"Tangerine", Led Zeppelin
From Led Zeppelin III
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ_JAgHxR14
Showing posts with label Led Zeppelin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Led Zeppelin. Show all posts
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Houses of the Holy: The backstory to the famous Led Zeppelin album cover
http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/houses_of_the_holy
Houses of the Holy: The backstory to the famous Led Zeppelin album cover
12.07.2010
Richard Metzger
One of the most iconic record covers of the 1970s is Led Zeppelin’s fifth album, 1973’s Houses of the Holy and it’s also one of the most mysterious. Fans have long speculated about the “meaning” of this cryptic image of naked, golden-haired children crawling around an apocalyptic landscape towards… what? Was it a reference to the creepy 50s sci-fi film Village of the Damned? Or was there some “occult significance” to Jimmy Page there? I’m sure there must have been quite a lot of stoned, meandering conversations back then about this one.
The cover, produced by the legendary London-based design firm, Hipgnosis, was shot on the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Aubrey Powell, the Hipgnosis partner who actually designed the cover, told Q magazine in 2003 that the concept was based on Arthur C. Clarke’s novel Childhood’s End, where hundreds of millions of Earth’s children gather together to be taken off into space.
But there’s an odd factoid or two about the Houses of the Holy album cover that might surprise you: First off, it was not a small army of naked children with wigs on, it was only two kids, a brother and sister, who were photographed over the course of ten days at dawn and at dusk. One of them went on to become a world famous TV presenter, Stefan Gates of the BBC’s popular Cooking in the Danger Zone show.
Gates said of the shoot, which he did at the age of five with his older sister Samantha:
“We only got a few quid for the modelling and the chance to travel to places we had never been before. Our family wasn’t well off, we certainly couldn’t afford holidays, so it worked out great for us.
“For the Zeppelin cover we went to Ireland during the Troubles. I remember arriving at the airport and seeing all these people with guns. We stayed in this little guest house near the Giant’s Causeway and to capture the so-called magic light of dawn and dusk we’d shoot first thing in the morning and at night.
I’ve heard people saying they put wigs on several children. But there was only me and my sister and that’s our real hair. I used to love being naked when I was that age so I didn’t mind. I’d whip off my clothes at the drop of a hat and run around having a great time, so I was in my element. My sister was older so she was probably a bit more self-conscious.”
Aubrey Powell said of the shoot: “It promptly rained for ten days straight. I shot the whole thing in black and white on a totally miserable morning pouring with rain. Originally, I’d intended the children to be gold and silver. Because I shot in black and white and it was a gray day, the children turned out very white. So when we hand-tinted it, the airbrush artist, by accident, put a kind of purple tinge onto them. When I first saw it, I said, ‘Oh, my God.’ Then we looked at it, and I said, ‘Hang on a minute, this has an otherworldly quality.’ So we left it as it was. Everybody was so cold, and so freaked out because it wasn’t working, that the only thing I could keep everybody together with was a bottle of Mandrax and a lot of whiskey.”
Oddly, in 2007 Stefan Gates claimed to have never listened to the album and that he felt there was something perhaps sinister about the cover image. “It carries too much significance for me,” he said at the time. “A part of me wants to go out to the Giant’s Causeway with a big pair of speakers, strip naked and play it just to see if I have some kind of great epiphany.”
The February 2010 BBC 4 radio show Stefan Gates’s Cover Story saw him return to the Giant’s Causeway to experience the album there for the first time, played on a boom box (but presumably clothed).
Samantha Gates, now living in South Africa, recalls “I remember the shoot really clearly, mainly because it was freezing cold and rained the whole time.
“We were naked in a lot of the modelling shoots we did, nothing was thought of it back then. You probably couldn’t get away with that now.”
Stefan Gates believes shooting the album at the age of five has a huge, but mostly subconscious, role in his life. “Although it’s just my naked behind you can see, perhaps being a part of something like that at a young age made me seek out more ambitious and adventurous experiences.”
