Jimmy Page says Led Zeppelin was “The Best Band of All Time”

In an interview with Uncut magazine, legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page said that they were “The Best Band of All Time”, the guitarist based his argument on what he heard from fans and other musicians. He even talked about the members being at their best while the band was active.

He said:

“It’s really hard to say something like that and not sound conceited, but over the years, a lot of other musicians have told me they thought we were the best. I’m not talking about record sales or concert attendance, although I think we can hold our own with anyone.”

“What I mean is: when you talk about a band as a collaborative musical unit, we were the best. I am not talking about one or two genius songwriters, and everyone else tagging along. I am talking about a collection of musicians who are each at the top of their craft in their own right. In Led Zeppelin, we were exactly that.”

“If you are a young musician and you want to hear how a band works well together, then we’re a pretty good blueprint. John [Paul Jones] and me. Robert [Plant] and me. John Paul Jones and John Bonham. Every combination of the quartet could bring something special.”

The interviewer remembered an old Robert Plant interview, where the musician said they weren’t the best band in the world. Jimmy page commented that:

“Robert probably said, ‘Oh, well, there were a lot of great bands,’ to that interviewer because that is the gentlemanly reply. And I agree with him: there’s a lot of absolutely fantastic music out there made by lots of different artists. But when you are talking about rock ‘n’ roll alchemy, I had to say what I thought. We were the best.”

He also talked about the 2007 reunion

“It would have been nice to do more [shows after the 2007 one-off 02 Arena gig in London], but for one reason or another, we lost the momentum. There was willingness to play from John and me. But there you are.”