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THE COMPLETE BBC SESSIONS UPDATE/LZ NEWS/DEBORAH BONHAM GIGS/MACCA TOP TEN/ DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

21 July 2016 3,247 views 2 Comments

beeb pack 2

Led Zeppelin – Complete BBC Sessions Update:

Following the announcement of the forthcoming release of the Led Zeppelin Compete BBC Sessions album on Tuesday – ordering links can now be accessed to pre- order the various formats due to appear.

The official Led Zeppelin website has all the details to pre order – check out the link at:

http://www.ledzeppelin.com/

In the, UK Spin Records are also offering pre orders – details at this link:

https://www.spincds.com/coming-soon/the-rill-thing-king-of-rock-and-roll-the-second-coming-2cd-50023

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It was incredibly exciting to see the reaction to this news – something that has been kept under wraps for some time. I am of course incredibly privileged to have been asked to contribute the liner notes. These take the form of an extensive session by session log of all six of the BBC Session appearances. I have been working on this over the past few months and may I offer thanks to Mike Tremaglio for all his help and input.

My new liner note will sit alongside Luis Rey’s original notes from the 1997 package.

I have yet to hear any of the content of this forthcoming package – full coverage will appear as it unfolds, on both the TBL website and the next TBL magazine issue 42 due later in the year. I have seen some of the intended work in progress artwork for the box set and it looks absolute class.

As I mentioned in Tuesday’s posting, this is another landmark Led Zeppelin release. This forthcoming set now newly remastered and expanded by Jimmy Page, will further emphasise the importance of these radio recordings – both in the expansion of their repertoire and in spreading the word in the UK.

These BBC sessions as recorded in 1969 and 1971, have retained a natural rawness that perfectly captures the excitement and electricity of Led Zeppelin during their formative years. A primitive musical vitality that was so effectively transmitted over the UK airwaves all those years ago.

That excitement will now be reactivated in the coming weeks as the countdown continues – it’s another period where Led Zeppelin’s status will be very much in the present tense…and as a fan, that to me is a cause for much celebration.

For me, the release of the Complete BBC Sessions represents Jimmy Page’s desire to preserve the music and heritage of Led Zeppelin – to be enjoyed by countless millions of admirers from its release on Friday September 16… and way beyond.

57 days to go and counting…

Dave Lewis, July 21, 2016. 

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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.

Robert Plant
•Robert Plant performed three shows in Spain: One on July 10, another on July 14, and one on July 16. Check out the setlists below.,
July 10: Bilbao, Spain
Friends
Black Dog
Little Maggie
Hey Joe
That’s the Way
All the King’s Horses
Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down / In My Time of Dying
No Quarter
The Enchanter
No Place to Go / Dazed and Confused
Fixin’ to Die
Whole Lotta Love
————-
The Lemon Song
Rock And Roll

July 14: Madrid, Spain
Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You
Tin Pan Valley
What Is and What Should Never Be
Spoonful
The Rain Song
All the King’s Horses
Poor Howard
Friends
Little Maggie
Fixin’ to Die
Whole Lotta Love
———-
Rock And Roll
———-
Going to California

July 16: Marbella, Spain (This is all we could find so far)
Going To California
Whole Lotta Love •Robert Plant has given an interview to Spanish newspaper El País in which he calls the “Stairway To Heaven” trial a “crazy, insane, incredible waste of time.”
•Robert Plant’s show on July 18 at the Nice Jazz Festival has been cancelled following the attack there on July 14. The news was announced on Robert Plant’s Facebook page.

Upcoming events:
July 20 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at the Street Music Art Festival in Italy.
July 22 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Italy.
July 24 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Italy.
July 27 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in the Czech Republic.
July 28 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Austria.
July 30 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Croatia.
August 2 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Germany.
August 3 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform in Switzerland.
August 5 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at the Wilderness Festival in the UK.
October 8/9 – Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters will perform at the Festival of Disruption in Los Angeles.

