LED ZEPPELIN LIVE EP/THE ONLY WAY TO FLY BOOK EVENT WITH RICHARD MORTON JACK AND CHRIS WELCH/ROBERT PLANT ON BBC RADIO 2 AND RADIO 4/LED ZEP IN JAPAN 1971/JIMI HENDRIX 55 YEARS GONE/MARC BOLAN 48 YEARS GONE/ DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE
My thoughts on the newly released Led Zeppelin Live EP…
The Led Zeppelin Live EP is in the house…on record and CD.
The first previously unreleased official live release on record and CD since the Paris 1969 companion disc to the Led Zeppelin I reissue in 2014.
This four track EP is released to tie in with the slightly belated 50th anniversary of Physical Graffiti.
Four live recordings initially featured on the 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD package and remastered for this new vinyl and CD release. Live performances of four of the tracks that made up the contents of the esteemed Physical Graffiti double album released in February 1975.
All sourced from two of their most celebrated live concerts – Earls Court in May 1975 and Knebworth in August 1979.
First things first:
The packages :
12 inch LP – simple design with Physical Graffiti script writing and windows – plain black inner bag.
CD EP – similar design to the 12inch – folds out to reveal the band line up and recording credits.
Nitpicks. The band line up lists Robert Plant as Vocals and Harmonica and John Paul Jones as Bass Guitar, Keyboards and Mandolin. However none of the four tracks here feature harmonica and mandolin. An odd credit. If it had said Led Zeppelin 1968 -1980 that might have given it some context.
There are no sleeve notes whatsoever. In my view this historical release cries out for some sort of insert revealing the background details and adding an historical perspective of the performances. Hey fellas I come cheap! This is a missed opportunity. It would also have been nice to see a live photo or two.
Another thing – this release was announced as a 50th anniversary release to mark the 50th anniversary (albeit belated- it originally came out in February 1975) of the Physical Graffiti double album. There is no mention whatsoever of the anniversary anywhere on the sleeve or the hype sticker. Again rather odd.
Now the very good news -it’s an absolute joy to finally have official extracts from these legendary shows.
As for the sound quality – I’ll leave the audiophiles to dissect it thoroughly but I found it very similar to the DVD mix if a little brighter and full. No complaints from me here – on record and CD these tracks really come alive as potent live performances.
The credits list Music produced by Jimmy Page – Sound Engineer Kevin Shirley.
Remastered by Jimmy Page and Felix Davis at Metropolis Studios All songs originally released on Led Zeppelin DVD. Felix I presume is the son of the late John Davis who did such a great job on the reissue series. A poignant touch. Of course one would like to think they remastered many more tracks form these live recordings that might see the light of day ahead.
The sources and actual dates for the recordings look to be Earls Court May 25 and Knebworth August 4 although I’ll leave it to others to do the comparisons -it may be there’s drop ins in palces from Earls Court May 24 and Knebworth August 11.
Side One commences with In My Time Of Dying from Earls Court. One of the most impressive tracks on the Physical Graffiti double album, it emerged as one of the most epic moments of the Earls Court run.
Led by John Bonham’s incredibly forceful kick drum sound, this dense and swirling arrangement just keeps on building. Robert Plant’s semi acapella vocals revolving around Jimmy Page’s shimmering bottleneck guitar playing and JPJ’s steadfast bass lines. It reaches an absolute crescendo after Plant’s ‘’Oh My Jesus’’ refrain and closes on a stirring final chord from Page that back in 1975, echoed into the roof of the Earls Court building. in fact the recording does retain that slight unique Earls Court echo on Plant’s vocals.
Hearing all this again is just immense..
Next up Trampled Underfoot. The DVD footage has long since been one of my all time fave pieces of Zep live footage and hearing it now on this new 12 inch pressing does little to diminish it’s impact. This is absolutely brilliant.
Folks, this really is is quintessential Led Zeppelin at the very top of their game.
