Jimmy Page 'not famous enough to be recognized' in China?

Some Chinese newspapers have voiced their complaints over the closing Olympic festivities in Beijing, and Jimmy Page's name is caught up in it all.

Not that his name actually means anything to millions of people, apparently.

One of several quips printed by the state-owned media in the People's Republic of China is one that blasts the selection of Page to perform Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" at the Aug. 24 closing.

The Titan Sports Daily, China's top sports newspaper, said both singer Leona Lewis and Page "are absolutely not famous enough to be known or recognised by millions of the Chinese audiences."

I guess it is possible that in a remnant of Communism, even Led Zeppelin goes unheard of among many of the 1.3 billion citizens, of whom 111 million are users of a heavily censored Internet due to a restrictive government.

Come on, China. Do you want to know who's really not famous? Try Cameron Crowe. There's "almost famous" for you! (Is this thing on? Please, people, cultural refrences! Keep up with me here.)

In another Chinese piece, columnist Hi Yang for the Daily First newspaper criticized the combination of Lewis and Page, writing that they "were so incompatible, considering the singer is from our time while Jimmy Page is from the 70s."

Admittedly, Page did look a bit weary from having been cryogenically frozen for 28 years and then carted off immediately from London to Beijing. (I'll be here all week, folks. Try the moo shoo veal.)

See the Chinese comments for yourself, as reprinted by the British media.

'Whole Lotta Love' brought before world stage

The version of "Whole Lotta Love" performed by Jimmy Page with singer Leona Lewis at the closing ceremony of the Olympics, now having taken place in Beijing and aired on television in some parts of the world, was part of a spectacle that will presumably have drawn several hundred million viewers -- undoubtedly one of the biggest gigs a musician can possibly ever obtain.

Atop a red double-decker tour bus as found all throughout London, Page appeared with his long silver hair tied back in a pony tail, but only after a one-minute intro during which Lewis was elevated. Playing on a Les Paul, Page took command of the 39-year-old signature riff. An unseen rhythm section, seemingly prerecorded, laid down a faithful rendition of the song. Each chorus had some orchestral sounds that recreated the sound of Page's divebomber effect from the 1969 studio recording. The second verse gave way to a fiery guitar solo that was vintage Page.

After the song concluded, the performers strutted around to a continuing orchestral arrangement that was reminiscent of Faith No More's "Epic." As expected, David Beckham kicked a soccer ball into the crowd. It ended up as the souvenir of a Japanese woman in a parade.

What I want to know is who played drums!

Good luck finding clips on the Internet. It does appear that videos of the broadcasts are being removed from YouTube due to copyright claims.

Page's Olympics closer to be 'Whole Lotta Love,' says bassist Pratt

A bassist who has formerly worked with Jimmy Page has claimed he will be performing with the Led Zeppelin guitarist this Sunday, Aug. 24, during the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing.

Pratt, who played bass for Pink Floyd in the post-Roger Waters era, wrote in his blog on Aug. 19 that he will be on bass for a version of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" performed with Page and sung by U.K. talent show champion Leona Lewis.

His remarks came in a paragraph at the end of a blog posting dated Aug. 19 and were still available early on Aug. 21. However, the paragraph in question was removed at some point on Aug. 21, perhaps because it was intended for the song's identity to have been kept a secret.

Pratt's typed paragraph, including its original typos, read in full:

"You may also be interested to know t.at when Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis perform 'Whole Lotta Love' at the end of the Olpmpics, that's me playing bass on it…"

Pratt has performed onstage with Page before, including at Net Aid on Oct. 9, 1999, when they and drummer Michael Lee performed an instrumental version of "Dazed and Confused" and also debuted a new instrumental that turned out to be called "Domino."

Jimmy Page gets Olympic fever for star-studded close

The Mirror reports that Jimmy Page is to take part in an eight-minute spectacle produced by the United Kingdom for the Olympics' closing ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 24. Details about the event are limited, but the article says the guitarist is to play a duet with singer Leona Lewis.