Robert Plant’s Saving Grace Featuring Suzi Dian – UK December Tour Dates…

Robert Plant’s Saving Grace Featuring Suzi Dian have announced a ten date December UK tour – tickets go on sale next Thursday December 18:

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It was 54 years ago…

TBL Archive:

54 years ago on September 13 and 14, 1971 Led Zeppelin performed two shows at the Berkeley Theatre in California. Thankfully both these shows were captured by fans in attendance and have appeared on various bootleg releases.

Here’s something I wrote about the Berkeley Days The Second Night double album when it surfaced by in 2017…

BERKELEY DAYS THE 2ND NIGHT (CASINO RECORDS ENTERTAINMENT)

Here’s my thoughts on the recently released on vinyl Berkeley Daze 2nd Night double album… 

Berkeley Daze – 2nd night: Yet Another Very Stoney 1971 evening… 

Dave Lewis welcomes a vinyl reissue of an old bootleg favourite…

I’ve been collecting bootleg recordings of Led Zeppelin since I was 15. It remains a great passion.

In recent years, the market has been somewhat saturated  with upgrades and reissues. I try to keep on top of the CD releases though I have long since dropped out of buying the really high end expensive packages that emerge – however, if it’s something previously unheard, I obviously check that out.

As many of you reading this will be aware, my overall collecting focus has switched to vinyl in recent years, I am therefore very interested in any Zep vinyl bootleg package. However, they have not been too well served in the modern area. Zep Vinyl packages have been fairly random – both in terms of track listing and packaging. It probably does not help that to capture a whole Zep show – the CD format has clear benefits over vinyl.

There have been some worthwhile releases – such as the admirable box sets from Virgin Vinyl stable presenting the Royal Albert Hall 1970 show and the Seattle March 17 1975 show. Also of note is the Fab Four Liverpool January 14 1973 box set, the Southampton ‘73 soundboard across a double set and the ‘Bob Presents’ white vinyl pressing of the Fillmore West January 9 1069 recording. Too often though, the song choices are randomly presented on a single disc such as Touch And Go which mixes performances from Toronto September 4 1971 BBC ’69 and Brussels ’75 and Teddy Bears Picnic, which has highlights of the Newcastle November 11, 1971 show.

When I heard that Led Zeppelin – Berkeley Daze 2nd Night – a new double vinyl presentation of the famous, nay brilliant, September 14 1971 Berkeley Community Theatre show was on the way, my hopes were definitely raised.

This is of course the recording immortalised way back as the seminal legendary Going To California TMQ bootleg. That particular double album on coloured vinyl first came into my life on Friday January 19, 1973 – these dates were important ones and all logged in the dairy so I know these things!

Following on from Live On Blueberry Hill which I had got in late ‘72, it was another revelation and upped my own enthusiasm for Zep bootlegs manifold.

Fast forward 43 years, on a similar cold Friday (February 10) and I took receipt of a new pressing of this fabled September 14 1971 show on the Casino Records Entertainment label in a limited edition of 400.

Boy, was I keen to get intimate again with a live recording that has been part of my Zep DNA for four decades.

So what we have here is a vinyl edition repackage onto vinyl of the CD set that came out via Godfather Records.

The first indication that this label means business is the packaging. An impressive heavyweight cardboard double fold out sleeve with full colour inners.

There’s accompanying explanatory sleeve notes about the recording of the show by one Paul De Luxe. The photos deployed on the inner sleeves are mostly 1971 period shots from the US tour and Empire Pool Wembley gig. There are two pleasing group shots from the autumn 1971 photo session that has them holding drinks and smoking – Page in the Zoso jumper.

Unfortunately, the 1971 mood is spoiled slightly by the dropping in of a colour shot of John Bonham from the 1977 US tour.

Overall though, a sturdy well thought out sleeve package and the records themselves are on 180 gram coloured yellow vinyl – individually numbered in a run of just 400. All very pleasing to look at.

In the very informative sleeve notes Paul reveals the story that the original tapes of this show were disposed of  – as he explains ”Having been lost in a fire, or even thown in the pacific ocean out of paranoia by the person who ran a bootleg label and was scared of an FBI raid’’. The bootleg release was overseen by the famous Dub of TMOQ. It’s likely he got the tapes from the original taper and then released them in early 1973. The fact they came out some two years after the show took place, hints that Dub did not tape them himself – his policy was to release any show he had taped as soon after the gig as he could manage.

