MR JIMMY FILM UK SCREENINGS /TBL ARCHIVE – OLYMPIA PARIS 1969 IT WAS 54 YEARS AGO/LZ NEWS/TBL ARCHIVE OSAKA JAPAN 1971/SKY ARTS ZEP DOCUMENTARY/ DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE
Mr. Jimmy Film UK Premiere Screenings…
The acclaimed Mr. Jimmy film has two UK premiere screenings lined up at the Olympic Studios London Cinema
Saturday October 14 at 4pm
Wednesday October 18 at 8pm
Here’s the info…
Akio Sakurai has dedicated his life to honoring Jimmy Page. For 30 years he recreated vintage Zeppelin concerts note-for-note in small Tokyo clubs. Moving to L.A. to pursue his tribute dream, cultures clash and Akio’s idyllic vision meets reality.
Starring: Akio Sakurai, Rie Nakahara, Toshio Suzuki, Kiyomi Osawa, Junko Sakurai, Shinji Kishimoto
Director: Peter Michael Dowd
Writer: Peter Michael Dowd
Running Time: 117 minutes
Ticket ordering link here:
https://www.olympiccinema.com/film/Mr-Jimmy
Led Zeppelin recorded their debut album, “Led Zeppelin I”, In September – October of 1968 at Olympic Studios. They released this album on 12th January 1969 and the group’s fusion of blues and rock, and their take on the emerging hard rock sound was immediately commercially successful in both the UK and US, reaching the top 10 on album charts in both countries, as well as several others.
Jimmy Page said that the album took only about 36 hours of studio time (over a span of a few weeks) to create.
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TBL Archive 1:
LED ZEPPELIN AT OLYMPIA PARIS OCTOBER 10, 1969 – IT WAS 54 YEARS AGO -TBL ARCHIVE REVIEW
To mark the 54th anniversary of the Led Zeppelin Olympia Paris gig today, here’s my 2014 review of the companion disc that features Jimmy’s edit of the show.
Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin I
The Companion Audio Disc: Live at the Olympia, Paris, October 10th 1969
Good Times Bad Times / Communication Breakdown (4.05)
I Can’t Quit You Baby (6.41)
Heartbreaker (3.49)
Dazed and Confused (15.01)
White Summer / Black Mountain Side (9.19)
You Shook Me (11.55)
Moby Dick (9.21)
How Many More Times (11.14)
The debut Led Zeppelin album was the recorded statement of their first few weeks together. The material selected had been well rehearsed and pre-arranged by the four, one of the primary reasons it took a mere 36 hours to record the album at Olympic Studios, in Barnes, West London.
It’s evident there was very little left over from the album sessions, though back in 1992 Page did salvage Baby Come On Home (aka Tribute To Burt Burns), an outtake from this era that appeared on the Boxed Set 2 compilation. It’s been reported over the years that Zep rehearsed cover versions of The Band’s Chest Fever, Bobby Parker’s Watch Your Step and Elmer Gantry’s Flames but it would appear they were never recorded, as Jimmy has not come up with any alternate versions or outtakes from the first album’s sessions.
Instead he has used the companion disc platform for the first album to present a fully fledged 1969 live on stage recording. There may have been a case for an earlier representation of the band being made available- notably the early Fillmore 1969 appearances (and who knows maybe that situation will be addressed in the future).
However, Jimmy has opted for a later 1969 performance. The source is a radio broadcast of the band’s performance at the Olympia in Paris on October 10th 1969, recorded by Europe 1 radio for the Musicorama programme and part of a short European tour Zep were undertaking during that autumn. A 78 minute edit of the show was first aired on November 2nd 1969. Left to languish in the radio station’s archives for some 38 years, it was re broadcast on December 7th 2007, just three days before the band’s reunion concert at the O2 in London. The recording was subsequently bootlegged, most versions with the French DJ introductions left in and unevenly mixed.
Overall this is a much punchier mix than the bootleg version. To accommodate the formatting , there are some edits and the whole presentation clocks in at just under 70 minutes.
