Merry Zeppelin Christmas

Episode 127 of Ramble on Radio is hitting the servers today. It is, I believe, the 4th annual Christmas episode where I offer Christmas gift suggestions for the Led Zeppelin fan in your life. If you are the family Led Zeppelin fan, feel free to forward the podcast to whoever might need to hear it. Below is the part of the list that includes links.

Many of the books or CDs mentioned can be got by clicking the sidebar links at this sight, and if your Amazon shopping for anything, if you start with a sidebar link, a portion of the final sale will be paid to keep this blog and podcast going.

Album Art mount
Tight But Loose #42, due out early 2017 -Plus a  Limited Edition Jimmy Page Collectors Cover Edition!
Jimmy Page Fine Art Prints
Train Does Led Zeppelin II
The Complete BBC Sessions Super Deluxe (3CD/5LP 180 Gram Vinyl)
Plus the remasters (please see the sidebar for links)
No Quarter: The Three Lives of Jimmy Page by Martin Power
Led Zeppelin Gear: All the Gear from Led Zeppelin and the Solo Careers by Jeff Strawman
Six In Through the Out Door Covers (don't forget the album art mounts for those)
Live on Blueberry Hill
Turntable Slip Mats:

• Houses of the Holy
• Led Zeppelin III
• Physical Graffiti
• Blimp style

Very cool In Through the Out Door promo tote bag
Radioactive EP
Band Of Joy/ lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar CD/LP
Sixty Six to Timbuktu




To play all this music on, how about a turntable.
Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB Direct-Drive Professional Turntable in Silver. Best turntable from The Wirecutter
Crosley turntables:


Object: I found three on EBay ranging from $16.99 - $59.99
1990 The Hermit Die Cast Pin
Led Zeppelin (Boxed Set) Platinum Guitar: Authentic Guitar TAB, Book (Boxed Set) (Alfred's Platinum Album Editions).

There are several Jimmy Page custom guitars, made to Jimmy's specifications to repicate his Led Zeppelin guitars. Amongst them are a Danelectro, a Gibson Doubleneck, a Dragon Telecaster and at least three Gibson Les Paul's. Prices can range from $600-700 for a Danelctro to $20,000 and upwards for the Gibsons.

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Charities:
Jimmy Page
ABC Trust (Action for Brazil's Children)
Robert Plant
Teenage Cancer Trust
Jesuit Refugee Service’s Global Education Initiative

And finally,  The Wayne Foundation run by Jaimie Walton and Kevin Smith. It's mission is to provide victims of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking with a means for leaving the sex industry.

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You can listen to Episode 127 of Ramble On Radio: The Led Zeppelin Podcast at Podbean:

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.

And just in time for Christmas, Ramble On Radio returns to YouTube:




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Take a Picture of This - Part Two

In the spring of 2012, Jimmy Page made five portraits available for sale as fine art prints. Today, JimmyPage.com made another five prints available. Fair warning Christmas shoppers, once again, they are not cheap.

The five photographs, by Chris Dreja, Janet Macoska, Neal Preston, Tony DeFilippis and Claude Gassian, retail for £1,000 each - although the Macoska print of Page in 1977, strolling towards the camera with sunglasses on is sold out. A portfolio set of all five, limited to 10 sets, is also available for £7,000.



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The Led Zeppelin Podcast, Episode 125

I made it to the one-and-a-quarter mark for the podcast last week (or as I call it, one-hundred in Canadian episodes). Due to time between podcasts, I went back to the old school were a went over what each member of Led Zeppelin was up to the last few weeks.


 I opened the podcast with a clip of Robert Plant singing In My Time of Dying from the Lampedusa Concert for Refugees, October 13, 2016, The Vic, Chicago, IL.



Amongst the topics mentioned where John Paul Jones playing a gig with country artist Sara Watkins. Here's a clip from that show:




I also talked about the new Jimmy Page biography, No Quarter: The Three Lives of Jimmy Page by Martin Power, Jeff Strawman's Led Zep Gear and the 45th anniversary of Led Zeppelin IV.






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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The Led Zeppelin Podcast Episode 121

In the recent episode of Ramble on Radio I spend some time discussing the The Complete BBC Sessions. You can download to the episode here, or listen below below.





