'It Might Get Loud' makes U.S. premiere at Sundance Film Festival

Was anybody there at the first U.S. showing of "It Might Get Loud," the guitar documentary starring Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge? Like to comment?

I do know that in the film, Jimmy Page performs the following songs alone in the movie: "Embryo No. 1," "Ramble On," "The Battle of Evermore," "Whole Lotta Love" and "Embryo No. 2."

Don't recognize the first and last of these titles? That's because they're new original music by Page. Director Davis Guggenheim (shown at right, with Page) says, "Jimmy played us previews of two new tracks he was writing -- both of which actually ended up in the movie."

Page himself mentioned his new musical pieces when he was interviewed last March by David Cavanagh. "They're the sort of vehicles and frameworks that could be applied [or] used in various situations," Page said, as quoted in the May 2008 issue of Uncut magazine. "I might have one thing that could be just as easily recorded with an ethnic drum orchestra as with a rock 'n' roll band. Do you see what I mean? Or you could play it acoustic. It's the application of it. But I'm ready. I'm ready, now, to present the stuff that I've got."

Also in the movie, Page, Edge and White jam on the following songs at an arranged "summit": U2's "I Will Follow," White's "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," the Band's "The Weight" and Led Zeppelin's "In My Time of Dying."

The movie interpolates recordings of Led Zeppelin playing "How Many More Times," "When the Levee Breaks," "The Battle of Evermore," "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Whole Lotta Love," "White Summer," "Going to California," "The Rain Song," "Stairway to Heaven" and "Ten Years Gone."

So, there are tons of Zeppelin moments in this movie, probably none greater than the scene in which Page turns tour guide at Headley Grange and recounts what it was like to record Zep's fourth album there, and how they mic'ed up John Bonham's drums. That's one story I've read a number of times, but to hear Page tell it in his own words while seeing him there has to be on a totally different level. I can't wait to see this film.

It will be distributed this summer, but first it will be shown four more times at Sundance. Hopefully, somebody who has seen the movie will chime in here with a review!