For all the latest Zep and related news check out the Led Zeppelin news website at:

http://ledzepnews.com/

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Here’s a piece that I wrote back in 1996 on the Rock Machine Turns You On sampler album…

JUNKYARD ANGELS

A series spotlighting those unexpected Zep related delights to be found amongst the bargain bin racks.

“On stage the song’s opened up so much. We’d do As Long As I Have You, the old Garnett Mimms track, Fresh Garbage by Spirit, Flames by Elmore Gantry and his Velvet Opera. All these things would come creeping out the woodwork. That was the beauty of Led Zeppelin”. Robert Plant 1990

The Rock Machine Turns You On: Various Artists (CBS PR2)

Ah yes, the sampler album, Those of us with long memories will recall the deluge of budget priced sampler albums that surfaced around the late ’60s and early ’70s – Island’s You Can All Join In and Nice Enough To Eat being amongst the most popular. Their attraction was that they normally sold for around 19 shillings and 11 pence (the equivalent of a quid, younger readers note) and provided the opportunity for teenagers like myself to climb on board the hip and trendy world of the underground. The CBS stable came up with The Rock Machine Turns You On series which focussed on their mainly American contemporary/ underground rock stable of the time. At any major record fair I always try and have a look through the cheap bargain bin clear out vinyl racks and I chanced upon this little gem a year or so back with its asking price of just £2.

The attraction for the Zeppelin collector within the fifteen selections presented on the album is that in amongst tracks from the more well established CBS artists of the era (Dylan/ The Byrds/Zombies/ Leonard Cohen etc.) there are no less than six that have vague and not so vague Zepp connections. In the influences department there’s Moby Grape’s Can’t Be So Bad – very much a part of the young Robert Plant’s musical heritage. Then it’s hats off to one Roy Harper, represented by a quaint busk through Nobody’s Got Any Money In The Summer, taken from his Come Out Fighting Genghis Smith album. In the vaguely connected department there’s Tim Rose presenting in dynamic style Come Away Melinda from the 1968 album. That was the year Tim Rose was supported by The Band of Joy where he spotted the young John Bonham and later offered him the drum stool for his summer UK tour. It was during that particular tour at the Hempstead Country Club that Page witnessed the Bonham phenomenon for himself when he was assembling The New Yardbirds.

The real meat though is supplied by three tracks on his album that were covered by the early Led Zeppelin. Spirit’s Fresh Garbage was incorporated into the As Long As I Have You medley during the de-but Zep American tour. As is plainly evident on the original, its strident riff was tailor-made for interpretation on that psychedelic painted Fender Telecaster. The Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield on guitar attack Chester Burnett’s Killing Floor. It was this arrangement (also used by Jimi Hendrix) that Page and co. loosely based their Zepp 2 staple the Lemon Song upon, much of course to publisher Jewel Music’s eventual dismay who insisted on a cut of the publisher fee and a change of label credit. Bloomfield’s fluid guitar dominates this slightly faster work out that features some jazz rock like sax towards its climax.

And finally Elmore Gantry’s Velvet Opera tune, in with their most famous offering Flames. Elmore who? You may ask, and what’s it got to do with the Zep? Well, although there is no surviving taped evidence, both Page and Plant have stated that this was one of the numbers The New Yardbirds/early Zeppelin fleshed out their initial sets with. It may have also been considered as a possible studio contender for the first album sessions. The Elmore Gantry original is certainly typical of the aggressive R and B stance that Page brought to The Yard birds in their final days and its soulful refrain “You’ve been burning me up” would have been perfect fodder for the raw vocal technique of the young Plant. As for Elmore Gantry’s Velvet Opera, two of their members, Richard Hudson and John Ford, went on to join The Strawb’s and later formed their own Hudson Ford group scoring a top ten UK hit with Pick Up The Pieces. Elmore himself went on to form the bogus Fleetwood Mac that went out in the mid-70s when the real Mac was off the road. After facing legal proceedings, the imposters stayed together, formed Stretch, and enjoyed a hit in the mid-70s with Why Did You Do It.