”This is called Trampled Underfoot introduces Plant. A manic speed fest of a performance that is rough and ready and yes tight but loose – in fact if any performance lives up to that phrase – well it’s this one.
They play it as though their lives depended on it. Robert Plant is right in the moment delivery those vivid descriptions of the motor car as sexual act, Jimmy Page is at his most explosive – which brings to mind another vivid description of their music coined by the late Howard Mylett in the title of one of his books. This is Jimmy Page spraying out tangents within a framework. The solo -as Jimmy steps on the wah-wah pedal is a thrilling twisting and turning unpredictable affair and right on edge.
John Bonham is relentless throughout, adding the James Brown percussive swing that drives the whole thing along. Equally relentless is the funk clavinet power that John Paul Jones adds to proceedings.
Then there’s the finale. Plant throwing in spontaneous lines from Gallows Pole as they surge headlong into a pit stop.
This is Led Zeppelin at their improvisational best and back in 1975 ,watching it unfold in front of my eyes within Earls Court was just sensational. 50 years later, listening to it on record on this new release has the same effect. When they all collectively lock in it’s a glorious amalgamation of class musicianship.
I am reminded by a great phrase that Charles Shaar Murray used in his review of the opening Earls Court show in the NME and I quote:
“Apart from The Who and The Stones I can’t think of many bands who could have put on anything like it. During moments like Trampled Underfoot it seemed the whole stage was just going to fall forward and crush everybody in the hall.”
As I was playing this, I fully expected my player to fall forward likewise and interrupt the good lady Janet next door watching Escape To The Country!
Side Two and we are back out in that field just outside Stevenage on those two awesome August Saturday nights.
Many things had happened in between Earls Court and Knebworth and it was a very different Led Zeppelin that came out to face their still vast audience in the post punk era.
Tragedy and misfortune had no doubt dented their confidence and they had a lot to lose had things not have gone well. As we all know, Led Zeppelin delivered admirably over those two massive Knebworth shows and proved they still held the magic.
Sick Again was perhaps a surprise addition to the set played in the latter half of proceedings. It was a welcome showcase for John Bonham who absolutely owns this performance. His mighty swing drives along what was the final track on the original double album. Page feeds off Bonzo’s enthusiasm as does JPJ. As for Plant, he is back in his cock rock peak performing with all the sleaze and grandeur this tale of groupies demands.
Finally Kashmir. ‘The pride of Led Zeppelin’’ as Plant described it, was delivered with breath-taking magnificence. That relentless riff leads them through a truly hypnotic rendering with all the traits that made this such an impressive studio track and an even more impressive live centerpiece of every post 1975 performance. Again all four play to their absolute strengths – JPJ’s GX1 keyboard being put to very good use and again Bonzo’s flurry of fills at the close is just masterful.
So there you have it…
Four shining examples of why Led Zeppelin were held in such high esteem back in a decade they dominated and four examples of why they still mean so much to so many…
Jimmy, can we have some more please?
Please!
Dave Lewis – September 12 2025.
I’m pleased to announce that Richard Morton Jack will be speaking about the book to the legendary Chris Welch in Richmond, London on Thursday, November 13th.
Apart from contributing its long and detailed introduction, Chris was the first person anywhere to write about Led Zeppelin, and went on to visit them at home, tour with them, and even play with them on stage (not a claim many can make!).
About The Only Way to Fly:
The product of years of research, this enormous book contains the most detailed and accurate account yet of the pathway to Led Zeppelin’s formation and the events of their tumultuous first year.
Alongside it is a wealth of rare material concerning the members’ earlier careers, and reproductions of virtually every piece of press they received between getting together in August 1968 and the release of Led Zeppelin II in October 1969.
Bulging with barely seen archival information and imagery, and featuring a long introduction by the renowned music journalist Chris Welch – who knew them from the start, toured with them and visited them at home – it is simply essential for their many admirers.