There is no band introduction and much of Robert’s between song chat is edited. As for the actual songs themselves, Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown ,I Can’t Quit You Baby, Dazed And Confused ,White Summer/Black Mountain Side ( missing the ‘wanking dog’ Plant reference !) are relatively uncut from the original broadcast. The previously unheard Moby Dick clocks in at 9.21 – it can assumed that there has been some editing on this as Bonzo’s showpiece of the time was clocking in at around 15 minutes. There’s a slightly unorthodox intro to the piece as Jimmy comes in slightly later with the riff, behind Bonzo’s tympani playing. After the riff comes back in at the end, Bonzo undertakes a final percussive flurry with a boisterous shout and then a 50s riff from Jimmy brings it all to a close.
Heartbreaker is edited to a very compact 3 minutes.49 – during the solo just as the recording goes into that weird echo effect of the radio broadcast. Jimmy avoids that sequence and cuts it straight into the up-tempo solo – it all clocks in at a compact 3 minutes 49.
How Many More Times is scaled down from the 22 minute original performance to 11 minutes 14. There is some chat from Robert prior to the track – it then omits the onstage band member’s introductions during the intro as was custom at the time and cuts straight to the riff.
There’s therefore no room for Aynsley Dunbar reference or the Lemon Song/Boogie Chillun’ sequence featured on the broadcast – however the Oh Rosie/Steal Away (backed by a distinctive Whole Lotta Love riff) and The Hunter is in there – in effect this version is in a similar arrangement to that of its studio counterpart. A final goodbye and namecheck for the players brings proceedings to a close.
The Paris Olympia show vividly demonstrates Led Zeppelin’s progression as a unit during their first year together, in particular the growing confidence of Robert Plant, his shrill vocal attack adds real vitality and spark to the proceedings.
Highlights: The opening Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown salvo with John Bonham doubling up the bass patterns to whip them into shape. The pure blues attack of I Can’t Quite You Baby and You Shook Me – the latter providing a loose framework for a lengthy improvisation –and the How Many More Times finale which carries the listener along on an irresistible adrenalin rush.
After completing another US tour in the fall of 1969, they would go on to revise the act for the opening gigs of 1970. This Paris performance is therefore a welcomed official representation of the band at this point – with a set list still full of Zep I vitality nurtured during the countless gigs they performed that year – and now maturing with the introduction of new material from the about to be released Led Zeppelin II.
This then is an energetic snapshot of the often wild abandonment performances of this era. Whilst the bootlegs serve their purpose, when it comes to the officially sanctioned live album releases (of which How The West Was Won would be a template), I feel there’s a real sense that we are hearing Led Zeppelin as its original founder perceives it. That is reason enough to welcome Led Zeppelin Live at the Olympia 1969 into your homes and onto your deck at the earliest opportunity…
Dave Lewis – May 20th, 2014
Here’s the latest Led ZepNews Update:
The Led Zeppelin News Email – 01/10/23 New Led Zeppelin photos and videos emerge and Robert Plant makes the most of his time off the road
Hello! Welcome to the 310th Led Zeppelin News email. We email out regular summaries of Led Zeppelin news so that you don’t miss anything. Led Zeppelin Pontiac Silverdome video footage finally surfaces Led Zeppelin performing at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan on April 30, 1977 (FOX 2 Detroit) A brief snippet of news footage of Led Zeppelin performing at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan on April 30, 1977 was published online by the news station FOX 2 Detroit. To celebrate 75 years of the station’s existence, it released an edited version of an original news report covering the 1977 show which included a snippet of footage of the band performing that night. Further video footage shot by the news channel of the band on stage that evening is likely to exist in the station’s archive. We’ve reached out to FOX 2 Detroit to see if that’s likely to emerge in the future as well. Previously unseen June 14, 1977 photos Previously unseen photographs shot by Steve Abadie of Led Zeppelin performing at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 14, 1977 were posted online on Led Zeppelin’s official forum. New Tokyo 1971 footage emerged A previously unseen clip of Led Zeppelin performing in Tokyo, Japan on September 23, 1971 was published online but then made private and taken down by the uploader days later. The video showed the band performing “Moby Dick” and was published on the anniversary of John Bonham’s death. The YouTube channel edihide46 has posted several videos of that performance since 2020. First, a 21-minute video was published in 2020 featuring 10 different songs, and then an extended clip of “Celebration Day” was published in 2021. Jimmy Page Genesis Publications released a new signed Jimmy Page print Genesis Publications released a new print of Jimmy Page’s guitars that comes signed by Page. The newly released print, titled “Whole Lotta Love”, is limited to 75 numbered copies and sells for £1,600 per print. Jimmy Page’s