This Rock Machine Turns You On sampler was originally released around late 1968. With this thread of influences revolving amongst the grooves, could it possibly have been one of the albums Robert Plant took along to spin to Page in that first meeting of minds in Pangbourne? There’s enough evidence in their early repertoire to make that claim plausible One for the theorists amongst you to discuss.

If you want to hear some of these influences for yourself, well the Sony label have recently reissued this album on CD (Columbia 4844392). However you won’t be able to enjoy the surface noise and intermittent clicks that ac-company my vinyl version or smile at the original inner sleeve jargon from CBS that proclaims eight reasons why “Records give you more of what you want”. This one contains some of those songs that, as Plant put it, “came out of the woodwork.

Dave Lewis – September 9, 1996.

Rock Machine Turns You On update:

Last year’s David Hepworth a superb book A Fabulous Creation once again sparked my interest in this album series so here’s a bit more on the subject…

In 1968 The CBS Rock Machine Turned You On – Including Jimmy Page and Robert Plant?

The Rock Machine Turns You On – Various Artists (CBS PR2)

In the 1968 chapter of the excellent David Hepworth book A Fabulous Creation, David relays the importance of the rock sampler album, notably the CBS release of that year The Rock Machine Turns You On

Ah yes, the sampler album, those of us of a certain age will recall the deluge of budget priced sampler albums that surfaced around the late ’60s and early ’70s. Their attraction was that they normally sold for around 19 shillings and 11 pence (the equivalent of a quid) or 14shillings and 6. This provided the opportunity for teenagers like me, to climb on board the hip and trendy world of the underground.

Due to the more affordable price, one of my first albums I purchased aged 13, was the Island sampler You Can All Join In. This opened my ears to a host of inspiring tracks from the likes of Jethro Tull, Free ,Fairport Convention, Traffic, Spooky Tooth ,Tramline and the exotically named Wynder K Frog.

The purpose of these samplers was to draw attention to the variety of performances on offer and perhaps lead you on to the equivalent album. That worked for me later on in the pursuit of albums by Free, Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention

David Hepworth’s entry in the sampler world came a little earlier in June 1968 with the release of The Rock Machine Turns You On. The CBS label (Columbia in the US) were the pioneers of such releases and in the book, the compiler of this set David Howells recalls how Columbia in the US suddenly found them with a breadth of emerging rock talent. This from a label that was more associated with the likes of easy listening artists such as Ray Conniff, Andy Williams and Tony Bennett.

Inspired by a cheap sampler set on RCA titled Pop Shopper and issued in the early 60s, Howells saw the potential of compiling tracks from the CBS stable to promote their catalogue in the UK. The Rock machine Turns You On was stickered 15 tracks for 15 shillings. The 15 artists featured lined up as follows: Bob Dylan, Moby Grape, Spirit, The United States of America, The Zombies, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, Leonard Cohen, Blood Sweat And Tears, The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel ,Taj Mahal, The Electric Flag featuring Mike Bloomfield, Roy Harper, Tom Rose and Elmore Gantry’s Velvet Opera.

On the back cover it featured some heady words of wisdom extracted by Howells from a US Columbia advertising campaign for this hip new emerging era. It read as follows:

THE ROCK MACHINE IS A MACHINE WITH SOUL.

The Rock Machine isn’t a grind-you-up. It’s a wind-you-up. The sound is driving. It’s your bag. So it’s ours. It’s the Super Stars. And the Poets. It’s the innovators and the underground. It’s the Loners and the lovers. And It’s more. Much more…

This all worked a treat and led on to many major labels following suit – the aforementioned Island Records with You Can All Join In and Nice Enough To Eat  plus the pleasingly titled El Pea and Bumpers . Polydor waded in with the double set Bombers – Harvest with Picnic, a Breath of Fresh Air and the Harvest Bag, Atlantic with the Age of Atlantic and New Age of Atlantic , Liberty with Gutbucket. Probe with Handle With Care. CBS extended the Rock Machine Turns You On into a second volume Rock Machine I Love You and then issued the superb double album samplers Fill Your Head With Rock and Rockbuster. There were many others.

