29 December

 

when the magic takes the musician

Of all the songs Led Zeppelin (meaning with Bonzo, not after his death) played live or only played bits and pieces of, Ramble On is my favorite. I especially love the solid bass line through it, but mostly it's Jimmy Page's guitar work that gets me. So many different tones, volumes, emotions.

The studio version is a great start, but I love the O2 version maybe more. The fuzzy, at times harsh and brash guitar is so much more powerful than the sweet innocent one of the studio version. I love when that O2 guitar sings and fades, causing the crowd to roar.

But the next year, in 2008, the two JPs showed up at the Foo Fighter's gig at Wembley. Jimmy Page's Ramble On guitar sound was more laid back, not as harsh as at O2, but when his guitar sings, the magic is there.

Check out the ten seconds beginning at 2:50 for the most stab-in-the-heart guitar sequence ever. Watch JP's face, too, as that intense musical magic blows right through him!

2008