TBL ARCHIVE – PAGE AND PLANT UK TOUR 1995/VIENNA 1973 CINE FILM/LZ NEWS/SEATTLE 77/ROBERT PLANT LONDON FORUM & JPJ MINIBUS PIMPS 12 YEARS GONE/ZEP PEOPLES HISTORY BOOK CALL OUT/NICK DRAKE BOOK /DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE
TBL Archive – Jimmy Page and Robert Plant – UK tour 1995 – it was 29 years ago…
29 years ago this week a fair few of you reading this were tearing up and down the highways and byways of the UK to catch the long awaited on stage return of Jimmy Page & Robert Plant.
It was incredibly exciting few days -I was lucky enough to catch the dates in Glasgow, Sheffield, St Austell, Poole and two nights in Birmingham and London. Along the way there was many a TBL meet in pubs and hotel bars as we all came out to celebrate.
So to mark this anniversary here’s a piece that I ran in the TBL mag and subsequently my Celebration II The Tight but Loose Files book…
So let’s turn the clock back 29 years….this first extract takes the story up to the UK tour – with part 2 to follow next time..
With the MTV film in the can, the next logical move was to take the show out on the road, and manager Bill Curbishley drew up an ambitious itinerary that would commence in America early in 1995.
The pair decided to extend the formula used for the MTV shows, employing the Egyptian string and percussion ensemble led by Hossam Ramzy and dubbed The Egyptian Pharaohs. Under the direction of Ed Shearmur they enlisted the assistance of local orchestras in each area they performed, thus enabling them to repeat the successful formula used for the Unledded filming which allowed fresh interpretations of the Zeppelin catalogue.
Just prior to the tour opening in February, Page and Plant reunited with John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham for an appearance at New York’s Waldorf hotel to accept Led Zeppelin’s induction into the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame. Jonesy’s comment – “Thanks for my friends for remembering my phone number” – during his speech was a curt acknowledgement of his displeasure at being ignored.
Rehearsals for the Page Plant tour took place in London, and a preview of what was in store occurred when the pair did a live link up for the American TV Awards, performing ‘Black Dog’.
In early April I was lucky enough to catch their two day stint at the Meadowlands Arena in America. The second night where they strolled on to the stage and moved into ‘Thank You’ remains a defining memory. Further shows in Paris, Glasgow, Sheffield, St Austell, Poole, Birmingham and London proved conclusively that despite their advancing years the duo’s ability to recreate the power and grace of Zeppelin was without question.
It was a glorious period as long time fans and those too young to have seen Zep in their prime revelled in what was all in name the Zeppelin reunion we had all hoped for. By the tour’s end it was evident that Jimmy Page was playing better than at any time during the previous fifteen years. Indeed for a project that began as a request to strum a few Zep tunes unledded style for MTV’s acoustic showcase, when played live night after night this reappraisal of the Zeppelin catalogue developed into a fully ledded experience. A trend that would continue when they returned to the live action in 1998.
The TBL coverage of the tour was extensive. Issue 11 included a gig by gig summary aided by the input of many first hand views. For the next issue I was able to reflect on the entire 115 dates coming up with the best 53 performances that might form a definitive retrospective view of this long awaited comeback. In keeping with the imaginary Led Zeppelin Live chronological live album concept explored in A Celebration, I’ve reproduced the entire text of the Page Plant World tour overview providing a clear focus on one of their most prolific periods of the post Zep era.
THE EVOLOUTION OF LED ZEPPELIN CONTINUES..
THE PAGE PLANT 1995/6 WORLD TOUR IN RETROSPECT
The Page Plant 1995/6 world tour finally came to an end on March 1, 1996, with the 115th date of a tour that spanned 370 days. The entire trek covered five continents and 19 countries and included nearly 2,000 individual song performances.
After a 15 year hiatus it was at last an opportunity for fans old and new to witness first hand the musical chemistry that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant still maintain. A chemistry that was at the forefront of their achievements within Led Zeppelin
It was a unanimous success – not least because of the unorthodox stance the pair took in approaching their back catalogue. Never a mere exercise in nostalgia, in reinterpreting the likes of ‘Kashmir’ and ‘In The Evening’, the clever deployment of the Egyptian Pharaohs worked superbly well. Similarly, bringing local orchestras under the direction of Ed Shearmur in each location to embellish performances of ‘Since I’ve Been Loving’, ‘Going To California’, ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ etc, added a fresh dimension. It was a master touch that kept the momentum flowing throughout the year long excursion.
Some admissions and conclusions: Firstly the controversy. Should they have included Jones? And should they have billed it as Led Zeppelin?