At the time I loved looking at these samplers in the local record shops – the line-up of tracks providing a gateway into a brave new musical world – and I invested in a few too.

Unsurprisingly, I am still a big collector of such items and the David Hepworth book reminded me of the importance of the original The Rock Machine Turns You On sampler.

As mentioned above this a remarkable collection – not least because it has various Led Zep references amongst the 15 tracks. Alongside the more well established CBS artists of the era (Dylan/ The Byrds/Zombies/ Leonard Cohen etc.) there are no less than six that have Zep connections.

So here’s the thing:

David Hepworth notes This Rock Machine Turns You On sampler was originally released in early 1968.

With this thread of Zep influences revolving amongst the grooves, could it possibly have been one of the albums Robert Plant took along to spin to Jimmy Page at that first meeting of minds in Pangbourne in the summer of 1968?

Or that Jimmy Page already had a copy lying around?

There’s enough evidence in their early repertoire to make that claim fairly plausible.

Here’s a quote from a 1990 Robert Plant interview:

“On stage the song’s opened up so much. We’d do As Long As I Have You, the old Garnett Mimms track, Fresh Garbage by Spirit, Flames by Elmore Gantry and his Velvet Opera. All these things would come creeping out the woodwork. That was the beauty of Led Zeppelin.”

On a final note – my copy of The Rock Machine Turns You On has the original CBS inner sleeve and it’s a beauty.

One side comprises of eight reasons to buy records under the title ‘’Here’s how records give you more of what you want’’.

It’s a fascinating snapshot of the way records were perceived and 50 years on, much of it still rings true

Here’s the full text:

HERES HOW RECORDS GIVE YOU MORE OF WHAT YOU WANT:

1: THEY’RE THE BEST ENTERTAINMENT BUY: Records give you top quality for less money than any other recorded form. Every album is a show in itself. And once you’ve paid the price of admission you can hear it over and over again.

2: THEY ALLOW SELECTIVITY OF SONGS AND TRACKS: With records it’s easy to pick out the songs you want to play, or to play again a particular song or side. All you have to do is lift the pick-up arm and place it where you want it. You can’t do this easily with anything by a long-playing record.

3: THEY’RE CONVENIENT AND EASY TO HANDLE: With the long playing record you get what you want to hear when you want to hear it. Everybody’s familiar with records too. And you can go anywhere with them because they’re light and don’t take up space.

4: THEYRE ATTRACTIVE , INFORMATIVE AND EASY TO STORE: Record albums are never out of place. Because of the aesthetic appeal of the jacket design, they’re beautifully at home in the living room and library. They’ve also got important information on the backs – about the artist, about the performance or about the programme. And because they are flat and not bulky. You can store hundreds in a minimum of space and still see every title.

5: THEY’LL GIVE YOU HOURS OF CONTINUOUS AND UNINTERUPPTED LISTEING PLEASURE. Just stack them up on your automatic changer and relax.

6: THEY’RE THE PROVEN MEDIUM. Long -playing record look the same now as they did when they were introduced in 1948 but there’s a world of difference. Countless refinements and development s have been made to perfect the long playing records technical excellence and ensure the best in sound reproduction and quality

7: IF IT’S AVAILABLE IN RECORDED FORM, YOU KNOW IT’LL BE AVAILABLE ON RECORDS. Everything’s on long playing records these days…your favourite artists, shows ,comedy, movie soundtracks, concerts, drama, documented history, educational material…you name it. This is not so with any other recording.

8: THEY MAKE A GREAT GIFT because everybody you know loves music. And everybody owns a record player because it’s the musical instrument everyone knows how to play. Records are gifts that say a lot about to the person you’re giving them to. And they keep on remembering

AND REMEMBER..IT ALWAYS HAPPENS FIRST ON RECORDS

The reverse of the inner bag lists 25 CBS label albums with sleeve illustrations. This mirrors the changing tide of tastes as the likes of Leonard Cohen, Chicken Shack, Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, Taj Mahal, Tim Hardin, Gun and, Blood Sweat and Tears rub shoulders with Tony Bennett, Ray Conniff, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Funny Girl and West Side Story.

