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LED ZEPPELIN II – IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH /SAVING GRACE & DEBORAH BONHAM GIGS/LZ NEWS/ROBERT PLANT DIGGING DEEP PODCAST & SINGLES BOX SET/TBL ARCHIVE – JAPAN 1971 TOUR – POIGNANT TBL HISTORY 1980/ABBEY ROAD AT 50 & HORNSEY ROAD/ DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

1 October 2019 2,070 views 2 Comments

October is Led Zeppelin II month at TBL:

This month sees the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin II.

I will be marking the event with special features on the TBL web site and in the next TBL magazine.

To that end, I would welcome your input and thoughts on this iconic album 50 years on. Can you recall when you first heard the album? Where did you buy it? How do you think it stands up four decades on? Do you have a rare Zep 2 pressing in your collection? What is your ideal Zep 2 related playlist? What would you consider to be the all time best live performances of the nine tracks on the album? Which version sounds best – vinyl, CD remaster, box set pressing etc?

I want to know. So search out your copy of the brown bomber today and re discover the album that shaped the whole fabric of modern rock music. Then get your thoughts down and either use the comments listing below or email them to davelewis.tbl1@ntlworld.com

This feedback will be collated and featured on the site and in the next TBL magazine.

October is Led Zeppelin II month here at TBL – join me to celebrate the album that established Led Zeppelin as the most important band in the world.

Dave Lewis, October 1, 2019

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Saving Grace Gigs:

Confirmed for Birminghttps://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/event/saving-grace-featuring-suzi-dian-and-robert-plant/ham Symphony Hall – Sunday December 22,2019

Saving Grace……a co-operative including Suzi Dian – vocals, Oli Jefferson – percussion, Tony Kelsey – mandolin, baritone and acoustic guitars, Robert Plant – vocals and Matt Worley – banjo, acoustic and baritone guitars, and cuatro.

More details at:

https://www.thsh.co.uk/event/saving-grace-featuring-suzi-dian-and-robert-plant

Saving Grace also confirmed for Bristol St George’s Hall December 11:

https://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/event/saving-grace-featuring-suzi-dian-and-robert-plant/

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Deborah Bonham News:

 Our Final Concert of 2019

Sun 6th Oct Portsmouth Guildhall, UK

 

Deborah Bonham and her Band make a welcome return to the Guildhall

for the first time since 2017’s Paul Rodgers’ Free Spirit Tour

7:30pm Doors,  7:45 Support James Lawrence,  8:30 Deborah Bonham,  10pm Close

Box Office Tel: 0844 847 2362,   Email: boxoffice@portsmouthguildhall.org.uk

Online: https://portsmouthguildhall.org.uk/whats-on/event/deborah-bonham/

Carol Miller Q104.3 New York – Get the Led Out   ‘Deborah Bonham -The best female vocalist and tightest band we should have been hearing for the last 20 years —An arena- worthy show in a club- all hail the Royal Bonhams!!!’

Paul Rodgers  ‘I’m not surprised by Deborah Bonham’s’ brilliant reviews. I warned you, she’d blow you away! As a side note, her amazing voice is matched by her amazing heart.’

  TBL Led Zeppelin Magazine   ‘Guitarist Peter Bullick constantly showed why Paul Rodgers touted him as a replacement for Kossoff should Free ever reform. His bluesy but always economic fills and solos lit up the stage.’

Elmore Magazine USA – ‘Strong voiced, personable and quite the rock & roll singer. This woman, Deborah Bonham (the sister of the late Led Zeppelin drummer) earned a standing ovation at the end of her set, clearly a welcome addition to the tour.’  (Stars Align Tour, Paul Rodgers, Jeff Beck, Ann Wilson, Deborah Bonham, Holmdel New Jersey)

  BBC Radio 2 ‘The Rock Show with Johnnie Walker’  ‘Wow is all I got to say after that, and boy can Deborah Bonham sing’

Dennis Morgillo ‘The stars sure did align on this hot steamy night in NJ. Three Mega Stars sharing the same bill!? What could be better? To my surprise, Deborah Bonham, the sister of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, opened the show. Who knew he had a sister!? Who knew she could sing like an angel!? Bonham has a powerful voice, and put on a great set. She was well received by the crowd who gave her a standing ovation. Bonham then came and sat right in front of me to enjoy the Ann Wilson set. ‘Stars Align Tour, Jeff Beck, Paul Rodgers, Ann Wilson, Deborah Bonham at PNC Bank Arts Center, New Jersey Aug 12, 2018.

More details at:

http://www.deborahbonham.com

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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.

