The Making of Led Zeppelin's Celebration Day

The Furnace Record Plant in Germany presses Celebration Day vinyl records.



h/t The Hoffman Forum

Celebration Day Vinyl

If you live in Canada, or are visiting in the next week or two, it appears you get a chance to buy Celebration Day on vinyl before anyone else. For reasons unknown, the Celebration Day vinyl boxset release has been postponed at least twice now, with Amazon citing a late February release date to those who had pre-ordered it. However, last week reports started to come out of Canadian fans that some stores that sell vinyl had the Celebration day box set. While first thoughts are that some store let it slip early, one fan in Montreal reports buying at, as well as a Toronto fan who found it at Sunrise in downtown Toronto. Add myself to the list, who purchased the 3-LP set at HMV on Younge Street in Toronto, just a few blocks up the road from Massey Hall, where Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience was playing Thursday night.

[caption id="attachment_2230" align="alignnone" width="442" caption="The three LP Celebration Day box set."][/caption]

The set comes with a 14 page booklet and each LP has a cardboard cover, as well as a paper dust cover to protect the record while inside the hard cardboard cover.  Each cardboard album cover has s a yellow clock-face in red background, consistent with the cover art on one side. It has the words "Led Zeppelin" at the top, the LP #, the Swan Song logo  at the 9 and 3-o'clock postions respectively, and  the words "Celebration Day. Recorded live December 10, 2007 O2 Arena London" at the bottom.



The other side has the Swan Song logo with "Led Zeppelin Celebration Day" in the classic Led Zeppelin font in a circle in the middle. Underneath that is the LP #, and the track listing for that LP.



The LP label has the same patterns on them, with the song listing being on side 2 of the albums. The Swan Song, Atlantic and Warner Brothers logo appear on the track listing side of the vinyl.



Soundwise it sounds good, although I don't run equipment nearly good enough to say much other than there's no obvious flaws.  Each instrument is pretty clear in the mix.



Just don't put it on the couch when the cat is sleeping:

Celebration Day Guitar Book

Alfred Music has released a Celebration Day Guitar Tab book. The book "presents authentic guitar TAB transcriptions of the 16 classic songs that make up the (Celebration Day) set."

The book is a compilation of studio versions of the songs Led Zeppelin performed on their Dec, 2007 concert at London's 02 arena, not tabs of the songs as played on that evening.

Celebration Day Guitar Tab is available through Alfred Music, at Amazon or likely through your local music store.

Ultimate Classic Rock Awards

Led Zeppelin's Celebration Day won two 2012 Ultimate Classic Rock Awards: Best DVD and Best Live Album.

The Ultimate Classic Rock Awards are voted on by readers of the website, Ultimate Classic Rock.

The Celebration Day DVD won as "2012's DVD of the year," gaining 36.51% of the vote.  The next closest was Iron Maiden's En Vino with 10%. Robert Plant's Robert Plant and the Band of Joy: Live from the Artists Den gained a .92% of the vote.

The audio album of Celebration Day won "2012's Best Live Album," with 40.72% of the vote.

The Perfect Christmas Gift for the Led Zeppelin Fan Who has Everything

Shepard Fairey is the artist who designed the Celebration Day package. Tomorrow, sometime between 10AM and 12PM PST, Fairey will release 300 signed and numbered screen prints of the Celebration Day artwork. A further 50 prints will be signed by the band and sold for charity at a later date.



The prints will be available exclusively from Fairey's online store.

Review Week - Day 6: Celebration Day Bonus Disc

If you've bought one of the various "editions" of Celebration Day, chances are good you have found yourself with a bonus DVD with the bands last rehearsal before the Dec 2007 O2 arena show. The rehearsal is a full production rehearsal, meaning you get the entire show, with complete setlist, lights and back-screen video.

