Five Glorious Nights – Led Zeppelin at Earls Court May 1975 – Revisesd & Expanded Edition

Forthcoming publication from Rufus Publishing

What this book is all about…

As this new edition is nearing the printing stage, I thought it would be a timely moment to explain what the book is all about – and put it all into context.

Firstly the backstory…

In 2014, Mark Smith the publisher of high value deluxe photo books via Rufas Stone Publishing, came to me with an idea for a Led Zeppelin photo book – it was established that this could be showcase for images of their five concerts at Earls Court in May 1975.

Being a long time devotee of this period and having written extensively about the subject of Led Zeppelin at Earls Court, I was more than happy to get fully on board with this project.

Mark collated a number of images from various photographers, notably the archives of Dick Barnatt, Ian Dickson, Barry Plummer and Michael Putland. I got in touch with a few other photographers I knew who had Earls Court material and very quickly we had amassed over 300 images. We had a title too paraphrasing something Robert Plant said on stage at Earls Court to the effect that these were Five Glorious Nights.

In early 2015, the brilliant TBL designer Mick Lowe began to piece together the layout under my ever watchful eye. The pair of us worked non stop on it for the next four months eventually emerging with a 288 page volume. I wrote and collated all the text and I asked the  renowned rock photographer Ross Halfin to act as the photo editorial consultant and his experience added greatly to the photo selection.

By the end of April  2015 we had a finished book layout and the book to be titled Five Glorious Nights –Led Zeppelin at Earls Curt May 1975 was ready to go. It was published in early June just as the 40th anniversary of these famous shows was being celebrated. The standard version was a limited edition of 1,000 copies at £130 each.

Here’s the challenge…

First of all, it’s worth mentioning that the title I came up with  Five Glorious Nights – was a clear indication that rather than just slap various photos on to the pages, the objective was to represent each night and unfold the whole saga of each concert.

I was of course well aware that there had been a fair few photo books of Led Zeppelin – and there’s been some significant ones since 2015, not least Jimmy’s Anthology book and their own Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin volume published in 2018.

In laying out the photos for design and to get the feel of the five glorious nights, I separated the photos into five sections each representing the individual concerts performed. Where possible, I then sequenced the photos in to something of a set list order for each night and supplemented them with some of Robert Plant’s comments from the stage at the time –  along with a series of press comments that demonstrated the esteem in which these concerts were held in by reviewers at the time.

This was a key strategy and something I had remembered from the photo book that accompanied George Harrison’s Concert For Bangla Desh triple album in 1972 –whereby relevant photos were matched to the entire set list.

So what emerges within the layout  is a visual representation of the key moments of each performance – early group shots of the opening numbers, In My Time of Dying with Jimmy using his Dan Electro guitar, The Song Remains The Same/Rain Song sequence with Jimmy on the Gibson double neck guitar, the swirling lighting backdrop to Kashmir, the four part harmony of Tangerine, the acoustic set, the revolving lights of Trampled Underfoot, John Bonham in full percussive flight on Moby Dick, Jimmy in full on violin bow mode in the laser lights during Dazed And Confused, Jimmy back on  the double neck and Robert brandishing the tambourine during Stairway To Heaven, Jimmy caught in theremin action during the Whole Lotta Love encore and Jimmy and Robert clustered together on the shared chorus of the same track, the close of concert and coming off the stage scenes including Bonzo stating that ‘’I think Football is a load of bollocks on the May 24 show.

Through these stunning images placed in set list order, every reader can travel on the journey of their three and a half hour powerhouse performances. Even more so with the appropriate Zep at Earls Court bootleg.

Working on this revised and expanded edition, I applied the same set list sequence formula.

So this is no mere photo book – it’s an accurate visual portrayal of the Led Zeppelin experience across those five memorable performances  – to be enjoyed time and time again.

Back to the story – In July 2015, I met with  Jimmy Page at Olympic Studios to interview him for  the then forthcoming Led Zeppelin reissues. I took the opportunity to personally hand him a copy of the book. He was very impressed.

The reaction to the book was excellent and that first edition subsequently sold out within a few months.

For the past couple of years, Mark Smith and I have talked about updating the book in some way. This all took too an upward turn earlier this year when Mark informed me he had acquired a further round of Led Zeppelin at Earls Court photos notably by Jill Fumanovsky and Adrian Boot. It was Adrian’s photos that were the real clincher. For these were all taken at the May 23 show.