Firstly an update from LZ News:

Hello! Welcome to the 191st Led Zeppelin News email. We email out a summary of the week’s news every weekend so that you don’t miss anything.

It’s been three months since our last “weekly” newsletter. Apologies – it’s been a hectic three months with work and travel which has made it difficult to spend the time writing a weekly email. To those of you who have emailed asking if you have been missing emails, don’t worry, you haven’t!

Led Zeppelin

  • Casting adverts show that a Led Zeppelin episode of the “Breaking the Band” documentary series is being produced.

Jimmy Page

Robert Plant

  • Robert Plant has given a new interview to the San Francisco Chronicle ahead of his performance at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco on October 5. He told the newspaper that although his festival performance is his last date on his current tour with The Sensational Space Shifters, it won’t be “a permanent farewell” to his band. The article is blocked for European readers because of GDPR, however, so consider using a VPN if you’re keen to read it.

John Paul Jones

  • John Paul Jones played in Japan and South Korea earlier this month with his new musical project Sons of Chipotle. It’s an improvisational project with Anssi Karttunen, who also plays with Jones in Tres Coyotes. You can watch a clip of their debut performance here.
  • Dave Grohl hinted at future Them Crooked Vultures plans in an interview with The Guardian. “We practise once every decade, and we’re coming up on another decade aren’t we? I don’t have any official news but there’s always something cooking,” he said.

Upcoming events:

October 1 – Robert Plant will perform in Salt Lake City, Utah and the “Play It Loud: Instruments Of Rock And Roll” exhibition will close in New York.
October 3 – Robert Plant will perform in Bend, Oregon.
October 5 – Robert Plant will perform at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco, California.
November – The “Play It Loud: Instruments Of Rock And Roll” exhibition will move to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
December – Jimmy Page’s new book, “Jimmy Page: The Anthology,” will be released.

Many thanks to James Cook.

The complete Led Zeppelin News email goes out every weekend. To receive it each week sign up here:http://tinyletter.com/LedZepNews

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Robert Plant Digging Deep Podcast:

Here’s the latest Robert Plant Podcast -Series 2 Episode 1:

Robert talks about the brilliant Tin Pan Valley from the Mighty  ReArranger album in 2005

Robert Plant Digging Deep Singles Box Set due December 13:

The latest podcast mentions details of a limited edition Robert Plant singles box set due out on December 13. It comprises of  eight singles spanning three decades with hit singles, rare B sides and tracks from each of his solo albums including Big Log, Little By Little, Hurting Kind and Calling To You. It’s packaged in a hard back book format with restored singles sleeve artwork.

More details here via the Uncut website:

To coincide with his current podcast series Digging Deep, Robert Plant has unveiled a new 7″ box set of the same name.

Released on December 13, it comprises eight 7″ singles featuring remastered versions of songs from his eight solo albums, some of which have been discussed in the podcast.

Vinyl 1:
Side A: Burning Down One Side
Side B: Like I’ve Never Been Gone

Vinyl 2:
Side A: Big Log
Side B: In The Mood

Vinyl 3:
Side A: Too Loud
Side B: Little By Little

Vinyl 4:
Side A: Ship of Fools
Side B: Tall Cool One

Vinyl 5:
Side A: Hurting Kind
Side B: Tie Dye on the Highway

Vinyl 6:
Side A: Calling To You
Side B: 29 Palms

Vinyl 7:
Side A: Song To The Siren
Side B: Morning Dew

Vinyl 8:
Side A: Shine It All Around
Side B: Tin Pan Valley

Pre order at this link:

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John Paul Jones on Instagram:

John Paul Jones now has an Instagram account at:

https://www.instagram.com/johnpauljonesofficial/

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Mojo Led Zeppelin Special:

Mojo Led Zeppelin Special Part 2 Latter Days 1974 – 2019 is in the house and looking good…and in the shops now…

Here is all the info:

MOJO is delighted to present its second collection of writing on Led Zeppelin, celebrating the story of the epochal rock group’s later years, from the making of their 1975 masterpiece, Physical Graffiti, to their troubled last tour of American stadiums in 1977 and dramatic end after the tragic death of drummer John Bonham in 1980.

Illustrated with dozens of rare and iconic photos, LATTER DAYS 1974-2019 includes interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, behind-the-scenes revelations about their notorious manager Peter Grant and the madness of their Knebworth 1979 festival appearance, plus the story of the group’s unexpected and momentous millennial reunion for a single show at London’s O2 Arena in 2007.

Packed with revelatory features and stunning photography, LED ZEPPELIN LATTER DAYS 1974-2019 is an essential purchase for every serious music fan.

