TBL Archive: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant: 1995 UK Tour:

Leading on from last week’s Page & Plant retro focus – here is Part Two of  the piece that originally ran in TBL 11: It focuses on an imaginary 4 CD compilation of the tour: CD 2 rounds up the 1995 Europe and UK leg. 

It was a glorious period as long time fans and those too young to have seen Zep in their prime revelled in what was all in name the Zeppelin reunion we had all hoped for. By the tour’s end it was evident that Jimmy Page was playing better than at any time during the previous fifteen years. Indeed for a project that began as a request to strum a few Zep tunes unledded style for MTV’s acoustic showcase, when played live night after night this reappraisal of the Zeppelin catalogue developed into a fully ledded experience. A trend that would continue when they returned to the live action in 1998.

With so many tapes at our disposal, there is ample scope to take a retrospective view of the tour. Having listened to hours of material drawn from the many tapes of the tour, I have compiled an imaginary four-CD compilation that takes in all the major developments along the way. It includes the one-off gems slotted in, the stand-out performances, the offbeat sequences and all the historic moments building into a true overview of the entire tour. It features 53 extracts drawn from 26 different locations spread over 28 shows; nearly five hours of musical Page and Plant highlights that capture the often barely believable events that thousands of fans were privileged to enjoy during those 370 days. So this is Page and Plant on tour together at last in 1995 and 1996. Proving conclusively that the evolution of Led Zeppelin continues…

CD2 – Europe/UK

‘Dancing Days’/’Down By The Seaside’ sequence

(Omnisports, Bercy, Paris, June 6 1995)

Page was on blistering form on the opening night of the European trek, in turn inspiring Robert to lift his performance to new heights. Two selections form the Bercy date: ‘Dancing Days’ had been included in the set in an all electric arrangement early on the US tour and then in an alternate arrangement with the Egyptians from mid May. It’s the latter version that Plant introduced in both French and English on this opening night in Europe. A wonderfully relaxed affair with the shrill Egyptian violins merging with Jimmy’s powerful riffing.

‘Down By The Seaside’ was a regular insert into the ‘Calling To You’ medley. It was presented in the new slower arrangement Plant had used to record the version with Tori Amos that appeared on the then just released Encomium tribute album. Plant’s vocal delivery in Paris was sheer perfection, adding all the original nuances (“Yes she will, yes she will”) to a song that was enjoying renewed recognition during this period.

‘In The Evening’

(Glastonbury Festival, June 25 1995)

Into the open air for a memorable performance at the Glastonbury Festival. Their appearance in the veterans slot earned them a healthy respect from the vast crowd present and the thousands watching the live Channel 4 coverage. This latter day Zep standard had already established itself as one of the tours favourites. In the early evening sun it shone as brightly as ever, capturing that dramatic intro with Plant’s vocals echoing across the fields, Page manically stringbending over the Stratocaster and the Pharaohs dancing with delight behind them.

‘The Crunge’ sequence

(SECC Arena, Glasgow, July 12 1995)

It was evident on the Europe tour how much more relaxed the pair had become since the tensions during the early part of the US tour. This lighter mood spilled over into moments such as this occasion in Glasgow. When the double neck guitar needed tuning before ‘The Song Remains The Same’, Jimmy was left with no instrument. This inspired Plant to fill the void by leading Michael and Charlie through a spontaneous version of ‘The Crunge’. The ad-libbed lyrics found Plant humourously sniping at Jimmy’s guitar tech Lionel: “I can see Lionel wages going out of the window… it’s not like working for The Searchers and it’s not like working for The Shadows…”.

‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’

(Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, July 13 1995)

Ten years on from Live Aid another special night. Sheffield was an outstanding show, made all the more impressive by a remarkable delivery of ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’. On the spur of the moment Plant began inserting verses from the then unplayed Presence Zep track ‘Tea For One’. It created a unique hybrid delivery of two of their most notable custom blues compositions.

‘Whole Lotta Love’

(St Austell Coliseum, Carylon Bay St Austell, July 15 1995)

A rare medley-less delivery of ‘Whole Lotta Love’ was a surprise set opener for this date at, as it was billed “The entertainment centre of the west”. A throwback to the version Zeppelin first employed back in 1970, this new 1995 version really packed a punch with Page exhorting the classic riff from his new sparkle red Transperformer Gibson guitar.

