The Led Zeppelin Podcast - Episode 146

I had a wonderful opportunity to talk to Mark Blake, author of Bring It On Home: Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin, and Beyond--The Story of Rock's Greatest Manager. Mark was fun, engaging and passionate about his subject.

You can buy Mark's book through Amazon. Be sure to visit Mark's own website at MarkBlake.com.





You can download Ramble on Radio at Podbean, or stream the podcast through the Podbean app.

You can also listen to and stream The Led Zeppelin Podcast at Stitcher Radio, or listen through the Stitchers app.

You can subscribe on iTunes. If you subscribe via iTunes, be sure to leave a review.  Ramble on Radio is now also available on “Google Play





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Bring It on Home

It always seems as though there’s nothing more to say, nothing more to learn, about Led Zeppelin. And then along comes a book like Mark Blake’s Bring It On Home: Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin, and Beyond--The Story of Rock's Greatest Manager, and you learn something new.

In Bring It On Home, Blake draws from new and historical interviews, his own notes and, perhaps most importantly, Grant’s personal papers which Blake was offered a chance to view from Grant’s children, Warren and Helen Grant. It is through those papers and his research we learn a new name in the Led Zeppelin tale, Herb Akin, and that Akin and long-time Zeppelin lawyer Steve Weiss had attempted a late 70’s coup of the band’s management.

But it’s not just a book about Grant’s time with Led Zeppelin and the section on Grant touring with the out of control Gene Vincent gives you perspective on what kind of experience you need to manage a personality like John Bonham, a band like Led Zeppelin.

But mostly, Bring It On Home is an entertaining and very readable book, not always so in a complex biographical subject like Grant. The Peter Grant story is an interesting one almost from the beginning, and with Bring it on Home the story is getting the telling it deserves.

If your looking for what made the man behind Led Zeppelin tick, Bring It On Home may well be the definitive source.








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Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin

As much as they were a band about the music, Led Zeppelin always understood the importance of the visual experience. From the beginning the band was highly photogenic, and highly photographed. So it’s entirely appropriate that the fiftieth anniversary of Led Zeppelin began with the publication of a pictorial autobiography of the band, Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin.The book, similar in style and size to the earlier book Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page,offers a history of the band through pictures and, to a very minor degree, the bands own words.

The book is laid out chronologically by years (1968-69, 1970-73 &tc.) and sub-categorically by album. From the first show in Denmark in 1968, to the last at the O2 arena in London in 2007, Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin delivers a visual treat for fans. Promotional shots, pictures of the band backstage, on the plane and mostly onstage, including some great action shots, the 400 page coffee table book doesn’t miss much.

Many of the pictures have been seen before, but the size and clarity brought out here make them seem like new. Conversely, there are shots I had never seen before that were fabulous. That’s not to say every picture is a gem . There’s a few that are out of focus, or from an angle that makes you wonder why the photographer bothered to hit the shutter. But in the context of this book, even those pictures add to the tale.

The book is by no means perfect, The section marked 1979-82 is really 1979-80, plus a one page picture of the Coda album cover from 1982. The book then skips right to 2007, missing Live Aid, The Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary show and Jason Bonham’s wedding (wouldn’t you love to have seen some snap shots from the wedding jam?). But overall, it’s hard to complain with so much good material, so many pictures of the band in their prime.

If the music that Led Zeppelin puts out for the fiftieth anniversary matches the quality of this book, the next year promises to be a good one for Led Zeppelin fans. And even if not, Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelinis a first rate addition to any Zeppelin fans library.





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No Led Zeppelin on Record Store Day

The Black Friday Record Store Day list has just been released and at a casual glance there is no Led Zeppelin related items this time round.

In April, of course, we got the Sunset Studio remix of Rock and Roll, with Friends on the b/side. Other years we have had Jimmy Page era Yardbird releases, a Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes release and others. This Christmas, however, the list looks light on Led Zeppelin items.

Here's the list for your perusal.

It should be noted that some items do get added after the list is first release, and furthermore there has been some items in the past that had either Jimmy Page or John Paul Jones on the sessions for the recording, so a connection is still possible. But it looks as though a Led Zeppelin Christmas song will have to wait for another year.

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The Led Zeppelin Podcast Episode 144

Dave Lewis has been on the show three times now, stretched over 4 episodes. This first time in April 2014 covered the then freshly announced remasters program, his book Then as it Was and Tight But Loose #33.  It appeared in episode 56 which is not currently available to listen to.

