The Secret Reason Jimmy Page’s Guitar on the First 5 Led Zeppelin Albums Is so Impressive
The music Jimmy Page made with Led Zeppelin remains a massive part of his legacy. He wrote memorable riffs throughout the band’s career. Some took fans out of their comfort zone. “Living Loving Maid” has a strong riff that Page hates. Page’s guitar playing on the early Led Zeppelin albums ushered in the era of heavy rock ‘n’ roll, and his work is even more impressive when you learn how he made it happen.
Jimmy Page’s guitar playing always had an experimental edge to it
Page displayed his fondness for musical experimentation from an early age. He used to tune his guitar in a strange way long before he formed Led Zeppelin.
Page experimented with unique sounds early in the 1960s. The guitarist practiced manipulating guitar tones and overdubbing guitar parts before it became common practice. Page bowed his guitar playing on a film soundtrack by one of The Rolling Stones before he popularized the practice in Led Zeppelin.
Still, Led Zeppelin was Page’s showcase, and his guitar playing on the band’s first five albums is even more impressive when you learn how he made it all happen.
Page’s guitar playing on Led Zeppelin’s first five albums is impressive when you learn what equipment he used
Manipulating guitar sounds while recording (with various effects pedals) or after the fact (with filters from editing software) is relatively easy, thanks to digital technology.
The riff-writing was already off the charts awesome, but Page’s guitar playing on the first five Led Zeppelin albums is impressive for another reason. He created all the amazing guitar tones with a small batch of equipment George Case writes in Led Zeppelin FAQ:
“All I had to really work with was an overdrive pedal, a wah-wah, an Echoplex, and what was on my guitar. It wasn’t a lot, and I had to create the entire range of sounds found on the first five Zeppelin albums.”
Jimmy Page describes how he got his guitar sound on Led Zeppelin’s early albums
The backward echo on “Whole Lotta Love,” the ringing chords at the beginning of “Celebration Day,” the sharp howl all over “Dazed and Confused,” and the fat tone on “You Shook Me” are all instantly recognizable. Page’s creative guitar playing and sound on those songs needed just a few pieces of equipment to come together.
A wah-wah pedal is virtually standard equipment for any guitar player, so it’s no surprise Page employed one to achieve his guitar sound. Likewise, an overdrive pedal (which thickens and distorts the tone) isn’t out of the ordinary. The Echoplex, a state-of-the-art echo delay unit in the 1960s that would look like a primitive piece of equipment today, and the guitar’s pickup switch was all Page needed to create the guitar sounds on Led Zeppelin’s first five albums.
Many modern guitarists employ suitcases full of effects pedals. Some of Led Zeppelin’s most memorable riffs came from Page getting inventive with his equipment to create unforgettable guitar tones.
Other times Led Zeppelin’s guitarist got creative with his sound
Page’s guitar work on Led Zeppelin’s first five albums was impressive when you consider he achieved many sounds with just a few pieces of equipment. He found ways to get creative with his sound throughout Zep’s career.
“Black Dog,” the first song on Led Zeppelin IV, starts with a few seconds of scratchy guitar sounds. That was Page making his heavy guitar sound by plugging his guitar directly into the recording console and triple-tracking his guitar.
Page showcased his skills on the hidden gem “Ten Years Gone” from Physical Graffiti. He demoed the song at home before bringing it to his Led Zeppelin bandmates. Even in its early phase, the song included multiple guitars with varied tones layered on top of each other. It was an understated nod to Page’s guitar-playing skills and the Led Zeppelin song he called his baby.
Jimmy Page’s guitar playing always impressed. The fact that he created so many memorable sounds on the first five Led Zeppelin albums with just a few pieces of equipment makes his achievements even more impressive.
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