LED ZEPPELIN LATTER DAYS 1974-2019 is available in shops from September 26, 2019 and online at

http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/zeppelin

LATTER DAYS’ prequel, LED ZEPPELIN EARLY DAYS 1968-1973, which comes in a special gatefold wallet that neatly houses both issues, is still available at

http://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/zeppelin

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TBL Archive Special – September 1971…it was a very good year…

Here’s a look back to September 1971 – capturing the details of Led Zeppelin’s Japan visit.  Some of the most vibrant and inspiring performances of their entire career…get those CD’s out and enjoy one again some amazing moments…

Compiled and researched by Mike Tremaglio  for TBL issues 29 and 30.

Japan Tour 1971:

Thursday September 23, 1971 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan

Setlist (from eight different audience source recordings):

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, That’s the Way, Going to California, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Boogie Chillun’, Hello Mary Lou, Mess O’ Blues, ?, Tobacco Road, Good Times Bad Times, For What It’s Worth Instrumental, How Many More Times, You Shook Me, Gee, Baby Ain’t I Good to You, Kindhearted Woman Blues), Communication Breakdown

 The band performed their first ever gig in Japan and it’s simply incredible. The intensity and ferocity of the performance is not lost on the wildly enthusiastic Tokyo audience.

The new songs from the upcoming fourth album (Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, and Going to California) aren’t the only surprises for the Budokan audience; they were also treated to the concert debut performance of Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, albeit in a truncated version as the intro to That’s the Way.

But the real unquestioned highlight of the show is a downright historic version of the Whole Lotta Love Medley – tracking in at a longest-ever 36 minutes. The band held absolutely nothing back during the medley with extended versions of Tobacco Road, Good Time Bad Times, How Many More Times, and You Shook Me being the highlights.

Fortunately for fans, the concert had been documented like no other performance in the band’s history – there are eight different audience source recordings of this show available.

Japan 71

Here is a listing of popular bootlegs of this show by audience source:

Source 1 (143 min.):   Front Row (Tarantura & Memphis),

The Storm of Fanatics (Mud Dogs),

Live in Japan 1971 (Last Stand Disc),

The Tokyo Tapes (Empress Valley – discs 1 & 2)

Source 2 (128 min.): Tales of Storms (Silver Shadow & Aphrodite Studio)

The Tokyo Tapes (Empress Valley – discs 3 & 4)

Source 3 (149 min.): Reflection from a Dream (TDOLZ)

Source 4 (30 min.): In Concert LP Source (9 CDs) (TDOLZ – disc 9)

Source 5 (152 min.): First Attack of the Rising of the Sun (EVSD – discs 1-3),

Meet the Led Zeppelin (Wendy),

Timeless Rock (Watch Tower)

Source 6 (31   min.): First Attack of the Rising of the Sun (disc 4 only)

Source 7 (150 min.): Led Zeppelin’s Flying Rock Carnival 1971 Complete

Source 8 (126 min.): The Tokyo Tapes (Empress Valley – discs 5 & 6)

Friday September 24, 1971 Budokan, Tokyo, Japan

Setlist (from five different audience source recordings):

 Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker (incl. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)), Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, That’s the Way, Going to California, Tangerine, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Sing a Simple Song, Just a Little Bit, Boogie Chillun’, Cocaine Blues, Rave On, Your Time is Gonna Come, ?, I’m a Man, The Hunter, Hello Mary Lou, Oh Pretty Woman, How Many More Times), Organ Solo/ Thank You, Communication Breakdown (incl. It’s Your Thing, ?)

 While not nearly as acclaimed as their first Tokyo show, the band delivered another outstanding performance on the same level as the previous evening. For this afternoon matinee the band pulled out a few more surprises, including the debut concert performance of Tangerine and a return of Thank You (with Organ solo) to the encore.

Once again, the highlight of the evening is another stellar and unique Whole Lotta Love Medley (this time ‘only’ clocking in at 28 minutes). The band incorporated some rarely played tracks such as Cocaine Blues, Buddy Holly’s ‘Rave On’, and Albert King’s ‘Oh Pretty Woman’ (the one and only time they ever played the track). But the real surprise of the evening was an impromptu, one minute-plus rendition of Your Time is Gonna Come. Plant started singing the song a cappella while the rest of the band started making up an arrangement for it as they went along. The only other time they ever attempted this track was in San Diego during their 1973 tour (a 25 second snippet was played during No Quarter).

While not quite as extensive as the previous evening, there certainly was no shortage of tapers in the audience. There are five separate audience recordings available of this concert.

