‘I had never felt something like that before ‘ Jimmy Page opens up about his first rehearsal with Robert Plant

“I Had Never Felt Something Like That Before”: Jimmy Page Opens Up About His First Rehearsal with Robert Plant

 

When legendary guitarist Jimmy Page first met vocalist Robert Plant, it wasn’t just the start of a musical collaboration — it was the ignition of a rock ‘n’ roll revolution. Decades after the formation of Led Zeppelin, Page has opened up about the electric moment during their very first rehearsal, describing it as something unlike anything he had ever felt before. In his own words, “It was like the room caught fire. I had never felt something like that before.” That spark would soon evolve into one of the most powerful forces in music history.

 

The meeting came at a pivotal time. Following the breakup of The Yardbirds, Page was searching for something fresh — something transcendent. When he first heard about Robert Plant, the singer from the Midlands, Page was intrigued but cautious. “There were a lot of singers out there,” he recalled, “but very few who had the rawness and range that I was looking for.” After hearing Plant sing in person, however, Page was convinced. “He had a voice that seemed to come from the ground and the sky at once.”

Their first rehearsal took place in a small room in London, with Plant and Page joined by John Paul Jones and John Bonham. But as Page describes it, the moment he began playing and Plant responded vocally, something cosmic aligned. “It wasn’t just music — it was a conversation in thunder and lightning,” he said. “It felt as though we were unlocking something ancient and powerful.” The room, he insists, seemed to vibrate with a new energy, something primal and yet ethereal.

 

Page remembers that after they ran through a blues number, possibly “Train Kept A-Rollin’” or an early version of “Communication Breakdown,” everyone in the room exchanged glances that needed no words. “We didn’t have to say anything,” he said. “We all knew. We were part of something that was going to change everything.” For Page, it was more than just a rehearsal — it was a spiritual experience. “It was a possession, almost. We were just vessels for the sound.”

That singular rehearsal laid the foundation for Led Zeppelin’s debut album, which would be recorded shortly after and released in early 1969. The chemistry between Page and Plant — one forged not through calculation but through raw instinct and shared musical curiosity — became the lifeblood of the band. Their interplay, with Page’s guitar riffs weaving around Plant’s wailing vocals, set the tone for a new era of hard rock.

 

Page admits that he often reflects on that first session, even all these years later. “I’ve been on stages around the world, played in front of hundreds of thousands,” he said, “but that first moment with Robert, when the music first roared out of us — that’s a feeling that never faded.” He describes it as a moment of destiny, something that couldn’t be manufactured or planned. “It just *was*. And once it happened, there was no turning back.”

 

Now regarded as one of rock’s most iconic pairings, the partnership between Jimmy Page and Robert Plant still inspires awe and admiration. For Page, though, it all comes back to that first rehearsal — a moment when the universe tilted slightly and gave birth to a sound that still echoes through the ages. “It was magic,” he said. “And you don’t forget magic.”

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