THE JIMMY PAGE INTERVIEW PART I

A green pyramid of laser light forms around the figure in white. A violin bow is held aloft and then swishes wand-like across the guitar, its strings howling in protest. It is the moment rock fans around the world have been awaiting. An emotional, historic moment, that marks the return to the rock battlefields of one of its most heroic figures...Jimmy Page.

All the years of crisis, rumor and anticipation roll away, and Jimmy, master guitarist and rock ’n’ roll legend is back where he belongs, playing for the people! He is back with a great new band, the Firm, and teamed with a singer worthy of the same respect, Paul Rodgers.

The launch of the Firm with concerts in Europe marked the end of months of speculation, and the boys will be going around the world, hopefully in the summer. The Firm swiftly proved itself a vital force as it barnstormed around Stockholm, Frankfurt and London. Says Jimmy: “The main aim is to play some rock ’n’ roll and have some fun.” And he achieved that with a mix of fine new songs and the sort of showmanship many thought they would never see again from the man who launched Led Zeppelin on the world.

It’s been difficult for Jimmy in the years that followed the sad end of the old group. “How do you follow that?” is the obvious question—and Jimmy admits it was a long time before he could even contemplate finding an answer. But the cheers of the crowds and easy acceptance of the new band brought Jimmy a delight and renewed confidence that cynics could not dent. I saw the Firm in action on their fourth gig, and Frankfurt, which was an exclusive preview.

Jimmy told me how he formed the Firm, talked about the making of their album, and about his crisis in confidence until fans helped him back to playing in public. He paid tribute to folk singer Roy Harper and the work they had done together. Jimmy, who appeared so uncertain on the ARMS charity concerts, is now positive, together and playing a storm.

I arrived in Frankfurt under grey, cloudy skies on a cold Monday morning. Something about the mission and its potential pitfalls had put me on edge. What would the Firm be like? Would it be a rambling jam band or something, literally, to write home about? And would Jimmy be willing to talk about the project after so many years of silence?

Phil Carson of Atlantic Records in London has been looking after the Firm. An old friend of Jimmy’s from Zeppelin days, he once played bass with Zep at a concert in Japan, and was booed offstage! Phil told me that the Firm had been socking it to the Euros. “Obviously we didn’t want to play up in the promotion that it was ex-Led Zeppelin and ex-Bad Company, and of course a lot of the kids didn’t know who was in the Firm. Then the word spread. Ticket sales were slow at first, but the walk-up at Copenhagen was three times the pre-sales. The shows have been great and they are a really exciting band.”

Later it was said that some promoters doubted the drawing power of the band and wanted to switch shows to smaller venues, which would have been a great blow to morale. But the Firm held firm and the fans turned up on the night in thousands. Astonishingly—and much to the band’s delight—there was no insistent shouting for old numbers. Instead they listened and accepted the new material as it came up.

That night’s show was at the Kongress Halle. Jimmy was in a white satin suit, but he soon took off the jacket to get down to work. Gone was the tentative Page who emerged earlier this year in charity shows and sit-in sessions with friends. He plays with all his old zest and command, as the band opened up with “Closer,” a cut off the new album, followed by “City Sirens”—a tune from the Death Wish II soundtrack Jimmy wrote in 1982. The Firm’s material was divided between songs from The Firm album, some of Paul’s recent solo LP, and a couple of unexpected standards.

Paul’s voice caressed the lyrics with that honeyed, understated restraint that sounds so much more melodic than endless screaming. Paul’s role in the Firm serves to remind us just what a fine singer he is. Already Jimmy is blending his guitar with Paul in the way he used to with Robert Plant. Jimmy stuck a cigarette between his lips and stripped down to a white t-shirt. He rocked back on his heels as he stomped into riff sequences or constructed brief solos in that extraordinary, cliff-hanging way that often defies logic and always follows an unpredictable path, even on the most basic blues.

“Do you feel alright?” demanded Paul. The answering roar showed that the Firm were winning over audiences probably too young to have known Bad Co. or Led Zep in their touring days. Jimmy Page stamped both feet to count in the tempo to “Make Or Break” and “Together.” Tony played some keyboard while Jimmy picked out some simple notes that sent shivers down the spine, ankles and kneecaps. This was during “Prelude” from Death Wish, which moved into another new song, “Money Can’t Buy.”