Monday, September 27, 2010
Remembering John Bonham
http://www.retroland.com/retroblog/music/remembering-john-bonham/
Remembering John Bonham
By Eric
Sep 22, 2010
It was 30 years ago Friday, on September 24, 1980, that the world of rock and roll lost perhaps its finest and most influential drummer of all time, John Bonham. Known for his rock-solid grooves, blinding speed, and innovative rhythms, Bonham’s death sent a shock wave through the music world and brought an end to one of the most successful rock bands of all time, Led Zeppelin. Today, we remember this giant of the drumming world who is still revered by just about anyone who ever picked up a pair of sticks.
Born on May 31, 1948, Bonham began drumming at the age of five, and was playing professionally by the time he was 14. His big break came in 1968, when at the age of 20, he was asked to join Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones in their new project called Led Zeppelin. Reluctant at first, (he was also being pursued by Joe Cocker) he eventually relented and joined, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Upon the passing of John Bonham, at the age of 32, the band issued the following statement:
“We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were.”
And with that, came the end of one of the biggest rock groups of all time. But while John Bonham may be gone, his memory still lives strong among fans and fellow drummers, who continue to consider him to be one of the best there ever was.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Plant chooses creativity over Led Zeppelin nostalgia
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2009/02/grammy-windfall-robert-plant-chooses-creativity-over-led-zeppelin-nostalgia.html
Grammy windfall: Robert Plant chooses creativity over Led Zeppelin nostalgia
Greg Kot
greg@gregkot.com
February 9, 2009
Robert Plant could have been doing something other than winning five Grammys on Sunday with Alison Krauss. He could’ve been out making mega-millions of dollars on tour with the surviving members of his old band, Led Zeppelin.
The opportunity was there for the taking when Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were joined by Jason Bonham, son of the late Zep drummer, John Bonham, for a one-off London reunion gig in 2007.
That same year, Plant collaborated on “Raising Sand,” a relatively low-key yet highly adventurous album with country-pop singer Krauss. It was a risky little effort, with both Plant and Krauss working outside their comfort zones. On Sunday, it brought home a mini-avalanche of five Grammy Awards, including album of the year, topping heavy competition such as Coldplay, Radiohead and Lil Wayne.
But that kind of success couldn’t have been foreseen when the album was released. A Led Zeppelin reunion, on the other hand, would’ve been a sure thing.
Veteran artists with successful brand names (Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd) can make lots of money on the nostalgia circuit. No new music is required. It’s play the hits, and go straight to the bank. Tour promoters have been salivating for decades about the prospects of a Zeppelin reunion; many predict it would be the highest-earning rock tour of all time. But Plant has adamantly refused to go along. He has instead continued to pursue a solo career, defined by its adventurous spirit.
It is not a career arch followed by many of Plant’s peers. Presented with the option of making easy money or creating new music, most choose the money. And who can really blame them? It’s the rock-star equivalent of early retirement.
That’s why Plant’s determination to go his own way, to choose creative impulse over financial expedience, is one of the new year’s most inspiring music stories.
Plant is 60 years old. He no longer needs to prove anything to anyone, having changed the course of rock history once with Zeppelin in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Krauss, 37, has had a successful career as the violin-playing singer in Union Station, a first-rate bluegrass band that has had some crossover hits in pop and country. But “Raising Sand” finds them both breaking ground and making music that doesn’t sound quite like anything else.
Picking up where the acoustic side of the 1970 album “Led Zeppelin III” left off, “Raising Sand” burrows into the mystical side of folk and country music. Burnett proposed the project, picked the songs and assembled the band, which put an eerie 21st Century spin on 20th Century roots music.
Plant had never sung vocal harmonies before. He had always been the golden-god front man, his voice clearly the lead instrument. But on “Raising Sand,” he and Krauss blend with understatement and empathy. Plant’s wordless harmonies on “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us” give Krauss and the song exactly what they need, and it’s a goosebump-inducing epiphany. From the shake-rattle-and-shimmy of Allen Toussant’s “Fortune Teller” to the hymn-like heartbreak of Gene Clark’s “Polly Come Home,” the performances reward close attention and rank with the best work either of these artists has done.
