Ramble On Radio Episode #22

Led Zeppelin held a press conference and I have all the details, plus: Black Country Communion at war; Jimmy Page out and about; Did Robert Plant do a movie soundtrack? John Paul Jones jams with Alfie Boe and more, on the only Led Zeppelin podcast on this, or any, known internets.

Listen here

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Links

Shawn Sarazin's Mystery of the Quotient

Dony Wynn's blog post on Modern Drummer

Buy Carol Miller's Autobiography on Amazon.com



Pre-order the Celebration Day LP:



Jason Bonham's son, J-Swagg's Facebook page.

Led Zeppelin live at Cineplex Odeon

It appears Led Zeppelin is lining up with Cineplex Odeon theatres for Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day. Here's the synopsis from Cineplex's website:

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 catalogue 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. Now, for the first time, fans in over 40 territories worldwide will be able to get a front row seat to experience this historic event in glorious high definition and incredible surround sound. Experience it on the big screen for a strictly limited period only.

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This will likely be officially announced tomorrow with the announcement of the DVD.

Two days are being listed in Canada, Wednesday October 17th and Thursday October 25th. Check your local theatre for ticket information or go to http://www.cineplex.com/Movies/MovieDetails/Led-Zeppelin-Celebration-Day.aspx?date=2012-10-17 and search your location.

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Update, this theatrical release is confirmed with my local theatre. Link added.

And another: It hadn't occurred to me, but is the picture at  top, which was at the Cineplex Odeon website, the DVD cover?

The Groove Remains Very Similar

Brian Tichy, drummer for Whitesnake, musical foil to original Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience bassist Michael Devin and originator of the John Bonham tribute shows The Groove Remains The Same, has announced a fourth show in honour of John Bonham.

Called Bonzo's Birthday Bash, Dave Lewis at Tight Bit Loose is today announcing a tribute concert to John Bonham on May 31st at the House of Blues in Hollywood. Like the Groove Remains the Same shows that preceded it, Bonzo's Birthday Bash will feature a number of drummers doing their favourite Zeppelin tunes. "When I first thought of this," Tichy told Lewis, "the idea seemed too simple and cool not to try; get a John Bonham replica drum set... up front, center stage, and have each drummer perform their favourite Zeppelin song with a house band."

Guest drummers include Steven Adler from Guns 'N Roses, Carmine Appice from Vanilla Fudge, Vinny Appice from Black Sabbath and of Course, Tichy himself among others.

The backing band features Tichy in lead guitar, Michael Devin on bass and Stephen Leblanc from Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience on keyboards.

Tickets are $25.00 advance, $30.00 at the door.

Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography - from Deep Purple to Black Country Communion.

Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography, penned with the help of Joel McIver, covers his career, and life from The late 1960's through to the present day. The fact there is a present day Glenn Hughes is nothing short of a small miracle, a point which is not a minor piece of subtext running through the book.

For Led Zeppelin fans, Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography is of interest mostly because Hughes plays with Jason Bonham in Black Country Communion, but also because Hughes has a couple of run ins with Led Zeppelin, and John Bonham in particular.

In 1971, Bonham turned up at a Trapeze show, Hughes first band. He inserted himself into the drummers chair mid-song and a 15-minute version of Medusa ensued, a song Hughes would later record with Bonham's son in Black Country Communion. Post-show Hughes went back to Bonham's house where they listened to an acetate of Led Zeppelin IV "a good four months before it's global release. We must have heard the album five times. By the time the sun came up, 'When The Levee Breaks' was tattooed on my brain."

A few hours later Robert Plant showed up to take Bonham away on a European tour.

In 1975 Bonham showed up side-stage at Deep Purple show to confront Hughes about an alleged affair with Bonham's wife, which Hughes denies (then and now), and subsequently on to a party at Ron Wood's New York apartment. Later Bonham would punch Hughes and have him kicked out of a Song Remains the Same release party for the same offense.

Then there's this:

You may not believe this, but it's true. In September 1980, I was having a nap in the middle of the day, and I remember Karen coming in and saying, "You'll never guess who's dead." And I said this, out of my sleep: "I know who's dead, it's John Bonham." He'd come to me and whispered in my ear that he'd gone to heaven and told God that he was leaving Led Zeppelin and going to form a new band with Glenn Hughes. And then he said to me, "She's a rich girl now," and that's exactly the dream I had. It came to me while I was sleeping.

