Myles Kennedy: "’...Im standing in a room and putting my melodies and lyrics to it..."

Friend of Ramble on Radio,  Steve - the Lemon - Sauer, got a chance to interview Myles Kennedy six years ago, Dec 16, 2009. Today, Sauer released the interview, and a transcript of his conversation with Kennedy about laying with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham in 2008.

Here's one question and answer. It's absolutely worth reading the whole thing.

SS: I was just reading that they were definitely working on some new music. Were you involved with any of the songwriting there?

MK: That was -- that was, um -- yeah. There were two -- a couple songs that I remember. For me, that was the biggest thrill because these were songs and pieces of music that no one had heard, and I’m standing in a room and putting my melodies and lyrics to it, and it was -- for me as an artist, I don’t think anything will ever quite compare to the feeling that I got from those moments. It felt like you were kind of a part of history for a few minutes there, you know? You’re, you’re -- it was just amazing. It’s hard to even put into words, Steve. It really is.

The audio is half an hour, and primarily covers the Alter Bridge live DVD, but Sauer, whose blog, Lemon Squeezing: Led Zeppelin News, was at the time one of the biggest Led Zeppelin blogs on the internet couldn't resist asking about the Led Zeppelin connection.

Listen to Steve's entire Myles Kennedy interview here The part about Kennedy's rehearsal time starts at 17:45.


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35-years ago

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A Very Bonnaroo Space Shiftering

The Bonnaroo Festival has released A Very Bonnaroo Thanksgiving, a video of performances from the 2015 Bonnaroo festival, including Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters playing Rock and Roll.




Plant's performance is the first one, but stick around for some other great acts, including an amazing Alabama Shakes immediately after Plant.

The video will be on the Bonnaroo site until November 30th.

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Seen To Be Playing

Jimmy Page promised to do so just last week, and now here he was, fulfilling his promise "to be seen playing," a full 6-8 months early when he stepped onstage last night, Sunburst Les Paul in hand, to jam with a stage full of musicians on Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll.

Page had said he wouldn't play at Seattle's Experience Music Project Museum benefit show in honour of the guitarist, who was receiving the EMP Founders Award. But at nights end he surprised everybody by going onstage and joining a vast group of musicians, including former Firm bandmate Paul Rogers.

The evening featured a full show of music from Page's career, including Rogers performing two Firm songs and Cheap Trick's Rick Neisen playing Page/Beck era Yardbirds song Happenings Ten Years Time Ago. The house band consisted of a rhythm section of GN'R's bassist Duff McKagan and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, and was joined by Rogers, Nielsen, Tesla's Brian Wheat, Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson among others.

Set List:

(with Rich Robinson and John Hogg)

      Ten Years Gone
      Custard Pie
      Sick Again
      Dazed and Confused

(with Jerry Cantrell and William Duvall)

     When the Levee Breaks
     Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)
     No Quarter
     How Many More Times

(with Kim Thayil and William Duvall)

     Immigrant Song
     Communication Breakdown
     Four Sticks

(with John Hogg, Kim Thayil and Krist Novoselic)

     Out on the Tiles

(with John Hogg and Rick Nielsen)

     Happenings Ten Years Time Ago

(with Paul Rogers and Brian Wheat)

     Satisfaction Guaranteed    
     Radioactive

(everybody, plus Jimmy Page and Paul Allen)

     Rock and Roll

Rolling Stone has a comprehensive take on the evening, including a testicle count count.

The

musicians:

Duff McKagan - bassist Guns N' Roses
Barrett Martin - drummer Screaming Trees
Rich Robinson - guitarist The Black Crowes
John Hogg - singer Moke
Jerry Cantrell - guitarist Alice in Chains
William Duvall - Singer Alice in Chains
Kim Thayil - guitarist Soundgarden
Krist Novoselic - bassist Nirvana
Rick Nielsen - guitaist Cheap Trick
Paul Rogers - singer/guitarist Bad Company, The Firm (with Jimmy Page)
Brian Wheat - bassist Tesla
Paul Allen - co-founder Microsoft Corporation
Jimmy Page - theraminist




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Andrew Lipke: Siddhartha

Playing for a tribute band is not necessarily the most creatively fulfilling activity for a musician. Andrew Lipke is keyboardist/guitarist/multi instrumentalist for the best Led Zeppelin tribute band on the circuit, Get the Led Out. The band travels the US in a proper rock star tour bus, travelling with a crew, a full lighting rig and enough guitars to open a guitar store. Up to five nights a week, they give two hour shows with note perfect renditions of Led Zeppelin classics and deep cuts. 

Andrew Lipke in Rochester, July 2015.