Rounder Records, a venerable independent label based in the Northeast, released “Raising Sand” and it has become one of its biggest hits. Its multiple nominations were old hat for Krauss, who before Sunday has already won 21 Grammy awards. But none were for a project quite this adventurous.
"We ostensibly come from such different places on the musical map," Plant said in a media conference backstage Sunday. "Alison showed me so much I never been exposed to."
That Plant is still learning new tricks is a testament to his artistry. That he’s not touring with a reunited Led Zeppelin is a sign of enduring integrity. That’s a lot of money to be passing up, even if “Raising Sand” did win five Grammys.
But Plant was having none of it. The singer again was confronted with the inevitable question Sunday about his future involvement in any Zeppelin tour.
"How old are you, man?" Plant responded. "Because you look older than me. You try to do 'Communication Breakdown' in these pants."
Grammy windfall: Robert Plant chooses creativity over Led Zeppelin nostalgia
Greg Kot
greg@gregkot.com
February 9, 2009
Robert Plant could have been doing something other than winning five Grammys on Sunday with Alison Krauss. He could’ve been out making mega-millions of dollars on tour with the surviving members of his old band, Led Zeppelin.
The opportunity was there for the taking when Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were joined by Jason Bonham, son of the late Zep drummer, John Bonham, for a one-off London reunion gig in 2007.
That same year, Plant collaborated on “Raising Sand,” a relatively low-key yet highly adventurous album with country-pop singer Krauss. It was a risky little effort, with both Plant and Krauss working outside their comfort zones. On Sunday, it brought home a mini-avalanche of five Grammy Awards, including album of the year, topping heavy competition such as Coldplay, Radiohead and Lil Wayne.
But that kind of success couldn’t have been foreseen when the album was released. A Led Zeppelin reunion, on the other hand, would’ve been a sure thing.
Veteran artists with successful brand names (Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd) can make lots of money on the nostalgia circuit. No new music is required. It’s play the hits, and go straight to the bank. Tour promoters have been salivating for decades about the prospects of a Zeppelin reunion; many predict it would be the highest-earning rock tour of all time. But Plant has adamantly refused to go along. He has instead continued to pursue a solo career, defined by its adventurous spirit.
It is not a career arch followed by many of Plant’s peers. Presented with the option of making easy money or creating new music, most choose the money. And who can really blame them? It’s the rock-star equivalent of early retirement.
That’s why Plant’s determination to go his own way, to choose creative impulse over financial expedience, is one of the new year’s most inspiring music stories.
Plant is 60 years old. He no longer needs to prove anything to anyone, having changed the course of rock history once with Zeppelin in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Krauss, 37, has had a successful career as the violin-playing singer in Union Station, a first-rate bluegrass band that has had some crossover hits in pop and country. But “Raising Sand” finds them both breaking ground and making music that doesn’t sound quite like anything else.
Picking up where the acoustic side of the 1970 album “Led Zeppelin III” left off, “Raising Sand” burrows into the mystical side of folk and country music. Burnett proposed the project, picked the songs and assembled the band, which put an eerie 21st Century spin on 20th Century roots music.
Plant had never sung vocal harmonies before. He had always been the golden-god front man, his voice clearly the lead instrument. But on “Raising Sand,” he and Krauss blend with understatement and empathy. Plant’s wordless harmonies on “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us” give Krauss and the song exactly what they need, and it’s a goosebump-inducing epiphany. From the shake-rattle-and-shimmy of Allen Toussant’s “Fortune Teller” to the hymn-like heartbreak of Gene Clark’s “Polly Come Home,” the performances reward close attention and rank with the best work either of these artists has done.
Rounder Records, a venerable independent label based in the Northeast, released “Raising Sand” and it has become one of its biggest hits. Its multiple nominations were old hat for Krauss, who before Sunday has already won 21 Grammy awards. But none were for a project quite this adventurous.
