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 attraction. Always inventive and with a brilliant ear for production values, Jimmy Page is the epitome of the phrase ‘’Tight But Loose’’ that he coined to describe Led Zeppelin’s music.

‘’Less solos?’’ he once questioned when quizzed about the lack of guitar heroics on the Walking Into Clarksdale album. ‘’I guess it depends whether you think of a song as an excuse to play a solo at some point, or as a journey you travel on with the guitar’’

During the past two years, he has unlocked the Zep archive to bring us yet more delights and remastered the catalogue with a diligence that has further enhanced his reputation as the sonic architect and master studio producer.

I mentioned last week there has been plenty of positive talk from the man himself that he will be out there playing –  and there are plenty of sceptics out there who will believe it when they see it…. as I’ve noted before, as far I am concerned the man owes us nothing.

I personally believe something special is going to happen ahead that will put Jimmy Page right back in the forefront of contemporary music…

To mark his birthday, below is a round up of 25 examples of his genius that have emerged on the Companion Discs that have accompanied the Led Zeppelin reissues.

More moments of guitar artistry to marvel at and yet more reasons why for me, and countless thousands of fans the world over, Jimmy Page remains (as that flag out in that field near Stevenage once proclaimed) the true Lord of the strings….

Long may he reign…

Dave Lewis  – January 7, 2016.

Photo above by Jim Bennett

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25 key Jimmy Page Performances from the Led Zeppelin Companion Disc Reissues:

Play them today and all weekend!

Sugar Mama (Alternate mix from the Companion Disc to Coda)

Clock the genius at: 2 minutes and 23 seconds to the close at 2.50 as Jimmy chugs his way on off down the highway.

I Cant Quit You Baby (From the Live In Paris Companion Disc to Led Zeppelin 1)

Clock the genius at: 3 minutes 12 and that amazingly fluid solo run.

How Many More Times (From the Live In Paris Companion Disc to Led Zeppelin 1)

Clock the genius at: 6 mins 40 as he goes into the Whole Lotta Love riff behind the Oh Rosie section, then adds some slashing chords into The Hunter.

La La (Intro/outro rough mix – from Companion Disc to Led Zeppelin II)

Clock the genius at: 0.52 and the arrival of the acoustic motif and then into a scintillating riff part behind Bonzo’s drum fill.

Livin Lovin Maid  (Backing track from the Companion Disc to Led Zeppelin II)

Clock the genius at: 1.07 as he comes out of the pause and then slams into the chorus.

Bring It On Home (Rough mix from the Companion Disc to Coda)

Clock the genius at: 00 – 0.35 and that chaotic opening as Jimmy battles with the riff against Robert’s harmonica wailings.

Were Gonna Groove (Alternate mix from the Companion Disc to Coda)

Clock the genius at: 1.16 through to 1.50 as he applies all manner of slashing chord effects.

Since I’ve Been Loving You (Rough mix of first recording from the Companion Disc to Led Zeppelin III)

Clock the genius at: from 00.1 to 1.11 -marvel at the sheer subtlety of this intro.

Jennings Farm Blues (Rough mix from the Companion Disc to Led Zeppelin III)

Clock the genius at: 3.22 as the overdubs and riffs take it all off into another tangent within a framework.

Poor Tom (instrumental mix form the companion disc to Coda)

Clock the genius at: 0.14 through to 0.36 as the acoustic guitar overtones kick in.

St Tristens Sword (rough mix from the companion disc to Coda) 

Clock the genius at: From 3.12 to the close at 5.41 where he overlays a very James Burtonesque solo.

Going To California (Mandolin/guitar mix from the Companion Disc Led Zeppelin IV)

Clock the genius at: 2.57 as acoustic guitars and mandolin merge for the outro.

If It keeps On Raining/When The Levee Breaks (rough mix from the Companion Disc to Coda)

Clock the genius at: 3.10 to 3.50 as he scrubs out what will later be a chiming fanfare.