For the first edition, we had very few photos from that particular concert –this was the night Robert Plant wore the wraparound cherry adorned top he favoured on the US tour that spanned January to March. This was the only show of the Earls Court run that he wore that garment –the four other nights he had the Miss Selfridges cut off top.

So this was a real opportunity to present a much more accurate portrayal of the five shows. As I had mentioned in the Preface of the first addition, I had taken a measure of artistic license in presenting the May 23 section first time out –purely as at that time we had no source for photos from that night. The late great photographer Terry O Neil did cover that night extensively but those could not be cleared for the Rufus book at the time.  incidentally, I did go on to work with Terry and his Earls Court photos when I compiled the Led Zeppelin Live 1975 -1977 book for ACC Editions /Iconic Images in 2018.

Thanks to Adrian’s photos, we now had all angles covered. I put it to Mark that we should re-lay in these new photos in and possibly extend the page count. Mark was in total agreement  and the plan was to add 32 pages to the book to make it a total page count of 320.

I also proposed that I update all the text where required and set about that task in early May.

Then came the major task of re sequencing the photos to accommodate the new photos and the 32 extra pages.

The first plan was to re- sequence the May 23 section and add the Adrian Boot photos in. I was mindful throughout the whole process to keep the photos sequenced in tandem with the set list and in a chronological order –as I had with the first edition.

For this revised layout, I worked with the Rufas in house designers, initially with Karl Burbage and recently more extensively with Jamie Wallis.

Once the May 23 section was in and signed off, I worked on revising all the other nights. I was now in full on mode for this project and spent a lot of hours working all this out and coming up with a cohesive volume that really tells the story of Led Zeppelin at Earls Court through the stunning images of those talented photographers who were right there in front of the action.

So what can you expect for your money with this new expanded and revised edition?

Firstly, it’s worth noting that those who have purchased the first edition may feel they already have this subject covered and do not need a second version – and that of course is fine.

Given the limited run of the first book and its initial high end price tag, there are many fans out there who missed out. This was something I was well aware of and to that end, I suggested to Mark that we come in at a price that would be more affordable for the average fan.

So this time there is a standard edition for a very reasonable £69 – providing the opportunity for fans to invest in a high quality book at a price that offers real value.

Then there is a high end leather bound version with repro Earls Court poster at £495  in a strictly limited edition run.

Even for purchasers of the first edition, there is a lot on offer in this revised version that would in my view, make it a very worthwhile package.

As for anyone who did not indulge first time around – well, I’d say this is an essential addition to the ever bulging Zep book case.

Whenever I approach any Zep book project, I always come in from the angle of what I, as a fan would want to read.

Given the subject matter being so close to my heart, I do feel under an amount of pressure to bring the best possible representation of these milestone concerts. This one has been a real challenge but I am pleased to say I am very happy with the end result.

Here’s some statistics:

Book size: This reprint is physically smaller than the original in the standard version and is 230mm square.

There are around 30 photos have been re positioned from the first edition.

Photo count: 200 black and white photos and 80 colour shots making a grand total of 280 Earls Court images

The May 23 section has 30 Adrian Boot photos that are new to this revised edition – in all there are 40 photos that are additions from the first book

A bulk of the overall photos used in the book are rarely seen shots.

Add to that another 150 colour memorabilia and LP and CD images

So here goes – this is a chapter by chapter guide to the contents of the book:

Foreword by Nicky Horne: The veteran DJ best known for his pioneering Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It ion Capital Radio recalls introducing the band on stage at Earls Court on the night of May 24 1975

Notes on the compiling of the book: An overview of how the book has been compiled

Introduction: My introduction to the book

Preface: A 3,500 word  overview of why I think Earls Court was the greatest run of concerts Led Zeppelin ever played

Saturday May 17, 1975: Set list and gig summary followed by a spread of photos across 54 pages

Sunday May 18, 1975: Set list and gig summary followed by a spread of photos across 54 pages

Friday May 23, 1975: Set list and gig summary followed by a spread of photos across 54 pages

Saturday May 24, 1975: Set list and gig summary followed by a spread of photos across 56 pages

Sunday May 25, 1975: Set list and gig summary followed by a spread of photos across 56 pages

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court: The Interviews – Mel Bush: An interview I conducted in 2001  with the promoter of the Earls Court gigs

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court: The Interviews – Barry Plummer: An interview I conducted in 2001 with Barry Plummer who was there capturing many of the images that feature in the book

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court The Interviews – Chris Welch: An interview I conducted with the much respected veteran journalist Chris Welch in 2001 –Chris wrote extensively about Led Zeppelin in his days on the Melody Maker and was at the opening night of the Earls Court concerts.