But there's more to Lipke than keyboard player extraordinaire playing other peoples songs, and he spends his time at home at home in Pennsylvania producing, playing with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and Pittsburg Symphony or singing God Bless America at the Phillies game. Earlier this year, Lipke released the first of a series of albums based on the novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Hesse’s novel had an immediate impact on Lipke and he says he “always knew it would be the inspiration for something I would create.”

Lipke may be a Zeppelin devotee playing in a Zeppelin band, but Siddhartha owes very little to Led Zeppelin, even if opening track, The One does start off with a drone that Jimmy Page would approve of. 

I love the second and third tracks, Erased, which has a New Radicals pop groove to it, and Head Down Vagabonds, which defies comparisons, save a hint of Christmas Vacation in the melody. 

Then there's I'm Gone which is on the first round ballot of this years Grammy Awards in the "best arrangement, instruments and vocals" category. Even if Lipke doesn't make the final ballot, that's quite a nice recognition, and well deserved: the arrangement on  I'm Gone is beautifully orchestrated and ends with a harpsichord plus choral voices outro. 

If you see Get the Led Out coming to your town, it is a must see band. and know when you see them your not just hearing the best music, played by high caliber musicians, but in at least one case, a Grammy caliber musician.

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Reissue of the Year: Led Zeppelin

In an interview at the Classic Rock Awards, Jimmy Page says he has no firm idea what he will be playing when he releases the long awaited follow up to Outrider, his 1988 solo album. "It's time for me to go out there and do a solo album," he said at a red carpet interview. "It's time to do another one."

He said he expected to have something ready by the middle of next year, but he did not have any firm plans yet as to what the final product might be like, or who would play on it. "I'm thinking in more of an instrumental thing, because that's basically what I'm known for," he said.

Page was on hand to receive the award for Reissue of the Year for the reissue of the Led Zeppelin catalogue.

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Ice Station Zeppelin

During the cold months, I often introduce the podcasts as coming from "Ice Station Zeppelin." This week, John Paul Jones really travelled to Ice Station Zeppelin at the Article Circle in Vadsø, Norway on the Barents Sea.

Jones joined R.E.M. members Peter Buck and Mike Mills and others at the Ice Station Vadsø Rock Festival yesterday and today. 

Here he is with Buck, Mike Mills and others playing When the Levee Breaks.

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Light of Christmas Day

The Christmas movie Love the Coopers features an all star cast that includes Olivia Wilde, John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Alan Arkin, Amanda Seyfried, Marisa Tomei and Ed Helms. Due for theatrical release tomorrow critics are giving it a moderate 6.6/10 rating on IMDB and rather sad 31% on Rotten Tomatoes.

While the cast is loaded with talent, the soundtrack features some significant talent on it's own. Grammy winning duo Robert Plant and Alison Krauss reunite to do a song, Light of Christmas Day, for the movie. It is the pairs first recording since the release of Raising Sand in the fall of 2007. Their tour in support of Raising Sand ended in the Spring of 2009,, and they have joined forces once since then, to perform at a Lead Belly tribute last April.

On his website, Plant says of the song, he and Krauss recorded it during a "... whistle stop in Nashville.. with my old accomplice... quick and fun... wow, she didn't say it's a Christmas song!"

Light of Christmas Day features the same laid back, beautifully harmonized style that featured heavily on Raising Sand. Fans of the album will l likely welcome this lovely holiday piece into the canon

The soundtrack also features songs by Bob Dylan, Sting, Nina Simone and the Otis Redding Christmas Classic Merry Christmas, Baby. It is available tomorrow.

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The Next Re-issue is...

Mothership

According to SuperdeluxeEdition.com Mothership will be re-issued on four-disc vinyl or two-disc CD on November 6th.

And while the setlist will remain the same, this issue will use the new re-mastered versions of the songs, which are highly preferred among fans and audiophiles (the original Mothership was much derided for mix/master quality).

The LP Tracklist:

Side 1

1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Communication Breakdown
3. Dazed And Confused
4. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You

Side 2

1. Whole Lotta Love
2. Ramble On
3. Heartbreaker
4. Immigrant Song

Side 3

1. Since I’ve Been Loving You
2. Rock And Roll
3. Black Dog

Side 4

1. When The Levee Breaks
2. Stairway To Heaven
3. The Rain Song

Side 5

1. Over The Hills And Far Away
2. D’yer Mak’er
3. No Quarter

Side 6

1. Trampled Under Foot
2. Houses Of The Holy
3. Kashmir

Side 7

1. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
2. Achilles Last Stand

Side 8

1. In The Evening
2. All My Love


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Led Zeppelin Bootleg Blog

A new blog has been set up that makes available every known Led Zeppelin bootleg recording, in MP3 format. Long Live Led Zeppelin has a posting for every bootleg, and a link to a mega-upload link for each show.

The blogs intro states:

This Blog is all about making available every known available Led Zeppelin concert bootleg spanning their 1968 to 1980 live career. MP3 format. I am a HUGE fan and I remember how hard it was to find all of these shows to complete my collection. That is why I want to help others in finding these historic shows!...

