Led Zeppelin has introduced more people to rock & roll than any other band on Earth. The Rolling Stones undoubtedly added a dangerous element to their sound, and The Beatles may have been entertaining for their era, but when someone hears a song like “Whole Lotta Love” or “Dazed and Confused” for the first time, their perception of loud guitars suddenly changes, making them seem like the greatest thing ever. Jimmy Page was incensed that his playing was being compared to Jeff Beck, even though he had painstakingly built that kind of rock band structure.
However, if another guitarist heard their name during a conversation with Beck, they would most likely feel self-satisfied. When playing, Beck had a special way of making the guitar speak. He showed a constant interest in exploring new sounds by showcasing his versatility across all his albums. He wanted to see what odd noises this little stringed instrument could produce.
Part of Page’s strategy after breaking away from The Yardbirds was to create something much heavier. This was heavier than anything he or Beck had ever done in their previous group. Even though their styles contained some fundamental blues elements, it would be difficult to classify songs like “Friends” or “Stairway to Heaven” as blues. This would only be possible if you squint your eyes.
Page expressed displeasure at being compared to his former bandmate when Zeppelin first appeared. He said, “People saying our first album was conceptually very close to the Jeff Beck Group got on my nerves.” It was absurd, completely absurd. The sole resemblance between us was that we had both left The Yardbirds and had separately picked up some of their riffs.
Of course, any musician switching bands has some kinks to work out, but on the first Zeppelin record, Page seemed to be working on his old sound. Although there were many more exciting moments, it’s clear where he got his inspiration from a song like “You Shook Me,” especially since Beck covered the same song on his album.
When you examine the actions of both players closely, they differ greatly. While Beck shone on stage as a brilliant musical light, Page was Beck’s shadowy opposite. He produced riffs that seemed lifted straight out of Hell. Yet, he managed to craft tender, beautiful acoustic songs with Robert Plant singing above him.
But as each guitarist developed their distinct style, they both felt driven to take their music to uncharted territory. Page used every genre under the sun to suit his needs in Physical Graffiti. Beck’s later career carried on from his beginnings with albums like Blow By Blow. He took the foundation of rock and gave everything a jazzy spin. The blues was a good beginning point for both legends. After they spent some time with the instrument, they discovered how to extract emotion from it.