When the Levee Breaks (Alternate UK mix from the Companion Disc to Led Zeppelin IV)

Clock the genius at: And talking of which – at 2.06 the arrival of a fanfare crescendo of chiming guitars.

The Song Remains The Same (Guitar overdub reference mix from the Companion Disc to Houses Of The Holy)

Clock the genius at:0.57 as the multi overdubbing shines through brightly – dazzlingly so.

Over The Hills And Far Away (Guitar mix backing track from the Companion Disc to Houses Of The Holy)

Clock the genius at: 3.55 as the acoustic coda adds an alternate spin on a familiar ending.

Walters Walk (Rough mix from the Companion Disc to Coda)

Clock the genius at: That riff as it kicks in for the final time from 2.17 to the fade at 3.19

Desire/The Wanton Song (Rough mix from the Companion Disc to Coda)

Clock the genius at: 2.29 to 3.01 as he lays down the rhythmic base for which he will later overdub the solo.

Sick Again (Early version from the Companion Disc to Physical Graffiti)

Clock the genius at: from 0.48 though to 0.56 as that descending chord sequence merges with a zip across the speakers.

Brandy and Coke/Trampled Underfoot (Initial rough mix from the Companion Disc to Physical Graffiti)

Clock the genius at: 2.13 to 3.00 as he holds down an incessant riff for JPJ to build his clavinet solo around – further guitar embellishments would follow for the released version.

Everybody Makes It Through/In the Light (early version/in transit from the Companion Disc to Physical Graffiti)

Clock the genius at: 5.14 to the close at 6.27 – more foundations for the guitar army to be constructed around.

Two Ones Are One/Achilles Last Stand (Reference mix of work in progress from the Companion Disc to Presence)

Clock the genius at: The entry of that first string bending solo that stretches 3.44 through to 6.15 – utterly magnificent.

10 Ribs & All/Carrot Pod Pod (Pod) (Reference mix of work in progress from the Companion Disc to Presence)

Clock the genius at:1.27 when he delicately enters proceedings with John Bonham. Poignant…

In The Evening (Rough mix of work in progress from the Companion Disc to In Through The Out Door)

Clock the genius at:The crunch of the solo at 3.46 and on into the pastoral JPJ led keyboard sequence. Just glorious.

Blot/I’m Gonna Crawl (Rough mix of work in progress from the companion disc to In Through The Out Door)

Clock the genius at: At 2.40 where Robert’s cry of ”hit me” leads into a solo that winds up at 3.02 having twisted and turned in all the right places.

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Happy Birthday Jimmy from all of us to you…

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Richard Cole: Happy 70th Birthday:

A belated happy birthday to Richard Cole 70 last Saturday – the legendry tour manager who always got Led Zeppelin from A to B…

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Led Zeppelin News Weekly Update:

In conjunction with the Led Zep news site, each week I will be re producing their weekly email update news summary.  This goes out every Sunday. Sign up details are below. Many thanks to James Cook.

Led Zeppelin

• BBC Radio 6 Music broadcast Led Zeppelin’s June 27, 1969 show. It included longer versions of songs and cut tracks that were not included on the “BBC Sessions” release. It can be listened to here on BBC iPlayer Radio.

• Led Zeppelin magazine Tight But Loose has published its review of the year. There’s been a whole lotta Led Zeppelin news.

• LedZepFilm released an improved sync of Led Zeppelin’s March 26, 1973 France show. The new footage emerged on December 26, and LedZepFilm has released a new version of the video with a more accurate audio sync. Watch it here.

Jimmy Page

BBC Radio 2 host Johnnie Walker and Jimmy Page (BBC Radio 2)

• The BBC aired a lengthy radio interview with Jimmy Page on December 30. He talked to BBC Radio 2 host Johnnie Walker about his career. Page says that his plan to create a band with John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham following Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion “imploded.” Listen to the interview here. There’s one photo of Page and Walker above, and you can see another photo of them here.

• A new photograph has been published of Boleskine House following the fire that destroyed between 60% and 70% of the main house. The owners of the property are said to be “totally distraught.”Jimmy Page’s Facebook and Twitter accounts paid tribute to Motörhead singer Lemmy, who died on December 28.

