DL back at Earls Court 30 years to the day -May 18th 2005. For non badgeholders only.

After last week’s flurry of Zep related activity it’s been down to work with a ton of planning to do for this year’s TBL schedule.  Not that the news input has slowed too much with Jimmy’s appearance at the Show of Peace press conference bringing official word that he will be one of the main attractions  at the event on April 17th – and the presenting of his United Nations  Pathways To Peace award. 

It’s been good to have musical accompaniment these past few days from a much loved era. The new soundboard CD’s from Led Zeppelin’s appearance at Baton Rouge on February 28th 1975 dropped on the doormat and have been on heavy rotation since and have provided much inspiration as I gazed out at the gloomy sleet and rain. Let’s face it, sometimes January can feel like a 31 day hangover.

I used to have this Baton Rouge performance on the Tarantura title Freeze.

This is the show described in the new TBL magazine by Larry Bergman as one of Bonzo’s finest. The clarity of this soundboard backs that claim. He really is awesome. Robert’s voice is slightly under par early on but he makes up for it with some spieling bravado. Instrumentally this has to be up there as one of the best 1975 nights. It was one of the first shows they performed after the release of Physical Graffiti which came out a few days before (‘’The egg has been laid’’ as Robert put it on the night) –this makes for scintillating versions of In My Time Of Dying Trampled Underfoot and Kashmir. There’s also a 33 minute killer Dazed with a Woodstock insert previewing the similar delights that would be heard in the SW5 part of London in May. As I’ve noted before, it wasn’t just a case of them being the best band in the world at that time –it was how far whoever was at number two lagged behind.    

Ah yes 1975… now there was a year.

Can it really be 35 year ago that Robert hinted of things to come when asked by Bob Harris when and where they’d be playing in the good old UK in that Whistle test interview conducted backstage in Brussels?

 ‘’If we can find the right place, which I think possibly we can we’ll go to town on it in true Zeppelin style.’  And of course they did exactly that and amongst other milestones this year, the 35th anniversary of those Earls Court shows is ripe for celebration.

The good news is our friends Boot Led Zeppelin will be doing just that at a special gig on Saturday March 27th at the London Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

On the night Raff and co will be performing a special 35th anniversary Zep Earls Court set. More details at www.boot-led-zeppelin.co.uk

That early part of 1975 was a great period to be a Zep fan with the music press reporting the riot inducing demand for tickets for their US tour and revealing details of the forthcoming double album Physical Graffiti. Nick Kent had previewed the album in a review in the NME just before Christmas. This prompted your TBL editor to memorise every one of the 15 tracks in order to be relayed at will amongst my impressed fellow friends. Trampled Underfoot? Track two side two mate…Boogie With Stu? Easy, track three side four.

Had my specialist subject on the TV quiz show Mastermind been the song titles of Physical Graffiti I’d have scored maximum points.

Talking of which, last week we watched the celebrity editions of Mastermind,  I did Ok on Tony Parsons specialist subject of Punk Rock/New Wave 77-80 but when it came to the general knowledge questions the good lady was way in front. My blurting out of second guess answers began to irritate. ‘’You can’t just yell out anything at will and expect it to be correct’’ said the good lady.  Oh yes I can, as a random guess of Harvard University to one elongated question came up trumps. More luck than judgment.  By the way if I ever did go on that show, I’d be well afraid of mass embarrassment of failure if the questions were on Zep. I’d go for answering on The Rolling Stones 1968 -1978 – much safer ground.        

Other stuff going on. You may have seen the announcement of the planed TBL fan gathering to be held in the London area on September 25th. Make a date for that one – more details to unfold on all this soon. This gathering will act as the launch for the planned Over Europe book.  I am currently commencing initial research on this and as I type this I’m surrounded by a variety of cuttings, photos, magazines, and books relating to that esteemed last tour. There’s a lot of scope with this one and a lot of work to undertake to bring it to fruition.

I’ve quickly realised all this impending workload will be a juggling act with the TBL magazines to produce, a freelance writing job on the table to complete by March plus the newly encountered role of coping with all the admin of subscriptions/orders etc. It’s not dull here for sure. I did manage to update my Facebook page this week with a couple of photos and text. You’ll find me under Tight But Loose – feel free to add me as a friend. I do intend to be more pro- active in updating the Facebook pages ongoing.

Took receipt of the exclusive Classic Album Cover stamps first day covers yesterday and if you were one of the lucky ones to get in for this –they will be on their way shortly. Very impressive they look too. I have a handful left on a first come first served basis so email me at davelewis.tbl1@ntlworld.com if you require one. Don’t delay because when they are gone, they are gone.  

Snow and sleet permitting ace Zep ticket collector Cliff Hilliard and ‘’lil Pagey’’ himself Mark Harrison will be calling in at the weekend. This will prompt the dusting down of my framed Earls Court tickets for Cliff to drool over, including the legendary Block AA Row B seat 8 May 24th ticket and they’ll be a healthy dose of 1975 on the player and DVD.

If either of them test me and ask what track one, side three is of the double album with the catalogue number SSK89400, well I’ll be ready and waiting.

‘’Everybody needs the light….’’ as the singer put it so eloquently.

Especially in January.