When the conversation turns to iconic rock guitar solos, Jimmy Page’s blistering run on Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is often at the top of the list. That solo has become woven into the fabric of rock music—immortal, untouchable, endlessly praised. But according to Page himself, it’s not his finest work.
Page has always been a relentless craftsman, both obsessive and inventive. Long before Led Zeppelin ever took the world by storm, he had built a reputation as one of Britain’s premier guitarists, particularly for his work with The Yardbirds. Once Zeppelin formed, his brilliance anchored a band already bursting with talent, and yet Page often felt like a step ahead—one layer deeper in thought, sound, and ambition.
‘Stairway to Heaven’ may well be Page’s most widely beloved solo. It’s not just technically brilliant—it’s emotionally resonant. Those eight minutes of slowly building magic have become essential rock canon. But even within the band, not everyone kept the same affection for it. Robert Plant, for instance, has often expressed mixed feelings, distancing himself from the song lyrically—though even he admits the musicality is staggering. “The way Jimmy Page took the music through, and the way that the drums almost climaxed and then continued — it’s a very beautiful piece,” Plant once said.
Still, when Page was asked in 2016 by Classic Rock whether he considered ‘Stairway’ his peak as a guitarist, he didn’t hesitate. “No,” he said, “but it’s pretty damn good.”
Page went on to explain that the iconic solo came together quickly. “There were already layers underneath—bottleneck, for instance, was already recorded before I added the solo. Usually, you’d leave a few tracks open so you could try a few takes and pick the best one.”
But if not ‘Stairway’, then what? Page pointed to another Zeppelin masterpiece: ‘Achilles Last Stand’.
That particular solo, Page explained, was far more demanding from a production standpoint. “It was testy, to say the least, to try and replicate or get a mean average of all the guitar parts on the record,” he said. The track is a monumental piece, featuring no fewer than six layered guitar parts to create its massive, soaring soundscape. And it was all conceived in a single evening.
Page recounted to Rolling Stone in 2007 that the experience raised eyebrows among his bandmates: “To be honest with you, the other guys didn’t know: ‘Has he gone mad? Does he know what he’s doing?’ But at the end of it, the picture became clear. It was like a little vignette—every time something came around.”
Both solos stand as towering achievements in rock music. But for Page, ‘Achilles Last Stand’ is the one that pushed his limits, tested his skills, and ultimately made him most proud. While fans around the globe may always associate Led Zeppelin’s greatest guitar moment with ‘Stairway to Heaven’, the man behind the strings hears a different masterpiece.