Booking link below
Little Joe Cook & Chris Farlowe – Stormy Monday Blues (Part Two)
Charlie Rich – So Long
Small Faces – Come On Children
Terry Reid – Tinker Taylor
Dave Edmunds – Girl Talks
Patty Griffin – Back At The Start
Los Lobos – Los Armarillas
Alison Krauss & Union Station – Richmond On The James
Vedra – Dusk
Paul Weller – Lawdy Rolla
Robert Plant: Q&A with Shaun Keaveny
EartH Theatre
Tue, 30 Sept, 7:00 pm
This week marks the 54rd anniversary of one of the all time great Led Zeppelin live performances – the September 29 concert in Osaka.
To mark the anniversary, here’s the Japan 1971 tour log Mike Tremaglio contributed to TBL issue 31 – and later deployed in the Evening With Led Zeppelin book:
In the last issue of TBL we left off with the band performing the final two shows of their wildly successful month-long U.S. tour in Honolulu, Hawaii on September 16 & 17, 1971. The band wasted little time in getting back on stage; this time the band decided to conquer new territories and were playing to ecstatic Japan audiences in less than a week.
While the U.S. tour had seen the band playing at a consistently high level, on the Japan tour Zeppelin brought it to a whole new level, playing some of the most exceptional and highly regarded shows of their entire career.
After a week of completely winning over Japanese audiences, the band took a well-deserved six week break. Next came a 16-date winter 1971 UK tour which began on November 11 in Newcastle – just three days after the US release of the fourth studio album and a day before it shipped in the UK. For the tour, the band would play many smaller, intimate and unique venues across their homeland.
But for now, it’s time to head back to the world-famous Budokan in Tokyo…
Thursday September 23, 1971 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Setlist (from eight different audience source recordings):
Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, That’s the Way, Going to California, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Boogie Chillun’, Hello Mary Lou, Mess O’ Blues, ?, Tobacco Road, Good Times Bad Times, For What It’s Worth Instrumental, How Many More Times, You Shook Me, Gee, Baby Ain’t I Good to You, Kindhearted Woman Blues), Communication Breakdown
The band performed their first ever gig in Japan and it’s simply incredible. The intensity and ferocity of the performance is not lost on the wildly enthusiastic Tokyo audience.
The new songs from the upcoming fourth album (Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, and Going to California) aren’t the only surprises for the Budokan audience; they were also treated to the concert debut performance of Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, albeit in a truncated version as the intro to That’s the Way.
But the real unquestioned highlight of the show is a downright historic version of the Whole Lotta Love Medley – tracking in at a longest-ever 36 minutes. The band held absolutely nothing back during the medley with extended versions of Tobacco Road, Good Time Bad Times, How Many More Times, and You Shook Me being the highlights.
Fortunately for fans, the concert had been documented like no other performance in the band’s history – there are eight different audience source recordings of this show available.
Here is a listing of popular bootlegs of this show by audience source:
Source 1 (143 min.): Front Row (Tarantura & Memphis),
The Storm of Fanatics (Mud Dogs),
Live in Japan 1971 (Last Stand Disc),
The Tokyo Tapes (Empress Valley – discs 1 & 2)
Source 2 (128 min.): Tales of Storms (Silver Shadow & Aphrodite Studio)
The Tokyo Tapes (Empress Valley – discs 3 & 4)
Source 3 (149 min.): Reflection from a Dream (TDOLZ)
Source 4 (30 min.): In Concert LP Source (9 CDs) (TDOLZ – disc 9)
Source 5 (152 min.): First Attack of the Rising of the Sun (EVSD – discs 1-3),
Meet the Led Zeppelin (Wendy),
Timeless Rock (Watch Tower)
Source 6 (31 min.): First Attack of the Rising of the Sun (disc 4 only)
Source 7 (150 min.): Led Zeppelin’s Flying Rock Carnival 1971 Complete
Source 8 (126 min.): The Tokyo Tapes (Empress Valley – discs 5 & 6)
Friday September 24, 1971 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
Setlist (from five different audience source recordings):
Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker (incl. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)), Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, That’s the Way, Going to California, Tangerine, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Sing a Simple Song, Just a Little Bit, Boogie Chillun’, Cocaine Blues, Rave On, Your Time is Gonna Come, ?, I’m a Man, The Hunter, Hello Mary Lou, Oh Pretty Woman, How Many More Times), Organ Solo/ Thank You, Communication Breakdown (incl. It’s Your Thing, ?)