The musical times they were a changing and The Rock Machine Turns You On was a tangible testament to that statement.

In summary: The Rock Machine Turns You On is a vinyl gem. I would advise any Led Zep fan to check it out at their earliest convenience.

Collector’s Update 1:

You can never have too many copies of The Rock Machine Turns You On. I am now up to 7. They include a couple with the original 15 shillings sticker and another with a rare poster insert. I also have mono and stereo copies of the follow up Rock Machine I Love You. Vinyl gold indeed…

Collector’s Update 2:

A few weeks ago at the Vinyl Barn I was well pleased to find an original copy of Flames by Elmar Gantry’s Velvet Opera – the 1968 single on the CBS owned Direction label.

Dave Lewis – December 16,2020.

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MORE TBL ARCHIVE 2:

Watching the clip of The Band Of Joy performing House Of Cards on Brian Johnson’s Robert Plant Life On The Road episode, reminded me of what a fantastic period that – all of ten years ago. It prompted me to pull out this piece form the TBL archive…and of course the album itself which also sounds superb – a warm pleasure of a record that will brightened up these cold dark nights…try yourself and bask in it’s light…

LESS PLANET ROCK – MORE PLANET PLANT

Robert Plant –Band Of Joy

It’s nothing if not a challenge being a Robert Plant fan. His musical landscape is an ever changing one. Whilst he is aware there will always be a section of his audience who would prefer him to be back in the company of his Zep compatriots, he carries on undaunted. Those ready to join his latest journey with open ears will find much to admire.

The latest twist in the story finds him in the company of some of the Nashville based band mates that were prominent in his Grammy winning Raising Sand duet with Alison Krauss. Buddy Miller being most central to the sound of particular Band Of Joy. He has also enlisted the voice of Patty Griffin to add as he described a touch of Cocteau Twins/Shangri-Las feel to the arrangements.

Resisting the easy route of a further Krauss collaboration, Robert taps further into the wealth of Americana, blues and folk roots that has often influenced his best work. Mostly covers but constantly flavoured by Plant/Miller to add a contemporary edge.

Central to proceedings is of course the voice. And from the shuffling warmth of the Los Lobos cover Angel Dance through to the relentless groove of Even This Shall Pass Away the listener is never in doubt that Robert Plant still maintains an unrivalled standard of vocal supremacy.

The Band Of Joy album us released on September 13.

By way of a preview here are some initial thoughts:

THE TBL GUIDE TO BAND OF JOY:

Track by track guide to the original sources, song reflections and playlist recommendations with which to mix the new material in with on your ipod.

Get ready to soak up the only sound that matters…

Angel Dance (3mins .50)

Original Source: Los Lobos 1990 album The Neighborhood.

Ushers in proceedings with its shuffling warmth. Love the ‘’yeah yeah yeah’’ Plant refrain and key change at the end and the stop gap ending ‘’Dance!’’

Playlist with Shine It All Around from Mighty ReArranger and 29 Palms from Fate Of Nations.

House Of Cards (3.14)

Original source Richard & Linda Thompson 1978 album First Light.

An exquisite version of the Richard Thompson song. Robert sings with a purity and strength supplemented by Patty Griffin’s effectively layered harmonies. There’s some Achilles like ‘’Ahh ah ahh’’ in there. In fact this writer would love to hear a whole album of the singer’s take on that period of English folk rock ala Incredible String Band, Sandy, Fairport, Traffic etc.

Playlist with Come In To My Life from Fate Of Nations and Great Spirit from Fate Of Nations.

Central Two O Nine (2.49)

Original source – based on and old blues Hello Central (209) recorded by

Lightening Hopkins in 1965. (Note Worse Than Detroit opens with the lines ‘’ ‘’Operator, give me Central, Central’’)

Re arranged by Plant/Miller

This finds Plant in his best ‘blow- that- whistle’’ black country blues mode.

Excellent banjo work here.