Jones’ absence remains a disappointment. Many will feel he should have at least been offered the opportunity to participate and should certainly have been informed first hand of their plans.
As for the name, well by the tour’s end they were openly projecting it on the billboards (“Playing the legendary songs of Led Zeppelin” as the Australian ads proclaimed).The heavy swing towards the Zep catalogue also made it something of a Zeppelin concert in all but name.
By not using the name they did avoid all the hype that would have gone with it and in avoiding the fully fledged reunion many felt they upheld the integrity of the group.
Whatever name it went under, when Page and Plant took flight on something like the middle section of ‘Whole Lotta Love’, well it wasn’t to hard to detect where the essence of all that had come from. The thrill of the two frontmen redefine the original Zep premise to go ever onward was undeniable.
The tour kicked off in Pensacola on February 26. The first part of the tour took in 27 dates running into April. Early set list surprises included a version of The Cure’s ‘Lullaby’ and the Coverdale Page track ‘Shake My Tree’. After a nine day break they undertook a further 27 dates in Europe including eight outdoor festival appearances. The UK dates included an acclaimed performance in the veterans slot on the Sunday line up at Glastonbury and two more intimate venue dates at St Austell and Poole. ‘The Battle Of Evermore’ and ‘Going To California’ were notable additions to the set list.
They were back in the US in the fall, kicking off with three dates in Mexico. This leg of the tour saw them reach new levels of intensity with a series of near flawless gigs on the West Coast. The US tour ended with a memorable two night stint at the old Zep stamping ground Madison Square Garden in New York.
Second guitarist Porl Thompson opted out of the line-up at this point and Jimmy took on all the guitar chores theerafter. Following four massive stadium dates in South America, Page and Plant holidayed in Hawaii, then undertook ten shows in Japan including six nights at the Budokan.
This run of shows saw them change the set list nightly, pulling out debut performances for the Zep standards ‘The Rain Song’ and ‘Tea For One’. The final leg took in five shows in Australia. They arrived on February 22, almost 22 years to the day of the commencement of Zeppelin’s only Australian visit. The final date took place at Flinders Park, Melbourne, on March 1.
Great moments along the away? So many really: Page’s nightly off the cuff riffing before ‘Black Dog’, those unpredictable medley’s during ‘Calling To You’ and ‘Whole Lotta Love’, the theremin battle during ‘Shake My Tree’, that stirring intro to ‘In The Evening’ with Plant in all his Arabic vocal glory, Porl’s soloing in ‘Song Remains The Same’, Michael Lee’s drumming throughout – a key ingrediant to the success of the whole project, the joyous crowd participation in ‘Hey Hey What Can I Do’ ,the ‘Stairway’ tease in ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’, the interchanging set lists in Japan.
There were a few irritants: The rigid nature of the set lists during the UK tour, Plant’s general reticence to adopt his familiar mike in hand poses until the encores – his customary stances and movements that were so prominent in Zep but noticeably absent during his solo years, replaced by a sometimes stilted stage presence as he stayed glued to the mike.
Finally it all comes down to the music – and many hours of this tour has made it onto unofficial recordings. There have surely been few tours that have been so extensively chronicled. The advent of the mini DAT recorder has opened up the floodgates for good quality audience recordings.
In a move inspired by The Grateful Dead’s relaxed laissez-faire gig taping policy (that certainly would not have happened under the iron rule of Peter Grant), during the US first leg the duo allowed fans to tape their gigs in special taper sections behind the mixing desk. By making shows widely available on tape the hope was that this would alleviate the need for fans to invest in bootleg CDs. It didn’t stop something like 80 bootleg CD titles surfacing from the tour, including no less than three 20-CD box sets (the UK chronicle Get Rid of The Smoke and two Japanese tour sets Ten Days and Live legend) plus a stock of privately circulated audience shot videos.)
With so many tapes at our disposal, there is ample scope to take a retrospective view of the tour. Having listened to hours of material drawn from the many tapes of the tour, I have compiled an imaginary four-CD compilation that takes in all the major developments along the way. It includes the one-off gems slotted in, the stand-out performances, the offbeat sequences and all the historic moments building into a true overview of the entire tour. It features 53 extracts drawn from 26 different locations spread over 28 shows; nearly five hours of musical Page and Plant highlights that capture the often barely believable events that thousands of fans were privileged to enjoy during those 370 days.