The bonus disc is worth watching for any Zep fan for a couple of reasons. First, it is a single camera shot so, unlike the actual concert DVD, you get to watch the show from the vantage point of the audience as it would have been witnessed on the night. To see what is happening on the back-screen, get Page's violin bow solo, complete with laser pyramid, is worth the watch. In case you didn't get the idea of how much work went into the one time show from the concert video, the rehearsal video makes it clear.

The second reason to watch the rehearsal video is the music itself. The band is relaxed and their playing superb. Page's soloing is a lot more aggressive, and they pull off some stunning versions of the songs, notably Since I've Been Loving You and For Your Life.

It's not the concert video, itself absolutely superb, but the video of the rehearsal at Shepperton Studio's four days before Led Zeppelin went live for their heralded reunion concert is worth making sure you've spent the extra few dollars when you pick up a copy of Celebration Day for the Zeppelin fan on your Christmas list.

Review Week - Day 3: Celebration Day Bluray/DVD

Having previously seeing Celebration Day, and loving it it, at the movie theaters, I wasn't expecting any surprises watching it at home on Blu-Ray. It is an excellent concert movie that puts the viewer on-stage in the middle of the action. Watching at home does offer, however, certain advantages and certain disadvantages. You can stop, repeat and review a song or part of a song at home. At the theatre you pay for atmosphere, to not have to put up with distractions and superior theatre sound.

So how come it sounded so much better on my weak Akai sound system circa 1988? Left alone on a Sunday afternoon, I was able to turn it up and just enjoy the concert. It was the perfect home viewing experience.

Lets be clear, if you saw the movie in the theaters, it is exactly the same concert movie. There is nothing new, and the viewing and audio experience is limited only by your personal setup. it was an excellent movie then, and it is excellent sitting in the living room in front of a roaring fire.

Review Week - Day 1: Celebration Day CD

Driving to work last week and I had Celebration Day in the CD player. My buddy I drive with is napping in the passenger seat and as we get to work he says, “what are we listening to?”



When I tell him what it is, he says, “man that is good.” We finished the drive with a discussion on just how tight Led Zeppelin was on that night of Dec 10, 2007.

I’ve had the CD for a week and-a-half now and I can’t seem to stop listening to it. In the car, at home, walking the dog I listen from start to finish, skipping nothing, over and over. It is simply that good.

Yes, the band is tight, surprising for a one off gig, their first full one in almost 30 years. But anybody with any of the various bootlegs of that night already knew that. But the quality of the sound, the flawless mix make this set so much better.

Celebration Day is Led Zeppelin at their best, and the CD makes for a must listen, a must have for any Led Zeppelin fan.

Black Dog

This week Led Zeppelin released a video of Black Dog from the movie, Celebration Day, available Tuesday.

Kashmir from Celebration Day

Rediscovering Zep

Below is a piece I wrote for my general interest blog At Home in Hespeler. I thought it apropos here.

************************************************************************

In the winter of 1976-77 I was a minor Led Zeppelin fan: I obviously knew side 1 of Led Zeppelin 4 and had recently taken to stealing my brothers Led Zeppelin III, which was at the time my favourite album. But BTO’s Not Fragile and Kiss Alive had been my “favourite album” before that, so that didn’t mean much. No, I liked Led Zeppelin, but I liked a lot of bands.

Then one snowy night a friend and I crossed town, from the northeast end of Brampton (Bramalea) to Shoppers World shopping mall in the southeast to watch the weekly showing of The Song Remains the Same.

It starts innocently enough, a gangster shoot-up, manager Peter Grant’s “fantasy sequence,” then a young man on a bicycle delivering something to each member of Led Zeppelin at their home (remarkable considering those homes ranged from Wales to Scotland). “Tour dates” John Paul Jones announces happily to his wife upon reading his. The smile changes to shock as he reads on, “it starts tomorrow.” Airport, jet, tarmac and limo ride with police escort past a traffic jam then through a tunnel the streets of Manhattan.