It may seem strange that Bonham was in heaven and planning to join a band with the still alive Hughes, but Hughes was by that time mired in addiction problems of his own, mostly cocaine. Who knows what message from beyond John Bonham was trying to tell him.

Hughes addiction problem, coming to grips with it, 20-years wasted, unable to keep a gig, unable to do much of anything but find/take cocaine. Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography is a cathartic process for Hughes, who makes no apologies and holds nothing back, pointing out secrets are deadly to addicts.
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi says of Hughes in the book:

he'd burned so many bridges over the years that he had to rebuild every one.

That's what this book is, another strut in Glenn Hughes bridge, being rebuilt one strut, one truss at a time. The focus throughout is his addiction, and the consequences thereof.

Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography is an enjoyable, if sometimes uncomfortable read. Telling the tale of great success and great waste of talent, sometimes all at once. Glenn Hughes has lived one hell of a life, is probably very lucky to be alive (and as anyone who follows Hughes on Facebook or Twitter can tell you, Hughes is very aware of the fact).

Or, to paraphrase, Hughes is the messenger, and this book is his prophesy.

John Bonham vs. Ringo Starr

A story came out last week that Ringo Starr had been talking to USA Today, and said of John Bonham:

I don't listen to records for the drums. John Bonham's incredible solos didn't knock me out. I don't feel you need solos.

I've been down this road before, defending John Bonham's drum solos vs. The Beatles. Last summer, a local website re-ran an old article by one of my towns better known writers, Jim Haggerty. His writing his always designed toward humour, and is often a great creator of controversy. He was previously the center of what may be Cambridge, Ontario's largest controversy when he wrote an article bating dogs and their owners. The negative letters to the editor went on for months after.

The article in question was tribute to the music he liked, that which, in his words and opinion, had soul. The Beatles, he said, had "some of the most most beautiful lyrics and melodies ever written." staying with he Ringo theme, I concur: "I want to be/under the sea/in an octopus's garden in the shade" is unmatched in music and literature.

He then cited some music that would not make his newly burned CDs:

Zeppelin? Their 20-minute drum or guitar solos probably result from them losing their places mid-song, and not knowing what to do next. How pathetically dim-witted and banal.

What's a Led Zeppelin blogger to do but reply. I did. Here's my response to Jim Haggerty's disrespect of Led Zeppelin. Some of my comments are specific to other things Haggerty wrote, a little inside baseball, but the general idea stands without knowing anything about Haggerty's digestion or love of dogs:

I noticed in a recent Cambridge Reporter post, our most esteemed writer, James Hagerty, took some time out telling stories of his digestion to pontificate on music. “The Beatles were great,” he opined predictably. “Elvis, The Beach Boys, now that’s music,” he droned on. Somehow the phrase, “kids today…” didn’t make it into his piece, probably removed by a cliche conscious editor.

While his opinion that “Love, love me do/you know I love you,” is “some of the most beautiful lyrics… ever written,” and that the Beach Boys are “spine-tinglingly chilling,” are interesting, his assertion that David Bowie and Led Zeppelin have no soul (unlike those paragons of soul, The Beach Boys) defy rationality. As a Led Zeppelin blogger, I can’t allow it to stand:

Zeppelin? Their 20-minute drum or guitar solos probably result from them losing their places mid-song, and not knowing what to do next. How pathetically dim-witted and banal.

It is hard to imagine a fan of any band with Ringo Starr complaining about a drummer who can perform a 20 minute drum solo. That would be the same Ringo Starr of whom John Lennon once said, when asked if Starr was the best drummer in the world, “he’s not even the best drummer in The Beatles.” Conversely, Jimi Hendrix, widely regarded to be among the best guitarists ever, said to Robert Plant after seeing Led Zeppelin, “That drummer of yours has a right foot like a pair of castanets.”

John Bonham, Led Zeppelin’s drummer, was recently chosen top drummer in the world by Gibson.com. Meaningless as such lists are, the story is in the comments. There are hundreds of comments suggesting Keith Moon be higher, or Ginger Baker belongs on the list. What of Lars Ulrich? some add. Of the hundreds of comments, about six suggest John Bonham was the wrong choice for number one. All are from Rush fans who argue for their guy – who also does 20 minute drum solos. One particularly clever commentator wonders, what has John Bonham done for the past 30 years? Seeing as he died in 1980, it’s rather like arguing that I’m is a better writer than William Shakespeare because, hey, what has Shakespeare done lately? But once one decides to deride Led Zeppelin, clever argument and rational thought are usually the first casualties.