Summer Curious what Jimmy Page has been up to recently? This collection of photos posted on Instagram by his girlfriend Scarlett Sabet gives a whistlestop tour of where he’s been. Click through to Instagram and have a browse through the images in the post. A post shared by @scarlettzsabet Robert Plant Robert Plant enjoys his time off the road Robert Plant is taking several weeks off before he resumes touring on November 1 with Saving Grace in the UK. Plant was spotted at the Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Liverpool FC football match in Wolverhampton on September 16 and then he attended the opening night of “Black Sabbath: The Ballet” in Birmingham on September 23 where he was photographed with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan. He was also photographed alongside Carlos Acosta, Tony Iommi and Alexandre Arrechea that evening. A post shared by @alexandrearrechea Plant was then photographed handing out trophies and medals at a charity running event in Worcestershire on September 24. Finally, Plant was spotted in the crowd watching the Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City football match in Wolverhampton yesterday, September 30. Robert Plant to perform at private UK charity show on October 21 Robert Plant will perform at a charity event in aid of Cancer Platform at Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire on October 21. Other performers at the event will include Duran Duran member Andy Taylor and Wham! member Andrew Ridgeley. Upcoming events: · 2023 – The second Band Of Joy album titled “Band Of Joy Volume 2” will be released and an expanded edition of the Honeydrippers album “The Honeydrippers: Volume One” will be released. · October 21 – Robert Plant will perform at a charity event in Oxfordshire, UK. · October 27 – Led Zeppelin’s fourth album will be reissued on clear vinyl · November 1 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Brighton, UK. · November 2 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Guildford, UK. · November 4 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace at the Bert Jansch 80th birthday tribute concert in London, UK. · November 5 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Birmingham, UK. · November 7 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Bournemouth, UK. · November 8 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Cardiff, UK. · November 11 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Salford, UK. · November 13 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Oxford, UK. · November 16 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Basingstoke, UK. · November 17 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Cambridge, UK. · November 19 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Grimsby, UK. · November 20 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Gateshead, UK. · November 22 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Bradford, UK. · November 23 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Stoke-on-Trent, UK. · November 25 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Wolverhampton, UK. · 2024 – Robert Plant will tour with Alison Krauss. · March 21-24 – John Paul Jones will perform at the Big Ears music festival in Knoxville, Tennessee both as a solo act and as part of Sons Of Chipotle. · Summer 2024 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Vienna, Virginia. That was our 310th email. Have any questions or feedback? Reply to this email and we’ll get back to you. Follow Led Zeppelin News on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on news as it happens, and check ledzepnews.com for the latest news. |
Many thanks to James Cook
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TBL Archive 2:
This week marks the 52nd anniversary of one of the all time great Led Zeppelin live performances – the September 29 concert in Osaka.
Here’s my review of the 2020 Transatlantic Records bootleg release More Comedy Less Work…
Now this is what I call an inspiration…
My thoughts on…
Led Zeppelin- More Comedy – Less Work: Live At The Festival Hall Osaka Japan September 29,1971
4 CD long box package Transatlantic Records
I’ve come a little late to the party when it comes to the recent soundboard tapes that have surfaced from Led Zeppelin’s tour of Japan in 1971. I recently acquired the Please Please Me 6 CD set via the Eelgrass label and I am looking forward to wading through this expansive set of recordings of their September 28, 1971 performance at the Festival Hall in Osaka.
The following night, the last of the Japanese tour has appeared on a variety of releases, most recently as 929 How The East Was Won – this I have on a double CD set, again via Eelgrass that presents the soundboard source.
Now there’s a much longer presentation of this celebrated performance under the title More Comedy Less Work.
It presents the near complete performance with a mix of the aforementioned soundboard source plus the so called multi-track stage recording and a couple of extracts from the September 28th show. All this has been achieved via a Winston tape overhaul. For those who are unaware, Winston is an avid fan who is highly skilled at improving the sound of Zep bootleg recordings. Over the years Winston has widely and freely shared his remastered recordings, many of which have been acclaimed as definitive versions.
With that prospect in mind I could not resist the opportunity to delve into this new version.