Playlist with Black Country Woman from Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti, Nobody’s Fault But Mine from No Quarter Unledded

Silver Rider (6.06)

Original source: Low’s 2005 Great Destroyer album

First of two songs from Minnesota based trio Low’s 2005 album Great Destroyer. Close to mic and at time double tracked vocal in the Little Hands tradition backed up by close harmonies with Patty Griffin. Bleak haunted atmosphere. Reminded me of the sort of tortured arrangements that graced Scott Walker’s work. Nice reverb and crash cymbal effects too.

Playlist with Heart In Your Hand from Page & Plant Walking Into Clarksdale and The Window – Page & Plant extra track on the Most High CD single.

You Can’t Buy My Love (3.10)

Original source: 1964 Barbra Lynn recording.

First of two consecutive performances that would have lit up a Honeydrippers Vol 2 record had there been such a thing. Jump blues arrangement of R and B songstress Barbra Lynn’s 1965 single. Bo Diddley drum beat and authentic retro guitar solo from Miller. Wonderful stuff.

Playlist with I Got A Woman from the Honeydrippers Vol 1 and My Buckets Got a Hole In It – Page & Plant from the Sun Records tribute album.

I’m Falling In Love Again (3.37)

Original source: B-side of a single by Chicago soul quintet the Kelly Brothers in 1966.

Straight take on the Kelly Brothers do wop arrangement. The sort of song as he would put it, he has held his back pocket for years and probably one he’s sung in the shower. Lovely pedal steel guitar.

Playlist with Young Man Blues from The Honeydrippers Vol 1 and Valley Of Tears from the Fat’s Domino tribute album Goin’ Home.

The Only Sound That Matters (3.44)

Original source: Written by Greg Vanderpool for the Milton Mapes 2003 album Westernaire

Lovely lilting county ballad opens with some cool acoustic strumming over laid by pedal steel guitar – beautiful yearning vocals. This is a total joy.

Playlist with if It’s Really Got To Be That Way –Arthur Alexander tribute track on 66 To Timbuktu and Naked If I Want To – Moby Grape cover on 66 To Timbuktu.

Monkey (4.58)

Original source: Low’s 2005 Great Destroyer album

Absolute stand out and as good as anything he has done for years. The other Low cover – mournful close to mic vocal with Patty in harmony . Backed by brooding sustained guitar soundscapes from Buddy Miller that reminded me of Robert Fripp’s work on David Bowie’s Heroes. The arrangement is Cure like and not unlike Lullaby as performed on the early dates of the Page & Plant 1995 tour. Another reference might be Presence – it has that uncomfortable intensity. Masterful.

Playlist with Down By The Seaside Robert Plant & Tori Amos from 66 To Timbuktu and No Quarter –Page &Plant No Quarter Unledded

Cindy I’ll Marry You Someday (3.37)

Original source: American folk tradition song known as Cindy and Get Along Home Cindy, and recorded by amongst others Bascom Lamar Lunsford.

Another close to mic vocal – bluesy lament backed by banjo and pedal steel guitar. Gains momentum with Buddy adding authentic guitar licks

Playlist with Colour Of A Shade from Fate Of Nations and Win My Train fare Home (If I Ever Get Lucky) from Dreamland,

Harm’s Swift Way (4.19)

Original source: Tons Van Zandtz demo written before he died.

Another slice of bright and light country rock pleases with its sweet ‘’Oh Me Oh My’’ chorus.

Playlist with Dancing In Heaven from Mighty ReArranger and Stick With Me Baby – Plant/ Alison Krauss Raising Sand

Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down (4.13)

Original source: Another traditional song recorded through the years by the likes of Frank Proffitt, and Willie Nelson.

A spiritual croon in a sparse traditional setting – the sort of thing that Zep might well have considerably rocked up ala In My Time of Dying. Instead the arrangement here has the banjo creating the plaintive mood.

Playlist with 21 Years with Ranier Ptacek from 66 To Timbuktu and Great Spirit acoustic take B side

Even This Shall Pass Away (4.02)

Original source: Even This Shall Pass Away contains the lyrics of a poem penned in 1866 by Theodore Tilton and adapted in 1979 by Chuck Berry for his album Rock It.

