On The Cover of the Rolling Stone

The current edition of Rolling Stone Magazine features an article on the 100 greatest guitar players of all time. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page comes in at #3, behind top guitarist Jimi Hendrix and #2 Eric Clapton, and ahead of Keith Richards and Jeff Beck, who came in at #4 & 5 respectively.

The issue hit the new stands this week with four covers, one depicting each of the top four guitar players.

The Jimmy Page picture has a shot of him in full guitar slinger action, holding his Les Paul out to his left. His dress indicates it was a post-Zeppelin shot, possibly from the Outrider tour.

Inside, there is a short article on each guitar player. Joe Perry wrote the 190 word piece on Jimmy Page, stating:

Listening to what Jimmy Page does on guitar can transport you. As a lead player, he always plays the right thing for the right spot – he's got such remarkable taste...

He had this vision of how to transcend the stereotypes of what the guitar can do.

Will he buy five copies to send to his mother?

Page has appeared on the cover of the legendary magazine at least six times previously, so I doubt he'll be buying five copies to send to anybody.

But Will They Do a Rap Version of Achilles Last Stand?

Back in August 1968, the Jeff Beck Band released their first album, Truth. Featuring Beck’s guitar playing, including a traditional solo arrangement of Greensleeves, and Willie Dixon’s You Shook Me, the three piece band plus big voiced, wild blond-haired singer, Rod Stewart, looked ready to take on the world.

Six months later in January 1969, Beck’s childhood friend and former Yardbird playing partner, Jimmy Page, released the first album with his new band, Led Zeppelin. It featured a solo guitar piece and You Shook Me, and the three piece band was fronted by a big voiced wild blond singer. Jeff Beck, it has been reported, was not pleased.

Is Beck about to turn the tables?

Planet Rock today reports that Beck told them in an interview that there’s the possibility of a project involving him and Robert Plant:

There's whispers about Robert Plant.

I met him recently. He came into my dressing room. I was playing in the New Orleans Jazz Rock Blues Festival... And then I hear 'Alright. How you doin'?' and it was Robert Plant!

We had a lovely chat. I think maybe he saw the act; I put on a pretty good show. And I think that there may be something there. Who knows?

I think that the common denominator would be the Eastern, you know, the kind of Arabic... I love that. That's prevalent in Zeppelin's music. The quarter tone scale, I just love that. There's more mileage in that... the exciting rhythms that he likes.

We're both pretty busy at the moment but if the desire's there you make it happen.

As Jimmy Page sits at home playing X-Box, writing “on this day’s,” watching The X-Factor and waiting for Plant to phone and say  "Alright. How you doin'?", Plant may be working with the other greatest guitar player, Beck.

All in, Beck didn’t really say much, a few maybe’s here, a “there’s whisper’s,” there. He may have been pulling the interviewers leg, and it reads like he probably was. But it’s exciting to think about: Robert Plant singing along side a great blues-rock guitarist.

It’s enough to get a guy up off the couch, if only because he just fell off it.

Chris Dreja at ZepFest

When ZepFest rolls around later this month, there will be a number of special guests. Among them, Yardbirds rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja.  Dreja was an original member in 1963, playing rhythm guitar behind Top Topham, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. While Jimmy Page originally joined the Yardbirds as a bass player, he soon joined Beck on guitar and Dreja moved to bass.

When he was forming Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page reportedly offered the bass job to Dreja, who declined in order to concentrate on a career in photography. He did, however, shoot a number of pictures of the Led Zeppelin members, including the back cover picture on their first album, Led Zeppelin I.

While he is at ZepFest, Dreja is bringing a number of pictures which he will sell at a merchandise table. One picture of Jimmy Page, signed by Dreja and Page will be sold at the show.

Tickets for ZepFest can be purchased at their website.

Chris Dreja Photography can be found here.

Them Crooked Grammy's

Them Crooked Vultures, featuring Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, drummer Dave Grohl and guitarist/singer Josh Homme, have won a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song New Fang. The Grammy was awarded during non-broadcast portion of the awards.



In other non-broadcast Grammy awards, Robert Plant and the Band of Joy were shut out on their bid for a Grammy. The Band of Joy was nominated for two Grammy’s: Best Americana Album, which was won by Mavis Staples for You Are not Alone; Best Solo Rock Performance, which was won for Helter Skelter from Good Evening New York City.



In other awards, former Yardbird and childhood friend of Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck won three Grammy’s, Best Pop Collaboration; Best Pop Instrumental Performance; Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

Robert Plant’s band mate in Band of Joy, Patty Griffin, won a Grammy for Best Tradition Gospel Album for Down Town Church. T-Bone Burnett, who produced Plant’s Grammy winning album with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, also won a non-broadcast Grammy for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture for The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart.

Robert Plant to Join Cancer Concert Lineup

Five days before beginning his 2011 tour of the American Northeast in North Carolina in on January 18th, Robert will perform at a charity concert in London.

Along with The Who and Jeff Beck, Plant will perform at A Concert for Killing Cancer at London's Hammersmith Apollo January 13th.

The event is being put together by promoter Harvey Goldsmith and Plant's manager, Bill Curbishley:

Said Curbishley:

Robert and I had lived through the final months and days of close friends battling with cancer, but also fighting to overcome the effects of their treatments. Only later we discovered that PDT could perhaps have saved their lives and certainly given them some dignity in their final weeks.

See more Bill Curbishley here. And here. And Harvey Goldsmith.

Said Jeff Beck about the concert:

Any new breakthrough in cancer treatment should be taken very seriously and we want as many people to know about that as possible. The concert is not just going to raise funds to pay for new PDT trials, but will also help raise public awareness.

Money raised at the show will benefit the charity Killing Cancer, which helps to fund research into Photodynamic Therapy (PDT).

Jeff Beck and Robert Plant? Perhaps "The New Yardbirds," would be an "good vehicle" for Jimmy Page.