I am of course looking forward to soaking up the previously mentioned 6CD Please Please Me set that chronicles the previous night ( I will report back on that one in due course), but my eagerness to hear a complete September 29 Osaka presentation had me ripping off the outer cellophane ready to get intimate with the three CDs. Note a fourth CD in the package showcases an Up Close radio show from 1992 and a Jimmy Page interview from 2017.
The reasons for my enthusiasm are simple:
For a start, all self-respecting Led Zep fans know that the three city, five show Japanese tour the band undertook in September 1971 was very special. Across those gigs they varied the set list considerably, throwing in all sorts of one offs and unique cover versions. The night of September 29 was no exception, in fact being the final night they really went to town.
The basic set list is also pretty much as it was a mere 53 days on from this memorable Osaka 1971 performance when on the night of Sunday November 21, I was lucky enough to witness Led Zeppelin live for the first time on a night of pure electric magic at the Empire Pool Wembley.
During this period Led Zeppelin were right on top of their game – and then some…
These were the nights where they sought as Jimmy would put it, that fifth element. There’s a hunger and vitality in the playing – a sense of wonderment at what they could achieve and how far they could push the boundaries. There was nothing they could not attain musically, their ambitions were infinite.
Other factors: Robert Plant’s vocal register was at its highest and most potent – a quite remarkable instrument in itself that he deployed to maximum effect.
The interplay between Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham was at a new peak of creativity..
They had a brand new fourth album in the can and ready for imminent release and they knew it was good – and of course they were more than eager to preview material from it.
In short, their confidence was absolutely sky high and boy did it show…
Now my relationship between Led Zeppelin and this Japanese tour goes way back. In 1976 I first got to hear what it sounded like via a bootleg LP.
Led Zeppelin A Cellarfull Of Noise – Live In Japan was a single LP on the Kornyfone label. I purchased it from the Sounds Ahead record shop in Marlborough Court just off Carnaby Street – a tiny record shop that specialised in under the counter releases.
Unfortunately this recording of the fabled September 29 Osaka show was strictly lo-fi and it also played slightly slow. It did however open my ears for the first time to the potency of their playing and also included that bizarre interlude when John Bonham went missing. ‘’Where’s Bonzo?’’ proclaimed Robert repeatedly prior to a drummer-less performance of Tangerine.
Things did improve considerably with the acquisition of the various September 29 audience sourced CD set that surfaced in the 1990s. Last year came the much welcomed new double CD of soundboard highlights. It’s always been one of my all-time fave Zep gigs.
Now the oddly titled More Comedy Less Work presents the full show in genuine Winston style.
The packaging itself is fairly rudimentary – a cartoonish illustration with an overhead airship on the front of the digipack long box. The Led Zeppelin script is lifted from the Led Zeppelin III cover and a sticker indication noting that this is a limited run of 300 portrays the group image featured on the back of that album sleeve. The back cover has some brief explanatory notes about how the recording was pieced together. An eight page booklet has small photos from the tour and reproduces the 1971 Japanese tour programme, though in very small black and white thumbnail type pics.
Some further explanatory notes about the unique content of the set list would have been an asset. It’s all in the Evenings With Led Zeppelin book and TBL issue 31 thanks to Mike Tremaglio’s diligent chronicling.
As for the music, well, let them take you there ….to the Festival Hall in Osaka for the final night of what had been a highly successful tour.
I am well versed with this performance via the previous recordings but hearing it complete in such quality is an absolute revelation.
Right from the moment you hear Bonzo exclaim ‘’Louder, louder’ the listener is hurtled right into the action and let me put it on record from the off: This performance of Immigrant Song may well be the best ever – Plant’s echoed shrill is a pure joy, Bonzo pushes it all ahead in tandem with JPJ and as for Jimmy… the moment he opens up the wah wah for a truly scintillating run is one of the all-time great Zep live moments. The unrelenting energy of it all is just extraordinary.
From there, well it’s a total tour de force. Everything that is great about the band – everything that they have learned to harness in a mere three years is all here. The matchless confident stomp of Heartbreaker really hits the mark – as does the slow burn blues rock of Since I’ve Been Loving You. The seamless patch in of Black Dog from the 28th keeps the momentum flowing.
Dazed And Confused is a cavalcade of electric magic – there’s no other words to describe it, and there’s a drop in for a one off extract of Pennies From Heaven. It’s worth noting here that whenever Zep extended the studio versions of their catalogue, as they did many times – it always came out sounding like a development rather than an indulgence – and there’s no finer example of that than this marathon performance.
