ANDY ADAMS FUNERAL DETAILS/ REMEMBERING THE 1992 UK CONVENTION/EVENINGS WITH PODCAST/JOHN BONHAM FESTIVAL/LZ NEWS/BERKELEY DAZE 50 YEARS GONE/JIMI HENDRIX & MARC BOLAN /DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE
Andy Adams Funeral Details:
This via Simon Adams and Rob Bannister:
The interim death certificate has now been processed and we can now release some of the details for Andy’s funeral. This will take place at South Essex Crematorium Ockendon Rd, Upminster RM14 2UY on Wednesday September 22 at 1.20 pm.
If you would like to attend, please contact Simon Adams via email at sadsy1@sky.com as numbers will be limited.
As you may be aware Andy died suddenly without life insurance and without a funeral plan so we are asking people not to send flowers but instead, if you would prefer to contribute to Andy’s funeral costs, please use the following PayPal: bannisterrob@gmail.com. Any excess funds raised after the cost of the funeral will go to the John Bonham Memorial Fund, as Andy would have wanted.
I know that Andy had lots of friends and admirers of his talents outside of the U.K. who will not be able to attend the funeral so on the 22nd September it is going to be a Celebration Day where we would like you to post your personal tributes to one of my oldest and best friends, Mr Andy Adams.
Thanking you all in advance, Si and Rob.
Celebration Days Remembered:
Whenever I spoke to Andy, we would often talk about the amazing weekend of May 1992 when we co-organised the first ever UK Led Zeppelin Convention – so I thought it would be fitting to feature this TBL archive piece we collaborated on when it was the 25th anniversary -so here’s my thoughts on Andy’s thoughts on some very memorable Celebration Days…
Celebration Days Led Zeppelin UK Convention – 25 years gone:
25 years ago this week, on Saturday May 23 and Sunday May 24 1992, Andy Adams and myself co presented Celebration Days – the first ever UK Led Zeppelin Convention.
I had been thinking about such an event since the publication a year earlier of my book Led Zeppelin A Celebration.
As had Andy Adams – a massive UK Zep Collector who had helped me considerably with the book’s research. In 1990 on one of my visits to Andy in Canvey Island we talked about the idea of a UK Convention. The yardstick had been created by the staging of a US event in 1988 – this had been organised at the Meadowlands Hotel in New Jersey in Washington DC by Brian Knapp -another major Zep memorabilia collector who I had been in touch with for some years. I was also aware of a David Bowie event BowiCon that had been staged in the US.
Andy was at the time publishing his excellent Zep mag Early Days and Latter Days and was a regular stall holder at Record Fairs. Initially he was approached to stage a mini Zep Convention within a major London Record Fair. We both felt this would not fulfill the potential for the type of event we wanted to stage.
So in the autumn of 1991, Andy and I formulated a plan for what we felt was needed to stage a Led Zeppelin Convention. We both agreed it required two days and we aimed for a central London venue and the following January we made a visit to London to look at perspective venues. After looking at three potential venues we selected the Royal National Hotel in Euston. By then we had also enlisted the help of some key players in the UK Zep community. We set up the Celebration Days Executive made up of Gary Foy, Mark Harrison Tim Davies, Rikky Rooksby, Alan Cousins, Howard Mylett and Luis Rey. In early January, Andy and I set up an initial meeting at the hotel which was attended by most of the above.
I have to say that Andy’s enthusiasm during this period was absolutely inspirational – his vision of what we could achieve was right in line with mine and it was an absolute pleasure working with him. There were many ups and downs ahead and difficult moments that we faced together – it certainly wasn’t all plain sailing but Andy’s affable stance and belief always got us through.
The hotel, with it’s various exhibition rooms looked ideal and we put a deposit down to secure it for three days in May – Friday May 22, Saturday May 23 and Sunday 24. The Friday would be a setting up day and a press launch at night – the Saturday and Sunday the actual Convention days. Co-incidentally, the dates matched the second weekend of Earls Court shows of 17 previously – we used this as a tag on the advertising posters with the original ‘Zeppelin May Daze’ Melody Maker headline. We also coined the tag line ‘The Celebration Continues..’
It’s incredible to think back in these social media days, that most of the organising of the Convention was done by letter or phone – in fact I spent a considerable amount of time on the phone during the months leading up to it.
We set about working out who could we get on board as a guest speakers. I already had a couple in mind and one of them was Mick Hinton – John Bonham’s drum roadie.
In mid-September 1991, I went on a book tour of radio stations to promote the A Celebration book . The last station we went to was BBC Radio Nottingham. To my surprise, John Bonham’s legendary roadie Mick Hinton was at the station. He had heard a trailer for the show and as he lived locally, decided to come and meet me. I had not seen or heard from him since about 1981 when I saw him in the Swan Song office.
We did the interview together and afterwards, I told him of a plan I had to stage a Led Zeppelin Convention in London and invited him to be a guest speaker.
In February 1992 when I went to interview him for inclusion in the then in progress TBL 7. By then I had decided to use the Convention platform to bring back the TBL magazine – yes issue 7 was going to appear after an eleven year absence.
I based much of the content on it being an update to the A Celebration book. Reaction to the book had been very encouraging. I had a lot of correspondence about the text and it was evident that more information was surfacing about a variety of topics I had presented in the book. So began the task to update each chapter with the additional material I had now amassed. It was this text that formed the bulk of the pages that would evolve during early 1992 as TBL issue 7.
The updated A Celebration chapter text for issue 7 was complemented by a couple of key interviews. One was with the aforementioned Mick. I travelled to Nottingham in Februarys to interview him. During my time with him a fair few cans of Tenants extra strong lager went down during that interview. So much so, that on the way back I slept though the Bedford stop and ended up in London!
