TBL Retro Christmas Reflection 2:

A TBL Christmas Carol:

Yet more Christmas TBL Nostalgia:

Here’s some reflections from the Christmas period of 1978. At that time I was ensconced in writing text for what would emerge as the first issue of a magazine about Led Zeppelin titled Tight But Loose. I was compiling all that in between working full on at WH Smiths in Bedford – it was the beginning of my balancing my retail record shop job with the Zep work -something that would be prevalent over the next few years.

Here’s a bit of TBL history…

42 years ago, I was well aware there were other fan clubs and societies of other name rock bands bands – notably The Who, Genesis and Simon Robinson’s Deep Purple Appreciation Society –in fact Simon’s Darker Than Blue magazine would be a huge influence on the TBL mag in the early 90s alongside the Bruce Springsteen mag Backsteets.

It occurred to me that given the fact I had built up a bit of a rapport with various fellow collectors/enthusiasts, I might take on the challenge of forming some sort of appreciation society. The term ‘appreciation society’ though did not feel right – I needed something different, something more substantial… and behold, it was staring me in the face, on the cover of the NME etc., every week.

For this was 1977 and a new musical phenomenon known as Punk Rock was sweeping the nation. Punk Rock was built on do it yourself ethics from the playing to the presentation. Thus, when it came to documenting on paper this new movement the magazines that chronicled bands such as the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Stranglers, Buzzcocks etc, were crude, hand written but highly effective affairs dubbed ‘Fanzines.’

So called as they were literally produce by fans. The leaders of this particular pack was Sniffin’ Glue and Ripped And Torn. At the time I was a frequent visitor to the Vintage Magazine Shop in London’s Cambridge Circus. They regularly stocked the US mags such as Circus, which I was always eager to buy if Zep were featured. This particular visit I noticed a copy of Ripped And Torn and promptly invested.

This was a light bulb moment, for wading through the crude hand written but brilliantly enthusiastic prose of this so called ‘fanzine’, I thought, would it not be a good idea to produce a similar volume purely based on the world of Led Zeppelin? This would eradicate any rather old fashioned ‘appreciation society’ methods of linking like-minded fans and provide an outlet for my scribing.

It would of course be with some irony that, given punks distain of the old guard dinosaurs of rock (of which Zep were the forerunner) I would go on to create such a fanzine, blatantly inspired out of the do it yourself punk tactics of the likes of Ripped And Torn.

Although underneath all the hype of the time, it’s now known that Johnny Rotten and co actually liked Zep and in turn both Page and Plant lauded the punk movement, even visiting the punk club, The Roxy in early 1977.

Anyway, punk rock or not, in the autumn of 1977 I set about hand writing my first edition. At the time, I had little money to invest in this idea and also no access to a typewriter. So black ballpoint pen it was.

What was also need of course was a title for this hot new fanzine.

Initially, I went through the more obvious ones of which Candy Store Rock was a one time leader. I felt, though, it needed something more individual something that projected the air of mystique that was so associated with Zep at the time.

What I need was a wording that described their music – not in an obvious way, something more oblique – a mission statement, if you like, and I found it not unsurprisingly, in the pages of the music press.

In separate interviews during their 1977 tour, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant both mentioned a phrase that rang out like a bell for me. In an interview with Circus magazine talking about their on stage appearance Jimmy was quoted as saying ‘’There were some tremendous perfoamces las tnight.It was very intense…we were tight,yet loose..Loosley tight’’.

In an interview with Melody Maker’s Ray Coleman, Robert also used the phrase. Talking about their legacy, he said, ‘’We have to bring out our very best all the time because kids have a right to expect that, but we don’t have to produce it in a stiff upper lip way or it comes out the wrong kind of way.. It’s got to be Tight But Loose. That’s probably the title of the next album’’

There was a risk, of course, that they may well use the phrase as the title for the next album. Putting caution to the wind, I went with it anyway and the first prototype pages of what would become Tight But Loose issue one were photocopied at the local Bedford library in early 1978.

