Jimmy Page Jimmy Page/NV,USA 05.29.1991 Soundboard Edition

After finishing his activities following the release of “OUTRIDER” in 1988, Jimmy Page was searching for his next project while working on remastering ZEP, and decided to embark on a plan to reunite Led Zeppelin. His jumping onto Robert Plant’s stage at the Knebworth event in 1990, where he performed a wonderful rendition of “Wearing and Tearing”, was also a foreshadowing of the reunion. As it turned out later, Page was seriously trying to persuade Plant to reunite ZEP at this time, and the talk had progressed to the point of selecting a drummer to replace Bonzo. However, due to Plant’s desire to continue his solo career, the reunion was thwarted, and a decisive rift was created between Page and Plant. However, in 1991, things suddenly took a turn, and a project that would later bear fruit as Coverdale Page was launched at the suggestion of Geffen Records, the label with which he was contracted at the time of “OUTRIDER”. Two years later, his duo with David Coverdale, which would become a big topic in the rock world, was also a top secret at this point. Japanese music magazines at the time wrote that Page, who didn’t seem to be particularly busy, was living a wealthy life on royalties from ZEP albums. In reality, Page, who was in the US for meetings and rehearsals with Coverdale, popped into a band playing at a club in Nevada. Starting with the aforementioned Knebworth, Page made pop-in appearances at many stages from 1990 to 1991, but the performance at this club was the longest of all. The truth of the situation was revealed when a few excerpts were included in the bootleg “GIG’N MAN” under Page’s name, and it was then made known in 1990 under the title “JIMMY PAGE AND SOLD GROUND,” which used a photo of Knebworth on the cover. However, it was only a part of an amateur band called Solid Ground, and even though it was a soundboard recording, it did not attract much attention. What made it even more difficult was the extremely high pitch. It is speculated that the SBD recorded on cassette from the PA of a live house had its pitch raised through dubbing. This double whammy of a sound source has now become a completely forgotten live sound source of Page. The sound source of the Low Generation to be released this time has been circulating among traders for some time, but it seems to have been forgotten in the 21st century, and the long-awaited release will be realized on a limited press CD. The biggest bottleneck in the release was the pitch deviation, which was thoroughly adjusted. For the first time, the relaxed jam at the club, which is on a completely different level from past releases, is conveyed in a realistic way. The greatest appeal of this sound source is that Page is playing at a club in an unusually relaxed manner. According to the band’s announcement, Page will be jumping in during the second set of their stage. First, he starts with his specialty, slow blues. There, he plays a series of phrases that seem to say “I Can’t Quit You Baby” again, and Page is like a fish in water. Naturally, Page wants to play more blues, so he plays the “Tea For One” phrase to the band, urging them to play minor key blues. The band also starts playing a three-chord blues, but they play major, not minor, and the female vocalist starts singing James Taylor’s “Steamroller”. Despite this, Page continues to play the original “Tea For One” phrase, and the performance was disjointed until halfway through. It was a scene where Page would have shouted “No way!” without thinking, but it was surprising that he matched it to the major, perhaps because he had already heard it before going on stage. The first slow blues played was Ten Years After’s “Spider in (My)Your Web,” and the next was James Taylor. As you can see from these song selections, Solid Ground was formed by members in their late 20s and early 30s at the time, and the repertoire played was clearly a generation later than Page’s. In other words, what became clear from this release, which was recorded with a much more accurate pitch, was the generation gap between the band members and Page, rather than the generation to which the tape was dubbed. Interestingly, after this, you can hear the band members and Page discussing which songs to play, and it seems that Page realized that Muddy Waters and Otis Rush’s blues were out of the question for these guys, so they played the rock ‘n’ roll song “Johnny B. Goode.” However, for the members of Solid Ground, this may have been more like “the song Michael J. Fox played in the movie” than Chuck Berry (laughs). And for this release, it has been recorded with accurate pitch for the first time, and as a result, it is a format that spans two discs. What’s interesting about the second disc is that it features many rock and roll songs that ZEP incorporated into the “Whole Lotta Love” medley on their 1972 US tour. First up is “Slow Down,” but this time the bassist probably doesn’t know the song, so he doesn’t play that riff, and it doesn’t stop at the break, so this time the listener wants to say, “That’s not right!” And yet the whole performance is up-tempo, so it’s like a “ZEP’s ‘Rock and Roll’ with a higher key.” In fact, Page is playing the standard phrases he used in “Rock and Roll.” When the number “Louie, Louie,” which was heard on another 1972 US tour, begins, the sense of unity of the entire band suddenly increases. From there, the transition to “Wild Thing” and “Hang On Sloopy” is smooth, and the two vocalists, male and female, are in top form. Yes, as you can see from this repertoire, they were just a typical American club party band. No wonder they can’t play the blues (laughs). But it was surprising to see that Page seemed in a good mood throughout the performance. Live at Crystal Bay Club, Crystal Bay, Nevada, USA 29th May 1991 SBD Disc 1 (45:03) 1. Introduction 2. Spider in Your Web 3. Steamroller 4. Johnny B. Goode 5. Hound Dog / Blue Suede Shoes 6. Smokin’ Again Disc 2 (36:41) 1. Introduction 2. Slow Down 3. Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll 4. Kansas City 5. Louie, Louie / Wild Thing / Hang On Sloopy / Member Introduction Solid Ground Band: Chris Schauer – Drums Rene Best – Guitar, Vocal Debbie McIntyre – Vocal Special Guest: Jimmy Page – Guitar SOUNDBOARD RECORDING