Here is a listing of popular bootlegs of this show by audience source:

Source 1 (164 min.):   Afternoon Daze (Mud Dogs), Pretty Woman (Tarantura)

Source 2 (56 min.):   Light & Shade (TDOLZ – disc 1)

Live in Japan 1971 (Last Stand Disc – disc 1)

Hard Rock Night (Wendy – disc 1)

Your Time is Gonna Come (Scorpio – disc 4)

Source 3 (168 min.): Light & Shade (TDOLZ – discs 2 & 3)

Live in Japan 1971 (Last Stand Disc – discs 2 & 3)

Hard Rock Night (Wendy – discs 2 & 3)

Your Time is Gonna Come (Scorpio – discs 1-3)

Balloon Boys’ Rock Carnival in Tokyo (Empress Valley)

Timeless Rock (Watch Tower – bonus disc)

Source 4 (105 min.): Super Stars! LP Source (TDOLZ 9 CD Box – discs 7 & 8)

Source 5 (17   min.): In Concert LP Source (TDOLZ 9 CD Box – disc 9)

Monday September 27, 1971 Prefectural Gymnasium, Hiroshima, Japan

Setlist (from three different audience source recordings):

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, That’s the Way, Going to California, Tangerine, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Sing a Simple Song, Boogie Chillun’, Nine Times Out of Ten, Be-Bop-a-Lula, ?), Communication Breakdown (incl. ?)

The band performed a charity concert benefit for the victims of the atomic bomb. They presented the mayor of Hiroshima with a check for 7,000,000 yen – their earnings from the show – and in return received a peace medal.

Once again, the band were very well received by the appreciative audience and delivered another typically stellar performance. The Whole Lotta Love medley was the shortest of the tour so far (18 minutes), but the band continued to incorporate rarities into the feature. They performed Cliff Richard and The Shadow’s ‘Nine Times Out of Ten’ (the only known performance of this track) and Gene Vincent’s ‘Be-Bop-a-Lula’ (performed only once before – in Helsinki on February 23, 1970).

There are three separate audience recordings of the Hiroshima concert.

Here is a listing of popular bootlegs of this show by audience source:

Source 1 (126 min.): Live in Japan 1971 (LSD) and Peace (Tarantura)

Source 2 (111 min.): Peace of Mind (Mud Dogs)

Source 3 (44 min.): Love & Peace in Hiroshima (Bumble Bee – first 100 copies included two bonus CDRs sourced from the old vinyl LP Led Zeppelin 71-72 by Digger Records)

Other bootleg titles of this show (Live Peace in Hiroshima 1971 (Wendy), Zingi (Tarantura 2000), Message of Love (Lemon Song), and Love & Peace in Hiroshima (Bumble Bee)) are a combination of sources 1 & 2 to complete the show.

 Tuesday September 28, 1971, Koseinenkin Kaikan (Festival Hall), Osaka, Japan

Setlist (from 146 & 15 minute audience recordings):

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused (incl. Third Stone from the Sun), Stairway to Heaven, Please Please Me, From Me to You, Celebration Day, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, That’s the Way, Going to California, We Shall Overcome, Tangerine, Down by the Riverside, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Boogie Chillun’, D in Love, Bachelor Boy, Down the Road a Piece, Maybellene, Hello Mary Lou), C’mon Everybody, Hi-Heel Sneakers, Communication Breakdown (incl. Cat’s Squirrel, ?, Watch Your Step)

The next stop on the Japan tour was in Osaka where the band played two of the most historic concerts of their entire career. They continued to pull out all stops, performing many rarities and expanding their rock medleys into new directions.

The Osaka audience didn’t have to wait until the Whole Lotta Love medley to hear the band perform a variety of rock rarities. During Dazed and Confused, Jimmy played some licks from Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Third Stone from the Sun’. Prior to Celebration Day, they performed a 45 second run-through of The Beatles Please Please Me and From Me to You. During the acoustic set they played the traditional songs We Shall Overcome and Down by the Riverside (the only time they had ever performed either of these tracks in concert).

For the fourth concert in Japan, Zeppelin would once again unveil a variety of rock classics in their Whole Lotta Love medley. As they had done the night before, they reached into the Cliff Richard and The Shadows catalogue and pulled out two songs they would play for the first and last time in concert: D in Love and Bachelor Boy. Next, they would channel their inner Chuck Berry and perform Down the Road a Piece and Maybellene (once again, the one and only time these songs were ever played in concert).

The band returned for encores and jammed to complete versions of C’Mon Everybody by Eddie Cochran and Hi-Heel Sneakers by Tommy Tucker (the only other time the later had been performed was at the Yale Bowl on August 15, 1970 as a 30 second snippet during the Whole Lotta Love medley). For the encores, Plant introduced Atlantic record executive Phil Carson on bass and roadie Clive Coulson on vocals.

