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ROBERT PLANT UK AMERICANA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD/ HOW THE WEST WAS WON REMASTERED – DL THOUGHTS/LZ NEWS/ LED ZEPPELIN 1975 SNAPSHOT/BOB LANGLEY RIP/DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

2 February 2018 2,702 views 8 Comments

Robert Plant receives Lifetime Achievement Award at the UK Americana Awards Show: On the spot TBL report:

Pics by Krys Jantzen for TBL.

To Hackney on a rainy Thursday evening in East London to attend the UK Americana Awards show at the Hackney Empire.

The venue is a rather stately looking building with clear sight lines all around. The atmosphere was not surprisingly one of great celebration

The awards celebrate the achievements of British and International members of the Americana music community.

The host was the legendary DJ and broadcaster Bob Harris – a long time friend of Robert of course. It was worth attending just to see and hear Bob – he gave an absolute masterclass in presenting – keeping it all flowing with informed comment and his natural enthusiasm for the music. He remains an inspiration.

It was very refreshing to be exposed to the pure warmth and feel of the Americana genre – greatly illuminated by several live performances on the night. I was particularly impressed by The Wandering Hearts – winners on the night of the Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award. Their delivery of Burning Bridges had all the close harmony finesse that Crosby, Stills & Nash pioneered way back when. Other performances that impressed included Angallena Presley, Robert Vincent, Emily Barker, Imelda May and Mumford and Sons.

The presenters of the awards included Chris Difford of Squeeze, Billy Bragg and actor Sir Patrick Stewart.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was introduced by Bob Harris and Robert Plant took to the stage to mass applause. In accepting the award, Robert spoke highly of  Alison Krauss, Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller. There was a second surprise award for Robert as Carry Fire took the accolade of Best Selling UK Americana Album. Martin Talbot of the Official Charts Company presented the award to Robert alongside  Steve Bull – the legendary Wolverhampton Wanderers footballer and long time friend of Robert. It was good to hear Steve bringing some Black Country tone to the proceedings.

The Sensational Space Shifters took to the stage and Justin Adams made a short speech – then it was time for more celebratory music. The dark brooding Satan Your Kingdome Must Come Down engulfed the theatre – a riveting delivery complete with In My Time Of Dying refrain. Seth Lakeman and Mumford & Sons joined them to aid the the vibrant stomp of Gallows Pole.

Finally, all the artists gathered on the stage to perform Tom Petty’s Wildflowers in tribute to the much missed American rocker.

There was a real warm hum around the theatre as we filed out. Robert Plant’s standing amongst the UK Americana community had been well and truly acknowledged. It was a pleasure and privilege to be in attendance at this latest achievement for the singer. Robert Plant’s relentless quest to continually delve deep into his musical roots knows no bounds.

As he put it during his speech ”I intend to keep moving on…”

Long may he do so.

Dave Lewis, February 2, 2018.

More here including clips of the performances – see link here at LZ News:

http://ledzepnews.com/2018/02/02/robert-plant-performed-with-mumford-and-sons-at-the-uk-americana-awards/

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How The West Was Won Remastered : Some DL Thoughts:

There has been a tremendous amount of negative response to last week’s announcement of the forthcoming release of the How The West Was Won remastered set.

Everyone is of course entitled to their opinion and I fully respect others opinions on this matter.

However, I’d like to quantify some of my thoughts on it all – and in doing so try and bring a little reason to the table.

Firstly, this release should be viewed as a continuation of the previous remeastering of the Led Zeppelin catalogue. This is the task Jimmy initially undertook in 2013 and led to an overhaul of all the original Led Zeppelin studio albums plus the BBC Sessions.

Again working with mastering engineer John Davis, he has recently turned his attention to the How The West Was Won live set, initially released in May 2003

So rather than a 50th anniversary celebration, this release is a continuation of his previous remastering work.

