Customer Reviews

Outrider

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

For those dogs that like their Led Zeppelin without any frills, this is the bone for you. Years after the tragic end to Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page released Outrider to very little fanfare, but if guitar rock is your thing, then this is definetly one for you, not a single keyboard used, and don't let that fool you into thinking the sound isn't full, think again this is Mr. Jimmy Page we're talking about here. Jason Bonham occupies the drum stool for seven of the nine tracks, and a more than adequate job he does of it to, you can never compare two musicians fairly, but let us just say that his father would have been more than proud. To these floppy ears it's the instrumentals on the album that really take the biscuit, showing the likes of Eric Johnson & Kenny Wayne Shepherd how to play with flash but keep it interesting. Although all the songs sound as if they have been recorded by a band who've known each other for years, actually Jimmy uses 2 drummers, 3 bassists & spread over the 6 vocal tracks 3 vocalists, the very underrated John Miles (he of "music" fame) handles the first brace with his usual aplomb. Chris Farlowe ("Tears Go By", Atomic Rooster & Colosseum) takes the final curtain calls, when he engagingly stutters his opening delivery of "I've be a b-b-b-b-b-bad b-boy and I've been a bad boy all night long" you can actually hear him smirk & wink over Page's bleeding electric guitar, of course after this the lyrics descend even further into bloke rock, and the guys seem to be having the time of their lives. The final vocalist used is of course Jimmy Page's old sparring partner, Percy himself Mr. Robert Plant, and it's a credit to the other two that this song is not the stand out track of the album, I think that has to go to the 12-bar of "Prison Blues", if Mott could get his paws round a guitar neck, this is the way he'd play guitar, with legs astride, head thrown back, in front of 250,000 screaming women. As in the last quote this album may be a little self indulgent, but they sure don't make albums like this anymore, and to make sure it was just right Jimmy Page even produced the whole thing himself. If you still not convinced, try lending an ear to Jimmy Page's latest release with the Black Crowes where he revamps his old Led Zeppelin Catalogue as well as bashing through some old chestnuts. Listen & Believe. Mott the Dog.

All right, anytime there is a review of Jimmy Page you have to tread lightly, especially the post-Zep stuff. Well, I'm here to tell you that this album is very, very tasty. Great chops displayed here throughout, any serious fan of Zep or Pagey's playing needs this in their collection.

I don't know what it is, but the man has the tone of the ages, my favorite for sure. Wow. This album is worth it for Prison Blues alone, and I'm seeing it for sale used at .99 cents, come one! No brainer. Prison Blues is blues as only Pagey can play it, "somewhere left of heaven" as Plant described it once.

Great to hear Plant and Page together on one song as well. Highlights for me are Prison Blues, Emerald Eyes, Liquid Mercury, and the Plant and Page collaboration The Only One.

Play this loud, you won't be disappointed. Check out The Firm albums as well, and while you're at it pick up The Black Crowes collaboration with Pagey. Thanks Jimmy, we love ya!

I have been reading these reviews totally slamming this album. Like Robert Plant, Jimmy Page is NOT Led Zeppelin, these two are halves of the whole that was Led Zeppelin. If that is what you want to hear, PLAY A ZEPPELIN ALBUM for God's sake! I bought this album when it first came out and loved it for what it was. I liked the instrumentals in particular. I got to meet Jimmy Page when he went on tour in Atlanta (he is so little) and experiencing this concert was so amazing. He is a master improvisationalist and quite a showman, even when/if he goofs up. I am not writing this review to review the concert, but the Outrider album.

While I had never heard of John Miles or Chris Farley, the vocals fit for the songs they sang on this album. This album, for the time, had fresh sound and clear direction in the production. "The Writes of Winter", "Prison Blues" and "Emerald Eyes" are my favorite tracks. Robert Plant, I do admit, does sound hurried in "The Only One", and Chris Farley does an excellent job in "My Hummingbird". My least favorite track is "Blues Anthem", it sounded too main stream. All in all, its a good album with more of a vocal effort than with "The Firm". Jimmy doesn't do too well with musicians and vocalists that don't improvise; these guys did in concert, and that is all that mattered at the time. Thumbs up!

"Prison Blues": Absolute blooooze; very slow, great singing by Chris Farlow with Page doing his usual Page-esque, dirty bends and cramming fills. And the great song "The Only One", featuring Jason Bonham and Robert Plant on drums and vocals, respectively.

Some can take or leave the other cuts on the album, but bear in mind this 1988 effort featured a theretofore unheard-of collaboration between Page and Plant, and excellent drumming by Bonham's son. Some of you might remember: In the late 80s, this was incredible--nobody thought there'd be a coming-together of these talents again after Zeppelin disbanded.

This album contains some fine instrumentals like Writes of Winter, Liquid Mercury and Emerald Eyes that succeed in capturing the power, mystique and musical sophisitication of Led Zeppelin. Unfortunately, these tracks are outweighed by bland 80's hard rock drivel like Wanna Make Love and cheesy blooze rock filler like Prison Blues. Jason Bonham, lacking the subtlety and dexterity of his late father, fails to impress as does Robert Plant in his guest appearance on The Only One. John Miles is a better vocalist than Chris Farlow, but that's not saying much. Worth owning if you are a diehard Page fan, but the casual Zep fan should probably pass.

