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.

 

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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.