The Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson: “Anyone who calls Jimmy Page sloppy – f*** that. He’s a god of guitar”

Jimmy Page is a legend of the guitar sphere; his work in Led Zeppelin and beyond has immortalised him in the pantheon of rock and roll. But like any world-renowned guitar player, his playing is not everybody’s cup of tea. Fortunately, though, Page has his share of staunch supporters who are ready to defend his name against the naysayers.

In a new interview with Guitar World, The Black Crowes‘ Rich Robinson hits back at anyone who would call Page’s playing “sloppy”, calling him a “god of guitar”.

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“Anyone who calls him sloppy or whatever, fuck that. He’s a god of guitar, which should be obvious,” Robinson says, reflecting on his previous tours with the Led Zeppelin legend. “So, to get up there and play those Zeppelin songs with him and then to have him play my songs during those two summers that we toured with him, those are some of the best moments of my life.”

He adds: “Jimmy meant as much to me as anyone… I mean… to sit there and play with Jimmy Page was an experience I’ll take with me forever. His compositional approach, acoustic playing, and rhythm playing were all on a plane he only existed in.

“And his solos are so tasteful and filled with these moments where he ebbs back and forth with these beautiful melodies. What can I say? He’s fucking unbelievable. Jimmy is straight-up amazing.”

He concludes: “He’s just one of those guys who can take apart those songs and inject this tone and feeling that you can’t duplicate, no matter how hard you try.

“Having listened to and loved his music my whole life and then having played with him, I have absolute respect and reverence for Jimmy. When I look back on the entire thing, taking the stage with him was nothing short of a gift for me.”

Page teamed up with The Black Crowes in the summer and autumn of 1999 to play 11 shows together, including the two performances known as Live at the Greek: Excess All Areas. It was originally supposed to be a 50-date tour, but Page had to pull out early due to unforeseen circumstances.