TBL Magazine Update:

Here’s a round up of the current state of paly with the TBL magazine.

A fair few very regular subscribers to the TBL magazine have yet to come back on board. I would say around 100 subscribers who have previously been very loyal to buying the magazine for some years, have yet to sign up for the 2016/17 subscription.

To reiterate:

ALL current subscriptions to the TBL magazine expired with issue 40. If you received issue 40 and have not re subscribed – now is the time.

As ever, I will be doing my utmost to deliver the TBL magazine to the highest standard. For all the effort that goes in to producing it – it will be a disappointment if the TBL magazine  does not reach the target audience it deserves – ie – you people reading this now.

To further reiterate:

One group – One magazine – One essential read…

Tight But Loose – chronicling the world of Led Zeppelin since 1978.

Subscribe now to receive the latest TBL issue 42 by return of post – Physical product sent to your door to be coveted and collected. Not just a band…more a way of life… share in it all with the TBL magazine.

Why is it when one of these comes do I always feel like I just got a new Zeppelin album?
Ken Winovitch,USA

If you are reading this and have purchased past magazines and have yet to indulge this time around – the current issue and issues ahead will enhance your enjoyment and bring you closer to the music of Led Zeppelin.

In an era of here today gone tomorrow instantly digested info, the Tight But Loose magazine remains a true tangible collectable – all pleasingly presented in an all colour format that can be stored, and re- read at your leisure  – there’s the added thrill of something to look forward to dropping though your door – ready to inspire your love of this great band.

By subscribing you will never miss an issue.
As a bonus, every subscriber will receive an exclusive 10 x 8 limited edition print – perfect for framing and yet another reason to subscribe to the TBL 2016/17 magazines…

You can subscribe to the TBL 2016/17 magazines at the link below:

http://www.tightbutloose.co.uk/subscribe-to-the-201617-tbl-magazines-free-10-x-8-print-with-every-subscription-a-subscription-makes-a-great-christmas-gift/

Remember websites are for browsing – the TBL magazine is for reading time, and time again…

I am currently working on the next issue TBL 42 which is due for publication in early January.

Many thanks in advance for all your support.

DL

………………………………………

 LZ News:
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.

Jimmy Page attended a private Van Morrison show in London on September 28 with his girlfriend, poet Scarlett Sabet, and also Jeff Beck.

Robert Plant has announced that he will pause work on his new album to join the Lampedusa tour for seven dates in the US and Canada this month. It’s a tour that is raising money for refugees around the world, which is a cause Robert Plant previously supported with his cover of “The Blanket Of Night” for “The Long Road.” He will perform “two or three” songs at each of the seven shows he’s joining.

Here are the dates that Robert Plant will perform:

October 12 – Milwaukee
October 13 – Chicago
October 14 – Toronto
October 16 – Boston
October 18 – New York
October 19 – Philadelphia
October 21 – Washington, D.C.
Robert Plant is also supporting the “We Are Not Afraid” charity campaign, which is raising money for Human Rights Watch and the International Rescue Committee. A photo of Plant holding a sign that reads “Not Afraid” will be used in the video of a song that’s being released to support the charity.

Jason Bonham joined Gov’t Mule on stage in Florida on September 25 and performed “Since I’ve Been Loving You” and “No Quarter” with them. The performance marked 36 years since Jason’s father John Bonham died on September 25, 1980.

Upcoming events:
October 8/9 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at the Festival of Disruption in Los Angeles.
October 12 – Robert Plant will perform as part of the Lampedusa tour in Milwaukee.
October 13 – Robert Plant will perform as part of the Lampedusa tour in Chicago.
October 14 – Robert Plant will perform as part of the Lampedusa tour in Toronto.
October 15 – Robert Plant’s “Austin City Limits” performance will be shown on PBS.
October 16 – Robert Plant will perform as part of the Lampedusa tour in Boston.
October 18 – Robert Plant will perform as part of the Lampedusa tour in New York.
October 19 – Robert Plant will perform as part of the Lampedusa tour in Philadelphia.
October 21 – Robert Plant will perform as part of the Lampedusa tour in Washington, D.C.
October 28 – Robert Plant will perform at Bill Wyman’s 80th birthday celebration in London.
November 11 – Jimmy Page will attend the Classic Rock Awards in Tokyo.

The Led Zeppelin News email goes out every weekend. To receive it each week sign up here: https://t.co/yp9fGJMS

……………………………

Led Zeppelin Gear book by Jeff Strawman:

Looking through the pdf version of the book, this is an incredibly detailed work – one of the most significant books on the band in recent years – a truly fantastic achievement by Jeff.