The Led Zeppelin News email goes out every weekend. To receive it each week sign up here: https://t.co/yp9fGJMSGH

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deb royal albert

Deborah Bonham Tour Dates:

The Deborah Bonham Band complete a series of tour dates with two gigs this weekend.

Friday July 22 – MILTON KEYNES The Stables Wavendon UK

They always go down very well at this excellent venue – I am aiming to catch up with them at this one.

Ticket details: www.stables.org

Saturday July 23  BEWDLEY St Georges Hall Midlands UK

Finally something of a homecoming gig -with one or two surprises possible. Ticket details www.thehall-bewdley.org.uk

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Top Ten Paul McCartney & Wings Songs:

Ten of the best Paul McCartney & Wings songs as compiled by yours truly for the Classic Rock website – great band they were…

How do you follow being in The Beatles? That was the dilemma Paul McCartney faced in the early 70s. He solved it by going back to basics, forming Wings, getting out on the road and making a series of superbly crafted records. Here are ten of his best with Wings…
View the list at
http://teamrock.com/feature/2016-07-18/the-top-10-best-paul-mccartney-wings-songs

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DL: THE COUNTDOWN TO 60.

I’ve kicked this one off on the DL/TBL Facebook page…

With my 60th birthday in sight, the countdown commences. Every day up to September 5 I’ll be posting (in no particular order) a countdown of my favourite 60 singles , favourite 60 albums and gigs …the 60 at 60 DL faves…

Here’s a summary of the past week’s entries:

THE SINGLES:

The Singles Countdown : At 53
TRAFFIC – HERE WE GO ROUND THE MULBURRY BUSH
Classic late 1960s sound – all phased up and psychedelic and the awesome vocals of Steve Winwood. This is from the film of the same name that stared the late Barry Evans – a rites of passage tale set in Stevenage, it’s a great period piece.

The Singles Countdown: at 52

DAVID BOWIE – YOUNG AMERICANS

There will always be a Starman waiting in the sky…

The Singles Countdown : At 51…
PAUL MCCARTNEY – NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS

One of his absolute finest – soaring vocal performance and the guitar solo from one David Gilmour isn’t too bad either…

The Singles Countdown : At 50…
THE BEATLES STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER/PENNY LANE

Double A side perfect from four lads who changed the world…just slightly

The Singles Countdown : At 49…
THIS WHEELS ON FIRE – JULIE DRISCOLL, BRIAN AUGER AND THE TRINITY

Brilliant interpretation of the Bob Dylan song – I have this on the original Marmalade label single – it’s a happy birthday to Brian Auger today…

The Singles Countdown : At 48…
LED ZEPPELIN –TRAVELLING RIVERSIDE BLUES

From the one track promo CD single issued in 1990 – this is a prime slice of BBC Zep which following today’s announcement of the forthcoming Complete BBC Sessions release, has never sounded better…

The Singles Countdown : At 47…
BOB DYLAN LIKE A ROLLING STONE

Still sounding as epic as it did when it was released on this day in 1965..51 years ago…

The Singles Countdown: At 46
THUNDERCLAP NEWMAN – SOMETHING IN THE AIR

From the summer of 1969 a number one here – Pete Townshend production and still the perfect feel good summer record – Jimmy McCullough went on to Stone the crows and Wings –great guitarist he was too.

THE ALBUMS:

The Albums : At 53…
FRANK ZAPPA – HOT RATS
Another album purchased during my early 70s musical exploration period. Mostly instrumental intricate jazz rock – the opener Peaches En Regalia is one of the all time great instrumentals -fantastic drumming form Aynsley Dunbar here and Zappa throughout is mazing – the solo on Willie The Pimp is just right out there and the good Captain B is pretty good on that to

The Albums Countdown : At 52…
MILES DAVIS – KIND OF BLUE
The coolest of albums…first hit on Miles in the early 90s with this gem –I’ve played it nigh on every week since…

The Albums Countdown at 51

ELVIS PRESLEY – ELVIS IN THE 70S:

love his early 70s stuff he was singing superbly on the likes of I’ve Lost You etc

Burt hit maker one

The Albums : At 50…
HIT MAKER! BURT BACHARACH AND HIS ORCHESTRA
If ever an album had an appropriate title this is it. Burt has been the hit maker for six decades – his work with Hal David is legendary. I love everything about this album from the kitsch cover though to the impeccable track listing.