Every Led Zeppelin bootleg, available here. Long Love Led Zeppelin also has a YouTube channel and a Facebook page.

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The Led Zeppelin Podcast, Episode 103 and 104

On Episode 104 of The Led Zeppelin Podcast, I take a look at the last of the remastered albums, Presence and In Through the Out Door. That follows 103, in which I look at Coda - both can be streamed below.





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.


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John Paul Jones and the Foo Fighters

Is it possible John Paul Jones has finished writing his opera, The Ghost Sonata? Last weekend, we saw pictures of Jones "recording excerpts of 'The Ghost Sonata' with Welsh National Opera."

Then, last night, Jones appeared on stage with The Foo Fighters and Queen drummer Roger Taylor at Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire to perform Queens Under Pressure. Jones played keyboards with Taylor on drums, Dave Grohl on guitar and Taylor Hawkins and Grohl sharing the vocal duties.   

"The Foo Fighter, right now, are living out our rock and roll fantasy," Grohl tells the audience while introducing the "Super-duper group." Quite a night for anyone in attendance, as well, I would think.

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The Led Zeppelin Podcast Episode 102

It was quite a week. I started off Monday interviewing photographer Scarlet Page, who just happens to also be Jimmy Page's daughter. The interview went well, if I do say so myself.

On Tuesday it was up and out, as I made my way to Toronto to see Jimmy Page. We left in the morning, and as Toronto traffic has been horrific in the past few weeks due to the Pan-Am games, had no idea whether the journey would take an hour or three. It was closer to the first, and I made it to Bay and Bloor for the Jimmy Page book signing. Arriving too late to get one of the three-hundred wrist bands, I was graciously allowed to linger and take as many pictures as I needed to. It was quite a mob scene but Page seemed at ease as he chatted amiably with fans. You can read all about it, including some pictures here.

Then I was off to the Masonic Temple of Young Street, formerly the Much Music TV studios and before that the Rockpile bar, where Led Zeppelin played three times in 1969. Jimmy Page was giving a listening party, and would play 10 songs from the deluxe editions of next weeks final remastered Led Zeppelin albums, Presence, In Through The Out Door and Coda. I arrived about ten-after six and wound up in the front row. I have seen a picture from the event, and all that you can see is Jimmy Page, host Jeff Woods and the back my big head. You can read about the event here.

As a side note: I would like to thanks Warner Brothers Records for the pass to hear the new songs and see Jimmy speak.

In the latest edition of my podcast, Ramble On Radio: The Led Zeppelin Podcast 102, you can hear the entire Scarlet Page interview, as she talks about her upcoming book Resonators. Resonators is a black and white photography book featuring some of the worlds greatest living guitar players taken by Scarlet Page. Scarlet is funny and engaging and it's possible I was a bit smitten by the end of the interview.

Scarlet has a Kickstarter campaign to raise the necessary funds to publish the book. A £50 donation gets you a hardcover copy of the book, so please consider donating. As well, there's her personal photography page, her Facebook page and the Resonators Facebook page.

The Podcast also has a full accounting of my evening with Jimmy Page, including a full review of the songs played.




You can subscribe to Ramble On Radio on iTunes. Please, if your at iTunes, stop by and leave a review, even if you aren't downloading from iTunes. You can also listen on Spreaker. If you have a Spreaker account, please follow Ramble on Radio - 100 followers means I can apply to get Ramble On Radio on IHeartRadio. As well, Ramble On Radio can be listened to or downloaded at Podbean.

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Deluxe Editions Playback

As noted in the previous post, I attended a playback of bonus tracks from the upcoming remasters of Led Zeppelin's Presence, In Through The Out Door and Coda. Here's the evenings playback:

1. Friends (with the Bombay Orchestra)
2. In the Evening (Rough Mix)
3. Desire (Wanton Song Rough Mix)
4. Sugar Mama 
5. Poor Tom (Instrumental Mix)
6. 10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod)
7. Fool in the Rain (Rough Mix)
8. Bonzo's Montreux (Alternate Version)
9. Two Ones are Won (Achilles Last Stand Reference Mix)
10. If It Keeps on Raining (When the Levee Breaks Rough Mix)

The sound system used was top notch. Two of the tracks played, In the Evening (Rough Mix) and Sugar Mama, have been pre-released, so a reasonable estimation of how good the system was compared to my home listening (which tends to be iPod) was possible. My home system failed such a comparison. It's worth noting that the separation of instruments so integral to the impressiveness of, for instance, Friends was also quite obvious in Sugar Mama, so your mileage on some of my comments may vary.

That said, overall, I was super impressed with this collection of bonus tracks. The Bombay Session Friends, familiar enough to bootleg collectors, sounded incredible and Two Ones are Won and If It Keeps on Raining will blow you away, especially the latter.