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“Radioactive” came next, which will be their first single release. It was a fast, simple stomping tune, with Jimmy stoking up a powerful beat while Paul strummed his blue acoustic. The band caught fire— showing how they have fused together as a tight unit in a remarkably short time.

Next came Paul’s song, “Live In Peace,” on which he played a keyboard wheeled out on rollers and bathed in the first laser light of the night. A slow ballad, it gave Paul a chance to wring forth every drop of emotion. Jimmy soloed next on a piece called “Midnight Moonlight” with Chris’s sizzling gong heralding more impassioned vocals. It was a magic piece and one of the highspots.

To provide contrast, Paul next chose to sing the Righteous Brothers’ hit “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” with some doomy bass work from Tony underpinning Paul’s moody, almost sinister treatment of the lyric.

Onwards now the major work of the night—“The Chase,” first composed for Death Wish Hand now turned into a 20-minute vehicle for the band’s full instrumental power. The Firm had taken pains not to stand accused of being longwinded, one of the criticisms leveled at the great virtuosos of their generation. But on “The Chase” they cast restraint to the winds. Tony began proceedings with an amazing solo which showed the youngest member of the band doesn’t have much to learn. “A new star is born,” muttered someone in the balcony, as Tony started playing first a few desultory notes. This was a subtle way to establish credentials. Suddenly he let fly with myriad hammering notes and chunky, funky licks that brought roars from the crowd. They loved every minute, as Tony—his blond hair flying over the strings—created a crescendo of excitement. Jimmy patted him on the back. Now it was his turn, and it was obvious nobody in the band was going to lay back and give anybody else an easy ride.

This was Page getting down to business and exerting all his powers. Chris Slade played a blinding drum solo and Jimmy watched with approval. He had found a worthy successor to John Bonham. The instrumentals were very welcome, although Paul must have felt a bit out of things. “Hello there,” he said, bouncing back on stage after a long absence. He led into “Found Someone To Love” off The Firm—and when Jimmy’s guitar broke down for a few minutes, Tony covered on bass. The crowd cheered anyway. Above the roar Paul could be heard shouting, “We haven’t got any more tunes, what can we do?” The band disappeared to think about it, then returned for a slow blues, “Mama Boogie,”—with sizzling interplay between Paul and Jimmy. No, it wasn’t Led Zep, but it was a whole lotta fun and feeling. And it was just great to see them again.

/ don t want the fans seeing me playing empty hall!

“I’m so glad to be here tonight,” exclaimed Paul as the Firm grooved into the stomping old soul riff “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love,” the Solomon Burke hit from 1964, once covered by the Stones and every other group you could remember. It was a good humored way to end the show. Tony grinned at the front rows as they sang along. The band faded out on a chant of “You, you, you,” as they lined up, abandoning their instruments to point Jagger-style at the crowds. The Frankfurters danced and sang. I spotted a pair of legs waving in the air as one German kid danced on his head, with a little help from his friends. The Firm threw their arms around each other as the house lights went up. It was a gesture of togetherness that spoke volumes. The success of the band meant a lot to all of them for any number of reasons. And they could all feel...it was working!

A few days later the band played a concert in Middlesborough, Paul’s home town, then two nights at the Odeon Hammersmith in London.

The day after the gig I waited for Jimmy in the hotel bar. Suddenly he appeared, chatting to some fans. “You want to talk?” he said. “Right, let’s sit over here away from all the noise.” I wondered what mood he was in. After all, he hadn’t talked to the press for four years and he was supposed to be a recluse. Instead of being monosyllabic, he was charming, cheerful and anxious to talk. Occasionally, he betrayed signs of impatience—but he gradually thawed out as he sipped iced whiskey with a beer chaser. I congratulated him on his new band. “Well, they are all good musicians, aren’t they? If you’ve got them, you’ve got no problems,” he rejoined.

When did Jimmy start piecing his band together? “Well, I tried to get together with Paul earlier, but it was difficult because he was doing a solo LP. But when the ARMS charity shows came up in America, Paul came with us. Stevie Winwood—who sang in London—had pulled out. So we went to the States and had a very good tour, singing songs like ‘Bird On The Wing’ which we did on the album. At the end of the of the tour I asked if he fancied carrying on and doing something else, because I really love his singing. He’s such a brilliant singer. If I do a guitar solo I have to warm up and do three takes. He does it in one take. Note perfect. No problem! He’s an amazing man.”

