While editing the early
chapters of a forthcoming biography of Jimmy Page this week, three of which are devoted
to his work as a session player between 1963 and 1966, my attention was drawn
to the guitar playing on ‘My Baby Left Me’ by Dave Berry and ‘Leave My Kitten
Alone’ by First Gear, just two examples of the casual brilliance Jimmy brought
to records that weren’t even hits. Guitar playing like this certainly hadn’t
appeared on records by The Beatles or Rolling Stones up to this point.
Of ‘My Baby Left Me’, author Martin Power writes:
“Alongside the likes of drummer Bobby Graham, bassist Alan Niven and, on
occasion, legendary big band trombonist Don Lusher, Jimmy Page and Big Jim
Sullivan helped form the crack team that Dave Berry had dreamed of. By the
autumn of 1963, some of them had also cut Berry’s own favourite of all his
studio recordings, a sterling cover of Elvis’ ‘My Baby Left Me’. ‘Yep, that’s
the one I’d like to be known for,’ he said ‘Nothing like the Arthur Crudup
original, nothing like Elvis, just our own version of the song. Jimmy Page on
lead guitar, Alan Niven on slap bass – there were actually two basses on that,
you know. But yes, a good song. I’m happy with that and really glad Jimmy was
on it.’ Page was actually all over it. Providing a master class in snappy riffs
and clattering chords throughout the verse and chorus before letting fly with a
quite superb solo, Jimmy took Berry’s already spirited reading of ‘My Baby Left
Me’ to another level. ‘I remember the
great solo that Jimmy did on that session,’ Sullivan later recalled. ‘It’s one
of the best constructed rock solos on record.’”
Here’s a link to listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqL71rZjb2s
Of ‘Leave My Kitten
Alone’, Martin writes: “Page’s
performance on First Gear’s ‘Leave My Kitten Alone’ must surely rank as one of
the finer guitar solos of the sixties. Signed to Pye records and
managed/produced by Shel Talmy, First Gear were at the time tipped for big
things, their North eastern cocktail of Elvis-style rock’n’roll and
Mersey-approved beat pop as gritty, energetic and potentially promising as Van
Morrison’s Them. With Talmy at the helm, the band entered the studio in the
autumn of 1964 to record a single version of Ernie K-Doe’s ‘A Certain Girl’. In
itself no slouch, ‘A Certain Girl’ motored along nicely on the back of lead
singer Dave Walton’s behind-the-beat falsetto, some pleasing female backing
vocals and Jimmy’s countrified string bends.
“But it was when First Gear and Page ran through the
B-side, a cover of Little Willie John’s ‘Leave My Kitten Alone’ that Shel Talmy’s
interest was truly peaked. ‘Jimmy was
about 18, 19 at the time, with bushy black hair, and very quiet,’ Dave Wilton
recalled to the BBC. ‘But then he did this off the cuff, lightning guitar break
on ‘Leave My Kitten…’. Well, Shel came racing down from the control room and
said, ‘What did just you do to get that!’ So, he (told) Jimmy he was going to
take it again. First take, Jimmy played it note-for-note perfectly.’ The
resultant solo really was a thing of beauty. All twists, turns and racing speed
pick work, Page’s contribution to ‘… Alone’ distilled all he had learnt from
James Burton, Scotty Moore and Buddy Guy into just 23 seconds. Yet, there was
also something else that was utterly distinctive and unique. At the start of
his solo intrusion, Page’s guitar actually sounded like it was riding a wave of
electricity. No distinct notes per se, more a wash of undulating sound. Quite
unlike anything else Jimmy (or anybody else) had recorded up to that point, it
was the first real pointer of where Page’s muse would take him in later years.”
Is this an "authorized" biography?
ReplyDeleteNo!
DeleteAnd one more question (well, okay, two):
ReplyDelete1) Since Mr. Power lives in London, I'm wondering if he got any of his info through personal interviews with Mr. Page?
2) Will this book be available to pre-order and if so, would that info be posted here or if not, where?
Thanks!
No personal interviews with JP but plenty with people who've worked with him. (Martin wrote a huge bio on Jeff Beck two years ago.... this will be similar.) Available for pre-order on Amazon in the New Year all being well.
ReplyDelete