As the official press release states:

Before the band’s 50th Anniversary celebration officially begins in September, Led Zeppelin will continue their reissue campaign with a new edition of their celebrated live album How The West Was Won, originally released in 2003, featuring newly remastered audio, which was done under the supervision of Jimmy Page. Details of additional Led Zeppelin 50th Anniversary releases and events will be announced later this year.

So in celebrating the 50th anniversary, there is clearly more to come -and we can only pass judgment on that when we know the full details as they are announced.

As for How the West Was Won …

Yes, it’s all been available before on CD.

Yes, it would have been great to have had some extra material on a Companion disc – such as the likes of Tangerine and Thank You which were recorded at those 1972 gigs. However, Jimmy will have had his reasons as to why that didn’t happen.

Similarly the alleged edit on the Whole Lotta Love medley – there will be reasons why.

As is more than evident from some of the negative comments, plainly this release is not for everyone and that is their choice.

What I say is this:

Rather than bemoan what we haven’t got – let’s focus on what we have got …

Firstly, a forthcoming release on vinyl of a previously unavailable Led Zeppelin album on that format.

My passion for the vinyl format is well documented so I am eagerly looking forward to that experience – as will many other vinyl devotees across the globe

Secondly, a forthcoming release of the How The West Won album in new audio formats including Blu-Ray Audio – 96kHz/24 bit 5.1 (DTS-HD Master Audio Surround) and stereo mixes (PCM Stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo plus a DVD of the album in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and PCM.

I am not an audio buff myself (I don’t own a Blu-Ray player) but again, many will welcome this set being made available in this way.

Also to reiterate what I said last week:

I’ve always felt that the How The West Was Won album somewhat slipped under the radar when it was initially released at the same time as the five hour official DVD back in May 2003. The focus back then was more on the merits of so much unseen footage – it was all a bit too much to take in. So this stand alone release of what might be described as the great lost live Zep album, will bring renewed attention to an amazing recording.

The time is absolutely ripe for a re assessment of this expansive live set – and what better way to do that than in this newly remastered edition on vinyl for the first time. This much welcomed 4 LP record release will be a throwback to the era of great live albums such as The Who Live At Leeds, Frampton Comes Alive, Wings Over America, ELP’s Welcome Back My Friends, Rory Gallagher Irish Tour ’74, Thin Lizzy’s Live And Dangerous etc.

This is Led Zeppelin live on stage captured during a hugely creative period. For many fans this is one of the last genuine live remnants of the band when it really was all about the music and nothing else.

To summarise:

in my opinion, this remastered How The West Was Won set is far from the rip off product being touted and trashed as such by a fair few observers out there over the past week.

It’s a brilliant live Led Zeppelin album due to be released on new formats – and call me a fool, but that to me is something to be celebrated.

In 49 days I for one will be doing so…and I don’t think I’ll be alone…

Dave Lewis – February 2, 2018

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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.

Led Zeppelin

Jimmy Page

  • The latest episode of Led Zeppelin podcast Ramble On Radio interviews Yardbirds drummer Jim McCarty about releasing “Yardbirds ’68” with Jimmy Page. You can hear it here.

Robert Plant

Upcoming events:

