Review: California Breed

It's an easy temptation to compare California Breed to it's predecessor, Black Country Communion. To look upon Glenn Hughes and Jason Bonham's new power trio as BCC minus Joe Bonamassa and Derek Shirinian, as their debut album as the fourth BCC studio effort. Easy, but wrong. A far better comparative would be Hughes 70's power trio, Trapeze, with the California Breed album slotting itself musically in a natural progression after 1970's Medussa and '72's You Are The Music... We're Just the Band.

California Breed is in fact exactly as advertised, a power trio of the old school. As much as the narrative on Black Country Communion was a band out of the 70's, there was always something about that story that rang false. California Breed is far closer in feel and mood to a 70's band, with the twist that guitarist Andrew Watt often sounds straight out of the 90's grunge movement.

The problem is, the power-push rhythm section is missing the tempering quality of Bonamassa, his instinctively melodic lines that make sense of the rhythm sections natural inkling to roll with power for the entire album. While Watt is a good guitar player, he is too inclined to join the raucous fun, with the end result being an album that is thunderously rockin' and entirely forgettable.

That's not to say that there are no softer moments, no ballads. But even the ballads, such as All Falls Down and Chemical Rain, are driven by a distorted guitar instead of defaulting to an acoustic (Breathe being the exception, using an acoustic throughout). The Ballads however, along with Sweet Tea, despite it's obvious similarity with Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love, and Spit You Out are the albums highlights.

The problem falls in a number of heavy (as in plodding) numbers that sound more or less alike and are meaningless, loud and otherwise boring: The Grey; Days they Come; Strong; Invisible and Scars are interchangeable and boring in spite of their volume.

The reality is I want to like this album, I like Glenn Hughes and, as a loyal Led Zeppelin fan am cheering for Jason Bonham to do well. I want to like this album, but I just can't. It has it's moments where it's good, but it has far too many that detract from the good within. I want to like it, but I know the truth is, having reviewed it, I will probably never listen to it again.




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Book Review: Lisa Robinson -There Goes Gravity: A Life in Rock and Roll

"Jimmy Page wore a pink satin jacket."

The first lines Mick Jagger said to Lisa Robinson, quoting her work to her side-stage at an Eric Clapton concert, mark Robinson's style of criticism. In her own words: "I never felt like a "combatant," or reporter; I felt like an ally." Robinson is a music critic because she, like the acts she covers, loves the music. She's a fan, not a cynic and her "defense attorney" approach to writing about bands ingratiated her with a closed group like Led Zeppelin.

Robinson travelled with Zeppelin on their 1973, '75 and '77 tours, as well as attended Knebworth in '79. She reported for Hit Parader, where I used to read her tour accounts as a teenager, and, more importantly for the band, in England for New Music Express. Robinson was one of the select few journalists allowed inside the Zeppelin bubble.

In her book, There Goes Gravity: A Life in Rock and Roll, (available now from the usual book sellers) Robinson recounts her career. In Chapter 2 she gives us look at her time With Led Zeppelin, from her second time seeing them in Jacksonville, Florida in 1973 she was a fan (she recounts a disappointing first time seeing Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden in 1970):

... it was exciting, complex and majestic... I heard strains of blues and American roots music and a combination of everything from the 1960s Eastern-influenced British band Kaleidoscope to the acoustic, hippie-ish Incredible String Band, to Willie Dixon... They were bigger and more complex than Pink Floyd or Cream.

She recounts all her tours, and recounts the key people she dealt with, including Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Bonham, the latter of whom she says, "Drunk, he was a madman... sober, to me, he was a sweetheart - articulate and a gentleman." She did interviews, snippets of which she provides and recounts stories of the road. She was in the room during Bonham's somewhat famous rant about Karen Carpenter winning the Playboy magazine best drummer award, and was in the plane, at 25,000 feet, when Richard Cole pulled a gun to settle a dispute between Jimmy and a reporter from the London Daily Express, a reporter Robert wanted to make nice with because his father read that paper.

If you are planning to read There Goes Gravity: A Life in Rock and Roll for the Led Zeppelin content, however, you will be disappointed. Other than Led Zeppelin, Robinson travelled with or spent significant time with The Rolling Stones, John and Yoko, David Bowie, The New York Dolls, The Ramones, Patti Smith, The Clash, the Sex Pistols, U2, Eminem, Kanye West and Lady Gaga (did I miss any?). The book covers all these artist and more. It is a sharp, interesting and often fun read, but it is not a Led Zeppelin book.


