The guitarist Joe Perry helped to form Aerosmith back in 1970, the same year that the most successful band of all time, The Beatles, came to an end. The group lasted only 10 years but caused a revolution not only in Rock and Roll but in many other music genres, showing different songwriting possibilities. George, Paul, Ringo and John became the best-selling band in history, with an estimated amount of more than 600 million records sold worldwide.
Of course, they were a huge influence for Aerosmith and for almost every other band that was formed during the following decades. However, for Joe Perry, there is another British band that was as important as The Beatles for music.
The band that Joe Perry said is as important as The Beatles
Joe Perry was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, not far from Boston. So he was able to see many incredible groups performing there when he was young. Those shows were crucial to inspire him to become a musician and to join a band. He saw many famous American bands but it was the British groups that caused a bigger impact on him. One of those bands was Led Zeppelin, the group that in his opinion was as important as The Beatles for music.
He said that when Led Zeppelin was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006. When he and Steven Tyler were interviewed, Perry said: “As far as breaking down barriers, they were as important as The Beatles”.
He already had shared all his love for the group when he and Tyler had the chance to induct them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage). During his speech he praised the band, focusing on Jimmy Page. He also said that Aerosmith wouldn’t exist without their music.
“I just want to say a couple of things about what Zeppelin means to me. 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.”
He continued:
“They played Blues, Funk, Rock, Reggae and ballads. 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.
“I’ve learned a lot from Jimmy Page. 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.”
Joe Perry continued:
“So, Jimmy, when you gonna show me how to play ‘The Rain Song’? (Laughs) 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.”
“A few months ago when I was having lunch with Jimmy Page in Buenos Aires (Argentina), he asked me to do this tonight. I felt like I was the one being honored,” Joe Perry said.
In his opinion, Jimmy Page composed the greatest guitar riff of all time
Joe Perry and Jimmy Page have been really good friends for decades. They already had the chance to perform together many times on special occasions. The American guitarist was always a huge admirer of Page’s work and when talking Guitar.com in 2002, he said that in his opinion “Whole Lotta Love” is the greatest guitar riff in history. The track was released on the 1969 album “Led Zeppelin II”.
“There’s so many of them. But, I guess if you go down the ‘less is more’ path, I think that Whole Lotta Love is the one. I mean, that opening thing, it’s almost a non-riff. It’s so primal that almost anybody can play it… but it’s so powerful.”
“To me, that is the epitome of simplicity. 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’,” Joe Perry said.
During the same conversation he said that he always has to pinch himself when standing close to Jimmy Page who is one of his biggest heroes. He also said that those encounters with the British guitarist always make him realize how far he went in his career, because he had the chance to meet incredible artists like Page.