January 31 – Robert Plant’s 2016 Festival of Disruption show will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan and pre-orders end for “Led Zeppelin Live Times.”
February/March – New Led Zeppelin photo book “Led Zeppelin Live Times” will be released.
February 1 – Robert Plant will perform at the UK Americana Awards in London.
February 3 – Robert M. Knight’s exhibition “Rock Gods” closes in Los Angeles.
February 9 – Robert Plant will perform in Raleigh, North Carolina and the DVD of Plant’s 2016 Festival of Disruption show will be released in the US and Europe.
February 11 – Robert Plant will perform in Charlotte, North Carolina.
February 12 – Robert Plant will perform in Norfolk, Virginia.
February 14 – Robert Plant will perform in New York.
February 16 – Robert Plant will perform in Boston, Massachusetts.
February 17 – Robert Plant will perform in Toronto, Ontario.
February 20 – Robert Plant will perform in Chicago, Illinois.
February 22 – Robert Plant will perform in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
February 24 – Robert Plant will perform in Denver, Colorado.
February 26 – Robert Plant will perform in Phoenix, Arizona.
February 28 – Robert Plant will perform in Oakland, California.
March 2 – Robert Plant will perform in Los Angeles, California.
March 13 – Robert Plant will be interviewed on “The Big Interview with Dan Rather” on AXS TV at 9pm ET.
March 23 – The remaster of How The West Was Won will be released and Robert Plant will perform in Sydney, Australia.
March 26 – Robert Plant will perform in Sydney, Australia.
March 27 – Robert Plant will perform in Sydney, Australia.
March 30 – Robert Plant will perform at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia.
April 1 – Robert Plant will perform in Melbourne, Australia.
April 2 – Robert Plant will perform in Melbourne, Australia.
April 5 – Robert Plant will perform in Adelaide, Australia.
April 8 – Robert Plant will perform in Perth, Australia.
May 26 – Robert Plant will perform at the Bearded Theory Spring Gathering Festival in the UK.
May 27 – Robert Plant will perform at the Bath Festivals in Bath, UK.
May 31 – The statue of John Bonham in Redditch is planned to be unveiled.
July 22 – Robert Plant will perform at the Vielles Charrues Festival in Carhaix, France.
July 23 – Robert Plant will perform in Paris, France.
July 25 – Robert Plant will perform at the Festival de Carcassonne in France.
July 29 – Robert Plant will perform at the Stimmen Festival in Lörrach, Germany.
July 31 – Robert Plant will perform in Pardubice, Czech Republic.
August 1 – Robert Plant will perform in Dresden, Germany.

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

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

http://ledzepnews.com/

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Vinyl Revival Live 2018 Launch Party – Celebrating 50 years of Led Zeppelin:

Tony Corlett has been in touch regarding the forthcoming above event – here’s the details from Tony:

I run Vinyl Revival Live! 2018.

I am putting on an unofficial non-profit event celebrating 50 years of

Led Zeppelin in February. All Led Zep fans welcome! There is an entry

charge or advance tickets available. FREE ENTRY if anyone mention

Tight but loose magazine on the door.

VINYL REVIVAL LIVE! 2018 LAUNCH PARTY

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF LED ZEPPELIN

Join us, to experience the first two classic Led Zep vinyl albums on a truly high-end Hi-Fi system, like you’ve never heard before!

Immerse yourself in all things ‘Music & Vinyl’ with guest speakers, exclusive album listening sessions, a pop-up record shop and vinyl pop art.

Hi-fi supplied by SONATA High-fidelity

Pop up Shop by Eel Pie Records Shop, Church Street, Twickenham

Pop Art provided by SuperSize Art

Exclusive Limited Availability to 50 Advanced Tickets

Advanced Tickets: £6.00 available here

All bought Tickets include a £5 voucher towards Eel Pie Records Pop-up Shop or Treehouse Bar purchases at the event.

Sun, February 11, 2018

3:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Location

The Treehouse Bar & Restaurant

73 White Hart Lane

Barnes

London

SW13 0PW

Full details at :

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vinyl-revival-live-2018-launch-party-tickets-42126823463#tickets

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TBL Archive Special: 

TBL Led Zep 1975 Snapshot: Number Three & Four

TBL Led Zep 1975 Snapshot Three:

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29 1975

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

THE COLISEUM

Set: Rock And Roll/Sick Again/Over The Hills And Far Away/In My Time Of Dying/The Song Remains the Same/The Rain Song/Kashmir/No Quarter/Trampled Underfoot/Moby Dick/How Many More Times/Stairway To Heaven/Whole Lotta Love – Black Dog/Communication Breakdown.

Something of lacklustre performance. The strain was showing with Jimmy, John Paul and Bonzo having risen very early and flown coast to coast (against the time changes) from Los Angeles to reach Greensboro in time. Robert, who flew in from Chicago, would probably have benefited from another day in bed. The show is now condensed even further by the removal of ‘The Wanton Song’ from the set list. Levee has also been dropped.