So this is Page and Plant on tour together at last in 1995 and 1996. Proving conclusively that the evolution of Led Zeppelin continues…
CD1: US Tour First Leg:
Intro: Tales of Bron – Robin Williamson poem
‘Immigrant Song’ intro/’The Wanton Song’
(Thompson Bowling Arena, Knoxville, Tenessee, March 3 1995)
The previous date in Atlanta had seen the amalgamation of ‘Immigrant Song’
into ‘Wanton Song’ as the set opener. On that occasion they had some trouble sorting out the ending (it was after all the first live airing of ‘Wanton Song’ in 20 years!). In Knoxville it all came together with Page leading the way with some dexterous runs. The atmospheric opening introduction poem that proceeded became a familiar opening ritual to a majority of the US first leg and some European dates. The choice of the little known Incredible String Band album extract recalled Plant’s fondness for this Sixties outfit, and by the time Robin Williamson had got to the line “There is the flavoured haunt of pleasure, no haunt or threat or malediction, but sweet of music strikes the air” the fans knew what was coming next as the silhouettes on stage burst into life.
‘Wanton Song’ went on to become the favoured set opener, clocking over 80 performances during the tour.
‘Achilles Last Stand’
(The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia, February 28 1995)
‘Achilles’ was always a prime contender for reworking on this tour so it was no real surprise when it turned up in the set lists of the two opening dates in Pensacola and Atlanta. More baffling was the fact it was never played again. On the evidence of the passion they brought to this performance there appears no logical reason why. It was a more than competent display that kicked along with all the verve of the best Zep deliveries circa 1977. Robert introduced it as “One of the first songs Jimmy and I wrote relating to travel” – a similar spiel would be given over to introducing The Song Remains The Same which effectively took over the Achilles slot the next night.
Watching the video shot from the show, it’s clear they were enjoying reliving this crucial Zep track – the pair could be seen clustered together in a classic pose during the “Aha… Aha” refrain.
At times the February 28 delivery of ‘Achilles Last Stand’ recreated the spirit of Led Zeppelin better than any other single performance on the tour. Maybe that’s why they decided to drop it. Perhaps they both felt it was just a little too close to what went before…
‘House Of The Rising Son’/‘Good times Bad Times’
( UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisanna, March 11 1995)
From the moment Plant casually walked up to the mic and oozed into the traditional local blues standard ‘House Of The Rising Sun’, this second night in New Orleans was destined to be special.
They then switched straight into ‘Good Times Bad Times’, the only performance of the rarely played Led Zep I opener. And it was a joy to hear them rumble through the familiar stops and starts of the track with Michael Lee on drums proving his worth.
‘Lullaby’
(UNO Lakefront Arena New Orleans Louisanna March 11 1995)
When the first set lists were posted on the Internet many presumed this was a new song and listed it as ‘Spiderman’. In actual fact it was a revivial from Porl Thompson’s Cure days. It worked as an offbeat interlude amongst the Zep numbers with Plant immersed in the lyric and Page cutting fine precise lines against Porl’s rhythm work. ‘Lullaby’ survived in the set until the early part of the Europran dates before being deleted.
‘The Song Remains The Same’
(UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Lousinna, March 11 1995)
“There’s a ….”
At the beginning of this mid-period Zep classic, Plant twice taunted the crowd with the opening line from the well known Rolf Harris cover. Instead Page led them into a powerful rendition of the Houses Of The Holy opener. This was a definite highlight of the US leg with Page and Porl Thompson trading licks most effectively, with the latter’s speed on the Gibson jumbo guitar really pushing the song along. Plant reached the high notes with ease as it led it into a glorious finale. “Can you feel it?” asked the singer afterwards. Absolutely.
‘Tangerine’/’Hey Hey What Can I Do’
(US Air Arena, Landover, Washington, March 23 1995)
Two superb performances lined up back to back during this show. ‘Tangerine’ made its only appearance on this leg performed in a full band arrangement. The crowd reaction as Page hit the familiar notes was nothing less than euphoric. Porl played some suitably laid back electric parts against Page’s Ovation acoustic strumming. A nostalgic first outing for the Zep III standard that was last performed live twenty years back at Earls Court.
The underrated Zep III leftover (and subsequent US B side to ‘Immigrant Song’) ‘Hey Hey What Can I Do’ was another revelation with the crowd egarly joining in the chorus. Videos from the tour of this track show Page beaming with pride and duck walking along the stage.
‘Boogie Chillun’ sequence
(Skydome Arena, Toronto, March 27 1995)
“One night I was laying down”… The John Lee Hooker standard was an integral part of the ‘Whole Lotta Love’ medley in the Zeppelin era. This was its only appearance on the tour, emerging during the ‘Calling To You’ medley. The way it developed out of a lengthy Page solo was invigorating and for those in attendance a rare revival for another part of the Zep live canon.