As well I discussed two new books. Led Zeppelin - Day by Day by Marc Roberty was released in July and is available to order now. Here's what Amazon says about the book:

The year 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's formation. From their first rehearsal in a small dingy space in Soho in 1968 until their last concert in 1980, the band conquered the world. Their grueling concert work schedule captured young people's imagination around the globe. Unique inventiveness and originality guaranteed huge album sales and sold-out concerts. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were the charismatic front men, backed by the superhuman rhythm section of John Bonham and John Paul Jones. Together they produced some truly timeless music, which continues to endure today. Their huge popularity, however, inevitably came at a cost when drugs and alcohol abuse in the last few years of the band's existence started to stifle their creative force, and the untimely death of drummer John Bonham signaled the end of the band. This day-by-day book details all of the concerts the band performed with set lists (where known) and includes reviews of several significant shows throughout their career. Recording sessions for each album and session work undertaken by individual members are listed in chronological order. The book also corrects previously undetected mistakes as well as providing new information. Quotes from recording engineers and studio staff help paint a true picture of what it was like being in the studio with the band.

No Quarter: The Three Lives of Jimmy Page by Martin Power won't be available until October 11, but will probably be the hottest Led Zeppelin book this holiday season.

The new biography of the leader of the rock band Led Zeppelin, who is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time.
A major biography of Jimmy Page―the first since 2009 (Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page was primarily a photo book), No Quarter is a comprehensive account of the life and times of a legendary musician and celebrity. From his time as a session guitarist in the ‘60s, working with legendary rock groups like The Kinks and The Who, to his time with the Yardbirds and his eventual founding on Led Zeppelin and his post-Zeppelin career, this book is a rich, insightful telling of Page’s story. It has all the sex and drugs you’d expect from a rock icon, but Page is widely considered to be a mysterious figure and Martin Power’s biography will shed light on 50 color and b&w photographs

The Three Lives of Jimmy Page is available to pre-order now.







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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BBC Sessions Reissue

Product links for a new, remastered BBC Sessions on Vinyl and CD was released on Amazon. The links show the BBC sessions getting the full re-release treatment, including 5-LP, 3-CD Deluxe Edition, currently priced at $180US.

Alternate "reverse" cover for BBC sessions.

The remasters will be released September 16 and come in a 5-LP 180 Gram Vinyl Edition ($100), a 3-CD Edition ($25) as well as a Super Deluxe Edition 3-CD/5-LP Edition. The Deluxe Edition has a 48-page booklet and presumably there will be a corresponding digital release, and currently iTunes is showing no listing for this album whatsoever. The set was remastered by John Davis and Jimmy Page.

Word has it that Tight But Loose's Dave Lewis wrote "session-by-session notes" for the liner notes.

Here's the tracklising for the 3-CD, 5-LP deluxe edition. You can extrapolate trackless for the individual releases from this:

Disc: 1 (CD-1)

1. You Shook Me (23/3/69 Top Gear)
2. I Can't Quit You Baby (23/3/69 Top Gear)
3. Communication Breakdown (22/6/69 Pop Sundae)
4. Dazed And Confused (23/3/69 Top Gear)
5. The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair (22/6/69 Pop Sundae)
6. What Is And What Should Never Be (29/6/69 Top Gear)
7. Communication Breakdown (29/6/69 Top Gear)
8. Travelling Riverside Blues (29/6/69 Top Gear)
9. Whole Lotta Love (29/6/69 Top Gear)
10. Somethin' Else (22/6/69 Pop Sundae)
11. Communication Breakdown (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)
12. I Can't Quit You Baby (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)
13. You Shook Me (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)
14. How Many More Times (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)

Disc: 2 (CD-2)

1. Immigrant Song (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
2. Heartbreaker (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
3. Since I've Been Loving You (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
4. Black Dog (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
5. Dazed And Confused (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
6. Stairway To Heaven (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
7. Going To California (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
8. That's The Way (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
9. Whole Lotta Love (Medley) [1/4/71 Paris Theatre]
10. Thank You (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)

Disc: 3 (CD-3)

1. Communication Breakdown (23/3/69 Top Gear)
2. What Is And What Should Never Be (22/6/69 Pop Sundae)
3. Dazed And Confused (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)
4. White Summer (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)
5. What Is And What Should Never Be (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
6. Communication Breakdown (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
7. I Can't Quit You Baby (14/4/69 Rhythm & Blues Session)
8. You Shook Me (14/4/69 Rhythm & Blues Session)
9. Sunshine Woman (14/4/69 Rhythm & Blues Session)

Disc: 4 (LP-1)

1. You Shook Me (23/3/69 Top Gear)
2. I Can't Quit You Baby (23/3/69 Top Gear)
3. Communication Breakdown (29/6/69 Top Gear)
4. Travelling Riverside Blues (29/6/69 Top Gear)