I have to say though, that Mr Hinton gave very good copy – his interview was most illuminating and set the tone for many subsequent interviews I would conduct for the TBL magazine.
Mick had also put me back in touch with Phil Carlo – Phil had been road manager for Bad Company and had worked on Zep’s over Europe tour in 1980 where I first met him. He later worked with Jimmy in The Firm and Outrider era. I interviewed Phil on the phone in a lunch break at the Our Price record shop I managed – not the first or final instance of me using the shop as an additional TBL hub! Phil also gave an excellent interview and Andy and I also arranged for him to be another guest speaker at the LZ Convention. By and large, that arrangement worked well.
Mick proved to be a very colourful character at the Convention and went down a storm at the Guest Speaker forum we staged on the Saturday afternoon. However, he was very difficult to deal with – without going into detail (it will all be in the memoirs!), he did cause us some considerable stress with some very unreasonable demands. I can laugh about it now ( though I did anything but on the Saturday morning of the event when he was being particularly aggressive) and in a lot of ways, he did bring the excessive on the road aspect of Zep right to the forefront of the Convention – there’s no doubt a lot of fans found him wonderfully entertaining.
Less controversial, though equally as enlightening were the additions of Melody Maker writers Chris Welch and Chris Charlesworth as guest speakers.
Andy did a great job in co-ordinating the stall holders and we had Brian Knapp and Rick Barrett over from the States – both their stalls were a magnet for fans with a host of rare items on offer. Bob Walker publisher of the Hot Wacks and publications also came over as did author Robert Godwin.
Other stalls included Mark Archer with his excellent UK Zep mag Wearing And Tearing , Andy’s Early Days and Latter Days mag, the TBL stall selling the newly published issue 7, Luis Rey selling his Led Zeppelin Live book, Howard Mylett who had just self published a new Zep photo book From the Archives, Tim Tirelli’s Oh Jimmy fanzine, Omnibus Press with a selection of their Zep titles including my A Celebration book , Diane Bettle’s Nirvana Robert Plant fanzine Richard MacKay’s Yardbirds World, Pink Floyd’s The Amazing Pudding mag and the late Mick Burnett’s Spirit Of Rush mag.
We launched the event at the Victoria Record Fair in March and an advert in Record Collector, initial ticket sales were brisk. It was evident we were attracting fans from around the globe and it was all getting very exciting.
I did keep all the respective management of the former members up to date with what we were doing. I was also in touch with Peter Grant on the phone and there was a possibility that he would make an appearance at some point. In the end this fell through – however he did agree to an interview with me, which took place at his Eastbourne home the next year.
We had some great media support from the likes of Kerrang, Q plus radio coverage on LBC and a fair few other stations.
There was also an official programme written and compiled by Andy and myself and designed and printed by Chris Loydall. I also managed to get the legendary DJ and big Zep supporter Alan Freeman – yes old Fluff himself, to write the intro. He actually rang our house the night before the event to check everything was going well -I was already in London so the good lady Janet answered the phone and we still laugh about how Fluff chatted in his usual over the top manner introducing himself with the classic ”Hello M’Darling” line.
On the merchandising front, we also decided to have a souvenir T shirt which Tim Davies helped design. A bold design white on back – it looked great though we did over order somewhat. After the Convention a fair few lined my loft though eventually we sold them all – notably in Belfast at Simply Led’s 30th anniversary concert at the Ulster Hall. Over the Convention weekend two delightful volunteers helped us man the stall.
It’s worth noting that after some fallow years in the 1980s, Led Zep’s stock at the time was well on the increase. This had been considerably boosted by the 1990 Remasters releases. It wasn’t quite like the level it is now but we knew they were popular enough to create a lot of interest. We were quietly confident we would present something that did justice to their legacy. Andy and I did consider having a tribute band though there were was not many on the circuit then. The issue of a live attraction was duly fulfilled when Deborah Bonham’s management got in touch to say her and her band would love to appear.
This proved to be a crucial addition to the weekend as it brought with it a real credibility to the event. The fact that Deb bought a host of family members along too gave the two days a real Bonham aura – more on that later.
One thing we really wanted to showcase was rare Led Zep film footage. At considerable expense, Andy and I hired a huge screen – all worth it as the rolling footage we showed over the weekend was a huge hit with attendees.
We also premiered some then unseen footage notably the then little seen Tous En Scene 1969 TV appearance and the clip of Jimmy Page performing White Summer in 1970 on the Julie Felix BBC TV show.
Of course these days clips such as these are readily viewed at the click of a YouTube link online, back then they were considered the holy grail amongst fans. We also had a very good cut of the Knebworth August 11 footage,some amazing footage of Jimmy Page performing at the ARMS concert at Cow Palace in 1983 and plenty of cine film – all of which proved to be hugely popular over the two days.
We also decided to stage something of a Zep museum in one of the rooms and Andy and I brought a bulk of our memorabilia to put on show . Gary hired a van to take my stuff down and on the Thursday night and Andy and his mate Laurence plus Gary and myself with help from one or two others set it all up finally finishing around 3am. We also had items donated by Brian Knapp and a few others including a shirt Jimmy wore on the Over Europe 1980 tour and various tour jackets and T.shirts.
I am still immensely proud of how that museum looked – years before any V and A Pink Floyd type exhibition existed, we created something really special in that room as can be seen via the pics. Perhaps naively we did not have any security in the room but happily not a single thing went missing. A testament to the all round peace and love vibe of the weekend.
The Friday launch night went very well with Deb giving a moving speech and a host of radio and TV media types in attendance. Gary Foy will tell the tale oh how a rather lively Mick H threw up behind one of the stalls during the night but hey – it was in the name of the hammer of the gods! We also had the rock DJ’s the late Chris Tetley from Piccadilly Radio and Brian Pithers from Radio 210 to help us out on the PA and with the announcements. An MTV film crew turned up and filmed various interviews for a news piece they ran. There’s some interview clips from this filming on the YouTube clips below.