More details at:
http://www.led-zeppelin.org/current-news/2066-led-zeppelin-gear-book-now-on-sale
……………………………

TBL Archive – Japan 1971: 

Whole Lotta Love in Japan 1971 – The Mike Tremaglio Log:

Continuing our look back at the Japan tour of 1971 – here is a fascinating dissection of the Whole Lotta Love medley’s that were performed during that tour.

This was written and researched by Mike Tremaglio for a feature on the Japan 1971 tour that first appeared in TBL issue 31. Looking over this again it has inspired me to search out my Japan 71 CD’s and run though the amazing spontaneity that can be heard on stage. I am sure you will do the same.

Over to Mike..

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

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

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

One and Only Known Performance (16 songs):
Whole Lotta Love medley:
1) Sept. 24th – Oh Pretty Woman (Albert King)
2) Sept. 24th – Your Time is Gonna Come (Led Zeppelin)
3) Sept. 27th – Nine Times Out of Ten (Cliff Richard and The Shadows)
4) Sept. 28th – D in Love (Cliff Richard and The Shadows)
5) Sept. 28th – Bachelor Boy (Cliff Richard and The Shadows)
6) Sept. 28th – Down the Road A Piece (Chuck Berry)
7) Sept. 28th – Maybellene (Chuck Berry)
8) Sept. 29th – I Gotta Know (Elvis Presley)
9) Sept. 29th – Twist and Shout (The Beatles)

Song played in Dazed and Confused:
10) Sept. 29th – Pennies from Heaven (Frank Sinatra)

Songs played standalone:
11) Sept. 28th – Please Please Me (The Beatles)
12) Sept. 28th – From Me to You (The Beatles)
13) Sept. 28th – We Shall Overcome (Traditional)
14) Sept. 28th – Down by the Riverside (Traditional)
15) Sept. 29th – Friends (Led Zeppelin)
16) Sept. 29th – Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (The Platters)
One Other Known Performance (4 songs):
1) Sept. 27th – Be-Bop-a-Lula (Gene Vincent – in Whole Lotta Love medley)
2) Sept. 28th – Hi-Heel Sneakers (Tommy Tucker – standalone)
3) Sept. 28th – Watch Your Step (Bobby Parker – in Communication Breakdown)
4) Sept. 29th – Fortune Teller (Benny Spellman – in Whole Lotta Love medley)
Two Other Known Performances (2 songs):
1) Sept. 23rd – Tobacco Road (The Nashville Teens – in Whole Lotta Love medley)
2) Sept. 24th – Rave On (Buddy Holly – in Whole Lotta Love medley)
Other rare tracks performed during the Whole Lotta Love medley on the 1971 Japan tour include: Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You (Sept. 23rd – Don Redman), Kindhearted Woman Blues (Sept.23rd – Robert Johnson), Cocaine Blues (Sept. 24th – Reverend Gary Davis), and I’m a Man (Sept. 24th – Bo Diddley). All of these tracks were performed less than eight other known times before.

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

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

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

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

Mike Tremaglio

…………………………

John Lennon at 76 – The Beatles In Bedford:

Sunday is  John Lennon’s 76th birthday.

The events of 36 years ago surrounding his comeback album Double Fantasy and his shocking death in December are intrinsically linked for me with the tragic events going inside the Zep camp this time back in 1980.
I can vividly remember Simon Bates airing the Starting Over single and there was a real optimism about his return to recording. I purchased the album in the Kings Road in November after a visit to the Swan Song offices. That optimism (as with the Zep events) turned to agony on the morning of December 9th when the news broke here that John Lennon had been shot dead in new York.

I’ve recently been playing The Beatles 1962 – 1966 double album. I got a copy of this at the Bedford Record Fair via Nick C’s stall. I originally bought this and the 1967 -1970 set the day they came out back in April 1973. For some reason those orginals have gone astray so it’s been great to get re aquatinted with the sequencing of the 1962 to 1966 set.

It’s a stark reminder of the sheer exuberant joy of his rasping vocal in those formative years. Performances such as Please Me, Eight Days a Week etc  are ample evidence of his genius –  John Lennon is right up there  in my top five vocalist of all time. His post Beatle output has it’s moments for sure but what he achieved in those short eight years between 1962 and 1969 is awe inspiring. Hearing those innocent upbeat early Beatles tunes has been a tonic this past week.

More Beatles:

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

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

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

The Corn exchange venue is still going strong and will be the destination for many a real ale beer drinker in the next few days as the Bedford Beer Festival tales place. I’ll be popping in as I usually do at some point – in between a pint of the old peculiar, I’ll be pausing for thought to look around the hall and recall when the fledgling Beatles made that visit back in 1962.