The second time was in July 2015, and the interview was long enough that I spread it out over both episode 100 and 101. In that interview we discussed, among other things Earls Court and Dave's book, Over Europe 1980.

Last week I talked to Dave for the third time, where we discussed the new the Led Zeppelin downloads and The Song Remains the Same remaster.  However, what we really talked about was Dave's two new books, Evenings with Led Zeppelin: The Complete Concert Chronicle 1968-1980, with co-author Mike Tremaglio which was released in July. His new photobook, Led Zeppelin Live ’75-‘77 (UK Amazon link only), features the photography of Terry O'Neill, Michael Brennan and Baron Wolman. You can hear the interview on Episode 144.




You can get more information on all things Dave Lewis at his website Tight But Loose.









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And it Begins

Led Zeppelin today announced three digital releases in conjunction with the bands 50th anniversary celebrations. The three releases are a comprehensive career spanning collection, an introduction to Led Zeppelin and a digital release of last years Record Store Day single.

Here they are one by one.

The career spanning retrospective titled Led Zeppelin X Led Zeppelin is a 30-song retrospective covering the majority of their catalogue. Click to buy or stream here.

The track listing is:

1.“Immigrant Song”
2.“Rock And Roll” (Sunset Sound Mix)
3.“Whole Lotta Love”
4.“Black Dog”
5.“Stairway To Heaven”
6.“Good Times Bad Times”
7.“Going To California”
8.“Ramble On”
9.“Kashmir”
10.“Over The Hills And Far Away”
11.“Hey Hey What Can I Do”
12.“D’Yer Maker”
13.“When The Levee Breaks”
14.“All My Love”
15.“Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”
16.“Heartbreaker”
17.“Dazed And Confused”
18.“The Song Remains The Same”
19.“Fool In The Rain”
20.“The Ocean”
21.“What Is And What Should Never Be”
22.“Houses Of The Holy”
23.“Since I’ve Been Loving You”
24.“Misty Mountain Hop”
25.“Communication Breakdown”
26.“Thank You”
27.“No Quarter”
28.“Trampled Under Foot”
29.“I Can’t Quit You Babe”
30.“In The Evening”

Note, I mentioned the majority of their catalogue, as their is no songs from Presence on the list. 

An introduction to Led Zeppelin features the first ten songs on the Led Zeppelin X Led Zeppelin collection, complete with Sunset Sound mix of Rock and Roll.  Click to buy or stream here.

Finally we get the Sunset Sound mix of Rock and Roll with the Olympic Studio mix of Friends. This set was available as a 45 RPM single on Record Store Day on April 21st this year. This is, as are all releases announced today, digital download only. You can buy or stream it here.









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Why the 50th Anniversary is Important

In an interview with Planet Rock Magazine, Jimmy Page has stated that new live material will be released in 2018 and "...that they'll be coming out over the next 10 years. There's more to come for sure.” (h/t LedZepNews)

Speculation is now running as to what to expect for 2018 and beyond. Shows from the 1971 Japanese tour or Southampton on Jan 22, 1973 seem be the most expected.* Both the Japanese tour and the Southhampton show are known to have been recorded, so they are the natural expectations.

But pay heed to Page's ten year plan.

In 2002 a European Union wide copyright law was brought into effect that harmonized copyright across the EU. That law gave a 70-year copyright to sound performances from the "date of release." However:

"if a recording is not published or communicated to the public, copyright lasts for 50 years from when the recording was made"

Anything not protected by "making the recording available for sale, both physically and online, in sufficient quantity," (emphasis mine) are subject to "use to or lose it" provisions within the Copyright Act.

Led Zeppelin started performing in 1968, their first show being September 7, 1968. A recording of that show would have to be released by September 7th of this year to secure copyright. While it's not expected that anything from the first European tour was recorded in sufficient quality for a release (or at all), it is possible something exists from 1968. Furthermore, it is known that some shows from early 1969 do exist.

If your betting on what's coming, bet on something that is in imminent danger from the "use it or lose it" provision. When Jimmy Page says 10-years, that means Knebworth in 2019, not now. Expect both Japan and Southhampton University to be released, but not until closer to 2021.

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*I originally wrote the Southampton show that is known to exist in multitrack format was the Southampton University show on March 11, 1971. This has been corrected.