Disc: 5 (LP-2)

1. Whole Lotta Love (29/6/69 Top Gear)
2. How Many More Times (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)
3. Communication Breakdown (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)
4. I Can't Quit You Baby (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)


Disc: 6 (LP-3)

1. Immigrant Song (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
2. Heartbreaker (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
3. Since I've Been Loving You (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
4. Black Dog (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)


Disc: 7 (LP-4)

1. Whole Lotta Love (Medley) [1/4/71 Paris Theatre]
2. Thank You (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
3. That's The Way (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)

Disc: 8 (LP-5)

1. What Is And What Should Never Be (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
2. Communication Breakdown (1/4/71 Paris Theatre)
3. I Can't Quit You Baby (14/4/69 Rhythm & Blues Session)
4. White Summer (10/8/69 Playhouse Theatre)
5. Sunshine Woman (14/4/69 Rhythm & Blues Session)


With thanks to James Cook at LedZeppelinNews, who has been releasing this story all morning.



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Page and Plant win Stairway to Heaven Plagiarism Lawsuit

By a count of 12-0 Led Zeppelin are deemed not to have taken the opening chord progression to Stairway to Heaven from Spirit's Taurus. After the verdict plaintiffs council Francis Malofiy claim they lost on a technicality, acting as though the entire lawsuit was not based on a technicality. The fact is if the first four notes of both songs where as similar as the next 12, there would never have been a lawsuit. This case boiled down to who owns the Am arpeggio in the 5th position? Answer, not Francis Malefic.


Here's Led Zeppelin's official statement about today's verdict:

We are grateful for the jury's conscientious service and pleased that is has ruled in our favour, putting a rest to questions about the origins of 'Stairway to Heaven' and confirming what we have known for 45 years. We appreciate our fans' support, and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us.

And Warner Brothers official statement:

At Warner Music Group, supporting our artists and protecting their creative freedom is paramount. We are pleased the the jury found in favour of Led Zeppelin, re-affirming the true origins of Stairway to Heaven. Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands in history, and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are peerless songwriters who created many of rock's most influential and enduring songs.

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Stairway to Heaven v. Taurus Lawsuit Has Gone to the Jury

A lawsuit in Los Angeles alleging that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant plagiarized part of Stairway to Heaven from the Spirit song Taurus (I know, never heard of them either), has finished and a decision now rests with the jury.

The lawsuit claims Page took the opening four bars of Stairway from a similar sequence in Taurus, written by late Sprit Guitarist Randy California (nee Wolfe). The suit saw all three surviving members of Led Zeppelin taking the stand.

During testimony Jimmy Page claimed to have never heard Taurus, John Paul Jones claims never to have heard Spirit, and Robert Plant laughingly stated he had no recollection of Spirit or "mostly anybody I've ever hung out with." As well, early recordings from Headley Grange in 1971 featuring Page playing the parts of Stairway to the rest of the band, plus an early run through with incomplete lyrics were played in the courtroom.

While the opening sequence of Stairway does bear similarity to Taurus, it is not the same melody or chords, merely the descending bass line over Am chord, a sequence that appears often in musical history, dating back to the 16th century. Such 20th century standards as My Funny Valentine and Chim Chim Cher-ee use the same sequence. I have more thought and see audio examples on Episode 118 of The Ramble on Radio Podcast.




Reporter Pamela Chenin has been doing a phenomenal job of covering the trial via twitter.

The Jury is expected to have a verdict tomorrow, although they could in theory take much longer. Follow Pamela Chenin or Ramble on Radio on twitter for the verdict as it happens.




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Train - You Shook Me

From Does Led Zeppelin II :

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Ramble On Radio Episode #118

In 118th Episode of Ramble on Radio, I sit with my guitar and examine the similarities and differences between Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven and Spirit's Taurus. I also look at some other examples of this appreciated chord pattern, dating back to the 17th century.




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.

Ramble on Radio is also on Stitcher Radio.



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Robert Plant Austin City Limits Performance

Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters recording Austin City Limits on Monday.


 


 
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Ace Frehley Covers Zeppelin

Except for the fact that he was born in outer space, as a kid Ace Frehley was just like you and me.

Original Kiss guitarist, Ace Frehley will cover Led Zeppelin’s Bring it on Home, itself an homage to the Sonny Boy Williamson track (and written by WIllie Dixon), on his upcoming covers album. Titled Origins Vol. 1, the album sees Frehley cover songs by artists such as Cream, Free and Jimi Hendrix along with the Zeppelin track.