At that point I had amassed a fair bit of text. This included a feature on what a chronological Zep live album might contain (this never did make the TBL mag but I later used it to form the basis of the Led Zeppelin Live chapter in the A Celebration book), a Swan Song discography with commentary about each release, another feature that never made it into the mag) plus a long rambling piece on the Earls Court gigs which I had begun writing in the summer of 1975. The latter would go on to be the centrepiece of the first issue.

With Zep off the road following the tragic curtailment of the 1977 tour I was launching this new fanzine in a fallow period. However, my plan to publish in the summer was delayed by a series of game changing events.

In early 1978 I replied to a query in the Wax Factor column in Sounds – one of the weekly music papers of the time. This column was run by the late Barry Lazell and basically offered information to queries sent in by readers. One such letter requested how to obtain Hey Hey What Can I Do. Under the guise Dave ‘Ace Zep Fan’ Lewis (more on that to follow), I replied giving the correct info. I made similar correspondence with Barry over a query about the Blueberry Hill bootleg – both of these were published.

Having given myself a bit of identity by labelling myself Dave ‘Ace Zep Fan’ Lewis in my correspondents with Barry in Sounds, I also began signing off my letters with same. I’d seen the expression Ace Fan in a copy of the underground magazine, It in a feature on The Rolling Stones. I thought (rather pretentiously, in hindsight) it laid my credentials out as a serious fan. Wisely, I dropped this tag after, I think, TBL 3. I can tell you dear Howard Mylett ribbed me about it for years after!

In late May (around the time of my ‘leap of faith’ with The Who at Shepperton), I received a call from Geoff Barton, at Sounds. He had evidently seen the Wax Factor replies and wanted to enlist my assistance on an upcoming Led Zeppelin feature. This was to be an ambitious three week series celebrating the band’s tenth anniversary.

The brief was for me to supply a timeline history of the band for Geoff to work with, plus a full discography. I suggested to Geoff that we include a bootleg listing and other pre and post session details. I’d only ever seen the basic Zep discography and I saw this as a major opportunity to present an extensive showcase of the band’s recording history to that period.

In June 1978, I met with Geoff Barton at the Sounds office in Long Acre, Covent Garden, to discuss all this at length. I took in a whole load of memorabilia for them to photograph to illustrate the feature – programmes, photos, and a fair few vinyl bootlegs (no jpeg scanning in those far off days!). Looking back, I was a bit naive entrusting them with all this and one or two items did go missing.

Back in the Dents Road bedroom during the summer of ’78, I set to work on collating all the info required – all hand written, I might add. It was a real thrill to be finally finding an outlet for the masses of info I had collected and logged, and knowing that it would be seen by fans across the country. I was also in touch with Swan Song and told them of my involvement. I have to say there did seem some tetchiness between Sounds and Swan Song. Not that it was any of my business, this uneasiness would later result in Sounds being banned from having press passes for Knebworth – which is another story altogether.

So, by early August all my info was at the Sounds office ready to be incorporated into this lavish series. Boy was I excited.

On Thursday, September 14, the first part appeared – with a cover photo of the now much seen group posing by the car shot taken by Dick Barnatt (see TBL 35 for the full story). The series was dubbed ‘The Complete Led Zep’.

Looking over it now, it’s very evident that presenting this outpouring of Zep info in Sounds back in September 1978 was clearly the moment I broke out of my bedroom, as it were, and found a true connection for my thoughts, passion and enthusiasm for Led Zeppelin.

Following the running of the series two things happened. Firstly, I began to get letters and correspondence via Sounds from fans requesting further info and discussion on the info I’d presented.

It’s worth mentioning here that being a Zep fan back then was quite an insular thing. There was no social media to share this enthusiasm, but as I said, I myself was in touch with a few fans, notably Howard Mylett and Brian Knapp in the US. The Sounds piece did much to galvanise a lot of interest and through the feedback I was receiving, I quickly realised there were many fans out there as keen as I was on the band.

Secondly, I got paid for the feature and hatched a plan to use that money to fund the printing of the first issue of Tight But Loose. During October, November and December of 1978 I carried on scribing away on the contents of the hand written first issue.

