PREMESSA: LA SUPERIORITA' DELLA MUSICA SU VINILE E' ANCOR OGGI SANCITA, NOTORIA ED EVIDENTE. NON TANTO DA UN PUNTO DI VISTA DI RESA, QUALITA' E PULIZIA DEL SUONO, TANTOMENO DA QUELLO DEL RIMPIANTO RETROSPETTIVO E NOSTALGICO , MA SOPRATTUTTO DA QUELLO PIU' PALPABILE ED INOPPUGNABILE DELL' ESSENZA, DELL' ANIMA E DELLA SUBLIMAZIONE CREATIVA. IL DISCO IN VINILE HA PULSAZIONE ARTISTICA, PASSIONE ARMONICA E SPLENDORE GRAFICO , E' PIACEVOLE DA OSSERVARE E DA TENERE IN MANO, RISPLENDE, PROFUMA E VIBRA DI VITA, DI EMOZIONE E  DI SENSIBILITA'. E' TUTTO QUELLO CHE NON E' E NON POTRA' MAI ESSERE IL CD, CHE AL CONTRARIO E' SOLO UN OGGETTO MERAMENTE COMMERCIALE, POVERO, ARIDO, CINICO, STERILE ED ORWELLIANO,  UNA DEGENERAZIONE INDUSTRIALE SCHIZOFRENICA E NECROFILA, LA DESOLANTE SOLUZIONE FINALE DELL' AVIDITA' DEL MERCATO E DELL' ARROGANZA DEI DISCOGRAFICI .

JIMMY PAGE
outrider


Disco LP 33 giri , 1988, Geffen Records , 924 188-1  ( 7599 - 24188 - 1 ) , germany / UE

OTTIME CONDIZIONI, vinyl ex++ , cover ex++

Jimmy Page, nome completo James Patrick Page , (, ) è un .

Definito "indiscutibilmente uno dei più influenti, importanti e versatili chitarristi e compositori della storia del rock", nel è stato collocato al nono posto nella dalla rivista . Secondo , Jimmy è stato il pioniere dell', assieme a dei .
Sin dall'adolescenza uno dei più richiesti chitarristi turnisti di tutta l'Inghilterra, Page è stato fondatore dei nel ed in precedenza elemento degli , prima al e poi alla chitarra solista in un singolare tandem con , fino a prenderne il posto al momento della sua defezione; in virtù di ciò è uno dei pochi musicisti ad essere stato introdotto per ben due volte all'interno della prestigiosa . James Patrick Page è stato nominato "Sir" dalla regina d'Inghilterra. Unanimemente ritenuto dai chitarristi stessi come uno fra i sei più grandi di sempre, insieme a (in ordine alfabetico): , , , , .

Outrider è il primo disco da solista dell'ex dei , uscito nel , per l'etichetta .
                                                                     

Outrider is an album by , released by on 19 June 1988. It is his first (and to date, only) genuine solo album, and the first time since 1969 he recorded with a record label other than /. It was recorded at , Page's personal studio. guests on one track, "The Only One", while 's son drums with Page for the first time on record.

This was originally intended to be a two album release. However, during the early recording stages of this album, Page's house was broken into and amongst the items stolen were the demo tapes which had been recorded up to that point. Reportedly some of these demos were released as bootleg recordings and according to various Led Zeppelin biographies, Page was rather demoralized in regards to the break-in and the album suffered as a result.

The album reached #26 on 's chart, also peaking at #27 on the .

Years later, Page reflected on the album in rather positive terms:

Outrider's all right. It's demo-like compared with those overproduced albums that came out at the time. It didn't do very well - doesn't matter - but I did tour. I was playing music on that tour going right back to The Yardbirds. was the drummer on that tour.

Interprete: Jimmy Page
Etichetta:  The David Geffen Company
Catalogo: 924 188 - 1
Data di pubblicazione: 1988
Supporto:vinile 33 giri Tipo audio: stereo Dimensioni: 30 cm. Facciate: 2 Original picture inner sleeve

La copertina dell' è una , in bianco e nero, di , che tiene per il manico la sua storica , riprodotta come se fosse in movimento.

Collaborazioni 

In questo LP sono molto importanti le collaborazioni dei , principali autori dei , come , e il suo vecchio compagno dei , che canta nella canzone The Only One. Ma è ancora più importante il fondamentale contributo dato dal , figlio del famoso ex batterista dei , che suona in quasi tutte le canzoni dell' album.

Track listing
LATO A Wasting my Time (/) - 4:28 Wanna Make Love (/) - 5:20 Writes of Winter () -3:25 The Only One (/) - 4:25 Liquid Mercury () - 3:03 LATO B Hummingbird () - 5:22 Emerald Eyes () - 3:20 Prison Blues (/) - 7:07 Blues Anthem (If I Cannot have your Love...) (/) - 3:20

Formazioni 1 - - voce - - 2 - - voce - - 3 - - - 4 - - voce - - 5,7 - - - 6 - - voce - - 8,9 - - voce - -

Page nacque nel londinese di Heston; i suoi lineamenti vagamente orientali derivano dal fatto che una delle sue nonne era cinese. Prese in mano la sua prima all'età di tredici anni e presto divenne allievo del grande session man "Big" Jim Sullivan, lo stesso insegnante di dei . Le sue influenze sono da ricercarsi principalmente in musicisti quali e , entrambi chitarristi di , e Johnny Day. I gusti di Page comunque spaziavano anche al di artisti come e John Renbourn e al blues di , e . All'età di 14 anni Page partecipò al programma TV Search for Stars, una sorta di rassegna finalizzata alla ricerca di giovani talenti, e due anni dopo abbandonò la per dedicarsi alla carriera musicale. Dopo una breve collaborazione con il Royston Ellis ed il Red E. Lewis, a Page fu chiesto dal cantante Neil Christian di unirsi alla propria band The Crusaders; Page seguì Christian in tournée per due anni e successivamente suonò durante le registrazioni dei suoi dischi, incluso il singolo The Road to Love del .

Durante la tournée con Christian, Page si ammalò gravemente di e non poté continuare a spostarsi. Durante la degenza Page decise di accantonare la carriera musicale e di dedicarsi all'altra sua grande passione: la . Si iscrisse così al Sutton Art College nella contea di .

Carriera da turnista

Mentre era ancora studente, Page continuava spesso a provare ed improvvisare con alcune band come la Cyril Davis' All Stars, la Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated e con chitarristi come ed . Venne notato una sera da John Gibb dei The Silhouettes che gli chiese di aiutarlo a registrare alcuni singoli per la , tra cui The Worrying Kind: di lì a poco l'offerta di registrazioni in studio avanzatagli da Mike Leander della garantì a Page un lavoro regolare come turnista in studio di registrazione. La sua prima registrazione per l'etichetta fu Diamonds, di Jet Harris & , che arrivò al primo posto nella classifica dei singoli di inizio .

