Peace in Ireland, Sure, but Reuniting Led Zeppelin...

Back on Dec 24th I recorded Episode 26 of the Ramble on Radio Podcast. In that podcast, I alluded to, what I considered to be, the possibility that Led Zeppelin could have reunited for the Hurricane Sandy Relief concert:

... If there's ever going to be a reunion, it's going to be in the next little while. I say that not because I think it will happen, but because the guys actually look like their enjoying each others company when they're together these days. Robert looks like he's enjoying their company very much... They're in a good place, personally it seems, with each other. So if it's ever going to happen, it's going to happen in the next little while... I actually thought it could have happened on Letterman. It also could have happened at the big concert they did for the Hurricane Sandy relief, because ... the band could have hidden inside that lineup. They could have done that fairly comfortably...

Turns out, I wasn't the only one with the thought. The organizers of the Dec 12 benefit concert for victims of Hurricane Sandy at Madison Square Garden thought it as well:

Harvey Weinstein had this great idea that we could enlist Bill Clinton to convince Led Zeppelin to reunite... The president was terrific - 'I really wanna do this, this will be a fantastic thing. I love Led Zeppelin.' And Bill Clinton himself asked Led Zeppelin to reunite...

Clinton, the president who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland, approached the band when they were DC for the Kennedy Centre Honors in early December. Turns out peace in Ireland was the easy one.

As I noted at the time, the band seemed to enjoy spending time with each other and on the set of David Letterman the Monday after the Kennedy Center Honors. One wonders if Clinton had waited until after Letterman if they would have given the idea more consideration.

Ramble On Radio Podcast #29

The episode in which I do not freak out because Robert Plant is singing too many Led Zeppelin songs. Plus, Plant is touring America, as is Jason Bonham. Jimmy Page is scouring the archives for unheard Led Zeppelin material, and John Paul Jones is writing his opera.

Review: Neal Preston's Sound and Fury iBook.

Available here, or through iTunes download.

Kid Rock Performs Ramble On

Not the greatest quality video, but it's what's out there...

iTunes UnLedded

During the New York press conference for Celebration Day last October, Jimmy Page remarked on listening to Led Zeppelin, "don't listen to it on MP3." One could be forgiven if you thought he meant all digital portable formats, but apparently, he didn't.

iTunes today released the entire Led Zeppelin studio catalogue, "mastered for iTunes." The songs from all 9 studio albums, including Coda, remastered specifically for iTunes. These are new remasters, improved, one imagines, from the iTunes collection released in 2007 and available until now.

Are they better? I downloaded Fool in the Rain and listened to it side by side with the MP3 I currently have on my iPhone. The verdict? The bottom end is much cleaner, bringing a fuller sound to the song. It's not a big improvement, not a wow! but it is a noticeable improvement.

Each album is available for $9.99 ($12.99 for Physical Graffiti) and songs are $1.29 each, except for In My Time of Dying, Achilles Last Stand and Carouselambra, which are only available as part of their respective album downloads.

Needless to say, this remastering is available only on iTunes.

Led Zeppelin on David Letterman

Lots of complaints today about Letterman and his interview style. Maybe I'm used to it - I used to watch Letterman quite a lot back in his NBC days - but it seemed to me he did a reasonable job. His job is to get the guests, and the guys can be reticent, to talk. He does that, not by having all the answer at his fingertips, but by asking open ended questions.

For Plant, Page and Jones, the three looked relaxed, had some fun and seemed to enjoy themselves.  Watch the very beginning when Plant starts to laugh as he and Jimmy take the seats farther away, leaving Jones in the seat next to Letterman. An interesting comment, Letterman, on talking about the Kennedy Center Honors Gala, pointed out that Jimmy said to him during the show, "musicians like playing Led Zeppelin music."

Ramble On Radio's good friend Steve, The Lemon, Sauer was at the taping of the show. His report on it was posted on FBO.

Here's the Led Zeppelin portion of last nights David Letterman Show.

A Real Led Zeppelin Over Dallas

Haha. Nice promo idea.



h/t Nech

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.

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

or

Subscribe on iTunes

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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.

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

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.

Led Zeppelin to Receive Kennedy Center Honors

The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Honors are among the most prestigious arts award in America. Kennedy Honor recipients are recognized for heir lifetime contribution to American culture through art.

The 2012 recipients include Led Zeppelin, being honored as a band as well as each living original member: Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant.

The honorees will be presented with their Kennedy Center Honors Medallion on Saturday December 1st.