The centrepiece as mentioned was the impassioned overview of the Earls Court shows, principally the May 24 show for which I had transcribed many of Robert’s between song comments.

I had already decided that the format of the mag would flow in much the same way as the NME – with specific features and headlines, ie., a news section, major central features, a reviews section, plus a free ads section for readers to place ads for Zep items and I also had what I described as a Hip Pen Pals listing for fellow fans to get in touch. All very quaint when matched with today’s social media interaction. The reviews included the then recently released Ballcrusher bootleg, Robert’s early solo single Our Song and the Trampled Underfoot UK promo single.

There was also a quiz to enter, with the winning prize being that Trampled Underfoot UK promo, it was won by Mick Humphries who is still a subscriber. There was also a Loose Talk column which rounded up small news items in the manner of the NME’s Teasers column.

Also in the debut issue was o a report of the very inspiring conversation I had with Robert Plant at the Goldiggers football tournament he took part in at the Empire Pool, Wembley, which I attended on November 5th, 1978.

As for photos and illustrations, initially there was scant regard for copyright or ownership. I merely cribbed a few of the pics I’d collated over the years. That policy would quickly change to a more ethical one moving forward.

And as for proof reading, that was fairly non existent. Just winging it, there were some howlers that got through. Looking back I should have employed the services of my good friend, Dec who’s actual job was in the proof reading department of one of the local papers. Spell checkers were yet to be invented and again some of my spelling was, well… erratic. I guess what it lacked in finesse and professionalism, it made up for in enthusiasm.

In fact the whole editorial stance was that this specialist periodical was being written by a fan for the fans. A value that that 40 years on still stands. This now may be what I do for a living as editor author and publisher, but fundamentally I am still a fan.

Considering I don’t have great handwriting (writing mostly in capitals, at least it looked presentable), I laid out the designed text in much the same way I had my scrapbooks – pasting it all up in an A4 format.

I took the master sheets off to a local print and photocopier, Jaycopy. The young lady, Elaine was very helpful in sizing it all up and their machine rolled out 200 unbound editions.

I had to staple the pages together myself and I still have a slight scar on the second finger of my right hand where I stapled said finger to the page! Such were the trials of these early days.

The first advert I placed was a simple one in the NME in late 1978, and I repeated the same ad in Sounds. I’d hoped to publish at the end of 1978 but the UK was hit by a bout of icy snow conditions. I can vividly recall trudging through the snow carrying a box of the hot off the press TBL issue 1.

The first letters back from the early ads were sent a flyer advising that TBL 1 would be published on February 10th. I set a price of 35p and away it went.

It’s worth noting that I only ran the mag on an issue to issue basis. There was no subscription offer. I think that was down to my rather tentative approach to it all. I never really saw the full potential of what I might achieve with it – a naïve view, looking back. As for the idea of making TBL a profit gaining venture –that was never in mind. The objective was to ensure there was enough cash flow to fund the next issue.

Further ads with the price and details went in Sounds. The response was excellent. Within a month I’d sold out the initial 200 and had another 100 printed.

Hand written and low budget it may have been, but TBL was on the map. The second issue appeared in May and a Knebworth special in October. The platform of communication between like minded fans across the globe was well and truly established.

That Christmas of 1978 was therefore an exciting one for me with the prospect ahead of documenting the world of Led Zeppelin. In between the usual socialising and playing for the Wallbangers football team, I immersed myself in writing about the subject that I was most passionate about.

Fast forward 42 years on and not much has changed. Writing about Led Zeppelin and the music that inspires me has become part of my DNA.

Dave Lewis – December 22,2020.

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DL Diary Bog Update:

Friday December 18:

Very much looking forward to listening to the new Paul McCartney album McCartney III which I picked up earlier today from the top folks at the Slide Record shop in Bedford –thanks Warren and Nerys…the album has had fantastic reviews and see mine below…

My thoughts on the new Paul McCartney album McCartney III…

I’ve been listening to Paul McCartney’s solo work for 50 years.

I vividly remember the storm that broke out in the music press when, through a self-interview that coincided with the release of his debut solo album McCartney. Paul made it very clear he had no plans to write with John Lennon or work with The Beatles.

