The one guitarist Robert Plant said was entirely timeless: “Through all the passing eras”
Following The Yardbirds’ exodus, the emerging guitar hero Jimmy Page took it upon himself to rebuild a band worthy of rivalling The Who and The Rolling Stones. Page, who had been a session guitarist for several years, had a well-tuned eye as a talent scout and constructed one of the best outfits of all time, Led Zeppelin. Central to their legacy is the projectile yet acutely tuned vocals of Robert Plant.
Led Zeppelin’s heavier blues approach was, meanwhile, propelled by John Bonham’s thunderous percussion and John Paul Jones’ creative basslines. To top it all off, this dream team had Page, one of the all-time greatest blues guitarists at its disposal. Today, Led Zeppelin is distinguished as the most compositionally breathtaking heavy rock band of all, deftly straddling the line between prog and metal.
It’s safe to say that there will never again be a group quite like Led Zeppelin. Forms during Britain’s rock ‘n’ roll heyday, they were challenged and inspired in equal measure by a swarm of accomplished contemporaries. In fact, as a member of the final Yardbirds line-up, Page was forged in the same fires as fellow guitar icons Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.
These three former Yardbirds maintained friendly contact over the years, undoubtedly enhancing one another with friendly rivalry. After Beck passed away in January 2023, Page wrote a eulogy for the funeral in February. The comedian Vic Reeves attended the funeral and, while beaming about Page’s touching eulogy on social media, noted that the guitarist described Beck as “the quiet chief”.
Meanwhile, Plant, also a friend and occasional collaborator of Beck’s, posted on social media in reaction to the tragic news. “Jeff always appeared timeless, ever-evolving,” Plant wrote in tribute. “He embraced project after project with limitless energy and enthusiasm. He surfaced in an extraordinary time..he took his place side by side with the virtuosos of the period … his mates.”
“The scene was on fire, he introduced a cool template moving from Yardbird to Bolero to Truth, Beck Ola with Rod the perfect foil… the singer and guitarist syndrome…plenty of sparks… great results,” he continued.
In his brief summary of Beck’s long and colourful career, Plant mentioned the guitarist’s friendship with Jactor and musician Johnny Depp over the last few years of his life. In 2022, just several months before Beck’s death, the pair collaborated on one final album, 18.
“He cooked up magic through all the passing eras, always up for the next, unknown, unlikely collision, back in time to homage Cliff Gallup, forward to Johnny Depp. His gift was enormous. He was funny, challenging and eager,” Plant concluded.
What did Jimmy Page think of Jeff Beck?
“Well, he came round to my house,” Page said of the first time that he met his fellow guitar nerd, Beck. “I was living at home, of course, with my parents. And Jeff came in, and he had a homemade guitar. I also had a homemade guitar there as well, and we just sort of clicked immediately.”
“He’d come round, and we’d sort of hang out, and I’d play records to him. I had such an eclectic mix of records, even as a teenager. It was a great adventure finding other people who might know a different chord to you,” he continued.
His love for the musician only grew as they worked towards becoming icons in their own right. “Everybody respects Jeff,” Page said. “He’s an extraordinary musician and he’s developed a technique which is so complex, it’s just a beauty to behold and hear and to feel his playing. He’s having a conversation with you when he’s playing. It’s just he’s not singing.
“In the early days in The Yardbirds, he was playing with a pick, but then he developed playing without a pick. And then he concentrated more on the Stratocaster. And he had the guitar so fine-tuned to every nuance and the tonality of it, the tension of it, that he developed a style that was totally unique and that’s pretty magical.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.