Venerable vocalist David Coverdale—he of Whitesnake, Deep Purple and Coverdale/Page fame—recently discussed Jimmy Page—and the guitarist's ongoing inability to reunite Led Zeppelin.
"The saddest thing for me, and my dear, dear, dear beloved friend Jimmy Page—I think one of the reasons he's explored the Zeppelin catalog so significantly is because he can't get the guys to commit to making a new record or touring," Coverdale told Sweden Rock Magazine (via Blabbermouth).
"Zeppelin's his baby, as Whitesnake is mine, but I'm very happy to say I have a fabulous fresh chapter of Whitesnake. I'm still a recording entity and I'm still a touring entity. The last two years have literally been the most successful we've had forever. It's been fabulous. Next year, God willing, won't be any different. This year, we're gonna be all studio, write a new album and have new product for next year.
"But Jimmy doesn't have that; he doesn't have an opportunity. I've recommended to him for years to do what Carlos Santana did with Supernatural [a successful 1999 album featuring guest vocalists]. Jimmy's got all these great songs. I said, 'I'm there for you. I'll do a couple of songs for you, without a doubt.' I said, 'Do something like Supernatural. At least you're playing.'
"It breaks my heart, 'cause he's such a fucking valuable musician. With what he's already given to us, he doesn't really owe us anything, but I just know that he's still valid and relevant and can still play amazing guitar and write amazing songs. Where do you go after fucking Led Zeppelin, dude? Where do you go?"
Of course, Page was able to get the band back together for a show in London in 2007; that performance was later released as Celebration Day. However, recent rumors that Led Zep would rock this year's Desert Trip have turned out to be, well, nonsense.
Here's a taste of Coverdale/Page performing Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" and "Kashmir" in 1993.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