While not nearly as acclaimed as their first Tokyo show, the band delivered another outstanding performance on the same level as the previous evening. For this afternoon matinee the band pulled out a few more surprises, including the debut concert performance of Tangerine and a return of Thank You (with Organ solo) to the encore.
Once again, the highlight of the evening is another stellar and unique Whole Lotta Love Medley (this time ‘only’ clocking in at 28 minutes). The band incorporated some rarely played tracks such as Cocaine Blues, Buddy Holly’s ‘Rave On’, and Albert King’s ‘Oh Pretty Woman’ (the one and only time they ever played the track). But the real surprise of the evening was an impromptu, one minute-plus rendition of Your Time is Gonna Come. Plant started singing the song a cappella while the rest of the band started making up an arrangement for it as they went along. The only other time they ever attempted this track was in San Diego during their 1973 tour (a 25 second snippet was played during No Quarter).
While not quite as extensive as the previous evening, there certainly was no shortage of tapers in the audience. There are five separate audience recordings available of this concert.
Here is a listing of popular bootlegs of this show by audience source:
Source 1 (164 min.): Afternoon Daze (Mud Dogs), Pretty Woman (Tarantura)
Source 2 (56 min.): Light & Shade (TDOLZ – disc 1)
Live in Japan 1971 (Last Stand Disc – disc 1)
Hard Rock Night (Wendy – disc 1)
Your Time is Gonna Come (Scorpio – disc 4)
Source 3 (168 min.): Light & Shade (TDOLZ – discs 2 & 3)
Live in Japan 1971 (Last Stand Disc – discs 2 & 3)
Hard Rock Night (Wendy – discs 2 & 3)
Your Time is Gonna Come (Scorpio – discs 1-3)
Balloon Boys’ Rock Carnival in Tokyo (Empress Valley)
Timeless Rock (Watch Tower – bonus disc)
Source 4 (105 min.): Super Stars! LP Source (TDOLZ 9 CD Box – discs 7 & 8)
Source 5 (17 min.): In Concert LP Source (TDOLZ 9 CD Box – disc 9)
Monday September 27, 1971 Prefectural Gymnasium, Hiroshima, Japan
Setlist (from three different audience source recordings):
Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, That’s the Way, Going to California, Tangerine, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Sing a Simple Song, Boogie Chillun’, Nine Times Out of Ten, Be-Bop-a-Lula, ?), Communication Breakdown (incl. ?)
The band performed a charity concert benefit for the victims of the atomic bomb. They presented the mayor of Hiroshima with a check for 7,000,000 yen – their earnings from the show – and in return received a peace medal.
Once again, the band were very well received by the appreciative audience and delivered another typically stellar performance. The Whole Lotta Love medley was the shortest of the tour so far (18 minutes), but the band continued to incorporate rarities into the feature. They performed Cliff Richard and The Shadow’s ‘Nine Times Out of Ten’ (the only known performance of this track) and Gene Vincent’s ‘Be-Bop-a-Lula’ (performed only once before – in Helsinki on February 23, 1970).
There are three separate audience recordings of the Hiroshima concert.
Here is a listing of popular bootlegs of this show by audience source:
Source 1 (126 min.): Live in Japan 1971 (LSD) and Peace (Tarantura)
Source 2 (111 min.): Peace of Mind (Mud Dogs)
Source 3 (44 min.): Love & Peace in Hiroshima (Bumble Bee – first 100 copies included two bonus CDRs sourced from the old vinyl LP Led Zeppelin 71-72 by Digger Records)
Other bootleg titles of this show (Live Peace in Hiroshima 1971 (Wendy), Zingi (Tarantura 2000), Message of Love (Lemon Song), and Love & Peace in Hiroshima (Bumble Bee)) are a combination of sources 1 & 2 to complete the show.