Please note that this sounds nothing like Led Zeppelin, not even the song he does with Robert Plant, but sounding like Zeppelin wasnt the point. I wouldnt call this "Bar Music" either, because I'd be in a huge state of confusion if I heard this at the local bar. I thought this was disappointing for 2 reasons: 1. Chris Farlow...sure, he was good on Who's To Blame from the Death Wish II soundtrack, but that's it. I think his low notes bend out alot when he carries a tune. Maybe it was the way that the potential blues songs were created, but I just couldn't stand his voice on the songs here on Outrider. and 2: More songs should would be nice. Only 9 songs, I was wondering where the rest were at. Now, on to the highlights. The very first song, Wasting My Time, has a sweet riff that sounds fun every time, Page really did a good job on this song. Liquid Mercury was a rocker that had excellent drums and tempo changes/jumps. Now, Emerald Eyes, I thought, is the best song on here. It's very moody as well as heartfelt. It really does sound like this could pass for a love tune, if added vocals to it. The riff is excellent, and Page's playing is as good as it was 19 years ago (from 1988, that is). This is worth it for the die-hard Jimmy Page fan, for which I am.

Man! can you belive the price? Jimmy toured on this lp. And it wasgreat! The opening song was WASTING MY TIME. Sad though thateverything he does is compared to Zeppelin:-( Three instramentals included. Robert pops in on THE ONLY ONE. Good job Bob! PRISON BLUES starts off with a wicked overdriven blues riff that just screams all the way through to the other side of your skull,man! HUMMINGBIRD is light mix radio stuff. BLUES ANTHEM is probably the only song ever by Jimmy I dare call boring. After the FIRM (who were great!) and before COVERDALE.(also great!) OUTRIDER stands on it's own as testament to a man & his guitar, against the world! Still cant belive the price? Should be $18.00 or more. Get it now before they get wise! Only question Jimmy,Who cut your hair,man?

THIS ALBUM ROCKS.... I AM A HUGE ZEPPELIN FAN... BUT ALSO A HUGE 80'S ROCK FAN. THE SONGS MOLD THE TWO OF THOSE STYLES TOGETHER.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OTHER REVIEWERS ARE TALKING ABOUT.

When Jimmy Page disbanded The Firm late 1986 he started work on what would come to be Outrider. At first he had a double album in mind, each of the four sides covering rock, blues, acoustic, experimental. As it happened he unfortunately released it as a single album.
With Jason Bonham on drums on seven of the nine tracks - the other two featuring Barrymore Barlow - he was definitely focused on the project, after all it was his first proper solo album. The Firm had been a disappointment and he had to show himself he could still produce great music. And that's what he managed to accomplish - Outrider is not a classic by a small measure of creativity.
By using three singers - John Miles, Robert Plant & Chris Farlow - Jimmy brought versatility to the music, although ultimately this might've been its main flaw because it also created an inconsistency.
The three instrumental tracks, on the other hand, sound great on their own and they are worthy of Jimmy. Also worthy of credit is the production which makes the music sound live and strong - far from the terribly dated productions of the day.
So overall this is a great album that shouldn't be overlooked if you are a fan.

When the world appears to be totally messed up, the tough turn on, drop out and tune in to music. Now it sure don't bother me none what gets ya through the night, and it don't make a lot a diff'rence as to what grooves ya, but the blues sure grooves me at times like this. So when I went rummaging through the bargain bin at my local used record store a few weeks ago and found "Outrider" by Jimmy Page for less that a pint of Jack Daniels, I scarfed it up right away. After stripping the shrink wrap off and plopping the shiny metal disc into my mobile cd changer, I cranked it to five (but what's numbers...it was way loud, dig)?

What I heard is simply the best 40 minutes of blues drenched heavy rock that's gotten my attention in a long time. This record never received much airplay when it was released back in September 1988, because there were a slew of Zeppelin imitators that had gotten onto the radio first. So when the real thing arrived in the form of a Jimmy Page solo album, with special guests Jason Bonham and Robert Plant, the radio folks said, nah, it's not commercial enough. The record charted and then fell like an iron dirgible, or something like that. The result was that the record has and continues to languish in bargain bins all over the Western Hemisphere. But give credit to the wonderful folks at Geffen who released it in the first place and who are now doing us a favor, by cutting the price to, "rock bottom" to get the, er "lead" out of their inventory, so to speak.

I had heard some of the record 18 years ago on cassette, but it didn't hit me how good it is until now. Most of the old Zep themes are revisited including wasting time, makin' love, and yes a song entitled "Prison Blues" (How ironic in light of recent world events involving blonde wannabe celebrities, eh). If you want guitar riffs that totally cut AC/DC, Jimmy Page was the man and on this album he really outdid himself reworking riffs and ideas he carved into rock riff legend on 'Led Zeppelin I' and 'In Through the Out Door'. Sadly, no music this good has been released by Jimmy since, in my humble opinion.

So trip out on this one and be sure to turn it up to really annoy your landlord or your passengers on your way to Chicago, or heaven or Kashmir.