The artist Keith Richards and Dave Grohl both agreed was a “genius”
Many of the seasoned pros of the music industry aren’t ones to throw around the term ‘genius’ very often.
As much as people like the idea of the best musicians in the world being this otherworldly force making the best music ever made, there’s always a human element behind the greatest artists that make them what they are. And while Dave Grohl and Keith Richards represented two completely different eras of rock and roll history, both of them knew the power that the right musician could have when they had the right idea.
Because as much as Richards and Grohl both have a history of working as a reliable bandmate, they also know that the best songs are the ones that they can each deliver themselves. It might have stung not to hear Mick Jagger or Kurt Cobain on a song, but having Richards take the mic on ‘Happy’ and Grohl strike out on his own with the debut Foo Fighters record did give everyone a different look at music as they thought they knew inside and out.
Then again, it was a much different set of circumstances that drove both of them to start making their own singles. Grohl made music out of necessity after Cobain passed away while Richards needed to have the occasional break from Jagger, but when looking at the way they approached their craft, they were more than willing to take over every aspect of the mix until it was exactly right.
After all, that’s the mark that every musician should be looking to reach at some point. It’s not easy for anyone to master their own instrument, but hearing how every instrument plays off each other requires the kind of ears that know instinctively what works for a song. And when Grohl first started making his own tunes, Jimmy Page was only slightly below The Beatles as one of his greatest influences.
Compared to the other punk-rock acts in his collection, Grohl knew that Page was on a different musical plane, saying, “I consider Jimmy Page freakier than Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was a genius on fire, whereas Page was a genius possessed. When I listen to Zeppelin bootlegs, his solos can make me laugh or they can make me tear up. Page doesn’t just use his guitar as an instrument — he uses it like it’s some sort of emotional translator.”
But it’s not like Richards was the most diplomatic when it came to his fellow blues rocker back in the day. Zeppelin were certainly beloved by the public, but Richards never quite saw the appeal of the group, especially when they started to focus on the larger-than-life aspect of the group over the actual music.
Still, Richards could still be diplomatic about Page’s contribution to the group, saying, “It never took off for me musically. At the same time, Jimmy Page is one of the best guitar players I’ve ever heard. To me, if you want to cut the story short, Led Zeppelin IS Jimmy Page.” And it’s not like that was simple lip service or anything.
The Stones were at least cordial enough with Page to have him feature on a few of their songs over the years. Not all of them may have been the biggest hits of their career or anything, but for a band that seemed as tribal as The Stones, Page could have considered himself an honourary member when working on tunes like ‘Scarlet’, even managing to keep Richards on his toes when performing.
So when looking at how Page, Richards, and Grohl approach their craft, just know that they aren’t simply looking to make a song if they have a spare riff lying around. All of them are concerned with the bigger picture of rock and roll, and they would always have a little piece of themselves in everything they wrote.