On his 28th birthday June 18 1970, I went to see The Beatles Let It Be film at our local Granada cinema. It was a poignant experience and I vowed that whatever solo projects they embarked on I would be right there with them. Over the next couple of years I was enthralled by the likes of George’s All Things Must Pass and The Concert For Bangla Desh ,John’s Imagine, Ringo’s run of singles that began with It Don’t Come Easy and Paul’s Another Day single and the Ram album.

I embraced Wings almost as a new Beatles – From 1973 I bought every single and album on the day of release. I had much listening pleasure with those albums – Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway, Band On The Run, Venus And Mars, Wings At The Speed Of Sound, London Town, Back To The Egg – all of which remain much loved records in my collection.

Post Wings, there was also much to enjoy including the McCartney II album, Tug Of War, his collaboration with Elvis Costello Flowers In The Dirt, and Off The Ground. In January 1990 I was lucky enough to see his concert at Wembley Arena.

In recent years I’ve dropped off a bit with his solo work but I’ve soaked up a lot of his reissues, notably Ram and Band On The Run. In 2014 I wrote a major cover feature for Record Collector celebrating its 40th anniversary (with some great input from my very good friend and Beatles expert Paul Humbley.) In October I was well pleased to acquire a copy of the McCartney album reissue – the half speed mastered edition made available as part of the third drop of this year’s Record Store Day.

Now comes McCartney III…

I was drawn to this from the early reports that came though. Macca had recorded an album during the first lockdown and given the circumstances, he had played everything himself in the manner he did on that first McCartney outing of 50 years back.

So firstly the packaging – a very stylish affair with a gatefold sleeve that features various photos of the recording process mainly taken by daughter Mary – all very fitting as she is the tiny baby featured on the sleeve of the 1970 album inside Paul’s jacket.

I’m pleased that it comes pressed as a single album as opposed to a double. This bucks the trend of most modern day releases that are spread over four sides for enhanced quality. There’s something very comforting and old school about this single record approach and I did not sense any lessening of the sound quality myself.

It opens with the non-script mostly instrumental Long Tailed Winter Bird. It’s led by a repeated guitar motiv behind loose free flowing percussion which confirms Paul’s status as the second best drummer in The Beatles.

Find My Way has an infectious Wings like melodic shuffle and Beach Boys falsetto vocals.

These some telling lines here such as ‘’You never used to be afraid of days like these but now you’re overwhelmed by your anxieties.’’ Now that’s a line that resonates deeply with me and no doubt many others.

The arrangement on this track is characteristic of the album’s feel with lots of double tracked vocals – and while we are on the subject, age has slightly withered the McCartney voice in recent years though there’s a pleasing quivering vulnerability about it. Also prevalent throughout the album are lot of deliberate sounding overdubs – it’s evident these songs were constructed in a skeletal do it yourself style with the intention of fleshing them out later.

Pretty Boys is a quaint melodic affair while Woman And Wives is down beat and slight but engaging nonetheless.

The dubiously titled Lavatory Lil is the sort of up-tempo romp that in the latter Beatles period, the laconic Lennon would have put in the granny music category of Ob-la Di Ob-la Da and Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. Allegedly the song is about someone Macca knew and obviously does not hold in high esteem. Polythene Pam it’s not but it does have a fun element.

Closing side one is Slidin’, a grinding rocker and something of a throwback to the equally grinding Old Siam Sir from the Back To The Egg album

So far, so just a little bit ordinary…

The good news is that side two ups the quality considerably.

It commences with the lengthy Deep Deep Feeling. It reminds me of Paul Weller’s Mirrorball from his recent On Sunset album. This is more like it – a genuinely challenging piece that crosses time signatures and is experimental and dreamy with piano and acoustic guitar embellishments. The vocal arrangement is full of captivating harmonics – perfect for the subject matter of endearing love. A firm thumbs up all round here.

There’s more inspiration ahead in the guise of the White Album as the next three performances all mirror the eclectic nature of the 1968 Beatles opus. The Kiss Of Venus merges the link like quality of Wild Honey Pie and Can You Take Me Back with the acoustic sweetness of Blackbird. A plaintive harmonium adds to the retro feeling.