‘Calling To You’ including ‘Break On Through’/’As Long As I Have You’/‘Dazed And Confused’ inserts
(Brendan Byrne Arena, Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey, April 6 1995)
‘Calling To You’ had previously been a highlight of Plant’s Fate Of Nations tour. With Jimmy on board it quickly developed into an extended piece that included a compelling guitar battle with Porl, a seminal riff exercise and then into an anything-could-happen medley sequence in the grand Zep tradition. This night in Meadowlands was exceptional for the inclusion of Garnett Mimms ‘As Long As I Have You’, a staple of the first two Zeppelin American tours but not performed by Page or Plant since. It followed the now customary delivery of The Doors’ ‘Break On Through’ and then merged with a few lines from ‘Dazed And Confused’. Another memorable sequence.
‘Shake My Tree’
(Great Western Forum, Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, May 17 1995)
On the face of it this was a rather bizarre choice for inclusion on the tour. A highlight of the 1993 Coverdale Page album, it says much of Plant’s compatibility with Page at the time that he agreed to sing the Coverdale lyrics, albeit in a slightly amended form. ‘Shake’ was actually a great riff exercise which allegedly was first conceived during the Zep In Through The Out Door sessions. On stage it gave Plant the chance to pull out the old “Suck it!” refrain at appropriate moments and for Page to weave those weird sounds from the theremin.
‘Kashmir’
(Great Western Forum, Inglewood Los Angeles, California, May 17 1995)
When Page and Plant breezed back into the Forum some 17 years after the night of Listen To This Eddie, a tradition of spontaneity was upheld. During ‘Kashmir’ they were joined by guest violinist Lili Hayden who brought a impulsive virtuoso feel to the end section as she pitted her talents against the Egyptian Pharaohs. “Ladies and gentlemen Lili Hayden appears at the Viper Room in Holly wood every Sunday night,” Plant informed the audience at the close.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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Here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMshWu73sN0&t=194s
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LZ News
Here’s the latest round up from LZ News…
Led Zeppelin
Vienna 1973 footage surfaces online
Previously unseen footage of Led Zeppelin performining in Vienna, Austria on March 16, 1973 was posted online by LedZepFilm earlier today.
The video, shot by Mead Eblan, is the earliest footage to emerge from Led Zeppelin’s 1973 tour.
Peter Grant interview tapes are up for auction
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The labels of three casette tapes containing an unheard interview with Peter Grant that is being offered for auction (Tracks Auctions)
Casette tapes containing an unheard interview with Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant are currently being offered for sale at auction in the UK.
The tapes, which contain 3 hours and 19 minutes of audio, are seemingly connected to a project Grant worked on in the late 1980s to produce his autobigraphy using a ghostwriter.
The interview was carried out by former Melody Maker editor Ray Coleman at Grant’s Horselunges home in November 1988, according to Tracks Auctions.
Luckily for us Led Zeppelin fans, the auction house has provided several transcripts of Grant’s quotes from the tapes, two of which we’ve republished in our article.
The auction for the tapes ends on July 15. At the time of writing, the tapes have no bids. The opening bid is £3,000 and the auction house estimates their value between £3,000 and £4,000.
LedZepNews understands there is some degree of an ownership dispute over who owns these tapes. The auction house declined to tell us who is selling them, but they did say the auction doesn’t include the copyright for the tapes.
This means that any buyer of the tapes won’t automatically receive the ability to publish them or use them for any projects. The copyright for the tapes likely remains with either Grant’s children or with the family of Coleman, who died in 1996.
The Coleman interview tapes are just the latest unreleased Grant interviews to surface. There are also hours of video tapes of interviews with Grant carried out in the 1990s as part of a project by Malcolm McLaren and Mike Figgis that remain unseen to this day, although they were quoted from in Mark Blake’s 2018 biography of Grant “Bring It On Home: Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin and Beyond.”
Our search for the flight logs for The Starship
While we’ve had some success here at LedZepNews in discovering unseen documents such as the New York Police Department file on the 1973 Drake Hotel robbery, Led Zeppelin’s 1968 recording contract and the legal filings from the 1977 Day on the Green violence lawsuit, sometimes we spend months searching for something and end up empty-handed.
That’s exactly what happened with our search for the flight logs for The Starship, the plane Led Zeppelin used for the band’s 1973 and 1975 US tours.
First, we sent a Freedom of Information request to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the branch of the US government that looks after planes and airlines. Previously, the FAA released flight logs for Jeffrey Epstein’s four planes dating back to the 1990s. So we thought we might get lucky there.