Communication Breakdown was the finally encore and it included Cream’s ‘Cat’s Squirrel’, as well as a two minute version of Bobby Parker’s ‘Watch Your Step’ (the only other time the song had ever been played was a short snippet during the Whole Lotta Love medley at the Inglewood Forum on August 22, 1971). It was Parker’s ‘Watch Your Step’ that had allegedly influenced Jimmy Page’s guitar riff in Moby Dick.

There are two separate audience recordings of this concert:

Source 1 (146 min. – through Whole Lotta Love)

Source 2 (15 min. – encore after Whole Lotta Love)

Most of the bootlegs are a combination of these two sources to complete the show (except Live in Japan 1971 – Last Stand Disc, which is entirely from source 1, thus excluding the encores).

Here are some of the other bootleg titles featuring this concert:

The Bachelor Boys’ First Stand in Osaka (Empress Valley),

Please Please Me (Tarantura & Wendy), Osaka Woman (Cobla CDR), and

Come On Everbody (Mud Dogs)

Wednesday September 29, 1971, Koseinenkin Kaikan (Festival Hall), Osaka, Japan

Setlist (from 175, 178 & 93 minute recordings):

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker (incl. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)), Since I’ve Been Loving You, Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Dazed and Confused (incl. ?, Pennies from Heaven), Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, That’s the Way, Going to California, Tangerine, Friends, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. ?, Boogie Chillun’, I Gotta Know, Twist and Shout, Fortune Teller, Good Times Bad Times, You Shook Me), Communication Breakdown (incl. Just a Little Bit), Organ Solo, Thank You, Rock and Roll

The fifth and final show of the Japan tour is renowned as being one of the band’s all-time great shows. The performance is incredible, and the band continued to surprise the audience throughout the evening with rarely, if ever, played gems. Fortunately, the concert had been captured for posterity on an excellent sounding, but imbalanced recording. It is often referred to as a soundboard recording due to its outstanding on-stage feel and stereo separation, but that is still being debated. Regardless, it is a recording that is on the top shelf of every Led Zeppelin aficionado’s CD racks, ready for repeated listening pleasure.

There are quite a few surprises during the performance, but one of the key highlights of the evening has to be the one and only known performance of Friends during the acoustic set. After this rarity, Plant sings a few bars of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes; earlier in the show, Page dropped Pennies from Heaven into Dazed and Confused. Both of these tracks were ‘one and only’ performances, adding to the special atmosphere of the evening.

Once again, the Whole Lotta Love medley, tracking in at 31 minutes, was where the band shined and took the opportunity to play some rock ‘n’ roll classics. Elvis Presley’s ‘I Gotta Know’ segued into The Beatles’ ‘Twist and Shout’, followed by a three minute version of Benny Spellman’s ‘Fortune Teller’ (all three tracks were again ‘one and only’ performances, sans a 40 second snippet of Fortune Teller played in Oakland on September 2, 1970 concert). As they had done during the first show in Tokyo, the band also played both Good Times Bad Times and You Shook Me during the medley.

The last song of the three hour show was Rock and Roll, another preview from their upcoming album and the first time they played the track on the Japan tour.

There are three separate recordings of this legendary concert:

Source 1 (175 min. aka soundboard source): Most bootlegs use this recording as the primary source. Some of the more popular titles from source 1 include: The Complete Geisha Tape (Tarantura & Memphis), Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Mad Dogs), A Cellarful of Noise (Noise Generator), Live in Japan 1971 (Rock Solid & Last Stand Disc), and Live in Osaka (Night Hawk).

Source 2 (178 min. aud. source): 929 (H-Bomb) & 9291971 (Tarantura 2000 –first three discs).

Source 3 (93 min. aud. source): Nine Two Nine (TDOLZ)

Most of the other bootleg titles are multi-sources mixes of the show with the first source usually being the primary source; they include Fatally Wanderer (Wendy), Live in Japan 1971 (Empress Valley), and You Were There in Spirits (Empress Valley). Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Scorpio) used the third recording as the primary source, but filled gaps with the second source.

It’s widely rumored that Jimmy Page has complete multi-tracks of this show in his archive. Allegedly, there were plans to follow the How The West Was Won set in 2003 with a similar archive release to be titled How The East Was Won.

The best way to describe Led Zeppelin’s first trek to Japan could be a twist on the Latin phrase attributed to Julius Caesar – “Veni, Vidi, Vici” – they came, they saw, they conquered. For many Led Zeppelin fans, the 1971 Japan Tour remains the apex of their entire concert history. The Zeppelin machine was truly firing on all cylinders, and their ability to continually take risks and incorporate new songs into the shows each night – sometimes on the spot – demonstrated a band with complete and total confidence. Mission accomplished!

