Quote Originally Posted by CMK View Post
Like most of us that are closer to death than puberty
Now there is a game changer in itself.......


Jimmy Page was a major game changer for me but not for his songwriting or guitar playing, both of which I love.
Up until I bought my first Led Zeppelin record, if I ever noticed a producer, he was either the discoverer of the band or not one of the band. They were kind of remote but mythically grandiose figures without whom a record couldn't be made.
But I knew Page was part of Led Zeppelin because around Xmas '79, 6 books I got or came across talked about Zeppelin and they fuelled in me a deep thirst for Zep and a desire to hear their music. And when I eventually came across their stuff, I noticed that he was listed as the producer.
Although I didn't realize it at the time, just seeing "Produced by Jimmy Page" was a subliminal seed that was to alter the way I approached music making and eventually led to me becoming a home recorder. Up until having Zeppelin records, I still thought in terms of the George Martin/Andrew Loog Oldham type figure even though I wasn't clear about exactly what a producer actually did. But thanks to Page {he wasn't the first, Alan Osmond probably was, but Page was the first one I noticed } as early as I really wanted to make my own music came the need to be in control, however badly, of every level, songwriting, performing, tracking, mixing, producing. I know a number of people here frequently advise against the wearing of all the hats, the logic being that it's better to master one facet than be sort of passable in all, but from early in the day, I never bought that. I wanted to be involved at every juncture. Handing any of the stages over would be like being on trial for my life and handing everything over to a lawyer who alone would speak for me. Having done that on a couple of occasions {lawyer or union rep} and been burned and having represented myself and been burned, given the outcome, I'll represent myself, thank you ! And so it is with music. I may be rubbish at some of the levels but it's, overall, for the most part, rubbish I'm happy with.
I have Jimmy Page to thank for that. And he doesn't even know it !