Chris Charlesworth remembers the aftermath:  “About five hundred fans attempted to storm the rear of the building, throwing broken bottles, stones and pieces of scaffolding. Three of the group’s five limousines were severely damaged, and the drivers of the other two – which were parked inside the building – wanted to take their cars away. Peter Grant wasn’t having that… oh no! He actually offered to buy them on the spot for cash, but after a ‘discussion’ the drivers had no alternative but to let him have them.

“The group and entourage had to make a very quick getaway within seconds of the final encore. Grant took the wheel of the first limo with the band and Richard Cole inside, and everybody else piled into the second. With a Police escort, sirens blazing, at speeds of up to 70 mph in a heavily built-up area, Grant led the way, driving through red lights and on the wrong side of the road.

“It was incredible to be involved in scenes like that… Peter was just unflappable. When we got to the plane he got out and kicked the car really hard. ‘Fucking useless pile of junk!’ he shouted. ‘Way off tune… my old Bently goes twice as fast!’ We all just stood there laughing… totally exhilerated by it all. Then we flew back to New York and the band checked in the Plaza. It was a very tiring day. Unforgettable!”

Snapshot Listen – how it sounded today: 

I have this recording on the Footstomping Graffiti double CD (No label). Noisy but fairly clear audience tape.

Lacklustre at times but still some inspired moments. Robert is clearly struggling which is evident in his between song patter -his voice is straining even when talking.  Jimmy takes a while to get in the swing but is well on it by No Quarter which now running at 16 minutes and heading for greatness (Jimmy’s finger is cool” says Plant defiantly at one point).

The new material goes down well with Trampled particularly vibrant. At 18 minutes, Moby Dick provides a rest for Page and Plant (”John Bonham Moby Dick – Mr Physical Graffiti!” How Many More Times has a few elements of Dazed creeping in. Stairway again proves it’s worth and is something of a saving grace. Whole Lotta Love/Black Dog and Communication Breakdown ( the latter with Jimmy thrashing the hell out of the wah wah pedal) provide a valiant encore finale…and valiant is a good description overall for another challenging performance, given the physical drawbacks they were experiencing.

TBL Led Zep 1975 Snapshot Four:

FRIDAY JANUARY 31 1975

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

OLYMPIA STADIUM

Set: Rock And Roll/Sick Again/Over The Hills And Far Away/In My Time Of Dying/The Song Remains The Same/The Rain Song/Kashmir/No Quarter/Trampled Underfoot/Moby Dick/How Many More Times (inc. The Hunter – The Lemon Song)/Stairway To Heaven/Whole Lotta Love – Black Dog.

“Good evening! It’s our great pleasure to be just about back!” Plant’s opening comment sums up the gig quite accurately. The band were slowly returning to form.

”Tonight we intend to cover the spectrum of a lot of the varying music that we’ve been doing for the last seven years. As we go though this spectrum we want to include some of the new stuff from Physical Graffiti, the LP that comes out soon” (love Robert’s use of the word LP – so quaint).

Plant explains the problem with Jimmy’s finger and joked that… “The bone on his wedding ring finger is bust and that’s a real drag because if he was to get married now, he couldn’t get a ring on”. Bonzo was introduced tonight, as he would be many times on the tour, as “Mr Ultraviolence!”, a reference to the Clockwork Orange style suits that both he and his assistant Mick Hinton wore throughout the tour. This is preceded by Plant’s claim that John is ”The man who made Led Zeppelin a legend.”