Japan 71 2

Whole Lotta Love in Japan 1971

Led Zeppelin starting performing rock and roll classics during ther Whole Lotta Love medley beginning with their July 12th, 1970 show in Berlin, Germany (as they had previously done in their How Many More Times medley up through their Bath Festival June 28th, 1970 show). While they had incorporated dozens of songs into the medleys over the past few years, they really brought it to a whole new level on the Japan 1971 tour.

In a post on his web site recently, Jimmy Page revealed that the respectful Japanese audiences allowed the band to “hear each other perfectly” and “explore the music in greater depth.” And they did just that – performing 16 songs for the very first and only time. They also performed a wide variety of other rarely played tracks “on the fly.”

Here’s a “Tale of the Tapes” documenting the rarely performed tracks on the 1971 Japan tour:

One and Only Known Performance (16 songs):

Whole Lotta Love medley:

1)   Sept. 24th – Oh Pretty Woman (Albert King)

2)   Sept. 24th – Your Time is Gonna Come (Led Zeppelin)

3)   Sept. 27th – Nine Times Out of Ten (Cliff Richard and The Shadows)

4)   Sept. 28th – D in Love (Cliff Richard and The Shadows)

5)   Sept. 28th – Bachelor Boy (Cliff Richard and The Shadows)

6)   Sept. 28th – Down the Road A Piece (Chuck Berry)

7)   Sept. 28th – Maybellene (Chuck Berry)

8)   Sept. 29th – I Gotta Know (Elvis Presley)

9)   Sept. 29th – Twist and Shout (The Beatles)

Song played in Dazed and Confused:

10) Sept. 29th – Pennies from Heaven (Frank Sinatra)

Songs played standalone:

11) Sept. 28th – Please Please Me (The Beatles)

12) Sept. 28th – From Me to You (The Beatles)

13) Sept. 28th – We Shall Overcome (Traditional)

14) Sept. 28th – Down by the Riverside (Traditional)

15) Sept. 29th – Friends (Led Zeppelin)

16) Sept. 29th – Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (The Platters)

One Other Known Performance (4 songs):

1)   Sept. 27th – Be-Bop-a-Lula (Gene Vincent – in Whole Lotta Love medley)

2)   Sept. 28th – Hi-Heel Sneakers (Tommy Tucker – standalone)

3)   Sept. 28th – Watch Your Step (Bobby Parker – in Communication Breakdown)

4)   Sept. 29th – Fortune Teller (Benny Spellman – in Whole Lotta Love medley)

Two Other Known Performances (2 songs):

1)   Sept. 23rd – Tobacco Road (The Nashville Teens – in Whole Lotta Love medley)

2)   Sept. 24th – Rave On (Buddy Holly – in Whole Lotta Love medley)

Other rare tracks performed during the Whole Lotta Love medley on the 1971 Japan tour include: Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You (Sept. 23rd – Don Redman), Kindhearted Woman Blues (Sept.23rd – Robert Johnson), Cocaine Blues (Sept. 24th – Reverend Gary Davis), and I’m a Man (Sept. 24th – Bo Diddley). All of these tracks were performed less than eight other known times before.

Wrapping up the rare tracks were Eddie Cochran’s C’Mon Everybody (Sept. 28th – performed standalone) and Ricky Nelson’s I Got a Feeling (Sept. 24th – performed during Dazed and Confused).

Other, more familiar covers played in Japan included: Boogie Chillun’ (John Lee Hooker), Hello Mary Lou (Ricky Nelson), Mess O’ Blues (Elvis Presley), Sing a Simple Song (Sly & The Family Stone), Just a Little Bit (Roscoe Gordon, It’s Your Thing (Isley Brothers), and Cat’s Squirrel (Cream).

Led Zeppelin’s ability to improvise and switch gears “on-the-spot” reached its zenith in Japan. The recordings are testimony to the band’s diverse knowledge of rock and roll history and their musical ability to easily shift from one rock classic to the next. Timelessly rilliant!

Thanks go out to Luis Rey who did an incredible job in identifying the medleys in his Led Zeppelin Live book (before the internet made it so much easier). Thanks also go out to Eric Bown, who carries on the tradition at his excellent ledzeppelin-reference.com site.

Mike Tremaglio

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A  poignant piece of TBL history 1:

This is the original highly optimistic editorial news story I wrote on September 22nd 1980 to be pasted up for the imminent new TBL issue – number 5 the Over Europe tour special. The sad events of September 25, 1980 dictated otherwise and I had to withdraw it and write a new editorial after the passing of John Bonham on that fateful day……the previous week on September 18 I had visited the Swan Song office – Jimmy Page was there and I spoke to him about the forthcoming tour..he too was highly optimistic about the future of Led Zeppelin in the 1980s…..