Upcoming events:

January 31 – Robert Plant will perform at a tribute concert to Bert Jansch in Glasgow.
February 1 – Robert Plant will again perform at a tribute concert to Bert Jansch in Glasgow.
February 12 – “Né So,” the new album by Rokia Traoré that features John Paul Jones, is released.
March 4 – The charity album “The Long Road” (which contains a new Robert Plant song) is released.
March 4/5/6 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters perform at the Okeechobee music festival in Florida.
April 8 – A vinyl reissue of Jimmy Page’s solo single “She Just Satisfies” will be released.

Led Zeppelin News email goes out today. To receive it each week sign up here: https://t.co/yp9fGJMSGH

Follow Led Zeppelin News on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr to stay up to date on news as it happens

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This one via Bristol Post:

Bristol bands could get free rehearsal and recording time through Robert Plant supported scheme:

Factory Studios in Barton Hill are working alongside Mighty Atom Smasher Records (MAS Records) on a non-profit music development programme.

It will see bands, aged between 16 and 18, receive around £3,000 of free services including rehearsal and professional recording time, mentoring, help in promotion, finding gigs and setting up tours.

Studio owner Leon Curry said Factory Studios had already 22 bands in Bristol gain access to the government funded educational program, which runs annually.

“It is a fantastic scheme and really beneficial to young musicians,” he added.

Funding for equipment is also available for low-income families and the scheme is open to musicians of all abilities.

Musicians can be students, unemployed, work full or part time or be semi-professional.

Kevyn Gammond (ex-Band of Joy), Robert Plant (ex-Led Zeppelin) and Karl Hyde (Underworld) are the programme’s patron.

Auditions will be held on the week commencing January 25, this year at Factory Studios. Anyone interested can contact Factory Studios on 0117 9525655 or info@factorystudios.co.uk.

Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-bands-free-rehearsal-recording-time/story-28467665-detail/story.html#ixzz3wW3SXVBc Follow us: @BristolPost on Twitter | bristolpost on Facebook

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Lemmy Funeral to be webcast live:

Many thanks for all the feedback regarding the Lemmy tribute posed last week. Long time TBL supporter Dave Fox has been in touch – Dave is another ardent fan devastated by the sad news of Lemmy’s passing. He has followed every Motorhead tour from November 1978 through to Wembley last year.

Here are the Lemmy funeral details via Classic Rock: 

Lemmy’s funeral will be webcast live on Saturday, so that fans all over the world can pay their respects as the Motorhead icon is laid to rest.

http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2016-01-06/lemmy-motorhead-funeral-to-be-webcast

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Boot Led Zeppelin Hornchurch showcase gig:

Raff Achour from the excellent UK tribute band Boot Led Zeppelin has been in touch to inform of an upcoming showcase gig

We are doing a big show at the Queens Theatre in Hornchurch on January 15.

This is definitely going to be our biggest show to date from a production point of view.

It will feature iconic Zeppelin effects like:

–          The laser Pyramid.

–          Smoke, low fog and pyrotechnics

–          Screen projections, inspired by the ones at the O2 arena in 2007.

 The venue is a 500 capacity theatre and is near sold out. We will be professionally filming and recording the show

Ticket details here: http://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/show/827/boot-led-zeppelin

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Pleasing news:

This one via Classic Rock:

British retail music industry grew for 1st time in more than 10 years in 2015…

http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2016-01-06/streaming-and-vinyl-behind-rise-in-music-profits

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DL Diary Blog Update:

We had a fairly quiet New Years Eve here at home – on New Years Day I did venture out to catch up with my good friend Alan Stutz who was down from Newcastle – Alan was an early purchaser of the TBL mag back in 1979 when he lived in Bedford.

