Chris Charlesworth: Retirement? What retirement?…
His popularity has never waned…
On Friday, Chris Charlesworth editor in chief at Omnibus Press and former journalist on the Melody Maker, retires from his Omnibus role full time – however, he will be staying as a consultant based at home (more on that later.)
I personally have a lot to thank Chris for.
Back in 1989, he took a punt on commissioning a book about Led Zeppelin that focused on their music at a time when their standing, surprising as it seems now,was hardly guaranteed to bring in the sales.
The book was Led Zeppelin A Celebration …

Essential Led Zep reading for your iPad, tablet and phone – TBL 40 now available to download via the Magzter newsstand…
 
I am pleased to announce that the recent TBL issue 40 is now available to download via the  Magzter Digital Newsstand .
The new issue now lines up with TBL 39 via Magzter as a digital download for iPad and Android formats.
The Magzter Digital Newsstand is one of the leading multi platform digital newsstand, with 6,000 magazines from 2,500 publishers globally available for sale.
The Tight But Loose magazine has long been established as the key regular Zep written source. …

On the occasion of his birthday….
Jimmy Page is 72 on Saturday (January 9th).
In a career that has spanned over six decades – he has simply written the rule book on the art of rock guitar.
From monolithic riffing to bombastic solos. From simple acoustic beauty to vast guitar instrumental orchestration. Jazz, classical and Eastern influences, blues, 50s rock’n’roll and psychedelic – he has turned his hand to all these varying styles over the years. At times his playing may seem sloppy and seemingly undisciplined but that is all part of the …

John Paul Jones on the occasion of his 70th Birthday:
John Paul Jones is 70 today (January 3)…
Throughout the past 12 months, John has again moved effortlessly between differing projects and collaborations –  and along the way, there was continued work on his opera project which may well see the light of day this year.
He remains the consummate musician – his work within Led Zeppelin and without, has constantly produced moments of sheer genius – to mark this landmark birthday, together with Richard Grubb, I have compiled a list in chronological order of …

So this is Christmas…
Christmas Eve is upon us – and it’s that final rush to get everything sorted for the next few days.
As is customary on Christmas Eve here – I’ll be wearing my Led Zeppelin Winterland 1969 tie brought for me by Larry Ratner in 1992 (hi Larry!) – and there may be another Zep related clothing accessory to parade (thanks Mr Lodge). After all the intense TBL activity of recent weeks, it will be great to unwind today in the company of visiting friends and along the way …

TBL issue 40 – out on the streets: 
TBL 40 mail out update: I counted them all in and I counted them all out…TBL 40 is out on the streets – as of Tuesday, every subscriber copy and pre order is in transit. The pic below shows the scene at the main Bedford Royal Mail sorting office as I dropped the bulk of them off.
TBL 40 is on the way to over 30 counties including England, Scotland, Wales, Republic of Ireland , Ireland, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, …

TBL 40 In the house – and coming your way soon:
The 40th issue of the Tight But Loose magazine is in the house. The task to pack them and distribute them all via Royal Mail is now underway.
UK copies will begin filtering out from today – I aim to have all UK copies in transit by the middle of next week.  Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and the rest of the world copies will follow and will be in the post as fast as I can humanly get them there. Hopefully the majority …

The Paris Terror Attacks:
I had been watching the BBC 4 Rod Stewart documentary late on Friday so I was not aware of the terrible events that were unfolding in Paris until early on Saturday morning. It was just shocking to read of the terror and the distruction caused in so little time.
I was due to attend the VIP Musicmania Fair at Olympia and it really did take the wind out of the sails – as Tom and I reached London there was a very strange atmosphere at St Pancras International station – …

 
Jimmy Page at the Classic Rock awards to accept Led Zeppelin’s Reissue of The Year award:
On Wednesday night, Jimmy Page was in attendance at the Classic Rock Awards staged at London’s Roundhouse venue.
Jimmy was there to accept Led Zeppelin’s Reissue Of The Year award. He arrived around 6.30 pm and was interviewed by a variety of TV and radio stations on the red carpet for about fifteen minutes. I had a quick word with him – he was very pleased to picking up the award – ”this is the end …

Jimmy Page for  Founders Award 2015 Honoree:
This is an annual fundraiser to benefit EMP’s youth programs, EMP’s Founders Award features legendary performers who have made substantial contributions to the field of music.
The annual Founders Award Celebration is EMP Museum’s signature fundraiser, celebrating the life’s work of living legends while meaningfully contributing to the institution’s extensive education programs.
This year, EMP will honor iconic musician Jimmy Page. Together with honorary chairs Paul G. Allen and Jody Allen, we are thrilled to honor Mr. Page’s exceptional influence on music history as a groundbreaking guitarist, …