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 greatest drummer of all time.

For John Bonham at 68, these are some of his Greatest Beats…remember him (always) this way…

SUGAR MAMA:

*To quote from my review of Sugar Mama last year: ”Then there’s drummer John Bonham – long time friend of the aforementioned Plant and drafted into this new line up at the recommendation of the singer who had performed in the Band Of Joy with him. John had more recently forged a reputation touring with Tim Rose – Jimmy Page duly checked him out at a Tim Rose gig in Hampstead the previous July and saw the immense percussive potential. That potential is all over this track, most notably from 1 minute 23 to I minute28 -in that space of time, Bonzo as he will become known, delivers one of those seemingly impossible bass drum shuffles that will became a unique part of the Led Zep sound.”

ST TRISTANS SWORD(ROUGH MIX) :

*The bass and drum syncopation between JPJ and Bonzo is just outstanding as he puts to good use his best New Orleans shuffle ala Poor Tom.

IF IT KEEPS ON RAINING (WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS ROUGH MIX):

*Before the gargantuan delivery that would end up on Zep IV, this early run through had a groove all of it’s own -Bonzo’s drumming is funky as hell with a distinctive snare sound…

WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS:

*Still the most infectious drum pattern ever committed to tape…and boy does it keep getting committed…

IN MY TIME OF DYING:

* The most intense of percussive performances – and fittingly Jason also did it justice at the 02.

ACHILLES LAST STAND:

*How he pulled off those apocalyptic drum fills only his fellow musicians and the four walls of Musicland studios would know …

GOOD TIMES BAD TIMES:

*Doing things with a bass pedal that it took two of James Brown’s drummers to try and emulate…and they knew a bit about rhythm…

THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME:

(Live LA Forum ’77 Listen to This Eddie version)

*From the ten second torrent of speed at the opening to the breathless finish – this is an absolute Bonham live on stage tour de force.

FOOL IN THE RAIN:

*The dexterity remains the same…

POOR TOM:

*A New Orleans shuffle par excellence.

KASHMIR:

*The pride of Zep and Bonzo too…

WHOLE LOTTA LOVE:

*Listen at how cleverly he drives against the riff dropping and stitching amongst the beat at will.

ACHILLES LAST STAND (Knebworth ’79 DVD version):

*One of Bonzo’s finest gigs…he knew they had a reputation to restore and he wasn’t going to let anyone down.

HOTS ON FOR NOWHERE:

*Once an underrated percussive swing fest from John Henry. Not anymore.

MOBY DICK (Royal Albert Hall ’70 DVD version):

*Drumming skills faster than the speed of light on another famous night.

ROCK AND ROLL:

*What air drumming is all about. Thanks John (again).

OUT ON THE TILES:

*A riotous percussive extension of the man’s own exuberance

KASHMIR (Knebworth ’79 DVD version):

*The esteem of his performance at this gig amongst fans is more than evident. Here’s another one he led by example.

NOBODY’S FAULT BUT MINE:

*The disregard of time keeping as his son once observed.

SICK AGAIN (Knebworth ‘79 DVD version):

*And yet more from out on the field…marvel at how he pummelled his fellow band mates into an inspiring romp through the backwaters of side 4 of the Graffiti

HOW MANY MORE TIMES:

*The spirit of Gene Krupa lives on…

D’YER MA’KER:

*That expansive Ludwig sound drove this one from beginning to end

THE OCEAN(Madison Square Garden 1973 DVD version):

20 THE CRUNGE:

*Could anyone do The Crunge?

Could anyone replicate John Bonham’s percussive perfection?

It’s a no to both of course – his influence and legacy remains undimmed…

DL

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TBL 41 Latest: Out On The Streets…

The new TBL issue 41 is out on the streets – and I counted them all in , I counted them all out. All subscribers UK, Europe, USA and overseas copies and single issue orders are now in transit.The pic here shows the scene at the main Bedford Royal Mail sorting office as I dropped the bulk of them off early on Tuesday morning. The rest have been taken to the local post office via frequent trips on the trusty old TBL bike.

Let me know what you think of it….