Tuesday September 28, 1971, Koseinenkin Kaikan (Festival Hall), Osaka, Japan
Setlist (from 146 & 15 minute audience recordings):
Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused (incl. Third Stone from the Sun), Stairway to Heaven, Please Please Me, From Me to You, Celebration Day, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, That’s the Way, Going to California, We Shall Overcome, Tangerine, Down by the Riverside, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Boogie Chillun’, D in Love, Bachelor Boy, Down the Road a Piece, Maybellene, Hello Mary Lou), C’mon Everybody, Hi-Heel Sneakers, Communication Breakdown (incl. Cat’s Squirrel, ?, Watch Your Step)
The next stop on the Japan tour was in Osaka where the band played two of the most historic concerts of their entire career. They continued to pull out all stops, performing many rarities and expanding their rock medleys into new directions.
The Osaka audience didn’t have to wait until the Whole Lotta Love medley to hear the band perform a variety of rock rarities. During Dazed and Confused, Jimmy played some licks from Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Third Stone from the Sun’. Prior to Celebration Day, they performed a 45 second run-through of The Beatles Please Please Me and From Me to You. During the acoustic set they played the traditional songs We Shall Overcome and Down by the Riverside (the only time they had ever performed either of these tracks in concert).
For the fourth concert in Japan, Zeppelin would once again unveil a variety of rock classics in their Whole Lotta Love medley. As they had done the night before, they reached into the Cliff Richard and The Shadows catalogue and pulled out two songs they would play for the first and last time in concert: D in Love and Bachelor Boy. Next, they would channel their inner Chuck Berry and perform Down the Road a Piece and Maybellene (once again, the one and only time these songs were ever played in concert).
The band returned for encores and jammed to complete versions of C’Mon Everybody by Eddie Cochran and Hi-Heel Sneakers by Tommy Tucker (the only other time the later had been performed was at the Yale Bowl on August 15, 1970 as a 30 second snippet during the Whole Lotta Love medley). For the encores, Plant introduced Atlantic record executive Phil Carson on bass and roadie Clive Coulson on vocals.
In his Zeppelin bio, Stairway to Heaven, tour manager Richard Cole shed some light on the encores. According to Cole, “about four minutes into the song, he (Carson) suddenly realized that his bass was the only instrument he was hearing. He quickly looked around – and he was alone on the stage. As a prank, the band had snuck off in the middle of the song, leaving Phil to fend for himself. He made a valiant attempt at a bass solo, but he gave up once it was clear that the guys weren’t going to rescue him. Phil put down his instrument and ran off the stage, too, as the band rollicked in laughter.” Cole mentioned that while it was hilarious, the incident was also troubling because they “allowed a practical joke to take precedence over the music,” which was very out of character for a band who took their music very seriously.
Communication Breakdown was the finally encore and it included Cream’s ‘Cat’s Squirrel’, as well as a two minute version of Bobby Parker’s ‘Watch Your Step’ (the only other time the song had ever been played was a short snippet during the Whole Lotta Love medley at the Inglewood Forum on August 22, 1971). It was Parker’s ‘Watch Your Step’ that had allegedly influenced Jimmy Page’s guitar riff in Moby Dick.
There are two separate audience recordings of this concert:
Source 1 (146 min. – through Whole Lotta Love)
Source 2 (15 min. – encore after Whole Lotta Love)
Most of the bootlegs are a combination of these two sources to complete the show (except Live in Japan 1971 – Last Stand Disc, which is entirely from source 1, thus excluding the encores).