It’s been an intensive week of planning ahead for the TBL 2016 campaign. This has includeed planning the content for the next TBL magazine and communication with Mike Tremaglio as the attention turns to the Evening With Led Zeppelin book project ahead. Overall, there’s a fair few TBL initiatives to get underway and I’ll have an update on all this soon.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the documentary When Albums Ruled The World aired on BBC 4 this week. A perceptive history of how the album format dominated the music industry in the 1960s and 70s. Therefore it was right up my street.

This overview did not miss a trick noting the Dylan/Beatles album explosion in the 60s and the impact of  Sgt Pepper – and then proclaiming Led Zeppelin’s dominance of the format in the 70s – this included some excellent input from long time Zep associate Phil Carson who told the story of how he tried in vain to get Whole Lotta Love released as a UK single and how a few thousand ended up in Manchester (and pleasingly one eventually came my way!)

Hendrix sprawling studio work, how Miles Davis taped in to the rock buying public with Bitches Brew, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder taking Motown away from the singles market and into the album chart –  Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Prog and Punk. All this was  documented with much insight and input from the likes of Bob Harris and Mick Wall.

Catch it on BBC iPlayer here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qhn70

It’s been great to catch up with some recent Christmas acquisitions notably the Bob Dylan The Cutting Edge 1965 – 1966 (thanks Paul H for even more of this!) and the superb David Bowie Five Years set.

Zep wise, a wade though the Led Zep Companion Discs to select the choices for the Jimmy Page birthday listing above has been most enjoyable. As was the compiling of the John Paul Jones at 70 birthday listing – many thanks to Richard Grubb for his input on that one.

A bit of a sort out around the TBL hub brought to my attention various LPs and CDs I had been meaning to give attention to – plans of which got somewhat waylaid in the TBL 40 mail out and Christmas activity.

So here’s the DL January Must Play top 20 listing (in no particular order)  – this little lot will considerably brighten up January and help fend off any post seasonal blues…

1:  David Bowie Pin Ups (original RCA album)

2  Bob Dylan – Desire (original CBS album)

3  Fleetwood Mac – Tusk  (3CD recent reissue)

4  Sandy Denny – Rendezvous (Deluxe 2 CD edition)

5  Led Zeppelin – Ascension In The Wane – The January Soundboards (Godfather 5 CD box set)

6  John Coltrane – A Love Supreme (Deluxe 2 CD version)

7  Miles Davis – In Person Friday and Saturday Nights (CBS  US original pressing)

8  Joe Cocker – Joe Cocker (A and M US pressing)

9  The Modern Jazz Quartet – Best Of (UK Stateside)

10  Doris Troy -Doris Troy (US Apple)

11  John Lennon Rock ‘n’ Roll – (UK Apple)

12  Dave Mason – Certified Live (CBS)

13  Jethro Tull – Stand UP (US Reprise)

14  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Wooden Nickel (Canyon Records bootleg)

15  The Allman Brothers – Dreams (UK Capricorn box set)

16  The Doors – The Doors – (US mono Elektra)

17  Wishbone Ash – Argus  (UK original MCA )

18  Incredible String band – Changing Horses  (UKL original Elektra)

19 Bronco – Country Home (US Island)

20 Joni Mitchell – Clouds (UK original Reprise)

The first vinyl purchasers of the year could well be on the cards tomorrow day when I pay the first 2016 visit to the Vinyl Barn stall – then the year will be properly underway…

Dave Lewis  – January 7, 2016

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YouTube Clips: On the occasion of his birthday…

Jimmy Page interview 1963 ITV Channel Television

The Yardbirds Happening Ten Years Time Ago:

Led Zeppelin C’mon Everybody/Something Else:

Jimmy Page Outrider Interview:

Led Zeppelin For Your Life

Jimmy Page – Kashmir – It Might Get Loud: 

Jimmy Page – le Grand Journal interview -with brief acoustic Ramble On at 14 mins 19:  

Jimmy Page onstage at the Founders Award November 19 2015:

Have a great weekend…

Until next time…Keep listening, keep reading…

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Dave Lewis/Gary Foy – January 7, 2016.

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Many thanks to James Cook for news input – for the latest Zep news updates be sure to check out Led Zep News at

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