Looking back, the time and effort to organise everything was just vast – and this was a time where I was managing the Our Price Record shop in Bedford working a good 50 hours a week and at home we had the baby Sam not quite two years old. Somehow, I conjured up the relentless energy, passion and drive to make Celebration Days happen – as did Andy and a few others involved notably Gary Foy. Oh, and I wrote and edited a new TBL magazine to be on sale for May. Mind you I was only 35 years old then
As for the two days – Saturday was a bit of a blur for me -there was so much to contend with and we were often making snap decisions about things that needed to happen. The attendance was very good with about a 1,000 through the doors. The Guest Speaker forum went down really well – Mick Hinton emotionally declaring ”The spirit of John is here today…Bonzo is here…” This had the audience totally captivated.
One thing that was clearly evident was the shared love and passion so many people from all walks of life had for this great band. Celebration Days was the first time I witnessed first hand, the communal spirit to be had amongst like minded enthusiasts – it was not to be the last. It was the point where I realised we did not have to stay confined in our respective Zep dens, getting out and meeting fellow fans and talking about this great passion of ours could make for a great social occasion and as it was usually in a pub, well that made it even better!
Debbie and her band played a great upbeat set on Saturday night and we also had live entertainment from The Force. This was a duo of a guitarist and drummer aged all of 14 performing Zep numbers and they went down a storm – the guitarist Graham Clews was talented beyond his years – I would imagine he is still playing somewhere. His Dad Roger was also a great support over the weekend. Quick update on Graham – he has been in touch after reading this and is indeed still playing and is based around the Birmingham area. Sadly his Dad Roger passed away last year.
Another popular attraction was the staging of an Ultimate Zep Quiz formulated by Mark Harrison and Phil Tattershall. The winner took home the rare 1969 hard backed US tour programme now worth quite a lot on the collectors market. Author and writer Colin Harper presented a ‘Folk Root of Jimmy Page’ forum.
I was absolutely exhausted by the evening and the drinks in the nearby bar (we dubbed it the Bron Yr Aur bar!) were much needed. I have to say Debbie was wonderfully supportive that night keeping Mick Hinton in check and assuring us we were all doing a fantastic job.
Sunday was calmer and more enjoyable for me I did begin to relax and take it all in and spent time with the good lady Janet who had arrived the previous day alongside other friends who had turned up to support the event
Friends -oh yes, track two side one of Led Zep III says it all – like I said, the camaraderie amongst those in attendance was simply joyous. Leading on from that, there’s no doubt many lasting friendships were cemented at that first UK Convention.
I personally met so many people over that weekend who I have kept in touch ever since – I know there will be names I’ve missed here but they included Mark Harrison, Phil Tattershall, Julian Walker, Billy Fletcher and Alison Fletcher , Mark Archer, Graham Glover, Dave Fox, Dave Marsh, Nick Carruthers, Chris Loydall, Peter Mulder, Jan Zondag, Richard Mackay, John Munro, Liz Hames, Robert Godwin, Diane Bettle, Susan Hedrick, Henry Nicholls, David Clayton, Alan Cousins, Steve Way and Peter Chow – to name but a few.
From America, I met Brian Knapp, Rick Barrett, Larry Bergmann jr, Keith Dubrovin, Bonnie Sturgess ,Susan and the late base Hedrick, Jay O Toole and the late Bob Walker.
Working closely with Gary Foy over that weekend also created a real bond between us that 25 years on, shows no sign of waning.
Most of the photos here were taken by Jan and Peter Mulder-Zondag. Back in 1992 they were celebrating their recent marriage and chose to honeymoon in the UK taking in the Convention and many Zep landmarks – so it’s a happy 25tth anniversary to them!
Another aspect of the Convention was the raising of money for charity – this we did via an auction superbly presented by Alan Cousins (black and white pic below via Peter Chow). Amongst the items that went for song was an ordinal felt hat Bonzo wore which if I recall Rick Barrett snapped up. All all proceeds went to the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Centre. A presentation was made to the charity’s Willie Robertson to Andy and myself on the Sunday afternoon.
Talking of which…the event closed with a final set from the Deborah Bonham Band. With Mum Joan and Mick’s son James watching from the side, John’s daughter Zoe guesting on stage and brother Mick on congas this was a real Bonham family affair. When Debbie performed The Old Hyde Farm, the song about the place John had lived at – well what can I say…
Something very spiritual happened in that room – which is quite hard to explain unless you were there. There was not a dry eye amongst us – it was truly one of the most emotional music performances I’ve ever witnessed – 25 years on Deb feels exactly the same as she explained recently when I did an interview with her for TBL. I asked her for her memories of that weekend all of 25 years ago:
”Oh my goodness – where has that gone? Oh gosh, If I think back too much, I well up a bit because something special happened in that room when we played on the Sunday afternoon. Something really special happened and I would like to think that it was the spirt of my brother John. There was something incredibly moving that occurred then. Every single person who was in that room felt it, including my late brother Michael , Zoe, my Mum, Pete – we all left with an incredible feeling.
I look back and I see the photos and Michael on conga drums – he didn’t know I was going to do that do you remember? We just set the congas up and then called him up on stage. It was just an incredible occasion to be amongst so many fans – there was this real spirit of Led Zeppelin being so alive again.”
Debbie’s set ended wth rousing versions of You Shook Me (with Zoe on harmonica) Communication Breakdown and Rock And Roll – the latter had Mick Bonham leading the ”lonely lonely, lonely’ finale. Deb and all her family were up onstage to thank everybody and I remember she took a pic of all the crowd.