Sadly, the FAA sent us a letter in January informing us it only has flight logs dating back as far as January 1, 1998.
Last month, we tried asking the US National Archives if the flight logs are held in the papers of the Civil Aeronautics Board, a forerunner to the FAA. The company that operated The Starship had to file quarterly reports including flight logs with this organisation.
This week the National Archives came back and said those records were destroyed after 20 years, so likely survived until the 1990s.
That, sadly, seems to be the end of the road when it comes to searching for flight logs for The Starship. But we have ongoing research about this plane and plan to cover it in the future. Please get in touch if you have any leads.
Robert Plant
Robert Plant is back in the UK
Robert Plant is having a break from his busy tour schedule, returning to the UK this week after performing with Alison Krauss at the Outlaw Music Festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania on July 7.
Plant went to see Love perform in Birmingham on July 11 according to Facebook posts (is that Saving Grace band member Suzi Dian we spy next to Plant in the audience?).
Plant enjoyed the show so much that he bought two T-shirts and then photographed one and shared it on Instagram the next day, writing: “DONT miss this show .. it’s so special!!”
There appears to be something from Plant’s son Logan Plant’s beer business Beavertown in the background of the image.
Plant is now off the road until July 26 when he will perform with Saving Grace at the Cambridge Folk Festival. He had been due to also perform two other shows with Saving Grace this month but they’ve been postponed to November.
Plant will resume his headline US tour with Krauss on August 8 in Missoula, Montana.
Upcoming events:
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Many thanks to James Cook
For all the latest Zep and related news check out the Led Zeppelin news website at:
TBL Archive 2
Dave Lewis – July 17 2024
TBL Archive 3
12 years gone…
Robert Plant Presents Sensational Space Shifters – HMV London Forum -Thursday July 12th 2012
Set List: Fixin’ To Die/Tin Pan Valley/44/Friends/Spoonful/Bron Yr Aur Stomp/Ohio/No Bad News/Standing in the Shadow of the Hill/Don’t let me Die in Florida/Black Dog/Somebody Knocking/I’m Your Witchdoctor/Who Do You Love –Whole Lotta Love –Steal away –Bury My Body. Encores: Another Tribe/Gallows Pole
Robert Plant returned to London for his first show since The Band Of Joy appearance in 2010. This time he was surrounded by a hybrid band of players that drew on the nucleus of the Strange Sensation, the one string virtuoso playing of Juldeh Camera and a guest slot for Patty Griffin.
Opening proceedings with a relaxed stroll through Fixin’ To Die, Bukka White’s finest moment as he put it, Robert looked well at ease with hair tide back and striped sweat shirt. Tin pan Valley was suitably tight and moody with the always inventive Justin Adams kicking in the riff. The delightfully jaunty 44 paved the way for their first surprise of the night – an authentic arrangement of Led Zep 3’s Friends performed live by my reckoning since the Page & Plant Japan 96 dates –this was a welcomed crowd pleaser.
A typically off the wall Space Shifting arrangement of Spoonful followed and then it was back to Zep 3 for a singlalong Bron Yr Aur Stomp with Patty adding vocals.
This led into Patty’s solo spot for which Robert took a backseat. Ohio, No Bad News, Standing in the Shadow of the Hill and Don’t Let Me Die in Florida gave the Texan songstress ample opportunity to showcase the strength of her passionate vocals. Whilst entirely admirable this did seem to change the momentum but the clue is in the band title – not for nothing is this billed as ‘’Robert Plant Presents’’…and rather than an out an out rock show this is more of a revue of the performers talents.
That was more than evident when the extraordinary Juldeh Camera added the one stringed African violin effect to an already alternative arrangement of Black Dog – for which Juldeh also added a unique vocal input. An ambitious arrangement of Mighty ReArranger’s Somebody Knocking followed before they romped into I’m Your Witchdoctor led by John baggott’s swirling keyboards. This was again the highlight for me of the night as it was in Gloucester –Robert totally immersed and taking full command of the classic John Mayall Immediate single that was produced by ‘’a pal of mine’ ’as he noted afterwards.
Finally Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love which in turn developed into an intoxicating fusion taking in bits of Whole Lotta Love, Steal Away and Bury My Body.
The first encore was a run through Mighty ReArranger’s Another Tribe –a somewhat muted choice. Song To the Siren was listed in the printed set list but for whatever reason did not make the final cut. However it all went out on a high with an absorbing delivery of another Zep 3 standard namely Gallows Pole. This was performed in the Strange Sensation arrangement with the frantic speeded up finale and Skin jigging away on banjo.
