Robert Plant in Mali

Robert Plant has released part 7 of Zirka, the documentary from his appearance at the Festival in the Desert in Mali in 2003.

 

Inside the Starship

Dangerous Minds has posted a number of pictures of Led Zeppelin inside their private plane, The Starship (owned by singer Bobby Sherman and his manager Ward Sylvester). Some of the pictures seem to be new, however a number of them appear in Neal Preston's ebook, Sound and Fury. It is reasonable to assume Preston took all the pictures.

More interestingly, there is a short video taken inside the Starship.

h/t Suzanne at FBO

Robert Plant in Mali

Robert Plant has released part 6 of Zirka, the documentary from his appearance at the Festival in the Desert in Mali in 2003.

Robert Plant Has Plans for 2014

It appears Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters are going to be busy in 2014.

Today, Plant announced via Facebook that a new album is "almost complete." Meanwhile, a number of performances seem to have been leaked, although none are confirmed by the singer himself. Here's the dates rumoured/leaked so far, via ledZeppelinNews (note: Tickets for the Germany shows are already on sale.)

June 12: Bergen, Norway
June 20: Moscow, Russia
June 25: Cork, Ireland
July 5: Cognac, France
July 16: Berlin, Germany
July 17: Dresden, Germany
And on the weekend of July 18-20, the Colours of Osrava Festival in Moravia, Czech Republic.

Last year at about this time, Plant said he had two albums almost done, one by the Sensational Space Shifters and one by the Band of Joy, recorded at Buddy Miller's home studio. There is no word on whether Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters' are finishing their original album, or have recorded a new one, but until there's an actual release date, I have to assume this album will no more see the light of day than those ones.

Art by James Dylan

Besides being phenomenal singer, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience vocalist James Dylan is also an artist. He has decided to share his skills with led Zeppelin fans with a series of pencil drawings.

The first drawing in his "Led Zeppelin series" is done. It is a recreation of Neal Preston's shot of Robert Plant holding a dove at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco on June 2, 1973. Dylan's drawing is phenomenally lifelike and raises the question, is Dylan a better artist or singer?

Each picture will be made available for sale, with the first one on sale now. Cost is $95 for a 9 x 13 print signed by Dylan or $65 for a 6.5 x 10 signed print, plus shipping. The original 9 x 13 pencil drawing is also available for $2,000 plus shipping.

Any one of these would make a stunning Christmas gift for any Led Zeppelin fan.

You can order at James' official web page.

The Led Zeppelin Podcast Episode #40

This week I reminisce on my time in London in 2007, and talk about Led Zeppelin's O2 arena in London six-years ago this very night.

You can download the podcast at Podbean or Spreaker. If you go to Spreaker, be sure to follow the episode. 

You can also stream Ramble on Radio on Soundcloud, or on YouTube and subscribe on iTunes. If you subscribe via iTunes, be sure to leave a review.

Is Led Zeppelin Coming to Spotify!

The New York Times is reporting that today Spotify, the online music streaming service, will announce a deal to stream Led zeppelin's caltalogue. This is a first, as led zeppelin has thus far not allowed any service to stream their songs. The band, however, has been negotiating with various streaming services since January.

 ______________________________

Update This has been confirmed.

The rollout starts today and will continue through December 15th, starting with Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II. Tomorrow, Led Zeppelin III and Untitled fourth album arrive. Friday brings Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti and Saturday will feature Presence and In Through the Out Door. Sunday, December 15th will be devoted to six albums: The Song Remains the Same, Coda, BBC Sessions, How the West Was Won, Mothership and Celebration Day...

Sadly, while Spotify is available in such thriving giants such as Andorra, Estonia and Liechtenstein, here in the backwater of Canada, Spotify is still unavailable.

Robert Plant in Mali

Robert Plant has released part 5 of Zirka, the documentary from his appearance at the Festival in the Desert in Mali in 2003.

In Other "No Shit Sherlock" News...

...Kashmir has been nominated for Best Rock Performance.

Led Zeppelin's performance of Kashmir has been nominated for a Grammy in the Best Rock Performance for the 56th annual Grammy Awards. The Celebration Day is also nominated in the Best Rock Album category.

