(Credits: Far Out / 2025 Paradise Pictures Ltd)
When a band has existed with the same lineup from start to finish, it’s hard to even imagine what things would have been like if they’d invited another musician to join their illustrious ranks. Led Zeppelin are known for their core quartet, and trying to conceptualise throwing another element into the mix would be tricky to see where things would fit in.
Even though there are plenty of Led Zeppelin songs which introduce other instruments, such as the orchestral arrangements of ‘Kashmir’ to the luscious, sweeping Mellotron sounds on ‘The Rain Song’, it’s hard to see how these could be incorporated into their sound as permanent fixtures. Granted, John Paul Jones was a skilled multi-instrumentalist who added so many textural elements to the band’s later work, and Jimmy Page also brought out his skills on the mandolin on occasion, but finding space for another permanent member feels as though it would over-complicate things.
On top of that, who would even be a good fit for the lineup of a band like Led Zeppelin? Robert Plant rarely ever had anyone else providing backup vocals, largely because he filled enough space on his own with his voice, and Page could offer enough as both a rhythm and lead guitarist to the point that there would be no need for another guitarist to add an extra layer.
Of course, certain musicians would have been more than adept enough to hold their own in the band, and given Page’s previous work alongside the likes of Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, you’d think that these would have been among the prime candidates to have joined if they did ever wish to bolster their lineup. However, there’s one artist whom Page admired more than most, whom he would have loved to have had the opportunity to induct into the group, even if it would have required significant changes to be made to their sound to allow for it.
As a Joni Mitchell superfan, Page always thought that the Canadian singer-songwriter would have made a perfect addition to the group, and he had always secretly hoped that there would have been some form of opportunity for their paths to cross. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he would reveal that Mitchell was one of his favourite artists throughout the 1970s, and that both her work as a vocalist and guitarist was beyond comparison.
“I don’t think there are too many people who are capable of it. Maybe one. Joni Mitchell,” he proclaimed. “That’s the music that I play at home all the time. Court and Spark I love because I’d always hoped that she’d work with a band. But the main thing with Joni is that she’s able to look at something that’s happened to her, draw back and crystallise the whole situation, then write about it.”
He continued by arguing that nobody else resonates with him on an emotional level more than Mitchell. “She brings tears to my eyes, what more can I say?” he stated. “It’s bloody eerie. I can relate so much to what she says.” While the idea of her trying to slot in alongside Plant and Page seems out of place, even just one collaboration would undoubtedly have been majestic.
Related Topics
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.