A Firm Step Forward from Page

Mean Business

by the Firm

JIMMY PAGE, in his transition from Led Zeppelin to the Firm, has shelved his headlining status and satanic hooliganism and returned to his blues-based roots. On the Firm's languid first album, Page sounded like a sessionman rather than the guitar deity he was labeled during Zep's reign--not surprising since Page began his career as a sessionman for half of Britain, including the early Who. But on the Firm's new LP, Mean Business (Atlantic) Page begins to build up the band into more than just a mishmash of misfiring musicianship.

The Firm congealed two years ago after the ARMS benefit concert in London, in which Page and former Bad Company vocalist and Page chum Paul Rodgers combined talents for the first time. A few months after the concert, with the addition of drummer Chris Slade and bassist Tony Franklin, the Firm was incorporated.

At first, Business sounds much the same as last year's uninspired debut effort, but listen closer and you'll discover several excellent sections embedded within otherwise bland material. The liveliest, most adventuresome song here is the recently released single, "All the Kings Horses." Here Tony Franklin's keyboards actually dominate the song. They sweep up and down and back, then drop to near silence, except for Rodgers' cool and restrained vocals. Similar to the opening to Van Halen's 1984, the keyboards provide a musical foil for an oscillating rhythm section.

Directly following "Horses," "Live in Peace" is a lot like the cliched rock-ballads mourning Vietnam, disillusionment, and what square folks call "the '60s scene." Unlike banalities like Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69", though, "Peace" succeeds on the sincerity of Rodger's voice, as though the singer had gone through Viet Nam himself. Also Page makes his long awaited appearance: a clear long solo, something Page forgot during the Firm's '85 tour, comes slicing through here.

At first, these two songs trump all the others--at least side one's other offerings, "Fortune Hunter" and "Cadillac." But Page's hammering riffs on side two definitely make an impression. Page fanatics still mourning Zep's death in '80 will find their fill of guitar here, especially on "Dreaming" and "Spirit of Love," two instances where the master redeems the dull work of the debut.

UNLIKE LAST YEAR, Page and Rodgers are learning to blend their talents and create solid music. What is still missing, unfortunately, is true creativity. Page should contribute more than he does here, relieving Rodgers of the main songwriting burden. Page should also use his experience as Zep's board man and take over the production, currently shared by Page and Rodgers. Get Page into the music more, and the Firm should rise from a band with talent to a band worthy of Zeppelin's fame.