Own up time. My only previous flirtation with anything remotely operatic has been The Who’s Tommy. I loved the film for it’s sheer absurdness and the album (particularly Lou Reizner’s orchestral version) is still a particular favourite.
Standing outside the mightily impressive Royal Opera House last Friday in London’s Covent Garden, I had the feeling the evening’s entertainment ahead was going to be something altogether a little more high brow.
It was but then again it wasn’t.
I was there of course to witness John Paul Jones contribution as the bass guitarist in …

40 years ago this evening, Jimmy Page strapped on a newly acquired Gibson double neck guitar and played the first chords of a new lengthy composition in front of an audience for the first time.
The occasion was Led Zeppelin’s opening date on their UK tour at the Ulster Hall Belfast. The historic photo below captures the moment…

The song was Stairway To Heaven
The rest is history….
As TBL contributor Rikky Rooksby observes in the introduction to a major feature on Stairway To Heaven to be published in the next Tight But Loose …

40 years ago tomorrow, Jimmy Page strapped on a newly acquired Gibson double neck guitar and played the first chords of a new lengthy composition in front of an audience for the first time.
The occasion was Led Zeppelin’s opening date on their UK tour at the Ulster Hall Belfast.
The song was Stairway To Heaven
Today we begin a two day celebration of this special anniversary of a special song.
This TBL Archive feature looks back to the events that took place on the 30th anniversary of that first airing of Stairway To …

Led Zeppelin performing Achilles Last Stand -Mannheim, July 3rd 1980. Photo by Tom Locke. Taken from the forthcoming book Feather In The Wind – Led Zeppelin Over Europe 1980.
Another couple of intensive weeks spent in the year 1980 and on tour with Led Zeppelin.
No bad place to be of course but that’s how it’s been here recently as I wade on with the Over Europe book. Progress is good and there has been a lot to cram in. Recent highlights have been an interview with an important player in the …

Many thanks for the great response to the TBL Stairway To Heaven 40th Anniversary Poll. Ahead of the March 5th anniversary, there is still time to cast your vote for the all time greatest live versions of the song.
All you need to do is list in order of preference  up to five  favourite LIVE versions of Stairway To Heaven.
The criteria is as follows: Any live version by Led Zeppelin is eligible plus post Zep versions ie Arms or Outrider tour, Live Aid, Page & Plant Japan TV, O2 reunion.
From these …

It is with immense sadness that we have learned of the death of Joan Bonham.
Joan had been unwell in the past few weeks and died in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Joan was the wife of the late John Henry Snr and mother of Deborah and the late John and Michael.  Her zest for life and in particular her family, was admired and loved by so many.
Myself and Gary will personally never forget the enthusiasm and empathy the whole Bonham family brought to the 1992 Led Zeppelin Convention we co …

Vote for the greatest live version of their greatest song
Nearly 40 years ago on the evening of March 5th 1971 at the Ulster Hall Belfast, Led Zeppelin  performed for the first time in public, a new lengthy 12 minute composition due to be released on their next album. It began in tranquil mood and then developed into a soaring climax. It told the tale of a lady who was sure, about a bustle in a hedgerow and advised that if you listened very hard the tune would come to you …

The Yardbirds and Vanilla Fudge are the latest additions to the attractions at the Zep Fest 2011 event being staged in Washington DC on May 27th to 29th.
TBL has also linked up with Zep Fest to offer an exclusive Zep Fest ticket and hotel discount for TBL magazine subscribers only.
If you are a current 2011 TBL subscriber and you are planning to visit the Zep Fest we can offer the following discount price:
$250.00 (a $75 reduction) for 3-day tickets
$139.00 (a $35 reduction) for 1-Day tickets
Zep Fest has also arranged for …

LED ZEPPELIN APP LAUNCHED:
A new app for iPhone and IPad users has been launched. This Day In Led Zeppelin contains masses of Zep trivia with over 5,000 facts about the band and has been produced by the team behind the This Day In Music website and book of the same name.
“I had the idea of making individual apps for some of the biggest acts in the world, and thought the best one to start with would be Led Zeppelin, because of their iconic status,” said editor of the Led …

Howard and DL with the original ”Bible to the Zeppelin legions” – Portslade Brighton January 18th 2011
Firstly the latest on TBL 28. I’m pleased to say I have had some amazing feedback comments concerning the latest Tight But Loose magazine.
Here’s a review of TBL 28 via Brian Gardiner’s Ramble On blog
http://www.briangardiner.ca/rambleon/?tag=bbc-proms
‘’The first words of the lead editorial in the latest edition of Tight But Loose, Dave Lewis says:
Well I have to say that year one of this new era of Tight But Loose has been a pretty eventful one.
Well, I …