The next night, Dec 2nd, the annual honors gala at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The honorees will be presented to the President and Mrs. Obama at the White House prior to the gala. The gala will be broadcast as a 2-hour primetime special on CBS on Dec 26th at 9:00PM.

Honorees don't normally perform at the gala and there is no expectation that Led Zeppelin will reunite for the occasion (this is not aisle 6 of Swapper Jack's).

From the Kennedy Center webpage:

Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant transformed the sound of rock and roll with their lyricism and innovative song structures, infusing blues into the sound of rock and roll and laying the foundation for countless rock bands."

The annual Honors Gala has become the highlight of the Washington cultural year, and its broadcast on CBS is a high point of the television season. On Sunday, December 2, in a star-studded celebration on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage, produced by George Stevens Jr. and Michael Stevens, the 2012 Honorees will be saluted by great performers from New York, Hollywood, and the arts capitals of the world. Seated with the President of the United States and Mrs. Obama, the Honorees will accept the thanks of their peers and fans through performances and heartfelt tributes.

The President and Mrs. Obama will receive the Honorees and members of the Artists Committee who nominate them, along with the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees at the White House prior to the gala performance. The 2012 Kennedy Center Honors Gala concludes with a supper dance in the Grand Foyer.

The Kennedy Center Honors medallions will be presented on Saturday, December 1, the night before the gala, at a State Department dinner hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Honors Gala will be recorded for broadcast on the CBS Network for the 35th consecutive year as a two-hour primetime special on Wednesday, December 26 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT)...

The Honors recipients recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts-whether in music, dance, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television-are selected by the Center's Board of Trustees. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence. The Honors are not designated by art form or category of artistic achievement; the selection process, over the years, has produced balance among the various arts and artistic disciplines.

Past Honors recipients, as well as members of the Kennedy Center's national artists committee, made recommendations of possible 2012 Honorees. Artists making recommendations included: Alan Alda, Joshua Bell, Stephen Colbert, Renée Fleming, Kris Kristofferson, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Mark Morris, Lionel Richie, Frederica von Stade. Previous Kennedy Center Honorees, including Edward Albee, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Kirk Douglas, Angela Lansbury, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, and Oprah Winfrey, also made nominations.

Other 2012 honorees are blues guitarist Buddy Guy, actor Dustin Hoffman, television host David Letterman and ballerina Natalia Makarova.

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.

[caption id="attachment_1968" align="alignright" width="242" caption="Screen shot - click to enlarge"][/caption]

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?

O2 DVD Announcement Coming

The countdown is on. With a '5' in the traditional Houses of the Holy font appearing on their Facebook page Saturday, Led Zeppelin announced something was up. Sunday was 'four', Led Zeppelin 4 style, and yesterday a 'III', ala the third album. So what of today? You guessed it, brown bomber style:



What can it all mean? Jeff Strawman has a good accounting of the possible theories, only one of which makes any sense whatsoever: the O2 DVD/Bluray will see commercial release.

There is no surprise here as it was talked about heavily last year, and then died suddenly on the vine. Rumours of it being issued this year  began a few months ago, and last week was seemingly confirmed by a Belgium radio station. That post was taken down after a day, suggesting not necessarily inaccuracy, but that the original post was premature. And so it seems it is.

Early this morning, the Sun newspaper in the UK reported that the O2 DVD/Bluray is being released on November 22nd.

As well, over the last 2 days, video has been appearing on the Facebook page and the band's official YouTube page. Here's today's:



As for the countdown, know that five years ago on day zero, September 13, the band announced the reunion show. Seriously, it's a CD/DVD/Bluray and nothing else.

Gentleman (and ladies), start your Christmas list.

From a Whisper to a Scream: The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin by Dave Lewis

I was driving home from Chicago and put Led Zeppelin III on the CD player. Since I've Been Loving You came on and I said to my wife, "hear the squeak?" She agreed she did and I said, "that's his bass drum pedal.

"How could you possibly know that?" the woman who thinks I know far too much about Led Zeppelin asks.

"I just read it in Dave Lewis' new book."

As Dave says on the insert he's signing for all the books, "enjoy listening to the book." Yea, well Dave, I used to enjoy listening to Since I've Been Loving You until I noticed the squeaking bass drum pedal.

From a Whisper to a Scream is a biography of Led Zeppelin told through the music. Missing is the superfluous: no sharks, no groupies, no drinking or drugs. Just the music, year by year, album by album.

Starting with The Yardbirds demise, Lewis takes you through Led Zeppelin's 11 year journey album by album, song by song and, to a lesser extent, tour by tour with the music always being the sole focus of the narrative. By focusing on the songs, how and when they were created, recorded and performed, Lewis creates a biography that's extraordinarily detailed.

