by an adoring audience of worshipers, myself included. He could've stopped after Houses of the Holy and I would still hold him in the same regard. He's brilliant beyond words and everytime I come across a guitarist/musician/person who rips him for his sometimes sloppy playing, I immediately become defensive. I had an online argument on another forum with a guy who stated that if John Lennon had not been murdered, he would have drifted into obscurity. Are you kidding me? Only if he chose to. I feel the same about Page even though Led Zeppelin effectively ended thirty years ago.

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.....Mysterious, Wise, Brilliant, Incomparably Beautiful in every way - He was, is Will Be Rock Star of Rock Stars - From my earliest memories from the 70's when I first saw his photographs to date, Page remains in a class by itself. I am very proud that my cultural is associated with him...May he remains healthy and happy.......

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This should also be applied to Plant, particularly the "might have beens and maybes". Perhaps Page will soldier forward in 2011 and show folks that it's possible for him to exist (and even prosper artistically) in a world without Led Zeppelin. I don't doubt the effort he's put into his work post Zep but he's clearly been the least prolific of the surviving three.

Chocolate-hating conformist. Nothing Robert has done solo will ever be as significant as another Zep album. Kindly accept that as well.

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Chocolate-hating conformist. Nothing Robert has done solo will ever be as significant as another Zep album. Kindly accept that as well.

But he's not trying to equal what Zep did which IMO is why he's maintained an active career for so long. Then again, I was never looking for him to do that :)

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I don't know how to quote my own post so I'll just post a link to the thread where I commented on my appreciation for Jimmy Page and his musical legacy:

Post #72

The only thing I have to add to that is this: when I left my last LZ concert, in early 1975, even if Jimmy had done nothing else musically after that (and nothing to preserve LZ's legacy), he would still and always rank as one of my top three favorite guitarists and musicians.

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Chocolate-hating conformist. Nothing Robert has done solo will ever be as significant as another Zep album. Kindly accept that as well.

Who hates chocolate and who's conforming? Besides, nothing in my post even mentions anything about Plant's solo work surpassing Zeppelin, it was about Page being the least prolific of the three surviving members of Zeppelin.

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Who hates chocolate and who's conforming? Besides, nothing in my post even mentions anything about Plant's solo work surpassing Zeppelin, it was about Page being the least prolific of the three surviving members of Zeppelin.

Jimmy's played many more live gigs than JPJ since the end of Zeppelin. Certainly not in recent times, but do the math.

I personally think Page put a shitload of work into the Coverdale/Page. The guitar sounds and style on that release were brutal and everyone just laughed off that album because they had a problem with David Coverdale. If you're really a fan of Page's craftsmanship it's all there if you open up your mind. Crunch riffs, weird time changes and wacky solos. It seems Robert noticed.

While I found some really good tracks on Walking Into Clarksdale. To me Jimmy was hidden and obscured in the mix , enough for even John Paul Jones to comment about WIC...."Where's Jimmy?"

During promotions for WIC, Page was often condemning the amount of media they had to do. He also implied that Roy Orbison's managers had worked him to death. My feeling is once the Plant thing dissolved and he injured his back with the Crowes he probably thought 'Fuck it! Who needs this shit." Unlike Jeff Beck who has said many times he still has to work , Jimmy doesn't have to. Shit, there are huge chunks of time Jeff didn't tour or record. John Paul Jones didn't tour from 1980 to 1994. That's 14 flippin' years!

Maybe now they'll be some genuine interest in whatever new music Jimmy delivers to the masses. Holding out can be a good thing.

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Jimmy's played many more live gigs than JPJ since the end of Zeppelin. Certainly not in recent times, but do the math.

I think you're barking up the wrong tree here. I'm referring to his recorded output of new material. And, for the record, he's one of my favorite guitarists so there's really no need to try to sell me on his craftsmanship, you'll just find yourself preaching to the choir there.

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I think you're barking up the wrong tree here. I'm referring to his recorded output of new material. And, for the record, he's one of my favorite guitarists so there's really no need to try to sell me on his craftsmanship, you'll just find yourself preaching to the choir there.

I'm not trying to sell YOU a thing. I'm stating my perception of the topic created. That's still allowed here right? You initiated the comparison of output by the remaining members and I believe sweating your balls off and playing at onstage intensity is not to be discounted or minimized. Productive...prolific...call it what you will.

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You initiated the comparison of output by the remaining members and I believe sweating your balls off and playing at onstage intensity is not to be discounted or minimized. Productive...prolific...call it what you will.

Again, that's not at all what I'm talking about. I'm referring to the amount of new, original material he has released since Zeppelin called it quits.

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Again, that's not at all what I'm talking about. I'm referring to the amount of new, original material he has released since Zeppelin called it quits.

Page has released 7 full blown releases featuring his original compositions since 1980. John Paul Jones has released 5 in that time frame. I'll stick to my perceptions.

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Page has released 7 full blown releases featuring his original compositions since 1980. John Paul Jones has released 5 in that time frame. I'll stick to my perceptions.

Apparently your "perceptions" don't include anything from Robert Plant. Last time I checked, he was also a member of Led Zeppelin. As for Page, I count 6 albums of new original material he's released since the demise of Led Zeppelin:

Death Wish II Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The Firm

Mean Business

Coverdale/Page

Outrider

Walking Into Clarksdale

What is the 7th?

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Chocolate-hating conformist. Nothing Robert has done solo will ever be as significant as another Zep album. Kindly accept that as well.

I've been into Page for nearly 50 years from his (and Jones') session days to The Yardbirds and of course, Led Zeppelin and all their solo work since.

As much as we'd all like the prospect of another Zeppelin album, it aint gonna happen.

If he does release new material it will be Jimmy Page not Led Zeppelin.

I notice no-one has mentioned that during the '80's Page and Plant appeared and played together on some of their individual solo projects.

JPJ has been very busy over the last ten years or so producing and playing with numerous people and many varied musical styles as well as doing his own stuff.

As much as Page is a musical genius the same can be said of Jones and a musician is only as good as their last album.

Kindly accept that as well.

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Apparently your "perceptions" don't include anything from Robert Plant. Last time I checked, he was also a member of Led Zeppelin. As for Page, I count 6 albums of new original material he's released since the demise of Led Zeppelin:

Death Wish II Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The Firm

Mean Business

Coverdale/Page

Outrider

Walking Into Clarksdale

What is the 7th

------------------------------

Robert Plant has released 8 albums of original material. Omitting Jimmy's project with Roy Harper and JPJ's project with Diamonda Gallas, Page has released 6 original albums to JPJ's four. I hope you're not an accountant. You can't make up your own facts.

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Robert Plant has released 8 albums of original material. Omitting Jimmy's project with Roy Harper and JPJ's project with Diamonda Gallas, Page has released 6 original albums to JPJ's four. I hope you're not an accountant. You can't make up your own facts.

I don't recall making up any facts, I merely asked you what the 7th Page album was and wondered why you weren't including Plant's post-Zep work. As for Whatever Happened To Jugula?, unless I missed something in the songwriting credits Page didn't contribute any original compositions to that record. Everything but one song is attributed to Roy Harper, the other is Harper/David Gilmour.

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I don't recall making up any facts, I merely asked you what the 7th Page album was and wondered why you weren't including Plant's post-Zep work. As for Whatever Happened To Jugula?, unless I missed something in the songwriting credits Page didn't contribute any original compositions to that record. Everything but one song is attributed to Roy Harper, the other is Harper/David Gilmour.

Stop playing games. In a thread about Page's musical legacy you called him the least prolific member and that's just not true. You have some hang up about the guy and it's obvious in your posts.

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