A WIZARD WHEEZE?
THE LATEST RELEASE FROM ZEP INC. — THE REMASTERED SOUNDTRACK TO THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME — BRINGS BACK PERILOUS MEMORIES FOR JUMMY PAGE.
THE SONG Remains The Same – the film and its soundtrack – have often been viewed as missteps in a career which, up until the movie’s release in October 1976, had been nigh-on unstoppable. In some respects, the film is symbolic of the turmoil that engulfed Led Zeppelin after Robert Plant was seriously injured in a car accident on Rhodes on August 4, 1975. As Plant writes in Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin, it would be seven months before he took his first step again, with soundman Benji LeFevre looking on as the singer fell on his face at the first attempt. With Plant laid up, the idea of a Led Zep movie (which had its roots in 1970, and an initial filmed performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall) was revived. In July 1973, they’d shot portions of their three-night run at New York’s Madison Square Garden, but that footage came with its own problems. “When we saw the original rushes they didn’t have any shots of Robert and they hadn’t captured the vocals properly,” explains Page. In the summer of 1974, Zeppelin repaired to Shepperton Studios in Surrey in a bid to capture the sound and images they needed. “But it wasn’t as simple as that,” Page continues, “because I had to try and replicate what I’d played in New York. That was more challenging for me because I was improvising through the original shows. But the most important thing was to get Robert covered.” In addition to the Shepperton footage, the band had some off-stage material and a series of fantasy sequences, designed to provide a brief glimpse into the lives and thoughts of the band members. Page chose to film his sequence at Boleskine House, the property on the banks of Loch Ness which he had purchased in 1970 and which once belonged to philosopher and occultist Aleister Crowley. “We all decided to do our own scenes but I don’t think we even discussed what each scene would consist of,” Page recalls. “[The film’s original director] Joe Massot filmed my scene at Loch Ness and the idea was that I would climb this escarpment. I said to him, I want to do it when there’s a full moon and snow there as well!” laughs Page. “So we went for the full moon and, lo and behold, there was actually snow there too when we started shooting. He thought that was quite magical. “The idea behind the scene was the adept aspiring towards the beacon of truth, the light, and he’s making the ascent. A perilous ascent, it should be said! Actually, there’s one point where a bloody rock comes away and I’m halfway up! I’m there like an idiot. It was even worse when I got to the top because they said ‘You’ve got to do it again.’ I thought, Oh my good gracious.” In the film’s best-known sequence, the guitarist transforms into a Gandalf-esque character carrying a lantern, based on The Hermit, a symbol of wisdom found in several spiritual traditions and the inner gatefold of Led Zeppelin IV. “I wanted to use the Hermit imagery,” says Page. “Then the beacon of light idea goes back to a [William] Holman Hunt pre-Raphaelite painting [The Light Of The World]. The idea was the journey of your life is being able to recognise the truth, the spiritual truth. But people can come up with any interpretation they want. “It was a spiritual thing that I wanted to reflect but, whatever anybody thought of that, the bed of it, the music, could be heard on its own. Visually, though, the whole thing builds to this crescendo with The Hermit and the bow. It is pretty good.” While he has never hidden his interests in esoteric spirituality, Page rarely discusses them in depth. “I don’t intend to really,” he says, “but The Song Remains The Same is out again and people will see that again so they may wonder what that scene’s all about, so it’s worth explaining it.” The Song Remains The Same (re-released on September 7) remains a flawed but entertaining experience. “The momentum of the show itself is really good,” says Page. “The performances are really great. Yes, it’s eccentric in parts but within the concert footage you can see how things were really done up close. As a musician, I’m always fascinated to see how other musicians do what they do, and the film really does that. It’s a historical testament.” Phil Alexander
"THE MOMENTUM OF THE SHOW IS REALLY GOOD. YES, IT'S ECCENTRIC IN PARTS." JIMMY PAGE