It's chock-a-block full of information, some that was new to me, presented in such a way From a Whisper to a Scream also works as a resource. It is simply, one of the best Led Zeppelin books out there.

From a Whisper to a Scream can be bought through TBLweb.com, and should be considered a must read for any Led Zeppelin fan.

Ramble On Radio Episode #9

George Case, author of Jimmy Page: Magus, Musician, Man joined me this edition to discuss his newest book, Led Zeppelin FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Greatest Hard Rock Band of All Time.

There was news on Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, as well as an Alton Brown Haiku.

Don't miss the Merry Christmas edition of Ramble On Radio. Or subscribe via iTunes, and never miss another episode.





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Episode #9 links

John Paul Jones w/ Minibus Pimps video #1

John Paul Jones w/ Minibus Pimps video #2

John Paul Jones w/ Minibus Pimps video #3

1936 Cord 810 Phaeton formerly owned by Jimmy Page

John Carter Trailer: Bond plays Kashmir

Yarbirds Boxset: Glimpses 1963 - 1968

IV@40

If you came of age in the mid-1970’s, as I did, Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO) was always there. You go to the carnival, and the Tilt-a-Whirl guy is blasting Rock and Roll, Black Dog and When the Levee Breaks. Guys driving down the street would be blasting it out of their 8-track player. You didn’t hear it for the first time, you absorbed it over time.

IV wasn’t even the first Zeppelin album I found and loved. That honour would fall to their third album, which I “borrowed” from my older brother on such a regular basis he bought me my own copy for Christmas the next year.

The follow up fourth album soon joined III as a staple of my record player. Mostly side one, it has to be confessed, for the obvious reasons. Frankly, song  for song, I’ll still take side one even now, with the exception of When the Levee Breaks which may be my favourite song on the album.

Everybody has favourites, and most Zeppelin fans will probably chose an album other than IV as their’s. But make no mistake, none will deny the greatness of Led Zeppelin IV. From song 1 to song 8, it contains no flaws, no misses. And in fact, in age when artists worried about the flow of the entire album, IV has two very different, but flawless sides, and still works as a complete unit. In other words, whether you throw on side 1, side 2 or the good old standby, 8-track and hear the whole thing through, it works.

But it’s still the songs that make the album, and IV features Led Zeppelin at their best. Rock and Roll, the bands answer to critics who said they had gone soft. Black Dog, a unique call and response style song unlike anything recorded before or since.

Battle of Evermore, the prelude to Stairway: Angry Hobbits with mandolins. Page and Jones, with just mandolins, acoustic guitar and, reportedly, a Dulcimer make the earth shake. Stairway to Heaven, in the aftermath of Battle of Evermore is like the dawn after battle. It’s message of hope in direct conflict with Evermore’s war call. Stairway to Heaven, the song that ended a thousand dances, more of a ritual than a rock song.

Side 2, if your using old school formats like me (or actually track 3 and 4, which is how I have listened to IV the last few times I’ve had it on), starts with the albums two weakest songs. Misty Mountain Hop, the hippy anthem. This falls in the category of second tier Zeppelin songs that prove just how good Zeppelin was. Four Sticks is a drum driven song with rather complex time structure. Again, most bands would kill to have this song in their repertoire, for Led Zeppelin in 1971, it was weak.

Going to California is the ultimate Zeppelin folk song. They had done folk before, had built the third album around folk songs, but Going to California trumps them all. Give Led Zeppelin acoustic guitars and mandolins and they were still the best rock band in the world, and Going to California is exhibit A.

Finally, the tour de force. Of all the songs on Led Zeppelin IV, When the Levee Breaks may have aged the most gracefully, which is odd considering it has all the grace of a charging Rhino. Built around John Bonham’s great drum pattern, the most sampled drum pattern in all of rap, Zeppelin rolls for 7 minutes of chicago blues like no other. It is pure driving rock yet, thanks to Bonham, swings like an old soul song.

Left off the album destined to  appear on 1975's Physical Graffiti, the songs Night Flight, Down By the Seaside and Boogie With Stu. Those three songs, the afterthoughts, those are a career for some bands.

Forty years ago today, November 8, 1971 Led Zeppelin IV was released. It  may have been the best album of the rock era, yet not Led Zeppelin best album. It is good enough to be called that, and Zeppelin good enough to transcend it.

Podcast #5 Released

Ramble on Podcast #5 was a week late waiting for a James Dylan interview to come together, it never happened. If your looking for the interview, sorry to disappoint but hopefully it will be there next time.