Stairway To Heaven is a suitable regal delivery and Celebration Day is always great to hear from this era – actually whenever I hear it I am always reminded of the opening sequence at Knebworthon August 4, 1979 when it made a welcome return to the set.
The acoustic set offers blissful light and shade acoustic harmony moving through That’s The Way and Going To California followed by that aforementioned amusing interlude where Bonzo goes missing prior to a sweet Tangerine. What follows is a rare piece of Zep concert history: the only known live delivery of the Led Zeppelin III staple Friends –which is followed by an ad hoc short cover version of Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.
A strident What is And What Should Never Be ushers in a complete Moby Dick – the master Bonham and his art..
The Whole Lotta Love medley is a 31 minute veritable Zep Spotify playlist. Try this for a starters: Elvis Presley’s I Gotta Know segued into Twist And Shout performed as The Beatles used to, followed by Benny Spellman’s Fortune Teller. Again via Mike Tremaglio’s research in the Evenings With book we know this trio are ‘one and only’ recordings, save for a 40-second snippet of Fortune Teller which was (also played in Oakland on September 2, 1970 concert. As they had done during the first show in Tokyo, the band also throw in the rarely played live Good Times Bad Times and a blues wailing You Shook Me.
Finally, after an emotionally draining Thank You this three hour show concludes with Rock And Roll – another preview from their upcoming fourth album and a first time outing on this Japanese tour.
The September 29 Black Dog is added on in the multi-track version.
To summarise:
So what we have here is a near complete representation in the best sound quality yet of one of the truly great evenings with Led Zeppelin.
I’ve been playing non-stop this past few days -and what a much needed inspiration it’s been..
Whilst Led Zep and related artists are never far too away from the player here, this is the first real genuine new Led Zep aural experience I’ve soaked up in a good while. It’s a recording that offers a stark reminder of why I have invested so much time and energy into chronicling this band these past 50 years – and why Mike and I spent a sizable amount of our waking hours over a five year period producing the 576 pages that made up the Evenings With book. It’s one of those times when the power of music – and there’s no finer music than Led Zeppelin at full throttle live in concert in my book – gets right to the soul and provides such inspiration, and as we all know, in these unprecedented times any inspiration right now is much welcomed…
More Comedy Less Work will rightfully take its place alongside the Fillmore West April 27, 1969 performance , Plays Pure Blues (Texas International Pop Festival August 31, 1969), Live On Blueberry Hill (LA Forum September 4, 1970) and Going To California (Berkeley September 14, 1971) as my go-to fix when it comes to the in- concert appreciation of the first three years of Led Zeppelin’s existence.
In a world of current confusion one thing certainly remains ever constant – listening to Led Zeppelin perform live in 1971 is a truly wonderful thing… and this overwhelming September 29 performance of that year is more than ample proof…
Dave Lewis – May 25, 2020
Here’s TBL bootleg expert Paul Sheppard’s views:.
More on More Comedy Less Work – TBL contributor and Zep Live on CD expert Paul Sheppard’s observations:
Led Zeppelin – More Comedy, Less Work
Osaka, September 29 , 1971
Background and Context
There are, to the best of my knowledge, 2 main audience sources plus two soundboard sources for this show. These can be sub-divided into several generations for each audience source plus two generations for the soundboard sources. Over the years, in the realm of Cd bootlegs, we have had copious releases of varying quality using one or the other source or mixes of both.
What it comes down to are the following groupings for the Cd releases that have emerged:
- An actual soundboard – a maximum length of about 90 minutes with Empress Valley feeding out individual track releases as well
- An actual soundboard mix – in reality a mix of audience sources
- Source 1 “soundboard – possibly two different versions and short of the whole show
- Sources 2 &3
- Sources 4 & 5
- Mixes – where most of the show is available and where ‘More Comedy – Less Work’ fits in
More Comedy – Less Work (LZ/TAR) 4 Cd
What we get:
CD1
01 – Welcome To Osaka 929 [aud]
02 – Immigrant Song [sbd] 929 + 928 wail fix edit
03 – Heartbreaker [sbd] 929
04 – Since I’ve Been Loving You [sbd] 929
05 – Black Dog [sbd] 928
06 – Dazed and Confused [sbd] 929 patched
CD2
01 – Stairway to Heaven [sbd] 929
02 – Celebration Day [MT] 929
03 – That’s The Way [MT] 929
04 – Going To California [MT] 929
05 – Tangerine [MT] 929
06 – Friends [sbd] 929
07 – Smoke Gets in Your Eyes [sbd] 929
08 – What Is and What Should Never Be [sbd] 929
09 – Moby Dick [sbd] 929 patched edit
CD3
01 – Whole Lotta Love [MT] 929 +patched audio
02 – Communication Breakdown [sbd] 929
03 – Organ Solo [MT] 929
04 – Thank You [MT] 929
05 – Rock and Roll [MT] 929 – Bonus track
sbd – soundboard (speed corrected -2%)
MT – multi track stage recording (edited to completion with Plantations and various patches by Winston)
As described in the accompanying notes:
This is a merge of the newly released soundboard, previously released stray soundboards and the excellent remaster done by Winston.