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court Facts & Info: A page of detailed background information about the Earls Court gigs

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court: The Aftermath: An extensive overview of what happened next after the Earls Court gigs to the band and the subsequent solo careers bringing the story right up to date as at September 2022

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court: Tickets:  A colour spread of 20 tickets from the Earls Court shows

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court: Selected Magazine Covers:  A colour spread of  16 Led Zeppelin at Earls Court related magazine covers

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court: Selected LP Bootleg Covers: A colour spread of 16 Led Zeppelin at Earls Court bootleg LP covers

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court: Selected CD Bootleg Covers:   A colour spread of 40 Led Zeppelin at Earls Court bootleg LP covers

Led Zeppelin at Earls Court: Selected CD & DVD Covers: A further colour spread of 12 Led Zeppelin at Earls court bootleg CD covers and 10 bootleg DVDs

Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti: The 2015 Reissue: A two page overview of the Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti 2015 that I originally wrote for the TBL magazine in

Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti:  LP/CD Covers & Labels: A colour spread of 20 Physical Graffiti LP and CD covers

Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti: Selected LP Labels/Trampled Underfoot Singles & EP’s: A further colour spread of 20 Physical Graffiti  LP labels and Trampled Underfoot singles and EP covers.

Acknowledgments & Credits:

As can be seen, aside for the extensive photo spreads there is plenty of background reading -10,000 words in all – to aid the enjoyment of the visual splendour of the book.

There is a tendency for photo books to be stored away and left on the shelf after initial viewings. Not so this one.

Five Glorious Nights can be taken from the shelf time and time again to take the reader right back to one of the key periods in Led Zeppelin’s history. My advice is for the reader to select the appropriate Earls Court soundtrack as they lose themselves in the 320 pages of the book.

Summary:

The many photographs presented and taken at some of their most famous performances ever,will take you back there time and time again. As mentioned, this really is much more than a mere book of photos – the intention is to capture the atmosphere of the five Earls Court shows through these startling images – sequenced and presented in a way that unfolds the whole saga of this remarkable series of concerts.

It’s been a real challenge to revisit this book and make a good thing even better and I have put my heart and soul into this project since May. I knew there was huge scope to produce and present something really special for fans all over the globe..

With the Earls Court Exhibition Centre long demolished  – Five Glorious Nights – Led Zeppelin at Earls Court May 1975 offers a permanent visual record of a band at their absolute zenith, in a setting that truly justified their status as the world’s greatest live rock attraction. These really were five glorious nights in May 1975.

I’m very pleased and privileged to have been given this fresh opportunity for fans to relive them through the visual magnificence of this newly revised and expanded deluxe volume which vividly captures the power and glory of Led Zeppelin on stage at Earls Court all of 47 years ago.

You can pre-order the book at this link – Rufus are aiming for a late November publication.

https://www.rufuspublications.com/rufusbooks/Led-Zeppelin/

So get ready to immerse yourself in the Led Zeppelin at Earls Court visual experience…

Dave Lewis – October 13,2022

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Upcoming events:

October/November  – The expanded edition of “Led Zeppelin – Five Glorious Nights” by Dave Lewis will be published along with the new photo book “Led Zeppelin Live Times 1969-1979” by Robert Ellis.
October 19 – The French translation of “Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin” will be published.
October 25 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
October 27 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Cork, Ireland.
October 28 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Galway, Ireland.
October 30 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace at the Sligo Live music festival in Sligo, Ireland.
October 31 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Dublin, Ireland.
November 2 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace at the Wexford Spiegeltent Festival in Wexford, Ireland.
November 5 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Edinburgh, Scotland.
November 6 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Glasgow, Scotland.
November 8 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Aberdeen, Scotland.
November 9 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Perth, Scotland.
December 22 – The paperback edition of “Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin” by C.M Kushins will be published.
Early 2023 – “A Whole Lotta Music: Life To My Ears,” the memoirs of Tight But Loose editor Dave Lewis, will be published.
2023 – The remastered and expanded 30th anniversary edition of “Coverdale–Page” will be released.