 

The Led Zeppelin Podcast #56

Thanks to Tight But Loose's Dave Lewis (www.tightbutloose.co.uk) for coming on today's program. I talk to Dave about the re-issues, Robert and Jimmy's comments on the BBC yesterday, Dave's books and his magazine, Tight But Loose.



You can download the podcast at Podbean or Spreaker. If you go to Spreaker, be sure to follow the episode.

You can also subscribe on iTunes. If you subscribe via iTunes, be sure to leave a review.
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Zero Chance of Led Zeppelin Performing Together Again

It's all I've ever asked of Robert Plant. Stop being clever and cute, and answer the damn question in a straightforward manner. It's been clear for a long time Robert Plant doesn't want to perform with his old bandmates again. Fair enough, but when asked, he gives cute answers like "I'm free in 2014." Just this weekend, someone was asking me what was happening with a Zeppelin reunion, and mentioned that line about Plant being free. Except, he never was, not really.

So when Robert was on BBC this morning and was asked, point blank, "What are the chances (that you'll perform live again)," his answer of "zero" was a welcome moment of candor.

Jimmy Page also had an interview released on BBC this morning, and when asked the same question, Page was more philosophical:

"Oh, I know it's a wish fantasma." '

"Not true, no hope?" he was then asked.

"Well, should we be not living in hopes and dreams. Should we just look at the facts. The O2 was seven years ago... and there hasn't been any movement so it's unlikely. I certainly don't want to be exhumed to do it."

Not wanting to let it go, the interviewer continues. Would you do a one-off gig like Glastonbury? Page sounds a little exasperated at this point. "I'm not the one to be asking... I don't sing. I'm a guitarist... I'm sure people would love to hear it, but it's quite clear what the situation is. There's no point in asking me hypothetical questions. It is what it is. And it is seven years since the O2, and I'm more surprised than anybody else that there hasn't been a Led Zepeplin (tour)."

A couple of weeks ago, when I discussed the Michael Eavis comments re: Glastonbury on the podcast, (which, cough cough, you can download here, or listen to here, or here) I hit all these points: it's clear Robert has no interest, possibly even less interest now than ever. Jimmy's getting older, he's 70 now and John Paul Jones is 68.

As well as the interviews, and possibly more important, the band released two musical clips: 1-minute of the Whole Lotta Love alternate master (the answer is, it's very different) and the blues classic Keys to the Highway, an acoustic blues which was recorded immediately after Hats Off to Roy Harper in 1970.

The Jimmy Page interview can be steamed here, Robert Plant here, Whole Lotta Love heard here and Keys to the Highway here.
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Communication Breakdown Being Released Tomorrow

An early, digital only, release of Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown from the Olympia Theatre in Paris, 1969 is happening tomorrow. According to Rolling Stone, you can buy the song, which will open the bonus editions of the new remastered deluxe editions, starting tomorrow April 15th at iTunes and other digital retailers in the Americas (the song was released today in Europe). (The Amazon link included here may, or may not, take you to the song tomorrow).

More interesting, perhaps, is that the bonus material on each album shows no song times on iTunes, except for one song per album, including Good Times Bad Times/ Communication Breakdown, Whole Lotta Love (rough Mix with Vocal) on the second album and Immigrant Song (alternate mix). This suggests that over the next few weeks we may also see those songs released ahead of the June 3rd release date. A rumour of an April 28th release for Whole Lotta Love suggests a release of May 12 for Immigrant Song.

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The Led ZeppelinPodcast Episode 54

There are weeks when you aren't happy with the final product: last week was one of them. Among other things, I missed a couple of stories I wanted to cover. So this week is a hodgepodge of stories, including a couple I missed the last couple of weeks, plus a few new ones: in Episode 54 I talk about goalie masks, is Michael Eacis nuts? Robert Plant sings for charity, Jimmy shops at Whole Foods, a photographic exhibit a new music device and Dave Lewis' Tight But Loose Issue #37.

 
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Promo for First Led Zeppelin Album Reissue

Today, LedZeppelin.com unveiled a one-minute promotional video for the first album's reissue, due in June. The video features 1:06 clip of Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown from the Paris Olympia show which will make up the bonus material.




 For more information on the remasters, please check a previous post with all pertinent details. You can pre-order the first Led Zeppelin album in CD, LP or Deluxe Box Set from Amazon.