Jimmy Page–The Early Years & The Yardbirds–Saturday Nite Nostalgia

Jimmy Page is considered to be one of the  most influential guitarists of all time. He’s right up there with greats like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.

He is best known for his work as lead guitarist for Led Zeppelin, and The Yardbirds in the 60s where both Clapton and Beck played as well.

His earlier influences were more of the rockabilly types like Scotty Moore and James Burton. We see this rockabilly influence below in a rare video of a very young Page (age 14, approx)  in 1957, being interviewed and playing a few songs on the BBC’s Huw Wheldon Show. I’m not sure whether the band was called Skiffle Band or the Talismen; depends what you read.

Here is another video of them performing “Cast  my Spell on You”

Page had refused an invitation to replace Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds in 1965, but recommended his friend and guitar great, Jeff Beck to join. He would eventually be invited yet again (he accepted this time) in 1966, to join The Yardbirds to ostensibly replace the base player, but eventually moved to play twin lead guitars with Beck. Below is probably one of their more upbeat songs; yeah, I know, I rarely do upbeat here, but I always felt it was a cool party song with rhythm and uncomplicated lyrics.

Eventually,  lead singer, Keith Relf & Jim McCarty would leave  The Yardbirds in 1968. Jimmy Page would go on with The New Yardbirds who would become Led Zeppelin. I will feature Led Zeppelin at a later time.

The next video is the Yardbirds with Page after the departure of Jeff Beck. More on the biography of Jimmy Page here.

Some Jimmy Page quotes (after joining  Led Zeppelin):

I don’t think the critics could understand what we were doing.

I may not believe in myself, but I believe in what I’m doing.

I think it was that we were really seasoned musicians. We had serious roots that spanned different cultures, obviously the blues.

I’m just looking for an angel with a broken wing.

“My vocation is more in composition really than anything else – building up harmonies using the guitar, orchestrating the guitar like an army, a guitar army.”

“Nowadays, we’re more into staying in our rooms and reading Nietzsche.”

Happy Saturday Nite!