Here's my thoughts on the selections:

1. Friends (Bombay Orchestra) - from Coda:  What a start to the listening session. Jimmy explained later about visiting Bombay with Robert. They performed this song and they loved the percussionists so much, Jimmy had to have them try Four Sticks, which is also included. The sound is so good, the percussion in the right channel is so clear. 

In the after-talk, Jimmy also explained he wrote this at his Boathouse in Pangbourne, after a "row" with the woman he was with at the time. He went on the deck overlooking the Thames and when he was done, he had it complete. He knew even then he wanted an Indian flavour to it. 

2. In the Evening (Rough Mix) - From In Through the Out Door. This has already been released and you can hear it yourself somewhere out there. It's worth noting it has much less effects on it, and the gizmotron intro is cut way back (and yes, I learnt Jimmy used a gizmotron on the intro last night). But the song excels as a more straight forward rock number, and the band seems to loosen up in the chorus making a fun version of the song. I like this one a lot, and it was great to hear it in full audiophile sound.

3. Desire (The Wanton Song - Rough Mix) -  from Coda: This is a more keyboard version of Wanton Song, with the keys higher/guitar lower in the mix. Things are also much different at the break with some missing guitar overdubs.

4. Sugar Mama (Mix) - Coda: Again, this has been released for over a month now. Hardly new, but I used it as an opportunity to baseline the audio system they were using. It was excellent, and so was Sugar Mama.

5. Poor Tom (Instrumental Mix) - Coda: If your a drummer wanting to learn a shuffle, Bonham is putting on a clinic on Poor Tom, and it shines through on this version sans vocals.

6. 10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod) - Presence: It turns out they did bring the piano/keyboards with them to Munich for the 1975 Presence sessions. This is a keyboard piece all over. It starts like a ballad, and I wondered if the descending chords of the first couple of minutes were a foreshadowing of All My Love: more knowledgable keyboard players than I will have to figure that out, but it was what struck me. The song picked up with the introduction of guitar and drums, and the piano changed to an ascending pattern. Definitely the band were trying something, and it could have been interesting had they followed through.

7. Fool in the Rain (Rough Mix) - In Through the Out Door: The guitar is up in the mix, the piano down, but Bonham's drop dead shuffle is still what shines. With the guitar up this is a bit more rocky and while in no way an improvement over the original, fans of the song (the author raises his had here) will enjoy this mix.

8. Bonzo's Montreux (Mix Construction in Progress) - Coda: In the Q&A after, Jimmy explains he ran one of Bonham's drum channels through a harmonizer, and it made them sound like steel drums. Bonham apparently loved it, "now people will think I can play steel drums," Page quoted Bonham as saying. In this mix, he has lowered the harmonizer affect, and it is a noticeable change. I think I prefer this.

9. Two Ones Are Won - Presence: The session ends with a bit of a bang. Two Ones are Won is a reference mix of Achilles Last Stand. As far as I could tell, some guitar overdubs weren't done yet, but this rocks as only Achilles Last Stand can. It's hard to describe how good this sounded on the sound system they had set up, but if you ever get a chance...

10. If It Keeps On Raining (When The Levee Breaks - Rough Mix) - Coda: Of all the remixes, alternate mixes &tc. we've had the last two years, this is the one you've been waiting for. Quicker and leaner, there's two opposing thoughts I had listening to this: I would have liked this song then so much more if it had been this version, and this version would never be the classic that When the Levee Breaks became. The big drum sound is gone as, by the sounds of it, is the 12-string guitar.

The audio presentation was augmented by a video, based on a reel-to-reel player that showed pictures, concert posters and assorted paraphernalia from the representative eras. It was nice to watch while not so absorbing you forgot about the music. A nice touch really.

Also of note, some mistakes on the track cards handed out to us. Note on the above pictures Pod is listed as being from In Through the Out Door instead of Presence and Fool in the Rain from Coda instead of In Through the Out For.

But that's a quibble, and it was an excellent night. Many thanks to Warner Brothers Canada for giving me the opportunity to sit within' five-feet of Jimmy Page and to hear some amazing music.

The Remastered Editions, including the Deluxe Editions reviewed here of Presence, In Through The Out Door and Coda will be released worldwide on July 31st.

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Jimmy Page Invades Toronto

Jimmy Page arrived in Toronto Monday for some media interviews. Yesterday, it was the fans turn to get up close and personal with Page.

First up, mid-afternoon saw Page do a book stamping at Indigo Books at Bay and Bloor. Three-hundred fans lined up for the chance to meet the legend and have their Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page book stamped with a special stamp made up for the date (Page has done this several times at the locations, in lieu of signings).

A hundred, possibly more, fans lingered around the signing getting pictures, and just catching sight of the man. I was one of the latter group.

