“Absolutely brilliant”: the overlooked guitarist Jimmy Page adores
There are few guitarists out there who have an understanding of playing the instrument better than Jimmy Page. The sound that Led Zeppelin ended up making wasn’t produced by coincidence. It was the result of Jimmy Page exposing himself to a number of different styles of music, so much so that he could incorporate all of them into the sound that Led Zeppelin eventually went on to signify.
After an unenjoyable first tour as the lead guitarist for a different band, Jimmy Page devoted his time to working as a studio guitarist. This meant that he was playing with a range of different musicians and learning how to master a number of different styles. Subsequently, when it came to starting a band focussed on using a range of genres and styles, it was easy for Page to write songs that did so.
“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,” said Page. “Lots of light and shade in the music.”
Not only is Page a master of the craft, but he also has excellent knowledge when it comes to appreciating other guitarists who have made and are making music. He has a keen ear and is always listening out for something that impresses him. This comes in various forms, but it means that Page loves a number of exceptional guitar players who have fallen between the crevices of rock history.
One of these guitarists isn’t spoken about enough, but he was a big factor in the development of music. When we look at the evolution of rock music, we can’t just admire rock bands but have to look outside the genre to better understand where the ideas came or come from. Folk contributed a lot to rock, and this guitarist created an iconic sound that now transcends genre. As such, when Page was asked to talk about some of his favourite guitarists, he didn’t hesitate to bring him up.
“Clarence White. He was absolutely brilliant. Gosh,” gushed Page during an interview with Rolling Stone in the 1970s. He was a massive fan of White’s guitar-playing style, as he was responsible for inventing the famous ‘jangle’ style. It was this innovative approach to music that he brought to bands such as The Kentucky Colonels and The Byrds.
When you isolate some parts of White’s guitar playing, you can begin to hear it in what Led Zeppelin made. While the end products are vastly different, the building blocks that put these tracks together bear a strong resemblance to each other, which just goes to show how much of a unique, exciting and transferable style of guitar playing Clarence White championed.
“I heard The Byrds’ [1970’s] (Untitled) album. It’s a live album, and I thought, ‘What the hell is he doing?’” Page concluded. “And it turned out it was Clarence White playing on the Gene Parsons and [a] Clarence White invention, which was his idea to make the string pitch up.”
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.