Back in February, Jimmy Page came out of hiding, emerging at the grand opening of London’s Gibson Garage alongside Brian May and Tony Iommi. Fanfare ensued, as did news of Gibson’s launching of a faithful Collector’s Edition recreation of Page’s 1969 EDS-1275 double-neck.
Mind you, this was after Page had popped up with a Les Paul the previous November to perform a rendition of Rumble for Link Wray’s long-overdue Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
So he’s been busy of late – at least by 21st-century Page standards – and his re-emergence has got us thinking about some of his most soaring solos outside of Led Zeppelin, aka the stuff that gets overlooked because radio stations and Apple Music playlists are too busy obsessing over Stairway to Heaven and The Ocean.
But don’t get it twisted; those songs are terrific, as is a ton of Page’s output post- (and pre-) Led Zeppelin, including Page & Plant, Coverdale/Page and the Firm. And so, Guitar World is taking a journey back through Page’s days with the likes of the Yardbirds, Roy Harper and more to pick out 10 of his greatest non-Led Zeppelin guitar solos. Are any of these your favorites, too?
10. Elizabeth – Roy Harper & Jimmy Page (Whatever Happened to Jugula?, 1985)
Like much of Whatever Happened to Jugula?, Elizabeth is filled with ’80s-tinged electro-acoustic folk goodness by way of Jimmy Page. Also present are the sweet-meets-quirky vocals that long defined Roy Harper before his teaming up with Page.
Overall, there are not a lot of what you’d call “typical” Page solos to be found on this record, except, perhaps, for Elizabeth, which finds the guitarist breaking free of the album’s mellow mood and delivering a slightly off-kilter solo that sounds a bit like modern art – or at least mid-’80s modern art.
It’s slow-burning, a bit twangy and carries just the right amount of rough-and-tumble, bluesy backbone.
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9. Liquid Mercury – Jimmy Page (Outrider, 1988)
Page seemed to lean heavily on his well-worn B-bender-equipped Tele in the ’80s, and his only true solo record, 1988’s Outrider – which happens to feature a Gibson Les Paul on the cover – is no exception.
The vaguely slapdash riffs, a Page staple, are present throughout this intricate instrumental track. (Speaking of its intricacies, we happen to know Page & Co. used a click track when recording this tune; he told us so in 1988.)
But what truly stands out is the tangy Tele ecstasy that Page drops on the listener about halfway through; after soloing to his heart’s content, Page enhances the riff with additional bits of snappiness until this nearly forgotten gem fades out.
8. Tear Down the Walls – The Firm (Mean Business, 1986)
If you’re into Page, you’ve probably dug on the Firm by now. But suppose you dropped off after Zeppelin or aren’t into ’80s supergroups? In that case, Page’s outstanding two-year experiment with Paul Rodgers (vocals), Chris Slade (drums) and Tony Franklin (bass) is probably more of a case of “If you know, you know.”
And so, if you don’t know, a good starting point would be Tear Down the Walls, which finds Page, Tele in hand, delivering a sing-songy solo that harkens back to his ’60s attack instead of his much heavier ’70s exploits.
7. One Hit (to the Body) – The Rolling Stones (Dirty Work, 1986)
Interestingly, One Hit (to the Body) was the first Rolling Stones single featuring a Ronnie Wood co-writing credit with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards – not that it mattered, as Page was called in to provide some oomph.
And provide some oomph he did, as he delivered choice Tele licks throughout, before breaking into a quick mid-song (and very off-the-cuff-sounding) B-bender solo. And if you just can’t get enough of “Rolling Zeppelin” (Stones + Page), be sure to check out the onion-like Scarlet from Goats Head Soup 2020.
6. Take Me for a Little While – Coverdale/Page (Coverdale/Page, 1993)
Most Page historians would say Page’s work on 1993’s Zeppelin/Whitesnake-sounding record, Coverdale/Page, was his most inspired since Zeppelin. And yeah, there’s merit to that, especially when you look at a track like Take Me for a Little While.
Not surprisingly, David Coverdale’s vocals set the tone, with Page mellowing out and underscoring things. At the same time, the listener is lulled into a false sense of security.
It’s a trick Page did well alongside Robert Plant throughout the ’70s, and it works here, too. It works so well that when Page arrives in the frame, with what’s undoubtedly a Les Paul plugged into a Marshall, the solo hits you like a splash of molten lava to the face, burning in the best possible way.
5. Prison Blues – Jimmy Page (Outrider, 1988)
If you’ve been along for Page’s wild ride dating back to the late ’60s, then Prison Blues, the penultimate track from 1988’s Outrider, will have you feeling right at home.
To that end, coupled with Chris Farlowe on vocals, Page treads no new ground here, nor does he have his Tele in hand, as he did for most of the ’80s.
Instead, Page grabs his Les Paul, delivers tried-and-true blues riffs and lets loose
for an extended solo that would easily fit on any early to mid-’70s Zeppelin album.
4. Blue Train – Page & Plant (Walking into Clarksdale, 1998)
After spending years watching Plant run as fast as he could from Zeppelin’s legacy, the duo regrouped in the mid-’90s for Unledded and a subsequent tour. It went so well that Page and Plant moved to make a full-length record, 1998’s Walking into Clarksdale.
With mostly his Les Paul in hand, Page syncs up with Plant for one of the album’s best offerings, Blue Train, a shadowy cut with brooding chords, subtle riffs and what is perhaps Page’s last great guitar solo – mostly because he’s done so little since.
And if you happen to be revisiting Walking into Clarksdale, be sure to check out Please Read the Letter – not so much for Page’s guitar heroics, but simply to compare it to the better-known 2007 version by Plant and Alison Krauss. Let us know if you have a preference!
3. Live in Peace – The Firm (Mean Business, 1986)
As previously established, the Firm is underrated. And even if some of the production is kinda dated, the Firm’s underrated nature is through no fault of the musicianship or songsmithery.
Want proof? Check out Live in Peace, an at-times synthy but mostly quasi-power-ballad-sounding track where Page once again grabs his Tele and unleashes one of his more clear-headed solos of the ’80s. There aren’t too many post-Zeppelin solos where Page truly made his guitar cry out, but during Live in Peace, he did exactly that.
2. Don’t Leave Me This Way – Coverdale/Page (Coverdale/Page, 1993)
If Zeppelin’s Since I’ve Been Loving You is among your favorites, we’re willing to bet that Don’t Leave Me This Way, another monster cut from Coverdale/Page, will be too.
It kicks off with some devilishly subtle foreplay before the power chords and quintessential Page riffs kick in, all while Page inserts flourishes of tone-perfect leads before breaking into a solo that might just be his best of the ’90s.
It’s a perfect example of why, despite his forays into other genres, Page was – and is – at his best when playing beefy and slightly off-the-hook blues rock.
1. Smile on Me – The Yardbirds (Little Games, 1967)
For what amounted to Page’s fiercest solo outside of Led Zeppelin, we’ve come down to the guitar-forward yet insanely catchy Smile on Me.
For the uninitiated, Smile on Me is track two off 1967’s Little Games, Page’s first Yardbirds recording without Jeff Beck in the lineup, his only full album with the band and his last studio album (as an artist), period, before the dawn of Led Zeppelin.
As for the solo, it’s a speaker-tearing tour-de-force by way of the trusty Tele that Jeff Beck had gifted Page. Moreover, it’s a perfect example of where Page’s head was before Zeppelin – and extremely informative in understanding where he was headed. If you’re looking for one Page solo to dig on outside of Zeppelin, Smile on Me is it.