‘’Continue to keep smiling’’…was the singer’s parting words.
Indeed.
In summary this was a less vibrant performance than the Gloucester show and the ‘’revue’’ type presentation won’t be for everybody. Whilst overall there was a strong reception from the London crowd, I did hear some mixed reaction in the aftermath of the show.
With reports of a new album recorded in Nashville well on the way, the Sensational Space Shifters may not have a long shelf life ahead of the Womad and two US appearances. So let’s embrace this for what it is – an opportunity to gather some pals and present some of those songs which as he once put it, he carries in his back pocket or as he revealed on stage, can be sourced on the web site Ready Steady A Go Go with it’s freak beat content.
It doesn’t always have to be the next great step or big statement to appreciate the singer applying his undisputed vocal prowess and there were enough impressive moments last night to justify this latest adventure.
Before the show, as ever it was great to see so many fellow fans in the pub including Tiina Puska from Finland, Michael from Sweden, TBL website founder Dave Linwood, Dave Fox, Cliff ticket man Hilliard, Steve Way and Kathy, ex Kerrang writer Neil Jeffries ,Warren Grant and his daughters and Karen Carr, Kevin from Hats Off, Mick Bulow, Michaela and Dan, Dave Marsh, Richard Grubb, Lee Pritchard, Mark, Lorraine and Michael, Russell Ritchin, Dawn and Paul, Graeme and Pam, Nigel (with tales of Musicland in ‘75), Tony Crowley, John Gunne, Anita, Liz and many more – thanks for making it a great pre gig warm up…..despite the rain ….oh and to the guy who brought me a pint and I later missed –eye thank yew!
It’s back to London tonight for the John Paul Jones Minibus Pimps show at Café OTO in Dalston.
Dave Lewis – July 13 2012.
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TBL Archive 4 – 12 Years Gone…
John Paul Jones with Minibus Pimps – Cafe OTO London Friday July 13th 2012
John Paul Jones electronic noise venture The Minibus Pimps made their live UK debut on Friday at the Café OTO in Dalson North London. This arrangement sees him working in collaboration with Norwegian producer/musician Helge Sten a founder member of Supersilent who John has also been involved in.
We arrived at the venue around 7.30 pm and there was already a steady queue building. The venue is an open plan café with seating spread around the performance area. The café has built up a strong reputation as one of the key venues in presenting avant- garde jazz – to the extent that it has it’s on spin off label issuing vinyl albums of some of the acts who appear there.
The audience was predominately avant- garde jazz music enthusiasts –with a few Zep/JPJ fans mingling in. The pattern for the evening was quickly established by the first act on -Sebastian Lexer on piano with Steve Noble on drums.
They proceeded to launch into a lengthy opus that had Sebastian creating noises out of the open top grand piano and Steve leading the way with what I can only describe as a bizarre approach to a drum solo.This had him creating all manner of percussive noises deploying various symbol effects and the use of brush sticks and conventional drum sticks. It may not have been Moby Dick but it did have a compelling intensity – as the piece progressed I found myself somewhat transfixed as to what percussive effects Steve was going to come up with next.
Suffice to say the avant- garde crowd lapped it up. As did one John Paul Jones who had been watching attentively throughout.
I had a chat with John before he set up with Helge. Affable as ever, he ran through his current projects which includes ongoing work on his Ghost Sonata opera, an upcoming date with Seasick Steve in Switzerland supporting ZZ Top and dates with Supersilent – including a UK visit in the late autumn. ‘’I just keep on playing as required!’’ he laughed – I told him I had seen Robert the previous night and John was curious to know which Zeppelin number had been performed. I also informed him that news was coming through that Jimmy was at the Hard Rock Calling Hyde Park event.
Then it was time to set up for the Minibus Pimps UK debut. Helge Sten was situated to the right of John’s set up which included a lap top and keypad plus various effects pedals. The pair then drifted off into their own little world.
Photos Dave Lewis for TBL
Their 50 minute untitled improvisational piece began with John on the Manson ten string bass strumming against Helge’s pastral guitar and electronic effects. It proceeded to run through various stages of spontaneity, drifting into a drone like sequence that at various points had shades of the soundscape effect of Jimmy’s Lucifer Rising. When John picked up an electric violin and bowed against Helge’s effects, it was hard not to think back to the similar noises created on many a live version of Dazed And Confused.
Photo Gary Foy for TBL
That was about as far as any Zep influence went as the piece picked up pace. John actually had technical problems with the violin pedal effect (’’It ran out of juice!’’ he told me afterwards), but calmly brushed such problems aside and returned to the bass. At one point he held the bass up to his ear in that classic Jet Harris 1960s bass guitar pose.
