The band that saved Jimmy Page: “I was shattered”
For musicians who have played for years, bands tend to feel like family after a while. Even though there might be some creative friction whenever you head into the studio, there’s usually that internal chemistry that keeps people engaged every time they get onstage and makes every single headache worth it. Jimmy Page would have gladly played in Led Zeppelin for the rest of his life, but he admitted that The Firm helped drag him out of his post-rock god depression.
Then again, Page is likely going to be a guitar icon until the day he dies. He has already been labelled as one of the finest guitarists of his generation, but the fact that he could still influence players like Jack White and even contribute to live gigs by The Black Crowes has kept his name alive in the greater public.
This is strange, considering some of the biggest hits he ever had with Zeppelin dried up before the 1980s truly started. Before MTV hit the airwaves, John Bonham had already passed away after drinking the night away in Page’s house, and the thought of having to replace someone that animalistic didn’t make sense to anyone.
While Robert Plant saw the loss as an opportunity to spread his wings as a solo artist, Page began to fall apart. For the most part, Zeppelin was his band, and there was no point in starting a solo project since it would just sound like what his old group had already done. What he needed was someone to match him, and Paul Rogers was just the person to do it.
Since Bad Company was also on the rocks around this time, Rogers and Page joined together to form The Firm. The foundation was still based around bluesy hard rock, but a song like ‘Radioactive’ saw them working their way into the next generation as the wise older brothers of the new school of hard rock.
Looking back, Page said that he owed much more to The Firm than just a creative outlet. Page thought that Rogers helped save his life when talking about his contribution to the group, saying, “I was shattered at the time.” Now that he didn’t have to be tied to his old group, Page said that he and Roger could “get out and play and really enjoy ourselves.”
Page might not just be talking about his creative life, either. In the latter half of Zeppelin’s career, there had been rumours that the guitarist also wasn’t taking care of himself, with some outlets claiming that he was strung out on heroin and had slimmed down to a shell of his former self.
Although The Firm only lasted a few more years, the collaboration at least gave Page a new outlet. There were bound to be more records to follow, but his role was always best behind the fretboard, usually letting someone like David Coverdale or Robert Plant take the lead on most of the tunes.
Regardless of who was in front of him onstage, The Firm should be remembered as a turning point for Page’s style. Yes, he was already a legend when working in Led Zeppelin, but if Rogers hadn’t helped dig him out of the depression of his band breaking up, Page might not have been able to reach the icon status he has today.
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