Which songs by The Rolling Stones feature Jimmy Page?
There’s plenty to thank Cream for, beyond the obvious hits like ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ and ‘White Room’ or the unforgettable legacy of Ginger Baker captured in Beware of Mr Baker. Their influence runs much deeper than their music. Cream proved there was a market for the best session musicians of the era to come together and make music on their own terms. It wasn’t just their art that made them so significant—it was the example they set. They directly inspired four of the most respected session musicians of the late 1960s—John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and Jimmy Page—to think, “Y’know what, we can do that too!”
And it turns out they could. There aren’t many music moments I’d like to be a fly on the wall for more than that the first jam session of a nascent Led Zeppelin. Hearing them tear through ‘Train Kept A-Rolling’ and then burst out laughing at their sheer chemistry and power is one of the great (and few) humanising moments of this most titanic of bands. It wasn’t exactly a fantastic discovery, though; the whole group’s reputation preceded them in a major way.
If one keeps their ear to the ground, though, they can hear the work of the group all over some of the biggest hits of the 1960s. Bonham and Plant were the greenest of the group, their work taking place on the grassroots gigging circuit until they spent a year and a half working together as part of the Band of Joy. They were still immensely respected in their field, and although Jones and Page had the credits, bagging Plant and Bonham for their group was seen as a major coup for them.
But what credits, though? Jones had worked not just as a bass player but also as a musical director for everyone from Jeff Beck and Cat Stevens to Lulu and especially Dusty Springfield, who was instrumental in his being a part of Zep in the first place. One of his most high-profile clients was Donovan, with whom he collaborated on hits like ‘Mellow Yellow’, ‘Sunshine Superman’, and the deathless ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’.
That last song has a bizarre little story to it because Jones is basically the only musician it’s confirmed worked on it. Every other credit is disputed, including a persistent little myth that on drums and guitar were Bonham and Page. Given Page’s work rate in the ’60s though, you can’t rule out an appearance by him on any record released prior to Led Zeppelin’s formation.
The solo on The Who’s ‘I Can’t Explain’? Yeah, that’s Page. Joe Cocker’s ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’? Page is all over that. Petula Clark’s ‘Downtown’? Them’s ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’? Actual ‘Goldfinger’?! All Jimmy Page joints. So it’s not out of the question that Page and Jones’ paths crossed on a number of occasions, but the band we do know Page and Jones worked together with was The Rolling Stones.
So, which Rolling Stones songs feature Jimmy Page?
‘She’s A Rainbow’, the one decent song off Their Satanic Majesties Request, features a string section arranged by Jones. Page himself, though, had such a close relationship with the Stones that there’s a persistent rumour that he was asked to replace Brian Jones when it became clear his struggle with addiction wasn’t one he’d overcome quickly. His relationship with Mick and Keef would persist long past their ’70s pomp, with The Stones eventually releasing two songs as official collaborations with Page.
The first recorded was ‘Scarlet’, recorded in 1974 for Goats Head Soup but shelved until its remastered reissue in 2020 since, according to Jagger it “wasn’t really a Rolling Stones song.” Which is bold given how much the track rips. It’s slightly more melodic than their fare was at the time but the idea that this swaggering joy couldn’t have a place on the record and, say ‘Can You Hear The Music’ could is a little absurd.
It’s definitely an improvement on their second collaboration. ‘One Hit (To The Body)’ was the second single to 1986’s tired Dirty Work and is absolutely adequate Stones by numbers that Page does his absolute damnedest to elevate with one of his trademark noodles. It’s not the waste of time and effort that most ’80s Stones are, but that’s a low bar to clear for a collaboration between two of the most legendary figures in the history of rock music.
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