It’s well worth noting that TMOQ also presented another bootleg from the same time and venue era – and very likely taped by the same guy that did the Zep show. This was a performance by David Crosby and Graham Nash at the Berkeley Community Theatre a month after the Zep visit on October 15 1971. It’s reported to have the same sound resonance and similar slight cuts as the Zep recording.

The Crosby & Nash bootleg album came out on the Trade Mark of Quality label under the title A Very Stoney Evening. It was issued in February 1973 – with a catalogue number of TMQ 72005 – the next inline after Going To California which is TMQ 72004.

I recently searched out the original mail order listing I received in late 1972 – the very listing I used to order Going To California – and sure enough under ‘New Discs’, it lists both the Zep and Crosby & Nash titles. Looking back I dearly wish I had ordered both as the Crosby & Nash album has gone on to be a celebrated notable bootleg release.

In fact due recognition was paid to it when in 1997 the Grateful Dead label officially issued an excellent multi track soundboard Crosby & Nash concert recorded at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, on October 10 ,1971, a mere five days before the bootlegged Berkeley show.

This official release (which I purchased when it came out on CD in 1997 – and I’ve recently acquired the superb double vinyl pressing)) went out under the title Another Stoney Evening – and as the sleeve notes explained ‘’The title of this release is producer Stephen Barncard tip of the hat to A Very Stoney Evening the celebrated bootleg of another inspired date on the tour released on the legendary Trade Mark Of Quality label.’’

Back to Led Zeppelin Berkeley Daze the 2nd Night and the music contained therein:

Well, put simply, what’s not to like?

For a start, this is one of those audience recordings that simply crackles with excitement. Slightly toppy but completely authentic – if a soundboard was to emerge of this night though much welcomed, it would be hard pushed to capture the sheer electricity of what was picked up by the enterprising fan who recorded this amazing show.

And amazing it is, right from the moment they kick in with Immigrant Song. One thing is for sure – Robert Plant’s vocal are at something of a career high – so flexible so confident so utterly self assured – he is literally inventing the rock god model with every song. The echo on his voice is also a sheer delight – none more so effective than on Heartbreaker.

On this track there’s that sudden shift of the sound to stereo just as they hit the line ‘’Annie’s back in town’’ and then Thwack!

Now we really are on a winner. Jimmy is captured right up front just ahead of JPJ’s bass – as for John Bonham, rarely has that Ludwig kit been so well captured from the audience. His snare drum resonates so decisively –it drives the whole thing on at a frantic pace. The entire set showcases the often wild but perfectly honed interplay between Bonzo, JPJ and Jimmy. The solo on Heartbreaker has that delightful run through 59th Street Bridge Song and Bouree – an amazingly fluid piece of guitar mastery.

‘’You should have come last night – last night there were several bowler hatted beatniks’’ . I’m not the only one I’m sure who can recite Plant’s inter song patter on this double set at will…

Since I’ve Been Loving You does have a cut at the intro but no matter as it soon flows with an assured authority and when Jimmy hits the strings for the solo..phew …we are talking Electric Magic here big time.

Black Dog has that Out On The Tiles intro, back in January 1973 that was still fresh in my memory having seen it played live just four weeks previous on stage at Ally Pally. John Bonham is a powerhouse of immense percussive skill throughout this fantastic delivery.

‘’There was a pollution alert today and I lost my voice. Here’s one from millions of years ago.’’

Incredibly it was only two years ago that they were romping through a mere seven minutes of the early anthem that is Dazed And Confused. By 1971 it had extended manifold and this twenty minute onslaught is a perfect example of how well crafted this number had become. There’s a great moment when Plant comes in with those ‘’I’m so glad I’m living in the USA’’ lines.

Side three presents the more acoustic side of Led Zep commencing with a slightly tentative rendering of Stairway To Heaven – tentative but sensitive and warmly received by the audience. There’s also another evocative Plant ad lib witness – ‘’You are the home of the children of the sun.’’

