Jimmy Page’s favourite David Bowie song: “It’s an art form in itself”
Regarding musical developments, Jimmy Page always had his ear on the ground. Even when he once controversially derided rappers by saying, “They steal your riffs and then shout at you”, he eventually changed his mind and collaborated with one of the biggest names in the game. Given that Page has consistently kept up with the times and once stood at the forefront of sonic evolution, it’s appropriate that the Led Zeppelin man should enjoy the work of other innovators, such as the great David Bowie, for example.
The story of David Bowie is a complex one. Throughout the 1960s, he struggled to break into the inner sanctum of success, often producing forgettable work that mimicked the era’s most commercial acts. However, Bowie was a hard worker who understood the importance of utilising not only his own industry, talent, and vision but also that of others. By 1972, he finally achieved his desired breakthrough. He skyrocketed to fame as the glam rock hero with Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars, supported by the eminent trio of Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, and Mick Woodmansey, without whom he couldn’t have achieved such success.
After this pivotal, taboo-busting moment, Bowie would do something seldom witnessed since The Beatles, and in a much starker way: he continually metamorphosed. Over the rest of the decade, he delved into many different characters, sonic environments and themes, stretching his scope further with each release. This produced the dark jazz of Aladdin Sane, the 1950s-esque doo-wop of Young Americans, and, of course, created one of the decade’s most essential run of albums, in the otherwordly magic of ‘The Berlin Trilogy’.
Comprised of Low, “Heroes”, and Lodger, and brought to life alongside Brian Eno and Tony Visconti – as well as a large cast of other greats – the records would resoundingly demonstrate not only the futuristic dimension of the Londoner’s art but also just how interesting popular music could be when ignoring tradition. Following Ziggy Stardust, Bowie confirmed that artists should not rest on their laurels and constantly push themselves forward, something that only a select few had done before him, namely, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.
As Bowie made such incredible advancements, the world gradually tuned into his true power, with the music world being the first to realise the true extent of his significance. One figure who was fast to comprehend Bowie’s importance was Page, a man who also possessed a tangible creative vision and propelled Led Zeppelin from their foundation until their end in 1980 following the death of drummer John Bonham.
As one of the first to successfully cherrypick from across music, Bowie’s work resonated with Page. Yet, to him, one song typifies his experimental fusion of genres and textures, ‘Let’s Dance’, the title track of the 1983 album of the same name. It was produced by disco brainiac Nile Rodgers, who introduced young guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan to the world. Accordingly, not only did Bowie use other people’s talents, but he also gave them a good deal by providing a billboard showcasing their genius. With this transatlantic number-one hit, he perfected his formula and finally took the step up to becoming a global icon.
Noting how David Bowie sampled people’s work to create something uniquely his, Page told Uncut in 2008: “There’s a lot of Bowie stuff that’s just terrific. He’s multi-faceted, multi-talented, isn’t he? I’m going to say ‘Let’s Dance’ because it introduced everybody to Stevie Ray Vaughan. People were always saying, ‘Who’s the guitarist on that?’ In the early days, he was prolific, and he put out some really important work. He was taking from various sources and putting it together, but that’s an art form in itself.”
It certainly was an art form. Particularly in the early years, Led Zeppelin drew heavily upon outside influences for success. It might have even gotten them in a spot of legal trouble on occasion.
