Look at the big tapestry that is music and many bands end up on the same big family tree. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry recognizes this and got to not only watch music history be made by the likes of the Beatles; he got to contribute to it, too. But there is actually another group Joe considers as important as the Beatles.
Rolling Stone ranks Perry as 84 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and in 2001, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Aerosmith. Comprised of Perry, Steven Tyler, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Brad Whitford, Aerosmith boasts a unique style blending glam metal, pop, heavy metal, and R&B in a way that inspired many other artists. But it is actually Led Zeppelin, not Aerosmith, that -year-old Perry calls the master of breaking barriers.
Joe Perry sings high praises for Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; on this occasion, both Perry and Tyler had the chance to be the ones ushering them into that esteemed place of honor. “I just want to say a couple of things about what Zeppelin means to me,” Perry said in his speech.
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He continued, “I love this band because they had no limits. They weren’t musical snobs, they never held on to anyone’s style. Zeppelin could change gear six times on one album.”
“They played Blues, Funk, Rock, Reggae and ballads,” he continued. “I think it’s laughable that some people still consider them just a Heavy Metal band. At least half of their best songs are acoustic. They were doing unplugged long before it was a hip thing to do.”
Perry put things into perspective
One guitarist to another, Perry gave a special shoutout to Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. “I’ve learned a lot from Jimmy Page,” he emphasized. “The best lesson was ‘don’t be afraid to play any instrument, stringed or otherwise. He played slide guitar, electric, acoustic, 12-string, bass, mandolin, sitar and dulcimer. He invented strange tunings, whatever it took to create the mood.”
Perry, who is also close friends with Page, considers Page’s “Whole Lotta Love” performance as the greatest guitar riff in history. “To me, that is the epitome of simplicity,” he explained. “It hits the very roots of the sexual aspect of the rhythm. And, as I’ve said, technically, it’s nothing. Jimmy Page can play just about anything. It really speaks of his genius that he was able to go: ‘Okay. This is what people want to hear.’” Holding a person’s music in such high regard, it’s no wonder Perry admitted he has trouble believing whenever he’s in proximity to Page.
In his speech, Perry teasingly asked Page to teach him a few numbers – and then made clear just how much his band owed them, saying, “So I know for Steven and the rest of our band (Aerosmith), when I say that Aerosmith wouldn’t exist in its present form without Led Zeppelin’s continuing inspiration.”
Jump ahead to 2006 and if that glowing review wasn’t enough, Perry jumped at the chance to emphasize Led Zeppelin’s importance once again when the band was inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame. Perry and Tyler were interviewed for the occasion, at which point Perry said, “As far as breaking down barriers, they were as important as The Beatles.”
Do you agree?