Monday, October 31, 2011

Episode #6

front-picture-smallIn Episode #6 of the Ramble On Radio Podcast I discuss Robert Plant's possible wedding, Jimmy Page's possible upcoming performances, a Seasick Steve download and Black Country Communion's Live Over Europe DVD. I also review Chuck Klosterman's "Thee Led Zeppelin Essays," and Ralph Hulett  and Jerry Prochnicky's "Whole Lotta Led."

James Dylan, lead singer of Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, stopped by for an interview and casually dropped the news that the band has been writing songs together.

You can subscribe to the podcast at iTunes or download it directly from Podbean.



Sunday, October 30, 2011

Jason Bonham Working on Original Material

In an exclusive interview with James Dylan, word that Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience (JBLZE) is writing material, with plans to record and release at some point down the road. img_2453_stdJames told me:
Since we’re back out on the road, Jason’s band (JBLZE) started to write songs together. So we’re hoping before too long, we’ll have some stuff for everybody to check out

On a follow-up message, James said:
We are just in the beginning stage so it is just something we would all like to do right now. The idea is to write music while we’re on the road. It started last tour when we were in sound check.

The full interview with James Dylan can be heard on Ramble On Radio, Episode #6, which will be released by Tuesday.




Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Black Country Communion: Live Over Europe

Black Country Communion: Live Over Europe hit the shelves in DVD format this week with rather a whimper in my part of the world. black-country-communion-live-over-europe1

The DVD was available Monday in Europe and Tuesday here in North America. In my little part of Canada the large electronics chain didn't have it, and HMV had three copies squirrelled away in the concert DVD section, not up front in the new release display.

The concert film is almost two hours long (1:49 specifically) and features performances of 16 songs. To put things succinctly, the footage is top notch, the sound quality excellent and the performance as good as it gets. Black Country Communion is an excellent live band, and that tells in this DVD.

The second disk in the 2-disk set features a 25 minute feature video, Forging BCC, The Making of Live Over Europe and two photo collections.


The video will be available in Blu-ray November 15th (14th in Europe).

There was talk of an audio release as well, but that talk seems to have dried up, and I can find no evidence of a CD/MP3 release coming soon.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

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.

front-picture-smallMeanwhile, 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.



Friday, October 14, 2011

Band of Joy Gets Americana Award

The Americana Music Awards were handed out last night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Robert PlantRobert Plant and the Band of Joy received an award for Album of the Year for their self titled album. However Plant lost out on Artist of the Year to his own guitarist, Buddy Miller, who tok the top prize.




Miller received three awards in all, as he recieved Instrumentalist of the Year as well.

The Band of Joy also played the song Monkeyat the ceremony. Plant also reappeared onstage for the finale.




Thursday, October 13, 2011

Jimmy Page: Light & Shade

A new book on Jimmy Page is in the works.

By Guitar World Magazine's Editor-in-Chief Brad Tolinski, the book's main source is 50 hours of conversation Tolinski has had with the guitarist.

To be released by Virgin Books in the UK and Crown Publishers in the US, Light & Shade will document Page's early years, his time in Led Zeppelin and cover songs such as Going to California and How Many More Times.

According to Virgin's Publishing director Ed Faulkner:

Jimmy Page is a music legend. Light & Shade will undoubtedly be considered the closest thing Led Zeppelin fans will ever get to a published autobiography, making it an essential read.


Release date is unknown at this time.






Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Podcast #4

front-picture-smallDave 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.




Monday, October 3, 2011

Logan Plant Leaves Sons of Albion

The Sons of Albion are reported that Robert Plant's son, Logan, has left the band. via Facebook:
Hello everyone, unfortunately Logan left the band due to personal reasons.

Sons Of Albion will keep on with Gones - Lead vocals/Bass, Nuno - Guitar and Francisco - Drums.

Was hard times till now... But we've overcome!!! We've been writing new tunes and we just recorded them!!! So very soon you'll be listening to them... And we really want your opinion!

We hope you understand and you keep following us... After all you guys are what makes this band great.


Thank you so much for your continued support x

See you very soon...

Francisco, Nuno and Gones
Sons Of Albion

Last Monday the Sons of Albion played Water Rats at Kings Cross London, their first advertised gig since the spring.  It is unreported whether Logan was with the band that night, but it is likely he was.






Sunday, October 2, 2011

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).uofw-chevron-ad

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"]review[/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.

plant-in-kitchener

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.