If Ringo Starr did a 20 minute drum solo, it should be noted, it would be surprising as the drum solo would be longer than The Beatles liked to play. In 1965, The Beatles went to New York and put on a 30 minute show at Shea Stadium. In 1977 Led Zeppelin sold out 7 nights at Madison Square Garden and their shows would extend past three hours. George Harrison was a Led Zeppelin fan, and once suggested to tour manager Richard Cole he would pop in during the intermission and see them. “Zeppelin doesn’t take an intermission,” he was told.

“How long do they play?” Harrison asked.

“Most shows run three hours,” Cole answered. “Never less than two and a half.”

“With the Beatles,” Harrison told Cole, after he declaimed a pious expletive, – much as Hagerty might write after dinner at the Vatican – “we were contracted to play thirty minutes max! Usually we were off the stage and gone within’ fifteen.”

So yes, a 20 minute drum solo might seem dim-witted and banal to someone who thinks a 30 minute show, compacted into fifteen minutes, defines soul. But a drum solo is, to paraphrase a favorite quote, certainly not dim-witted, and in actual fact, is ‘much smarter obviously than Jim Hagarty.’ Even my dog knows that.

Led Zeppelin had, in fact, three of the finest musicians of the rock era in one band, as not just John Bonham, but guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones are both widely regarded to be amongst the best in their craft both with other musicians and on various “best of polls.” You can argue whether Jimmy Page is better than Jeff Beck or Jimi Hendrix, but nobody argues whether he’s a better guitar player than George Harrison or John Lennon. Dismissing such fine musicians as “pathetically… banal,” now that’s dim-witted

One final note on Ringo Starr in the article cited above, Starr says, "I love the (Beatles) remasters because now people can hear me." Yea, well, if we we going to listen to records for the drums, we'd listen to Led Zeppelin.

Ramble On Radio Episode 12

Ramble On Radio celebrates it's dirty dozen edition by kicking Robert Plant out of the dining room for non-conformance to the dress code.

I discuss John Paul Jones upcoming busy schedule, Jimmy Page's sitaristic version of White Summer and Ringo Starr vs. John Bonham.

As well, Frank Reddon's Sonic Boom: vol. 1 Break and Enter is now available on e-book (as is JJ Jackson remembers Led Zeppelin: The Music and the Guys Who Made It, also by Enzepplopedia Press), and Logan Plant is modeling for Mr. Porter.

Get the podcast here, or subscribe through iTunes.

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Links

Phil Brown Interview

Gibson names John Paul Jones and John Bonham Rocks Best Rhythm Section

In a list of bassist/drummer that includes Geddy Lee/Neil Peart, John Entwistle and Kieth Moon and Jack and Meg White, John Paul Jones and John Bonham have topped Gibson.com's list of rocks best rhythm section ever.

Gibson has previously named Jimmy Page the second best guitarist (behind Jimi Hendrix), Robert Plant as rock's #3 frontman, and John Bonham the #1 rock drummer.

Here is Gibson.com's top ten rock rhythm sections:

10. P-Nut and Sexton, 311
9. Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool, Green Day
8. Jack and Meg White, The White Stripes
7. Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk, Rage Against the Machine
6. John Entwistle and Keith Moon, The Who
5. Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, The Rolling Stones
4. Les Claypool and Jay Lane, Primus
3. Flea and Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, Rush
1. John Paul Jones and John Bonham, Led Zeppelin

Podcast #4

Dave Lewis was scheduled to be on Podcast #4, but the technical details didn't get worked out in time. None the less, I paid tribute to John Bonham, covered a lot of Robert Plant news and discussed the newest issue of Tight But Loose, the updating of Then As It Was, 2 upcoming reissues of Zeppelin led books in e-format and my new name.

You can get in on the fun, Ramble On Podcast #4 is available here, or as always, you can subscribe on iTunes and never miss a podcast.

Get The Candles Out

Carol Miller's syndicated radio show, Get the Led Out, will do a special feature on Memorial Day celebrating John Bonham's birthday.

