Pete Thorn said in the most recent edition of Guitarist that Jimmy Page‘s appeal is not due to his perfect technique but more to his flaws and human side.
The musician offered the following analysis on Page’s aesthetic:
“Jimmy Page’s playing was like a stream of consciousness – it was about freedom of ideas. He didn’t care about things like mistakes, I don’t think. Like when you watch some of his solos, especially live, it’s really magical.
He’s the ultimate guy to listen to and try to absorb if you’re uptight about your playing and worried about making mistakes… Because that doesn’t exist in his world.”
Thorn then saw the engaging and accessible human element in the Led Zeppelin icon’s playing:
“It’s all cool. It’s a really appealing sound because it’s so human. That and the fact that he doesn’t choke. He might make an error or do something that’s not technically correct.
But he never chokes – he always moves on to the next thing. And that’s part of his sound, and it’s the beauty of his playing. It’s so magical and so rock ‘n’ roll, in a way.”
Nevertheless, the musician keeps getting praise from his peers. Joe Satriani stated his respect for Page’s gutsy playing style in a 2021 interview with Classic Rock. Although Joe admitted that he wasn’t always the most proficient guitarist, Jimmy stood out for his personality and drive.
Satriani said: “I love that Page would always just go for it. He may not have thought he could always pull it off; some other guitar player might have better technique, but what Page did would always trump it because the spirit was so overwhelming. Whatever he did on guitar would turn into a technique.”
In a February interview with Total Guitar, Brian May praised the guitarist by referring to him as “the master of the riff and the master of getting lost deliberately in time signatures.” Steve Stevens and Phil Collen focused on how his musical abilities went beyond just playing notes on the guitar in subsequent interviews.