Page chatted with the fans and seemed amiable and friendly with all of them. "He asked me if I played guitar," a 14-year old Dean told me (not actually his real name) after getting his book stamped. Dean was carrying a Jimmy Page action figure. Dean does play, and Page encouraged his to continue. "Man, if I had met Jimmy Page when I was 14," I told him. "I don't think I could have talked to him." 

After Indigo Books, Page was at the historic Masonic Temple. Formerly the Rockpile, where Zeppelin played three times in 1969 (Feb 2 and twice on August 18).

Sixty-five contest winners and some media invitees (I was among the latter) where treated to a 10-song playlist from the bonus material from the final three albums, Presence, In Through The Out Door and Coda. Page gave a few introductory comments before the listening on the top quality audio equipment. A Q&A session with Q107's Jeff Woods followed. The interview portion, combined with an interview Woods did an air Monday, will be featured on Woods Legends of Classic Rock August 2nd. 

"There’s marimbas on Fool in the Rain and that’s John Bonham playing those, which I’ve never told anyone before," Page said at one point, adding "but now you know and it will be on the Internet,” forcing me to post that particular quote. He also mentioned the colouring book section of the In Through the Outdoor packaging was meant to be discovered when you took the album to a party and someone spilled or set a drink on it. 

The absolute highlight of the listening event the November 1970 version of When the Levee Breaks recorded at Island Studios, called If it Keeps on Raining. "It was hard not to say, 'Yeah, it's on Coda,'" Page said, referring to his promotional interviews for the fourth album. 

Here's the playback for the evening:

1. Friends (with the Bombay Orchestra)
2. In the Evening (Rough Mix)
3. Desire (Wanton Song Rough Mix)
4. Sugar Mama 
5. Poor Tom (Instrumental Mix)
6. 10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod)
7. Fool in the Rain (Rough Mix)
8. Bonzo's Montreux (Alternate Version)
9. Two Ones are Won (Achilles Last Stand Reference Mix)
10. If It Keeps on Raining (When the Levee Breaks Rough Mix)

Tomorrow I will review the material we heard, and of course, I will be discussing this on Episode 102 of the podcast, which also includes a must hear interview (no, not with Jimmy Page).

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Coda (Super Deluxe Edition) unboxing

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Episode 100

Ramble On Radio is celebrating the 100th edition of the podcast. Dave Lewis stopped by to help me celebrate, and we talked about the Led Zeppelin's 1975 Earls Court show. Dave has a new book out, Five Glorious Nights, on the Earls Court shows, available from Rufus Stone at FiveGloriousNights.co.uk. 

Dave also talked about his upcoming edition of his iconic magazine Tight But Loose. Edition 39 features a new interview with Jimmy Page, a listen in on the last three re-masters plus more information of Five Glorious Nights. Dave has been busy packing TBL 39 into envelopes, and will very shorty be sent to subscribers. You can buy the individual edition, or a yearly subscription at TightButLoose.co.uk.

I also talked to Dave about his book Feather in the Wind, Over Europe 1980, celebrating the last Led Zeppelin tour. The final Led Zeppelin show happened a few days ago in Berlin. Dave wasn't there, but he was side stage taking pictures two days previous. His book is on special on the 35th anniversary of that tour. It is one of my favourite books, and I can't recommend it enough. You can get Feather in the Wind here. Our discussion of over Europe 1980 will be in Episode 101

You can download Episode 100 here. Or subscribe on iTunes or Spreaker.





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Led Zeppelin Gear

Led Zeppelin uber-blogger Jeff Strawman of Achilles Last Stand sat down on January 1st, 2013 on what he thought would be a short project, documenting all of Led Zeppelin's gear:

Jimmy Page's guitars and amps, John Bonham's drums, John Paul Jones basses and keybords and more. A year and a half later the book still has a chapter to go, but Jeff is ready to begin selling the book.

Using crowd funding site Indiegogo, Jeff has been raising the money to produce the book, and with 22-days left to go in a 60-day funding drive, Jeff is at 75% of his funding.

About a year ago, Jeff approached me to review the first section of Led Zeppelin Gear. I had the unique opportunity to peek at this work in progress and offer my thoughts to the author. It was excellent and I can heartily recommend this book to fans. It is, I think, going to be a very good book.

So click on the link above and make a donation. Just $15 gets you an e-book copy of Led Zeppelin Gear and $40 a hard-cover book.


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Scarlett Page's Resonators

Scarlet Page, Jimmy Page's daughter, has announced a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of her book Resonators.