The special will feature interviews with Simon Kirke (Bad Company), Alan White (Yes), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Country Communion) and Jason Bonham. As well, it will rebroadcast UK and US newscasts on  the death of John Bonham in 1980.

The show will air on affiliate stations during the week of May 23rd to 29. John Bonham would have turned 63 on May 31st.

Joan Bonham (1929 - 2011)

“I see your still up to the same tricks,” Joan Bonham told Robert Plant last October in Birmingham. The Mother of Plant’s ex-bandmate, John Bonham, was teasing Plant backstage at a Band of Joy concert.

Joan Bonham died this morning. She was 81.

Born in 1929 Joan had three children, Led Zeppelin drummer John (1948 - 1980), photographer and writer Michael (Mick) (1951-2000) and daughter Deborah (1962). Sadly, she is predeceased by both of her sons and her husband, John Henry Sr., who died in 1998.

To help supplement the family income when she was younger, Joan ran a news store in Redditch. In the past few years she sang for the geriatric rockers The Zimmers.

In Ritchie York’s biography of Led Zeppelin, The Led Zeppelin Biography John Bonham credits Joan with starting him on drums:

When I was 10, my mum bought me a snare drum.

Achilles Last Stand reports that Joan Bonham has been ill since Christmas, and died this morning in her sleep. She is survived by daughter Deborah, her grandson, drummer Jason Bonham and granddaughter, singer-songwriter Zoe Bonham.

Condolences go out to friends and family of Joan Bonham.

Robert Plant’s Same Tricks: The Rolling Stone Feature

“I see your still up to the same tricks,” John Bonham’s 81 year old mother Joan announced to Robert Plant backstage at a recent concert in Birmingham: “People who have written their story - they’ve got to the point where nothing moves. I don’t deal in that,” he later says about his musical contemporaries still playing the same songs.

Robert Plant is an enigma, a feature of the singer that comes through more than any other in a Rolling Stone magazine feature hitting newsstands Monday. Plant is at once talking about “the occasional tryst,” next telling Led Zeppelin fans the old Led Zeppelin groupie days are over:

Tell people the mud shark is dead and Buddy Miller’s got 86,000 songs on his laptop.

Plant talks about looking ahead when it comes to Led Zeppelin, but about Alison Krauss, “we’ll come back to it.” About travelling to Morocco, revisiting the famous trip he and Jimmy page took in 1973 (not 1978 as stated in the article), “I wanted to go back down that road.”

Frustratingly inconsistent as Robert Plant can be, make no mistake to his intent in this article: he has no intention of revisiting Led Zeppelin. And considering Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham recorded six or seven songs together in the aftermath of the 2007 reunion show, the most significant quote in the Rolling Stone article may be his one on writing:

I’ve kind of given up writing. All my writing is sort of meandering. The last time I lifted a pen was when Tony Blair became a Roman Catholic (Dec 2007)

The Rolling Stone article, Robert Plant’s Mystical Mountain Hop, has been getting a lot of press this week. It is, in reality, a disappointingly thin article, with almost all the quotes released in the articles pre-press, and the other 90% reviewing his recent career.

What you really want to know about Robert Plant circa 2011 is, he sees himself as a teacher, teaching music fans about old American music:

“You stay,” he tells the articles author Stephen Rodrick as he’s leaving the Cecil Sharp House, a repository for British folk music and dance. “Learn from this.”

LZ-’75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin’s 1975 American Tour: Review II

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I’m a portion of the way through LZ-’75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin’s 1975 American Tour, Stephen Davis’ new autobiographical read on Led Zeppelin’s 1975 tour of America and, more broadly speaking, Led Zeppelin’s 1975, and something is bothering me. In 1969 Davis saw Led Zeppelin at Boston’s famed Tea Party, and was impressed by the young, early rockers.

Between then and 1975 he worked as an editor at Rolling Stone (not the whole time), America’s premiere music magazine. So what does Davis do before heading out with Led Zeppelin? Familiarize himself with the Led Zeppelin catalogue. Familiarize himself, because working for the #1 music magazine means not being familiar with the top selling band, the top concert draw of the last five years?

Taking my assignment seriously, I had to familiarize myself with Led Zeppelin’s music… I had never even listened to 1973’s Houses of the Holy…

My brother Chris is eight years younger than I. In 1975 he was still in the clutches of ardent Zeppelin fandom. He told me I had to hear the Led Zeppelin bootleg records because the mystical connection between the band and “the kids“ was a bout a communion forged by their intense love shows.