Here are some of the other bootleg titles featuring this concert:
The Bachelor Boys’ First Stand in Osaka (Empress Valley),
Please Please Me (Tarantura & Wendy), Osaka Woman (Cobla CDR), and
Come On Everbody (Mud Dogs)
Wednesday September 29, 1971, Koseinenkin Kaikan (Festival Hall), Osaka, Japan
Setlist (from 175, 178 & 93 minute recordings):
Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker (incl. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)), Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused (incl. ?, Pennies from Heaven), Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, That’s the Way, Going to California, Tangerine, Friends, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. ?, Boogie Chillun’, I Gotta Know, Twist and Shout, Fortune Teller, Good Times Bad Times, You Shook Me), Communication Breakdown (incl. Just a Little Bit), Organ Solo, Thank You, Rock and Roll
The fifth and final show of the Japan tour is renowned as being one of the band’s all-time great shows. The performance is incredible, and the band continued to surprise the audience throughout the evening with rarely, if ever, played gems. Fortunately, the concert had been captured for posterity on an excellent sounding, but imbalanced recording. It is often referred to as a soundboard recording due to its outstanding on-stage feel and stereo separation, but that is still being debated. Regardless, it is a recording that is on the top shelf of every Led Zeppelin aficionado’s CD racks, ready for repeated listening pleasure.
There are quite a few surprises during the performance, but one of the key highlights of the evening has to be the one and only known performance of Friends during the acoustic set. After this rarity, Plant sings a few bars of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes; earlier in the show, Page dropped Pennies from Heaven into Dazed and Confused. Both of these tracks were ‘one and only’ performances, adding to the special atmosphere of the evening.
Once again, the Whole Lotta Love medley, tracking in at 31 minutes, was where the band shined and took the opportunity to play some rock ‘n’ roll classics. Elvis Presley’s ‘I Gotta Know’ segued into The Beatles’ ‘Twist and Shout’, followed by a three minute version of Benny Spellman’s ‘Fortune Teller’ (all three tracks were again ‘one and only’ performances, sans a 40 second snippet of Fortune Teller played in Oakland on September 2, 1970 concert). As they had done during the first show in Tokyo, the band also played both Good Times Bad Times and You Shook Me during the medley.
The last song of the three hour show was Rock and Roll, another preview from their upcoming album and the first time they played the track on the Japan tour.
There are three separate recordings of this legendary concert:
Source 1 (175 min. aka soundboard source): Most bootlegs use this recording as the primary source. Some of the more popular titles from source 1 include: The Complete Geisha Tape (Tarantura & Memphis), Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Mad Dogs), A Cellarful of Noise (Noise Generator), Live in Japan 1971 (Rock Solid & Last Stand Disc), and Live in Osaka (Night Hawk).
Source 2 (178 min. aud. source): 929 (H-Bomb) & 9291971 (Tarantura 2000 –first three discs).
Source 3 (93 min. aud. source): Nine Two Nine (TDOLZ)
Most of the other bootleg titles are multi-sources mixes of the show with the first source usually being the primary source; they include Fatally Wanderer (Wendy), Live in Japan 1971 (Empress Valley), and You Were There in Spirits (Empress Valley). Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Scorpio) used the third recording as the primary source, but filled gaps with the second source.
It’s widely rumored that Jimmy Page has complete multi-tracks of this show in his archive. Allegedly, there were plans to follow the How The West Was Won set in 2003 with a similar archive release to be titled How The East Was Won.
The best way to describe Led Zeppelin’s first trek to Japan could be a twist on the Latin phrase attributed to Julius Caesar – “Veni, Vidi, Vici” – they came, they saw, they conquered. For many Led Zeppelin fans, the 1971 Japan Tour remains the apex of their entire concert history. The Zeppelin machine was truly firing on all cylinders, and their ability to continually take risks and incorporate new songs into the shows each night – sometimes on the spot – demonstrated a band with complete and total confidence. Mission accomplished!
