Jimmy Page Jimmy Page/NV,USA 1991

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 formed between Page and Plant. However, in 1991, things took a sudden 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 then in 1990 it became known 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 worse 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 recording 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 a long-awaited release is being realized. 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 real life. 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 joining them in the second set of their stage. First of all, it starts with slow blues, which he is good at. There, he played a series of phrases that sounded like he was saying “I Can’t Quit You Baby” again, and Page was like a fish in water. Naturally, Page wanted to play more blues, so he played the “Tea For One” phrase repeatedly to the band, urging them to play minor key blues. The band also started playing a three-chord blues, but their performance was major, not minor, and the female vocalist started singing James Taylor’s “Steamroller”. Despite this, Page continued playing the original “Tea For One” phrase, and the performance was disjointed until halfway through. It was a scene where Page could have shouted “No way!”, but it was surprising that he had already heard it before going on stage, and he adjusted it to the major. The first slow blues played was Ten Years After’s “Spider in (My)Your Web”, and the next one was James Taylor. As you can see from these song selections, the band Solid Ground was formed by members in their late 20s and early 30s at the time, and the repertoire they played was clearly from a generation later than Page. 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, you can hear the band members and Page discussing the songs to play after this, 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 and roll song “Johnny B. Goode” as a compromise. However, from the members of Solid Ground’s perspective, this may have been “the song that Michael J. Fox played in the movie” rather than Chuck Berry (laughs). And as a result of being recorded with accurate pitch for the first time, this release is in a format that spans two discs. What’s interesting about the second album is that it features a number of rock and roll songs that ZEP included in the “Whole Lotta Love” medley on their 1972 US tour. First up is “Slow Down,” but the bassist 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, starts, the sense of unity of the whole 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 couldn’t play the blues (laughs). But it was surprising that Page was in a good mood from start to finish. A rare soundboard recording that fills the gap in his activities in 1991 will be released for the first time in a long time, and finally as the best version! 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 ★★About sound correction ★Corrected the slow pitch by about 60-80%. Even after correction, it did not fit on one disc. (★The previously released version is a single disc. It is longer than that.) ★Although equalization has no effect on sound quality, the following was performed. 1. Reducing excessive high-pitched sounds. 2. Pinpointing and removing all the outgoing sounds without changing the sound quality. 3. Adjusting the left/right balance. The above doesn’t change the impression, but it’s much easier to listen to.