Yes kids, in 1975 you could be one year out of a Rolling Stone editorship and never listened to a Led Zeppelin album that had been #1 on Billboard, Cashbox and the UK album charts. You never need to wonder again why Led Zeppelin so mistrusted the “rock” press.

That Led Zeppelin mistrusted, even hated, the press is an important part of the story of LZ-’75. Stephen Davis was invited to travel with Led Zeppelin, courtesy of Led Zeppelin, in a proactive attempt to get better press for the band. Stephen Davis, in short, didn’t do his job for five years, and was rewarded with the gig of a lifetime. His superior attitude that the stoned kids who liked Led Zeppelin were, “in the clutches of ardent… fandom,” runs throughout the narrative.

Yet for that, LZ-’75 is an enjoyable read. Once Davis has familiarized himself, and given Led Zeppelin’s history up until 1975, the book settles into a nice memoir of the band and it’s extended family.

Because he knew he would be covering Led Zeppelin during part of their 1975 tour, Davis kept newspaper reports of the early days of the tour. Whether it’s the fans in Boston in near riot during the lead up to the tickets going on sale, or the early shows and the various problems they encountered, Davis covers the history of the 1975 tour. But it is when Davis joins up with Led Zeppelin in New York that LZ-’75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin’s 1975 American Tour comes to life. The book shifts from historical record to personal, first person behind the scenes account of the tour.

It is, however, the Los Angeles portion of the tour that makes LZ-'75 worth the money. Whether it is chance encounters with Jimmy Page's ex-girlfriend Lori Maddox, ("Lori is a legend along Sunset Strip,") or Ron Wood's wife Chrissie, "who ran off with Jimmy before the tour started," (Wood is reported to have asked Jimmy at an after concert party in New York, "how's our bird?"): The Hyatt House, known as the Riot House; the groupies; the kindergarten teacher who wants to be a groupie, for one night at least; Iggy Pop selling heroin; John Bonham jamming, at full volume, to Alphonse Mouzon's 1975 album Mind Transplant at 3AM; or Robert Plant on Davis' hotel balcony, yelling "I am a Golden God!"

Add in an interview with Robert Plant (during which the aforementioned balcony scene occurs), and a meeting in Jimmy Page's hotel room where the exhausted(?) Page lies around in darkness, the room barely lit with "a dozen white candles." Davis has a meeting with the kindergarten teacher, The Prairie Princess, and two roadies at the bar.

Outside the Continental Hyatt House, Davis travels with the band on The Starship - including a harrowing trip through a storm, hangs out backstage, examines John Bonham's drum-kit with Bonham's faithful roadie Mick Hinton, to the concerts themselves.

LZ-’75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin’s 1975 American Tour is overall, an easy, comfortable read. Many of the stories herein will be familiar to a Led Zeppelin fan, but weaved together they tell an interesting tale of a top flight band at the apex of their career. Their Achilles Heel, drugs, was just beginning to show itself and the band would change irrevocably in the aftermath of 1975.

Dotted throughout with fabulous black and white pictures by Peter Simon, many of  them never before seen, LZ-'75 makes a perfect winter's afternoon read in the big comfortable chair.

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I previously reviewed LZ-'75 from an e-book version here.

"You Know Too Much!"

Jason Bonham, once again proving he does do interviews with blogs, has talked to Stephen Appleford of West Coast Sound. The interview appears on LA Blogs, where The Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience is currently playing. Bonham speaks about his tour, his father, and his time recording with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, who told Jason leading up to the 02 concert three years ago, "You know too much!"

On his father's drumming style:

It's like the myth of him using huge drumsticks and hitting harder than anybody else. That's a lot of bollocks. His drums sticks are tiny compared to mine. There's a whole jazz element there that not many people are aware of.

On his father's three ring, Ballantine Beer symbol:

...it means father, mother and son. I always felt that I was part of it in some way.

On hanging arond with the memebrs of Led Zeppelin (while rehearsing for the 02 show):

They are the most normal bunch of guys you could be around. At one point we were in rehearsal, and this old lady turned up with sandwiches... we took a break, everyone would take a section of the newspaper and read. And I'm going, 'Where's the debauchery? Where's the upside down crosses and naked girls and sacrificial tables with virgins on them?' But, boy, when they played.