That’s The Way follows, the clarity of the audience tape captures JPJ’s mandolin sound perfectly and it supplements Jimmy’s acoustic picking. Robert is again totally immersed in the song living the lines ‘’why doesn’t everybody cry?’’

The tuning up prior to them easing into Going To California (”a sitting down song”) is another off the cuff highlight

Over on side four, the amps are back up to ten for a bruising compelling Whole Lotta Love. Jimmy teases the riff and you can clearly hear him on backing vocals on the chorus. Then it’s all manner of delightful medley fun: Let That Boy Boogie, the double early 60s throwback wammy of Rick Nelson’s Hello Mary Lou and Elvis’ Mess of Blues and on into a complete rendition of You Shook Me and back to the finale.

‘’Goodnight – thank you!’’

Goodnight – thank them…

Now it’s no secret that I am something of a 1975 man when it comes to loving Zep live, however my second favourite era is 1971. This double album is a prime example of the sheer exuberance of the band at that time.  Jimmy remarked that the audiences on these Berkeley nights were quiet sedate – though you would never really know it.

Some afterthoughts:

Being at the helm of all things TBL, the world of Led Zeppelin revolves for pretty much most of my waking hours. Keeping on top of all the social media demands, answering emails, regularly updating the TBL website, receiving packing and distributing orders (on my bike!) Writing TBL content, working on book projects, etc. – it really is never a dull moment…

Within all that, it would be easy to lose sight of what attracted me to this thing in the first place – which is of course the music. I always make a dedicated effort to not let that happen by frequently spinning fave LP’s and CDs. When something new comes around – particular on vinyl, I still have the hunger and passion to get immersed in it all again.

The arrival of this new double album has more than justified that belief. It’s been a wonderful reminder of the initial ingredients that sparked my insatiable appetite for this remarkable music.

The studio albums, brilliant as they are, were just the starting point.

Unconstrained by the limitations of a mere two sides of vinyl playing time, on stage night after night is where they really came into their own. Their creative juices were ever overflowing. Those evenings with Led Zeppelin were special…and no more so than this September night back in 1971.

It’s been the perfect inspiration as I get down to some intensive work with designer Mick Lowe on the book I am co- authoring with Mike Tremaglio which will chronicle the heritage of those 500+ evenings with Led Zeppelin

On Berkeley Daze and many other nights, Led Zeppelin really were something special.

This double album is more conclusive proof.

I love both the Soundtrack to The Song Remains The Same and How The West Was Won, but in my opinion ( and many others), some of their best live albums remain unofficial – and Berkeley Daze 2nd Night is truly one of the best….

400 lucky recipients of this double album are in for yet another very stoney 1971 evening…

Dave Lewis, February 2017.

Postscript September  2025 :

I’ve just played the album and it sounded every bit as impressive as it did six years back -it really is one of the all time great Led Zeppelin performances.

DL

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TBL Archive Special : Little By Little…

Robert Plant Wembley Arena – Tuesday, September 10 1985 – it was 40 years Ago today…

Krys Jantzen flagged this one by sending an excellent pic taken by him outside the Wembley Arena venue on the night.

40 years ago -that is just incredible because it does seem like a second…or a lifetime ago.

Robert only performed two proper UK gigs in 1985 on this night and two days earlier at the Birmingham NEC.

This was the Shaken’ N’ Stirred tour – in support of the rather difficult third album released in May. Robert had toured the US that summer and bang in the middle of all that came the call to perform at Live Aid. The axis was well and truly spun because despite the chaotic nature of it all – it had ignited the flame again.

Shaken’ N’ Stirred – yes a difficult album and very left field in a Plant experimentation sort of way. At times the time signatures did go all over the place (Kallalou, Kallalou anyone?). But when it was good as on Little By Little, Easily Led  and the superb Sixes And Sevens, it was very good indeed. I remember playing the quasi- rap Too Loud to all sundry in proclaiming Robert’s contemporary status.  I also remember getting very excited about the 12inch single and double pack seven inch release of the second single from the album Little By Little. We were on holiday in Weymouth when it came out and purchased it from the local branch of the long gone John Menzies chain.

