Since writing this post on Thursday, sadly our friend Alan Johnston died on Friday morning. Our sincere condolences to Emily and all the family. (DL/Janet)
It’s amazing to think that there was a time back in the day that the only way of hearing Led Zeppelin’s music was via the ten original albums – ie the eight original studio albums, The Song Remains The Same soundtrack and the posthumous collection Coda.
There were no greatest hits albums, no Early Days & Latter Days, no BBC sessions, no 1972 live album, Song Remains …

And so we come to the end of 2011. Another eventful 12 months of TBL activity laced with a measure ups and downs. Here are some overall reflections on the year about to go by.
As for the three ex members of Led Zeppelin, it’s been a fairly productive period albeit in differing ways.
Robert Plant consolidated on the success of 2010 with further touring periods in the US and then in Europe during the summer. The accolades received at the American Music awards were due acknowledgement for the effort that has gone …

39 years ago today I was lucky enough to be in attendance at the closest gig Led Zeppelin ever played to Christmas in the UK. Saturday December 23rd 1972 was a cold dank day and the walk up Muswell Hill to the Alexandra Palace was a bit of a trek. All worth it of course as this very impressionable 16 year old was again in the company of musical giants.
The venue itself had not been used for a gig for years and was a little cold and impersonal – the …

In the wake of the recent 02 fourth anniversary, five days later on December 15th my thoughts turned to the events of 30 years ago – for it was on that night in 1981 that the three ex members of Led Zeppelin were seen together in public for the first time since they announced they could not continue as they were a year earlier.
Back in the early months of that year, Lynn Sizemore who was PR to the Golden Lion Roadies Charity For Children Association, the charity formed from the …

Glenn Hughes Leicester Square Theatre –  November 14 2011 -photo by Peter Chow
Tuesday’s Evening with Glenn Hughes offered up the opportunity to see the BCC frontman in a soul baring acoustic setting. The run of acoustic UK gigs Glenn is undertaking this week are acting as book launches for Glenn’s similarly  soul baring (could it be anything else) autobiography. In the confines of the warm and cosy Leicester Square Theatre, Glenn performed two sets that encompassed songs from all parts of his career. He supplemented this by reading out extracts from the …

The Song Still Remains At 35 Part 2: After the excitement of The Song Remains The Same soundtrack double album release, 35 years ago this week saw the premiere of the accompanying movie. This occurred at the Warner West End cinema in London’s Leicester Square although such was the demand the film was also screened at the nearby Shaftesbury Avenue ABC theatre.
We got tickets by queuing overnight in early October. Sleep was at a minimum that night as the disco next to the Warner West End cinema blasted out a …

On the afternoon of Thursday October 21 1976, I anxiously tore open the box marked Warner/ Elektra/ Atlantic Records at the WH Smith record shop where I worked to reveal for the first time the gatefold sleeve of, as the label spine gloriously put it ‘’The Soundtrack To The Film The Song Remains The Same‘’. Yes the only official live album released during the band’s life time is 35 years old.
I have much affection for that original double live album – it captures a certain era of innocence when we …

In this age of You Tube where countless clips of Led Zeppelin can be accessed at the click of the mouse, it’s incredible to think that there was a time when there was no readily available visual evidence of the band whatsoever. That was the situation that prevailed prior to October 5th 1976 – all of 35 years ago.Back in 1976 there was no circulating cine film of Led Zeppelin and in the pre video recorder age, no way of accessing the little surviving clips that existed –namely their Beat …

20 years ago this week, I was on a whirlwind tour of UK radio stations promoting mye then just published Led Zeppelin A Celebration book. Publishers Omnibus Press arranged for me to be driven by their PR company rep to visit a host of UK radio stations in a four day span. It included stop-offs in Sheffield, Manchester, Shrewsbury, Bristol, Coventry, Northampton and
finally Nottingham. I also conducted a couple of interviews on something that was called a mobile phone. Oh yes from the comfort of the passenger seat I could …

Stage diving not advised for those in their mid 50’s…
Fifty flippin’ five….
I was 15 years old when I first saw Led Zeppelin live…18 when I saw them play five nights at Earls Court… 23 when I was over Europe …28 when I wrote my first Zep book The Final Acclaim (it wasn’t of course!)…39 when Page & Plant did the Unledded tour…51 when they reunited at the 02…
Is there a pattern developing here? Yes key Zep landmarks have marked much of these nigh on 55 years alongside of course my …