Jimmy didn’t want to lose the momentum gained by doing the ARMS concerts. These had been arranged to raise money for research into Multiple Sclerosis, the wasting disease that has striken singer Ronnie Lane. The concerts brought together the cream of the 70s brigadeincluding Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy, the latter making his first public appearance since the demise of Zep.

“Swan Song wasn’t just a pipe dream. It could have been a reality.”

“I thought if I stop now, I’m just a bloody fool. I had to carry on—but the only vehicle I had was playing with Roy Harper, and also with Ian Stewart [Stu of the Stones]. Those were the only things I’d done. I really wanted to get a band together with Paul, and thought some fantastic things could happen. I played on some Alexis Korner cancer benefits with Ian, and there were the ARMS things, which I hope we’ll be doing again.” Jimmy agreed with Paul he would get the rhythm section together for the new band, and rehearsals began at London’s Nomis studio. Rumors spread, and it was thought the band would be called the Mac. Jimmy had been appearing with Roy under the pseudonym bf Jimmy McGregor. “There WERE a lot of rumors, but I didn’t want it to come out until it was really together,” explained Jimmy.

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“People would have said ‘Oh, Paul and Jimmy are getting a group together,’ but it wouldn’t have BEEN a group. There was nothing concrete. Paul came down and sang and he really liked Chris. Tony came in after that. It got together very quickly actually. We just wanted to have to go and play on stage.” One of the first numbers they played was a new ballad they wrote called “Bird On The Wing.” Said Jim: “That was a bit of a test. If anybody can handle that, they can play!”

Jimmy was on tenterhooks for three months while he waited for Slade to finish touring with Floyd man Dave Gilmour. “I kept playing with lots of people, just to keep myself going. Am I rambling? I’m trying to remember what happened! The main thing was, after ARMS I thought ‘I’m not going to stop playing now. I want a group.’ At the back of my mind, I wanted to engineer it so that Paul would want to come in. For a while I did a lot of jams. Everyone was invited. On drums I had Rat Scabies, who is absolutely brilliant, by the way. He handled everything beautifully, and he’s got a lot of heart, that man. I used to love the Damned— and I wanted a real rock ’n’ roll drummer. From Rat it went to Bill Bruford from King Crimson. One extreme to the other! Then Chris came back and was absolutely brilliant. So I said to him ‘What are you doing?’

“Tony was on the dole. He’d been playing on Roy’s album. Maybe that’s why he was on the dole! I called Roy and asked him if Tony would like to come and have a play with us. Then we said, ‘Right, Tony is the bass player.’ The amazing thing is, prior to this tour Tony has never played a solo onstage. Now he’s a star!”

How commited was Jimmy to the long term future of the Firm? “Well, it started out as oneoff project, but now we’ve seen how it has gone down, who knows? I’ve got an idea anyway,” he added mysteriously. “I’ve got so many projects. That Ronnie Lane thing did me the world of good. You can’t imagine. It gave me so much confidence. I realized people DID want to see me play again. So I thought, ‘Blow it, I’m not gonna let things slip now. I wanna get out there.” At the moment, it’s fun. The business aspect is a bloody bore, but yeah, it’s fun. That’s the main thing we want out of it.”

The sad end of Led Zeppelin following the death of John Bonham in 1980 is still a sensitive subject for Jimmy—and his signals warned not to probe too deep too soon. But in the aftermath, how did he feel?

“I just felt really insecure. Absolutely. I was terrified. I guess that’s why I played with Roy whenever I could, because I knew his stuff and I knew him well. After the split, I just didn’t know what to do. I lived in a total vacuum. I didn’t know what I was doing. In the end, I went to Bali and just thought about, things. And I wasn’t sitting on the beach because it was the rainy season! I sat in my room thinking. Then I thought, dammit, I’m going to do the Firm and see if it works. At my time of life I should just do what I enjoy.

