Visiting the John Bonham Memorial Statue on May 31, 2018…
It was the late evening of July 5, 1980 and earlier we had witnessed the thrilling Led Zeppelin performance at the Olympiahalle in Munich. Now my TBL colleague Tom and I had gone with the Zep entourage to a night club within the Hilton Hotel. All the group were in attendance and as had happened a lot during our time on the tour,, we got talking to John Bonham. As ever, his down to earth Midlands tone rang out. He was …

To mark his 70th birthday on May 31, 2018 …
JOHN BONHAM: AN APPRECIATION – 70 AT 70 THE TBL BIRTHDAY PLAYLIST:
Greatest Beats – Percussive Perfection – 70 Examples of the John Bonham Drum Craft
Thursday May 31, 2018 is John Bonham’s 70th birthday. The intervening years since his untimely death at the age of 32 in 1980, have only enhanced his reputation as the outstanding rock drummer of all time.
To quantify that statement and in celebration of his life and legacy, what follows is a listing of 70 of his most notable performances.
It’s continually evident …

Fate Of Nations  25 Years Gone – TBL Archive Special:
To mark this 25th anniversary, here’s the final part of part of the  TBL Fate Of Nations archive special – more very passionate and enthusiastic text from yours truly that first appeared in TBL issues 8 and 9. This is my review of the Fate Of Nations album and a tour overview
The accompanying Fate Of Nations album provided the soundtrack to that summer of 1993 – 25 years ago
I’ve just played it through again – it still sounds such a brilliant album…
THE FATE OF NATIONS …

Fate Of Nations – King’s Head – 25 Years Gone – TBL Archive Special Part 2:
25 years ago this month, Robert Plant performed two warm up gigs at the King’s Head in Fulham. Gary Foy and I were lucky to be in attendance at both these memorable shows. It ushered in another great Plant period with the accompanying Fate Of Nations album providing a soundtrack to the summer of 1993.
To mark this 25th anniversary, here’s part two of our TBL Fate Of Nations archive special – more very passionate and enthusiastic text from …

Here’s the first part of a 25th Anniversary  TBL Fate Of Nations Archive special.

25 years….now where did that go?
It was all of 25 years ago this month that Robert Plant kicked off his Fate Of Nations touring campaign with two low ley appearances in Fulham. It was the beginning of a hugely enjoyable period as he toured across the globe in support of the truly excellent Fate Of Nations album. We pick up the story right at the beginning. These secret appearances were incredibly exciting and I count myself very lucky to have …

TBL Archive – May 1973: 45 years Gone..
With the 45th anniversary of the famous record breaking Tampa Stadium date rolling around this week – here’s a timely TBL Archive piece focusing on the early May 1973 dates of the American tour. This was compiled by Mike Tremaglio  for TBL 36 – this is the structure that Mike and I have adapted for our forthcoming Evenings With Led Zeppelin book.
 
 
 
Friday, May 4, 1973 Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Setlist (from River City Review)
Rock and Roll, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I’ve Been Loving You, …

Led Zeppelin on 45RPM…from £1.25 new pence for Whole Lotta Love in 1972 – to £11.99 for Rock And Roll on Record Store Day in 2018… 
I’ve been fascinated with Led Zeppelin singles for over 47 years.
Because they were primarily an albums band, for me there’s always been almost an illicit thrill to hear a Led Zeppelin track framed in the 45 RPM seven inch format.
That fasciation goes right back to 1970 when I was aware, through the pages of the NME, that Whole Lotta Love and Immigrant Song had been extracted …

Led Zeppelin Record Store Day Release – Rock And Roll (Sunset Sound Mix)/Friends (Olympic Studios Mix) TBL PREVIEW:
Since we’ve been loving them….again…
Just had a listen to this promo copy I’ve received – here’s how it sounds to these ears..

Rock And Roll the Sunset Sound Studios Mix – slightly punchier in the rhythm department and slightly more shrill in the vocal. The guitar solo is more prominent and up front. It’s Rock And Roll…and it’s brilliant…
Friends Olympic Studios Mix – this is an absolute gem. Basically a mix without the string …

 
 Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters for Blues Fest 2018 double header with Van Morrison:
 Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters and Van Morrison join John Fogerty and Steve Miller Band in the line up for BluesFest 2018.
Here’s the info:
Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters, and Van Morrison have both been announced as playing full sets at Bluesfest London, which returns to the various venues of O2 Arena, Greenwich, from Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th October 2018. Plant and Van Morrison will appear on Friday 26th October plus special guest Colin Macleod.
Plant appeared …

TBL Archive 1 – Jimmy Page & Robert Plant – Walking Into Clarksdale – 20 Years Gone:
Photo by Eric Ubben
To mark the release of the Walking into Clarksdale album 20 years ago this month, here’s a TBL archive piece that looks back to the release of the album.
On the back of the Shepherds Bush gig and all the media coverage, it was such a great time to be a Page & Plant fan. Here’s my original and very optimistic review of the Walking Into Clarksdale album written for TBL issue 13.
 Walking …