Dopo brevi collaborazioni con Carter-Lewis and the Southerners, Mike Hurst's group e Mickey Finn and the Blue Men si dedicò a tempo pieno al lavoro in studio di registrazione. Sue registrazioni di chitarra sono presenti nei lavori di (As Tears Go By), The Nashville Teens (Tobacco Road), (Heart of Stone alternate version), & (Baby Please Don't Go e Here Comes The Night), Dave Berry (The Crying Game e My Baby Left Me), nonché in Is It True di Brenda Lee.

Benvoluto dai produttori Shel Talmy, Page contribuì a , album di debutto dell'omonima band del , nonostante - diversamente da quanto si possa credere - non abbia eseguito alcuno degli assoli di chitarra; inoltre partecipò alla registrazione del primo singolo dei , I Can't Explain anche se è stato ufficialmente confermato che le parti da lui suonate sono poi state eliminate durante il missaggio finale.

Nel Page venne assunto da Andrew Loog Oldham, manager dei , in qualità di produttore della neonata etichetta Immediate Records; il nuovo ruolo gli permise di incidere e/o produrre canzoni di , , ed . Page ebbe anche una breve collaborazione con Jackie DeShannon per la scrittura di canzoni, poi trasformatasi in relazione amorosa. Fu in questo periodo che incise una propria della di

Nel tardo a Page venne offerta la possibilità di sostituire nei , ma declinò l'offerta per la lealtà che riservava allo stesso Clapton. Nel Clapton lasciò gli Yardbirds, e a Page fu ufficialmente offerto il posto di Clapton; Page era tuttavia riluttante ad abbandonare la lucrosa attività di solista, per cui suggerì l'amico .

Durante il il , il , il , e Page registrarono Beck's Bolero negli studi londinesi IBC Studios. L'esperienza di quel giorno suggerì a Page di formare una band con al (invece di Jones): tuttavia la mancanza di un adatto e vari problemi contrattuali imposero un fermo al progetto.

Entro poche settimane a Page fu nuovamente offerto un posto negli Yardbirds: il chitarrista decise stavolta di mettersi in gioco anche se il posto da coprire era quello del bassista. Passato alla chitarra insieme a Beck, con nel ruolo di bassista, la band si trovò nella singolare circostanza di detenere due assolute primedonne nel ruolo di solista; il potenziale artistico-musicale di questa formazione fu tuttavia minato da continui conflitti interpersonali e dallo scarso successo commerciale.

Nonostante la rottura quasi istantanea con e l'abbandono da parte di e nel , Page volle portare avanti il gruppo con una nuova formazione. Dopo che venne a sapere che Keith Relf e Jim McCarty avevano lasciato la band, dichiarò che il gruppo sarebbe precipitato come un di (go down like a lead zeppelin), suggerendo il nuovo nome della band: *( dove lead fu semplificato in led per univocità di interpretazione con il pubblico americano ).

Led Zeppelin 

Con i fu protagonista di un successo planetario secondo solo a quello dei . Nel duplice ruolo di chitarrista e produttore discografico fu uno dei principali esponenti del sound rock di quell'epoca, basato principalmente sull'unione di una ed un . Per la registrazione del primo disco dei invece Page preferì usare un amplificatore Supro ed una . L'utilizzo di distorsione (Whole Lotta Love, Dazed and Confused, Immigrant Song), slide (You Shook Me, In My Time of Dying), chitarre acustiche (Over the Hills and far away, Ramble On) e particolari tecniche di registrazione, fecero dei Led Zeppelin il prototipo di numerose rock band successive. Il particolare assolo della canzone Heartbreaker ad esempio è stato citato da come ispiratore della sua tecnica , da quando li vide in concerto al Forum di nel . infatti pensò che alcune parti di chitarra di quella canzone sarebbero state più semplici da eseguire suonandone alcune note direttamente sulla tastiera della chitarra con la mano destra (trovata geniale che di fatto gettò le basi della nuova rivoluzionaria tecnica del ). Page diffuse anche la tecnica che consisteva nell'utilizzare un archetto di per pizzicare le corde (sebbene fosse stata creata da Simon Phillips dei Creation) in canzoni come Dazed and Confused e How Many More Times. Il suo assolo nella famosa Stairway to Heaven è stato votato dai lettori del giornale come il più grande assolo di tutti i tempi (greatest guitar solo of all time).

Carriera successiva ai Led Zeppelin 

I si sciolsero nel dopo la morte del batterista . Dopo due anni di pausa, volle formare un nuovo con ex membri delle band , e , ma l'iniziativa non ebbe seguito. Fece uno splendido ritorno nel alla per L' ARMS Concert (Associazione di ricerca per la sclerosi multipla), un concerto a scopo benefico, durante questo strepitoso concerto parteciparono e suonarono assieme a lui Eric Clapton e . Page contattò poi per la realizzazione di un album e qualche concerto, suonando un repertorio principalmente acustico in vari festival del folk. Nel , Page registrò con sotto il nome di The Honeydrippers. Seguirono vari altri progetti rock come , con , un lavoro in studio per , Box of Frogs, un album solista, Outrider, una collaborazione con in Coverdale-Page ed un tour con i documentato da un disco dal vivo. Inoltre collaborò con il regista Michael Winner per registrare varie nel e nel per II e III .

I Led Zeppelin si riformarono momentaneamente nel per il con e Tony Thompson che sostituivano Bonham alla batteria. Comunque la band considerò la propria esibizione sottotono e rifiutò di farla incidere su nell'edizione commemorativa ad un ventennio dallo show.

Nel Page e Plant suonarono per la serie . Lo speciale di 90 minuti, fu uno dei più grandi successi nella storia della stessa rete televisiva. Ne venne fuori un disco intitolato "No Quarter" con canzoni riarrangiate dal repertorio Zeppelin più "City Don't Cry", "Yallah" (o "The Truth Explodes"), "Wonderful One" e "Wah Wah". Dopo il grande successo del tour nel , Page e Plant registrarono , il loro secondo album insieme dopo il . Page è sempre stato un membro dei Led Zeppelin aperto alla possibilità di riunificarsi.

Dal ha lavorato molto per rimasterizzare l'intero repertorio dei Led Zeppelin ed ha partecipato a vari concerti di beneficenza; in particolare si è speso per l'Action for Brazil's Children Trust (ABC Trust), fondato da sua moglie Jimena Gomez-Paratcha nel , la quale offre supporto medico e psicologico, cibo, vestiario e formazione professionale ai bambini brasiliani in condizioni disagiate.

Nel , Page è stato insignito con l'OBE in riconoscimento al suo continuativo lavoro di beneficenza; per questo stesso motivo, poco tempo dopo, gli è stata anche conferita la cittadinanza onoraria di .

Ad oggi sono innumerevoli i chitarristi tra i cui principali ispiratori figura il nome di Page, appartenenti al mondo del rock-blues ma non solo: degli , degli , dei Queen, lo storico chitarrista dei e attuale dei , dei , degli e dei . Oltre a questi, le innumerevoli innovazioni chitarristiche introdotte da Page sono state la base di formazione per la maggior parte dei chitarristi metal moderni, tra cui , ed degli , dei , , , , e dei . Anche chitarristi italiani del calibro di e (entrambi chitarristi di ), dei ed hanno dichiarato in più occasioni l'influenza ricevuta dal suo stile.

