After his successful career as a Yardbirds member, Jimmy Page started looking for new musicians to hire for his new band. The first choice for the new lineup was the singer Terry Reid; even though he didn’t accept the offer, his suggestion probably changed Led Zeppelin’s destiny forever. Reid wanted them to consider Robert Plant, who performed in Band of Joy and Hobbstweedle.
Robert Plant became their new vocalist in the late ’80s, then John Bonham, and finally, John Paul Jones joined Led Zeppelin along with Page and Plant. The four highly talented artists created unmatchable works that would significantly influence the next generation of musicians. Thus, there’s no doubt that Plant and Page’s first meeting was a memorable moment for their fans, and it was a make-or-break moment for both musicians.
Jimmy Page Had One Expectation From Robert Plant
Led Zeppelin released their self-titled debut studio album on January 12, 1969, in the USA, and on March 31 in the UK, which got critical acclaim thanks to combining blues and rock in their works. Even in their first release, the band proved that they would contribute to rock music with their new approaches and styles. In addition, the group both used their original songs and covered or recreated versions of famous songs.
One of them was ‘Dazed and Confused,’ which was a folk song created by American singer-songwriter Jake Holmes, and it took place on his ”The Above Ground Sound’ of Jake Holmes’ album. Different rock bands such as The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin wished to use the song’s rearranged versions. Of course, the common feature of these groups was Page, and he used the iconic track in Led Zeppelin’s eponymous record.
Another song Led Zeppelin adapted was Anne Bredon’s ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,’ When the guitarist listened to Joan Baez’s performance, he made some changes to make it a part of their album. Later, the band paid Bredon for royalties after it became popular.
Moreover, the Led Zeppelin icon revealed that he played two classics, ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ to Plant when they first met in late July 1968 at Page’s riverside home at Pangbourne. While Page was performing these tracks, Plant accompanied him by singing. The musician also added that if Plant didn’t want to do it, or their chemistry didn’t work, he had to find a new singer for Led Zeppelin, but thankfully the singer agreed to collaborate with him.
Page recalled those moments, saying:
“The approach to ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ was unlike anything that anybody had never done before with the acoustic and electric guitars, blending, dynamics, and tension, the drums. I’d worked when I first met Robert. I brought him into my house, and I played him ‘Dazed and Confused’ that The Yardbirds did.
Amongst the other things, I played him ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.’ I played in the source material of Joan Baez, and I said, ‘You sing this around, and I’m going to play, and you’ll see what I’m doing.’ It was really good. He was mutable and wanted to get into it because otherwise, I had to look for someone else.”
You can check out the songs below.
