Watch Jimmy Page & David Coverdale’s Finland Interview In 1993

Coverdale/Page was a band that featured Jimmy Page (ex-Led Zeppelin guitarist) and David Coverdale (ex-Whitesnake and Deep Purple vocalist). The pairing of Page, a legendary guitarist, and Coverdale, who was often accused of imitating or ripping off Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, appeared strange when it first began in 1991. While Page’s career after Zeppelin was mostly stagnant in the 1980s, save for a brief stint with The Firm, Coverdale’s professional credibility was riding high at the start of the nineties, thanks largely to the recent commercial heights of Whitesnake.

In 1991, Coverdale and Page formally launched the project with a series of mediocre recordings. Once the songs for the self-titled album were written, they were recorded across the Atlantic in the winter of 1991–1992. The record itself, however, was held up in post-production for nearly a year, ultimately being released in March 1993.

The album is clearly steeped in blues (the tracks show a clever combination of harmonica and guitar), but the production is more open than Page’s 1970s work, giving each instrument more room to shine. The album is a welcome departure from the overwrought instrumentals of their later work, but Coverdale still had to justify his presence as more than just a Robert Plant stand-in.

“Comparisons are inevitable,” the Coverdale explained. “You have David Coverdale and Jimmy Page working together; then there are bound to be similarities to former works because that’s who we are.”

But no matter how much hate the two had gotten for their collaboration, it seems as tough Page was unfazed. The two decided to get together when Page was becoming increasingly frustrated with having no inspiration to follow through, and Coverdale was fed up with being the face of Whitesnake. Through a suggestion from a mutual friend, the two musicians collaborated, thus creating the album, Coverdale-Page.

In a 1993 promotional interview from the Finland TV program, Coverdale and Page answered some questions on how they got together and the lengths it took for them to collaborate. At the end of the day, the two could conclude that they had fun making the album.

“We really do have a good time together,” Coverdale spoke. “Which [has] never interfered with work. We’re both extremely conscientious professionals, and once again, I think throughout as now, neither one of us want to let aside down.”

You can watch the full interview below.