‘Blue Jean Bop’/’Black Dog’

(St. Austell Coliseum, July 15 1995)

The intimate confines of the St Austell Coliseum found them in playful mood on a hot Saturday night. From the early US dates it became a nightly ritual for Page to warm up ‘Black Dog’ with a random run of teasing riffs including moments from the likes of ‘In My Time of Dying’ and ‘Out On The Tiles’. On this occasion it went one step further as Plant kicked them into an ad-hoc delivery of Gene Vincent’s ‘Blue Jean Bop’ that collapsed playfully under Michael Lee’s attempt to bring in the proper ‘Black Dog’ riff. This prompted a smiling Page to apologise for the breakdown on mike. A fully fledged ‘Black Dog’ followed – another tour highlight as Plant tossed away his inibitions, ripped the mike off the stand and rocked out in a manner reminiscent of the golden age.

‘Egyptian Intro’/’Celebration Day’

(The Point, Dublin, July 20 1995)

Robin Williamson’s Tales Of Bron poem had by now been replaced by an Egyptian music intro tape that began serenely and then built up the drama, usually accompanied by the arrival of a silhouetted Page dancing along to the tempo. As an opener for this Dublin date they pulled out a fast and furious rendition of the Zep III rocker ‘Celebration Day’ (rarely played on the early US tour) indicating this might be a night of surprises.

‘Custard Pie’

(The Point, Dublin, July 20 1995)

… And surprises there were. ‘Custard Pie’ – never performed live by Zeppelin – was wheeled out in an arrangement similar to the one Jimmy played on the Outrider tour. Page lashed out wah wah runs in between the muscular drive of Michael Lee’s drumming, and Plant threw in a spirited harmonica solo and at the close while Page inserted a riff from ‘The Ocean’. It’s revival prompted Plant to inform the crowd afterwards “We’re gonna try some different things tonight. That was the first different thing. I don’t think we’ve played that for 17… 18… 20… 27,000 years!”

‘Battle Of Evermore’

(NEC, Birmingham, July 23 1995)

This esoteric version of ‘Battle Of Evermore’ was a highlight of the MTV Unledded filming and finally made its presence felt live again during the night of surprises in Dublin. It was retained for the Birmingham and London gigs. This gave Plant the opportunity to duet with Najma Achtar who added a suitably exotic edge to the familiar Zep IV song. The pair’s closing “Ah ah ha” refrain smouldered above Page’s triple-neck mandolin.

‘Thank You’/’Going To California’

(Wembley Arena, London, July 26 1995)

From its introduction at the beginning of the MTV filming and its frequent inclusion on the tour ‘Thank You’ had developed into something of a signature tune for the whole Page Plant reunion. There were many great deliveries of the song along the way (Meadowlands, San Jose and Paris to name but three), but there was something almost spiritual on the final night of the UK tour. Perhaps it was the presence of Peter Grant, or the knowing that they would not be performing it again for some time. Whatever it was, the commitment of both Page and Plant on this outing was more than evident. Page lurched magnificently into the solo as Plant passionateley ad-libbed the final lines finally echoing out the final “I wanna thank you…” A mesmerising performance.

‘Going To California’ was another new addition to the final part of the UK leg. A delicate rendering made all the more so with the aid of a subtle orchestral string backing.

‘Candy Store Rock’ sequence

(Wembley Arena, London, July 26 1995)

A final UK soundbite incorporating Plant’s acknowledgement of Peter Grant’s presence (“And a special thank you Bill Curbishley and Mr Peter Grant who is with us tonight”), leading into the pairs playful skit around ‘Candy Store Rock’ preceding the encore of ‘Black Dog’. It signalled the end of the 1995 UK tour.

Dave Lewis – first published in TBL 12 

Part 3 to follow next week.

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LZ News:

Led Zeppelin

• The designer of the poster for Led Zeppelin’s cancelled June 18, 1972 show in Vancouver has given an interview about the poster and his career.

• Led Zeppelin published the latest episode of its “History of Led Zeppelin” series.

Jimmy Page

• The Rolling Stones will release “Scarlet,” a previously unreleased collaboration between Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ric Grech, as part of the remastered release of “Goats Head Soup” on September 4.

• The story of how Jimmy Page was reunited with his stolen “Black Beauty” guitar has been told for the first time.

• Is Jimmy Page preparing to release a “companion booklet” for his new book? We dug into the online clues.

• Jimmy Page is releasing £1,600 signed photo prints of his guitars. They will be dispatched in October.

• A rift has emerged between the members of a charity overseeing the restoration of Boleskine House, a property previously owned by Jimmy Page and Aleister Crowley.

Robert Plant

• Robert Plant donated equipment to a group of NHS nurses in Kidderminster.