“This will be the first of many projects, some of them are going to be pretty bizarre. But at least I can still rock ’n’ roll, even if everyone thinks the other things are a load of shit. I used the violin bow again with the Firm because it’s fun—and I know everyone in the audience enjoys it. They’re not thinking, ‘What’s that wally doing?’ It’s all right. A lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek thing. Showmanship? It’s great. I’ve always gone to concerts to be entertained. So lasers and the violin bow all help out.”

The concert I saw in Frankfurt presented a total contrast to the Page I saw with Harper at Cambridge Folk Festival, when they strummed gentle songs in the sunshine. “Yeah, this is rock ’n’ roll, isn’t it? I love rocking and having a dance. It’s just good fun, and that’s the way it should be viewed. The rock music I learned from was always exhilarating stuff. Whenever I feel miserable, I put on old rock records on my jukebox. You feel so much better. It makes the adrenalin rush. Roots music always has that effect on me. When I play a gig to an audience, it’s there only for the moment, a thrill lost in time...unless it’s bootlegged!

“I thought last night was a good gig, because it was only our fourth and every night has got better.

“All I remember was raw nerves and shaking arms and legs. But it got to the point where I could relax and actually remember what the set was supposed to be. I remember we finished the first number and the stage blacked out.

I shouted, ‘Paul, what’s the next number?’ The next night I actually remembered the set.”

Couldn’t Jimmy have taken a list with him?

“I couldn’t remember where mine was—ha ha! That’s how bad it was. The set is actually a mix of the new album, some of Death Wish II and Paul’s solo album, plus some things that didn’t go on our album. The LP is all ready and finished and ready to go. It was done in November, and should be out soon. We’re gonna put ‘Radioactive’ out as a single—which is new territory for me.”

Jimmy wants to make a video of the single and tour America and Japan. But releasing a single is a new departure. He wouldn’t touch them in Zeppelin days. Times have changed. “It’s all down to supply and demand,” said Jimmy. “I don’t know what will happen in America, if people will come and see us. I hope things go well, but the problem is...OK...the band is called the Firm. But no one knows who’s in it! So Paul and I have agreed to do a ‘live’ video of us doing ‘Radioactive.’ I know Zeppelin wouldn’t do a single, and now I am, and a video too. People will say ‘Well, there’s the hypocrite.’ It’s not that. The idea is to go out and have a play and show people who have had a lot of faith in me that I’m ready to work.

“Believe me, some of the fans touch your heart. Especially on the ARMS tour of America.

I realize then the fans wanted me back. And I don’t want them to see me playing in an empty hall! So I’ll do a video and everyone can see this band is having a go.”

“I don’t want to pretend to be an actor— because I’m not. I remember in The Song Remains The Same, when we did all our fantasy sequences. Nobody was allowed to be around the others while we did them, because they’d all take the piss. All you can do is be what you are.”

The Song Remains The Same is now available on video—and Jimmy is not pleased, because of certain deficiencies in the soundtrack. “In the violin bow piece, it’s supposed to repeat and come back. There’s no coming back! I screamed about that, because on the original soundtrack it was done on four tracks for cinema speakers. I insisted they went back to the original negative if they were going to put out a video. Actually we are in a bit of a hole over that, because Swan Song [Zep’s record label] went bust, and the film was one of its assets. I haven’t got the time to sort it out, because I am involved with this.”

So Swan Song is no more?

“No. It’s a shame. The idea behind it was good. Peter Grant was not as much a part of the vitality of it as one would have hoped. Because of that, and he was the one delegated to make major committments and decisions about getting artists in, he wasn’t following things through and it was a shame. At one point it had the momentum to do a lot, and it didn’t. I know Robert feels bad about it, and I feel bad about it, because it wasn’t just a pipe dream. It could have been a reality.”

Robert has his own label now and Jimmy did some work on Plant’s Honeydrippers album. “Yeah, I overdubbed guitar solos on a couple of tracks. Then I heard Beck’s solo on ‘Rockin’ At Midnight’ and thought bloody hell, that’s good. It’s beautiful, his solo. I was happy with my ‘Sea Of Love’ solo, but I didn’t get the other one together. I felt it was a bit labored. I can’t remember the title.”

(Next issue, Page recounts his experiences in the ARMS show, his opinion of Robert Plant’s solo career and “Stairway To Heaven, ” his opinion of the post-punk 1980s and the Firm’s touring plans. Be there!—Ed.)