Snapshot Listen – how it sounded today: 

From the double CD Just About Back – a slightly muffled audience tape but good for the time. The title deriving from Plant’s opening comments ”It’s our great pleasure to be just about back”. Just about back they are with the similar problems from Greensboro in evidence. This though is an altogether livelier showing – Page is particularly inventive on Over The Hills and despite the vocal range shortcomings, Plant attacks In My Time Of Dying and Kashmir with much verve. How Many More Times has it’s final delivery and it’s a solid free flowing performance. All roads would now lead back to the Garden as New York was the next stop off – and when it came to New York, well they were all no doubt aware that they had a reputation to maintain…

DL

Summary: I’m with TBL contributor Andy Crofts view that the January 1975  Zep shows, though far from perfect, offer some quirky unusual set lists and performances. Here’s what Andy said in his piece on the tour in TBL 36- plus his ten notable moments listing from this period:

In my opinion Led Zeppelin’s  January 1975 performances have had a lot if unfair bad press. Musically the band  are fine, and they show us the kind of gig the band had in mind before the reality of touring the US in 1975 got the better of them. If they are rusty, they are also working hard, to put on a professional show each night. To my ear, these shows ‘cut the crap’ in the same way that they band would do – and stick to – in 1980. It makes for a refreshing listen and a fine contrast to the grandstanding that begins to take over once they reach Madison Square Garden in February….of which more next time.

Meanwhile, my advice is that you search out some of these January 1975 performances and prepare to be surprised that far from being overly sick again…Led Zeppelin were often on a very favourable night flight

Ten Notable Moments from January 1975:

Here are ten notable performances from January 1975 that demonstrate the band striving to give it their all after a lengthy period away from the stage……and despite some physical restrictions.

greens one

January 12th (Brussels): When The Levee Breaks.

Ok, it doesn’t quite work, but this is by far the best chance to hear this song live.

January 12th (Brussels): The Song Remains The Same

The drums are off at the beginning, but it soon settles down into a fast-paced and well-controlled version.

January 12th (Brussels): The Wanton Song

Another rare one. It’s a shame they dropped it. This version is strongly played and sung, and the solo – while varying from the album version – gets better the more I listen.

January 22nd (Chicago): How Many More Times

Probably the best version of this for 1975, and certainly the best sounding. Jimmy and Robert work together well here, just like the old days, a fact acknowledged by Robert at the end.

January 22nd (Chicago): Stairway To Heaven

The recording has a few glitches, but this is a fine version, with Plant making a big effort and a scorching guitar solo.

January 22nd (Chicago): Communication Breakdown

They didn’t play this much after January, replacing it with the more complex Heartbreaker. This is a strong, fun version with a funky Crunge-like middle section.

January 24th (Cleveland): No Quarter

I’ve picked this one because I really like the guitar solo; inventive and in places quite Floyd-like. The shorter versions of this song always pack more punch for me.

January 29th (Greesnboro): Whole Lotta Love/Black Dog

I couldn’t resist one from Greensboro. Whole Lotta Love is still a mere intro, but Black Dog is well sung, and Jimmy’s guitar is spot on.

January 31st (Detroit): Over The Hills And Far Away

Any version of this from 1975 is on the money, to be honest. I like this one for the solo; Jimmy isn’t flawless but he is energetic and inventive.

January 31st (Detroit): The Rain Song

A beautifully clear version, well played and sung.

Sources: these are the underground titles used as sources – note there are a fair few variations and differing versions of these dates on CD.

January 12th (Brussels) :  Belgian Triple

January 22nd (Chicago): Windy City Tapes Vol.3

January 24th (Cleveland): Ultravilence

January 29th (Greesnboro):. A Quick Getaway

January 31st (Detroit): Tune Up

Compiled by Andy Crofts – extract from TBL 36.

TBL Led Zep ’75 Snapshot – To be continued…

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Mark E Smith RIP:

Sad to hear the passing of The Fall singer Mark E. Smith. I was never a big Fall fan but plenty of my post punk indie loving friends were -The Fall played locally in 1985. Mark was a true one -off character. RIP.

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Bob Langley RIP:

At the Victoria record fair last Saturday there was quite a lot of talk about Bob Langley who as mentioned previously, passed away aged 68 a couple of weeks back. In fact several of the dealers had attended his funeral.

