Last Updated on 27 January 2026 by Massimo M.
Although there are some previous albums that testify to Jimmy Page’s solo activity, Outrider, released by Geffen Records on June 19, 1988, is the only truly recorded solo album ever released by the Led Zeppelin guitarist.
As of today, of course, we don’t put limits on the future.
Outrider is, as we said, Jimmy Page’s first solo album and it is also the first album that Page has released for a record label other than Atlantic Records / Swan Song Records since 1969.
In fact, as we know all Led Zeppelin records were also published by Atlantic.
Outrider was originally intended to be a double album. In fact, Page had a large amount of material to work on at the time. The project, however, had to be drastically curtailed when most of Page’s demo tapes were stolen, leaving him virtually without pre-production material.
The ultimate consequence of this situation was that the disc has a somewhat raw sound, not too refined, so much so that Page himself defined it as a “demo quality” disc.
However, there is a certain charm to many of the pieces on the album that are more sound-oriented than composition-oriented. This is largely because Page makes the precise choice to return decisively to the bluesy, rock-infused sound typical of the Led Zeppelin sound of almost two decades earlier.
The sound of Outrider is also affected by the transition situation that Page was experiencing at the time. In fact, the album was recorded when Page left The Firm, a supergroup in which he had played in the eighties, and had not yet put in place a whole series of collaborations, which will characterize his activity in the nineties, including a reunion with bandmate Robert Plant.
Six years before the collaboration with Plant, at the time of the release of Outrider, there were several collaborations between the different members of Zeppelin, including the appearance of Page, Plant and Jones together during the 40th reunion of Atlantic, Page which He appeared on stage at some of Plant and Plant’s solo concerts and wrote and performed a song in collaboration with Page for Outrider.
There is a distinct gap between the two sides of the album. The first side is dominated by the blues / rock sound, including two instrumentals along with the Page / Plant track and two songs that Page composed and recorded with singer John Miles. The second side instead contains much easier tracks and is characterized by the voice of singer Chris Farlowe on three of the four tracks.
“Wanna Make Love” is the real highlight of the first part with well defined guitar riffs and mixed slide guitars along with a good rock vocal melody from Miles.
“Wasting My Time” is the first of two tracks composed by page together with ex-firm partner Tony Franklyn. The song, which begins with Franklyn’s bass playing the lead, alternates perfectly between the quasi-riff chorus and verse sections, all held together only by the constant drums of Jason Bonham, Bonzo’s son.
“Writes of Winter” is the first riff-driven instrumental with a rousing rhythm that echoes Aerosmith’s Joe Perry who ironically cut his teeth imitating Page’s version of “Train Kept a Rolling”, the first song Zeppelin ever had. performed together.
“Liquid Mercury” is another heavy, riff-driven piece that sounds like the foundation of a real rock song should always sound. Barriemore Barlow plays drums on this track and the latest instrumental “Emerald Eyes”, a delicately strummed acoustic piece with interesting overdubbed tremolo effects.
The rest of the album features Farlowe on vocals.
Leon Russell’s “Hummingbird” is a moderate blues song that differs enormously from anything else on the first side, both musically and vocally.
“Prison Blues” contains sexual allusions in the lyrics, Page’s screeching guitar and Felix Krish’s solid bass.
“Blues Anthem (If I Cannot Have Your Love…)” closes the album with a true ballad that seems to have inspired the Black Crowes (another group Page will be joining in the future) a few years later. It’s a short, sweet acoustic wail to end a short, hectic album.
Outrider, from a sales point of view, did moderately well, reaching the Top 40 in several countries. In general, however, the album has not maintained much popularity over the years and, probably for this reason, Jimmy Page has not attempted any similar type of follow-up in subsequent years.
Track list
SIDE A
Wasting my Time (Page / Miles) – 4:28
Wanna Make Love (Page / Miles) – 5:20 am
Writes of Winter (Page) -3: 25
The Only One (Page / Plant) – 4:25
Liquid Mercury (Page) – 3:03
SIDE B
Hummingbird (Russell) – 5:22
Emerald Eyes (Page) – 3:20
Prison Blues (Page / Farlowe) – 7:07 am
Blues Anthem (If I Cannot have your Love …) (Page / Farlowe) – 3:20
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