The Albums : At 49…
LED ZEPPELIN – LIVE ON BLUEBERRY HILL
My first ever bootleg purchase back in 1972 – still for me, the greatest live double album of all time…

The Albums : At 48…appropriately enough..
LED ZEPPELIN – BBC SESSIONS – TRADE MARK OF QUALITY BOOTLEG
I got this bootleg LP in early 1973 – it was a fantastic re acquaintance with what I had heard two years previously …here’s some background..

On April 4 1971, I first heard the music of Led Zeppelin performed live and the effect was pretty shattering to the ears of a young 14 year old.
The occasion was the Radio One broadcast of an hours worth of live Zep for John Peel’s In Concert programme. Recorded three days earlier at the Paris Theatre on the back of the band’s ‘Back to the clubs tour’, at the time this was a very big deal. Zeppelin had not appeared on a BBC radio session since August of 1969 –their return to the UK airwaves was therefore much anticipated. Especially by me, tuning in a at home on our portable radio eager to hear how they sounded on stage.

Beforehand I carefully put the jack plug from my reel to reel tape recorder into the radio to capture this historic moment. Then the dulcet tones of John Peel spoke forth: ‘’This is something we’ve waited a long time for on the Sunday repeated on Wednesday show and I know it’s all going to be worth the wait. Would you welcome please Led Zeppelin.

bbc zep
Oh yes we would welcome them Mr Peel. Blam! The battering ram riff of Immigrant Song reeled from the radio and I was in seventh heaven. This was Led Zeppelin live – and a riveting experience to behold.
I was already in love with their three studio albums, I had missed out on their 1969 broadcasts hearing them live was absolute confirmation that all my enthusiasm was justified. On record they were fantastic -but their songs performed live took all into another stratosphere.

No more so than the next track that was aired. As I was later to discover via the bootlegs, this hour long presentation was edited down from a full set. On this Sunday evening broadcast Immigrant Song therefore did not segue into Heartbreaker as was the custom of their then live act. Instead we heard Dazed And Confused. All nigh on 18 minutes of it…
This was my baptism into the free form improvisational world of live Led. It was then I realised that the studio versions were just the starting point. Dazed And Confused live went off into all sorts of tangents – the drama of the slowed down intro, the violin bow episode, the call and response sequence through to the lengthy outro – it was all there. Within the space of 18 minutes my estimation and appreciation of Led Zeppelin shot up 100%.

So there you have it…the announcement today of the forthcoming Complete BBC Sessions has once again rekindled the excitement for a series of recordings that for me remain timeless ..and to hear a revamped version supervised and put together by Jimmy Page is a mouthwatering prospect…

The Albums : At 47…
NICK DRAKE – FIVE LEAVES LEFT
First picked up on Nick Drake in the mid 80s –and once bitten –forever autumnal…

The Albums: At 46
THE YARDBIRDS – GOLDEN EGGS – TMQ BOOTLEG
Got this bootleg compilation in late 1973 – it was an absolute revelation to hear Jimmy on the likes of No Excess Baggage – the rare Keith Relf solo numbers are also great. The Yardbirds Little Games and Live Yardbirds album were quickly acquired soon after… this compilation is often on the player in all its blue vinyl glory alongside the More Golden Eggs follow up.

