Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Always Stylish Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page s set to appear in an ad campaign for designer John Varvatos' 2013 Spring/Summer Collection. The campaign will also feature guitarist Gary Clark Jr.

The first ad, directed by noted photographer and film director Danny Clinch, features Clark playing and singing When My Train Pulls in London's Rivoli Ballroom, while Page, stylish in a suit and tie, is driven to the club, and seen entering it.






Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Celebration Day Guitar Book

00-40623Alfred Music has released a Celebration Day Guitar Tab book. The book "presents authentic guitar TAB transcriptions of the 16 classic songs that make up the (Celebration Day) set."

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

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





Ultimate Classic Rock Awards

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

Celebration Day 18x24 poster With Pantones FixedThe Ultimate Classic Rock Awards are voted on by readers of the website, Ultimate Classic Rock.

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

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



Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Heart's Stairway to Heaven on iTunes

iTunes music this morning released Heart's version of Stairway to Heaven as performed by the band, with Jason Bonham and backed up by 2 choirs, on Dec 3rd at the Kennedy Center Honors Gala. It was broadcast on boxing day, Dec 26th.screen-shot-2013-01-15-at-44519-pm

You can get the file for 99-cents on iTunes.

It appears at this time that no other songs from that night have been released.

While you are there, don't forget to subscribe to the Ramble On Radio podcast.

In 2004, Heart re-released their 1977 album, Little Queen on CD. The release had, as a bonus track, a live version of the iconic Led Zeppelin song, recorded in 1976.

Here's heart at the Kenendy Center Honors, performing Stairway to Heaven





Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Happy 69th Birthday Jimmy Page

I had discussion this past year with some guys forming a Led Zep tribute band. While it never panned out, I spent a number of weeks digging into the guitar playing of eight Led Zeppelin songs, and casually learning/relearning about six more. Even for an old Led Zeppelin fan like me, who has played guitar for 40-years and learnt the instrument on the stylings of Jimmy Page, it was eye-opening.

On the Song Remains the Same, an incredible piece of musical composition, he plays this one lick. It's just a note really, except he bends the note 2 1/2 tones, from a B to an E, then brings it back down in staccato shots half a tone at a time: E! D#! D! C#! C! and back to B. It's simple in essence, I could teach it to a beginner, although it takes some physical strength to bend a note 2 1/2 tones on a 12-string. But it's also brilliant, pure musicianship required to make it sound like anything at all.

The catalogue, especially after the third album, is full of examples. There was virtually no wasted notes: if Jimmy Page played it, there was a reason for it.

On his 69th birthday it's worth pointing out that after a lifetime of playing, in my late-40's I'm still discovering the mysteries of what Jimmy Page did in his 20's and early 30's. I'm still finding magic in the notes he created.

Happy 69th Birthday Jimmy Page. For all of it, and for all that is still to come.






Thursday, January 3, 2013

On the Occasion of John Paul Jones Birthday

Happy Birthday to the quiet man with the bass that roars and rock'n'roll's premier mandolinist, John Paul Jones, who is 67 today: