Tomorrow's theatrical premiere of "It Might Get Loud" in New York and Los Angeles allows people to hear the early workings of some new music Jimmy Page says is destined for a future project of his.
As Lemon Squeezings reported in April 2008, the movie contains instrumental numbers called "Embryo No. 1" and "Embryo No. 2." These are the first new compositions from Page released in any form since October 1999.
Now, Page tells Billboard magazine he intends to morph these, and other new tracks, into fully developed studio compositions.
In exactly what setting the "Embryo" pieces will emerge, Page didn't specify. But he did tell Billboard he had "played them with other musicians relatively recently, in the last year or so."
By this he might mean John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham, even possibly with Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy. It has been widely reported that those four considered assembling a band for some time last year, even to the point of rehearsing new music and eventually going out on tour to support an album release.
By the end of last year, that prospective band project was no longer being considered. Now, Jones has just debuted his new band, Them Crooked Vultures, reportedly after six months of rehearsals and studio recording. Page, meanwhile, seemed to have given no indication to his manager, Peter Mensch what projects he would be working on in 2009. Mensch said in an interview with MusicRadar this January, "F--- if I know" the direction in which Page's career would head.
Page now tells Billboard what's been going on and what he has in mind. "This year I've had quite a lot of things going on," he says, "sort of things relative to preparing for projects. There's a lot of groundwork that's been going into that so that I can be getting on with things next year. I really intend to be doing some playing and ... be seen, if you like. If you've got ambitious projects, they take time to put together if you're going to do them properly."
Page's last publicly disclosed comments on the subject came in June, as reported by the LA Weekly blog West Coast Sound. In that interview, Page said:
"I've got some new music. There's sort of little tastes and shades of it in the documentary. Bits. It's just a question of actually doing it now. Actually getting a project that I've had in mind for a while. I've just got to go and do it. Don't want to tell anyone about it. But, yes, I've got a big project I'm working on."
As for tomorrow's public premiere of his "Embryo" pieces in the film "It Might Get Loud," Page says he is excited. He's even hinting toward a future DVD release of the film packed with surplus footage of songs its starring guitarists played each other.
"It's inevitable there'll be a DVD on the horizon," he offers. "There'll be some extra stuff from the summit, that's obvious. I know there's another number I did. There was a lot that was played at the summit, that Edge did, I'm sure, and Jack. I'm sure there'll be a DVD, and I can tell you with a certain confidence there'll be extras because that's the way things work these days."
Theatrical release dates for "It Might Get Loud" in various U.S. cities stretch into October, and a U.K. premiere has been promised for this autumn. Sony Pictures Classic last year purchased widespread international distribution rights for the film, which has been screened at numerous festivals worldwide.
Update:
After watching "It Might Get Loud" in a theater twice today (Friday, Aug. 14), I couldn't pick out "Embryo No. 1" either time in the film. It's listed in the credits as having appeared very early on, but I listened for it twice and either missed it twice or it was not really there. Have any sharp-eyed readers spotted "Embryo No. 1" in the film?
Also, I was somewhat disappointed to learn that this so-called "new" composition, "Embryo No. 2," is a mere remake of the instrumental that was called "Domino" and included during a Net Aid set in October 1999 with Guy Pratt on bass and the late Michael Lee on drums.
If there was no "Embryo No. 1," and if "Embryo No. 2" is only an unfinished version of an instrumental track written 10 years ago, then perhaps Page isn't all that far into what he describes will be a "big project"!
Further update:
After my third screening of "It Might Get Loud," I realize "Embryo No. 1" is what's playing over the opening credits. Furthermore, it's what you hear in the background between seconds 25 and 53 on the trailer. Listen!
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