Per il è prevista l'uscita nelle sale di It Might Get Loud, un film-documentario sulla e con protagonisti Page, e .

Aleister Crowley

Page fu molto affascinato dal poeta, romanziere, artista e . Egli ha impresso il motto di Crowley, Do What Thou Wilt So Mete It Be (Fa' ciò che vuoi così potrai essere), sulla matrice del primo lato dell'album , ed ha comprato , la villa di campagna dello stesso Crowley situata sulle rive del . Al rilascio del quarto album alcune voci sulla canzone Stairway To Heaven affermavano che contenesse messaggi satanici se ascoltata al contrario. 

Ciò che incuriosì particolarmente il pubblico a riguardo dei rapporti di Page con l'occulto furono i quattro piccoli simboli apparsi come titolo del quarto album dei Led Zeppelin, ognuno rappresentante un membro della band. Spesso nei tour successivi al rilascio dell'album egli indossava vari simboli zodiacali cuciti sui propri vestiti (, e che probabilmente sono rispettivamente il suo segno solare, ascendente e segno lunare) così come il cosiddetto simbolo ZoSo. Quest'ultimo stimolò la curiosità di numerosi che si adoperarono nel tentativo di scoprire cosa significasse. Esso potrebbe essere sia un simbolo astrale riguardante sempre uno dei suoi segni oppure una lettera dell'alfabeto per stipulare patti con il Demonio.

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Una strofa di una canzone dei Wings di Paul McCartney (Rock Show nell'album "Venus and Mars", 1975) fa riferimento a Jimmy Page: "What's That Man Movin' Cross The Stage? / It Looks A Lot Like The One Used By Jimmy Page / Its Like A Relic From A Different Age / Could Be . . . . . Oo-Ee . . . . . .".

La chitarra in questione e' probabilmente la Gibson doppio manico e l'uomo menzionato potrebbe essere Denny Laine, chitarrista dei Wings, che infatti utilizzo' un modello simile durante la loro tourne' negli Stati Uniti del 1976.

Fu lui a consigliare Jeff Beck al manager degli Yardbirds quando questi si presentò a casa sua per ingaggiarlo. Beck per ringraziarlo gli regalò la famosa telecaster con il dragone sul fronte che Jimmy utilizzò per la registrazione del primo album degli zeppelin e successivamente per l'assolo di Stairway To Heaven. Erroneamente si pensa che il famoso disegno fosse già presente quando Page ricevette la chitarra, invece fu lo stesso Page a disegnarvi il motivo, essendo stato, tra l'altro, studente alla scuola d'Arte. La chitarra in seguito fu rovinata irrimediabilmente per ragioni non ben note. Inoltre il manico di questa chitarra fu smontato e innestato nel corpo della telecaster marrone che Page usò negli ultimi concerti dei Led Zeppelin, soprannominata "Brown Bomber". Quando Jimmy faceva il turnista era conosciuto come Little Jim, cosicché non lo si potesse confondere con Big Jim Sullivan. Page è un fan di , nonostante gli abbia rifiutato il permesso di creare una con tutte le canzoni dei Led Zeppelin al suo interno. Page è uscito con molte celebri groupies, come Pamela Des Barres e . La principale chitarra di Page, una Gibson Les Paul del , venne acquistata ad inizio dal collega chitarrista degli . È stato anche detto che Jimmy Page avesse imparato a suonare lo slide dallo stesso Joe Walsh che tuttavia, non è stato mai ringraziato da Page, cosa da cui Joe è tuttora infastidito. Mentre Page e suonarono assieme nei , il trio di Page, Beck ed non suonò mai insieme nella stessa formazione. Tuttavia i tre chitarristi suonarono insieme sul palco della Royal Albert Hall in occasione del "the ARMS concert" nel . Sua figlia Scarlet è una stimata fotografa. Page è stato il soggetto di una canzone intitolata I Hate Jimmy Page (odio Jimmy Page), dei Mindless Self-Indulgence. Page è un buon amico di e ha discusso con lei a proposito di molte notizie riguardanti la nei suoi famosi libri del ciclo di . Benché Jimmy Page abbia registrato per e con molti musicisti famosi, molte sue registrazioni sono unicamente disponibili come bootleg, diversi dei quali resi disponibili dai fan club dei Led Zeppelin negli anni e . Una delle tante rare registrazioni include Jimmy Page suonare con il chitarrista dei Rolling Stones la cover di Little Queen of Spades, della leggenda del blues . Una volta, nel pieno di una dei Led Zeppelin, Page si ferì a un dito della mano sinistra, chiudendolo nella portiera della propria automobile. Dovendo comunque rispettare i concerti previsti, adottò la "tecnica delle tre dita". Page ebbe un aspro litigio con il regista , il quale gli aveva commissionato la colonna sonora per il film . Anger disse che Page aveva impiegato tre anni per produrre 25 minuti di una cantilena inutilizzabile, e che era troppo dipendente da sostanze stupefacenti per terminare il suo lavoro. Le canzoni dei Led Zeppelin sono state utilizzate in alcuni film per i quali Page ha dovuto concedere i diritti, tra questi Small Soldiers, Quasi Famosi, e School of rock per il quale i Led Zeppelin sono stati videoimplorati dall'attore principale del film Jack Black per ottenere i diritti. Tale avvenimento è testimoniato nei contenuti speciali dell'edizione in dvd del suddetto film. Il Page ha partecipato alla cerimonia di chiusura delle di , come promoter delle di , suonando dal vivo in duetto con la cantante . È stato usato come ispirazione per un personaggio del manga . Il personaggio in questione è Ryusuke Minami. In alcuni concerti Jimmy usava un archetto da violino.

James Patrick "Jimmy" Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English , and . He began his career as a studio in and was subsequently a member of from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band .

Page has been described as "unquestionably one of the all-time most influential, important, and versatile guitarists and songwriters in rock history". In 2003, magazine ranked Page #9 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He has been inducted into the twice, once as a member of (1992) and once as a member of (1995).

Early years

Page was born to parents James and Patricia Page in the West London suburb of , which today forms part of the . His father was an industrial personnel manager and his mother was a doctor's secretary. In 1952 they moved to , and later again to Miles Road, which is where Page came across his first guitar. "I don't know whether [the guitar] was left behind by the people [in the house] before [us], or whether it was a friend of the family's - nobody seemed to know why it was there." First playing the instrument at the age of thirteen years, he took a few lessons in nearby , but he was largely self-taught. Among his early influences were guitarists and , who both played on recordings made by . Hearing the Elvis Presley song "Baby Let's Play House" is cited by Page as being his inspiration to take up playing the guitar. His first guitar was a second hand 1959 Futurama Grazioso, which was later replaced by a .