Punctuated throughout by a percussive groove swing from Marco Giovino over a Plant vocal of total conviction.

Playlist with Last Time I Saw Her from Dreamland and Page & Plant Whiskey From The Glass bonus cut on the Japanese package of Page & Plant’s Walking Into Clarksdale.

In summary:

As with most recent Plant works, this is an album that needs to be listened to intensely. The content is varied eclectic and durable – his voice remains a most potent force and if anything is even more impressive than in recent years with an upfront breathy clarity that once it gets under the skin burrows deep. It may be less Plant Rock and more Planet Plant… but Band of Joy vividly demonstrates it’s a pretty wonderful place to inhabit.

Dave Lewis August 19th, 2010

Thanks to Steve Sauer for additional research.

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John Parkin on Radio 2’s  Champions League PopMaster:

My very good friend, TBL contributor, long time fellow record collecting buddy and all round top man John Parkin from Crowle near Scunthorpe is back on the Radio 2  Popmaster quiz.

As a winner earlier in the year, John is participating in the Champions League PopMaster on Friday December 18 on the Ken Bruce show on Radio 2 at 10.30am

Good luck John!

DL Diary Blog Update:

Friday December 12:

Friday treats at the Vinyl Barn…

After last week’s fainting incident it was time to get back in the saddle as it were and a visit to the Vinyl Barn this morning…

Thankfully there was no drama this week and amongst the vinyl record pickings, I was well pleased to find a copy of the excellent 1977 Decca double album compilation The Joe Meek Story and I could not leave a copy of The Faces Long Player album in its original stitched cardboard sleeve in the racks as you can never have too many copies of that one – top stuff – thanks Darren!

Friday December 12:

On the player The Rolling Stones Rock’n’Roll Circus TV soundtrack 3 LP set featuring a host of acts including The Who, The Rolling Stones ,Jethro Tull Taj Mahal,M arianne Faithfull ,The Dirt Mac supergroup line up of John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Mitch Mitchell as recorded 52 years ago today and yesterday December 10/11 1968…

Update here:

A difficult week here – I had a consultancy with the doctor at the hospital on Saturday regarding some heart issues and I have some further tests in the new year. One of these is to check my heart rate to see if my recent fainting issue is anyway linked. These are hopefully precautionary measures to monitor some things. While it’s good to be monitored, it does add to my ongoing anxiety.

My mobile phone has also ceased to function and I am in the process of sorting a new phone which has proved something of a hassle.

Mentally, I was really struggling again earlier in the week  – the above issues were casing anxiety as was the fact it was one year ago that Janet had her accident and my 4 day stay in the psychiatric hospital – this, plus the ongoing worry of the spread of the virus and all the confusion of the government guidelines for the seasonal period had be succumbing to a very low mood.

Janet has once again been amazing in her support and I am really hoping I can lift my mood back up as we go into the Christmas week.

Some particular inspirations this past week…

Music is always a salvation so the current playlist has provided much needed inspiration:

Led Zeppelin – All is Safe For Rock And Roll – LA Forum March 28 soundboard Eeelgrass label 4 CD set

The Band Of Joy – The Band of Joy LP – see above TBL archive piece

Elton John – Empty Sky and Elton John LPs  – I’ve been wading through Elton’s highly entertaining autobiography ME and his first two albums always hit the mark…

John Martyn Grace And Danger 2 CD deluxe edition – I am just about to read the recent John Martyn biography by Graeme Thompson so I am revisiting some of his great work

Simon & Garfunkel – The Essential Simon & Garfunkel 2 CD  

Phil Collins – Face Value 2 CD reissue – love this album, so many 1981 memories…simpler times when looking for the bridge (and sometimes finding it) was so much easier…

Paul McCartney  – McCartney Record Store day remaster LP – gearing up for the imminent release of McCartney III

Watching the brilliant Brian Johnson Life On the Road Robert Plant episode on Sky Arts…

A great catch up on the phone with long time TBL supporter Ian Saikia…

The new issue of Mojo dropping through the door…

A lengthy catch up on the phone earlier with long time TBL contributor Phil Tattershall…