When it was time to finally wind down, the feeling was absolutely euphoric. There was lot’s of backslapping, man hugs and hand shakes as we all really felt we had achieved something. The camaraderie amongst fans throughout the weekend is what really made it so incredible.
After that amazing Sunday, we eventually packed everything up. this took into the early hours – Gary, Janet and I and a few others who helped us, all slept underneath the tables. We finally returned to Bedford on the Bank Holiday Monday. It had been a simply exhilarating weekend with many highs and some lows – but overall, I felt a deep sense of fulfilment in what we had achieved.
The following week’s Kerrang issue had a good report of the event – including a pic of me with members of Little Angels. Larry Bergmann did a great piece for the US Zoso Zep mag as did Mark Archer in his Wearing and Tearing mag. I’ve just read Mark’s piece and had to laugh when he noted a pint at the hotel bar was just £1.80!
Financially it was all a bit of a disaster and Andy and I we were both well out of pocket. On a business level, we were somewhat naïve in some of the decisions we took- not least putting up dear old Mick H for the weekend in the hotel. We had a bill for his phone calls that topped £50, though I’m not sure we ever paid it! Of course we were certainly not in it for a pay day but it would have been nice to break even or somewhere near. We did have a plan to make available a Convention video to sell but that idea fell through.
Above everything, what really mattered was that we had created something special and the reaction we had more than confirmed that.
A few days after the Convention, Debbie wrote a very moving thank you note to us on behalf of the Bonham family..
”The Convention was the best! You, Andy and Gary and many others who dedicated so much time to this made a lot of people very happy. For us it seemed that for 48 hours John was alive again I can’t tell you how proud it made my mother and the rest of the family feel For us John has never gone but for me to make a tribute to acknowledge he was the best something I never got to tell him when he was alive was a sheer honour. it has been a pleasure being with and working with such lovely people and to all the many fans that were there who have supported and followed Led Zeppelin to the end..not that there will ever be one,
US attendee and long time TBL contributor in his piece for Zoso magazine summarised it as follows:
”Celebration Days turned out to be a celebration of John Bonham. An event that began with very high hopes and ended in an emotional family celebration that far exceeded anything one could have hoped for or imagined as the proceedings got underway.
The feeling of family unity and sport exemplified by the Bonham’s touched everyone who was in attendance. meeting the Bonham family and seeing their pride and happiness brought me a little closer to the while thing. And it made me even prouder to call myself a Led Zeppelin fan.
Dave and Andy congratulations. You got it right. May 22,23 and 24 truly were Celebration Days. I shall never forget them”
Those words from Deb and Larry really did make it all worthwhile.
Once I was back in the groove at work, I realised that organising this event had taken it’s toll and I needed a bit of a break from it all. In July we had a family holiday in Norfolk with Janet’s Mum and Dad . That break however proved to be short lived because by the autumn, I was planning the next TBL magazine and the introduction of a subscription based TBL offer. 1993 would prove to be full on with the release of the excellent Coverdale Page album, Robert’s superb Fate Of Nations album and tour plus the release of the Zep Boxed Set 2. Ahead, was the reuniting of Jimmy and Robert for the Unledded film and tour – it’s never really stopped since!
In early 1994, Andy informed me he was going to run another Convention at the same venue over two days in May. With a heavy workload of both my job and TBL, I decided not to co- organise it this time. I was involved in the organising alongside an organising party that included Janet Smith, Simon Pallett, Paul Sheppard, Dave Fox, Phil Tattershall and Alan Cousins. I was pretty full on with it all going into the final weeks. Andy did a great job organising it and ‘Dancing Days’ as it was dubbed was another splendid two days. Debbie and Mick Bonham came along again to perform and Jason also made an appearance. In some ways, I enjoyed myself more at this one with not being so full on with the organising and being much freer over the two days.
After that, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Andy ran a fair few Anniversary Daze one day events at the Eastern Monk pub in the centre of London aided by Eddie Edwards and Julian Walker -all very enjoyable and in 2005 Graeme Hutchinson and Gary Davies staged the excellent Zep Express Convention at the Roadmender venue in Northampton. There were also memorable Zep fan gathering events in Crewe, Stourbridge and Liverpool.
As good as these gatherings were, there was something uniquely special about that first UK Convention of 25 years ago.
Could it be done again? That’s something I’ve often been asked – I think a two day event would be very ambitious. A one day event? Well yes, that could happen. I’m not sure that I have the time to lead it (I’m 60 you know!) but I would certainly be happy to a part of it.
Over that weekend back in 1992, it felt like we were in unchartered waters – there had never been a coming together of like minded fans quite like this before and certainly not in the UK. I look back on it with immense pride – I know Andy does too and looking at the photos always brings a smile.
They were the first Celebration Days – and very precious ones indeed with lasting memories and friendships. The celebration really did continue.
Sadly, some of those who were celebrating with us on that glorious weekend back in May 1992 are now departed…
I’d therefore like to dedicate this piece to Howard Mylett, Mick Hinton, Bob Walker, Base Hedrick, Paul Kelvie, Mick Burnett, Chris Tetley, Roger Clews and Joan and Michael Bonham.
Dave Lewis – May 23, 2017
Andy’s words.. .
Andy and I have kept in touch over the years – he is still very active on the Zep scene and his enthusiasm remains an inspiration to me and many other Zep fans. Here’s a pic of Andy and I with Eddie Edwards at the HMV Led Zeppelin first three reissues launch in London May 24, 2014.
Andy has a fantastic blog – check it out at:
http://tobear0ck.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/led-zeppelin-heartbreaker.html?spref=fb
I was in touch with him this week and asked him for his views on it all 25 years on…over to Andy..