Page's musical tastes included (a popular English music genre of the time) and acoustic folk playing, particularly that of and , and the blues sounds of , , , , and . "Basically, that was the start: a mixture between rock and blues." At the age of 13, Page appeared on 's talent quest programme in a skiffle quartet, one performance of which aired on BBC TV in 1957. The group played "Mama Don't Want To Skiffle Anymore" and another very American-flavored song, "In Them Ol' Cottonfields Back Home". . When asked by Wheldon what he wanted to do after schooling, Page said, "I want to do biological research" to find a cure for "cancer, if it isn't discovered by then".

In an interview with magazine, Page stated that "there was a lot of in the early days, but as they say, I had to come to grips with it, and it was a good schooling." Page would take a guitar to school each day and have it confiscated and handed back to him at 4:00 P.M. Although he had an interview for a job as a laboratory assistant, he ultimately chose to leave Danetree Secondary School, West , to pursue music instead.

Initially, Page had difficulty finding other musicians with whom he could play on a regular basis. "It wasn't as though there was an abundance. I used to play in many groups... anyone who could get a gig together, really." Following stints backing recitals by Beat poet at the between 1960-61, and singer Red E. Lewis, he was asked by singer to join his band, The Crusaders, after Christian had seen a fifteen-year-old Page playing in a local hall. Page toured with Christian for approximately two years and later played on several of his records, including the November 1962 single, "The Road to Love".

During his stint with Christian, Page fell seriously ill with (infectious mononucleosis) and couldn't continue touring. While recovering, he decided to put his musical career on hold and concentrate on his other love, painting. He enrolled at Sutton Art College in . As he explained in 1975:

[I was] travelling around all the time in a bus. I did that for two years after I left school, to the point where I was starting to get really good bread. But I was getting ill. So I went back to art college. And that was a total change in direction. That's why I say it's possible to do. As dedicated as I was to playing the guitar, I knew doing it that way was doing me in forever. Every two months I had glandular fever. So for the next 18 months I was living on ten dollars a week and getting my strength up. But I was still playing.

Session musician

While still a student, Page would often jam on stage at with bands such as ' All Stars, 's and with guitarists and . He was spotted one night by John Gibb of Brian Howard & The Silhouettes, who asked him to help record a number of singles for , including "The Worrying Kind". It wasn't until an offer from of that Page was to receive regular studio work. His first session for the label was the recording "" by and , which went to Number 1 on the singles chart in early 1963.

After brief stints with , and the Method, and Mickey Finn and the Blue Men, Page committed himself to full-time session work. As a he was known as 'Little Jim' so there was no confusion with . Page was mainly called in to sessions as "insurance" in instances when a replacement or second guitarist was required by the recording artist. "It was usually myself and a drummer", he explained, "though they never mention the drummer these days, just me ... Anyone needing a guitarist either went to Big Jim [Sullivan] or myself"

Page was the favoured session guitarist of producer , and therefore he ended up doing session work on songs for and as a direct result of the Talmy connection. Page's studio output in 1964 included 's "", ' "", ' "" (released on ), & "" and "", "" and "My Baby Left Me", and 's "Is It True". Under the auspices of producer Talmy, Page contributed to ' 1964 and he sat in on the sessions for 's first single "" (although Pete Townshend was reluctant to allow Page's contribution on the final recording, Page did play on the B-side "".)

In 1965 Page was hired by Rolling Stones manager to act as house producer and A&R man for the newly-formed label, which also allowed him to play on and/or produce tracks by , , , and . Page also formed a brief songwriting partnership with then romantic interest, . He also composed and recorded songs for the John Williams (not the classical guitarist) album The Maureeny Wishful Album with Big Jim Sullivan. Page worked as session musician on the album in 1969, and played guitar on five tracks of 's debut album, .

When questioned about which songs he played on, especially ones where there exists some controversy as to what his exact role was, Page often points out that it is hard to remember exactly what he did given the huge number of sessions he was playing at the time.

Although Page recorded with many notable musicians, many of these early tracks are only available through copies, several of which were released by the Led Zeppelin fan club in the late 1970s. One of the rarest of these is the early jam session featuring Jimmy Page playing with guitarist , featuring a cover of "Little Queen of Spades" by . Several songs which featured Page's involvement were compiled on the twin album release: and .

Page decided to leave studio work when the increasing influence of on popular music led to the greater incorporation of brass and orchestral arrangements into recordings at the expense of guitars. However, he has stated that his time as a session player served as extremely good schooling for his development as a musician:

My session work was invaluable. At one point I was playing at least three sessions a day, six days a week! And I rarely ever knew in advance what I was going to be playing. But I learned things even on my worst sessions -- and believe me, I played on some horrendous things. I finally called it quits after I started getting calls to do Muzak. I decided I couldn't live that life anymore; it was getting too silly. I guess it was destiny that a week after I quit doing sessions Paul Samwell-Smith left The Yardbirds, and I was able to take his place. But being a session musician was good fun in the beginning -- the studio discipline was great. They'd just count the song off, and you couldn't make any mistakes.

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds, 1966. Clockwise from left: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Keith Relf, Jim McCarty, and Chris Dreja.

In late 1964, Page was approached about the possibility of replacing Eric Clapton in , but he declined the offer out of loyalty to his friend. In February 1965 Clapton quit the Yardbirds, and Page was formally offered Clapton's spot, but because he was unwilling to give up his lucrative career as a session musician, and because he was still worried about his health under touring conditions, he suggested his friend, Jeff Beck. On 16 May 1966, drummer , bass player , keyboardist , Jeff Beck and Page recorded "" in London's . The experience gave Page an idea to form a new featuring Beck, along with 's on bass and on drums. However, the lack of a quality vocalist and contractual problems prevented the project from getting off the ground. During this time, Moon suggested the name " " for the first time, after Entwistle commented that the proceedings would take to the air like a lead balloon.

Within weeks, Page attended a Yardbirds concert at . After the show he went backstage where announced that he was leaving the group. Page offered to replace Samwell-Smith and this was accepted by the group. He initially played with the Yardbirds before finally switching to twin with Beck when moved to bass. The musical potential of the line-up was scuttled, however, by interpersonal conflicts caused by constant touring and a lack of commercial success, although they released one single, "". (While Page and Jeff Beck played together in , the trio of Page, Beck and Clapton never played in the original group at the same time. The three guitarists did appear on stage together at the in 1983.)

After Beck's departure, the Yardbirds remained a quartet. They recorded one album with Page on lead guitar, . The album received indifferent reviews and was not a commercial success, peaking at only number 80 on the . Though their studio sound was fairly commercial at the time, the band's live performances were just the opposite, becoming heavier and more experimental. These concerts featured musical aspects that Page would later perfect with Led Zeppelin, most notably performances of "".

After the departure of and in 1968, Page reconfigured the group with a new line-up to fulfill unfinished tour dates in . As he said:

Once [the other Yardbirds] decided not to continue, then I was going to continue. And shift the whole thing up a notch ... The whole thing was putting a group together and actually being able to play together. There were a lot of virtuoso musicians around at the time who didn't gel as a band. That was the key: to find a band that was going to fire on all cylinders.