THE GIGS:

The Gigs: At 53
THE JAM RAINBOW THEATRE LONDON , NOVEMBER 15 1980
Sound Affects tour – Weller and co on peak form – Pretty Green, Man In A Corner Shop, Going Underground – the only time I saw them and what a night…

The Gigs: at 52…
DAVID BOWIE –MILTON KEYNES BOWL JULY 3 1983
A memorable occasion – and the first gig the good lady Janet and I attended together

who charlton 76 3

The Gigs: at 51
BOB DYLAN BLACKBUSH AERODROME JULY 15 1978
It was 38 days ago today…a massive open air show with a great line up of Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker and the Rumour and Eric Clapton. As for Dylan… a masterful performance …

The Gigs: at 50…
THE WHO CHARLTON FOOTBALL GROUND LONDON MAY 30 1976
Boy did it rain that day, but that was all forgotten when the Who slipped all over the stage kicked into Substitute and delivered a stunning set. It was also rather loud…

Over Europe 10

The Gigs: at 49…
LED ZEPPELIN COLOGNE SPORTHALLE, JUNE 18 1980
The rejuvenation was on and thanks to a combination of unflagging enthusiasm and dedication, I was in such close proximity to it all as can be seen by these astonishing pictures taken by Tom next to me … right underneath the action as it unfolded…

The Gigs: at 48…
QUEEN – HYDE PARK LONDON – SEPTEMBER 18, 1976
A free concert by the serpentine – weather was great being 1976 – a good support act selection too with Steve Hillage, Supercharge and Kiki Dee – it really felt like an event – Freddie and co were on top of their game and about to release the Day At The Races album and previewed You Take My breath Away – great performance – oh and Happy Birthday today to Brian May…

The Gigs: at 47…
TELEVISION/BLONDIE HAMMERSMITH ODEON LONDN MAY 28 1977
I’d been hooked on Television when the Marquee Moon album emerged in early 1977. This was a great gig with a pre hits Blondie supporting. Tom Verlaine’s guitar work was just right out there.
One of the biggest cheers of the night was when the DJ played the Sex Pistols God Save The Queen single which was just out. The new order was making it’s mark and the dinosaurs were under a little threat…punks or dinosaurs …at the time I was enjoying both …I still do..

The Gigs 46:
LED ZEPPELIN FESTHALLE FRANKFURT JUNE 30 1980
I was lucky enough to be viewing this at the side of the stage with Peter Grant, Ahmet Ertegun and Harvey Goldsmith. Incredible experience all of which is chronicled in the Feather In the Wind Over Europe book.

To be continued…

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DL Diary Blog Update:

It was a big relief and a moment of much excitement when at 3pm precisely on Tuesday afternoon, I clicked the send buttons for this site and the TBL Facebook to present the official press release announcement of the forthcoming Complete BBC Sessions.

I’ve been keeping this project a secret for some months as I scribed away on the liner notes. As mentioned above, it’s an absolute privilege to have been asked to contribute the extensive session by session log that will form the liner notes to the forthcoming packages. It has also been an immense challenge too, one I’ll be chronicling in more detail in the next TBL issue. May I offer sincere thanks for all the very kind comments I have received regarding this.

This news of the forthcoming Complete BBC Sessions release comes as an absolute tonic.

Let’s face it, this year has not been easy for anyone – with political unrest, terrorist atrocities and the passing of so many loved and cherished musicians and entertainment figures. Closer to home we have had health worries here and the sad passing of Janet’s mum, the much missed Betty.

This forthcoming release reminds me why I love this band so much and invest so much time in it – that feeling of being part of something very special.

Of course, you can’t please all the people all of the time and there has been a fair few negative responses to this news, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Who needs negativity at a time like this though?

We are talking here about a new Led Zeppelin release – and one day hopefully many years hence, there will come a time when there won’t be such a beautiful thing…and as I said earlier for me as a fan, the release of the Complete BBC Sessions represents Jimmy Page’s desire to preserve the music and heritage of Led Zeppelin – to be enjoyed by countless millions of admirers from it’s release on Friday September 16 and way beyond.

It’s like Nick Hornby once said – ”records can’t change the world…but they can make it a better place”

Talking of which, you will not be surprised to hear that I’ve been buying records…

brighton one

Last week, at short notice, the good lady Janet and I took off for a weekend in Brighton – it was a much needed break and the sun shone brightly on us. In between the good lady shopping, I checked out the local record shops including the excellent Wax Factor and Across the Tracks. It was in the latter shop that I spend considerable time on my hands and knees going though their masses of singles boxes.

