Page...here we go again...I'm a long time Page fan,
always loved his playing. Yes, he was sloppy a lot of the time, but in the studio he was one of the best.
WHY?
A couple of reasons.
One, STONED...usually wasted most of the time on tour, you can't play good guitar in that condition.
Two he hangs his guitar so low it makes him bend his wrist to an unusual angle, no way he can be accurate wearing his guitar that low. In the studio he was usually sitting in a chair or on a stool, guitar at a much better height, therefore his playing was lots better.
Three- One of the most common complaints I hear is that he never played the same thing twice. Ditto for Clapton, but he doesn't get slammed for it...Same for Blackmore, he said in an interview the only one he played close to the same all the time was Smoke on the Water, for some reason he remembered it, everything else he improvised every night. He doesn't get slammed for it either...Improvising does not mean sloppy...it just means he never played the same thing twice the same way. Same as a lot of other guitar players who don't catch a lot of flak for it.
Page was in a group that was based around IMPROVISATION. He not only didn't play the same solos every night, they also (as a group) would play the songs differently from time to time, adding sections, everyone dropping out to give Page an "open" solo now and then, adding part of another song, or just turning one into a jam session. He never tried to play his solos the same every time, but many were pretty close most of the time.
Yes, he was sloppy at times, mostly due to the way he wore (wears?) his guitar, partially due to being perpetually wasted in those days. I've tried it, I'm way sloppy trying to play with my guitar that low. But Page was/is also a great player, an original, an innovator, and one of a handful of people who defined a generation. He'll always be one of my favorites.
I'm a member of the BOMB SQUAD.
If you see me running, better catch up!
http://billy-griffis-jr.artistwebsites.com/
)
