This again proved to be the case Thursday night at the annual Mojo Honours List Awards gala exalting musicians for their talents. The soon-to-be-published author was all smiles as he was inducted into Mojo's Hall of Fame.
With John Paul Jones at his side two years ago this month, Page showed up at Mojo's 2008 awards ceremony the night Led Zeppelin was named the previous year's "best live act" as voted on by readers in recognition of the group's single reunion concert. Remarkably, the one-off show in 2007 had been Page's first show anywhere in more than five years.
And the question then was: What would Page's next move be?
Two years later, the question is just as relevant. The tired and silly question of whether Led Zeppelin will reunite has been debunked enough.
Obviously, Page doesn't have to do anything; it's just that he's led people to expect he will do something by repeatedly saying he will do something. We're little more than a week away from the first anniversary of an interview for the LA Weekly blog West Coast Sound in which Jimmy Page said:
"I've got some new music. ... It's just a question of actually doing it now. Actually getting a project that I've had in mind for a while. I've just got to go and do it. Don't want to tell anyone about it. But, yes, I've got a big project I'm working on."Allow me to be the first to say: Happy anniversary, Jimmy!
Granted, it was great news at the time because, more than anything else, Page's remark aided in overwriting the recent memory of his manager, Peter Mensch, having answered a reporter's question in January about what kind of projects the guitarist would be up to next with the decidedly uncouth words, "F--- if I know!"
Well, a great revelation was carried out of the Mojo awards ceremony, as BBC News reports that Page now has a new manager.
How's that for burying the lede? Indeed, Page has a new manager!
"He has been taken on by Robbie Williams' management company IE," the BBC News article states.
The piece even delves into the nature of this new material Page has been promising:
"I'm just looking forward to making some music and surprising people with it," he said. "It won't be just teaming up with lots of people who are [big] names. I've got an idea of something which I've had for a long time and now's the time to do it."So, that kind of rules out the Santana-style album that was suggested to be in his plans as far back as 2004. (In the meantime, Carlos Santana keeps on churning out album
after album
in that same Supernatural
mold, with the latest even containing a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" with Chris Cornell on vocals.)So, what is the nature of this new project of Page's? He still won't say.
But at least this new project, whatever it may be, is on his mind when he is out there picking up awards for music he created a long time ago.
Let's just hope this new music is also award-worthy.
In the meantime: Oh no, Sky News, you couldn't bother to spell "Led Zeppelin" correctly? I'm gonna send you back to schoolin'
...
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ReplyDeleteI feel your pain during this waiting/teasing game from Jimmy to "manifest" some actual music. He reminds me of Eddie Van Halen who has said for over a decade of the 10 albums worth of material he has ready to unleash on the world. We did get a kick ass disc from Jonesy(who woulda thunk it!). Judging by initial reports about Robert's new disc, it will not be as all around mellow and will have some blues covers(I mean interpretations)on it. However, he is hanging on the edge of Rod Stewart Storybookville cliff here with yet another disc(his 3rd since 2002)of covers.
ReplyDeleteNever underestimate Jonesy.
ReplyDeleteAs for Jimmy, he's had some time to get this project of his right. I have high expectations there.
And I refuse to judge Robert's next covers set until I hear it. However, I give him the benefit of the doubt based on how much I liked not only those other two covers sets since 2002 -- and also how much I've enjoyed his refreshing approach toward cover songs going back to the original Band of Joy.
"For What It's Worth"
"Hey Joe"
"How Many More Years"
"You Shook Me"
"Dazed and Confused"
"As Long as I Have You"
"You Need Lovin'"
"We're Gonna Groove"
"Gallows Pole"
"Fixin' to Die"
"Shake 'em On Down"
"When the Levee Breaks"
"Drop Down Mama"
"In My Time of Dying"
"Nobody's Fault but Mine"
"Little Sister"
"Rockin' at Midnight"
"Dimples"
"Louie Louie"
"Girl from the North Country"
"If I Were a Carpenter"
"8:05"
"If It's Really Got to Be This Way"
"Kashmir" remake with Jimmy Page
"Little Hands"
"Flames"
"We're Gonna Groove" AGAIN
"Morning Dew"
"Hey Joe" AGAIN
"A House is Not a Motel"
"Nature Boy"
"Fixin' to Die" AGAIN
"The Boy Who Couldn't Hoe Corn"
"Fortune Teller"
"Nothin'"
"Farmer in the City"
Coming soon to this list: a bunch of songs you probably wouldn't even know were covers unless you already happened to be familiar with a band from Duluth called Low in addition to Los Lobos (just another band from East L.A.) as well as the music from deepest Appalachia, et al. I find myself learning so much from Robert and enjoying so much of it. I may be prejudiced toward thinking this new disc might live up to Robert's precedent.
Steve, did you notice that a number of the articles on Jimmy's comments at the Mojo Awards assert that he claimed he will be releasing his new music this year? I didn't see any direct quotes from Jimmy on that, did you?
ReplyDeleteJimmy did speak to reporters, and we haven't heard every word he said on tape or seen every word transcribed. I give reporters the benefit of the doubt when they say Jimmy gave 2010 as a timeline for having new music out.
ReplyDeleteJimmy has said 2010 in the past. Go back to his Sky News interview from December: New music is ready for next year, Jimmy Page affirms.
Newly embedded within this post is 2:54 of audio from Jimmy Page's interview recorded by BBC interviewers, and he indeed says at the very end, "This year," in response to a question about when his new music (that has yet to be recorded) is coming out. So, yes, those were his words.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve, very encouraging indeed!
ReplyDelete