Yardbirds bassist Chris Dreja, talking of seeing Led Zeppelin for the first time in 1969 said, “Jesus Christ, there were four guys. it sounded like a war.” If Led Zeppelin live is like a war, The Song Remains the Same up to this point is the long march into battle. The final scene before the “four guys” unleash themselves on New York City is from the stage. Looking out on a dark stadium, the occasional lighter flickers and lights from the doorways out are the only glow in the darkness, like the night fires of the invading army from the vantage point of the villagers.

The attack starts as every self respecting attack should, with the drummer. Specifically John Bonham, who shouts in the darkness, “alright lets go,” before launching into his drum intro to Rock and Roll. Two-minutes into the song Jimmy Page steps in front of the camera and plays lick that starts his blistering solo, fingers flailing across the fretboard seemingly out of control. It was the moment, the very second where I got it, I got Led Zeppelin. No longer a mere fan, no longer just another band I like, I became a Led Zeppelin fanatic.

I learnt what most Zeppelin fanatics learn at some time, to experience Led Zeppelin live is to truly appreciate how good they are. Whether actually being at a a concert (preferred), on a movie screen, at home or even just an audio bootleg of an otherwise unreleased concert, Led Zeppelin’s live experience is almost always better than they were on record.

Their latest live release, Celebration Day, chronicles their Dec 2007 union concert at the O2 arena in London. Put out as a limited theatrical release, it opened Wednesday the 17th of this month at a variety of theaters. The second and last showing was last Thursday, and it was this one my university aged daughter expressed an interest in going to.

She was obviously raised with Led Zeppelin in the background, but like the rest of the family treated my level of enjoyment of the band with amusement. They’re OK, but that’s all, was her general attitude. For her, Queen or The Who, whom she knows from CSI. Lately, the boyfriend is a Stones fan, and 70’s Stones has also been found to be too her taste. But on Led Zeppelin she was acting the role of rebellious daughter, allowing that they were OK but refusing to be a ‘fan.’

Leaving the theatre Thursday she expressed the opinion that she liked it, it was, she thought, really good. A pretty good self taught pianist, she was pleasantly surprised by the amount keyboard playing in the band, surprised that John Paul Jones supplies the dual role of bassist and keyboardist so well. We discussed how Zeppelin often treated songwriting more like classical composers do, adding in breaks, preludes, interludes and codas, moving the songs through a variety of tempos, volumes and, most importantly, feels.

It wasn’t until she came home Friday for her usual weekend of quiet study away from the residence parties: where she could get her mother to do her laundry her father to bake her banana bread for her, that the depth of her appreciation became clear. “While I’m home, I want to go over some of Zeppelin’s older live stuff, to see what they were like when they were younger.”

“Oh, no!” cried out the wife. “Not another one,” while I ran to open the special occasion Champagne I had been saving. She got it, she really got it, as Goldie Hawn might have said in my shoes. The hook was in, and a few hours closeted away with The Song Remains the Same (complete with fairytale fantasy sequences that she will love despite their obvious cheesiness), and their 2002 DVD release will no doubt set the hook. The first Knebworth show and Seattle ’77 sit in my basement, virtually pro-shot bootlegs that will mesmerize and amaze.

The path is now clear, from the videos to the three live albums, then sometime with the turntable listening to the originals as they were meant to be heard, finally, onward to the 100‘s of bootlegs. Oh the joy of buying her first turntable for her, hitting the record shows with her and having someone in the house to eagerly anticipate the re-release of all those albums in 2013, as Jimmy Page promised this week. Oh the joy.

Now, about the boy and his rap music…

Celebration Night

[caption id="attachment_2060" align="alignright" width="292" caption="Photo: Nech Tytla - Used By Permission"][/caption]

It was Celebration Night around the world, and certainly in my little part of it where no less than 5 theatres within' a 25 minute drive were showing Celebration Day. I must say, minus a few quibbles, it was as good, better, than I hoped for: a magical recreation of a magical night.