Bob was a true giant of the bootleg market in the UK – I first came across him at record fairs in the late 1980s. He was a massive player in the Dylan and Springsteen market and especially Led Zeppelin. When the bootleg CD market exploded in the early 1990s, Bob was right in there. Back then at the Camden record fair at the Electric Ballroom and the massive Victoria record fair, Bob’s stall was a magnet for us regular collectors. At that time so many concert tapes were being transferred to CD it really was hard to keep up with it all. It’s no secret Bob was behind a lot of what appeared during that era.

At the UK Zep conventions I co-organised with Andy Adams in 1992 and 1994, Bob  did a roaring trade.

I remember one very memorable Saturday at the Victoria Fair which we dubbed ‘The day of the Tarantura.’

This was the day Bob had several high value titles on the exclusive Japanese label Tarantura. Incredible de luxe packages at incredible prices but oh, how we lapped them up. One of the Tarantua titles on offer was a Coverdale Page live album from the then recent Japanese tour. The asking price was a then wallet busting £65. Gary Foy and myself decided to go halves on it under the rather bizarre proviso I would have it for six months and then Gary would have it for the next six. So we duly invested though Mr Foy may claim (rightly) he never got his time with it!

Staying with Coverdale Page I remember walking into the Camden record fair very early in 1994 – as I approached Bob’s stall I could hear the riff of For Your Life blaring out.

It sounded like Jimmy, it sounded lvie (ish) – ”What’s this ?” I enquired of Bob and after a bit of teasing, he produced a CD of a Coverdale Page soundcheck from the recent Japanese tour. It included several off the cuff Page noodlings including a try our of an instrumental part of the aforementioned For Your Life. We would have to wait another 13 years for a proper live work out as occurred at the 02 Reunion.

A little later in the year again at the Camden record fair I could hear an enthusiastic work out of I Can’t Quite You Baby coming from Bob’s stall. It did not take me too long to realise this was the Jimmy Page and Robert Plant performance from the the Alexis Korner tribute concert at Buxton six days previous -which I had attended. Once again Bob had got the scoop of a CD release of that performance in very quick time. That was how he worked – getting key gigs on CD sets as fast as they could be duplicated.

Collectors across the UK could not get enough of this stuff and for a good while the supply and demand of this mass of underground CD’s proved beneficial to dealers and punters alike.

The legalities of such trading would eventually catch up with Bob big time. The industry body BPI were on the look out for the culprits of this illegal trading and Bob’s name was number one on their hit list. It ultimately ended in a court case and jail sentence.

I always got on very well with Bob and not just because I was a frequent customer. He was always genuinely interested in how the TBL mag was doing and my other projects and often offered up info for me to use. Another thing I would say about Bob is that he was not just a businessman – he was a real fan of the artists he was involved in – particularly in the case of Led Zep.

His larger than life enthusiasm was infectious. As mentioned above, many a time I’d role up to his stall and he would be playing a new Zep title and the immortal phrase ‘’You need this one’’ would of course lead to cash changing hands for more silver rarities. He was also great company at several Page & Plant gigs I attended. I vividly recall after one of the 1995 Page and Plant Wembley gigs, meeting Bob in the car park. He undid the boot of the car which was full of the latest titles and an impromptu record fair ensured. That was the way it was back then before the days of the Internet and file sharing. We searched these underground CDs out whenever and where ever we could – and no doubt about it, invariably that would lead us to doing business with Bob. I look back on that period with huge affection and I am sure the likes of fellow enthusiasts such as Julian Walker, Andy Adams, Paul Sheppard, Phil Tattershall, Eddie Edwards etc would do too.

The pic here is of Bob, myself and Gary Foy taken in 2003 at a Zep convention in Stourbridge. RIP Bob…

Here are some words about Bob via the Collectors Music Review website:

Robert Langley or ‘Mr. Toad’ passed away c. early January, 2018.

