The Song Remains the Same: Zeppelin flies again

[johntheclaret]

Will be registering, but it looks like ebay will be getting a call from me.
Will let you all know what the gig was like

PS Thank for the link Interceptor

*bump*

Were you successful with the ticket lottery ?

Regards
JAS

Nah. Fraid not. will have to rely on DA's contacts now.

[Mr66]

Led Zeppelin's comeback has been put back two weeks because
Jimmy Page injured a finger.
Concert rescheduled to 10th December.
http://www.guitarworld.com/article/jimmy_page_fractures_finger_postpones_reunion_concert

[johntheclaret]

Led Zeppelin's comeback has been put back two weeks because
Jimmy Page injured a finger.
Concert rescheduled to 10th December.
http://www.guitarworld.com/article/jimmy_page_fractures_finger_postpones_reunion_concert

Thanks for the link Mr66.

some interesting articles re Led Zep. Possible 2008 tour, find a bit hard to believe. We've had these rumours before

[Mr66]

Fingers crossed JohnTC.
I got into Zep six months before Bonham died but
my brother saw them at Kooyong in '72.

[johntheclaret]

Fingers crossed JohnTC.
I got into Zep six months before Bonham died but
my brother saw them at Kooyong in '72.

Was lucky enough to see them a couple of times. IMO their early work was just raw prog rock, but for me they reached their pinnacle with the Physical Graffitti album. Went off the boil with Presence and ITTOD, but that's just a personal view point.

Got their BBC Sessions album, from their early days (Don't know if it was ever released over there), double album with tracks like 6 different versions of Dazed and Confused etc, all live sessions, great, great stuff.

[Interceptor]

Fingers crossed JohnTC.
I got into Zep six months before Bonham died but
my brother saw them at Kooyong in '72.

Was lucky enough to see them a couple of times. IMO their early work was just raw prog rock, but for me they reached their pinnacle with the Physical Graffitti album. Went off the boil with Presence and ITTOD, but that's just a personal view point.

Got their BBC Sessions album, from their early days (Don't know if it was ever released over there), double album with tracks like 6 different versions of Dazed and Confused etc, all live sessions, great, great stuff.

Yeah BBC Sessions was released here and it's top buy for fans.
I can remember the electrified 'Thank You', 'Travelin Riverside Blues' (although that one was previously released) and the first performance of 'Stairway' being highlights.

[Mr66]

Led Zep's BBC album is very underrated.
The BBC format was terrific with Cream's & Hendrix's also
being top notch recordings.

[johntheclaret]

And they are about to release Mothership. A triple compilation album.

[Mr66]

And they are about to release Mothership. A triple compilation album.

Its actually a double cd but the special edition has a dvd which has material
previously released on the 'Led Zeppelin DVD' from 4 years ago.

[johntheclaret]

And they are about to release Mothership. A triple compilation album.

Its actually a double cd but the special edition has a dvd which has material
previously released on the 'Led Zeppelin DVD' from 4 years ago.

Thanks for the correction MR66. I only saw it advertised on the telly and it mentions a 3 disc set. I already have the DVD from 4 years ago so I might give this one a miss.

[Mr66]

2 disc only $20 at JB Hi Fi

[Interceptor]

Concert was on last night.

Here's the setlist:

http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/33075

[Mr66]

Top link Interceptor.
Much appreciated.

[johntheclaret]

Same here Interceptor.

Cheers

[Rik E Boy]

LED ZEPPELIN

Mothership Rising

In the late the 60's Jimmy Page, a respected London session musician was desperately trying to hold the remnants of the Yardbirds, then the New Yardbirds together. When the Yardbirds died in the arse Pagey and classically trained fellow sessions pro John Paul Jones started to look around to find some fellow band members to fulfil some tour dates of the now defunct group. Players such as Steve Marriot and Rod Stewart were looked at but the Zepboys were warned off in no uncertain manner when Page was asked if he 'would like to play guitar with broken fingers'.

Eventually, the word had gotten about about a bloke in the Midlands that was singing with plenty of high pitched power. Page had envisioned a couple of musical roads his new group might take but when he heard the power of Robert Plant, Page then knew what general territory the new group would follow. Plant then said to Page 'I've got a mate who plays drums' and who just happened to be the legendary John 'Bonzo' (aka 'The Beast') Bonham who many rate as the world's finest drummer.