Eventually the piece drifted towards a climax as the intensity between the two musicians increased –both of them vying for harmonic structural control. Then it was over – John and Helge took their bows to a rapturous reception.
Photos Richard Grubb for TBL
Afterwards, John chatted to various fans happy to answer a few tech questions that came his way. I had a quick chat with his wife Mo and daughter. With the rain thundering down outside and two trains to connect with, it was time to go.
We left the bassist in the best band of all time to carefully unplug and pack away his gear. ‘’Thank you so much for coming along to this night of noisy music’’ he said to us as we made our fond farewells.
Thank YOU Mr Jones for another captivating evening. Yes it was all very avant- garde but in the hands of John Paul Jones and Helge Sten, it all seem to make perfect sense.
Photo Dave Lewis for TBL
Many thanks to Adrian Molloy and hi to Tony Crowley, Michael and his lady, Kirk Peterson, Richard G, Will and Raff from Boot Led Zep.
Dave Lewis – July 2012.
Led Zeppelin: Whole Lotta Love – A People’s History
Richard Houghton’s new book about Led Zeppelin, telling the band’s story in the words of fans, will be published in November.
An update on his 2019 book, Led Zeppelin – The Day I Was There, but with over 120 new stories, Richard’s book will be published by Spenwood Books and more details will be available shortly.
If you didn’t contribute a story to the first edition but have a Zeppelin memory to share, Richard would love to hear from you at iwasatthatgig@gmail.com. But you’ll need to get your story to him by 31 July if it’s to be included in the book.
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Nick Drake – A Life by Richard Morton Jack…
This excellent biography is now out in paperback – here’s my review from last year…
My thoughts on Nick Drake The Life by Richard Morton Jack…
My thoughts on Nick Drake The Life by Richard Morton Jack…
I’ve just finished reading the exhaustive recently published biography of Nick Drake by Richard Morton Jack.
I am very well versed with the Nick Drake story and have read a a number of books and major magazine articles about him over many years. The first major book on Nick was Patrick Humphries’ Nick Drake The Biography published back in 1997. It did a very admirable job in a pre -internet age.
There was always scope for a more substantial account of Nick’s life and when I heard Richard Morton Jack was undertaking such a task, I had high hopes – Richard has been a diligent chronicler and writer through his Flashback magazines, Sunbeam label projects, Galactic Ramble book and more.
To say it’s exceeded all my expectations is an absolute understatement. This 500 plus page work unravels Nick’s life and music as never before.
The book obviously benefits from the access Richard has had to the Nick Drake estate and archives, in particular the diaries and journals of Nick’s father Rodney.
However, having the resources is one thing – deploying them in a way that greatly benefits the narrative is another thing altogether. This is where Richard Morton Jack really excels. He cleverly weaves his way through the story dividing fact from fiction. The use of smaller type point to bring out the many interview quotes also adds much clarity.
Richard also applies his proven musical knowledge to place Nick’s three album recorded output into context – aided by interviews with all the key players,– producer Joe Boyd and sound engineer John Wood among them. Nick’s formative years are also discussed at length with key input from Nick’s circle of friends during his Cambridge and London days.
Where the book elevates itself from the standard music biography is how Richard uncovers the torturous journey Nick travelled from 1971 to his untimely death three years later – a journey of declining mental health that painfully affected his ability to do the things that initially drove his creativity. .
There are plenty of reasons how this decline emerged – not least the fact that Nick’s albums failed to find a wider audience. His aimless days at home at Far Leys are faithfully reported and Rodney Drake’s journals offer a stark and heartbreaking insight into how he and wife Molly saw their dear son suffer with an illness that back then, had little medical understanding. Having suffered with my own mental issues, I know only too well how the isolation and desperation of depression feels, although nothing like the scale that poor Nick endured and how his condition affected his friends and family, including of course his loving sister Gabrielle.
It’s more than evident how brave and supportive Rodney and his mother Molly were in trying to help Nick’s plight – and so sad that such support was never quite enough to change Nick’s perception of his life.
The final chapters inevitably become less about the music and more about the state of this deeply troubled man. Harrowing as it is to read – this clear analysis of his issues has never previously been exposed with such insight and honesty.
At the end of it all – as the Epilogue chapter reveals, is the lasting influence of Nick Drake ‘s music and its ongoing legacy.
Richard Morton Jack’s achievement here is on a par with the Beatles historian and author Mark Lewisohn’s work on his Beatles Tune In Volume One and anybody familiar with that book will know that is high praise indeed.