The movie is the concert, full bore. A few edits to keep the pacing going, a few small parts of the show where cut for brevity. But ultimately, it was the show. They didn't mess too much with the music, although they tried to fix the little mess in "Dazed and Confused when the rhythm section seemed to not be connecting." But otherwise it was the show, just the show, and nothing but the show. On that note, here's what I said about the show at the time:

...I won’t equivocate: this was a great concert by a great band that was in great form. I simply can’t imagine how good these guys would be after a few shows to get the groove going. If they do tour, and it would be a crime if they don’t, I want to see them again mid tour. They would be an unimaginable force of music.

Too bad about that last bit.

Now the quibbles. First, I would have set the stage, given the movie some context. An intro in which the camera is outside the O2 before the show, so everybody understands it was London. Further I would have replaced the old Tampa TV news clip that started the show with one from the O2 show. My feeling watching it was, if I didn't know better, I'd think I was seeing Led Zeppelin in Tampa in the 70's.

Others have commented on the 35mm footage used in the movie, and it was too much. It's a cool effect used half a dozen times through the movie: they used it 3 or 4 times a song. Way too much. And the film was edited to MTV standards, which means it was far to jumpy.

But again, these are mere quibbles, disagreement over choices, not commentary on the performance itself. The truth on the performance itself is, it holds up extremely well, and Celebration Day is a must see movie for music fans, and a must see more than once for Led Zeppelin fans.

Jimmy Page Says The TIme For a Reunion Has Passed

In the last podcast I was fairly clear on how I felt the guys in Led Zeppelin had been doing a poor job of communicating what seemed obvious to most observers, no reunion is coming:

[caption id="attachment_2053" align="alignright" width="179" caption="Photo: Nech Tytla"][/caption]

For the life of me, at this stage I don't know why they just don't say..."at this time we have no plans. we see no foreseen circumstances in the upcoming future... so the short answer is no! However, we don't rule out the possibility of something somewhere down the road. Of something coming up somewhere down the road that we feel is big enough, important enough to do.

The answer to "will there be a reunion?" has been no for some time time, no. And while I understand they don't want to shut the door 100%, they don't have to. Just be honest, and say, no reunion that we can foresee, but never say never.

With those words ringing in Jimmy Page's ear, he talked recently to Rollin Stone, and on teh issue of a reunion, he said:

I think if there had been any more concerts to be done, we'd already be talking about them. So I don't see it.

See Jimmy, that's all you had to say.

Celebration Day Premieres

via LedZeppelin.com

Film To Debut At Ziegfeld Theater In New York On October 9;
Press Conference With John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, And Jason Bonham To Precede New York Premiere

Hammersmith Apollo To Host London Premiere On October 12

Premieres In Berlin And Tokyo Also Scheduled In Advance Of
Global Theatrical Release On October 17

Led Zeppelin have announced upcoming premieres in four countries for Celebration Day, which documents the band’s 2007 concert at London’s O2 Arena.

and

Join John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at London’s Hammersmith Apollo for a special premiere screening of Celebration Day on October 12th 2012. Very limited number of tickets available here: http://bit.ly/QEiIJR

The film of Celebration Day will see a worldwide theatrical release on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories on October 17. Celebration Day will then be available in multiple video and audio formats on November 19 from Swan Song/Atlantic Records.

Celebration Day Premier

The Led Zeppelin's, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, held a preview press screening of Celebration Day in London yesterday, and afterwards held a 34 minute presser. As well, they released information on the various formats that Celebration Day will be available when it's released in November.

Here's the press conference:



Celebration Day will be released in DVD/Bluray, CD and digital download on November 19th. The formats are:

2 CD Softpak
Deluxe Edition 2CD + 2 DVD
2 CD + 1 DVD
2 CD + 1 Blu-Ray
2 Cd + 1 DVD + 1 Blu-Ray
Blu-Ray Audio
Digital audio download

As well, a 3 LP Vinyl Packagewill be released on February 5th.