Resonators is a portrait book of some of rock and roll's most legendary guitarists: Albert Lee, Billy Corgan, Brian May, Chrissie Hynde, Dick Taylor, Graham Coxon, Hank Marvin, Jack White, Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh, John Squire, John Frusciante, Johnny Marr, Justin Hawkins, Kelly Jones, Mark Knopfler, Mick Jones, Nile Rodgers, Noel Gallagher, Paul Stanley, Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Peter Green, Phil Manzanera, Phil Collen and Viv Campbell, Robert Fripp, Serge Pizzorno, Slash, Steve Jones, Wayne Kramer, Wilko Johnson and, of course, Jimmy Page.

Scarlet is looking to raise £16,000 for productions costs, and anybody who donates £50 or more will get a copy of the book (£65 will get you a signed copy of the book).

You can contribute to Scarlet Page's kickstarter campaign at the Resonators - The Photographic Book by Scarlet Page page.





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Hots On For Nowhere (Reference Mix)

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In Through The Out Door - Super Deluxe Edition

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Presence (Super Deluxe Edition) Unboxing

The latest video from the Led Zeppelin remasters: for certified professional guitar repair in Cambridge Ontario: Brian Gardiner Guitar Repair

ROBERT PLANT AND THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS ANNOUNCE FALL DATES

Just arrived via email:

Having just played a triumphant and powerful Bonnaroo performance this past weekend, Robert Plant and the Sensational Space are far from ready to stop touring in support of what many critics are calling his greatest solo album, lullaby and...The Ceaseless Roar (Nonesuch/Warner Bros). Records. Today, the band is announcing new fall dates, including two shows at Lockn' Music Festival, as well as rescheduled ones to make up for last week's postponed shows in Toronto, Detroit and Chicago. Tickets already purchased will be honored at the rescheduled shows. The complete list of dates is below. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, June 19 at 10am EDT via robertplant.com.

The Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters Fall 2015 tour dates are below:

September

10 - Rochester Hills, MI - Meadowbrook Music Festival

12 - 13 - Arrington, VA - Lockn' Music Festival

15 - Toronto, ONT - Molson Amphitheatre

18 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom

20 - Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion

23 - Chicago, IL - FirstMerit Bank Pavilion @ Northerly Island

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Robert Plant's Toronto Show Postponed

From RobertPlant.com:

 TORONTO JUNE 7 SHOW POSTPONED
 Robert and the band will play The Molson Canadian Ampitheatre September 15

A report I saw first thing this morning, but can't find now, says Robert is having a throat problem.




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Final Three Led Zeppelin Reissues Announced

The final three Led Zeppelin albums to get the re-issue/deluxe edition treatment, Presence, In Through the Out Door and Coda, will be in stores July 31, it was announced today.

The albums will be available in five formats plus various digital download formats: CD, Deluxe  CD, LP, Deluxe LP and Super Deluxe Edition Box Set. The box set will include the Deluxe Edition CD's the Deluxe Edition LP's and high-def digital download of the music in the deluxe edition. Also in the box set is a hardcover book and a high quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be numbered.

The Presence and In Through The Out Door Deluxe Editions will feature a single bonus disc/LP of previously unheard material, and Coda will include 2 disks/LPs of bonus material.

Here's the track listing

Presence

Original Album

1. Achilles Last Stand
2. For Your Life
3. Royal Orleans
4. Nobody's Fault But Mine
5. Candy Store Rock
6. Hots On For Nowhere
7. Tea For One

Bonus Disk

1. Two Ones Are Won
2. For Your Life (Reference Mix)
3. 10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod)
4. Royal Orleans (Reference Mix)
5. Hots on for Nowhere (Reference Mix)

In Through The Out Door

Original Album

1. In the Evening
2. South Bound Suarez
3. Fool in the Rain
4. Hot Dog
5. Carouselambra
6. All My Love
7. I'm Gonna Crawl

Bonus Disk

1. In the Evening (Rough Mix)
2. Southbound Piano (South Bound Suarez)
3. Fool in the Rain (Rough Mix)
4. Hot Dog (Rough Mix)
5. The Epic (Carouselambra - Rough Mix) 
6. The Hook (All My Love - Rough Mix)
7. Blot (I'm Gonna Crawl - Rough Mix)

Coda

1. We're Gonna Groove
2. Poor Tom
3. I Can't Quit You Baby (Sound Check Version)
4. Walter's Walk
5. Ozone Baby
6. Darlene
7. Bonzo's Montreux
8. Wearing and Tearing

First Bonus Disk

1. We're Gonna Groove (Alternate Mix)
2. If It Keeps On Raining (When The Levee Breaks - Rough Mix)
3. Bonzo's Montreux (Mix Construction in Progress)
4. Baby Come On Home 
5. Sugar Mama (Mix)
6. Poor Tom (Instrumental Mix)
7. Travelling Riverside Blues (BBC Session)
8. Hey, Hey, What Can I Do

Second Bonus Disk

1. Four Hands (Four Sticks - Bombay Orchestra)
2. Friends (Bombay Orchestra)
3. St. Tristan's Sword (Rough Mix)
4. Desire (The Wanton Song - Rough Mix)
5. Bring It On Home (Rough Mix)
6. Walter's Walk (Rough Mix)
7. Everybody Makes it Through (In the Light - Rough Mix)

Two Ones Are Won is apparently an Achilles Last Stand alternate mix and10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod) is something unknown to Zeppelin buffs.