CELEBRATION DAYS
25 years. It seems a moment ago, yet also a lifetime. As this particular anniversary of that special anniversary is upon us, so many memories and moments come into my mind.
The kernel of the idea became serious in 1991. After deciding against an offer from Phil of P & J Fairs to hold an ‘event’ in a side room at his London Victoria Record Fair, it was obvious something much bigger and dare I say it grander. It was at that point I spoke to Dave and we hatched our plans. The Royal National was the third such venue to be looked at, and despite being way over what budget we were originally thinking, was the one. We knew straight away.
As we hit 1992, everything became more frenzied, and really was a blur. After getting our initial framework and some incredible feedback and offers of help from so many of our friends in the Zeppelin ‘community’, we launched in March with a half page advert in Record Collector, mailshots and a stand at the Victoria Record Fair where ticket sales began. From then on it was all systems go, we knew there was no turning back!
And now I just think of those magical moments. Collecting some incredible vinyl and memorabilia for our ‘museum’ room. We arrived two days before and began the set up. Watching the museum take shape was mind boggling, seeing all these wonderful items together was a bit surreal – Jimmy’s Over Europe 80 black shirt, The Final option, 1st album US White Label, UK 7” promo’s, acetates, a wall of live CD’s, Tour Programmes, Physical Graffiti alternative artwork, pressings from Turkey, Angola, eight tracks, T Shirts…… The road goes ever on!
I’ll always remember my pride in fans young and old, new and ‘vintage’ staring in wonder as they wandered through, suddenly stopping and focusing on something that they’d never seen. Never forget shooting the breeze on the Friday with a very excited Howard Mylett. They’re the moments that made it unique.
We launched to the media on Friday, and stunned one and all with the recently surfaced film of Paris ’69 and our own ‘trump card’ the Julie Felix Show BBC clip. It set the tone perfectly and I remember feeling a mixture of excitement, exhaustion (we’d all been up for over 60 hurs by then!) and joy.
But the ‘things’ aren’t the real memories for me. It’s the fans. Us. It was – as Robert said back in ’79 – ‘a communion with the English folk’, and much more besides. Meeting friends old and new, people who were just names on an envelope or voices over the phone. The Zeppelin Community indeed.
We had wonderful guest speakers, Mick Hinton was a character and more than a handful. Chris Charlesworth was a gentleman, and wonderfully erudite too. Dear old Phil Tattershall and Mark Harrison devised a quiz ‘A Question of Zep’ for some light relief and gentle competition. Dave and Gary recreated the Jimmy-Robert twin neck/tambourine poster pose. Dardo! Peter & Jan. And perhaps most of all the Bonham family. Mick was a wonderful raconteur, regaling tales of playing the whistle on Fool In The Rain and many ‘at home’ stories about John ‘our kid’ as he affectionately called him. Debbie and Zoe were lovely too, and so full of pride and as amazed at the atmosphere as we all were. Joan, John’s Mum was terrific, and again so proud. The moment when Joan watched from the side of the stage as Debbie sang ‘Old Hyde Farm’ to a packed house was electric.
There are so many more memories that keep jumping into my head as I write this. All of the friends, co-conspirators as Luis Rey would say, who helped so much and helped bring it all together. And all of the new friends we all made that are with us to this day, even those that are sadly no longer here. It was a beautiful time, almost a religious experience, and I’m so proud of everything Dave and I achieved 25 years ago, with MORE than a little help from our friends. Whatever has happened in the last 25 years and whatever happens over the next, there’ll always be a little piece of Celebration Days in my heart and mind.
Thank YOU ALL for making it happen
Andy Adams
May 23rd, 2017.
25 Years Gone
Thanks Andy for those final thoughts of a memorable time a quarter of a century ago…I really wish we could go through it all again because it really was one of the most amazing experiences of my life…
DL
POSTSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 15, 2021:
I came across this photo which was taken in September 1992 when a bunch of us returned to the Royal National Hotel for a bit of mini reunion -pictured here amongst others are Andy, myself, Gary Foy, Liz Hames, Diane Bettle, Alan Cousins, Tim Davies, Dave Linden and Graham Clews.
How poignant that all reads this week in the light of current events…and how thankful I am to have shared that incredible experience with dear Andy….
Booked On Rock Podcast with Eric Senich – Dave Lewis and Mike Tremaglio talk about the Evenings With Led Zeppelin Revised & Expanded Edition and the Led Zeppelin legacy.
Mike and I have recorded a lengthy podcast for Booked On Rock. The very knowledgeable Eric Senich conducted this with us over two recording stints – Saturday August 28 and again on Saturday September 11. We had to curtail the first one when the news of Andy Adams very sad passing came though literally as we were recording.
Over 110 minutes, Mike and I wax lyrical over how the revised and expanded Evenings With Led Zeppelin book came together: the sources, the inspirations, what it means to us and our thoughts on the Zep legacy. Along the way we touch on the bootlegs, Zep’s concert history and much more. There’s of course mention of Andy and his achievements ( from 78 mins) and we would like to dedicate this podcast to his memory.
Here’s the link to listen to it:
https://www.spreaker.com/user/discoveryeric/episode-23-dave-lewis-mike-tremaglio-eve
and also on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX9s0MiFZEM
………..
Evenings With Led Zeppelin Revised & Updated Edition: Update…
The book is out in the UK now and due out in the US at the end of the month.