On stage, it was still very much a Zep free zone  – though at times he relented slightly. I’ve just played In The Mood from the bootleg CD of the Wembley Arena gig and it reminded me that a cry of Hot Dog during that number was the nearest we got to getting hot under the collar for the days of yore. That, and a few lines from Since I’ve Been Loving You during the close of Slow Dancer and a Boogie Cillun insert in Young Boy Blues – but that was yer lot back then – it was still a case of ”No led anything”.

This was the mid 80s and the order was changing.

I too was actually in something of a new era. Newly married the year before, my writing energies had transferred into writing two weekly music columns for the local newspaper – I did get the odd Zep mention in and did review this gig. I was also well ensconced in the music retail world and was about to embark on an exciting challenge that would see WH Smith open their own stand alone record stores called Sound FX – I was to be the manager of the Bedford store.

Zep related wise ,I was still as keen as ever to follow the respective careers so when these dates were announced it was a must see situation.  The Birmingham gig on the Sunday had been a little under par due to some sound problems but for London we had a right result.

The set list lined up as follows:

Intro music – Song To The Siren by This Mortal Coil – this is a stunning version of the Tim Buckley number with vocals by Liz Fraser of the Cocteau Twins – I remember buying this the next week. Robert would later cover this track himself, performing it live with the Priory Of Brion and Strange Sensation and recording it for the 2002 Dreamland album.

In The Mood/Pledge Pin/Pink and Black/Little By Little/Burning Down One Side/Too Loud/Thru With the Two Step/Messin’With the Mekon/Slow Dancer/Good Rockin’At Midnight/Young Boy Bluies (including Boogie Chillun insert/Sea Of Love/Honey Hush/Encores: Like I’ve Never Been Gone/Big Log/Easily Led.

The good lady Janet was next to me in our fourth row tickets – and backstage before the gig, we had seen and spoken to Robert as well as Jimmy Page who was in attendance. This one felt like an event being a major London gig – amongst others backstage I also recall seeing Slade’s Noddy Holder.

One of the other things that spring to mind from that night is the merchandise. Alongside the usual t shirts that was a high quality though rather garish Shaken’ N’ Stirred pink and black sweat shirt. it was on sale for a then extortionate £20 – twice the rice of admission of the gig – our good friend Kam invested in one and every time he wore it, we ribbed him for years as being the most expensively dressed man in the house!

The gig itself was a hugely enjoyable one. This presentation featured the Honeydrippers segment where, aided by the Upton Horns and The Queen Bees, Robert donned a sparkle T shirt to zip through Good Rockin’ Tonight, Young Boy Blues which included a Boogie Chillun interlude, Sea of Love and Honey Hush. Overall it was a high energy performance on a large stage that did look slightly like a block of cheese.

Little did we know that this gig would be a very significant one. Overall, I remember it as being a really good performance – the good lady Janet rates this as one her fave gigs.

For this would be the last live performance of this line up that had carried Robert from 1983. So it was goodbye to Robbie Blunt, Phil Martinez, Jezz Woodroffe  and Richie Hayward. As Robert stated in 1988. ”A little light came above my head at Wembley. It happened half way through the set. I might’ve been singing ‘squeeze my lemon until the juice runs down my leg’or ‘I’m a fool for a cigarette’. No seriously, It could have been anything but I realised that I’d taken this little journey round and round in circles ever decreasing and dumbfounding everybody by showing how to waste a perfectly good career’.

Judging by the tone of that statement this was a man at a definite career crossroads. Live Aid had put the Zep spark back in his mind. There was a plan to meet with Jimmy and John Paul Jones in Bath for a get together to see what might happen.

As it turned out nothing much did. This re- grouping at a village hall near Peter Gabriel’s studio in early 1986 did show some promise but ultimately came to nothing. ”Two or three things sounded promising, a sort of cross between David Byrne and Husker Du” commented Plant later adding ”For it to have succeed in bath I would have had to have been far more patient than I had been for years”. The rehearsals fell apart when drummer Tony Thompson was injured in a car smash.

What happened next? Well Jimmy went off to make the Outrider album and Robert gathered a new set of musicians around him – come in Phil Johnstone, Chris Blackwell, Doug Boyle and Charlie Jones which led to the excellent Now And Zen album.