Seize The Day has a familiar Beatles like descending chord sequence and some of those odd but memorable Macca rhyming couplets –‘’Yankee Toes and Eskimos’’ recalls to mind similar quirky lines such as ’’Puppy Dog Tails In The House Of Lords’’ from 1987’s Once Upon A Long Ago.

Deep Down is an atmospheric piece with pleasingly lazy Ringo style drumming in the Free As A Bird vein plus brass effects, hand claps and upfront vocals.

Finally there’s reprise of the opening track Winter Bird which leads into When Winter Comes, a melodic acoustic piece revisiting the charm of Heart Of The Country from the Ram album – this was originally worked on in 1992 with George Martin.

Summary:

By his own admission this is not a proper full album – more a series of sketchpad ideas that given the time he had on his hands, Paul made something of. That he has crafted them into coherent finished product says much for Macca’s enduring musicality.

Back in 1970 the NME described the McCartney album as a warm pleasure. 50 years on that is an apt description for McCartney III – it’s an album I’ll be returning to as the long cold days and nights ahead take hold.

In these crazy times, Paul McCartney is a comforting constant in my life and no doubt millions of others too…and McCartney III only enhances that fact…

Dave Lewis – December 22,2020

Friday December 18:

Friday treats at the Vinyl Barn…

Like many other in the light of current events, I’ve been feeling anxious and pretty wretched for a number of reasons these past few days so it was an absolute tonic to visit the always excellent Vinyl Barn this morning.

There was a bit of a quirk of fate with one of my finds…

I am currently reading Graeme Thompson’s biography of John Martyn – Small Hours – The Long Night of John Martyn

Only last night I read a piece that explained some of John’s influences when he was initially signed to the Island label ‘’there was a soul compilation called The Sue Story! which he played to death’’ it states.

Sue Records was an offshoot of Island Records that specialised in vintage R and B.

With all that in mind, I was well pleased this morning to find a copy of This Is Sue, a 1969 sampler album in the Sue compilation series featuring the likes of Roy Head, Bobby Parker and Larry Williams and Incense by The Anglos, a track the young Robert Plant wanted to cover as his first CBS solo single (they had other ideas)

This copy in near mint condition with the original 14 shillings and sixpence sticker on the early Island label – if it was good enough for John Martyn it’s good enough for me…

Also amongst the pickings a copy of The Moody Blues In Search of The Lost Chord album –this one an original German pressing on the Deram label plus a very nice Spencer Davis Group compilation Gimme Some Lovin’ another German pressing this time on Island Records – top stuff indeed – thanks Darren…

Post Saturday Update: The moving of the Bedfordshire area into Tier 4 will now mean Bedford Market cannot operate so there will be no Vinyl Barn for the foreseeable future until things hopefully improve. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Darren for supplying so many great records that have provided me with much inspiration in these bleak times.

Monday December 21:

The Beatles – Get Back…shining some much needed light…

On June 18 1970, aged 13 I watched The Beatles film Let It Be in a state of utter awe at our local Granada cinema…

I’ve just watched the just released YouTube preview of Peter Jackson’s forthcoming film Get Back which is built around 50 hours of unseen footage from the Let It Be filming…

In a few short minutes it captures the fun, laughter, beauty and sheer exuberance of the eternally fab four…

It’s one of the best thing I’ve watched all year and in a period of bleakness has shone a much needed bright light…this film is going to be epic…

Thank You Beatles for nearly 60 years of continued inspiration and thank you Peter Jackson for providing a much needed reason to be cheerful in 2021…

Update here:

Another very difficult week – Bedford along with London and much of the South East moved into Tier 4 and the implications of all that and the continuing spread of the virus is stressful for everyone.

Once again our thoughts are with you all to stay safe and well.

The good lady Janet and I thank you for your amazing support and we wish you all the merriest Christmas you can have…

DL and J

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

Dave  Lewis – December 22 , 2020

Until next time, stay safe and stay well…