The pinnacle of Jimmy Page’s recording career undoubtedly is the work he did with his influential and beloved hard-rock band Led Zeppelin. From 1968 until its 1980 breakup, Led Zeppelin were among the most popular and best-selling rock acts on the planet, with Page serving as the group’s lead guitarist, producer and, with frontman Robert Plant, principal songwriter.
After Led Zeppelin split up following the death of drummer John Bonham, Page went on to record with various of other famous artists, either as a guest musician on an individual track or as part of a full-fledged collaborative project.
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Here’s a look at four interesting post-Led Zeppelin collaborations featuring Jimmy Page.
The Firm (with Paul Rodgers) (1985-1986)
In 1984, Page formed the supergroup The Firm with founding Free and Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers, as well as veteran drummer Chris Slade, and bassist Tony Franklin.
Rodgers had had a close association with Led Zeppelin, as Bad Company was one of the first acts signed by Zeppelin’s Swan Song label. Slade previously had played drums with Tom Jones, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, and other artists. Franklin had recorded with acclaimed U.K. folk-rock artist Roy Harper, a good friend of Page’s.
The Firm released its self-titled debut album in 1985. Five of the album’s nine tracks were co-written by Page and Rodgers, with three others solely written by Paul. The Rodgers-penned “Radioactive” became a U.S. hit, reaching No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
The Firm also featured the Page-Rodgers co-write “Satisfaction Guaranteed,” which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock tally.
The Firm released a sophomore album, Mean Business, in 1985. That record included “All the King’s Horses,” another No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.
The Firm and Mean Business peaked at No. 17 and No. 22, respectively on the Billboard 200.
The group toured Europe in late 1984, and the United States in 1985 and 1986. The Firm broke up after its 1986 outing.
The Rolling Stones’ “One Hit (To The Body)” (1986)
In 1986, The Rolling Stones scored a hit with “One Hit (To The Body),” a song from the band’s album Dirty Work. The tune peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100.
Page contributed a lead guitar solo to the track. “One Hit (To The Body)” also featured backing vocals by R&B greats Bobby Womack and Don Covay, E Street Band member Patti Scialfa, and British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl.
Coverdale-Page (with David Coverdale) (1993)
In the early 1990s, Page began working on an album with Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale. In 1990, Coverdale put Whitesnake on hold, while Page had unsuccessfully attempted to reunite Led Zeppelin’s surviving members around that time.
The duo recorded what became their sole album together, Coverdale-Page, in 1991 and 1992 at various studios. The record featured 11 tracks, all co-written by Jimmy and David.
The album was released in March 1993, and received lukewarm reviews, but was commercially successful. Coverdale-Page reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200, and included several songs that charted on Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. Among them were the chart-topping “Pride and Joy,” “Shake My Tree” (No. 3), “Take Me For A Little While” (No. 15), and “Over Now” (No. 24).
Coverdale-Page also featured contributions from Heart and ex-Montrose drummer Dennis Carmassi, and former Babys and Bad English bassist Ricky Phillips. Phillips would later join Styx.
Coverdale-Page was certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1 million in the U.S. After mounting a brief tour of Japan in December 1993, Coverdale and Page stopped working together.
Puff Daddy’s “Come With Me” (1998)
In perhaps one of Page’s more unexpected collaborations, in 1998, he lent his guitar talents to “Come With Me,” a song by Sean Combs—the hip-hop mogul and rapper also known as Puff Daddy and, later, as Diddy. The track, which features Combs rapping over the music to Led Zeppelin’s classic 1975 rock anthem “Kashmir,” was featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 remake of the monster movie Godzilla.
Combs came up with the concept for “Come With Me” after hearing “Kashmir” on a commercial for a Led Zeppelin hits album. He had been asked to contribute a song to the Godzilla soundtrack, and thought “Kashmir” would serve as a great background for an intense rap tune inspired by the destructive giant reptile.
When Combs asked Page for permission to sample “Kashmir,” Jimmy offered to play a new version of the song’s classic riff instead. The track also features an orchestra playing the song’s melody, as well as bass and additional guitar by Tom Morello.
“Come With Me” reached No. 4 on the Hot 100, and topped the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart. The soundtrack, titled Godzilla: The Album, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
Page joined Combs to perform “Come With Me” on a May 1998 episode of Saturday Night Live. The two also played the tune at the 1999 NetAid benefit concert at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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