There’s a host of great TBL reading coming your way for the summer. I’ve just been looking over the final proofs of the new issue of the  new Tight But Loose magazine – and I have to say this is simply one of the best issues ever – with a varied mix news, views and features, all guaranteed to take you closer to the world of Led Zeppelin. I really do want to shout about this one from the rooftops because it really deserves to be seen and read… and …

JPJ photo Richard Grubb for TBL.
All roads lead to Cambridge this weekend for the John Paul Jones Composer Portrait Concert – part of the Sunday Coffee Concerts commencing at 12 noon at the Kettle Yard Gallery. It will feature the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance Contemporary Music Group and John in conversation with Stephen Montague discussing new music, technology and composition.  This is a rare opportunity to see John in such a setting. Myself and the TBL crew aim to be there and as ever we look forward …

Tuesday heralds the start of another new phase in the career of Robert Plant when he presents The Sensational Space Shifters at The Guildhall in Gloucester ahead of appearances at London’s HMV Forum and the Womad Festival in July.
This new line up combines the basis of The Strange Sensation plus drummer Dave Smith and virtuoso West African musician Juldeh Camara who has worked with Robert before – they will be joined by Patty Griffin from the Band Of Joy .  The tickets for this debut appearance have as we know, been in massive demand. …

Busy here on the forthcoming TBL magazine –as the layout comes to life via design master Mick Lowe, it’s becoming evident that there’s some really great stuff to soak up.
Mike Tremaglio’s chronicle of the Australian and New Zealand tour offers a captivating clear overview of the thunder down under of 40 years ago, the latest TBL Investigates, which has myself and Mike T unfolding the evidence of where and when Led Zeppelin staged their first band rehearsal, is an epic nine page spread and looking at it I’d say this …

The fifth annual Record Store Day takes on Saturday – music fans from all over the globe will be converging on record shops to try and snap up the multitude of limited edition releases that are up for grabs. It’s a celebration of music in its physical form and the fact that the record shop is a vital part of our musical past and future.
As a man who was lucky enough to manage a record department and then a shop here in Bedford for nigh on 30 years, this showing of …

It was sad to hear the news yesterday that the founder of the iconic Marshall amplifier, Jim Marshall had died at the age of 88. There is something if a local connection here as the Marshall HQ is a few miles down the road at Bletchley in Milton Keynes.
Our good TBL friend and associate Michaela Firth who lives nearby, was at the factory yesterday to pay her respects –Michaela commented on Facebook:
”Very sad to hear about the passing of Jim Marshall, a bit of a local legend where I live. …

It may not be quite like the old days of handing cash over the counter, but I have to say there was something quite exciting about ordering the Jimmy Page Lucifer Rising And Other Soundtracks LP online this week. The prospect of being in possession of a new Jimmy Page album, albeit one that revisits a previously unfinished picture is a mouth watering one.  Lucifer Rising has long since been a mysterious lost project in the Jimmy Page catalogue – the fact that it has been restored and revitalised by …

Last weekend BBC4 ran a series of jazz documentaries and there was some class footage to be seen –notably a brilliant documentary on the famous Ronnie Scott’s club, a compilation of Frank Sinatra live and rare film of Sonny Rollins.
Watching all this reminded me of how the improvisational qualities of jazz often seeped into Led Zeppelin’s performances. John Paul Jones was often the main instigator (he once told me his favourite album of all time is Miles Davis Sketches Of Spain) and John Bonham was also hugely influenced early in his …

Jimmy Page on stage at the Royal Albert Hall ten years ago today -photo by Freda Hyatt
The snow arrived at the weekend and coupled with some intense listening to the Zep BBC sessions  –it revived memories for me of this period in  February 1979.
Back in the early weeks of that year, I vividly remember trudging through the snow carrying a box of freshly photocopied TBL issue number one from town.
The first ads for the Tight But Loose magazine had appeared in Autumn 1978 off the back of the four part feature in Sounds that I …

40 years ago this month Led Zeppelin were about to undertake a six date tour of Australia and New Zealand – riding off the back of the late 71 Japan and UK dates, they just kept on getting better. There’s plenty of remaining evidence of this amongst the various CD titles that capture those shows. There’s also a fair bit of cine film footage notably the composite sequence that accompanies Immigrant Song on the official DVD.
In amongst wading through every Zep studio album (I’m up to Zep IV so far) …