Here’s the ordering links:
TBL limited Edition UK only: Some copies remaining but get in quick
Amazon UK:
The book is now readily available in the UK
Amazon US:
US publication has gone back slightly to the end of September
So get ready for yet more Evenings With Led Zeppelin….let me know what you think…
Here’s some initial feedback…
Congratulations on making the best book on Led Zeppelin even better – a bible for Zeppaholics…
Tom Cory
Another great work
Gary Holroyd
This revised edition has landed and it’s an amazing read . Well worth the cost considering the amount of detail , knowledge and many hours that must have been dedicated towards its publication. It’s by far the best ever Zeppelin book on the market.
Chris Richardson
Dave Lewis – September 15, 2021.
John Bonham celebrations for Saturday September 25:
John Bonham Celebration Event Details…
JOHN BONHAM A CELEBRATION II FESTIVAL 2021
A one-day Rock and Blues event celebrating the life of John Henry Bonham takes place on Saturday 25th September in Redditch town centre, Bonzo’s hometown
Tickets for the shows are now on sale via the link below:
https://www.johnbonhamac.com/tickets/4594601296
or the Palace Theatre Box Office on 01527 65203.
LZ News:
For all the latest Zep and related news check out the Led Zeppelin news website at;
It was 50 years ago…
TBL Archive:
50 years ago on September 13 and 14,1971 Led Zeppelin performed two shows at the Berkeley Theatre in California/ Thankfully both these shows were captured by fans in attendance and have appeared on various bootleg releases.
Here’s something I wrote about the Berkeley Days The Second Night double album when it surfaced by in 2017…
BERKELEY DAYS THE 2ND NIGHT (CASINO RECORDS ENTERTAINMENT)
Here’s my thoughts on the recently released on vinyl Berkeley Daze 2nd Night double album…
Berkeley Daze – 2nd night: Yet Another Very Stoney 1971 evening…
Dave Lewis welcomes a vinyl reissue of an old bootleg favourite…
I’ve been collecting bootleg recordings of Led Zeppelin since I was 15. It remains a great passion.
In recent years, the market has been somewhat saturated with upgrades and reissues. I try to keep on top of the CD releases though I have long since dropped out of buying the really high end expensive packages that emerge – however, if it’s something previously unheard, I obviously check that out.
As many of you reading this will be aware, my overall collecting focus has switched to vinyl in recent years, I am therefore very interested in any Zep vinyl bootleg package. However, they have not been too well served in the modern area. Zep Vinyl packages have been fairly random – both in terms of track listing and packaging. It probably does not help that to capture a whole Zep show – the CD format has clear benefits over vinyl.
There have been some worthwhile releases – such as the admirable box sets from Virgin Vinyl stable presenting the Royal Albert Hall 1970 show and the Seattle March 17 1975 show. Also of note is the Fab Four Liverpool January 14 1973 box set, the Southampton ‘73 soundboard across a double set and the ‘Bob Presents’ white vinyl pressing of the Fillmore West January 9 1069 recording. Too often though, the song choices are randomly presented on a single disc such as Touch And Go which mixes performances from Toronto September 4 1971 BBC ’69 and Brussels ’75 and Teddy Bears Picnic, which has highlights of the Newcastle November 11, 1971 show.
When I heard that Led Zeppelin – Berkeley Daze 2nd Night – a new double vinyl presentation of the famous, nay brilliant, September 14 1971 Berkeley Community Theatre show was on the way, my hopes were definitely raised.
This is of course the recording immortalised way back as the seminal legendary Going To California TMQ bootleg. That particular double album on coloured vinyl first came into my life on Friday January 19, 1973 – these dates were important ones and all logged in the dairy so I know these things!
Following on from Live On Blueberry Hill which I had got in late ‘72, it was another revelation and upped my own enthusiasm for Zep bootlegs manifold.
Fast forward 43 years, on a similar cold Friday (February 10) and I took receipt of a new pressing of this fabled September 14 1971 show on the Casino Records Entertainment label in a limited edition of 400.
Boy, was I keen to get intimate again with a live recording that has been part of my Zep DNA for four decades.
So what we have here is a vinyl edition repackage onto vinyl of the CD set that came out via Godfather Records.
The first indication that this label means business is the packaging. An impressive heavyweight cardboard double fold out sleeve with full colour inners.
There’s accompanying explanatory sleeve notes about the recording of the show by one Paul De Luxe. The photos deployed on the inner sleeves are mostly 1971 period shots from the US tour and Empire Pool Wembley gig. There are two pleasing group shots from the autumn 1971 photo session that has them holding drinks and smoking – Page in the Zoso jumper.
Unfortunately, the 1971 mood is spoiled slightly by the dropping in of a colour shot of John Bonham from the 1977 US tour.
Overall though, a sturdy well thought out sleeve package and the records themselves are on 180 gram coloured yellow vinyl – individually numbered in a run of just 400. All very pleasing to look at.
In the very informative sleeve notes Paul reveals the story that the original tapes of this show were disposed of – as he explains ”Having been lost in a fire, or even thown in the pacific ocean out of paranoia by the person who ran a bootleg label and was scared of an FBI raid’’. The bootleg release was overseen by the famous Dub of TMOQ. It’s likely he got the tapes from the original taper and then released them in early 1973. The fact they came out some two years after the show took place, hints that Dub did not tape them himself – his policy was to release any show he had taped as soon after the gig as he could manage.
It’s well worth noting that TMOQ also presented another bootleg from the same time and venue era – and very likely taped by the same guy that did the Zep show. This was a performance by David Crosby and Graham Nash at the Berkeley Community Theatre a month after the Zep visit on October 15 1971. It’s reported to have the same sound resonance and similar slight cuts as the Zep recording.
The Crosby & Nash bootleg album came out on the Trade Mark of Quality label under the title A Very Stoney Evening. It was issued in February 1973 – with a catalogue number of TMQ 72005 – the next inline after Going To California which is TMQ 72004.