The bootleg world has always been made up of budding entrepreneurs of all sorts – not many were as bold or as brassy as Robert Langley or ‘Mr. Toad’ as he was pronounced but being noted as the UK’s biggest bootlegger at the event of the CD bootleg was a badge of honour to wear.

Behind a stack of labels in the late ‘80’s and the 90’s such as Silver Rarities and Wanted Man to name a few, his was one of the biggest voices in Clinton Heylin’s book, ‘Bootleg’, his simple terminology about how he dealt his business in the halcyon days of the trade in silver disks was an enthralling read and threw entertaining light on some of the mundanity of his ‘hobby’ but also highlighted the risks that our underground chums faced while getting their product out there.

The fortunate few of you might have met this happy character while out collecting as he no doubt had a tale to spin out of his skippy adventures. Apparently he felt in to the trade by accident through a completely different business and another tale was that he spent most of his advances on one of the biggest and best rigs knows this side of a space station or Who concert. His collection of music overshadowing that of some of the more humble collectors. He was a music fan as much as a business man, out for the thrill of new tapes as opposed to new money.

One of the true heroes of the trade, Bob, though he was quieter in the last few years, is to be thanked for building your collection in ways that some labels will only aspire to. No doubt you’ll still own some of his original CDs too as they were far too good to be upgraded for the next.

Robert, thank you and fare thee well.

https://www.collectorsmusicreviews.com/announcements/robert-langley-or-mr-toad/

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DL Diary Blog Update:

Friday treats at the Vinyl Barn – at the always excellent Vinyl Barn last Friday, I was pleased to find a copy of the single Monday To Friday by the late 60s/early 70s psychedelic rock outfit The Web – 1969 release produced by Mike Vernon who worked with the early Fleetwood Mac and Chicken Shack – housed in a rather uncommon Deram label sleeve –excellent stuff – thanks Darren !

Another DL Vinyl Record Acquisition:

The thrill of the chase – the joy of record collecting and sometimes it’s almost fate.. as there right at the front of the rack in the Oxfam shop earlier today (behind was a Rubettes album which I passed on) was an album that had my name on it almost – because I am a sucker for compilation and sampler albums from the late 60s/early 70s.

For there it was ‘In Good Company’ a 1970 sampler album CBS Special Products label (I have a fair few LPs on that label) Featuring track by Chicago, Laura Nyro, Johnny Winter, Argent, Spirit, Gun, The Byrds, Santana, Trees, Mike Bloomfield /Al Kooper and It’s A Beautiful Day (represented by their beautiful White Bird) –with period piece CBS inner sleeve and complete with a front sticker advising the price of 17 shillings or 85new pence (the UK was about to go decimal).  Asking price today – a mere 29 shillings or £1.49 — Result! Boy do I love finding stuff like this – vinyl gold!

It was great to be out and about at the Victoria Record Fair last Saturday – I found myself doing as much talking as I did browsing through the racks – but that was an absolute pleasure when the company  including the following: Paul Sheppard, Ian Saikia, Marc Roberty, Ross Halfin, Simon Pallett, Dave Fox, Andy Brennan, Hugh Gilmour, Mick, Keith Creek, Alastair Chorlton, John Gunne ,Krys Jantzen , Matt, Nick C, Carl, Steve L, James, Tom and Phil. All in all it was a tonic to be amongst like minded devotes of recorded music in it’s various formats –  as we all are…


The pic here was taken at StudioMix a few days ago working with TBL designer on the Evenings With LZ book – we’ve been revisiting and amending previous pages before we move into the thick of Led Zeppelin’s 1975 touring schedule ahead..…the quest continues…

February is here and there’s a lot to do with ongoing work on the Evenings With Led Zeppelin book and other TBL projects – more news of which soon.

This particular mantra is always a tonic at this particular time…

’’January is a 31 day hangover but February brings lambs, daffodils and the air fills with a magical quickening that tells you spring is on the way. February is short so whatever you’re trying to stretch, whether it’s your salary, your calorie intake or your booze units, February’s unique compactness helps you spread it just that little bit thicker. A good enough reason to raise a glass”.