• “Rockfield: The Studio On The Farm,” a new documentary about Rockfield Studios which features Robert Plant, will be shown on BBC Four on July 18 at 9pm UK time.

• Sawmill Studios, a Cornwall recording studio previously used by Robert Plant, is up for sale.

• Robert Plant publicly supported the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign which calls on the UK government to provide financial support to music venues and also signed a letter to the US Congress calling for similar support.

Upcoming events:

July 18 – “Rockfield: The Studio On The Farm,” a documentary featuring Robert Plant, will be shown on BBC Four at 9pm UK time.
September 4 – “Scarlet,” a track featuring Jimmy Page, will be included in the remastered release of “Goats Head Soup” by The Rolling Stones.
September 9 – A “one-of-a-kind” item donated by Robert Plant will be sold at Julien’s Auctions
September 25-26 – The next John Bonham celebration event will be held in Redditch.
October – The limited edition, signed prints of Jimmy Page’s guitars will be dispatched by Genesis Publications.
October 8 – The affordable version of Jimmy Page’s Anthology book will be released.
June 18-20, 2021 – Robert Plant will perform as part of Saving Grace at the Black Deer festival in Kent.
September 25, 2021 – The 2021 John Bonham celebration event will be held in Redditch.

Many thanks to James Cook.

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

Led Zeppelin News Website: Check out the Led Zeppelin news website at

http://ledzepnews.com/

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BBC 4 Saturday night schedules:

Two excellent programmes on Saturday night July 18  on BBC 4;

Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm

BBC 4 22.15 – a new documentary…

Black Sabbath, Queen, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Coldplay, Simple Minds, Robert Plant and Manic Street Preachers are some of the greatest bands and musicians of our time, but what is the one thing these titans of music have in common?

This film tells the unlikely tale of how two Welsh farming brothers turned their dairy farm into one of the most successful recording studios of all time, producing four decades of legendary rock music. It’s where Queen recorded their seminal Bohemian Rhapsody, featured in the Hollywood blockbuster of the same name. But Rockfield’s own story has never been told until now.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l3vn

Robert Plant By Myself:

BBC 4 22.45 – this has aired before and well worth seeing again…

Documentary in which Robert Plant discusses his musical journey from Stourbridge, the British blues boom, superstardom with Led Zeppelin in the 70s to 2010’s Band of Joy album. He also looks at his work with the Honeydrippers and North African musicians, his reunion with Jimmy Page and his pairing with Alison Krauss.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vy78w

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Led Zeppelin Detroit July 12 1973 footage surfaces:

Very nice to see this  footage of Led Zeppelin  on stage in Detroit July 12 1973 surfacing via LedZep Film on You Tube..

Check it out at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs_7C5wrZ3I

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Erik RIP:

Jack Charlton RIP:

On that day of days July 30 1966…I watched it that Saturday afternoon on TV in wonder an awe aged 9.
When an England World Cup winner passes away I feel a part of my childhood goes with them…RIP Jack Charlton…

I briefly spoke to Jack Charlton once. It was the morning after England’s semi final exit in the Euros in June 1996 when they lost on penalties to Germany.

I was in London for a meeting at the Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street. All the tubes were on strike so I walked there from St Pancras Station. Crossing Euston Road I recognised the great Jack coming towards me – he had been a TV pundit the night before.

‘’Bad luck last night Jack’’ I said to him ‘’Terrible result, we should have beaten them before extra time!’’ was his amiable and animated reply in that lovely accent.

FAS magazine:

Always a welcome sound the Free Appreciation Society magazine dropping through the door – now up to issue 151 and this one celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Fire And water album… I am looking forward to soaking up that

For details of the mag visit:

http://freeappreciationsociety.blogspot.com

1970 Snapshots: Affinity with John Paul Jones involvement..

As I have often mentioned the year 1970 is one of my musical favorites – as a 13 year old going on 14 it was a year of massive musical discovery. I have made a point of collecting many of the singles and albums I recall from the time and I’ve also often searched out recordings made that year that I didn’t catch up with at the time.

So here’s the first in a series of what I’ll call 1970 Snapshots:

Affinity by Affinity:

I’ve been looking for a vinyl copy of the excellent album by Affinity recorded in 1970 for a good while

Flashback magazine main man Richard Morton Jack first alerted me to this album a few years ago – and I had a CDR of it

Original pressings on the Vertigo label are hard to come by however the excellent reissue label Repertoire had produced an excellent reissue – complete with the fold out sleeve with its mysterious front cover image. It also has a swirl type label based on the classic vertigo label design.