To this end, Page recruited vocalist and drummer , and he was also contacted by who asked to join. During the the new group appeared as "The New Yardbirds", but soon recalled the old joke by Keith Moon and John Entwistle. Page stuck with that name to use for his new band. Peter Grant changed it to "Led Zeppelin", to avoid a mispronunciation of "Leed Zeppelin."

Led Zeppelin Page has explained that he had a very specific idea in mind as to what he wanted Led Zeppelin to be, from the very beginning:

I had a lot of ideas from my days with The Yardbirds. The Yardbirds allowed me to improvise a lot in live performance and I started building a textbook of ideas that I eventually used in Zeppelin. In addition to those ideas, I wanted to add acoustic textures. Ultimately, I wanted Zeppelin to be a marriage of blues, hard rock and acoustic music topped with heavy choruses -- a combination that had never been done before. Lots of light and shade in the music.

Influence

Page's past experiences both in the studio and with the Yardbirds were very influential in contributing to the success of Led Zeppelin in the 1970s. As a , composer, and guitarist he helped make Led Zeppelin a prototype for countless future rock bands, and was one of the major driving forces behind the rock sound of that era, influencing a host of other guitarists. states that "just about every rock guitarist from the late '60s/early '70s to the present day has been influenced by Page's work with Led Zeppelin". For example, bassist Andy Shernoff suggests that Page's sped up, downstroke guitar riff in "" is one half of the inspiration for guitarist 's punk-defining, strictly downstroke guitar strumming, (the other half being 's ) , while Page's landmark from the song "" has been credited by as being the inspiration for his two-hand technique after he had seen Led Zeppelin perform in 1971. Page's solo in the famous epic "" has been voted by readers of various guitar magazines, including and , as the greatest guitar solo of all time, and he was named 'Guitarist of the Year' five times during the 1970s in the magazine reader poll. In 2001 he was voted London's greatest guitarist in magazine's poll of the greatest 12 British guitarists. In 2003, magazine named him number nine on their list of the "100 greatest guitarists of all time".

Equipment

For the recording of most of Led Zeppelin material from Led Zeppelin's onwards, Page used a guitar with amplification. During the studio sessions for , and later for recording the guitar solo in "Stairway to Heaven", he used a (a gift from Jeff Beck). He also used a 3021, mainly for slide guitar parts. He usually recorded in studio with a , Fender, and amplification. His use of the Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional MKII (""), ("", "", "", ""), ("", "", "", "" and for effect at the very end of ""), and acoustic guitar ("", "", "", "") also demonstrated his versatility and creativity as a composer.

Page is famous for playing his guitar with a , as on the live versions of the songs "Dazed and Confused" and "". This was a technique he developed during his session days, although he was not the first guitarist to use a bow, since of had done so prior to Page. On 's Led Zeppelin , Page said that he obtained the idea of playing the guitar with a bow from who was also a session musician. Page used his Fender Telecaster and later his Gibson Les Paul for his bow solos. Page used a laser on his bow to create somewhat of a light show during "Dazed and Confused".

On a number of Led Zeppelin songs Page experimented with feedback devices and a . He used a , both in the traditional method of rocking the pedal back and forth as done by and Eric Clapton, but also by simply leaving the pedal fully forward to enhance the treble. The latter technique was used on the solos for "Communication Breakdown" and "Whole Lotta Love," while the former was mostly seen in live performances.

Music production techniques

Page is credited for the innovations in sound recording he brought to the studio during the years he was a member of Led Zeppelin, many of which he had initially developed as a session musician. He developed a reputation for employing effects in new ways and trying out different methods of using microphones and amplification. During the late 1960s, most British music producers placed directly in front of and , resulting in the sometimes "tinny" sound of the recordings of the era. Page commented to Guitar World magazine that he felt the drum sounds of the day in particular "sounded like cardboard boxes." Instead, Page was a fan of 1950s recording techniques, being a particular favourite. In the same Guitar World interview, Page remarked, "Recording used to be a science", and "[engineers] used to have a maxim: distance equals depth." Taking this maxim to heart, Page developed the idea of placing an additional microphone some distance from the amplifier (as much as twenty feet) and then recording the balance between the two. By adopting this technique, Page became one of the first producers to record a band's "ambient sound" - the distance of a note's time-lag from one end of the room to the other.

For the recording of several Led Zeppelin tracks, such as "" and "", Page additionally utilised "" - a technique which he claims to have invented himself while with The Yardbirds (he had originally developed the method when recording the 1967 single ""). This production technique involved hearing the echo before the main sound instead of after it, achieved by turning the tape over and employing the echo on a spare track, then turning the tape back over again to get the echo preceding the signal.

Page has stated that, as producer, he deliberately changed the on Led Zeppelin albums, from for the first album, to for , to for and later albums. He explained that "I consciously kept changing engineers because I didn't want people to think that they were responsible for our sound. I wanted people to know it was me."

John Paul Jones has acknowledged Page's production techniques as being a key component of the success of Led Zeppelin:

The backwards echo stuff [and] a lot of the microphone techniques were just inspired. Using distance-miking… and small amplifiers. Everybody thinks we go in the studio with huge walls of amplifiers, but [Page] doesn’t. He uses a really small amplifier and he just mikes it up really well, so that it fits into a sonic picture.

In interview Page himself gave to Guitar World magazine in 1993, he remarked on his work as a producer:

Many people think of me as just a riff guitarist, but I think of myself in broader terms... As a producer I would like to be remembered as someone who was able to sustain a band of unquestionable individual talent, and push it to the forefront during its working career. I think I really captured the best of our output, growth, change and maturity on tape -- the multifaceted gem that is Led Zeppelin.

Post-Led Zeppelin career

Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980 following the death of drummer at Page's home, The Old Mill House at in . For some time Page refused to touch a guitar out of sadness for the loss of his friend Bonham, but he eventually made a return to the stage at a show in March 1981 at the Hammersmith Odeon. Also in 1981 Page joined with bassist and drummer to form a supergroup called (for ex-Yes-Zeppelin). They rehearsed several times, but the project was shelved. However, demos of these sessions have turned up on bootleg and they reveal that some of the material showed up later on later projects, notably "Fortune Hunter" and Yes songs "Mind Drive" and "Can You Imagine?". Page would later join Yes on stage in 1984 at in , playing "".

In 1982 Page collaborated with director to record the soundtrack. This, and several subsequent Page recordings including soundtrack (1985), were recorded and produced at his own recording studio, in , which he had purchased from in the early 1980s.

In 1983 Page appeared with the A.R.M.S. (Action Research for ) charity series of concerts which honoured bass player , who suffered from the disease. For the first shows at the in , Page's set consisted of songs from the Death Wish II soundtrack (with Steve Winwood on vocals) and an instrumental version of "Stairway to Heaven". A four-city tour of the United States followed, with of replacing Winwood as vocalist. During the US tour, Page and Rodgers also performed "Midnight Moonlight" which would later be recorded for The Firm's first album. All of the shows featured an on stage jam of "" that reunited Page with guitarists Beck and . According to the book , it was reportedly around this time that Page told friends that he'd just given up after seven years of use. On 13 December 1983, Page joined Robert Plant onstage for one encore at the in London.