I’ll certainly drink to that notion …cheers!

Dave Lewis – February 2 , 2018

Until next time, have a great week

Website updates compiled by Dave Lewis

with thanks to Gary Foy and James Cook

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YouTube clip

Robert Plant talking about Kashmir – a preview from his forthcoming The Big Interview with Dan Rather” on AXS TV…

 

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8 Comments »

  • Dave Lewis (author) said:

    Thanks Larry!

  • Larry said:

    Nice “best of” from early 75, Dave!

    I must admit I’m a tad underwhelmed by the news of the HTWWW remastering, especially if we’re losing another couple of minutes out of the WLL medley…I’m still bummed that Slow Down wasn’t included in the original 2003 release, as that is one of the all-time great live moments. All due respect to Larry Williams and The Beatles, I don’t think they ever imagined Zeppelin’s rather boisterous take on that little ditty!

    That said, as a fan/collector I’ll happily buy it and enjoy listening to it and have it on the shelf. But I have a feeling the Winston version with the left-out bits will still wind up my go-to version.

    There’s no doubt this release was overshadowed by the all-conquering DVD when they were issued simultaneously in 2003. Not the best bit of marketing imo. Perhaps we have a remastered – and dare I dream it? – expanded version of the DVD following on the heels of HTWWW? The release order would be more appropriate this time! Upgraded to Blu-ray and 4K? And with additional content? We live in hope…

    Looking forward to the Plant interview with Dan Rather…I’ve enjoyed Rather’s show…among others I can’t recall at the moment, some terrific interviews with Billy Gibbons, Sammy Hagar, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, and he got a terrific interview out of Lindsey Buckingham (my favorite musician not named Jimmy Page). I’m sure the Plant episode will be great.

    So the Evenings With book will be out in a few weeks, Dave? 😉 Just joking of course, all the best to you and Mike as you keep working out what I’m sure will be a classic!

  • Dave Lewis (author) said:

    thanks Graham

  • Graham Kennerly said:

    Dave

    Ref the remastering and some negative views. You may well have hit the nail on the head.

    A lot of fans out there are crying out for really truly new stuff – and of course with the 50th celebrations coming up and a lot of talk of new stuff – they might well be thinking that the reworking of HTWWW was all we are going to see. I see it like you – this was a continuation of the remasters and would have happened even if we weren`t celebrating the anniversary. Wouldn`t mind seeing Tangerine added – as I have a soft spot for that one.

    I have been a fan since Earls Court – they haven`t let me down since yet – and come the start of 2019 I am fairly sure they won`t have done in 2018 either.

    Regards
    GRK

  • Dave Lewis (author) said:

    Many thanks Ray for your very kind comments

  • Ray said:

    Hi Dave,

    Hope you are doing fine, i read your out pouring the other week and although i did not offer any concerns at the time, i honestly and totally knew exactly were you were coming from. I felt every word you said because i have been there and could totally relate with you. I know how hard it is, so so hard, but you will come through believe me you will especially with your family around you. In my case the Old Black Dog still pops his head around the door now and again but you get better at dealing with it, so take it from me your going to be fine. On a lighter note and back to all things Zepp, I too will be purchasing the new How The West Was Won Vinyl edition and i can’t wait to put it on the turntable. All the best Dave and thank you so much for all your efforts in keeping the Flag flying.

    Ray

  • Mark Carroll said:

    To be honest, If I want to listen to Led Zeppelin “LIVE”, I prefer listening to SOUNDBOARD RECORDINGS..NO OVERDUBS you see, LED ZEPPELIN LIVE….Get a Blu-ray player Dave, MILES BETTER THAN DVD, SOUND & PICTURE…

  • Swin said:

    Agree with you Dave,Will be buying the vinyl version of HTWWW !Keep up the good work.Everonward!

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