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Ramble on Radio: The Led Zeppelin Podcast, Episode #138

It has been available for audio download almost two weeks, but I finally tamed my video software and got the 138th episode of Ramble on Radio up to YouTube.

In Episode 138, I talk with Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty. You can read an excerpt from the interview, in which McCarty explained how the Yardbirds '68 album came about, here: Yardbirds '68 re-release goes back 12-years.

Here's the video version of the podcast.



And the audio:



You can download Ramble on Radio at Podbean, or stream the podcast through the Podbean app.

You can also listen to and stream The Led Zeppelin Podcast at Stitcher Radio, or listen through the Stitchers app.

You can subscribe on iTunes. If you subscribe via iTunes, be sure to leave a review.  Ramble on Radio is now also available on “Google Play




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Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters opened up their North American tour Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina. The setlist was heavy with songs from the two Sensational Space Shifters album.

There was some Zeppelin mixed in, however, including Gallows Pole.

• New World… 
• Turn It Up 
• The May Queen 
• Rainbow 
• That’s the Way 
• All the King’s Horses 
• Please Read the Letter 
• Gallows Pole
• Carry Fire 
• Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You 
• Little Maggie 
• Fixin’ to Die Misty 
• Mountain Hop 
• 
  
• I’m in the Mood 
• Whole Lotta Love

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Led Zeppelin Official Book Coming in October

The first release of the Led Zeppelin 50th anniversary celebrations has been announced.  Although previously reported, todays news of Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin, a photographic book along the lines of  Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page, is the first official announcement.

From LedZeppelin.com:

Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin is the first and only official illustrated book to be produced in collaboration with the members of the band. Celebrating 50 years since their formation, it covers the group’s unparalleled musical career and features photographs of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham on and offstage, in candid moments and in the recording studio. This definitive 368-page volume includes unseen photographs and artwork from the Led Zeppelin archives and contributions from photographers around the world.

Available to pre-order now.




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Yardbirds '68 re-release goes back 12-years

The Yardbirds Live at the Anderson Theatre album, “Yardbirds ‘68, recently released on Jimmy Page records was 12-years in the making, says Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty in an interview with Ramble On Radio.

It goes back probably 12-years. Funnily enough I think I was in Toronto at the time. I was staying with a friend, a guy called Ron Korb who’s a flute player. And his manager rang me up there, and wanted to know about the tapes and said Jimmy was looking for the Anderson Theatre tapes. And also Jimmy rang up in France and was looking for them. So I had various dialogues with his manager at the time, it was a guy called Peter Mensch. Peter said, I’m gonna manage Jimmy but one of my things with the management is that he has to release that album because that was one of my favourite albums ever, you know the Anderson Theatre. He has to re-release it, otherwise I won’t manage him (laughs)
So I tried to help the best I could suggesting where the tapes may be and we couldn’t get anywhere and it all went quiet, which it does you know in this business, it gets very hot and cold.
And then much more recently I heard that Jimmy had found the tapes and he’d had them all the time and found them and done a job on them. Done the remix. And Chris and I were invited in the studio to have a listen and we went over to London and thought it sounded great.

The entire interview will be available later this week on Episode 138 of Ramble on Radio: The Led Zeppelin Podcast later this week.

Meanwhile, Episode 137 is now available, including a return to YouTube.

You can download Ramble on Radio at Podbean, or stream the podcast through the Podbean app.

You can also listen to and stream The Led Zeppelin Podcast at Stitcher Radio, or listen through the Stitchers app.

You can subscribe on iTunes. If you subscribe via iTunes, be sure to leave a review.  Ramble on Radio is now also available on “Google Play


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How the West was Won Reissue