The bonus disk of In Through the Out Door is alternate versions of the entire album, much as was done with the fourth album and Houses of the Holy (the latter minus D'yer Maker). Hopefully The Epic has the vocals up in the mix more, and alternates of Fool in the Rain and All My Love give hope for something interesting.

Coda, as you can see, is a three disk set. They've thrown everything in there, in the hopes, presumably, that fans will buy it. It also has what may be the best selection of the entire bonus set catalogue. Besides long time un-albumed Zep favourite Hey, Hey, What Can I Do and the long bootlegged Bombay session songs, St. Tristan's Sword is a long rumoured instrumental epic from the Led Zeppelin III sessions. Some experts in the unofficial Led Zeppelin catalogue considered St. Tristan's sword to be as much legend as the story of Tristan itself. Sugar Mama mix and If It Keeps on Raining hold promise of being very interesting. 

All three albums can be pre-ordered now through the usual sources.

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Robert Plant Gets Wanton in Vegas

Robert Plant played the Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas last Friday, his first time in the entertainment capital of the world since 2005. There's a solid review of the show by Spencer Patterson in the Las Vegas Weekly that noted: "The 66-year old Plant sounded better than he did at the House of Blues in 2002 or the Hilton in '05..."

On top of "soaring over" The Sensation Space Shifters, Plant opened with an old Zeppelin favorite. In what is probably the first time Plant sang it without looking over his left shoulder and spotting Jimmy Page, Plant performed the Wanton Song, with guitarist Skin Tyson sidling up to Plant.



The Wanton Song, however, is not the biggest surprise Plant had up his sleeve last week. Patterson notes en passant that Plant played Dazed and Confused. While he's does about two minutes of Dazed and Confused during No Place to Go (4:50 in the video below), it is the first time Plant sang Dazed and Confused in the Led Zeppelin O2 show in 2007, and, it seems, the first time in 20-years as a solo artist.

Dazed and Confused appears to have been actually added to the setlist on May 25th in Oregon, Vegas being the third show it was played at. In the three shows since Vegas, both have opened with Wanton Song and included Dazed and Confused, according to setlist.fm.



Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters finish their west coast swing in Los Angeles tomorrow before heading East for dates in Hunter NY and Toronto later in the week. The tour continues until June 176, and picks up again in Europe in July. Full tour dates, and ticket links, available at robertplant.com.


With thanks to Wyatt, aka Zepcowboy, via FBO, for the video links and timelines.

For certified professional guitar repair in Cambridge Ontario: Brian Gardiner Guitar Repair

Jason Bonham Goes Full Circle

Last week saw the release of Sammy Hagar and the Circle's At Your Service Live CD. The album features Jason Bonham on drums, and four Led Zeppelin tracks. A full review of the album is on my other blog, At Home in Hespeler. However, it's worth looking at the album from a Led Zeppelin specific point of view. Specifically the Led Zeppelin songs:

"The master. His father was a master, he passed it on to his son. Mr.. Jason Bonham is in the house," says Sammy Hagar in introducing Jason Bonham's drum solo. Bonham rolls and paradiddles for the next three minutes and twelve seconds, offering one of three solos on the album (bass player Michael Anthony and guitarist Vic Johnson also get solos).

Beyond his solo, honour is paid to Bonham/Led Zeppelin through four Led Zeppelin songs on the album: Good Times Bad Times, Whole Lotta Love, When the Levee Breaks and Rock and Roll. Good Times Bad Times is a bit quick and has an all too modern tone, giving it the sound of an 80's metal anthem than aa 60's rock standard. Of course it's the best 80's metal anthem you'll hear, but none the less it's one of the albums few minor mis-steps.

Whole Lotta Love suffers as well from thin, non-tube-amp guitar tone, but is otherwise excellent, and the guitar tone is not really noticeable once the band kicks in. Complete with a middle theremin section, and a call and response vocal interplay to mimic Page's backwards echo (is that Jason on "echo" vocals?), Whole Lotta Love as played here is fabulous.

So too When the Levee Breaks, which begins with Jason doing his father's most famous drum riff. The double guitar attack of Hagar and Johnson make this big and full and probably worth going to see Sammy Hagar and the Circle when they come to your town.

At Your Service finished off it's Led Zeppelin attack with Rock and Roll. Rock and Roll has become such a standard that it's conceivable the band plays it even without Jason Bonham in the lineup. And like it does with every band, whether on your local bar or your favourite big arena band, it sounds like great fun here. Rock and Roll is always a good time song, and is a fitting ending. Once again the drums and double guitar fuel this version and it doesn't disappoint.