On why Robert Plant didn't continue with Led Zeppelin after the 02 show:

Robert always expressed to me: 'Jason, you know I love you, I loved your dad, and I know how great you are as a player. And on the night, you were great. But to me Led Zeppelin's John, not Jason.'

On the music made in the aftermath of the reunion with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones:

Some cool riff-based stuff, some acoustic stuff. I think Jimmy is still working on that stuff now. I look forward to hearing that. Jimmy was playing amazingly.

A good interview that, while short, covers a lot of ground and adds new information to the canon about the Led Zeppelin reunion and John Bonham.

Inside the Atlantic Records Vault

Over the years, Atlantic Records collected a vast assortment of material. While we can easily imagine the tapes lying around, a priceless amount of music sitting in some vault, waiting for someone to notice what they have. But we don't think so much of pictures.

The images have been scattered about in dusty and moldy warehouses, relics of the pre-Internet age when photography was integral to selling music, and the photographers — names like Irving Penn, Annie Leibovitz, Lee Friedlander and Robert Mapplethorpe — went on to become nearly as famous as the subjects they captured and defined.

Warner Music Group, which now owns Atlantic, is scouring "nearly 100,000 boxes," of photographs, "from warehouses around the globe."

Included in what has been found so far:

a series of unpublished black-and-white shots of Led Zeppelin in the studio in 1969 by Jim Cummins. The intimate collection by Mr. Cummins, who was an Atlantic photographer, portrays a group of young rockers before they became hugely famous and includes a rare image of Robert Plant, the band’s singer, playing the acoustic guitar.

Expect the pictures to be made publicly available sometime in the future as Warner looks to monetize it's collection.

More here.

Now Appearing...

on Tight But Loose

Tight But Loose is the premier Led Zeppelin website and magazine.  Dave Lewis started TBL in the 70's and, although he took a break after the death of John Bonham, has been doing it ever since.

So it is an honour to have my words printed on Dave's web server, as he uses a modified version of the JBLZE review I posted here. Scroll down the page until you see Centre in the Square, 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.”

Meanwhile, it's worth mentioning that Tight But Loose issue #27 has been out about a month. Chock-a-block full of information about Robert Plant's Band of Joy, Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page, Jason Bonham's tour, Black Country Communion and 30 years since the death of John Bonham.

If you're a fan, then it's a must have. You can order it here, but check out the whole website: you never who you might find there.

Book Review LZ-’75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin's 1975 American Tour - Stephen Davis

The last time Stephen Davis tackled the subject of Led Zeppelin, the result was Hammer of the Gods, a tabloid fodder biography of the 70’s superstars that was a bestseller due to it’s sensational content, but that is often reviled by Led Zeppelin faithful, for the same reason.

His newest Led Zeppelin tome, LZ-'75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin's 1975 American Tour, due for release in Canada on Tuesday Nov 2nd, should inspire neither the same sales nor passions. While LZ-’75 is marketed as a book about Led Zeppelin, it’s really a book about Stephen Davis, with Led Zeppelin playing a significant supporting role.

Stephen Davis was a prominent rock journalist in 1975, a former editor of Rolling Stone, who was invited by Swan Song Vice-President Danny Goldberg to tour with Led Zeppelin. While it sounds at first blush that Davis travelled from the get go, it’s not so. He joined the 1975 Led Zeppelin tour in New York, then travelled with it to Los Angeles. The rest of America somehow managed to see Led Zeppelin without Stephen Davis.

The truth is Davis joins the tour at chapter 12, a third of the way through the book. Before that it’s Davis personal history with Led Zeppelin, i.e. as a young fan in 1969 he loved them, as an Editor at Rolling Stone he ignored them. By 1975, Davis was having to reacquaint himself with the band. He therefore, spends the early chapters giving the reader the bands history, and if there’s any revelations in the book, they emerge here. A couple of pieces that were news to me: Robert Plant had secret vocal chord surgery sometime after the 1973 tour, leaving him unable to speak for a couple of weeks, and his voice an octave lower than it had been; Physical Graffiti was delayed in the early months of 1975 in part because they were waiting for some Indian musicians to add backing tracks to Kashmir - they never did. I can’t help wondering, what would Kashmir sound like with Indian instruments layered on?

Any mention of drug use comes up in the early sections as well, and nothing outrageous.

