Five surprising songs with Jimmy Page on guitar

Page played on a wide variety of recordings, from sentimental pop ballads and film themes to proto-punk garage rockers and psychedelic folk singles. In addition, he was privileged to play on records released by each of the “big four” British Invasion bands. The Beatles’ soundtrack album for The night of a hard day The album also features Page playing background music. He was hired by the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and The Who for studio sessions early in their careers.

Some of Page’s contributions to seminal songs of the mid-1960s are particularly surprising. Others are even disputed, although there is evidence that he worked on the recordings in question. Here we list some of the greatest songs that Page helped record.

Five songs from the 1960s with Jimmy Page:

“Goldfinger” – Shirley Bassey

Shirley Bassey’s bombastic James Bond The theme is one of the most popular in the history of the film series. What is not widely known, however, is that the acoustic guitar heard throughout the piece is played by a young Jimmy Page, barely out of his teens.

For the basic rhythm part, with some flamenco influences, Page played a classical guitar alongside the orchestra of the original Bond theme composer John Barry – no small achievement when starting out so early in one’s career as a musician.

“Gloria” – She

There is some controversy surrounding this inclusion on our list, as neither Page nor “Gloria” songwriter Van Morrison have ever conclusively confirmed or denied that he played on the seminal track. However, the song began life as a B-side to the single “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” which was recorded at the same session.

Page was credited with playing the rhythm guitar part on this Muddy Waters cover, and Them lead guitarist Billy Harrison has confirmed that the future Zeppelin founder was involved in the session. In fact, unlike Morrison, Harrison and the other members of his band seemed quite upset about it.

Them’s recording of “Gloria” features at least two guitar parts, including Harrison’s excellent riff after the chorus. It’s likely that the song is played by two drummers, as you can hear different drum parts on the way to the climax, so there’s no reason why there aren’t also two rhythm guitar parts on the record, including one from Page.

Although there are no official credits for the recording of the song, Every musicIt is assumed that all musicians present played on it. And Page was definitely there.

“Downtown” – Petula Clark

The definitive single from one of Britain’s best-known music hall singers of the 1950s is another unexpected episode from the early days of Page’s career. The 31-year-old Clark’s star was already on the wane before she recorded “Downtown,” on which Page was one of three session guitarists.

His part is largely lost in the mix due to the piece’s distinctive piano accompaniment and orchestral crescendos. But he got to play alongside Vic Flick, the guitarist known for his lead part in the main “James Bond” theme, and Big Jim Sullivan, with whom he re-recorded Dave Berry’s hit single “The Crying Game.”

“I can’t explain it” – The Who

Another case where Page’s role in a studio recording has been questioned is The Who’s debut single, on which he nonetheless plays guitar. His contribution has been acknowledged by songwriter and Who guitarist Pete Townshend, the song’s producer Shel Talmy, Page himself and most recently on The Howard Stern ShowRoger Daltrey, singer of The Who.

It’s true that Page has downplayed his appearance on the recording in recent years, saying he was merely playing “the riff underneath” the lead guitar part that Townshend was playing and therefore wasn’t really audible. But a credit is a credit.

“Sunshine Superman” – Donovan

This number one single, one of Donovan’s best known songs and a surprise hit in the US, was where Page began to fully exploit his guitar skills. His lead part imitates a slide guitar through clever adjustments of the volume control in the middle section, giving the otherwise cheerful song a slightly eerie, offbeat atmosphere.

Page continued to experiment with guitar sounds when he joined the Yardbirds six months after recording “Sunshine Superman.” The song set him on the path to the unprecedented sonic innovations he achieved on Led Zeppelin’s canon of legendary guitar records.

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