Page next linked up with for the 1984 album () and occasional concerts, performing a predominantly acoustic set at folk festivals under various guises such as the MacGregors, and Themselves. Also in 1984 Page recorded with former Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant as on the album, and with on the film soundtrack .

Page subsequently collaborated with Paul Rodgers to record two albums under the name . The first album, released in 1985, was the self-titled . Popular songs included "" and "Satisfaction Guaranteed". The album peaked at number 17 on the pop albums chart and went gold in the US. It was followed by in 1986. The band toured in support of both albums but soon split up.

Various other projects followed, such as session work for , and (on their 1986 single ""). In 1986, Page reunited temporarily with his ex-Yardbirds band members to play on several tracks of the album . Page released a solo album entitled in 1988 which featured contributions from Robert Plant, with Page contributing in turn to Plant's solo album , which was released the same year. Page also embarked on a collaboration with in 1993 entitled .

Throughout these years Page also reunited with the other surviving members of Led Zeppelin to perform live on a few occasions, most notably in 1985 for the concert with both and filling drum duties. However, the band members considered this performance here to be sub-standard, with Page having been let down by a poorly tuned Les Paul. Page, Plant and Jones, as well as 's son , performed at the show on 14 May 1988, closing the 12-hour show. In 1990, a concert to aid the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre and the British School for Performing Arts and Technology saw Plant unexpectedly joined by Page to perform "", "" and "". Page also performed with the band's surviving members at various private family functions.

In 1994, Page reunited with Plant for the penultimate performance in 's "" series. The 90-minute special, dubbed Unledded, premiered to the highest ratings in MTV's history. In October of the same year, the session was released as the CD , and in 2004 as the DVD . Following a highly successful mid-90s tour to support No Quarter, Page and Plant recorded 1998's .

Since 1990, Page has been heavily involved in the entire Led Zeppelin back catalogue and is currently participating in various charity concerts and charity work, particularly the Action for Brazil's Children Trust (ABC Trust), founded by his wife Jimena Gomez-Paratcha in 1998. In the same year, Page played guitar for singer/producer 's song "", which heavily samples Led Zeppelin's "" and was included in the soundtrack of . The two later performed the song on . A live album and tour with follow in 1999. In 2001 he made an appearance on stage with frontman and of at the MTV Europe Video Music Awards in , where they performed a version of Led Zeppelin's "".

Jimmy Page performing at the Led Zeppelin reunion concert (2007)

In 2005, Page was awarded the in recognition of his charity work for Task Brazil and Action For Brazil's Children's Trust, made an honorary citizen of later that year, and was awarded a Grammy award.

In November 2006, Led Zeppelin was inducted into the . The broadcasting of the event consisted of an introduction to the band by various famous admirers, a presentation of an award to Jimmy Page and then a short speech by the guitarist. After this, rock group played a tribute to Led Zeppelin, playing the song "".

In 2006, Page attended the induction of Led Zeppelin to the . During an interview for the BBC for said event, he expressed plans to record new material in 2007, saying "It's an album that I really need to get out of my system... there's a good album in there and it's ready to come out" and "Also there will be some Zeppelin things on the horizon".

On 6 January 2007, Page was featured at #19 on 's The Ultimate Hellraiser, a countdown of music's top 25 who "lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle". The show's reason for featuring Page was almost exclusively attributed to the groupies who toured with Led Zeppelin. In addition, many of John Bonham's shenanigans (for example driving a motorcycle down a hotel corridor) were falsely blamed on Page.

On 2 December 2007, Contacmusic.com confirmed that Page was "Too traumatised for Zeppelin reunion" until now. He states in the article, "After John Bonham's death I spent 15 years not even wanting to think about Led Zeppelin. But I also have difficulty thinking it's all over. Now at least one concert is planned and I'm incredibly happy about that."

On 10 December 2007, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, as well as 's son, played a charity concert at the .

On 20 June 2008, Page was awarded an honorary doctorate by the , for his services to the music industry.

For the , Jimmy Page, and represented Britain during the closing ceremonies on 24 August 2008. Beckham rode a double-decker bus into the stadium, and Page and Lewis performed "", representing the change in Olympic venue to in 2012.

In 2008 Page co-produced a documentary film directed by entitled . The film examines the history of the electric guitar, focusing on the careers and styles of Page, , and . The film premiered on 5 September 2008 at the . Page also participated in the 3 part BBC documentary London Calling: The making of the Olympic handover ceremony on 4 March 2009. On 4 April 2009, Page inducted Jeff Beck into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Legal action

In July 2007 Page gave testimony and observed evidence on behalf of Led Zeppelin at a court case in against an alleged bootlegger. Robert Langley was charged with, and denied, 12 counts of producing and selling products without permission. Page was shown hundreds of CDs and DVDs, ranging from his solo material to his time in Led Zeppelin and The Yardbirds, which Langley was allegedly selling in Scotland during 2005. Many contain footage and audio from Page's personal collection, stolen from his home in the early 1980s.

The goods were found on sale as far away as , where shop-owners thought they were official. Page later said "If you have something like this that appears legitimate then it is just not right". Page concluded his day in court by greeting waiting fans and signing autographs.

Personal life

Page's daughter, , (born in 1971) is a photographer. Her mother is , who was Page's partner from 1970 till 1982 or 1983. Page called her 'My Lady'.

Page also had relationships with a number of rock groupies in the first half of 1970s, including , Lori Maddox, (the ex- wife of of the ) and .

From 1986 to 1995 Page was married to , a model and waitress. They have a son, James Patrick Page III (born April 1988). Following his 1995 divorce, Page married Jimena Gomez-Paratcha. They have three children together, Jana (born 1995) Zofia Jade (born 1997) and Ashen Josan (born 1999).

In 1972 Page bought, from , the home which designed for himself in London, . "I had an interest going back to my teens in the pre-Raphaelite movement and the architecture of Burges", he said. "What a wonderful world to discover." The reputation of William Burges (1827-1881) rests on his extravagant designs and his contribution to the Gothic revival in architecture in the nineteenth century.

From 1980 to 2004 Page owned 'The Mill House', Mill Lane, Windsor, UK - formerly the home of actor . Fellow Led Zeppelin band member died at the house in 1980.

From the early 1970s to well into the 1980s, Jimmy Page owned the , the former residence of occultist . Sections of Page's in the film The Song Remains the Same were filmed at night on the mountain side directly behind Boleskine House.

Page currently resides in .

Drug use

Page has acknowledged heavy drug use throughout the 1970s. In an interview with magazine in 2003, he stated:

I can't speak for the [other members of the band], but for me drugs were an integral part of the whole thing, right from the beginning, right to the end.