Mike Tremaglio
First published in TBL issue 31 – 2011
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Jimi Hendrix remembered – 55 years gone…
I can remember exactly where I was when the news of Jimi Hendrix death came through on September 18, 197 70– 55 years ago this week. I was listening to the Tommy Vance Friday What’s New programme as I did most Fridays back then eager to hear the latest single releases. Around 5pm the announcement was made on the BBC Radio One news and Tommy went on to provide a fitting tribute to the guitar legend noting the inconsistencies of his performances over the past year.
Across the water the next day Led Zeppelin were performing two shows at Madison Square Garden and Robert Plant paid his respects in the evening show.
”Before we go any further …yesterday a rather uncomfortable thing happened for everybody and a great loss for the music world…and we’d like to think that you as well as us are very sorry that Jimi Hendrix went. I spoke to a close friend of his about half an hour ago and he said probably he would have preferred everybody to get on and have a good time rather than talk about it. So we’d like to get on and try and make everybody happy”.
I’m just listening to that extract of that speech on the bootleg of the evening show I have titled Shout That Loud. They go on to do an absolute steller version of That’s The Way with Plant’s vocals sounding absolutely incredible. ‘’I wonder how we’re gonna tell you’’ he sings slightly changing the lyrics. Behind him Jimmy strums away sweetly and JPJ adds mandolin totally complimenting the mood. That’s The Way performed by Led Zeppelin one day after the death of Jimi Hendrix is an awesome performance. They were on fire during that sixth US tour – you can read Mike Tremaglio’s tour log of that exciting summer of ‘70 period in the forthcoming TBL.
I also know exactly where I was on the sixth anniversary of Jimi Hendrix death in 1976. That was the day we were pitched up in Hyde Park ready to watch the free concert featuring Queen. One of the flags in the crowd that day proclaimed ‘’Jimi Hendrix Died 18 Sept 1970”. The pic here of the flag was taken by my very good friend Dec.
I had a real Hendrix fascination around 1972-3 and brought a fair few of his albums. I went to see the Joe Boyd documentary film in London and loved the soundtrack. Have to say haven’t really played much Hendrix for a good while but Ill be picking out a few choice Jimi faves, including the excellent Hendrix In The West live album in tribute to this 54th anniversary of his passing
Marc Bolan remembered – 48 years gone…
Tuesday September 16 marked the 48h anniversary of the passing of Marc Bolan. Another of my all time heroes and one of the naturally great looking rock stars. Every Marc/T.Rex single of the early 70s was an event and they still sound so fresh. Here’s a pic of Marc with Robert Plant circa 1976. I think this was taken backstage at the Cardiff Rock Festival.
Marc Bolan was the epitome of the word STAR – when I was a great coat wearing Zep head age 15, amongst all the teenyboppers Marc Bolan and T. Rex were still cool. His album Electric Warrior is amongst my all time favourites and his singles such as Telegram Sam, Metal Guru, Children Of The Revolution, 20th Century Boy etc always inspire great 1970s memories. He was a wizard and a true star and his light shines ever brightly…
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DL Diary Blog Update:
Thursday September 11:
In the TBL office yesterday also known as The Spice Of Life with Dec Hickey – there have been acquisitions to mark Jose Feliciano’s 80th Birthday – on Dec’s recommendation that it’s his best album I went for a very nice US pressing of Jose’s Souled album from the excellent Sound Of The Universe record shop – top stuff!
Friday September 12:
Saturday September 13:
September 13:
Yet more Led Zeppelin 50 anniversary reissue frenzy! Just arrived – the 50th anniversary deluxe edition of Physical Graffiti with replica poster plus Earls Court 1975 replica programme – gotta love it! All these years later what a great time it still is to be a Led Zeppelin fan…
Monday September 15:
Derailed here somewhat here by the onset of a full on cold. In between the coughing and spluttering, I have finally waded through the magnificent Making of Five Leaves Left by Nick Drake 4 LP box set. It more than lives up to it’s billing as documentary in words and music.