I recently searched out the original mail order listing I received in late 1972 – the very listing I used to order Going To California – and sure enough under ‘New Discs’, it lists both the Zep and Crosby & Nash titles. Looking back I dearly wish I had ordered both as the Crosby & Nash album has gone on to be a celebrated notable bootleg release.
In fact due recognition was paid to it when in 1997 the Grateful Dead label officially issued an excellent multi track soundboard Crosby & Nash concert recorded at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, on October 10 ,1971, a mere five days before the bootlegged Berkeley show.
This official release (which I purchased when it came out on CD in 1997 – and I’ve recently acquired the superb double vinyl pressing)) went out under the title Another Stoney Evening – and as the sleeve notes explained ‘’The title of this release is producer Stephen Barncard tip of the hat to A Very Stoney Evening the celebrated bootleg of another inspired date on the tour released on the legendary Trade Mark Of Quality label.’’
Back to Led Zeppelin Berkeley Daze the 2nd Night and the music contained therein:
Well, put simply, what’s not to like?
For a start, this is one of those audience recordings that simply crackles with excitement. Slightly toppy but completely authentic – if a soundboard was to emerge of this night though much welcomed, it would be hard pushed to capture the sheer electricity of what was picked up by the enterprising fan who recorded this amazing show.
And amazing it is, right from the moment they kick in with Immigrant Song. One thing is for sure – Robert Plant’s vocal are at something of a career high – so flexible so confident so utterly self assured – he is literally inventing the rock god model with every song. The echo on his voice is also a sheer delight – none more so effective than on Heartbreaker.
On this track there’s that sudden shift of the sound to stereo just as they hit the line ‘’Amy’s back in town’’ and then Thwack!
Now we really are on a winner. Jimmy is captured right up front just ahead of JPJ’s bass – as for John Bonham, rarely has that Ludwig kit been so well captured from the audience. His snare drum resonates so decisively –it drives the whole thing on at a frantic pace. The entire set showcases the often wild but perfectly honed interplay between Bonzo, JPJ and Jimmy. The solo on Heartbreaker has that delightful run through 59th Street Bridge Song and Bouree – an amazingly fluid piece of guitar mastery.
‘’You should have come last night – last night there were several bowler hatted beatniks’’ . I’m not the only one I’m sure who can recite Plant’s inter song patter on this double set at will…
Since I’ve Been Loving You does have a cut at the intro but no matter as it soon flows with an assured authority and when Jimmy hits the strings for the solo..phew …we are talking Electric Magic here big time.
Black Dog has that Out On The Tiles intro, back in January 1973 that was still fresh in my memory having seen it played live just four weeks previous on stage at Ally Pally. John Bonham is a powerhouse of immense percussive skill throughout this fantastic delivery.
‘’There was a pollution alert today and I lost my voice. Here’s one from millions of years ago.’’
Incredibly it was only two years ago that they were romping through a mere seven minutes of the early anthem that is Dazed And Confused. By 1971 it had extended manifold and this twenty minute onslaught is a perfect example of how well crafted this number had become. There’s a great moment when Plant comes in with those ‘’I’m so glad I’m living in the USA’’ lines.
Side three presents the more acoustic side of Led Zep commencing with a slightly tentative rendering of Stairway To Heaven – tentative but sensitive and warmly received by the audience. There’s also another evocative Plant ad lib witness – ‘’You are the home of the children of the sun.’’
That’s The Way follows, the clarity of the audience tape captures JPJ’s mandolin sound perfectly and it supplements Jimmy’s acoustic picking. Robert is again totally immersed in the song living the lines ‘’why doesn’t everybody cry?’’
The tuning up prior to them easing into Going To California (”a sitting down song”) is another off the cuff highlight
Over on side four, the amps are back up to ten for a bruising compelling Whole Lotta Love. Jimmy teases the riff and you can clearly hear him on backing vocals on the chorus. Then it’s all manner of delightful medley fun: Let That Boy Boogie, the double early 60s throwback wammy of Rick Nelson’s Hello Mary Lou and Elvis’ Mess of Blues and on into a complete rendition of You Shook Me and back to the finale.
‘’Goodnight – thank you!’’
Goodnight – thank them…
Now it’s no secret that I am something of a 1975 man when it comes to loving Zep live, however my second favourite era is 1971. This double album is a prime example of the sheer exuberance of the band at that time. Jimmy remarked that the audiences on these Berkeley nights were quiet sedate – though you would never really know it.
Some afterthoughts:
Being at the helm of all things TBL, the world of Led Zeppelin revolves for pretty much most of my waking hours. Keeping on top of all the social media demands, answering emails, regularly updating the TBL website, receiving packing and distributing orders (on my bike!) Writing TBL content, working on book projects, etc. – it really is never a dull moment…
Within all that, it would be easy to lose sight of what attracted me to this thing in the first place – which is of course the music. I always make a dedicated effort to not let that happen by frequently spinning fave LP’s and CDs. When something new comes around – particular on vinyl, I still have the hunger and passion to get immersed in it all again.
The arrival of this new double album has more than justified that belief. It’s been a wonderful reminder of the initial ingredients that sparked my insatiable appetite for this remarkable music.
The studio albums, brilliant as they are, were just the starting point.
Unconstrained by the limitations of a mere two sides of vinyl playing time, on stage night after night is where they really came into their own. Their creative juices were ever overflowing. Those evenings with Led Zeppelin were special…and no more so than this September night back in 1971.
It’s been the perfect inspiration as I get down to some intensive work with designer Mick Lowe on the book I am co- authoring with Mike Tremaglio which will chronicle the heritage of those 500+ evenings with Led Zeppelin
On Berkeley Daze and many other nights, Led Zeppelin really were something special.
This double album is more conclusive proof.
