Jimmy Page – Outrider

778

5 Stars

For those dogs that like their Led Zeppelin without any frills, this is the bone for you.

Years after the tragic end to Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page released Outrider to very little fanfare, but if guitar rock is your thing, then this is definitely one for you—not a single keyboard used, and don’t let that fool you into thinking the sound isn’t full. Think again; this is Mr. Jimmy Page we’re talking about here.

Jason Bonham occupies the drum stool for seven of the nine tracks, and a more than adequate job he does of it too. You can never compare two musicians fairly, but let us just say that his father would have been more than proud.

To these floppy ears, it’s the instrumentals on the album that really take the biscuit, showing the likes of Eric Johnson and Kenny Wayne Shepherd how to play with flash but keeping it interesting.

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Although all the songs sound as if they have been recorded by a band who’ve known each other for years, actually Jimmy uses two drummers, three bassists and spread over the six vocal tracks, three vocalists. The very underrated John Miles (he of “music” fame) handles the first brace with his usual aplomb. Chris Farlowe (“Tears Go By,” Atomic Rooster and Colosseum) takes the final curtain calls. When he engagingly stutters his opening delivery of “I’ve been a b-b-b-b-b-bad b-boy and I’ve been a bad boy all night long,” you can almost hear him smirk and wink over Page’s bleeding electric guitar. Of course, after this, the lyrics descend even further into bloke rock, and the guys seem to be having the time of their lives.

The final vocalist used is of course Jimmy Page’s old sparring partner, Percy himself Mr. Robert Plant, and it’s a credit to the other two that this song is not the stand-out track of the album. I think that has to go to the twelve-bar of “Prison Blues.” If Mott could get his paws around a guitar neck, this is the way he’d play guitar, with legs astride, head thrown back, in front of 250,000 screaming women.

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As in the last quote, this album may be a little self-indulgent, but they sure don’t make albums like this anymore, and to make sure it was just right, Jimmy Page even produced the whole thing himself.

If you’re still not convinced, try lending an ear to Jimmy Page’s release with the Black Crowes where he revamps his old Led Zeppelin catalogue as well as bashing through some old chestnuts.

Listen and believe.