When I turned up at Leicester University to see a low key warm up date of his new band in January 1988, It was evident that Robert Plant was at last more than comfortable with his past. For the first time in his solo career, Robert performed Led Zep numbers. In The Evening and Trampled Underfoot felt like a rebirth that night and it remains one of my favourite all time ever gigs.

As for me, well Sound FX proved not to be the future of music retail (the writing was in the wall when I saw the design of the counter which was made to look like a beat box cassette player complete with hand rail – most embarrassing!). WH Smith sold the chain to Our Price in 1986 -a wise move as we were now part of a very successful chain and with the CD boom about to hit, there would be great retail days were ahead.

Writing wise, I had formulated a plan for a major Led Zeppelin reference work. I’d already began looking for a publisher and I was initially turned down flat by Chris Charlesworth at Omnibus Press who in a classic rejection letter advised me that Omnibus and I quote ”only sold music books by bands that sold lots of concert tickets like Bon Jovi’. Sensibly he revised that view a year later and went with the idea – the result was the A Celebration book published in 1991.

40 years on, I am not too sure if Bon Jovi remain shaken’n’ stirred for their particular passion but I know Robert Plant does..

Little by little – the days pass by…

Dave Lewis – September , 2025.

TBL Archive Special 2:

Thursday September 4:

The great Lee Abrahams kicking off my Birthday Eve with a fine set at Mat Roberts open mic night at The Flowerpot

Thursday September 4:

Second part of my Birthday Eve – I’ve joined the esteemed 45 RPM team for the Pete Burridge music quiz tonight at Esquires – we are not faring too well with anything after 1990 but did well with the ex Beatles songs round!

Thursday September 4:

Birthday Eve Esquires music quiz result – 45 RPM team which I was honoured to be in the team made it to a credible 5th place!

Sunday September 7:

Great to see Mr Phil Harris at tonight’s fab Beatles jam at Esquires. Note Phil’s White Album T.shirt!

Birthday:

https://www.facebook.com/rog.lett/videos/2482150675511711
Monday September 8:

It’s a Happy Birthday to our very good friend Mr Steve Way – long time TBL contributor and supporter – massive Zep fan, a seasoned gig attender who I’ve shared many great moments with and all round top man. Happy Birthday Steve from Janet and I – have a great day!

Monday September 8:

It was 52 years ago today…

52 years ago today on Saturday September 8 1973 I was lucky enough to witness The Rolling Stones at The Empire Pool Wembley.

Such was the demand to see them, they played both an afternoon and evening performance on this day. I attended the afternoon show which prompted Mick’s opening greeting ‘’How are you this afternoon, just give me a minute to wake up’’

Support acts were Kracker newly signed to the Rolling Stones label and the excellent Billy Preston who also appeared with the Stones.

For me, just turned 17 and three days old it was an incredible thrill. Mick and co were amazing with Mick Taylor on peak form – amongst many highlights Dancing With Mr D and Star Star from the just released Goats Head Soup and and Rip This Joint and All Down The Line from Exile On Main Street.

I was already a massive Stones fan but this incredible afternoon cemented my passion for all time – a passion that continues to shine (a light) ever brightly – and though it’s sometimes a battle with The Beatles, they are my number two all- time fave band…and in the light of their just released brilliant single Angry – that status is assured…

Note my arena ticket back in 1973 was all of £2.20 – when I saw them at Twickenham Stadium some 30 years later in 2003 my front block gold ticket was £150…but of course worth every penny…

DL – September 8 2025..

Tuesday September 9:

An absolute final Birthday treat – a visit from my esteemed record collecting comrade Ian Saikia – he very kindly bought me the Led Zeppelin Good Evening New York MSG Feb 12 1975 remastered 2024 bootleg box set which he knew I’d missed out on – cheers mate!!

Thursday September 11:

Remembering 9/11…24 years gone…

The TBL website page on Tuesday September 11 2001…

As the terrible tragedy of 9/11 unfolded, TBL website founder and then admin man Dave Linwood poignantly changed the TBL website colour from green to black and posted this message …

24 years on we are still thinking of you….

Update here:

Feeling very blessed after an amazing few days – so many fantastic moments marking my Birthday and so much kindness shown to me – I feel very humbled.