I love both the Soundtrack to The Song Remains The Same and How The West Was Won, but in my opinion ( and many others), some of their best live albums remain unofficial – and Berkeley Daze 2nd Night is truly one of the best….
400 lucky recipients of this double album are in for yet another very stoney 1971 evening…
Dave Lewis, February 2017.
Postscript September 14,2021 :
I’ve just played the album and it sounded every bit as impressive as it did four years back -it really is one of the all time great Led Zeppelin performances.
DL
Jimi Hendrix Remembered – 51 years gone…
I can remember exactly where I was when the news of Jimi Hendrix death came through on September 18, 197 – 50 years ago today. I was listening to the Tommy Vance Friday What’s New programme as I did most Fridays back then eager to hear the latest single releases. Around 5pm the announcement was made on the BBC Radio One news and Tommy went on to provide a fitting tribute to the guitar legend noting the inconsistencies of his performances over the past year.
Across the water the next day Led Zeppelin were performing two shows at Madison Square Garden and Robert Plant paid his respects in the evening show.
”Before we go any further …yesterday a rather uncomfortable thing happened for everybody and a great loss for the music world…and we’d like to think that you as well as us are very sorry that Jimi Hendrix went. I spoke to a close friend of his about half an hour ago and he said probably he would have preferred everybody to get on and have a good time rather than talk about it. So we’d like to get on and try and make everybody happy”.
I’m just listening to that extract of that speech on the bootleg of the evening show I have titled Shout That Loud. They go on to do an absolute steller version of That’s The Way with Plant’s vocals sounding absolutely incredible. ‘’I wonder how we’re gonna tell you’’ he sings slightly changing the lyrics. Behind him Jimmy strums away sweetly and JPJ adds mandolin totally complimenting the mood. That’s The Way performed by Led Zeppelin one day after the death of Jimi Hendrix is an awesome performance. They were on fire during that sixth US tour – you can read Mike Tremaglio’s tour log of that exciting summer of ‘70 period in the forthcoming TBL.
I also know exactly where I was on the sixth anniversary of Jimi Hendrix death in 1976. That was the day we were pitched up in Hyde Park ready to watch the free concert featuring Queen. One of the flags in the crowd that day proclaimed ‘’Jimi Hendrix Died 18 Sept 1970”. The pic here of the flag was taken by my very good friend Dec.
I had a real Hendrix fascination around 1972-3 and brought a fair few of his albums. I went to see the Joe Boyd documentary film in London and loved the soundtrack. Have to say haven’t really played much Hendrix for a good while but Ill be picking out a few choice Jimi faves, including the excellent Hendrix In The West live album in tribute to this 50th anniversary of his passing
Marc Bolan remembered – 44 years gone…
Wednesday September 16 marked the 44th anniversary of the passing of Marc Bolan. Another of my all time heroes and one of the naturally great looking rock stars. Every Marc/T.Rex single of the early 70s was an event and they still sound so fresh. Here’s a pic of Marc with Robert Plant circa 1976. I think this was taken backstage at the Cardiff Rock Festival.
Marc Bolan was the epitome of the word STAR – when I was a great coat wearing Zep head age 15, amongst all the teenyboppers Marc Bolan and T. Rex were still cool. His album Electric Warrior is amongst my all time favourites and his singles such as Telegram Sam, Metal Guru,Children Of The Revolution, 20th Century Boy etc always inspire great 1970s memories. He was a wizard and a true star and his light shines ever brightly…
DL Diary Blog Update:
Saturday September 11:
Remembering 9/11…20 years gone…
The TBL website page on Tuesday September 11 2001…
TBL website founder and then admin man Dave Linwood poignantly changed the TBL website colour from green to black and posted this message …
20 years on we are still thinking of you….
Saturday September 11:
So incredibly moving…Bruce Springsteen performing I’ll See You in My Dreams
Saturday September 11:
What a moment for Emma Raducanu …amazing…watching this was just incredible..
Monday September 13:
I’ve been feeling a bit low and anxious these past few days for various reasons – and talking about Andy on the Evenings With Led Zeppelin podcast Mike and I did on Saturday night was tough…
So an invitation from my very good friend and fellow record collecting comrade Steve to join him on a trip Revolution Records in Stevenage earlier today was a tonic.
This is the first time I’ve been to this excellent shop – and I was well pleased to find a US pressing of the Rod Stewart Never A Dull Moment album on the Mercury label.
Pic here with Steve and the shop owner Brian – note the framed Zep at Knebworth flyer on the wall….
To quote Nick Hornby ‘’Record shops won’t save your life but they can give you a better one’’
Thanks Steve…
Update here:
As mentioned above I’ve been struggling again with anxiety and depression for various reasons. It was a weekend of high emotion with the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks which was profoundly moving and prompted many a memory of that period. I wasn’t in the greatest headspace going into the podcast that Mike and I did for the Booked On Rock but Mike and host Eric were really inspiring. Like all of us, we are living under the constant concern of Covid and the plans laid out by the government this week for the coming months highlight the difficulties ahead.
There are choices to be made in doing the things we once used to take for granted but now can feel fearful about -and we also have the worry of Janet’s situation with her leg which continues to be troublesome. Anything we plan to do often seems like wading through fog and that brings on anxious feelings that can then lead to a lack of self esteem.
There is a lot going on right now and I need to dig deep to get in a better frame of mind – there is of course much support from those close to us for which we are very thankful.
There is as ever, much musical inspiration to be had with the Led Zepelin Going To California bootleg (one of Andy’s favourites), the new David Crosby album For Free providing much needed musical respite here…
Thanks for listening – stay safe and well you very lovely people…
Dave Lewis – September 15, 2021
TBL website updates written and compiled by Dave Lewis
Follow TBL/DL on Facebook:
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...
Leave your response!