(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
On September 7th, 1968, one of the most legendary bands in the history of music were set to take to the stage for the very first time. Everyone who had attended the Gladsaxe Teen Club in Copenhagen that evening expected to see the Yardbirds jam but instead was greeted with a sign heralding ‘The New Yardbirds’, and disappointment quickly set in. Who were these knock-off wannabes, and how did the Gladsaxe have such a cheek to pull a stunt like this? At that stage, they weren’t even called Led Zeppelin.
When The New Yardbirds emerged, he only recognised Jimmy Page. The legendary John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Robert Plant were unknown entities. Over half a century later, that four-piece is considered to be one of the greatest of all time by millions of adoring fans. They were truly revolutionary.
Even in their earliest days, Led Zeppelin helped shift the dial away from this thinking. With a blitzkrieg of drums far heavier than anything Ed Sullivan might happily share, wailing guitars, lengthened runtimes and a daring sense of expanding pop towards something more closely aligned with classical, the Birmingham band obliterated stilted old rules.
The flower power of Laurel Canyon’s counterculture had no place amid the heavy industry and wartime rubble of Birmingham, where a daisy chain would be covered in soot a few minutes before it could be placed in anyone’s hair. Disillusioned by this scene, Page and his peers over in neighbouring bands like Black Sabbath thought about capturing the true reality of their own existence.
That isn’t all that easy; how do you capture the rough and tumble of the post-war midlands? The closest thing was possibly the blues. So, Page learnt how to play them with such perfection that he could mutate the age-old artform into something he could call his own. Brummie blues, if you will. The sound was steeped in history, virtuosity and the raw rumble of rock ‘n’ roll. It was not soaked in hairspray, cheap satanism or leather pantaloons. Sadly, this would inadvertently follow in its wake. And Plant hated it.
He felt that the darkness and dramatic angle of the group had been lent on a little too heavily. So, one day during an interview beneath a fortuitously placed piece of band promotion, Plant pointed to a camp Judas Priest poster and announced: “If I’m responsible for this in any way, then I am really, really embarrassed.”
Plant later added: “Hard rock, heavy metal these days is just saying, ‘Come and buy me. I’m in league with the Devil — but only in this picture because after that I’m going to be quite nice, and one day I’m going to grow up and be the manager of a pop group.’” And Plant is alone in thinking the genre became a “jaded” pantomime of its former glory. In 2015, Jimmy Page even refused to be part of Eddie Trunk’s show That Metal Show owing to the title alone.
The band were far more interested in the likes of Howlin’ Wolf and Ludwig van Beethoven than they were in Judas Preist, Kiss or any other group who apparently followed in their wake but failed to follow the truth of their mantra.
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Table of Contents
- 1. Subscribe To The Far Out Newsletter
- 2. What inspired Led Zeppelin’s radical approach to music?
- 3. Twisting the knobs on Rock History: An Interview with jimmy Page
- 4. Jimmy Page, the architect of Led Zeppelin’s revolutionary sound, opens up about the band’s humble beginnings, their unique approach to music, and why they’ve never been agreeable with the ‘heavy metal’ label.
- 5. Looking Ahead
What inspired Led Zeppelin’s radical approach to music?
Twisting the knobs on Rock History: An Interview with jimmy Page
Jimmy Page, the architect of Led Zeppelin’s revolutionary sound, opens up about the band’s humble beginnings, their unique approach to music, and why they’ve never been agreeable with the ‘heavy metal’ label.
Archyde: jimmy, it’s an honor to have you with us today. Let’s transport ourselves back to September 7th, 1968. The Gladsaxe Teen Club, Copenhagen. A disappointing evening for those expecting the Yardbirds, but the birth of somthing remarkable – Led Zeppelin. What was going through your mind that night?
Jimmy Page: Well, first off, I must say, it was pretty nerve-wracking. here we were, four strangers, about to take the stage as a new entity.We’d all come from different bands and backgrounds. I’d played with The Yardbirds, John-Paul had been in The damit Blue Denims, Bonzo with the Bee Gees, and Robert with The New Redskins. We hadn’t even decided on a name yet.So, I think we were all a bit anxious, but we were also excited about the future.
Archyde: And what a future it turned out to be. You all grew your hair long, introduced heavier drums, wailing guitars, and longer song durations. You even started exploring classical music. what inspired this radical approach to music?
Jimmy Page: It was all about capturing the raw, industrial energy of our surroundings. Birmingham wasn’t Laurel Canyon, it was gritty, working-class, and we wanted our music to reflect that. The blues was the closest thing we had to express that roughness, that emotion. We took that foundation and built on it, added our own twist. As for the classical influences, I’ve always been fascinated by it. I mean, why not push the boundaries of what was considered ‘popular’ music? We had the chops to do it, so we did.
Archyde: Speaking of boundaries, let’s discuss the ‘heavy metal’ label. You’ve distanced yourselves from it, and rightly so, given your influences ranged from Howlin’ Wolf to Ludwig van beethoven. So,what does Led Zeppelin sound like,in your words?
Jimmy page: I’d say we’re a blues-infused,rock and roll band with a touch of classical elegance. We’re not into the ‘ceptor electronics, the leather, the fire-breathing. That’s not us. We’re about the music, in its purest form. It’s about feeling – emotion, passion, that raw energy I mentioned earlier. It’s not about appearances or gimmicks.
Archyde: Robert onc saeid that hard rock and heavy metal had become a ‘jaded pantomime’ of its former glory. Do you agree with that assessment?
Jimmy Page: I understand where he’s coming from. The spirit of the music can sometimes get lost in the spectacle. But I also think there’s room for both. It’s all about personal expression. Just because it’s not our cup of tea doesn’t mean it’s not valid for someone else. With that in mind, I do miss the days when musicians were better at differentiating between the arts and the circus.
Looking Ahead
Archyde: Jimmy, after all these years, what keeps Led Zeppelin relevant? What do you think the band’s legacy will be?
Jimmy page: I think it’s our authenticity, our willingness to push boundaries, and our uncompromising approach to our art. We didn’t follow trends, we set them. I like to think our legacy will be one of innovation, of showing that rock and roll can be so much more then just loud guitars and catchy choruses. It can be a real art form, with all the depth and complexity that implies.
Archyde: well said, Jimmy. Thank you for joining us today and for keeping rock music alive and breathing with your innovative spirit.
Jimmy Page: My pleasure. Keep rocking.