After the band's 1973 , Page told :

Oh, everyone went over the top a few times. I know I did and, to be honest with you, I don't really remember much of what happened.

In 1975, Page began to use , a fact attributed to Richard Cole, who stated that Page (in addition to himself) was taking the drug during the recording sessions of the album in that year, and that Page admitted to him shortly afterwards that he was to the drug.

By Led Zeppelin's , Page's heroin addiction was beginning to hamper his guitar playing performances. By this time the guitarist had lost a noticeable amount of weight. His onstage appearance was not the only obvious change: his addiction caused Page to become so inward and isolated it altered the dynamic between him and Plant considerably. During the recording sessions for in 1978, Page's diminished influence on the album (relative to bassist John Paul Jones) is partly attributed to his ongoing heroin addiction, which resulted in his absence from the studio for long periods of time.

Page reportedly kicked his heroin habit in the early 1980s. In a 1988 interview with magazine, Page took offense when the interviewer noted that heroin had been associated with his name, and insisted that "I'm not an addict, thank you very much."

In an interview he gave to in 2003, Page responded to a question as to whether he regrets getting so involved in heroin and cocaine:

I don't regret it at all because when I needed to be really focused, I was really focused. That's it. Both Presence and In Through the Out Door were only recorded in three weeks: that's really going some. You've got to be on top of it.

Interest in the occult

The appearance of four symbols on the jacket of Led Zeppelin's has been linked to Page's interest in the . The four symbols represented each member of the band. Page's own "Zoso" symbol originated in 'Ars Magica Arteficii' (1557) by J Cardan, an old alchemical , where it has been identified as a consisting of zodiac signs. The sigil is reproduced in "Dictionary of Occult, Hermetic and Alchemical Sigils" by Fred Gettings, published in 1982 by Routledge & Kegan Paul .

During tours and performances after the release of the fourth album, Page often had the so-called "Zoso" symbol embroidered on his clothes, along with symbols. These were visible most notably on his "Dragon Suit", which included the signs for Capricorn, Scorpio and Cancer which are Page's Sun, Ascendant and Moon signs, respectively.

The artwork inside the album cover of Led Zeppelin IV is from a painting by William Holman Hunt, influenced by the traditional Rider/Waite Tarot card design for the card called "The Hermit". Page transforms into this character during his in Led Zeppelin's .

In the early 1970s Page owned an occult bookshop and publishing house, "The Equinox Booksellers and Publishers" in Kensington High Street, London, eventually closing it as the increasing success of Led Zeppelin resulted in his having insufficient time to devote to it. The company published a facsimile of English occultist's 's 1904 edition of . Page has maintained a strong interest in Crowley for many years. In 1978, he explained:

I feel Aleister Crowley is a misunderstood genius of the 20th century. Because his whole thing was liberation of the person, of the entity, and that restrictions would foul you up, lead to frustration which leads to violence, crime, mental breakdown, depending on what sort of makeup you have underneath. The further this age we're in now gets into technology and alienation, a lot of the points he's made seem to manifest themselves all down the line.

Page was commissioned to write the soundtrack music for the film by another occultist and Crowley admirer, underground movie director . In the end Page produced 23 minutes of music which Anger felt were useless because the film ran for 28 minutes and Anger wanted the film to have a full soundtrack. Anger claimed Page took three years to deliver the music, and the final product was only 23 minutes of droning. On top of that, the director slammed the guitarist in the press by calling him a "dabbler" in the occult and an addict. Anger accused Page of "having an affair with the White Lady" and being too strung out on drugs to complete the project. Page countered that he had fulfilled all his obligations, even going so far as to lend Anger his own film editing equipment to help him finish the project.

Although Page collected works by Crowley, he has never described himself as a nor was he ever initiated into the . The Equinox Bookstore and Boleskine House were both sold off during the 1980s, as Page settled into family life and participated in charity work.

Equipment details Electric guitars 1959 (given to Page by and repainted with a psychedelic dragon design by Page) played with the Yardbirds. Used to record the first Led Zeppelin album and used on the early tours during 1968-1969. It was later used to record the "Stairway To Heaven" solo. 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard (No. 1) (originally owned by ) modified with a shaved neck and the addition of a push/pull pot to put the humbuckers out of phase while the toggle is in the middle position. English luthier Roger Giffin re-produced an exact replica of this guitar for Page in 1991 (nicknamed No. 3). Giffin's work was later copied for Gibson's original run of Jimmy Page Signature model Les Pauls in the mid-1990s.This guitar was also used by Gibson as the model for the company's second run of Page signature models in 2004. Produced by Gibson and aged by veteran luthier Tom Murphy, this second generation of Page tribute models was limited to 25 guitars signed by Page himself; and only 150 guitars in total for the aged model issue. 1959 Standard (No. 2) with a shaved down neck to match the profile on his #1; He added four push/pull pots to coil split the humbuckers as well as phase and series switches which were added under the pick guard after the breakup of Led Zeppelin. 1978 Gibson Les Paul Standard 1959 3021 AKA 59-DC (tuned to DADGAD and used live for "White Summer", "Black Mountain Side", "Kashmir", "In My Time of Dying" and "Midnight Moonlight" with The Firm) 1967 1960 Black (with Bigsby Tremolo) - stolen in 1970. An ad was placed by Page for the recovery of this highly modified instrument but the guitar was never recovered. In 2008 the Gibson Custom Shop produced a limited run of 25 re-creations of the guitar, each with a Bigsby Tremolo and a new custom 6-way toggle switch. 12 String 1971 (used for playing "", "", "" and on some occasions, "Tangerine" live and "" throughout the 1977 U.S. tour) 1969 Gibson Les Paul Standard (seen in "The Song Remains The Same" during the theremin/solo section of "Whole Lotta Love" and for "Kashmir" on the reunion concert. This guitar was later fitted with a Parsons-White and used on the Outrider tour.) During Whole Lotta Love in the movie, you can see the back of the head and there is no volute (meaning it is pre-1970), and other close up pictures have revealed a pancake body (those came along in mid 1969 and went away after 1976); thus with no volute and a pancake body, it must be a mid 1969 Les Paul 1964 Lake Placid Blue (Used during recording sessions for In Through the Out Door and 1979 at Knebworth for In the Evening) 1966 Cream Fender Telecaster (Used on Physical Graffiti) 1960's Botswana Brown featuring a Parsons and White B-string bender, and neck salvaged from the "Dragon Telecaster". Seen primarily during the 1980s and era. Also used at Knebworth in 1979, notably on "Ten Years Gone" and "Hot Dog". 1965 (12-String) 1977 (used at Knebworth in 1979, on "Misty Mountain Hop") (seldom used on the 80s tour) Another Gibson doubleneck guitar was given to him after he agreed to allow the company to reproduce his original EDS-1275. The guitar was picked by Page out of numerous others after he struck one chord. Page declared "This is it, this is the one!" The guitar was marked (beforehand) #1. 2007 Gibson Black Beauty custom (remake of his original stolen in 1970, has modifications concerning pickup configurations which include a 6-way pickup selector, and coil-tap on the bridge pickup) Les Paul Goldtop w/ Transperformance tuning device Used on Atlantic 40th reunion, Coverdale/Page recordings, and Page/Plant tours Mid 80s Black Kramer guitar with a trem Used for Outrider Paul Reed Smith (used on the Outrider tour, notably on "City Sirens" and "Wasting My Time") Amplifiers SLP-1959 100-watt amp which was modded with KT-88 tubes, which boosted its output to 200 watts. AC-30 Custom 50 and Custom 100 heads Dual Showman Vibro-King (used on the Page/Plant "Unledded" special on MTV) amps (used with the Theremin, as seen on The Song Remains The Same) Supro 1x12 combo (used in the studio for Led Zeppelin I) Effects wah-wah Sola Sound Tonebender fuzz Maestro Echoplex Phase 90 Blue Box (used for the guitar solo in "Fool In The Rain") DigiTech Whammypedal Acoustic guitars D-28 Gibson Everly Brothers 12-String Sovereign 12 String 1994 Double Neck Other instruments Gibson Gibson Roland GR-500 Roland GR-700 Fender 10-String 800 MKV (Prototype) Accessories electric guitar strings  Collection