The name Led Zeppelin was was devised after the Who's Keith Moon cracked a joke about a gig going down like a lead balloon...Page went with the Heavy/Light comibination Led Zeppelin. The 'a' was dropped from the group name so 'Thickhead Americans wouldn't pronounce it 'Leed' Zeppelin'.

LED ZEPPELIN I

Led Zeppelin was recorded in six weeks in late 1968 and borrowed heavily from the Blues, even to the extent of not crediting some bluesmen for the work that was covered on the album. Willie Dixon, for example, received an out of court settlement after Zeppelin *ahem* borrowed You Shook Me.

Led Zeppelin still stands up today. If you aren't familiar with this disc it is even by today's standards a very heavy album. Dazed and Confused contains an amazing solo by Page and this was the band's signature tune during the early years. My personal favourites are Good Times Bad Times, the first track and the way Communication Breakdown runs into Black Mountainside.

Zeppelin had already shown in their first album that they could rock harder than any of it's contemporaries but could also display a more mellow side..something that critics did not seem to notice until Led Zeppelin III was realised.

Zeppelin Fly

Led Zeppelin were to attain a fearsome reputation on the road, both on stage and off as the band that played the loudest and partied the hardest although Robert Plant would pay homage to the off stage efforts of the legendary The Who.

The Zeppelin entourage had too very important members. Peter Grant was the manager of the group who ensured that Zeppelin didn't get ripped off. He was one of the first managers to bypass promoters and have the Zep appear alone instead of following a support gig. Another key component was Richard Cole, a harda55 **** who kept everyone in line. Cole once famously 'shaped up' in Karate pose to Elvis. Zeppelin got on much better with Elvis than the Beatles did so it was a light hearted moment rather than a genuine confrontation.

After releasing Led Zeppelin early in 1969, manager Peter Grant promptly took the boys to America. It was America that opened their arms and legs to the Zep and many English fans actually thought Led Zeppelin were an American band they were on the road that often. It was during the 1969 tour that new material was written and trialled on the road. That album became Led Zeppelin II.

Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin II, aka 'The Brown Bomber' opens with the crunching Whole Lotta Love..a song that was deemed so fearsome that US troops used to blare it out at VC forces during the Vietnam War. REM and Coldplay adoring critics in the internet age looked back and smirked that Robert Plant's 'orgasm' was actually the birth of 'cock rock'.

The strength of Led Zeppelin II in my view is the softer tracks, Ramble On, Thank You and What is and What should never be, however the hard rock was not left out: Living loving maid is a cheeky song that bops along and Heartbreaker is a tune that also has a classic Page riff. Led Zeppelin II is actually a pretty good place to start if you're new to this Zeppelin thingy. Even When the Leevee Breaks from Led Zeppelin IV is previewed here in the superior Bring it on home.

A classic Zeppelin album. Band members at this time knew they were on the way to becoming absolutely huge when Led Zeppelin II knocked Abbey Road off the top of the US Charts. In 1969 it didn't get any bigger than that.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

LED ZEPPELIN

Mellowing out

By the early months of 1970, the Zeppelin had been on the road for pretty much two whole years and the band members were in dire need of some rest back in England. The band members eventually gathered in the Welsh countryside at a place called Bron-Yr-Aur.

Despite what the ill informed think of Led Zeppelin, they were a band that liked to experiment musically rather than stick to a successful formula. Both Page and Plant were influenced by folk music as well as the blues and this influence was followed during the band's time in Wales as some softer tunes started to get recorded by Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin III

Led Zeppelin III was not recieved all that well by fans and critics alike when it was released in August of 1970. The first side (remember we are talking LPs here peoples) was pretty much your standard Zeppelin fare..Immigrant Song, Celebration Day and Since I've been loving you all hard rock bone fide Zeppelin classics. Friends is a bit of an underrated Zeppelin song that appears to be influenced by the softer 'Californian' sound of the time.

It was the second side of the album that alienated the young, (mostly) male audience. Side 2 of Led Zeppelin III is a beautiful collection of softer songs, Gallows Pole (a traditional folk song), That's the way and the peerless Tangerine are all among my favourite Zeppelin songs. If you are strictly a heavy music fan, then Led Zeppelin III is probably not for you. If you want an album that represents the mutlifaceted approach of Zeppelin then this album and Houses of the Holy are a must.