If your a Led Zeppelin fan then, Sammy Hagar and the Circle's At Your Service is probably something you'd consider a worthwhile listen. Again, for a more full review, click here.




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Jason Bonham's Stripped Down Led Zeppelin Experience

“It’s a more stripped down version of the band,” I mentioned to Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience guitarist Tony Catania after their show last Thursday. He was having none of it, pointing out that it’s still a five piece band. And while yes, they are, new keyboard player Alex Howland doesn’t pick up electric guitar, or lap steel, on non-keyboard songs. And while he played acoustic on a couple of numbers, he sits out a few and is much less of a busy player than his predecessor Stephen LeBlanc. That’s neither a plus nor a minus, he’s just a different style of player.

Dorian Heartsong on mandolin

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience rocked the house at Casino Rama. Opening as a four piece with Song Remains the Same before Howland joined them on acoustic guitar for Over The Hills and Far Away. Bonham then mentioned they would do a couple of songs from the first album, introducing Good Times Bad Times and a rip roaring version of I Can't Quit You Baby, which saw guitarist Catania on fire.

Catania was at his best on the blues numbers I Can't Quit You Baby and Since I've Been Loving You, changing tone, moving between pickups, fingers flying around the fingerboard with speed and dexterity of a young Jimmy Page. "It's not just about the notes," Catania told a small group of fans ofter the show. "You have to know the difference between a humbucker and a single coil pickup. That's not something you can teach."

Dorian Heartsong, James Dylan and Tony Catania go acoustic

He's right, Jimmy Page was more worried about feel and sound than technicality, and Catania seems to have gotten better at channeling Page as time has progressed. He was on this night, the shows standout performer.

A couple of the shows highlights were also a couple of the surprises: a one-song acoustic set of Going to California and a surprisingly fun version of In The Evening. Going to California featured Catania on guitar, singer James Dylan and bassist Dorian Heartsong on mandolin taking center stage. In The Evening lost much of the ponderousness of the original, especially in the chorus, and it was a revelation how much that particular song could swing.

Tony Catania Goes to California

After Howland displayed some deft keyboard work on Trampled Underfoot, the band rolled through a fourth album set of songs: Misty Mountain Hop, When the Levee Breaks and Stairway to Heaven, before Kashmir closed out the main set. The band returned as a lean four piece for an encore of Immigrant Song, an audible called out onstage by Bonham, and Rock and Roll.

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience at Casino Rama was an across the board excellent show and it's my feeling, having seen them a number of times, the band is getting better and better. After, talking to some concertgoers in the casino, not a person had a bad thing to say about the show. It was simply an exceptionalnight of music.

Post-show with singer James Dylan

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Robert Plant Signed Guitar Being Auctioned

How's the money this month? Make a few extra sales or work a little overtime down at the factory? Well then, here's something to spend that extra on, a Robert Plant signed Gretsch Electromatic Guitar.

Plant signed the white hollow body Gretcsch and it is being auctioned off for Brian Wilson's Brian Fest with proceeds to the Jameson Fund, (Jameson's whiskey and Robert Plant, this what the lyrics to "My Favourite Things" would be if I wrote it) and the Sweet Relief Musicians Cancer Fund.

The auction expires tomorrow (Thursday May 21) at 3:00 EDT. It is a beautiful guitar, brand new and comes with a letter of authenticity. Current bid is $6,750.

You can bid at CharityBuzz.





for certified professional guitar repair in Cambridge Ontario: Brian Gardiner Guitar Repair

Sammy Hagar and the Circle featuring Jason Bonham Live Album

Sammy Hagar and the Circle, with Led Zeppelin's own Jason Bonham on drums, are releasing an album of live material, call At Your Service. In addition to Hagar and Bonham, The Circle features former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and guitarist Vic Johnson.

At Your Service was recorded on the bands 2014 tour, and features 19  songs from Hagar's solo career, we well as songs from Van Halen and five Led Zeppelin songs: Good Times Bad Times; Whole Lotta Love; When the Levee Breaks; Moby Dick; and Rock and Roll. 

It will be released May 19 on a 2-CD set.

Tracklist

CD 1

1. There's Only One Way to Rock
2. Rock Candy
3. Good Times Bad Times
4. Poundcake
5. I Can't Drive '55
6. Mikey Bass Solo
7. When It's Love
8. Whole Lotta Love
9. Little White Lie
10. When the Levee Breaks

CD 2

1. Jason Drum Solo/Moby Dick
2. Why Can't This Be Love
3. Finish What You Started
4. Heavy Metal
5. Vic Guitar Solo
6. Best of Both Worlds
7. Right Now
8. Rock and Roll
9. Dreams

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