Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant’s ‘No Quarter’ Was the Ultimate Slap in the Face to John Paul Jones
Led Zeppelin quickly gained a following when they formed. Singer Robert Plant realized the band might really mean something to their fans when they played to an enthusiastic crowd before their first album dropped. Bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones was essential to Led Zeppelin’s sound but maybe not essential enough in the eyes of his bandmates. When Plant and Jimmy Page reunited for 1994’s No Quarter without inviting Jones, it was the ultimate slap in the face.
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page reunited for ‘No Quarter,’ the closest we got to new Led Zeppelin music
Led Zeppelin became the biggest band on earth not long after forming, partly because American audiences immediately embraced them. But worldwide success came to a sudden end with John Bonham’s tragic death in 1980.
Rumors and hopes of a reunion never really came to fruition. Page, Plant, and Jones reformed to play Live Aid in 1985; everything about the reunion was horrendous.
The trio brought in Jason Bonham, John’s son, for another attempt in 1988. Their short set at Atlantic Records’ 40th-anniversary party wasn’t much better. The same quartet tried again in 2007 and succeeded. They nailed their signature song, “Kashmir,” and several other hits.
Between the failed 1988 show and the triumphant return in 2007, Page and Plant hooked up to make an acoustic album of Led Zeppelin songs plus some new tunes. They wrote most Zep songs during the band’s career. Their collaboration was the closest the world got to hearing new Led Zeppelin songs at a reunion. The fact they didn’t even bother to call Jones was insulting to the talented multi-instrumentalist.
Not including John Paul Jones on the ‘No Quarter’ project was disrespectful
Page played blistering lead guitar and produced the records. Plant grabbed the spotlight as the frontman, and Bonham’s drumming was impossible to ignore. Yet his prodigious musical talent on several instruments (bass, mandolin, keyboard, guitar) and strength as an arranger made Jones the key to Led Zeppelin.
Plant and Page froze out their former bandmate on No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded, disrespecting Jones in the process.
First, the singer and guitarist didn’t even bother to call him and let him know they planned to work together. Plant and Page aimed to avoid the pressure of anything resembling Led Zeppelin reunion, according to Louder.
Fair enough. But no phone call just to explain that stance? And then to flippantly tell the media that Jones was out parking the car, as Plant did? It comes across as an ignorant and callous way to approach the project.
Neither Page nor Plant bothered to pick up the phone to tell Jones about their reunion. Then they named their new album after Jones’ signature Led Zeppelin song. And then they performed it without him. That’s the ultimate slap in the face to Jones.
No phone call. Naming the album after his song and performing it without him. Page and Plant added another insult to Jones by performing “Kashmir” on No Quarter. It was a band-written song, but Jones arranged the string section and played those parts when the band performed it live … except on Page and Plant’s No Quarter tour.
Jones seemed to forgive his former bandmates
Page and Plant teaming up on No Quarter was an affront to Jones for several reasons. It could have splintered the bassist from his bandmates for good. Luckily, that wasn’t the case.
Jones joined Page, Plant, and Jason Bonham for the 2007 reunion show. The bassist buried any ill will and got back together with his band. They even performed “Ramble On,” complete with Jones’ bouncing bass line, for the first time ever. He was there when President Barack Obama honored Led Zeppelin’s artistic achievements in 2012.
Jones even teamed up with Page (sans Plant) to perform with Foo Fighters when they played Wembley Stadium in London in 2008.
By not telling him about it and then naming it after his signature song, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant’s No Quarter was an insult to John Paul Jones. The talented bassist buried the hatchet and joined his bandmates for a true Led Zeppelin reunion more than a decade later.
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