Besides the speed correction on the SB portion there are a few small fixes to clean up some very minor sloppiness in the performance. Moby Dick is not quite complete but about 90% there. Black Dog is from the 28th (for the SB).
SB levels were brought down in order to level match and for headroom. Very minor eq and limiting was applied and only in spots to get more cohesion in sound.
The Verdict:
A clean and relatively uncluttered recording with Tarantura influenced packaging (though by no means as luxurious as Tarantura’s). The ‘soundboard’ parts are especially good. Owning as I do, 15 versions of this show either on Cd or stored, I can say that this is as good as it gets and highly recommended. Ok, so we have to accept the inclusions from the night before (notably ‘Black Dog’) but I can live with that. Always a pleasure too to hear the ‘Pennies from Heaven’ segment within ‘Dazed’ which a lot of other releases miss out.
The fourth CD contains eight tracks from a US radio show broadcast on 28th Jul, 1992 called ‘Up Close’ which focuses on the 1990 Remasters alongside an interview with Jimmy Page in 2017.
Paul Sheppard
Many thanks to Paul
DL Diary Bog Update:
Thursday September 28:
Friday September 29:
Friday September 29:
DL Charity shop CD acquisition…
Friday September 29:
Friday September 29:
Saturday September 30:
Saturday is platterday – marking Marc Bolan’s Birthday today so on the player the brilliant T. Rex Electric Warrior album – this one the 2017 Record Store Day gold vinyl limited edition…
Saturday September 30:
Saturday September 30:
Spurs 2 Liverpool 1…
That will do very nicely!!
Sunday October 1:
Thinking about our much missed beautiful ex Our Price colleague and very good friend Hayley Martin three years gone today…always a ray of light…you will shine in our hearts forever…
Monday October 2:
Janet and I were very pleased to have a visit here yesterday from the esteemed Mr Gary Davies…
Thanks for listening
Until next time…
Dave Lewis – October 5 2023
TBL website updates written and compiled by Dave Lewis
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‘…that bizarre interlude when John Bonham went missing. ‘’Where’s Bonzo?’’ proclaimed Robert repeatedly prior to a drummer-less performance of Tangerine.’
Let me offer my alternative theory on this famous happening in Osaka, 29-09-1971.
All of the circulating photos of the acoustic Tangerine performed live on stage 1971-1972 capture only Page and Plant without one exception. No Bonzo there. And no Jonesy is seen either for that matter. Here, Page is playing the bizarre-looking Giannini 12-string.
Listen carefully to the recording of the happening from the night. While Plant is calling Bonham to come back to the stage together with the audience, Page is incessantly heard changing the tuning of the Harmony Sovereign 6-string he played for the previous two numbers, That’s The Way and Going To California, for Friends, in the background. Just when the audience starts clapping hands, showing their impatience of waiting for the next number, Page completes the retuning, changes for the 12-string and starts strumming the intro to Tangerine. The timing of changing the guitars is unmistakable — you can even hear the clashing of the two bodies! The sound changes from crispy (6 strings) to jangly (12 strings) here.
The way the course of the events is unfolding suggests that the group’s original intention was playing Friends (with all the members) first and then Tangerine (just Page and Plant) next. Because of the missing and unavailability of Bonzo, they decided to change the song order on the spot. That’s my take. That they needed Bonzo to join the acoustic performance of Tangerine for chorus is a common misunderstanding shared among the Zep fandom in my humble opinion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3UnQ-s34r0
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