While Led Zeppelin has never won a Grammy, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant won a joint 1998 Grammy in for the song Most High, from the Walking Into Clarksdale CD. Individually, Plant won five Grammy's in 2009, including album and record of the year, for his collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, and John Paul Jones' band Them Crooked Vultures won one Best Hard Rock Performance in 2011 for the song New Fang.

The 56th Grammy's will be held on Jan. 26th in Los Angeles.

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Update - Dec 11 From the comments: "the band was finally honored in 2005 with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy..."

Robert Plant Honours Bert Jansch

Robert Plant took the stage last night at the Royal Festival Hall in London to pay tribute to Bert Jansch. Jansch was a Scottish folk musician who died in 2011. He was a massive influenced on guitar players, including Jimmy Page, and was honoured last night at a concert that included Plant, Donovan and a video performance from Neil Young and Jack White. Bernard Butler sat in with Terry Cox, Jacqui McShee and Danny Thompson, the surviving founding members of Jansch group Pentangle.

Butler also got on stage with Plant, Accompanying Plant on guitar when Plant sang Go Your Way My Love. Plant and Butler where also joined by Canadian folk singer Bonnie Dobson on her song Morning Dew. Dobson sang most of the song, while Plant played bongos and sang primarily harmony. Plant came back onstage for the shows finale, Strolling Down the Highway.

There was anticipation that Jimmy Page might make a surprise appearance. Page has noted Jansch as one of his earliest influences, and his solo guitar piece from Led Zeppelin's first, self titled album, Black Mountain Side is an almost note for note recreation of the Jansch piece, BlackWater Side. Page was a no-show however, who appeared not to have been in attendance at the show at all.

Here's a couple of video's of Robert Plant.

 

The Led Zeppelin Podcast Episode #39

This week I look at John Paul Jones week touring with the Dave Rawlings Machine, then I offer some Christmas gift suggestions for the Led Zeppelin fan in your house.


 



Links from the show:

HK Collectables inc.

Rick Barrett's Zeppelin Collectibles

Candy Store Rock Gifts

The Wayne Foundation

Robert Plant in Mali

Robert Plant has released part 4 of Zirka, the documentary from his appearance at the Festival in the Desert in Mali in 2003.

The Only Led Zeppelin Podcast: Episode #38

This week, I discuss what should be on the Led Zeppelin remasters and whether Jimmy should remove the squeeks, clicks and telephone calls from the recordings.

Also, happy 31st anniversary to Coda, the underplayed and oft forgotten final Led Zeppelin studio album.

 

You can download the podcast at Podbean or Spreaker. If you go to Spreaker, be sure to follow the episode.

You can also subscribe on iTunes. If you subscribe via iTunes, be sure to leave a review.

John Paul Jones on Tour with Dave Rawlings

John Paul Jones has been on tour the last week with the Dave Rawlings Machine in the southern US. The tour started last Wednesday in Knoxville ends tonight in Birmingham, Alabama. No word on how much of the show Jones has been performing in, but there are videos of at least five songs from last week, including the Band's The Weight and Going to California. All videos show Jones on mandolin. Beside's Jones and Rawlings, the Dave Rawlings Machine consists of Gillian Welch, Paul Kowert and Willie Watson. There are apparently still tickets to tonights show at the WorkPlay Soundstage. Going to California The Weight

Robert Plant in Mali

Robert Plant has released part 3 of Zirka, the documentary from his appearance at the Festival in the Desert in Mali in 2003.

Robert Plant in Mali

Robert Plant has released part 2 of Zirka, the documentary from his appearance at the Festival in the Desert in Mali in 2003.

 Part 1 here

The Only Led Zeppelin Podcast: Episode #37

Jimmy Page was the man about London town this week attending concerts, posing for pictures and talking to microphones. I cover it all in Episode 37 of the only Led Zeppelin Podcast on this, or any other known internets.