All items can be pre-ordered through Led Zeppelin.com, or, of course, you can click on the links above.

Black Dog Video

From the upcoming Celebration Day movie and DVD/Bluray

Celebration Day Trailer

In all the fuss yesterday, I forgot to post the official trailer for Celebration Day. Do turn it up and do watch it in full screen.

Celebration Day

Audio And Video From Legendary 2007 Concert
To Be Available In Multiple Configurations On November 19

Concert Slated For Global Theatrical Release On October 17

(Los Angeles, Sept. 13, 2012) – On December 10, 2007, Led Zeppelin took the stage at London’s O2 Arena to headline a tribute concert for dear friend and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. What followed was a two-hour-plus tour de force of the band’s signature blues-infused rock ’n’ roll that instantly became part of the legend of Led Zeppelin. Founding members John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were joined by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham, to perform 16 songs from their celebrated catalog including landmark tracks “Whole Lotta Love,” “Rock And Roll,” “Kashmir,” and “Stairway To Heaven.”

Although 20 million people applied for tickets, the band’s first headline show in 27 years was seen only by the 18,000 ticket holders who were fortunate enough to have secured seats through the worldwide lottery.

The film of Celebration Day will see a worldwide theatrical release by Omniverse Vision on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories on October 17. The theatrical screenings will follow premieres in London, Los Angeles, New York, and other major cities. Tickets for the public screenings will be available on September 13 via ledzeppelin.com.

Celebration Day will then be available in multiple video and audio formats on November 19 from Swan Song/Atlantic Records. Specific product details will be announced soon.

From Led Zeppelin.com.

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience: October 28, Kitchener, Ontario

“Kitchener,” says Jason Bonham from the stage, bowler hat much like his father would occasionally wear perched on his head, “is very special to me. The background picture on my phone is of my dad in Kitchener.”

John Bonham, Jason’s father and the Raison d’etre for the Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience, visited Kitchener once as drummer of Led Zeppelin. On Nov 4, 1969 Led Zeppelin played the Kitchener auditorium to a “with it,“ crowd of 2,000 mostly college kids. “Coming into town,” Bonham continues with a laugh, “it doesn’t look like it’s changed much.”

Fourty-one years later, almost to the day, the crowd of 2,000 people ranging in age from pre-teen to people who might have seen the father in Kitchener, had a great time rocking out to the fathers music, the sons beat.

JBLZE ran through a three hour (with intermission) 20 song set that had fans stomping the floor boards of the usually staid Centre in the Square. From the beginning of John Bonham’s famous Rock and Roll introduction to the final lick from Rush’s Tom Sawyer (an add on to the end of Whole Lotta Love for JBLZE’s Canadian crowds) the band was on a rocking journey and the fans happily came along for the ride.

Very little attempt was made to be Led Zeppelin outside of guitarist Tony Catania efforts to channel Jimmy Page. Bald-headed singer James Dylan neither looks, nor particularly sings like Robert Plant: Dylan has a rasp in his voice Plant never had and lacked Plant’s tendency to miss the occasional note completely. Bassist Michael Devin’s long flowing black hair was more Page than Jones, he moved and jumped about the stage more in fitting with his next gig as Whitesnake bassist than John-Paul Jones’ less robust stage presence. Utility man Stephen LeBlanc, who handled Jones’ keyboard duties, as well as some guitar and lap-steel guitar, smiled rather too much to do an effective John Paul Jones imitation.

The visual representation came from the video screens behind the drum set. They offered glimpses of home movies, pictures from the Bonham family album and on some numbers, a psychedelic backdrop to create atmosphere. Despite the pre-tour talk about the home movies making this more than just a Led Zeppelin tribute, it was it’s use for psychedelia when the screens were most effective.

The show was presented in two parts with a twenty minute intermission. Each half began with Bonham home movies and a Jason Bonham monologue. The beginning of the second half showed a video of young Jason Bonham doing a hip swinging, sexed up dance routine for his mother and father that was hilarious. A third monologue and video, prior to Stairway to Heaven, was on the 02 concert: “the greatest night of my (Bonham’s) life.”

