Rocker Steven Tyler auditioned as Robert Plant's replacement in Led Zeppelin after the Stairway To Heaven singer dropped out of a planned reunion tour in 2008. Tyler's former Aerosmith bandmate Joe Perry reveals the singer tried out for the vacant Led Zep job, but rehearsals with him, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were "shambolic".

Perry tells Classic Rock magazine, "Steven disappeared and I called around. Somebody said he was in London trying out for Led Zeppelin." The guitarist has since spoken to Page, who reportedly told him that Tyler was unfamiliar with the Led Zeppelin cataloge and was under the impression the band was recording new material. Perry says, "Page felt really awkward about the audition, but ultimately it was a group decision (to pass on Tyler)."

And the Aerosmith star, who is now looking for Tyler's replacement after the Jaded singer quit the band last year (09), hopes the Led Zeppelin audition story will help fans of the band understand how difficult working with the frontman can be. He adds, "It's a kind of window into how hard it's been to keep the partnership together. It's not the first time things like this have happened - that's the downside of our relationship."

Since quitting the band, Tyler has checked into rehab in California in an effort to take care of a painkiller problem.

Meanwhile, Perry admits he's not against the idea of hiring a woman as his former bandmate's replacement in Aerosmith for upcoming shows and studio sessions: "You've gotta think out of the box. Oddly enough, a lot of the bands I was in before I had Aerosmith, I had female singers in the band and it was really good... So that's definitely a possibility." (KL/WNWCBBM/MT)

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