 

 

A poignant piece of TBL history 2:

The editorial that I wrote for issue number 5 and poignant reading on this 39th anniversary of John Bonham’s passing – always loved –always remembered…always played…

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The Beatles Abbey Road at 50:

First off:

A view of Abbey Road taken by me before attending the brilliant Beatles At Abbey Road presentation in Studio number 2 with the good lady Janet – July 28,1983…when the Abbey Road album was celebrating its 14th anniversary. Now it’s 50!

And there’s more…

Hornsey Road with Mark Lewisohn:

Saturday September 28, 2019 – Bloomsbury Theatre, London

 

 

I’ve long been an avid admirer of the Beatle historian Mark Lewisohn. I was lucky enough to attend the launch of his pioneering book The Beatles EMI Recording Session inside Abbey Road’s studio number 2 in 1988 –and again when he launched his Beatles Chronicle book in1992. I’ve met him on the odd occasion notably at Chris Charlesworth’s Omnibus Press retirement party. His first volume of his Tune In trilogy of books is simply incredible – and it only goes up to 1962. He travels on a research journey that few if any  can equal in any art form.

So when I heard he was undertaking a theatre tour to talk about the Abbey Road album upon its 50th anniversary , the prospect was an exciting one – more so when I read the comments on his website as follows:

To explore this anniversary, the world’s leading Beatles historian, Mark Lewisohn – whose highly-acclaimed Tune In is the first part of the band’s definitive biography – will embark on a 21-date UK tour with his newly-created Abbey Road show HORNSEY ROAD.

This two-hour live theatre presentation – full of surprises, delights, humour and excitement – will be a swift and smart illustrated history of our forever national-heroes The Beatles and their biggest album Abbey Road, providing a unique insight into the band who changed the course of culture and whose influence is still substantial.

Mark comments: “HORNSEY ROAD is all about Abbey Road, the people who made it and the time in which they did it. This artistic triumph was created at a hectic junction in the Beatles’ lives, and I’m going to be revealing the rich history, refreshing the remarkable stories behind its making, and bringing it all back by sight, sound and smell.  I’ll be delivering an original and surprising look at this collection of great songs, superbly recorded by the Beatles and their producer George Martin fifty summers ago, and packaged in that highly-imitated cover art of the four of them on the zebra crossing in north London. I’ll be explaining the album’s making in the context of the 1969 contemporary music scene, and depicting the four Beatles as friends, bandmates and artistic individuals at the peak of their creative powers, crowning the many precedent-setting events of their previous six years together with this glorious parting shot.”

Unsurprisingly, Mark’s impeccable research brings the whole 1969 Abbey Road experience to life. I myself am well versed in the story but there were nuggets of illumination throughout the show –including a Jimmy Page reference regarding his work with beat poet Royston Ellis who was an early supporter of The Beatles.

The story and album unfolded through various photos and images from the making of the album and of course the music – and what magic there is to hear. The individual tracks are broken down via the RockBand PlayStation game which provided various isolated moments – highlights for me being Paul’s stunning vocal on Oh Darling and George’s plaintive guitar solo in Something. The influence of then innovative moog synthesiser and George Martin’s ever pivotal role in producing the album were fully explained.

Mark’s presentation delivery is somewhat dry but that did not detract too much from the content. This two hour multi media show firmly puts into context the importance of the Abbey Road album at the time –and it’s influence 50 years on. It also tantalisingly reveals that The Beatles story may not have ended quite as abruptly as it did. When Mark Lewisohn has something to say about The Beatles there’s always more to learn about the 20th century’s greatest musical phenomenon. Hornsey Road is no exception.

Dave Lewis – September 29, 2019.

And there’s more…

The act we’ve known for all these years – still sounding brilliant on Abbey Road…50 years on…

 

I’ve been listening to The Beatles album Abbey Road since it was issued in September 1969 when I was aged 13. I have a UK LP pressing I purchased in the early 70s, the first CD version issued in the 80s plus the CD remaster issued on 09/09/09. I have a bootleg album Return to Abbey Road which has outtakes and alternate versions, not to mention an alternate cover of the fab four walking the other way across the zebra crossing. I also have a bootleg album of Abbey Road mixes made for the Rockband game (very good they are too).

So to the new remastered remixed reissue. I am wading through the expansive new package I purchased on Saturday at Fopp Records. My overview of the additional outtakes and demos will follow -for now here are my initial thoughts on the album itself:

Once again Giles Martin has done a superb job with the new remix in applying just the right amount of sheen to what has always been something of a diamond.