Jimmy Page:

Jimmy Page was spent from long nights spent mixing the tapes for Zeppelin’s new album, which he had finished only the previous November… Jimmy was also said to be using heroin, which left him weak, anemic and spectrally thin.

John Bonham:

And then there was John Henry Bonham, also known as Bonzo or (behind his back) the Beast. Led Zeppelin’s brilliant drummer… was miserable about leaving his wife and two children and his cozy farm in the wintry English midlands for three months of touring in America. He was drinking a lot and had put on a ton of weight. He… looked fat; drank more than usual; may also have been dabbling in heroin

And although John Paul Jones isn’t reported to be on drugs, he isn’t spared a shot:

John Paul Jones had reportedly gone to Peter Grant… and told him he wanted to leave the band… Jones arrived at the next Zeppelin session and said nothing about leaving, but to the others he seemed sullen and more withdrawn than usual.

Outside of these examples, the negatives are kept to a minimum.

The early part of the tour is reported second hand, as Davis is not on the tour, but following it through the press. Once he joins the tour in New York, the book becomes a first hand account. You are privy to what Davis saw, whom he talked to and how he travelled (hint: sometimes, in a Led Zeppelin entourage limo and on the Starship).

You get a conversation in Jimmy Page’s hotel room and an interview with Robert Plant during the infamous “I am a Golden God!” photo session. He meets Mick Hinton, John Bonham’s drum tech, who gives him a tour of the drum set pre-concert. He meets groupies, cocktail waitresses with stories, roadies in bars, and Lori Maddox:

“That’s Lori Maddox,” he (Danny Goldberg) said. “She was Jimmy’s girlfriend when she was fourteen, which was only about three years ago… Since then Jimmy’s moved on, but she’s like a mascot, and they all like her, so she’s always around when the band is in town.

The books most damning part comes from a day Davis spent hanging around the Swan Song offices while Led Zeppelin were performing in the south. The receptionist was wading through a pile of fan mail, opening it to check for contraband, mostly the odd joint thrown in. The letters were then thrown out. Davis grabbed a stack of the letters, and he reprints one here. The fact that the letters are treated so shabbily, reflects badly on how Zeppelin treated their fan base. The letter reprinted is so earnest, if innocent, “I’m also ‘into’ black magic and playing guitar, so we have a lot in common,” that it deserves better than the garbage. Thousands of fans, in good faith, sent letters to the band they loved, and every single one of them was pillaged for goods and disposed unread.

Overall LZ-’75 is quick, easy and pleasant read. Nothing outrageous is reported, but neither does Stephen Davis pull any punches. If you are big time Led Zeppelin fan, you will likely find it an entertaining way to kill a winters afternoon. If you are Stephen Davis’ mother, you will be interested to know what Stephen was getting up to. However, if you are a marginal Led Zeppelin fan and wonder “who the fuck is Stephen Davis?” this book is probably not for you.

...(Led) Zeppelin (is) alone in the virtual arena as still reigning champions of rock.

Some say that, like many great champions, Led Zeppelin retired undefeated.

I don't think Robert Plant feels that way

LZ-'75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin's 1975 American Tour.
Davis, Stephen 1947 -

*****************
A note about the edition: This book was released world wide on October 28th, 2010. Jaw droppingly, it is unavailable in Canada until tomorrow, Nov 2. As I live in Canada, yet the 21st century - unlike the book publishers - I downloaded a Dolby Digital Editions copy from an American book seller. Some hoops had to be jumped through to get the book, more to get it to function on my Kobo e-reader.

E-editions really don't do pictures well yet, so I can't comment on the quality of the pictures in the book (all by Peter Simon), except to say they are of terrible quality in the e-edition. That is, however, a limit of the technology at it's current stage of development.

You would think book publishers would have learnt from the music industry. Now that their works are being digitized, they are becoming easier to attain through illegal means. Making it harder for your customers to buy the product than to just take it is idiotic. Releasing the product in most, but not all countries, is begging potential customers to take what they might have bought.

Robert Plant: "I Almost Walked"

Robert Plant said this week that he almost quit Led Zeppelin after the death of his son, Karak, in 1977 according to Contact Music:

"All of us had been thinking about what would happen next because the illusion had run its course.

"I'd already lost my boy and then you think, 'I really have to decide what to do.' I applied to become a teacher in the Rudolf Steiner education system. I was accepted to go to teacher training college in 1978. I was really quite keen to just walk."

