Jimmy Page Responds to Keith Richards

[Strider]

Okay, I don't really care about the brickbats hurled around by musicians on other musicians...most are said tongue-in-cheek at best, or at worst, just uttered in jealousy or trying to drum up attention. But I know some people here do find that sort of thing of interest. I thought there was a "Keith Richards Slams Led Zep" thread here but I'll be damned if I could find it, so here you go.

From Classic Rock magazine:

Wednesday December 2, 2015

Jimmy Page Responds to Led Zeppelin Slam by Keith Richards

Jimmy Page has responded to recent comments regarding Led Zeppelin made by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.

While promoting his latest solo album, “Crosseyed Heart”, Richards was discussing the importance of band chemistry versus image with Rolling Stone magazine when he said, “It's playing together that is the important thing about bands, and so many bands are manufactured. I mean, even Zeppelin was manufactured by Peter Grant.”

When the interviewer responded “I was never a big Zeppelin guy,”Richards replied, “Me neither. I love Jimmy Page, but as a band, no, with John Bonham thundering down the highway in an uncontrolled 18-wheeler. He had cornered the market there. Jimmy is a brilliant player. But I always felt there was something a little hollow about it, you know?”

Prompted by a second comment that the interviewer wasn’t a fan of Robert Plant’s voice, the guitarist added, “No, I think he's doing better stuff now,” and on the singer’s work with Alison Krauss: "Finally, he's getting his chops!"

"Keith can say what he wants. He’s Keith Richards,” Page tells Classic Rock magazine. “I think he’s done some amazing work. I respect his playing. And he has a solo album out. But if I was promoting a new album, would I be more caustic? The answer is no.

“I’m not sure what he means by calling Led Zeppelin hollow. I think he’s got his tongue in his cheek. What we did was really cool."

Page and Led Zeppelin wrapped up a year-long reissues series of their complete studio album catalog in July with the release of expended versions of 1976’s “Presence”, 1979’s “In Through The Out Door” and 1982’s “Coda.”

The guitarist recently performed the Zeppelin classic "Rock and Roll" with an all-star lineup of musicians in Seattle while on hand at the Experience Music Project to receive a Founder’s Award, and is making plans to begin recording a solo album in 2016.

Edited December 7, 2015 by Strider

[imPLANTed]

What a classy reply!

[badgeholder]

"What we did was really cool"

Ha! Um, yeah, +1 on that Jimmy

[TheGreatOne]

Have any members of The Beatles talked trash of Zeppelin ?  It's always the Stones, Clapton, Cream and The Who

[The Rover 75]

I like the Stones, but thought those comments were childish at best. Do like Jimmy's responses, taking the high road, way classier.

[Flares]

In an era where everything is managed and shaped by PR, good on Keith for being candid and speaking his mind. If Page had adopted the same approach during the remasters interview they would have been infinitely more revealing and interesting. Instead we got Zep were the best band ever x1,000,000 and he glossed over anything that wasn't promoting that party line.

[zepscoda]

Jimmy taking the high road, I wouldn't expect anything less. Class act all the way.

[the chase]

I don't care what Keith Richards opinion is, He has a right to his opinion and God knows Robert Plant has plenty to say about other artists. But,  Richards description of John Bonham's drumming as being an "uncontrolled 18 wheeler" is so full of shit and inaccurate that his opinion loses all credibility.  

John Bonham was one of the most solid and in control drummers ever. His restraint and power are very hard to come by. The Stones would play everything double the tempo live...off to the races.. Led Zeppelin was always steady and solid live. No rushing the tempo.. Unlike Keith's outfit.

Also I'd like to know how Zeppelin were "manufactured"... Plant and Bonham were complete unknowns.

Edited December 8, 2015 by the chase

[SteveAJones]

Remember, the one who has just released a second solo album and is preparing for a South American tour is Richards.  

[The Dark Lord]

Keith's brain is pickled. 

[Mithril46]

Richards can say what he wants, he is a legend, but I suspect he is jealous that while the Stones were/are

huge, they never had the rabid fan base of Zep. His comments as well are totally non constructive, and

vague. Hollow ?? Like if Page said, "Well the Stones somehow seem overly rhythmic". Because Richards

is a student and master of a lot of R&B, Soul, etc., he tends to prefer drummers who are more minimal

than Bonzo, just keeping things simple and in the pocket, no flash please.

