Don’t You Dare Call Jimmy Page’s Guitar Playing Sloppy in Front of Rich Robinson
Jimmy Page won over millions of fans with his guitar playing in Led Zeppelin. The incredible riffs, great guitar solos, and stylistic diversity helped the band’s music stand the test of time. A knock on Page was that his playing was too sloppy to be considered great. For anyone making that claim, The Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson has some choice words.
Was Jimmy Page a sloppy guitar player? Rich Robinson says ‘f*** that,’ and he would know
It seems like an absurd classic rock take, but some music fans believe Page’s playing in Led Zeppelin was too sloppy to be considered great. They seem to ignore the passion and emotion behind the playing and judge him only on technical skill.
Rich Robinson, the guitar player for The Black Crowes, isn’t having it.
While discussing the guitarists who influenced him with Guitar World, Robinson called anyone and everyone who called Page a sloppy guitar player.
“Anyone who calls him sloppy or whatever, f*** that. He’s a god of guitar, which should be obvious … He’s just one of those guys who can take apart those songs and inject this tone and feeling that you can’t duplicate, no matter how hard you try. Having listened to and loved his music my whole life and then having played with him, I have absolute respect and reverence for Jimmy. When I look back on the entire thing, taking the stage with him was nothing short of a gift for me.”
rich robinson v
Page joined The Black Crowes on several 1999 tour dates. The band showcased tunes from a two-night stand on the 2000 album Live at the Greek. Page also joined the group on part of a 2000 summer tour. However, things didn’t end well between Page and the Crowes. The Led Zeppelin founder walked away from the tour when Robinson declined Page’s invitation to work on new music together, Rolling Stone reported.
Page’s time with The Black Crowes was brief. Still, that short time playing together, coupled with Zep’s lasting legacy, told Robinson all he needed to know about Page’s talents and his misbegotten sloppy reputation.
“His compositional approach, acoustic playing, and rhythm playing were all on a plane he only existed in,” Robinson told Guitar World. “And his solos are so tasteful and filled with these moments where he ebbs back and forth with these beautiful melodies. What can I say? He’s f***ing unbelievable. Jimmy is straight-up amazing.”
Page’s guitar playing is impossible to mimic because of his unique style, according to another star guitar player
Robinson didn’t have time for anyone calling Page sloppy. Joe Bonamassa, another famous guitarist, felt the same way.
The three-time Grammy nominee said Page’s playing wasn’t accidentally loose. His style of “wacky slurs” and dual notes played simultaneously wasn’t sloppy. It was a distinctive style that was impossible to copy. Page’s playing wasn’t messy — it was purposely off-kilter in the moments it needed to be.
For his part, Page never strived for technical perfection. His typical approach to recording those fantastic solos was to get loose, try two or three variations, and put the best one on the albums. Page had no interest in note-perfect playing. If he made mistakes on Led Zeppelin records, so be it. He preferred that to toiling in the studio. Plus, a wrong note here or there, especially in concert, could open the door for a fruitful side jam to the main song.
Playing guitar with honesty and emotion was always more important than mechanical precision for Page. If people called his playing messy because of it, so be it. He helped Led Zeppelin achieve fantastic success and became a guitar legend despite a few missed notes here and there. Just know that Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson might have a few choice words for you if you call Page sloppy in a derogatory way.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