DL Diary Blog Update:

Beer Festival update: I popped along to the Bedford Beer Festival last night – it was great to hook up with Nick Carruthers and Andy Neill who came over from St. Albans. Andy is a renounced rock historian and co author of the brilliant book Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere – The Complete Chronicle of The Who 1958 – 1978. In between supping one of two Black Country milds – one of the many ales on offer at this the 39th Bedford Beer festival (and I am proud to say I’ve been to most of them!) – the three of us waxed lyrical on the early touring days of The Beatles, The Who catalogue, the forthcoming Bob Dylan multi CD set of the 1966 tour, the best Stones era, our favourite bootlegs and much more.  A top evening indeed.

Friday treats at the Vinyl Barn – amongst last Friday’s rich pickings – a pair of superb CCS albums – CCS from 1972 and The Best Band In the Land from 1973. Ambitious big band rock arrangements featuring Alexis Korner. The 1972 CCS album has a cracking version of Black Dog plus Whole Lotta Rock’n’Roll , a medley featuring Whole Lotta Love – top stuff!

I also picked up a couple of other  gems I picked up last Friday – A Miles Davis EP on Fontana featuring the track Freddie Freeloader from the Kind Of Blue album, plus The Who By Numbers album Italian pressing on RCA Best Buy. This album came out all of 46 years ago this week – it’s compelling and personal Townshend songs had a profound effect on this then 18 year old and it still resonates all these years on…

Last weekend the good lady Janet and I joined our good friends Max and Julie to attend a soul music cruise down the Thames.

Max is a bit of a soul music connoisseur and we are well partial to the likes of Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Maze etc. I got into a lot of that when I sold a lot of dance music in the WH Smith and Our Price record shops I managed in the 1980s

It was a superb experience – alongside the music, as we travelled down the Thames on the boat we had splendid views of many a London landmark illuminated by dazzling lights. It was a poignant moment when I looked out and saw the O2 venue passing by – many a memory there of course. On the dance floor the crowd soaked up many a soul/dance anthem – it was a reminder of the sheer joyous power of music -whatever the genre – and yes we were out there throwing some shapes – although at 60 my breakdancing days are well and truly over!

On Sunday as the ladies shopped, Max and I watched Spurs rather splendid win in a pub in Berwick Street and there was time for a quick look in Reckless Records. With a definite feel-good factor in the air, I invested in a demo copy of Mott The Hoople Saturday Gigs -I’d been eying this in the shop for awhile – it’s a beauty complete with lyric sheet cover.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend.

Playlist: On the player, the aforementioned Beatles compilations and Who By Numbers plus another Who album – 1974’s Odds And Sods  –there’s some delightful stuff on this including Postcard,Now I’m A Farmer, Put the Money Down, Faith in Something Bigger, Long Live Rock to name but a few.

I’ve also caught up with some recent vinyl acquisitions including:

Herbie Mann – London Underground – great album by the jazz flute player and a superstar line up including Mick Taylor, Albert Lee, Aynsley Dunbar and Stephane Grappelli – on a selection of covers including  Something In the Air, Whiter Shade Of Pale, Layla and the Stones Bitch – (thank you John P!)

Julie Driscoll – 1969 solo album – the Wheels On Fire songstress does it her way.,

Widow Maker – Widow Maker -1976 album with ex Love Affair vocalist Steve Ellis and Mott’s Ariel Bender – saw them on the Who Charlton Festival bill -much underrated.

The Rolling Stones – Stoning The Coliseum  – Oakland 1969 second show – top performance! I am looking forward to checking the imminent new Stones Blues album – that looks well interesting.

Yes – The White Yes Album/The Amsterdam Concert – classic bootleg -classic performance

……………

It’s been a week of full on TBL 42 text preparation and it’s shaping up to be another packed edition. The pic here shows TBL mags past and present as Mick and I assessed content for the forthcoming issue.

As mentioned above, your support of the TBL magazine in advance is much appreciated. The simple fact is – if you are reading this you must love Led Zeppelin…and you will love this magazine…

Dave Lewis – October 6, 2016

Until next time – have a great weekend…

TBL Website updates compiled by Dave Lewis

• with thanks to Gary Foy and James Cook

Follow TBL/DL on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/tightbutloose

The TBL/DL Facebook page has regular updates and photos – be sure to check it out.
…………………….

And finally:

TBL Retro Clipping:
Jimmy Page interviewed in September 1969 – his comments on the idea for them to record a single is very interesting  – Jennings Farm Blues, Hey Hey What Can I Do?