Back in February, Jimmy Page came out of hiding, emerging at the . Fanfare ensued, as did news of . Mind you, this was Page had popped up with a Les Paul the previous November to .
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 of Led Zeppelin, aka the stuff that gets overlooked because radio stations and Apple Music playlists are too busy obsessing over and . 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, 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 .
Are any of these your favorites, too? Like much of 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 , 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. Page seemed to lean heavily on his well-worn .