It really does take you on a journey of Nick’s initial progress from the tape recorded at his Cambridge university halls in early 1969 and on through the various recording sessions that led to his debut album which was released in July 1969. It’s incredible to think these recordings were made some 56 years ago.
The fragility of his vocals and delicate guitar playing are constantly captivating across the various takes. The whole concept greatly adds to the appreciation of the original finished album produced by Joe Boyd which is included in the the box set in the superior 2000 remaster by the album’s original engineer John Wood.
The accompanying 60 page book with detailed text from Cally Callomon and Neil Ian Storey is also superb. There’s a quote in the book from Island Records founder Chris Blackwell who states:
”With some, the time wasn’t right whatever we did. But Joe Boyd was convinced it was the world that was out of step with Nick – not the other way round”
All these years on, artifacts such as The Making On Five Leaves Left prove that the world is now very much in step with Nick Drake now.
This one will be a constant companion in the months ahead along with the rest of his timeless catalogue. The music of Nick Drake remains the perfect autumnal tonic…
Monday September 15:
The excellent new issue of Classic Rock is in the house…
Alongside an extensive celebration of Motorhead, there’s a great interview with Robert Plant plus a review of the 50th anniversary Physical Graffiti release and the Live EP…
September 16:
The new issue of Uncut is in the house – great review of the Robert Plant Saving Grace album and interview. His choices today of The Small faces and Terry Reid on Vernon Kay’s Tracks Of My Years certainly brightened up the Radio 2 airwaves this morning…
September 16:
The Who Live at The Oval 2 LP -coloured vinyl edition.
This is another recent release I’ve been looking forward to soaking up.
On September 18, 1971 The Who headlined Goodbye Summer: A Rock Concert in aid of Famine Relief for the People of Bangladesh at The Oval cricket ground in Kennington, south London.
This was a celebrated and much talked about concert at the time and I dearly wanted to attend. However being a mere 15 years old at the time my only income was 75p from my newspaper round. However, my entry into the grown up world of rock concerts would come in a couple of months time when I attended the Led Zeppelin Electric Magic concert at the Empire Pool Wembley.
I of course read the subsequent reviews of The Who at the Oval in Melody Maker and the NME. I also noted the photos of the gig captured Roger Daltrey wearing a pair of clogs – a fashioned made popular at the time in the Budgie TV series starring Adam Faith.
Newly mixed from the original 8-track analog multi-track tapes, this two LP release is much welcomed.
It’s fascinating snapshot of The Who in 1971 as they basked in the acclaim of their then recent Who’s Next album. This is an era when the phrase ”Here’s one from our new album”’ did not inspire a mass exodus to the bar. There are no less than five selections from Who’s Next namely Love Aint For Keeping, My Wife, Bargain, Behind Blue Eyes and Won’t Get Fooled Again. It would seem Baba O Reilly had not made it into the set yet.
There’s a real edge to the playing with Keith Moon at his dynamic best, Pete Townshend lucid and animated, Roger Daltrey in all his front man glory and John Entwistle supplying those incredible bass runs. At times it borders on near chaos and there’s some lengthy jamming on the likes of Baby Don’t You Do It and Magic Bus. They would become a more slicker live unit over the next five years.
Whilst not as focused a live album as the classic Live at Leeds set, there’s much to enjoy here. The accompanying booklet has some great photos and detailed notes from Andy Neill that add clear perspective to the reasoning behind the show and The Who’s performance on the day.
Update here:
I’ve been trying to shake off a rather bad cold all week which has slowed things down here somewhat. It has given me a bit of down time to catch on some recent releases as noted above.
It’s been great read and hear the various new Robert Plant interviews that have appeared. The Saving Grace album has been given a unanimous thumbs up in the press reviews I’ve seen and I am well excited to get my hands on a copy at the end of next week…
Thanks for listening
Until next time…
Dave Lewis – September 17 2025
TBL website updates written and compiled by Dave Lewis
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