Many thanks to James Cook 

The complete Led ZepNews email goes out periodically. To receive it sign up here:http://tinyletter.com/LedZepNews

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TBL Archive:

On the 52nd anniversary of Led Zeppelin III here’s my thoughts on the original album and the 2014 reissue:

Led Zeppelin III: Solid gas then… Solid gold now…

THEN:

Led Zeppelin III was my first experience of the anticipation and waiting that would often be required leading up to the release of a new Zep album.

The waiting began in early 1970 and would last a period of ten months.

This anticipation was played out via the pages of the NME music paper as that was my prime source of Zep info. We had the NME delivered to our house and each week I would devour it religiously to seek out any info out on the band. I also looked in the newsagents to keep up with the other weekly music papers namely Melody Maker, Disc and Music Echo and Record Mirror. If there was a good story in any of those, again I’d snap that up.

As 1970 unfolded there was a fair bit of activity to track with reports of the Royal Albert Hall show, that Goldrush Record Mirror colour cover as they flew out to the US, the early reports of them turning down TV offers and then accepting the opportunity to top the Bath Festival, the subsequent Bath Festival rave reviews and then the news stories building up to the release of the third album.

All of this was against a backdrop of many other events that year that had a huge impression on this particular then 13 year old – on March 21st I attended one of my first ever big league football match watching Chelsea beat Man Utd 2-1, there was the breakup of The Beatles, the World Cup in Mexico which saw England lose to West Germany and the magnificent Brazil side triumph, nearer to home Deep Purple and Chicken Shack topped a one day festival at Bedford Town football club ground – I had to be content with hearing it from my bedroom as back then the 25 shilling asking price was way out of my league.

Then there was the voting in of the Edward Heath’s Conservative government – on that Election day (June 18th) I went to see The Beatles Let It Be film.In the autumn the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin occurred within weeks of each other and the Sounds music paper was launched (I still have the first issues). Just before the release of Zep III, I watched with some awe Ernie Hunt’s donkey kick free kick goal for Coventry v Everton on Match of The day (you tube it – its amazing!).

All of these events added to a very memorable year and acted as a rites of passage to my maturing as a teenager – oh and I also began developing an interest in the female form – the singer Julie Driscoll ( who had a big hit with Wheels On Fire) being an early pin up fave.

Back to the initiation of this third Zep album. It was down to Radio One DJ Alan Freeman to supply the initial thrills – on two Sunday afternoons in late September during his Pick of The Pops top 40 chart run down, he aired previews from Zep III namely Immigrant Song and Out On the Tiles. I taped these on my reel to reel tape recorder, so even before the album was issued in the UK I had some fresh Led Zeppelin music to play… And boy did I love that album – oh did I ever.

Finally in early October came the day when I clapped eyes on the incredible sleeve. I can still quite verbatim from the NME review of the album by Nick Logan which stated in the headline ‘’Zeppelin Solid Gas, Solid Gold.’’

Suffice to say, Led Zeppelin III was top of my playlist for the next six months – along with the subsequent Zep 1 and II acquisitions – eventually they were slightly edged out by my reel to reel recording of the BBC In Concert broadest of April 1971.

There is one other anecdote surrounding the arrival of Led Zep III –I distinctly remember being amongst some friends attending a Luton Town match in the autumn of 1970 – when we were discussing our favourite music outside the ground before the match, I enthusiastically talked up the new Zep album only for an acquaintance amongst us to retort ‘’Led Zeppelin? They’re a bit pathetic aren’t they?’’

Er…no!

I was quite stunned by this as it was the first time I’d had experience of the musical snobbery that surrounded my affection for liking rock music. It was not to be the last as the Slade/T. Rex v Zep wars raged on into 1972 and beyond.

