Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones Recalls “Most Unusual” and “Imposing” Collab of His Early Career

Years before he would become the bassist of one of the most popular rock bands in the world, Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones was cutting his teeth as a session player, running in the same circles as his fellow hired hand and future bandmate Jimmy Page. During Jones’ days as a studio musician in the early 1960s, he rubbed elbows with countless artists with varying degrees of celebrity.

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However, he credited one collaboration in particular to be one of the “most unusual” of his career—and not just because there was a toddler wreaking havoc on the studio that day.

Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones Describes “Unusual” Collab

John Paul Jones enjoyed a prolific studio musician career in the mid-1960s, contributing various instrumental performances to records by the Rolling Stones, Donovan, Cat Stevens, Jeff Beck, and Tom Jones, among many others. When a player gains that much experience in a relatively short amount of time, there is usually little that will intimidate them on the job. But there was a notable exception to this rule: Nico.

The German actor, model, and songwriter crossed paths with Jones while he was still doing session work. While he didn’t make any final album versions of Nico’s songs, he did get to experience her mannerisms and musical performances firsthand as he played on her demo recordings. “She sang “Blowin’ in the Wind” in the most unusual manner,” Jones recalled to Classic Rock. “I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, to be honest. But she was certainly something unusual. Very imposing too, about a head taller than me.”

He continued, “When I heard her later stuff, it sort of made sense, though. The music was so austere. I remember the session well, because Ari, her son, was with her and spent the whole time just tearing the studio apart. He was wild, running around and causing havoc.”

Nico Had Quite The Effect On The Rolling Stones, Too

Nico found herself in the studio with the future members of Led Zeppelin thanks to another iconic British rock band: the Rolling Stones. Founding member Brian Wilson brought Nico, who was modeling in Paris at the time, to the Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Wilson asked Oldham if he would consider recording Nico, and Oldham obliged. The Stones had already suggested Marianne Faithfull as a promising recording artist, and they turned out to be right. “I thought I could tell who could sing just by hearing their speaking voice,” Oldham recalled. “And what a voice Nico had.”

Oldham sent Nico to the studio with John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, who Oldham said found her “totally scrumptious. We weren’t used to this European allure. She was no doormat. She was a lethal woman…a new breed of woman, like Anita Pallenberg and Yoko Ono, who could have been a man. Like Carla Bruni is today.”

Ultimately, Oldham’s collaboration with Nico proved to be a flop. “I made the mistake of recording her with a big orchestra. It was a Gordon Lightfoot song, and it just didn’t swing. Decca rejected it, and I hated it. It was in the wrong key. Her voice sounded like a horse on steroids.”

Based on Oldham’s recollection, it would seem that Jones’ description of her “most unusual” performance was spot-on.

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