[Strider]

Have any members of The Beatles talked trash of Zeppelin ?  It's always the Stones, Clapton, Cream and The Who

The Beatles, for all intents and purposes, were no longer a going concern by the time Led Zeppelin took flight, so they were never in a position to feel threatened or competitive with Led Zeppelin. Consequently, I have never read or heard of any disparaging remarks made by a Beatle...and no, that George Harrison remark about "ballads" doesn't count as disparaging.

But the Stones, Who, Kinks, etc. were all still trodding the boards when Led Zeppelin came along and upset the apple-cart. There's a flavour of rivalry and bitterness in many of these remarks made over the years by Led Zeppelin's peers.

Oh, and it was no surprise that it was a Rolling Stone magazine writer who stirried up the pot in the first place by asking Keef those questions and then inserting himself into the article. Hey Patrick Doyle...nobody gives a rat turd what your feelings on Led Zeppelin are. You were hired to interview Keef about his new album, not share your opinions on Led Zeppelin. I guess Jan Wenner and company are still pissed that time has shown Rolling Stone was on the wrong side of history when it came to Led Zeppelin and that their reviews and stance on Led Zeppelin back in the 1970s makes them look idiotic.

[chillumpuffer]

eeemmmm seems like old keith has  selective memory (loss) Did Zeppelin not tour the US in1972 ( i think) at the same time as The Stones and whilst our boys were shifting all the tickets, The Stones were struggling?

Still I will always take the memory of me being in that field on August 4th 1979 ALL DAY, whilst I was back in the pub, mid set, at Leeds in 1982

[sixpense]

The Beatles, for all intents and purposes, were no longer a going concern by the time Led Zeppelin took flight,

Led Zeppelin's first show was on Sept 7, 1968, the day before on Sept 6th Eric Clapton was in the studio with the Beatles recording While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The White Album would be released within a couple of months and their biggest selling single (Hey Jude) was hitting the charts in 1968 along with more singles during 1969 plus Abbey Road and then Let It Be in 1970. The Beatles had been voted the most popular band till Zeppelin took over the top spot in 1970.

I think the Beatles were more than just a going concern.

[SteveAJones]

Led Zeppelin's first show was on Sept 7, 1968, the day before on Sept 6th Eric Clapton was in the studio with the Beatles recording While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The White Album would be released within a couple of months and their biggest selling single (Hey Jude) was hitting the charts in 1968 along with more singles during 1969 plus Abbey Road and then Let It Be in 1970. The Beatles had been voted the most popular band till Zeppelin took over the top spot in 1970.

I think the Beatles were more than just a going concern.

Fair enough, but as you must also know The Beatles ceased touring after 1966.

[White Phone]

I don't agree with Richards of course, but as Jimmy said, he's Keith Richards.  The Stones have nothing to be jealous about concerning any group, although I believe they were jealous of The Beatles back in the 60s.

Jimmy's response hit the right note.

 

 

[Strider]

eeemmmm seems like old keith has  selective memory (loss) Did Zeppelin not tour the US in1972 ( i think) at the same time as The Stones and whilst our boys were shifting all the tickets, The Stones were struggling?

Trust me, the Stones were not "struggling" in 1972. The Rolling Stones tour of 1972 was a blazing success...they could have sold out the Forum or Madison Square Garden for a week if they wanted to.

Led Zeppelin's first show was on Sept 7, 1968, the day before on Sept 6th Eric Clapton was in the studio with the Beatles recording While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The White Album would be released within a couple of months and their biggest selling single (Hey Jude) was hitting the charts in 1968 along with more singles during 1969 plus Abbey Road and then Let It Be in 1970. The Beatles had been voted the most popular band till Zeppelin took over the top spot in 1970.

I think the Beatles were more than just a going concern.

Oh please...I think most people know what I meant. But if you want to get pedantic, Led Zeppelin's first gig may have been in 1968 but their album wasn't released until 1969, so they were still an unknown entity to the average punter.

It wasn't until "Whole Lotta Love" was a hit as 1969 was on the cusp of becoming 1970 that Led Zeppelin was LED ZEPPELIN to the mainstream conscious, and by that point, yes, the Beatles were in their final days as an active group.

[Kiwi_Zep_Fan87]

I received an email update from Classic Rock Magazine, about Keith Richards' comments on Jimmy and Zep. The 1st thought that went through my mind was, 'Ah, yes! So speaketh the man, who fell from a tree!'  

Edited December 8, 2015 by Kiwi_Zep_Fan87
Punctuation

[Mithril46]

Richards has made strange comments before, I remember him making them about Guns 'n' Roses.