An essential release despite what those dickheads at Rolling Stone said. Zeppelin's most underrated album.

Led Zeppelin

How can an album with no title end up having so many? Led Zeppelin is also known as Led Zeppelin IV, Untitled, Four Symbols and The Runes Album. The word Led Zeppelin or the band members' names do not appear on the artwork of this album. This one was all about the music. Atlantic records were reluctant to release the album using this low key marketing approach informing Peter Grant that Zeppelin were committing 'professional suicide'. This classic album was released in 1971 as comeback to the criticism that was generated by Led Zeppelin III and a message to all of their fans that the Zeppelin hadn't lost the Led.

Led Zeppelin IV has all the classic Zep songs such as Black Dog, Rock and Roll, Stairway to Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop and Going to California. Zeppelin's approach was to always consider the album as a 'complete package' rather than a collection of songs and on Led Zeppelin IV the band got it just right.

It has gone down in musical history of course that Stairway to Heaven is often considered one of the best tracks of all time in countless radio station polls and has been covered by many artists including Rolf Harris of all people. It has gotten to the stage these days that there is a bit of a backlash against songs like Stairway to Heaven or Bohemian Rhapsody but like it or not, these songs stand up, unlike the listen and flush music of today.

If you are a Zeppelin fan, do yourself a favour...just listen to Stairway to Heaven again if you haven't done so lately. The quality is perfectly captured snapshot of a band at it's zenith. Let the fans of lesser bands unfairly apply the word overrated as they listen to Fatboy Slim is **** in Heaven.

The monster that was Zeppelin is best defined in this way - as good as Led Zeppelin IV and Stairway to Heaven is, they were both surpassed by Physical Graffiti and Kashmir respectively four years later.

The Deal with the Devil

By the early 1970s, Led Zeppelin had established themselves as one of the biggest Rock Acts in the world, although probably shaded by the Rolling Stones who would conclude their great era with the release of 1972's Exile on Mainstreet.

By this stage of their careers, Zeppelin has assumed the mantle once held by the Stones and Elvis before them....the 'bad boys' tag that every parent didn't want their baby to listen to in the parking lot while smoking 'pot' at high school. It was here that Zeppelin ruled supreme and on stage during numerous US tours. Zeppelin were huge..regularly breaking attendance records set by the Beatles.

It was rumoured by many that Zeppelin had achieved it's massive success by making a deal with the devil. The band thought this was a bit of a joke at the time even though Jimmy Page was living in famous occultist's Allistair (Mister) Crowley's house and that so called 'satanic' symbols and references abounded in Zeppelin's work. Of course some in the less enlightened areas of the USA didn't quite see the funny side of this.

At times Zeppelin were afllicted by tragedy. Robert Plant and his family was injured in a car accident in Greece and his son was to eventually die of illness at a young age. If the Devil had made a deal with Zeppelin, apparently he had begun to collect his dues.

As a non believer of that particular cult (er..Christianity) I suggest that it was just plain ol bad luck.

regards,

REB

[johntheclaret]

Can't wait for part 3 REB.

One day at a hotel, Robert Plant smashed his way through a wall into an adjoining room. As Plant walked through the hole he had just made, the occupant asked "who the devil are you", to which Plant replied, "Well I ain't the Prince of Peace"

Allegedly

[Rik E Boy]

Another Zeppelin Hotel story.

After getting the cheque book out to pay for a trashed hotel room, the manager mentioned he always wanted to chuck a TV set out of the window. 'Have one on us' said Peter Grant who then added the amount to the account.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

LED ZEPPELIN

After releasing one of the most important albums of the 70's and with Robert Plant recovering from his injuries, the Zeppelin once again took stock. It was during this period that the band recorded sessions at a place called Headley Grange and also the Stargroves recording studios. Robert Plant remarked about how odd it was that he was singing in a chair, then hopping around the studio on one foot as the Zeppelin banged away at full force in front of him.

Zeppelin had another challenge...to follow up one of the best albums of all time. Something that has brought many bands undone in the past and in the future as well. In 1973, Zeppelin released their last release on Atlantic, Houses of the Holy.