Meanwhile, I discussed Jimmy Page's home movie, why I was tough on Robert Plant last time, John Paul Jones and Seasick Steve once again and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience. I also reviewed Tight But Loose #30 and Gomer Pyle dancing to Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll.

In the future, I hold for no interview, if I don't have it in my hands by the time I record, it doesn't get on. So #6 will come, interview or no, next weekend.

As usual, here's the links: Ramble On #5 on Podbean, or subscribe on iTunes.

Thanks to everyone who has been listening and making comments. I do appreciate it.

Kitchener Nov 4, 1969: Part II

Led Zeppelin was “the best rock ever to be held in this arena,” says Douglas Fisher, writing for the University of Waterloo student newspaper, The Chevron, on November 7, 1969. Led Zeppelin had played the local hockey rink, The Kitchener Auditorium a few days earlier, on November 4, 1969.

Being a local event, I have written before about this show, noting the concert seems to have been put together not long before. In this case, the first ad appears in the Chevron on October 10th (shown). (And Wilfred Laurier University's The Cord, on October 17th).

But it is the review by Douglas Fisher, with picture by Kent Houston that is significant. The review is new as far as the Led Zeppelin record goes. It has been buried in the library of the University of Waterloo rare books division pretty much since 1969.

The headline speaks volumes of the review to come: Zeppelin: Best Rock Concert Ever.

When Led Zeppelin hit the stage of Kitchener auditorium tuesday night everyone present realized at once this was not going to be just another concert. They were right, before the evening was over they had experienced and lived the Led Zeppelin group.

Ludicrous insanity could best describe their performance. Jimmy Page running, jumping, straining getting unbelievable sounds and or noises on his guitar. From old blues riffs to distortion to feedback it all came off with finesse and wild beauty.

The lead singer Robert Plant is the ultimate extension of the school of lead singers started by Rolling Stone’s Mick Jagger, including Jim Morrison and Iggy Stooge. Plant’s incredible voice range which goes from gutsy blues to high screams puts James Brown to shame.

Most of the time all you could see was his huge fuzzy ball of blonde hair shaking wildly and emitting unreal sounds. His body wriggling with every note of the music. Backing these two up were John Paul Jones laying down a perfect blues line and John Bonham on drums completing the rhythm section.

When the Led Zeppelin group do their songs they don’t just present a copy of their album cuts. They go all out, making them even more ludicrous and insane than the originals, adding parts of the old blues or rock songs in the middle of the number.

One of the highlights of the concert was the groups rendition of Dazed and Confused. In the middle of the number, Jimy [SIC] Page played his guitar with a bow just to add to the general insanity of the number.

The rest of the review is more technical, complaining of inadequate acoustics or a shorter than normal set, “leaving out the drum solo and Page’s guitar solo Black Mountain Side.”

The review reports Zeppelin ended with an “Eddie Cochrane Song.” This is likely C’Mon Everybody, which they are reported to have played 2 nights later in San Fransisco as part of How Many More Times.

The Kent Houston picture is of Plant, with John Paul Jones in the background. Plant is wearing the fur boots that are specific to the Kitchener concert. The heading under the picture reads: Emitting unreal sounds Plant shakes and wiggles to the music.




[caption id="attachment_1494" align="alignnone" width="520" caption="click for full size"][/caption]

Robert Plant in Kitchener Ontario

Turned over a few leaves this week, checking some local archives for information on Led Zeppelin's Nov. 4, 1969 gig in Kitchener Ontario. I have turned up what is, I believe, a review of the concert that is not in the official record as of yet.

While I'm working on a post on the review, this picture appeared with it. The picture is available on led zeppelin.com, but this is a much clearer shot.



Note the headline on the review: Best Rock Concert Ever. Almost 40 years later, that's the same thing people were saying after the O2 show in December 2007.

Podcast #1

I was nosing through iTunes for some Led Zeppelin podcasts a while ago and was surprised to find there are no regular Zep-casts. I was, by happy coincidence, wondering what to do with this blog. It was time to find a way to grow it, but how. The solution, it occurred to me, was a RambleOn podcast. With all that said, I gave it a go. As I mention more than once in the podcast, I figured I'd run out of stuff to say in about 5 minutes, but I spoke for 45 minutes. While there are some imperfections in delivery, I think it came out pretty well for a first go. Improvements will be ongoing, and I am hoping to throw in some interviews down the road. Meanwhile, here's the Ramble On Podcast #1

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Download it here: I have submitted to it iTunes, but it hasn't been approved as of yet. I have no idea how long the process takes, but once it is up I will along the link. Please let me hear what you thought, feedback is key: rambleon@briangardiner.ca