Jimmy Page

He is widely recognised as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. They brought out a greatest hits package: Hits and organised a music festival: Auto (held at Rotherham's Magna centre) where they played their last gig before embarking on a temporary hiatus from the music industry. His daughter, Scarlet Page, is a respected photographer. In 2002 the band announced they were leaving their label, Island. Since 1990, Jimmy Page has been instrumental in remastering the entire Led Zeppelin back catalogue and is currently involved in various charity concerts and charity work particularly the Action for Brazil's Children Trust (ABC Trust), founded by his wife Jimena Gomez-Paratcha in 1998. Produced by Scott Walker, it was a much happier and more popular album than Hardcore. Page has been one member of Led Zeppelin that has always left open the option for a group reunion. Pulp then spent a few years in the wilderness before reappearing in 2001 with a new album, We Love Life, symbolising another new phase in Cocker and Pulp's development.

Following a highly successful tour in 1995 to support No Quarter, Page and Plant recorded Walking Into Clarksdale, their first full CD together since 1979. Pulp also collaborated with Patrick Doyle on the song "Like A Friend" for the soundtrack to the movie Great Expectations. The soundtrack to the special was released in 1995 as the CD No Quarter, and in 2004 as the DVD No Quarter Unledded. Many of the fans who had so enjoyed the happier, more amusing and light-hearted approach of Different Class were somewhat turned off by the darker tone of the new record. The 90 minute special, dubbed UnLedded premiered to the highest ratings in MTVs history. The fallout of all of this, and the ensuing depression induced by finding the one thing he'd been after all his life (fame) and then deciding that it wasn't really up to much, was the subject matter of the follow-up album This Is Hardcore: a trawl through the seedy world of Soho, which during its more navel-gazing, depressed-singer-in-a-hotel-room moments stylistically approached Pink Floyd's The Wall. In 1994, Page reunited with Plant for the penultimate performance in MTVs "Unplugged" series. Cocker was also having difficulty with the celebrity lifestyle, resulting in the breakup of a long-term relationship.

Source: IMDB. It was during this period of intense fame that long time member and major innovator in the band's sound, Russell Senior, decided to call it a day to spend time with his family (and out of the tabloid press). In addition, he also collaborated with director Michael Winner to record the Death Wish 3 soundtrack, released in 1985. This incident propelled Cocker into even greater notoriety in the UK, and having spent the last 15 years trying to be famous, he grabbed the attention with both hands. Various other projects soon followed such as The Firm, with Paul Rodgers, session work for Graham Nash, Box of Frogs, and Robert Plant, a solo album Outrider, a collaboration with David Coverdale in Coverdale Page, and a live album with The Black Crowes. But domestic attention was never really equaled in the rest of the world, and if Pulp are known beyond the UK at all it is perhaps more likely the result of Cocker's antics at the infamous 1996 Brit Awards, when he invaded the stage in protest during Michael Jackson's performance (for which he spent the night in the cells on the ungrounded charge of having injured some of the children that Jackson was "healing"). In 1984, Page recorded with Plant in the guise of The Honeydrippers. saw the opportunity to steal the crown, and "Common People" was arguably the stand-out single of the year, if not the decade.

Page then linked up with Roy Harper for an album and tour. While Blur and Oasis were fighting it out over which band were the true kings of Britpop, Jarvis Cocker and co. Page made a successful return to stage with the ARMS Charity series of concerts in 1983 which honoured Small Faces bass player Ronnie Lane. This album, with its disco-infused pop-rock, and the trademark sordid yet witty lyrics about sexual encounters and working class life, is for most fans what Pulp are about. After Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980, Page attempted to form a supergroup with ex-Yes members to be called XYZ however it came to naught. 1995 saw the peak of Pulp's fame, with the release of their No.2 UK Hit single "Common People", their much loved performance at the Glastonbury festival (standing in for the Stone Roses at the last minute) and their Mercury award winning album Different Class (the first album featuring Pulp fan-club president Mark Webber, who became a permanent member of the band on guitar and keyboards). As a result their final studio album (In Through the Out Door) was more heavily influenced by bassist John Paul Jones and singer Robert Plant. This sudden increase in popularity was certainly helped by the massive media interest in a new wave of Britpop ushered by the likes of Suede and Blur, the latter of which Pulp supported on a US tour in 1994.

Page and drummer John Bonham would frequently be absent from the recording studio in the band's later years, showing up after songs were already written. These were followed by the Ed Buller produced album His 'n' Hers which reached No.9 in the UK charts, and which, sonically, was not a million miles away from Suede. This habit would severely affect his later performances with Led Zeppelin, which were often hit-and-miss. Island Records then released the singles "Do You Remember the First Time" and "Lipgloss", to modest chart success. In 1976 Page started using heroin. The three singles released on Gift were later compiled on the album Intro which was released when they were signed up by Island Records. His guitar solo in the famous rock song "Stairway to Heaven" was voted by readers of Guitar World Magazine as the greatest guitar solo of all time. Fire attempted to capitalise on this by finally releasing Separations.