Pretty sure he said something like "Those boys gotta learn how to catch a groove ". The main thing is 

that he says things even no critic has said. Puzzling, otherwise he's usually pretty cool. I think that Jimmy

has never had these jealous/rivalry problems because he was looking at music artistically, not in terms

of how many sold out shows or platinum albums. Although I'm sure post-Zep he may have felt he was

competing with his past. Also, IMO, the Beatles and Zep simply do not belong in the same sentence.

The Beatles were a fantastic studio band and wrote some of the best songs ever , but they never came

close live to the monolithic power of Zep, the Who, or Hendrix. But I'm not saying who's better, the live

thing throws a wrench into the works.

[KellyGirl]

1) I assume K R's doing what Jimmy would like to be doing in his 70's?? Actively touring,
writing music - a solo album to boot. Bonus is the Stones are still intact.

2) Yet the green eyed monster for K R creeps out when it comes to Jimmy as a guitarist
and the artistic foot print Jimmy left on guitar playing in general - notably stemming with
what he did with Zeppelin. I'd think it would be flattering to know your ideas inspired so
many people to pick up the guitar.

Those 2 things I can see both Jimmy and Keith being somewhat envious of one another
in a good spirited way.

And I have to laugh at the fact he both compliments Jimmy on being a brilliant guitarist,
then turns around and criticizes L Z. He knows well enough how to play it both ways.
Rolling Stone mag woud likely egg him into to saying something bit more controversial if
he was praising both Jimmy and L Z, and if he was bashing both, well that comes across
as childish and bitter. There's much to be jealous about, then again there's nothing with
these guys. I guess it depends on what side your coming from.

Edited December 8, 2015 by KellyGirl

[Bong-Man]

I think this all comes down to jealousy over money and control.  That's why Keith had to throw in Grant's name.  Zep management is what this is all about.  Mick and Keith still disagree about Allen Klein's management, and that era didn't come until 5 years of the Stones making money for others.  Mick finally got involved in the business side of things, while Jimmy and Peter had that all taken care of.  Such feelings die hard in the music business.    

[Mithril46]

Yep, Grant is literally and figuratively the elephant in the room. Great point Bong-man. We must remind 

ourselves that just as Jimmy was innovative on guitar, so was Grant in contracts and financial dealings.

So many famous bands got so ripped off by their OWN management and the industry in general. Also

from my researches I found out that Jimmy and Peter were very good friends, not just business

associates. So certainly many bands/musicians were envious of Jimmy and Zep. And Richards is not as

lauded as a guitar player as he could be simply because you can't properly play 75% of Stones stuff

without two guitars , and the guitars are often in special tunings.

[Ross62]

 Led Zeppelin was always steady and solid live. No rushing the tempo.. 

 

Have you heard the boots? Not rushing the tempo aside,there's plenty of trainwrecks in the live shows over the years.

[KellyGirl]

 So certainly many bands/musicians were envious of Jimmy and Zep. And Richards is not as

lauded as a guitar player as he could be simply because you can't properly play 75% of Stones stuff

without two guitars , and the guitars are often in special tunings.

Your point re: Keith not being as lauded as a guitarist. Boy do I agree. But I'm stepping away from
the music for a second and comparing Keith and Jimmy in another way.

Those classic trademark (using trademark definition loosely for my point) details about Jimmy Page
add to his coolness as a guitar player and help with his rock icon image. The ZoSo sigil, dragon
suit, the double neck guitar held upright - ALL still manage to sell when you print them on a t-shirt
 or a poster.

If Keith and Jimmy traded places in 2015 would the "image" of Keith sell? Is there something symbolic
with Richard's that when people see it they know it represents him? With Jimmy you can actually Google 
certain words and Jimmy Page will come up in the search as an option. i.e.  dragon suit, double neck guitar.
etc

I will say one thing. Jimmy's been missing in action in regards to playing and writing, while Keith and other
guys his age are still out there getting it done, but still Jimmy Page and Zeppelin manage to get under many
musicians collars.

Edited December 8, 2015 by KellyGirl

[the chase]

Have you heard the boots? Not rushing the tempo aside,there's plenty of trainwrecks in the live shows over the years.

No I agree. But I have never heard one show that John Bonham was out of control.  Not one...Not even in 1980. 

I'll admit I haven't heard everything, but enough to know the man was a human metronome with incredible power and restraint. which = Control...

Edited December 9, 2015 by the chase