“Townshend, Page, Clapton, and Hendrix – I had some of the best teachers in the world,” Frehley says. His influences run through Origins Vol. 1, with all of the above but Pete Townsend’s The Who represented on the album. As well, Frehley covers a few of his old bands songs: Parasite, Cold Gin and Rock and Roll Hell.

Origins Vol. 1 is set for release April 16th.

As for Bring it on Home, Frehley rocks up the intro a little, replacing the old school blues intro with an electric intro filled with some hot bluesy licks. The song starts off with a train bell, setting the tempo. When the main body kicks in, Frehley sticks with the Jimmy Page lick and chord pattern, using a repeated hammer-on E7/A/E then G-E pull off pattern. He ends it, like Led Zeppelin, in a traditional blues style, sticking with the electric guitar.

Despite using different singers on the album, most notably his old band mate Paul Stanley, but also including Lita Ford and Mike McCready, Frehley takes the vocal duties himself on Bring it on Home. His voice is never been his strong suit, but he is an alright singer and it works well in this instance.








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Scarlet Page Resonators Prints

Friend of Ramble on Radio Scarlet Page, who appeared on Ramble on Radio Episode #102 last July, is making limited edition high quality black and white prints of images from her book Resonators. The prints feature guitar players such as Jack White, Jeff Beck, Chrissie Hynde, Joe Walsh, John Frusciante and two of Page's father, Jimmy Page.

All prints are signed, unframed and can be purchased at 16x20 inch for £250 or 20x24 inch signed print for £400. Order prints here.

Meanwhile the book Resonators can currently be purchased at hive.co.uk for £33.55.




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Tight But Loose Book Sale

Author, and good friend of Ramble On Radio, Dave Lewis is offering a book bundle sale. Lewis is offering his two fabulous books, Led Zeppelin Then as it Was - At Knebworth 1979 and Led Zeppelin Feather in the Wind - Over Europe 1980 for £18. Lewis, the author of the Led Zeppelin magazine Tight But Loose, will sign all books sold on this limited offer.

Then as it Was - At Knebworth 1979 (right) details Led Zeppelin in the late 70's, from the end of the 1977 tour until the penultimate Zeppelin shows, two weekends at Knebworth Castle in Stevenhxenge England in August 1979.

Led Zeppelin Feather in the Wind - Over Europe 1980 highlights the band's underreported summer of 1980 tour of Northern Europe. Lewis attended many of the shows and Feather in the Wind features a number of never seen before pictures taken by Lewis.

I reviewed both books in the inaugural Ramble on Radio podcast back in August 2011. Lewis has also appeared on Ramble on Radio twice over three episodes: in April 2014 Lewis appeared on episode 56, and last July Lewis appeared over two episodes, Ramble on Radio 100 and 101.

You can get the lewis book bundle offer at TightButLoose.co.uk




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Robert Plant at SXSW

Robert Plant turned up at the Austin Music Awards Thursday night, performing The Coasters Youngblood, the Jive 4 song When I was Single and Clyde McPhatter's Let the Boogie Woogie Roll. Plant was fronting a band that featured Charlie Sexton and Jimmie Vaughan.

More at billboard.com. Here's a partial clip of Plant at the Austin Music Awards.



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"Rubber" Plant Rockin' the Funeral

Robert Plant madde a cameo appearance this week on Stella, a UK TV show about, well, I haven't a clue what it's about. However, in this episode, former Led Zeppelin roadie "Daddy" is being laid to rest, and Plant makes a surprise (to the guests at the funeral) appearance.






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Robert Plant Announces Southern US Tour, Hints at New Album

"Having just begun work on our new album..."

Robert Plant today released a statement confirming the continuation of The Sensational Space Shifters, announcing both that the band was working on a new album, and would be touring in 2016:

Having just begun work on our new album, we thought we’d take time out to raise a little sand and welcome springtime with one more adventure, another celebration of life and song.

Plant will tour the Southern United States, "Towns and cities that hold fond memories for me personally, places that gave birth to so much of the music I love,” in March beginning at the Okeechobee Festival in Okeechobee, Florida.

Here's the dates:

• March 04-06 – Okeechobee, FL – Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival
• March 06 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
• March 07 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre
• March 09 – Jackson, MS – Thalia Mara Hall
• March 10 – Baton Rouge, LA – River Center Theatre
• March 11 – Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
• March 13 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK
• March 15 – The Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
• March 17 – San Antonio, TX – Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
• March 18 – Midland, TX – Wagner Noel Center Performing Arts Center
• March 20 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at Moody Theater

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