DL 

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LZ News:

Led Zeppelin News Update:

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

Led Zeppelin:

The “Stairway To Heaven” trial is approaching on June 14, and there’s no sign of a settlement being reached any time soon. Led Zeppelin’s lawyers have criticised the plaintiff’s lawyer for suggesting that Robert Plant and Jimmy Page won’t attend the trial in person. The lawyer suing Led Zeppelin has been accused of launching “a PR stunt in the hope of tainting the jury pool” by asking Judge Klausner to try to force Page and Plant into attending

Robert Plant:
Robert Plant cancelled his performance at “The Boat We’re In,” a show raising money for refugees on June 19 in London. Plant was the star attraction, and the entire evening of music has now been cancelled. A statement released on Plant’s Facebook page makes it clear that the decision was taken to make sure that Plant will be able to attend the “Stairway To Heaven” trial in Los Angeles, which starts on June 14 and is expected to last around five days.

John Paul Jones:
•The Them Crooked Vultures Facebook page changed its profile picture on May 27. The Facebook page sees sporadic activity from time to time, but there haven’t been any signs that new music is on the way.
•A new John Paul Jones interview can be seen in TBL issue 41. He spoke to Tight But Loose editor Dave Lewis for the new issue of his magazine, which is out now.

Upcoming events:
June 14 – The delayed “Stairway To Heaven” trial will start in Los Angeles.
July 1 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at the Rock Werchter music festival in Belgium.
July 2 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at the Beauregard Music Festival in France.
July 4 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at Le festival des Nuits d’Istres in France.
July 7 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at the NOS Alive Music Festival in Portugal.
July 14 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at Festival Noches del Botánico in Spain.
July 20 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at the Street Music Art Festival in Italy.
July 22 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Italy.
July 24 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Italy.
July 27 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in the Czech Republic.
July 28 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Austria.
July 30 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Croatia.
August 2 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Germany.
August 4/5/6/7 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at the Wilderness Festival in the UK.

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

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Bad Company UK Tour:

Bad Company have announced a UK tour for later this year. Here’s the info:

Bad Company will return to the UK for the first time in four years with the ‘Swan Song’ tour.

“With mean riffs that took no prisoners, smoldering grooves and THE voice of all British voices, these guys brought home a special unique angle to the scene. “I’m excited to see them make their way back on the road, town to town.” – Robert Plant.

Bad Company burst upon the rock’n’roll scene in 1973, and was immediately dubbed a super-group by fans and press alike, as its members all came from very successful popular bands: Free (Rodgers and Kirke), Mott The Hoople (Ralphs) and King Crimson (Burrell). They continue to live up to that hype and are one of the strongest successful touring bands today. “Returning to the UK with Bad Company where it all began 40 plus years ago is full circle for the band and the fans. It’s always a pleasure to play in the UK,” remarked Paul Rodgers.

“So looking forward to be playing in the UK for all our great fans– gonna be great!” Mick Ralphs added.

“The British fans are special and we’re going to give them a treat. There’s nothing like playing in my home country…” Simon Kirke added.

Special guests Richie Sambora + Orianthi (RSO) will open every show along with Steve Rodgers or Jasmine Rodgers as the first act.

Despite their reputation as one of the most exciting live bands to ever rock an arena, Bad Company never released a live album during its meteoric rise to the top of the charts until last month.’Live In Concert 1977 & 1979′ was released in 2016 via Rhino Records and also debuted on the UK album charts.

More details at:

https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/bad-company

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DL Diary Blog Update:

A couple of nice finds at the Vinyl Barn last Friday. I will miss Betty saying ”Did you get any bargains today?”….

Some difficult days here as we lead into next Wednesday’s funeral for Betty. There is a lot to organise and co ordinate and both Janet and I have been pretty exhausted with it all – but it has to be done – and we want it to be a true celebration of her life. Like I said last week, we swing from laughter and joy in remembering Betty to deep sadness.

Its been great having Sam back for a couple of days this week. Her birthday is this weekend and it will be a welcome tonic as we get together this weekend to celebrate her 26th birthday.

In between all that, there has been the not inconsiderable task of a TBL magazine to distribute. Sticking on stamps, labelling the envelopes, inserting the 10 v 8 print, packing the magazines and then physically getting them to the post office. I’ve been through this process many times and know the score – the objective being to shift them on their way as soon as possible. It’s all worth it of course as spreading the Zep word via the magazine is central to the TBL remit. It’s in my DNA simple as that.

June is upon us and ever there is a lot to do. it’s also a good month for Zep anniversaries – with the Kezar performance all of 43 years ago today – and later in the month it will time to pull out the likes of For Badgeholders Only and Listen To This Eddie – as we recall those heady LA dates of 1977. A welcome prospect.

One again many thanks for all your kind wishes and support.

Dave Lewis, June 2, 2016.

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You Tube Clip:

The pure joy of John Bonham….

Until next time…

Have a great weekend,

Dave Lewis/Gary Foy – June 2  2016.

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