I’d forgotten what a superbly crafted record Abbey Road is with just so many highlights:

The captivating bass line on Come Together, the sheer beauty of Something (Frank Sinatra called it the greatest love song ever written), Macca all whimsical on Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and bluesy and raw on Oh Darling. John equally bluesy and right out there on I Want You (She’s so heavy). Ringo being Ringo on the delightful Octopus’s Garden (great guitar solo and dig those underwater effects).

Marvel too, at the subtle use of the then pioneering moog synthesiser throughout the album.

Over on Side Two, there’s George’s gorgeous Here Comes The Sun, the simply beautiful harmonies on Because. Then there’s the marathon medley – all superbly interwoven with tales of never giving the money, only funny papers and coming through the bathroom window .Along the way, we meet colourful characters such as The Sun King, Mean Mr Mustard and Polythene Pam.

Golden Slumbers that carry that weight…and then Ringo paves the way for the finale with a drum sequence of percussive brilliance as the others take a guitar solo each to great effect.

Finally in The End, the love they make is equal to the love they take….oh and don’t forget Her Majesty…

It’s the act we’ve known for all these years, superbly packaged and sounding as fresh as ever.

Next up Let It Be? Bring it on…

Dave Lewis – October 1,2019

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DL Diary Blog Update:

I am a big collector of Beatles cover versions – it’s amazing how every Beatles album was mined by other groups in the hope of securing a hit single – results were often variable – here’s three from the Abbey Road album all issued when the original album came out 50 years ago this week: Maxwell’s Silver Hammer by The Good Ship Lollipop, Carry That Weight/You Never Give Me Your Money by Orange Bicycle and Come Together by La De Da Band. This why I love records!

Friday treats at the Vinyl Barn: At the always excellent Vinyl Barn last Friday on this 50th anniversary of The Beatles Abbey Road, it was rather fitting that there were some Beatles finds to be had. So, I was well pleased to find an original copy in its original pic sleeve of The Beatles Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane single dated with the release date 17 Feb 1967, plus an original Apple 1969 pressing of The Ballad Of John And Yoko/Old Brown Shoe single and a US Apple pressing of Paul McCartney & Wings single Jet coupled with Mamunia (UK copies have Let Me Roll It) – all rather fab! thanks Darren!

 

We had a great time in London on Saturday. The good lady Janet and I were well pleased to have a surprise meet up with our Sam. Later it was over to the Bloomsbury Theatre to meet Krys Jantzen and enjoy the Mark Lewisohn presentation.

 

On Monday it was great to hook up with Rob Titley at the TBL office also known as the Spice of Life – I worked with Rob at WH Smith in the early 80s and we had not met for some 35 years – there was a lot to catch up on!

 

 

 

One from Monday:

 

 

 

 

 

 

One more…in the TBL office also known as The Spice Of Life celebrating the purchase of a Led Zeppelin In Through The Out Door Greek pressing purchased from Reckless Records – a fine start to the week!

 

 

 

 

 

Yet more Beatles…

The Beatles In Bedford: Bedford Beer Festival: 

 

beatles

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57 years ago this week – on October 5 1962 , The Beatles first single Love Me Do was released.

A couple of months later – on the night of December 13,1962,   The Beatles performed at the Corn Exchange venue in Bedford. They were a replacement for Joe Brown and were supported by Robin Hall and Jimmie Macgregor.

I would have loved to have been at that show – my debut to live music would occur two years later around the corner at the Granada Cinema with the arrival of The Dave Clark Five. Heady days indeed for this then 7 year old…

The Corn Exchange venue is still going strong and will be the destination for many a real ale beer drinker in the next few days as the 42nd Bedford Beer Festival tales place.

I’ll be popping in as I usually do, over the three days and will pause for thought to look around the hall and recall when the fledgling Beatles made that visit back in 1962.

In between all the activity above, there is a lot of preparation going on here for a new project which I will have more details of soon.

Dave Lewis  –  October 1, 2019

Until next time –  have a great  weekend…

TBL Website updates compiled by Dave Lewis

with thanks to Gary Foy and James Cook

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2 Comments »

  • Alessandro Borri said:

    Thanks Dave !

  • Hiroshi said:

    For your information…complete Whole Lotta Love Medley from September 28, Festival Hall (n.b., NOT Koseinenkin Kaikan), Osaka — clocking in over 36 mins:

    Boogie Chillun’, D in Love, Bachelor Boy, Down the Road a Piece, Maybellene, Hello Mary Lou, Be-Bop-a-Lula (incl. guitar solo tracing the melody line of Heartbreak Hotel), Say Mama, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, You Shook Me

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