Page also put to use his bowed playing technique he developed during his session days, and experimented with feedback devices and a theremin. Frustrated that Separations still hadn't been released, Pulp signed to Warp Records imprint Gift Records in 1992. His landmark guitar solo from the song "Heartbreaker" (Led Zeppelin II) has been credited by Eddie Van Halen as the inspiration for Van Halen's trademark 2-hand tapping technique. In the meantime, however, in 1991, a 12" recording - "My Legendary Girlfriend" became music periodical The NME's single of the week, and it was this that ushered Pulp's first steps towards fame. His use of distorted fuzz guitar ("Whole Lotta Love"), slide guitar ("You Shook Me", "In My Time of Dying"), pedal steel guitar ("Your Time is Gonna Come", "Tangerine"), eastern scales ("Black Mountain Side", "Kashmir"), acoustic guitar ("Gallows Pole", "Bron-Yr-Aur") and recording techniques made Led Zeppelin a prototype for all future rock bands. Like Freaks, its release was delayed, to an extent lessening the potential impact. As a producer, composer and guitarist for the band, he was one of the major driving forces behind the rock sound of that era, with his trademark Gibson Les Paul guitar and Marshall amplification. This album, Separations, was a progression of the style of Freaks, with Leonard Cohen-esque ballads on side one and a more disco / Acid House infused track-listing on side two.

Page's past experiences both in the studio and with The Yardbirds was critical in the success of Led Zeppelin in the 1970s. They recorded another album for Fire after a separate deal fell through. After a handful of shows on their first tour, The New Yardbirds renamed themselves Led Zeppelin. The fold was short-lived however, and a new line-up, consisting of Cocker, Senior, Candida Doyle, Nick Banks (drums) and Steve Mackey (bass) emerged. Despite the departure of Keith Relf and Jim McCarty in 1968, Page wished to continue the group with a new line-up. This gave Cocker ample time to consider his direction, and when, later, Freaks failed to be a success, Pulp folded, with Jarvis going off to London to study film. The musical potential of the line-up however was scuttled by interpersonal conflicts caused by constant touring and a lack of commercial success. It was during this mid-80s period that Cocker fell out of a window while trying to impress a girl, and ended up in hospital, and temporarily wheelchair-bound.

Within weeks Page was again offered to join The Yardbirds and at first played bass guitar with the group after the departure of Paul Samwell-Smith, before finally switching to twin lead guitar with Beck when Chris Dreja moved to bass. It is either loved or hated by fans, and might be considered the antithesis of the happy and optimistic It. On May 16, 1966, drummer Keith Moon, bass player John Paul Jones, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, Jeff Beck and Page recorded "Beck's Bolero" in London's IBC Studios. The experience gave Page an idea to form a band with John Entwistle on bass (instead of Jones), however the lack of a quality vocalist and contractual problems sent the project down like a "lead zeppelin". Its release ended up being delayed for a year, and the record was not well received. After being invited to replace Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds on March 20, 1965, Page turned down the offer and instead suggested his friend Jeff Beck. These releases were followed by an album, Freaks in 1986, recorded in one week due to pressure from the label. It is estimated that Jimmy Page appeared on 60% of rock music recorded in England between 1963 and 1966. These tracks were much darker in tone than those on It, and often veered towards the likes of The Fall.

Page also formed a brief songwriting partnership with then girlfriend, Jackie DeShannon. Following her first performance with the band, they were signed to a label called Fire Records, and began to record a number of singles that were later released as the compilation album Masters of the Universe. In 1965 Page was hired by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham to act as house producer for the newly formed Immediate Records label, which also allowed him to play on tracks by John Mayall, Nico, and Eric Clapton. Having survived a number of ill-fated gigs, Allcard left to be replaced on keyboards by Doyle's sister Candida. Under the auspices of producer Shel Talmy, Page recorded The Kinks "You Really Got Me" (1964) (although there is a dispute on whether Page or Dave Davies played lead), the guitar part on Them's "Baby Please Don’t Go" (1965), and recorded a lead guitar part on The Who's first single "I Can't Explain", although there is disagreement over whether or not it was used. The three of them established a new, more experimental, artier, and noisier direction for Pulp, and were subsequently augmented by Peter Mansell (bass) and Tim Allcard (keyboards, saxophone, poetry). His studio output in 1963 included Brian Poole & The Tremeloes' "Twist and Shout", Heinz's "Just Like Eddie" and in 1964, The Rolling Stones "Heart of Stone", Marianne Faithfull's "As Tears Go By", The Nashville Teens' "Tobacco Road", Dave Berry's "The Crying Game", and Lulu's hit "Shout". He was all set to throw the towel in and go to university, when he decided to hold a practice with Russell Senior (violin, guitar, vocals) and Magnus Doyle (drums).

