FORTHCOMING LED ZEPPELIN RELEASE – OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT:
The Complete BBC Sessions
Remastering Supervised By Jimmy Page 
With Previously Unreleased Recordings
CD, Vinyl, And Digital Formats, Including Super Deluxe Boxed Set, will be available on September 16:
Nearly 20 years ago, Led Zeppelin introduced BBC Sessions, an acclaimed two-disc set of live recordings selected from the bands appearances on BBC radio between 1969 and 1971.
Later this year, the band will unveil THE COMPLETE BBC SESSIONS, an updated version of the collection that’s been newly remastered with supervision by Jimmy Page and expanded with eight …

Stairway To Heaven Court Case: 
The Stairway To Heaven court case has begun in Los Angeles and as expected, there’s been a barrage of media coverage.
This report of the opening of proceedings via The Guardian:
The opening to Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven transfixed the venue but Jimmy Page and Robert Plant did not sing or jam guitar.
It was a courtroom, not a concert, and they sat in silence, accused of stealing arguably the most famous riff of the most famous anthem in rock.
The British duo, sporting dark suits and ponytails, sat …

John Bonham – on the occasion of his birthday…
Tuesday May 31 marked the 68th birthday of John Bonham…
Over the past  couple of year the Led Zeppelin Reissue programme has only gone to heighten John’s s percussive contribution and lasting legacy – as Jimmy remarked ”Listening to John Bonham, well that always makes me simile…”
The listing below are prime selections from throughout the Zep catalogue that unanimously reflect the remarkable standards he set. I’m sure I won’t be the only ones searching out these performances to play this weekend in celebration of the …

TBL 41 LATEST:
TBL 41 is in the house …
Over the next few days, I will be commencing the distribution of this issue to over 35 countries.  I am hoping to get to this task as soon as possible – obviously we have a lot going on here in the light of Betty’s sad passing – and I will be working around what we need to do here regarding funeral arrangements etc..
Suffice to say it will be coming your way soon…and looking over it, there’s a host of fresh TBL news, views and features. …

TBL 41 UPDATE: 
Full details of the forthcoming TBL issue 41 will be announced this afternoon May 6 at 3pm GMT… 
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Prince 1958 – 2016:

Just as last week’s TBL website update was being posted, the shocking and sad news that Prince had passed away aged 57 came through.
Another musical legend’s light has gone out…
The music of Prince defined the 1980s -brash, uncompromising, flashy, full of colour and excess.
His music first came to my notice in 1983. This was when I was ensconced in music retail. The Warner Brothers rep who called on the record store …

Jimmy Page & Robert Plant at the Alexis Korner benefit show at Buxton Opera House April 17 1994 – 22 years gone:
22 years ago this week, I was lucky enough to be at the Brixton Opera House. The occasion was a tribute show to Alexis Korner – it heralded the beginning of the Page & Plant re- alliance – they would go on to produce the Unledded project in the summer. Watching these old devils run though I Can’t Quite You Baby with Charlie Jones on bass and the late great …

Presence at 40:
40 years ago this week, Presence, the seventh Led Zeppelin album was released worldwide. To mark the occasion, here is a Then and Now perspective I collated for last year’s reissue – 40 years on it’s still the true heart and soul of the Led Zep catalogue…
Presence…Then:
For me personally, the Presence album is and always be tangibly associated with my own circumstances of the time. Playing out my own soap opera, as an impressionable 19 year old caught up in my first love affair played out to the soundtrack of the new Led …

Classic Rock – 100 Greatest Albums Of The 70s:
A few weeks ago, I was asked to select and write about a Led Zeppelin album to sit amongst the  100 greatest Albums Of The 70s listing Classic Rock magazine were compiling. The guidelines were as follows -don’t choose the most famous record, look for an unsung classic or hidden gem -and then justify it – in effect they were aiming for an alternative listing and not the usual choices – ie Led Zep IV, Dark Side Of The Moon etc.
I gave …

Robert Plant to perform at Meltown Festival:  
This one via Robert’s official website…
On  June 17th, Robert will join other musicians in an all-day event addressing the refugee crisis as part of Meltdown festival.
He’ll perform during The Boat We’re In, a concert to launch Refugee Week at Southbank Centre in London. Mercury Award-nominated Nick Mulvey and singer-songwriter Nadine Shah will also take part, along with 2016 Meltdown director Guy Garvey. The concert, will also include Southbank Sinfonia and choirs.
Tickets will be on sale to Southbank Centre members on March 16 at 10am, …

 
 
Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters ,
The Flaming Lips
and more announced for Wilderness’ 2016 line-up

The effervescent and ethereal Wilderness Festival returns to Cornbury Park this summer for a sixth season.
Bringing with it an inimitable cocktail of eclectic musical talent, sumptuous communal dining,
theatrical performances, thought-provoking debate, the tranquility of the Lakeside Spa and so much more,
Wilderness Festival 2016 boasts a programme that continues in their tradition of pushing the boundaries
of what you imagined possible at festivals, cementing their reputation as pioneers.
Wilderness Festival’s diverse and eclectic music line-up continues to impress, …