TBL issues 1,2 and 3…

 I was alerted over the weekend to an eBay sale that involved the original first three copies of the Tight But Loose magazine.

The three issues clocked up a high price with issue one attaining a £227 price tag, issue 2 £113 and issue three £130 –a combined total of £470.
Not bad for three A5 photocopied magazines written, designed and laid out in my bedroom during a twelve month period spanning October 1978 through to October 1979.
This comment regarding the eBay sale of the first three TBL …

Feather In The Wind – Led Zeppelin Over Europe 1980 book relaunch:
This week marks the 37th anniversary of the final Led Zeppelin tour – a low key 14 date trek taking in Germany, Belgium, Holland, Austria and Switzerland.
To celebrate this anniversary, I am relaunching the Feather In the Wind book – the price is a bargain £10 including postage and packing.
Note – stock of the book is now running down so if you have yet to check out the book now is the time!
This is a fantastic opportunity to invest in the definitive account of the tour …

Paul Rodgers Free Spirit tour with guests Deborah Bonham & Doug Boyle (and two unexpected ones!)
Oxford New Theatre Sunday May 14, 2017
Pic by Krys Jantzen for TBL
‘’What fun we are having’’
To recap: I had been toying with attending one of Paul Rodgers Free Spirit gigs featuring Deborah Bonham and co. I cannot make the Royal Albert Hall date so I was looking at either Oxford or Leicester. As I was able to get the bus from Bedford through to Oxford, that date became the most feasible and at short notice …

Announcement from Jimmy Page.com:
Chris Farlowe and The Thunderbirds: The Beginning…
Historic Demo Recording Produced by Jimmy Page Coming April 30
Legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist and producer’s first official production available now for pre-order via jimmypage.com
Exclusive Stream of “Money” Track Premiere Available now via RollingStone.com
Available now for the very first time, Chris Farlowe and The Thunderbirds: The Beginning…presents a 12-song demo recording produced by legendary guitarist and producer Jimmy Page. Recorded in 1961 at RG Jones Sound Studio in Morden, London, this historic session marks the launch of a highly successful career for …

TBL ARCHIVE 1: AUSTRALIA 1972: IT WAS 45 YEARS AGO…
To celebrate the 45th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s Australian tour, here is a gig to gig round up compiled by Mike Tremaglio for TBL … 
 Wednesday February 16th, 1972 Subiaco Oval, Perth, Australia
Led Zeppelin performed their first ever concert in Australia at the Subiaco Oval in Perth. The concert was reviewed by John Bryant of “The West Australian” in a piece titled “Heavy Rock – With Discipline.”
Here are some key excerpts from Bryant’s review of the band’s first show in the “land …

Robert Plant lined up for Royal Albert Hall Appearance with Nigel Kennedy:
This news via Music Week:
Robert Plant and jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty will join Nigel Kennedy for a one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall next month.
The Led Zeppelin vocalist and jazz-rock virtuoso are among the high-profile stars confirmed to appear with  violinist Kennedy as he headlines the venue’s Love Classical festival on Tuesday, March 14.
Other guests announced include violinists Michael Guttman and Pieter Daniel, Bulgarian gadulka player Georgi Andreev, and Kennedy’s own ensemble, the Orchestra of Life.
Lucy Noble, artistic director at the Royal Albert Hall said: “We’re incredibly excited to …

TBL Issue 42 – Out On The Streets…
TBL 42 mail out update: I counted them all in and I counted them all out…TBL 42 is out on the streets –  as of Wednesday , every subscriber copy and pre order was in transit. The pic  shows the scene at the main Bedford Royal Mail sorting office as the good lady Janet and I dropped the bulk of them off on Saturday afternoon.
TBL 42 is on the way to over 30 counties including England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland , Ireland, Germany, Italy, …

So this is Christmas…
Christmas Eve is nigh on upon us – and it’s that final rush to get everything sorted for the next couple of  days.
As is customary on Christmas Eve here – I’ll be wearing my Led Zeppelin Winterland 1969 tie bought for me by Larry Ratner in 1993 (hi Larry!).
After all the intense work on the forthcoming TBL issue 42 of recent weeks, it will be great to unwind  inthe company of visiting friends and along the way a beer or two may be drunk in one or …

The Song Remains The Same Soundtrack at 40:
40 years ago,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 40 years old.
I have much affection for that original double live album – it captures …

Record Collector Singles Feature:
The new issue of Record Collector out now has a feature written by yours truly –it focuses on 21 singles issued in the period 1968 to 1971 from rock artists seeking chart success and how they fared – all of which can be picked up for less than a tenner – I had a lot of fun selecting the singles for this feature – quite a few were picked up on the Vinyl Barn over the last few months via Darren Harte. There is of course a Led …