It’s fair to say that Jimmy Page didn’t get into Led Zeppelin by pure chance, and nor did any of his bandmates.
He and the rest of the legendary rock group earned their right to become an inseparable foursome, all of whom had immense musical chemistry with one another, and proved it over the course of eight stunning studio albums. There was plenty of talent on show from their guitarist from the early days of his career, and that’s what got him the job in the first place.
Obviously, nobody knew just how massive they’d become when they first started out as a group, but early indications suggested that they’d be pretty special if they could keep up the consistency of songs like ‘Communication Breakdown’ and ‘Dazed and Confused’ that they released on their self-titled debut album. Of course, everyone in the band played their part, but the electrifying nature of Page’s lead guitar playing was one of the elements that really set them apart from their contemporaries.
The thing is, if you’ve got that much raw talent to show off, surely things are going to be alright in the long run. Anyone who had been keeping tabs on Page’s previous exploits probably knew that he had plenty to offer to any other group in the future, and once he’d departed from the Yardbirds, those who had followed his every move were acutely aware that his next venture would likely be just as impressive, if not more so.
But it wasn’t just the Yardbirds that Page had been a part of prior to working with Led Zeppelin, and he’d offered his services as a session guitarist to plenty of other groups throughout the 1960s, and also had a few brief stints as a permanent fixture in other bands. He’d played in the studio alongside the likes of PJ Proby, and had also featured on Them’s recording of ‘Gloria’ as a backup guitarist, as well as alongside plenty of other illustrious names.
That said, he wasn’t exactly proud of all of this early work, and nor did he feel as though any of it really helped him figure out his musical direction or showed off his skills as a player. In fact, there are only a couple of things he played on prior to Led Zeppelin that he’s truly proud of, and will happily discuss with others. In an interview with Nick Kent for Creem Magazine in 1974, he reflected upon this early period, and was decidedly dismissive of what he’d done in the early 1960s.
“These days, nobody even knows about those old things anymore, and a lot of that really ancient stuff, I’m sure nobody gives a toss about anyway,” Page exclaimed, disowning his older work. “The Kinks‘ tracks and things like that are a bit more interesting, credibility-wise or whatever. Or the Who’s first single, ‘Can’t Explain,’ that I played rhythm guitar on actually I wasn’t really needed, but I was fortunate enough to find myself there. Just strengthening up riffs, that’s all just two guitars doing it instead of one.”
While he acknowledged that his presence in the studio with the Kinks was primarily to allow Ray Davies to have additional freedom and control over the recording sessions alongside Shel Talmy, he said that at times there were “three guitars playing the same riff”, which ultimately rendered his contributions redundant. Considering how much he’d achieved in his new outfit by 1974, you can see why he’s no longer quite as satisfied with what he did in his early years playing a tertiary role on guitar, because Led Zeppelin had given him the space to truly shine.