On this album the band featured vocalist Linda Hoyle –Linda was the voice behind the much aired Shredded Wheat TV advert ‘’There are two men in my life’’ which us of a certain vintage will well remember. Linda made an appearance on the Michael Parkinson show performing it in 1971.

Back to the album –there’s also a Led Zep connection to report here as John Paul Jones is involved in the arrangements of two track –brass arrangement on the track I am And So Are You and string arrangement on I wonder if ill care as much.

The album itself is an exotic mix of jazzy rock. Linda Hoyle has the sort of expansive soul rock voice that served both Julie Driscoll and Curved Air’s Sonja Kristina so well. I Am And So Are You written by Lindisfarne’s Alan Hul,isl s a busy opener with the aforementioned bold vibrant brass accompaniment.

Night Flight (no relation to the Zep track of the same name10 alternates between drifting melody and a keyboard workout by Lynton Naiff that brings to mind Brian Auger’s work with The Trinity.

A version of the Everly Brother’s I Wonder If I’ll Care As Much has the plucked string effect that JPJ brought to The Rolling Stones She’s a Rainbow. The atmospheric Mr Joy is another highlight with dreamy floaty vocals.

Mo Foster’s bass and Mike Jupp’s guitar head off on a typical early 70s tangent on Side Two’s opener Three Sisters. Next up their delivery of the Lovin’ Spoonful’s Cocaunut Grove is a meandering affair with Linda’s vocals playing off Lynton’s organ.

Finally another cover a version of Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower made famous of course by Jimi Hendrix.

Affinity stamp their own identity on it playing it speedily and somewhat free form as to make it unrecognizable.

It’s a performance that typifies the musical freedom this era allowed for. It was 1970 and anything went and this album by Affinity is very much of its time. All feather cut hair, wah wah guitar and plaintive organ. It could have lined up as the soundtrack to those early 70s films such as Permissive that are staples of the British Film Institute catalogue.

Linda Hoyle left the band and recorded in 1971 a solo album Pieces Of Me again released on the vertigo label –now much sought after. Affinity made some further recordings that released as archive recordings. Linda released another solo album The Fetch in 2015.

Dave Lewis – July 7,2020

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On The Player:

July 12:

Saturday is platter day – on the player the 1983 David Bowie Let’s Dance album – I’d forgotten how good this and what a co -production with Nile Rodgers…

Saturday is platterday – the arrival of the new issue of the Free Appreciation Society magazine dropping through the door has inspired me to pull out this one – so on the player the brilliant double album compilation The Free Story – this one is a US pressing on Island Records….what a band they were..

More Page & Plant..it was 25 years ago:

From my Facebook posts:

July 12:

July 13:

Dave Lewis Diary Blog Update:

With TBL designer Mick Lowe currently working from home, it was great to head over to his last Friday for a TBL/Studiomix social distance meeting in his garden.

Here we are looking over the work in progress designs for the forthcoming Feather In The Wind Led Zeppelin Over Europe 1980 40th Anniversary TBL book repackage.
More on all this as it unfolds…

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Wednesday treats at the Vinyl Barn…and much inspiration…

At the always excellent Vinyl Barn on Wednesday  morning I was well pleased to find a copies of a couple of excellent sampler albums from two of my favourite record labels namely Island and Immediate.

The Island sampler Island Life Media Sampler is a 1986 promo with tracks from a steller line up of artists including Nick Drake, John Martyn, Free, Traffic, Bob Marley, Tom Waits, Grace Jones etc.

The immediate Story is a 1980 Virgin pressing gatefold sleeve ,great sleeve notes and tracks from the 1960s era by Rod Stewart, Humble Pie, Nico, The Nice, PP Arnold, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (the brilliant I’m Your Witchdoctor produced by Jimmy Page) and more. Top stuff indeed…thanks Darren!

Update here:

A bit tough last few days, a lot going on and a lot to contend with which swung my mood into a bit of a low. The good lady Janet has once again been amazing in her understanding. I am trying to keep focused as there is a lot to get on with here – as ever there has been some great support and feedback and I take much inspiration from all that.

Some particular inspirations this week:

Discussing the Scarlet track on the phone with Richard Cole…

A welcomed catch up on the phone from Gary Foy…

A similar catch up with Mark Harrison who I am pleased to say is now back home…

A lovely package from my very good friend and long time TBL supporter Russ Rees…

The new issues of Record Collector and Uncut dropping through the door…

A very productive visit to the Vinyl Barn…

Thanks for listening – stay safe and well you very lovely people…

Dave Lewis –  July 16, 2020

Until next time, stay safe and stay well…