The Life combines forensic detail with a total empathy for its subject that paints a true picture of the tortured genius that was Nick Drake.
For me, this is simply one of the best biographies I have ever read and I cannot recommend it enough.
It can take its rightful place as the definitive go-to book for future generations to discover this remarkable story and of course in turn be inspired to listen to his fragile catalogue of albums – albums that I and countless others across the globe rarely go a week without returning to.
Dave Lewis – July 18 2023
DL Diary Blog Update:
Pete Spilling RIP:
We are so very sad here to learn a few days ago of the passing of our Pete Spilling
We first met Pete over 25 years ago. Being a skilled carpenter and builder he began doing various jobs here. Not being a man of DIY myself, Pete was an absolute diamond.
‘’Workman Pete’’ as we called him did so many DIY jobs for us. He installed our kitchen and bathroom, did various decorating jobs, put fence panels up in our garden, repaired various things including my bike. You name it and Pete could fix it – he could turn his hand to anything and he did it with minimum fuss and he was great to have around.
This even extended to a Led Zep related job. When my Zep promo Object obelisk showed signs of chipping, I asked Pete if he could take a look at it and he did a magnificent job in restoring it to perfect condition.
Back in August 2009, on the morning of the Zep book launch I was staging at Knebworth we had a sudden leak in the ceiling. Once again Pete was the man to sort it, coming over a short notice to save the day.
He was always interested in my Zep book and magazine endeavors and would look through them with slight bemusement but much admiration.
Along with all this, Pete and his lovely devoted wife Joy of over 60 years, were both a real support to Janet and I – not least when Janet’s Mum and Dad passed away in 2010 and 2016 and during the tough times we had during the Covid pandemic and the aftermath of that.
Pete was an old school character and straight talking with it – but always warm and engaging and with a story to tell. As he lived near where I took my post I was a frequent visitor and he was always up to something interesting – tendering the garden or his garage, trying out some new gadget. Inspired by my vinyl obsession he once bought a record player to eagerly show me. Pete also enjoyed many a holiday with Joy and they would excitedly relay their tales of foreign climes.
He was immensely proud of his son and daughter ‘’Our Colin and Our Paula” and his grandchildren.
Like me, Pete enjoyed being in pubs and was never happier than with Joy having a pint or a wine in the various local pubs we both frequented. It was always great fun to bump into them in the likes of the nearby Fox and Hounds (now closed) or The White Horse.
In recent years, Pete has had several health issues which he dealt with stoically. Things had got worse in the last few weeks, however when I saw him a couple of weeks ago he seemed really upbeat –talking about the election and England’s Euro performances.
It was therefore a huge a shock on Friday July 12 when Joy sadly informed us Pete had passed away that morning.
I will dearly miss those conversations we had as he put the world to right with a few choice words.
He will be sorely missed by all who were fortunate to know him.
‘’Workman Pete’’ it’s time for you to rest easy now …and thank you for everything you did for us…
Dave and Janet – July 14 2024.
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Friday July 12:
Saturday July 13:
Saturday is platterday – on this 39th anniversary of Live Aid which Queen took by storm – on the player the debut Queen album which was released on this day in 1973, all of 51 years ago…this is a US copy on the Elektra label…
Sunday July 14:
Sunday July 14:
Preparing the shirt for the big match tonight…come on England…
Sunday July 14:
Heartbreak…
Euro 2024 Final – England 1 Spain 2…
One again, so near but so far but the Euros have been an absolute blast -thank you Gareth and the boys of 24…you did us proud…
Monday July 15:
It’s a Happy Birthday to the great Jason Bonham – I’m pictured here with Jason at the Black Country Communion launch gig in London back in September 2010. Have a great day Jason!
Wednesday July 17:
It was 51 years ago today…
Loading up the superb Led Zeppelin V1/2 Performed Live in Seattle 3 CD bootleg set on the Eat a Peach label – as recorded on this day in 1973 – all of 51 years ago.
I’ve loved this recording since I got it on a vinyl bootleg back in 1974. This is the full show of a very good audience tape and for me one of their best performances of the era…
Update here:
Another England heartbreak and the Gareth Southgate era is at an end – he has done us proud over the past eight years.
A lot going on here as usual, notably the checking of the printers proof of the Portraits of Robert Plant Through the Eighties book for Rufus Publications. It’s all looking very good and it’s now at the printers ready for an August publication – more news on this ahead…
Until next time…
Dave Lewis – July 17 2024
TBL website updates written and compiled by Dave Lewis
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