Keith Richards on Led Zeppelin: Praise for Jimmy Page, Critique for the Band
Keith Richards has never been one to hold back—and when it comes to his views on rock music, his words tend to cut through the noise like one of his iconic guitar riffs. As a founding force behind the Rolling Stones and a living embodiment of rock and blues authenticity, Richards has long believed that real rock ‘n’ roll is messy, raw, and bursting with soul. Polished perfection? Not his thing.
From the earliest days of the Stones, critics loved to compare them to The Beatles or question their grittier rhythm and blues sound. But Richards embraced the chaos, proudly rejecting the clean-cut mold many other bands tried to fit. To him, the Stones weren’t just a band—they were a rebellion. And in his eyes, that’s what real rock was supposed to be.
But when the 1970s brought a new wave of rock that leaned more on theatrics and production than raw energy, Richards wasn’t impressed. Leading that movement was Led Zeppelin. Though they achieved massive success and redefined rock’s commercial edge, Richards felt something was missing.
To Richards, Zeppelin’s music lacked the emotional spark that made earlier rock so electric. He saw them as technically impressive but creatively hollow. “I love Jimmy Page,” Richards once told Rolling Stone, “but as a band, no. With John Bonham thundering down the highway in an uncontrolled 18-wheeler… he had cornered the market there.”
Despite criticizing Led Zeppelin’s sound as overblown and soulless, Richards consistently gave credit where it was due. Jimmy Page, in his mind, was the saving grace. He saw Page as a masterful guitarist who somehow brought heart to a band Richards otherwise viewed as formulaic.
There was always this tension—admiring the magic of Page while dismissing the machine around him. For Richards, Page was the kind of player who could turn noise into music, elevating something he considered uninspired into something worth listening to.
In the end, even if Richards never bought into the Zeppelin myth, he never denied Jimmy Page’s brilliance. It’s a rare mix of blunt honesty and deep respect—classic Keith.
