Mick Jagger Recalls Early Sessions With Led Zeppelin Members

While talking to the BBC about the newly released “Scarlet” — the Rolling Stones' recently uncovered 1974 team-up with Jimmy Page — Mick Jagger looked back to some early sessions with the Led Zeppelin crew.

Jagger shed light on when he first crossed paths with the guys in Zeppelin: “Very early on, we're going 10 years before ('Scarlet') — I used to produce records. I did this record 'Out Of Time' for Chris Farlowe (in 1966), which was a very successful record in the early-'60s. Keith (Richards) and I wrote it, and I used to be a producer — it was fun for me. I was sort of learning the trade, so to speak, and it was all played live, of course. And the backing musicians, one of them was Jimmy Page, and he was one of the best session guitarists at the time. He was very young, they used to play chess in between takes, that was their thing.”

Jagger went on to say, “That's how I met Jimmy, and that's how I met John Paul Jones — because he was the bass player. So I knew Jimmy from then, and I knew John Paul Jones from then, and then. . . they made this very successful band.”

He went on to reveal, “I used to go watch them live, I remember watching their concerts live, it was great — thunderous racket. And I saw their last concert (in 2007) as well. And I was so disappointed they didn't actually go on (a reunion) tour and do it. But that's their business, not mine.”

Mick Jagger conceded that by the 1980's, rock as a cultural movement, had moved firmly into the mainstream: “There's no alternative. Parents all like rock n' roll. I was saying this earlier; my parents all hated rock n' roll. But, I mean, there's very few parents — most parents now love it. Which is kinda. . . I mean, I guess, it has to be said, it's kind of nice, y'know? Children, say, 'Hey, I didn't know you've got that Bob Dylan record, Daddy. I've never heard that one — I've only got the most recent one.' What can you say? There's nothing, there's nothing that's really going to shock you. It's all been done before. And I just offer the same thing as I've always offered and hope people like it.”