UAWIL #216: The Firm featuring Jimmy Page & Paul Rodgers

The Ugly American Werewolf in London Rock Podcast

Jimmy Page was in rough shape by the end of Led Zeppelin. His addictions had ravaged his body and he didn't contribute nearly as much to 1979's In Through The Out Door as he did all previous Zeppelin records. After the death of John Bonham, Jimmy fulfilled his obligations to release Coda, provided the soundtrack to Death Wish 2 as a favor to his neighbor and embarked on a brief fundraiser tour with lots of legends - The ARMS Tour. But he hadn't been very creative and wasn't keeping himself in match shape. After spending some time with his Swan Song brother Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), he concocted a plan to put together a new supergroup for the 80s. WIth Rodgers handling vocal and primary songwriter duties, Jimmy also enlisted Chris Slade (Tom Jones, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, AC/DC, UAWIL #91 guest) and "The Fretless Monster" Tony Franklin who he worked with on Roy Harper's album Whatever Happened to Jugula?

This powerful lineup was to be the vehicle that would rejuvenate Jimmy Page and put him back on the road to superstardom. However, Page's contributions weren't what fans had come to expect from the guitar hero and it seemed that Jimmy was a bit out of place in a world dominated by MTV. Single Radioactive was an AOR hit and showcased a bit of what the band could do, ultimately helping their self-titled debut to gold status in the US. But most of the album is uneven and Page isn't showing up with the killer solos that were his calling card. However, Tony Franklin is an absolute monster on this record, filling in the gaps that Page leaves between his flourishes and playing well off the ever steady Slade. While Rodgers vocals are as strong as ever, his songwriting doesn't quite live up to the standard of his previous bands. It was a solid debut which led to a strong sophomore effort in Mean Business (1986) but because it celebrates it's 40th on February 11, 2025, we thought we'd take a hard look at The Firm and why it didn't hit the heights we all hoped it would

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