When the band was playing, however, the screen was secondary, at least from my seats in the fifth row: perhaps farther back it took on greater importance. Personally, I had to keep reminding myself I’m supposed to watch the screen, not the guitar player right in front of me. However, a couple of screen moments bear comment:

During Thank You home movies were playing, likely the summer of 1980 vacation that Jason Bonham has mentioned in a few interviews. At one point, John Bonham is looking at the camera, filling the scene, for about ten seconds. During the songs quietest moment, Stephen LeBlanc quietly filling the air with organ and James Dylan plaintfully singing, “and so today my world it smiles, your hand in mine we walk the miles.” John Bonham looks down, Godlike from overhead, touches his thumb to his nose and wiggles his fingers mockingly.

The other was the show’s much talked about highlight, Moby Dick. Not being a fan of drum solos, except as a much needed bathroom break, I sat almost transfixed as Jason matched John Henry beat for beat, bass pedal roll for bass pedal roll. The screen offering sometimes dad, sometimes son and sometimes both in split screen made an extremely effective ending to the first half of the show, and gave he band their first of many standing ovations on the night.

But this show was about the music, and it was in the music that it stood out. Jason Bonham put together a very good band and on this night, they were on fire. It felt, seemed from close in, that it was a special night. Some early reviews had suggested flaws, and video showed this to be true. Not on this night. The band, simply put, was white hot.

They were spot on: not note perfect for the records spot on, but an in the moment perfection where even the wrong notes sounded right. They nailed the evenings second song, Celebration Day as it was done on The Song Remains the Same, and you just knew it would be a good night. Celebration Day was always to my ears a hit and miss song for Zeppelin. Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience played it bang on. A good start that got better. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You was spine tingling good, Catania bouncing back and forth between electric and his stand mounted acoustic. What is and What Should Never Be was outstanding.

But the shows real highlights were in the second half. Good Times, Bad Times flat out rocked, Since I’ve Been Loving You steamed, Cantania having his moment and nailing it, The Ocean was a blast of good fun, I’m Gonna Crawl heart wrenching. When The Levee Breaks was magical, Jason leaving the drumming duties to his father early in the song: “It’s such a simple beat, but such a difficult feel,” Bonham tells the crowd beforehand. On Stairway to Heaven Catania again pulled out the acoustic guitar stand, and they played a variation of studio and live version that left you wondering why Page never thought of taping his acoustic to a mic stand. Kashmir, which Bonham declared was, “my favourite song, period,” had everyone on their feet.

It was, in all, a very good show. Great music, done by a band that was good enough to do it, and having a very on night. Never mind the story-line that went with it, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience put on a great rock concert.

It’s safe to suggest the feeling is mutual, the Bonham’s are very special to Kitchener.

[caption id="attachment_415" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="Tony Catania plays Stairway to Heaven"][/caption]

Setlist: Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience:
Centre in the Sqaure, Kitchener, Ontario
October 28, 2010

Set One
Video
Rock and Roll
Celebration Day
Black Dog (w/Bring it on Home intro)
----------Jason Bonham Monologue----------------
You’re Time is Gonna Come
Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You
-----------Bonham Chatter--------------
Dazed and Confused
What is and What Should Never Be
I Can’t Quit You Baby
-----------Bonham Chatter--------------
Thank You
Moby Dick (drum solo with” John Bonham)

----------------------Intermission------------------------

Set Two
Video
Good Times, Bad Times
How Many More Times
Since I’ve Been Loving You
When the Levee Breaks (“With” John Bonham)
The Ocean
Over the Hills and Far Away
I’m Gonna Crawl
------Video - 02 concert Dec 2007 ------------
Stairway to Heaven
Kashmir
-----------------Encore--------------
Whole Lotta Love (w/ Tom Sawyer)