[The Horrible Esthete]

I disagree that there's nothing "magical" about a solo. I sometimes love to listen to live Zeppelin just to hear Page's incredible solo work. Also, some of my favourite moments in Hip songs are Rob's solos - especially from RA.

Word.

I also concur with this statement. Even Page's solos on the studio records are sometimes nothing short of 'magical'. I used to rewind some of those cassettes again and again and again just to drink in the substance....and there's gobs of it in almost EVERY song.

Funny thing is that Page isn't even one of the best "technical guitarists" i've heard - he is sloppy - lots of half-muted strings and flubs can be heard throughout the LZ catalogue. But the soul and the emotion and the feeling are as palpable in his work as any guitarist I've ever heard, and that INCLUDES Jimi and SRV.

~*~

I challenge anyone to turn the lights down low tonight, take a shot or puff or light that aromatic candle (or whatever it is you might do to get into an eclectic mood), put on No Quarter (Houses of the Holy), turn it up loud, and just listen intently to the texture and sound Page's guitar; after you hear his long solo (broken into two distinct "segments" over Jones' organ improvisation and Bonham's roll and fill-heavy drumming), if you don't find yourself flabbergasted by how in hell he could have possibly dreamed up that music in his head, then I'd have to think that some little part of you is dead to the wonders of musical ingenuity