It was John Bonham, according to Plant, who convinced him to stay with the band.

If you're ever wondering why Robert Plant wouldn't tour with a reformed Led Zeppelin after the 2007 02 reunion, there's a lot in that statement to explain why.




Meanwhile, Plant had a successful homecoming with his Band of Joy playing The Roundhouse Saturday as part of BBC2's Electric Proms. According to Dave Lewis at Tight But Loose:

This Radio 2 Electric Proms event can take its place right up there with the most special of occasions spent in his (Plant's) company.

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)

Deborah Bonham at The Groove Remains the Same

On Sept 25th, the 30th anniversary of John Bonham's passing, a concert in his memory was put together in LA. Some of the worlds top drummers got together and played Led Zeppelin classics with a house band that includes Michael Devin and Stephen LeBlanc, now currently on tour with Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience.

One of the nights highlights was Bonham's sister Deborah killing on a version of Since I've Been Loving You.

Of note, that's Devin behind Deborah Bonham on the left, and LeBlanc on keyboards. The guitar player is event organizer Brian Tichy, the new drummer with Devin in Whitesnake. (He's a pretty good guitar player for a drummer). Salty Dog's Khurt Maier joined them on drums.



Man, the girl can sing. As one TouTube commenter put it, "I had no idea..."

And yes, we're having fun yet.

John Henry Bonham (May 31, 1948 - Sept 25, 1980)

Saturday, Sept 25th, was the 30th anniversary of John Bonham’s death. While many of us listened to recordings, watched Zeppelin DVD’s, had a drink in his honour or held a concert, some fans went to John Bonham’s grave site to pay respects.

One fan, Dawn, who posts online under the name Badge Holder, wrote of her visit and posted it on For Badgeholders Only (FBO), the Led Zeppelin mailing list. She solemnified the occasion with such dignity that I requested permission to repost it here:

Hi Everyone

I just wanted to let you all know that I went to pay my respects at Bonzo's
grave today. I had never been to Rushock before, but suffice to say - thank
God for sat-nav. I'll try to paint a little verbal picture of the place,
for the benefit of those who have never been.

Rushock is a tiny village in the middle of some of the most beautiful
countryside that England has to offer. I drove down several miles of
narrow, winding country lanes bordered by high hedgerows. Several sections
were single-track and with blind bends, I was driving very carefully, as
there was no way of knowing if another car was coming the opposite way.
Thank goodness that didn't happen, as one of us would have been faced with a
lengthy, tricky reversing manoeuvre to execute - I'd probably have ended up
in a hedge or a ditch somewhere. It did also make me think of Bonzo roaring
down those country lanes that you see in TSRTS.

The church and the village hall next door are at the top of a hill. It's
typical of a well-kept English village and there were lots of parish
notices on the noticeboards. The church was open, although there was no-one
from the church around there as far as I could see. I walked inside and
noticed a strong smell of floor polish. The church is very small, very
simple and beautifully kept. A blue carpet runs the length of the aisle,
with dark wooden pews either side and there's a stained glass window at the
far end.

I then went outside into the churchyard. It's been a beautiful day today -
warm with bright sunshine, a perfect end-of-summer day in England. I
spotted Bonzo's grave immediately, all the drumsticks are still there along
with some beautiful floral tributes, messages, badges, CDs and all manner of
Zep-related paraphernalia. There was a beautiful all-white floral
arrangement of lilies, carnations and some other flowers which I don't know
the name of (sorry, I'm no horticulturalist!) - from Dave Lewis and all at
TBL. Then I noticed the flowers from Bonzo's family. I don't mind
admitting that I stood there and the tears poured down my face - just
thinking of all that Bonzo gave to us all through his music and how tragic
it was that he was gone too soon. The love that so many people still feel
for him was plain to see, and I just found it so moving.

There were a few other people around who were almost certainly Zeppelin fans
- so if any of you are reading this, yes, I was that woman in the black
jeans and Zep T shirt, crying and sniffling.

I said some prayers for Bonzo and thanked him for all that he did and all
that he left us with - such incredible, life changing music. I said all of
this from myself, but also on behalf of our FBO family. I hope you're all
okay with that. I feel really lucky to have been able to go to Rushock
today, it really is a beautiful place.

Dawn