RIP-IT-UP Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Not intended as criticism, just an observation after recent listening to a lot of boots from the early 70's, where Jimmy played what he called "quite a guitar work-out" during the HB solos section (the without -the-band solos). Well, I still enjoy the fast-playing parts, but some of the "boogie" sections sound a bit lame to my ears now. And one wonders if Page knew more than just the 1st few bars of Bouree.... The whole "bar" for guitar playing has come up so much in the past 40 years that what was stunning and ahead of its time in the early 70's , now to me sounds a bit dated. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the chase Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I suppose on a technical level... But to 2 of the major guitar players that come along ... (not to mention thousands of others).. this is THE solo that got them started.. Just like Smoke On The Water was the Riff.... Heartbreaker was THE solo... Eddie Van Halen talks about how he watched Jimmy Page play the Heartbreaker solo one handed (at one of the 2 shows on HTWWW). This helped him think of and develop his finger tapping technique.. So without Heartbreaker, there'd probably be no Eruption...not to mention all the VH clones that came along tapping away...Blame Heartbreaker... Steve Vai says something similar and how he played it constantly... Vai still lists it as one of his all time favorite solos. (I always liked this guy)... So it has been surpassed on a technical level.. but the influence makes it vital.. The 2nd half when the band kicks in is flawless and timeless.. So yes and no to your question.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagittarius Rising Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Not to me, the solo is timeless. Regarding the Bouree section, why Page inserted that in the solo is beyond me, I love Bouree but not in Heartbreaker as it makes no sense in the overall context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Duck Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Does anyone else remember Olga Korbut? Her gymnastics routines at the 1972 Summer Olympics were groundbreaking. The sport moved on but, Korbut will always be a legend because of what she accomplished at the Munich Olympics. My point? Time doesn't stand still and neither does anything else. The fact that someone can play a better guitar solo today doesn't take away from what Page accomplished with Heartbreaker. You don't have to chose one over the other. You can like and admire both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rover Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 Regardless of how it came across "live", it was every note of HB on vinyl in 1969, that blew my mind as a 14 year old. Nothing in my life will ever eclipse that introduction to LZ, and Hard Rock. And, as a matter of fact, the first time I saw LZ, in August of 1970, they opened with HB, and, it was a very powerful straightforward version, with, no additional interludes, that I recall. That said, when listening to TSRTS, I ususally skip past HB. The purity of the October 1969 vinyl studio recording, and, what I experienced on August 22nd (1970), is hard to beat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutrocker Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 IMO the "Heartbreaker" solo is timeless in the same way as the guitar solos in some of The Beatles' songs...immediately identifiable and an integral part of the song. (I mean, I can sing George's solo in "Can't Buy Me Love", for example, from memory ) No, Page's unaccompanied solo bit in "Heartbreaker" is certainly not a masterpiece of 'technical' guitar playing ala Steve Vai or Eddie Van Halen, but as others have pointed out in the discussion, Page was a heavy influence on both Vai and Eddie. Look at it this way: Neil Young's solo in "Cinnamon Girl" is about three different notes, and is considered one of the great rock guitar solos. When discussing pickers like Vai Neil refers to them as "Fuckin' stock car racer guitar players" but freely admits that they can play rings around him. Young then goes on to say Jimmy Page was probably the best guitar player he'd ever played with. What makes the "Heartbreaker" solo one of the great guitar solos more than anything is the sheer attitude with which it was performed, be it in the studio or onstage. For this listener (and guitar player) the sheer abandon in Jimmy's playing has more feel and soul than any version of "Eruption" or Steve Vai piece I've ever heard, who cares how many bum notes are in the goddamn thing...rock and roll has always been about feel rather than perfection... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider77 Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 What makes the "Heartbreaker" solo one of the great guitar solos more than anything is the sheer attitude with which it was performed, be it in the studio or onstage Absolutely right. The essence of this song: the riff, the rythmic section, robert's voice, all contributes to give to this song a "testostérone aspect" unique among other solos. In live, it's especially visible, mainly because we can see Page burn the solo with his legendary attitude, but also because the way that Jimmy attack the notes is far more aggresive. Agressivity, testostérone, that is why this solo is timeless. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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