After brief stints with the band Micky Finn, and Carter Lewis and The Southerners, Page committed himself to full-time session work. But fame was still not knocking, and Cocker was becoming unhappy with his chosen musical direction, especially after being forced to cut a single in the style of the then prevalent pop-group Wham!. His first session for the label was the recording "Diamonds" by Jet Harris & Tony Meehan which went to Number 1 on the singles chart in 1963. This largely consisted of jangly, happy-go-lucky, folkish, romantic pop tunes, and was a change of direction from the Peel Sessions. It wasn't until an offer from Mike Leander from Decca Records that Page was to receive regular studio work. They managed to get enough local backing to record a mini-album in late 1982 entitled It. He was spotted one night by John Gibb of The Silhouettes, who asked him to help record a number of singles for EMI, "The Worrying Kind" and "Bald Headed Woman". A new set of musicians was gathered: Simon Hinkler (who later joined The Mission and produced All About Eve), David Hinkler, Wayne Furness, Peter Boam, Gary Wilson, and Cocker's sister, Saskia.

While still a student, Page would often jam on stage at the Marquee with bands such as the Cyril Davis All Stars, Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated and with guitarists Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. Despite the exposure on national radio, success was not forthcoming, and most of the then line-up left for university. Living from out of the back of a van and intermittent wages however, led Page to take up a totally different focus in painting at Sutton Art College in Surrey. Amazingly they landed a Peel Session, and the tracks they recorded were pretty much in the typical Sheffield sound of the time (cf. Human League, Comsat Angels) - sort of electronic new wave. Page was then asked by Neil Christian to join his band, The Crusaders, which gave him his first taste of touring life and an appearance on a November 1962 single, "The Road to Love". They played their first proper gig at Rotherham Arts Centre in July 1980, and made a demo tape the following year which they gave to the DJ John Peel. After graduating from school with an initial aim to work as a lab assistant, Page’s love of the guitar saw him switch to playing for Beat poet Royston Ellis before joining his first band, Red E Lewis and The Red Caps. The first line-up was Cocker, David Lockwood (musician), Mark Swift and Peter Dalton, though this soon disintegrated into a fairly un-set membership of Cocker and whoever else was around at the time.

At the age of 14, Page appeared on ITV's Search For Stars talent quest programme. They are most famous in the UK, where their blend of disco-influenced pop-rock coupled with the amusing down-to-Earth kitchen-sink lyrics of lanky, rubber-limbed front-man Cocker, saw them become popular during the mid 1990s. King. They were originally known as "Arabacus Pulp", but this was soon shortened. Page's musical tastes however also encompassed acoustic folk playing particularly that of Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, and the blues sounds of Elmore James and B.B.
The pop group Pulp were formed in Sheffield, England, in 1978 by then 15-year-old school-boy Jarvis Cocker (vocals, guitar). The Presley song "Baby Let's Play House" was an early favourite on his first electric guitar, a second hand 1949 Gibson. Mark Sturdy, Truth & Beauty: The Story of Pulp (Omnibus Press, 2003) - comprehensive biography.

His early influences were rockabilly guitarists Scotty Moore and James Burton, who both played on recordings made by Elvis Presley, and Johnny Day who played guitar for The Everly Brothers. April 2002 "Bad Cover Version" #27. Jimmy Page began learning guitar when he was 12. October 2001 "Sunrise/The Trees" #23. His father was an industrial personnel manager and his mother a doctor's secretary. September 1998 "Party Hard" #29. Page was born in the north London suburb of Heston in Middlesex. June 1998 "A Little Soul" #22.

. March 1998 "This is Hardcore" #12. He was the founding member for the band Led Zeppelin and, prior to that, a member of The Yardbirds from late 1966 through 1968. November 1997 "Help the Aged" #8. James Patrick Page, known as Jimmy Page, (born January 9, 1944) is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential guitarists in rock and roll. April 1996 "Something Changed" #10. December 1995 "Disco 2000" #7.

October 1995 "Mis-Shapes/Sorted for E's and Wizz" #2. June 1995 "Common People" #2. June 1994 "The Sisters EP" (Babies / Your Sister's Clothes / Seconds / His 'n' Hers) #19. April 1994 "Do You Remember the First Time" #33.

November 1993 "Lipgloss" #50. Hits - greatest hits compilation (2002) #71 UK. Countdown 1992-1983 (1996) #10 UK. Masters of the Universe - non-album singles compilation (1994).

Intro - non-album singles compilation (1993). We Love Life (2001) #6 UK. This Is Hardcore (1997) #1 UK, #114 US. Different Class (1995) #1 UK.

His 'n' Hers (1994) #9 UK. Separations (1991). Freaks (1986). It (1983).