From LedZeppelin.com

Led Zeppelin Live Album How The West Was Won
To Be Reissued With New Remastering Supervised By Jimmy Page
Including The Album’s Debut Release On Vinyl And Blu-ray Audio,
Along With Super Deluxe Boxed Set, CD, And Digital Versions
On September 7, 1968, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant first took the stage together in Gladsaxe, Denmark. Then billed as “The New Yardbirds,” the band would assemble in the studio for the first time later that month to start recording their debut album as Led Zeppelin, and rock ‘n’ roll would never be the same again. Before the band’s 50th Anniversary celebration officially begins in September, Led Zeppelin will continue their reissue campaign with a new edition of their celebrated live album HOW THE WEST WAS WON, originally released in 2003, featuring newly remastered audio, which was done under the supervision of Jimmy Page. Details of additional Led Zeppelin 50th Anniversary releases and events will be announced later this year.
HOW THE WEST WAS WON will be released on March 23 in multiple formats from Atlantic/Swan Song, including the first ever vinyl and Blu-ray Audio editions (with the Blu-ray containing hi-res 5.1 surround sound).
· CD - Remastered audio on three CDs
· Vinyl - Remastered audio on four 180-gram vinyl LPs.
· Blu-Ray Audio - 96kHz/24 bit 5.1 (DTS-HD Master Audio Surround) and stereo mixes (PCM Stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo).
· Streaming & Digital Download – Remastered audio.
· Super Deluxe Boxed Set
o Remastered audio on three CDs and four 180-gram vinyl LPs.
o DVD of album in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and PCM Stereo, plus photo gallery.
o High-def download card of all stereo audio content at 96kHz/24 bit.
o A book filled with rare and previously unpublished photos of the band at each of the concert locations, plus memorabilia and ephemera.
o High-quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.
Originally released in 2003, HOW THE WEST WAS WON highlights the best performances from Led Zeppelin’s legendary concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena on June 25 and 27, 1972. Melded together and sequenced to replicate a single concert from beginning to end, the three-CD and four-LP collections capture the band at the height of its formidable powers. Standouts include a 25-plus minute version of “Dazed And Confused” and a 21-minute medley based around “Whole Lotta Love.” The performances also capture the band introducing songs from its then-unreleased album Houses Of The Holy, which would be released nine months later.

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Bert Jansch CD/LP Book Coming

Earth Records is releasing an historical series on guitarist Bert Jansch. Bert Jansch – A Man I'd Rather Be (Part 1) is available for pre-order now and will be shipped Jan 26th.

Covering the first four albums of Jansch's career, Bert Jansch, It Don’t Bother Me, Jack Orion, Bert and John,  the set arrives in hardback book for with 4 LPs or CDs included.
Bert Jansch – A Man I'd Rather Be (Part 1) is £35 for the CD or £60 for the LP version.

You can preorder at Earth Records.

Jansch is an acoustic finger style guitarist who Jimmy Page was heavily influenced by. Page is quoted as saying:

At one point, I was absolutely obsessed with Bert Jansch. When I first heard that LP, I couldn’t believe it. It was so far ahead of what everyone else was doing. No one in America could touch that.

In fact, it is generally conceded that Page used a Jansch arrangement of the Irish ballad Blackwaterside, that Jansch himself likely heard from Davy Graham,  and used it as Black Mountain Side.

Six years ago a 45RPM single was released of Jansch's BlackWaterside as part of Record Store Day.




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The Led Zeppelin Podcast #136

In Episode 136 of Ramble on Radio, I discuss the upcoming year of Led Zeppelin's 50th Anniversary, plus the connection between the Dec 2007 O2 show and the Raising Sand album, released the same year.





You can download Ramble on Radio at Podbean, or stream the podcast through the Podbean app.

You can also listen to and stream The Led Zeppelin Podcast at Stitcher Radio, or listen through the Stitchers app.

You can subscribe on iTunes. If you subscribe via iTunes, be sure to leave a review.  Ramble on Radio is now also available on “Google Play




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Robert Plant to receive Lifetime Achievement Award.

From Robert Plant's Facebook Page:

RP is to be awarded the 2018 UK Americana Lifetime Achievement Award at the UK Americana Awards on February 1st.

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Robert Plant Festival of Disruption DVD

Robert Plant is releasing a DVD of his performance at David Lynch's Festival of Disruption. Coming February 9th, the DVD, Live at David Lynch's Festival of Disruption will feature Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters at the festival in LA on October 2016.

The Festival of Disruption is put on by director David Lynch and bills itself as a "music, art, film & creativity festival with artists hand-picked by David Lynch. Proceeds go to The David Lynch Foundation."

The DVD will feature 8-songs:

Poor Howard
Turn It Up
Black Dog
Medley: The Enchanter / Rainbow
Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
Little Maggie
Medley: Hoochie Coochie Man / Whole Lotta Love / Mona
Going To California

Bonus Feature

David Lynch On Creativity
David Lynch On Meditation
David Lynch On Music

Personally, I'm buying it for the David Lynch on Meditation feature!









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