Jimmy Page is reputed to own over 1,500 guitars. Page revealed this rough estimate to presenter in June 2005.

Due to the fact the guitar was too heavy, one of Jimmy Page's guitars is now owned by of . It is not the same Black Beauty that was stolen from him in 1970.

Signature models

Gibson released which was discontinued in 1999, then released another version in 2004, which has also been discontinued. The 2004 version included 25 guitars signed by Page, 150 aged by a former Gibson employee (an acknowledged aging 'master'), and 840 'unlimited' production guitars. The Jimmy Page Signature has been produced by Gibson. Recently, Gibson reproduced Page's 1960 Les Paul Black Beauty, the one stolen from him in 1970, with modern modifications. This guitar was sold in 2008 with a run of 25, again signed by Page, plus an additional 500 unsigned guitars.

Le Chitarre di Jimmy Page

A 14 anni Jimmy comprò la sua prima chitarra elettrica, era una Grazioso; ma non era certo la prima che gli passava per le mani infatti i suoi genitori gli avevano regalato una Similspagnola con corde di metallo e fu proprio su quella che imparò a suonare i primi accordi. Ma tutto comincia nei primi anni della sua vera e propria carriera. Ai tempi degli Yardbirds e del debutto con i Led Zeppelin Jimmy suona quasi esclusivamente una Fender Telecaster Paisliey adornata di motivi psichedelici su cui...

A 14 anni Jimmy comprò la sua prima chitarra elettrica, era una Grazioso; ma non era certo la prima che gli passava per le mani infatti i suoi genitori gli avevano regalato una Similspagnola con corde di metallo e fu proprio su quella che imparò a suonare i primi accordi. Ma tutto comincia nei primi anni della sua vera e propria carriera. Ai tempi degli Yardbirds e del debutto con i Led Zeppelin Jimmy suona quasi esclusivamente una Fender Telecaster Paisliey adornata di motivi psichedelici su cui capeggia un drago minaccioso. Ma con Led Zeppelin II, ecco comparire la mitica Les Paul. La più usata venne battezzata da Jimmy No.1, è una Les Paul Standard del 1958 che oggi ha il valore di circa 150 milioni. Venne anche prodotta la Les Paul Custom Shop, in pratica un clone della No. 1 con in nome J. Page al posto del numero di serie (essendo un modello unico).Jimmy però fu chiaro: "Suona bene e ricorda molto l'originale. Ma in ultima analisi, è come cercare di riprodurre uno Stradivari: impossibile". Va anche ricordata la "Black Beauty" (bellezza nera) una Black Custom del 1956acquistata da Page a rate mensili per 185 sterline. La usa quali sempre durante il periodo di Sessionman e, successivamente, negli Yardbirds. Ma in un tour con i Led, al posto di lasciarla in casa dato il valore, la porta con sè in tour; e durante un cambio di volo in Canada viene rubata o perduta. Si ricorda la famosa l'inserzione su Rolling Stone del luglio 1973 dove Page offre una lauta ricompensa per l'eventuale ritrovamento, purtroppo non la rivide più. Successivamente il chitarrista degli Eagles, Joe Walsh gli regala una Les Paul Standard battezzata No.2 (numero di serie 91703), presenta alcune modifiche all'interruttore di separazione della bobina, in più ha l'interruttore di accensione collocato sotto la piastra dei comandi. Queste modifiche gli permettono di ottenere il Twangy Sound Fender, simile ad una Les Paul Special con P-90, che possiamo ascoltare nei primi brani del dirigibile. Dopo Stairway to Heaven, suonata con una Telecaster attraverso un ampli Supro, nel 1971 acquista la famosa Gibson EDS 1275 doppio manico (numero di serie 911117) a 6/12 corde che vediamo in scena dal vivo nelle esecuzioni di "The Rain Song", "Tangerine" o "The Song Remains the Same". Grazie alla sua grande versatilità riuscì ad eseguire "Stairway To Heaven" dal vivo come voleva lui. La chitarra assume una grande popolarità tanto da convincere la Gibson a rimetterla in produzione (è tuttora in catalogo). Un'altra Gibson fu una Everly Bros originale, anni '60, tutta nera regalatagli da Ron Wood, ancora oggi tra le sue preferite. Per le Stratocaster due furono le più usate, la Lake Placid Blu con leva del vibrato (molto usata in Presence) e una Stratocaster degli anni '50 usata anche da Buddy Holly, con rifiniture Sunbrust, usata a meta anni '70. Da non dimenticare la Danelectro nera e bianca che ascoltiamo nella spettacolare esecuzione di "White Summer / Black Mountain Side" o di "The Rain Song". Inoltre bisogna segnalare la Telecaster color crema del 1966 che, assieme alla No. 1 lo accompagnerà per tutti i tours dei Led e una ES V Switch Master soprannominata "Colpi di Sole" che Jimmy utilizza dal '75 al '77. Nel settore acustico, usate sia nei concerti che in studio, sono importanti la Martin D28, il Mandolino Gibson A4, il Mandolino Fender, il Banjo Vega a 5 corde (lo ascoltiamo su Gallows Pole).

Jimmy Page Les Paul:

Marca: Gibson.
Caratteristiche: SOLID BODY.
Corpo: Mogano con top scolpito in Acero figurato, binding.
Manico: Mogano pezzo unico, binding.
Tastiera: palissandro, 22 tasti, segnatasti a trapezio.
Scala: 628.
Elettronica: 2 pick-up Humbucking
(496R HB-500T HB) selettore a tre
posizioni pi? 2 volumi e 2 toni, ognuno con interruttore push pull.
Ponte: Tune-o-Matic ABR-1 con attaccacorde StopBar.
Hardware: dorato.
Finitura: light honey burst.
Note: serie Artist. Custodia originale Gibson. Battipenna autografato.