Oh and back in 1970 through 1971 there was another challenge. In November 1970 I saw a review of US singles in Record Mirror that revealed that the B side of the US single of Immigrant Song had a track titled Hey Hey What Can I Do as it’s B side. A non-album B side at that – so began the quest to acquire that particular single. I eventually sourced it from the guy who sold me the Whole Lotta Love single for another £1.25 new pence. It arrived in the spring of 1972, ironically just as Hey Hey What Can I Do was issued as a track on the New Age Of Atlantic compilation.

So the fact is, I have massive affinity for the time that Led Zeppelin III arrived in my life.

Along with Physical Graffiti and Presence, it’s my favourite and most played Zep album. I’ve also enjoyed some very memorable live renditions by the principal players of the songs from Led Zeppelin III – that fist blast in my schoolboy ears of Immigrant Song at the Electric Magic Wembley show in 1971, Celebration Day at Knebworth in ‘79 and Robert Plant with Strange Sensation at Hammersmith Odeon 2002 , Gallows Pole, Friends and That’s The Way at the Page & Plant Unledded filming in 1994, a killer P & P delivery of Since I’ve Been Loving You at Sheffield Arena in 1995, Tangerine (‘’This is for our families and friends..’’) and Bron Yr Aur Stomp at Earls Court.

I also love the live renditions of Zep III numbers (Immigrant Song,Out On the Tiles,Since I’ve Been Loving You, That’s The Way,) to be heard on the Live On Blueberry Hill and Going To California TMQ label bootleg albums.

As for the collecting of Led Zeppelin III, I have a fair few pressings including the UK original plum and orange Polydor pressing , a Spanish pressing with the titles on the back and a recently acquired New Zealand pressing which omits the wheel and just has blank spaces on the sleeve. I also have a bootleg pressing said to be a mono mix put out in Uruguay.

Over the years I’ve written extensively about the album, notably for a feature in TBL issue 10 and a major Record Collector piece that appeared in the Christmas edition of 2010 marking the album’s 40th anniversary.

Put simply, Led Zeppelin III is an integral part of my Zep DNA.

NOW:

So to the newly remastered edition via the super deluxe box set. A very faithful reproduction of the cover and then to the vinyl…as with Zep 1 and 2 the quality is just exceptional – far sprightlier than previous versions.

And it’s the finer detail that really delights : John Paul Jones’ bass runs all through Immigrant Song , the clarity of Robert’s opening vocal on Celebration Day, the crispness of John Bonham’s drumming on Since I’ve Been Living You, the ‘’Keep a coolin’ ‘’ line thrown in at the end of Gallows Pole, the rush of acoustic guitar beauty on the opening of That’s the Way, the maracas on Bbron yr Aur Stomp.. All these unique nuances are heard to greater effect that ever before.

Creatively, well we all know it was a watershed album as they emphatically demonstrated that Led Zeppelin was not going to be just about plugging into Marshall and Orange amplifiers. There is a depth and subtly in these performances that is forever awe inspiring.

As for the companion disc well this is a joy from start to finish –there’s so many enlightening moments – the vocal tracking on the line ‘’In spite of all your losing’’ on The Immigrant Song, the hypnotic quality of the instrumental Friends, the looseness of the Celebration Day mix, the Bonham drum assault in Bathroom Sound which is a masterclass of percussive brilliance. The incredible group synergy revealed by the early take of Gallows Pole, the lushness of the dulcimer led That’s The Way, the delightful early attempt at the Page guitar army approach on Jennings Farm Blues backed by some class Bonzo drumming. The sheer pure bluesness of the Key To the Highway/Trouble In Mind performance.

Best of all and worth the price of admission alone, is the take of Since I’ve Been Loving – a quite brilliant snapshot of the sheer creativity of Led Zeppelin that summer of 1970. Again it’s the group synergy at its best. Robert offers up an astounding vocal performance, Jimmy is out of this world and John and JPJ carry it all with effortless aplomb.

To paraphrase my own words in TBL 27: Folks, this version of is what the phrase ‘tight but loose’ was invented for as this take of Since I’ve Been Loving You is fucking incredible. And I use the adjective quite purposely and forcefully. Absolutely fucking incredible.

Led Zeppelin III summary:

This is my favourite album of the first three reissues – it holds so many memories from an enlightening period for me as a teenage Zep fan but at the same time, it sounds so contemporary and fresh. It’s just brimming with creativity and set the seal on the path ahead. Falling in love with it all over again this past month has been an absolute joy.

DL – July 2nd, 2014