Houses of the Holy

Houses of the Holy is one of the more experimental Zeppelin albums which included such diverse offerings as Dyer Maker and The Crunge to the moody, John Paul Jones inspired No Quarter (which was brilliantly covered on The Song Remains the Same). This offering is perhaps light on for the crunching Zeppelin standards but songs such as The Rain Song and Over the Hills and Far Away are instant Zeppelin classics.

By the time this album is released Zeppelin are at the peak of their powers and this is illustrated by such a departure of the previous album that was such a monster. Zeppelin had once again dared to be different and it paid off handsomely. Perhaps the only downer for Houses of the Holy is that The Song Remains the Same is not the most impressive album opener, perhaps it is even the least impressive.

Swan Songing Along

Like the Beatles and the Stones before them, Led Zeppelin decided it was time for their own record label which was to be ironically called Swan Song. Swan Song has such artists as The Firm, Dave Edmunds and Bad Company on their roster so it was not strictly a Zeppelin vehicle. The Swan Song vision was to enable Zeppelin to use it's influence in the music industry to help out other performers.

For those of you old enough to remember the record label, it included a picture of a winged man (an angel perhaps) with bronzed clouds in the background. Zeppelin's first release with the new label was Physical Graffiti. At one stage during 1975, Swan Song and Zeppelin held down the top five of the Billboard Album charts which marked the apogee of Zeppelin's flight.

Physical Graffiti

As a kid I grew up with Led Zeppelin I, Led Zeppelin III and Led Zeppelin IV and I heard plenty of In through the Out Door as it was released when I was 13 but I can never forget the impact that Physical Graffiti first had on me when I first began listening to it. Even years later I sometimes hear something new whenever I listen to it. The first of the four sides of this double album rocks as hard as any Zeppelin. The Rover is my personal favourite but the sheer power of In my time of Dying is inescapable. The first side on the vinyl came to a close with a cough and Robert Plant sings 'cough' and Page adds a little series of chords (this was edited out in the CD version). You can tell Zeppelin were really enjoying their work on this album, some of which was new, some of which was left over from earlier Headley Grange and Stargroves sessions.

The second side kicked off with Houses of the Holy, the title track that got left of the previous album (it would have made a better opener than The Song Remains the Same I feel) and then lurches into some downright Funky Zeppelin with Trampled Underfoot. The second side then signs off with my favourite song of all time, the symphonic Kashmir; a song where John Bonham really excels with Drums that just roll like thunder. Even Rap idiot Puff Daddy couldn't kill it when they borrowed the tune for the movie Godzilla. Kashmir was the bigger monster.

The third side of Physical Graffiti shows off Zeppelin's Eastern influence in the truly excellent In the Light with it's brilliantly held back intro, this gem is followed up by the best Zeppelin instumental Bron-Yr-Aur which was played when the Zeppelin were in their limos on the way to the gig in the movie The Song Remains the Same. The third side would be perfect except for the 'presence' of what I consider to be Led Zeppelin's worst song Down by the Seaside. Luckliy Ten Years Gone restores the standard of side three. I'm a bit older now so it's more like Twenty Years Gone LOL.

The fourth side sounds today like a bit of a lefovers bin but there is still some gold to be found in the form of Night Flight and Boogie with Stu. It is on Physical Graffiti that Zeppelin attain musical perfection. If you are into Zeppelin and haven't heard this album forget about the mothership and get your hands on Physical Graffiti instead.

Six albums, their own record label, hundreds of briliant live shows. It all had to end sometime. By 1975 Led Zeppelin were at the top of their game..I suppose it had to go wrong for the band that allegedly sold their souls for success....and it did.

regards,

REB

[Interceptor]

LED ZEPPELIN

Physical Graffiti
rocks as hard as any Zeppelin. The Rover is my personal favourite but the sheer power of In my time of Dying is inescapable. The first side on the vinyl came to a close with a cough and Robert Plant sings 'cough' and Page adds a little series of chords (this was edited out in the CD version). You can tell Zeppelin were really enjoying their work on this album, some of which was new, some of which was left over from earlier Headley Grange and Stargroves sessions.
REB

In My Time of Dying is awesome, particularly Page's superb guitar work and Bonham's truly thunderous drums.
Robert Plants singing grates somewhat on this track, but the song remains great to crank up loud in the car.

BTW, the (remastered) CD I have does include the extra couple of seconds of guitar right at the end.