The Led Zeppelin Podcast Episodes 35 and 36

I've changed up the format of Ramble On Radio - The Led Zeppelin Podcast a bit, which gives me an opportunity to get them out more regularly. This week, on number 35, I look at the untitled 4th album on it's 42nd anniversary. On number 35, I discuss the new Robert Plant biography, A Life by Paul Rees

You can download the podcast at Podbean or Spreaker. If you go to Spreaker, be sure to follow the episode.

You can also subscribe on iTunes. If you subscribe via iTunes, be sure to leave a review.

Robert Plant travels to Mali

Robert Plant has released a home-style movie of himself travelling to the Festival in the Desert in Mali 2003. The first of 8 was released to YouTube today. Here it is:

Robert Plant: A Life by Paul Rees

Picking up the new Robert Plant biography, Robert Plant: A Life, I couldn't help but hope that some of the riddles of Robert Plant's life would be answered. Plant has always been a bit of an enigma, and a book that unravels some of the questions of plant's life would be welcome. I am, sadly, still waiting for such a book.

Item: Robert plant's divorce. In 1983, between the release of Pictures at Eleven and The Principle of Moments, Plant and his wife of 14 or 15 years divorced. Maureen had been Roberts wife through all the turmoil of the led Zeppelin years, now as Robert was kicking off his solo career, the marriage was done. A major piece of the puzzle of your subject, a significant story. You have to give it a chapter, no? Half a dozen pages at least, correct? How about, 4 paragraphs, two of which document a holiday Maureen took without Robert:

It's against this backdrop (the release of Principle of Moments) that Plant's marriage came to an end. He did not join the family on holiday that year, asking his former assistant, Dennis Sheehan, to take care of things in his place.

"We went to the island of Madeira," recalls Sheehan. "I took Maureen, Carmen, a friend of Carmen's from school, and Logan. I didn't get into any kind of conversation with Maureen, but I realised were in the middle of splitting up and t hat this was the defining break. We didn't do very much. I hired a car, but it's not the most exciting place."

"I suppose i was there to be a father to the kids and to make sure Maureen was OK. I guess Robert felt that as i was a family man myself and having children, I'd be responsible enough to look after them and also be discreet."

The divorce as finalised that August, the same month that plant began his first solo tour. He wasn't alone in that respect. Both Jeff Woodroffe and Robbie blunt were also going through divorces.

Ah well, then, thanks for the information. The pattern repeats itself at other times as topics that deserve some detail, gets short shrift. For instance, did plant ever date Canadian singer Alannah Myles?

He (Plant) never commented... on rumours linking him with the Canadian singer and former model Alannah Myles...

If Plant's never discussed it, then I guess there's no way for a biographer to know.

As well as topics that get too little detail, some details offered are simply wrong. Ree's has Jimmy Page moving to guitar in the Yardbirds after Jeff Beck leaves, not sharing guitar duties with Beck for a period before beck leaves. On the other end of Zeppelin's career, he has Peter Townsend playing at the O2 arena at the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Foundation tribute concert.

For all that, Robert Plant: A Life is a well written, easy reading book. It moves along at an easy pace and should be readable for most readers over a weekend. It is not, as might be judged by the first part of this review, a bad book, it is simply not as good as it could be. It would make an excellent gift under the tree of any Led Zeppelin or Robert Plant fan.

 

Getting then Led Out

Caught the boys with Get the Led Out at the second oldest theatre in the United States, the Oneonta Theatre in Oneonta, New York. Camera in hand, I had the view of a lifetime, watching the band stage side, the crowd at my back. I've seen and reviewed Get the Led Out twice before, in Milwaukee last year, and at Irving Plaza in New York two years ago. They were excellent both those times, they may have gotten better in the interm.

My thought at shows end, after having audience members jump over my head to dance on the stage, was that Get the Led Out is likely the best tribute band out there.  I've since revised my view,  Get the Led Out is likely one of the best performing bands right now, of any kind, on any circuit.

That said, the plan on this occasion was to let the picture's do the talking, and as I got close to 200 good pictures (of the 1,500 taken), this is to be a picture post.

Note: This show was on October 5th. Sometime around October 17th, long time GTLO crew member, Andrew Cattaneo, passed away.

Here's Andrew, contributing musically to the bridge of Fool in the Rain.

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