Yes singles… records that spin at 45rpm and all that.

That is where a lot of my collecting focus is being spent – of course there are albums to be purchased ….I picked up the Rolling Stones Aftermath Decca UK mono pressing, Mary Hopkin Those Were The Days rare  UK Apple compilation, Here Comes the Tremeloes UK CBS and Fairport Convention first album on Polydor…but it’s to the single I’ve been looking towards in the past few months for the collecting buzz – it of course also helps they do not take up as much room as albums!

So the quest is on and it’s the usual criteria – that is mid 60s to mid 70s rock/pop/soul orientated singles in particular any in picture sleeves, odd labels, foreign issues, A label demos etc. This was an area I was big on back in the 70s – as I approach my 60th birthday it’s an interest firmly rekindled.

brighton singles

It’s reaping massive benefits too as I’ve unearthed some corkers. Of course to seek out a most interesting item such as a promo copy of Roundabout by Yes, one has to be prepared to wade though some frankly crap stuff – but hey, it reaps rewards and here’s some finds in Across The Tracks – all secured for around £1 apiece – bargains for sure:

Here’s a sample of the Brighton seven inch purchases:

Lets Stick Together  – Canned Heat – UK Liberty

A Way of Life – Steve Rowland Family Dog (with JPJ guesting) Dutch Arizona label  French picture sleeve

Burlesque maxi single – Family  – UK pic sleeve on Reprise

And You and I/Roundabout – Yes – UK Atlantic

Roundabout (live) -Yes – UK Atlantic promo

Bond Street/Alfie – Burt Bacharach US A & M

America – Simon & Garfunkel -UK CBS

Just A Song Before I Go/Dark Star  – Crosby Stills & Nash – UK Atlantic pic sleeve

Muskrat Love – America – UK Warner Bros demo

My Friend Stan – Slade -French Polydor pic sleeve

Hot Valves EP – Be Bop Deluxe – Harvest demo pic sleeve

Goodbye – Mary Hopkin -Australian Apple

Junior’s Farm – Paul McCartney & Wings -Australian Apple

Theme Successes EP – John Barry – UK Columbia

Seven inchers to saviour…oh yes!

The singles theme is extending into the workload here with a feature on said 1968 – 1971 single releases well under way, along with the top tens for Classic Rock, targeting lapsed TBL subscribers, launching the new TBL T. shirt, arranging for TBL 41 to go onto the Magzter Newsstand, preparation for the next TBL issue 41, work on the Evenings With book project, not to mention the not inconsiderable task of supplying liner notes for the forthcoming Led Zeppelin release…well these past few months have been and continue to be a busy old time – thoughts of retirement are not on the rader…

On the player – many of the above plus Wings, Band On The Run, Cat Stevens Greatest Hits (happy birthday Yusuf today), Terry Reid River and the aforementioned Rolling Stones Aftermath in mono.

It will be good to get out tomorrow night to catch up with Deborah Bonham and friends  -like the prospect of a new Led Zep release, being in the company of the Bonham family is always a tonic….

Dave Lewis, July 21, 2016.

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YouTube Clip: Led Zeppelin Travelling Riverside Blues

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Until next time…

Have a great weekend,

Dave Lewis/Gary Foy – July 21, 2016.

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2 Comments »

  • Steve said:

    The Beatles , ‘one’ of the biggest bands in history ?

  • Ian Avey said:

    Fantastic news about the BBC sessions Dave! I can’t wait for this to be released in the quality of the recent releases. It will be interesting to see if the lost sessions are from the original Tomislaw source or a new source? 😮

    I wonder if we’ll get similar new box sets for TSRTS and HTWWW?

    I’d love to have a box set of all TSRTS nights from 27/7/73, 28/7/73 and 29/7/73, and a ‘best of’ matrix. That would fit on maybe 12LP’s?

    Similarly for the two HTWWW source recordings.

    We can dream 😉

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