"We ostensibly come from such different places on the musical map," Plant said in a media conference backstage Sunday. "Alison showed me so much I never been exposed to."
That Plant is still learning new tricks is a testament to his artistry. That he’s not touring with a reunited Led Zeppelin is a sign of enduring integrity. That’s a lot of money to be passing up, even if “Raising Sand” did win five Grammys.
But Plant was having none of it. The singer again was confronted with the inevitable question Sunday about his future involvement in any Zeppelin tour.
"How old are you, man?" Plant responded. "Because you look older than me. You try to do 'Communication Breakdown' in these pants."
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Aretha Franklin greatest singer in rock era
http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE4AA7BZ20081111
Aretha Franklin greatest singer in rock era: poll
Tue Nov 11, 2008
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - She's already the Queen of Soul, but now Aretha Franklin has been named the greatest singer of the rock era in a poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine.
Franklin, 66, came in ahead of Ray Charles at No. 2, Elvis Presley at No. 3, Sam Cooke at No. 4 and John Lennon at No. 5, according to the magazine's survey of 179 musicians, producers, Rolling Stone editors, and other music-industry insiders.
The 100-strong list will be published on Friday, when Rolling Stone hits the newsstands with four different covers.
The issue includes testimonials from musicians. R&B singer Mary J. Blige, for example, writes that Franklin is "the reason why women want to sing." Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, who was No. 15 on the list, describes Presley's voice as "confident, insinuating and taking no prisoners."
Besides Franklin, the only other living people in the top 10 were Bob Dylan at No. 7 and Stevie Wonder at No. 9. Marvin Gaye was No. 6, Otis Redding No. 8, and James Brown No. 10.
Other notables included Paul McCartney at No. 11, one place ahead of his idol, Little Richard; and Mick Jagger at No. 16, also one ahead of a key influence, Tina Turner. Among the top 25, 50-year-old Michael Jackson was the youngest, coming in at No. 25.
Voters included Metallica frontman James Hetfield, folk singers David Crosby and Yusuf Islam, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, punk rock veteran Iggy Pop and English pop star James Blunt. They each submitted their top 20 choices, and an accounting firm tabulated the results.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
Aretha Franklin greatest singer in rock era: poll
Tue Nov 11, 2008
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - She's already the Queen of Soul, but now Aretha Franklin has been named the greatest singer of the rock era in a poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine.
Franklin, 66, came in ahead of Ray Charles at No. 2, Elvis Presley at No. 3, Sam Cooke at No. 4 and John Lennon at No. 5, according to the magazine's survey of 179 musicians, producers, Rolling Stone editors, and other music-industry insiders.
The 100-strong list will be published on Friday, when Rolling Stone hits the newsstands with four different covers.
The issue includes testimonials from musicians. R&B singer Mary J. Blige, for example, writes that Franklin is "the reason why women want to sing." Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, who was No. 15 on the list, describes Presley's voice as "confident, insinuating and taking no prisoners."
Besides Franklin, the only other living people in the top 10 were Bob Dylan at No. 7 and Stevie Wonder at No. 9. Marvin Gaye was No. 6, Otis Redding No. 8, and James Brown No. 10.
Other notables included Paul McCartney at No. 11, one place ahead of his idol, Little Richard; and Mick Jagger at No. 16, also one ahead of a key influence, Tina Turner. Among the top 25, 50-year-old Michael Jackson was the youngest, coming in at No. 25.
Voters included Metallica frontman James Hetfield, folk singers David Crosby and Yusuf Islam, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, punk rock veteran Iggy Pop and English pop star James Blunt. They each submitted their top 20 choices, and an accounting firm tabulated the results.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Heavy metal and classical fans make sweet music
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2441316.0.Why_heavy_metal_and_classical_fans_make_sweet_music_together.php
Why heavy metal and classical fans make sweet music together
CATHERINE FEGA0N and CHARLOTTE CARMICHAEL
Friday 5th September 2008
HAD he been alive today, Beethoven might well have been bosom buddies with heavy metal rockers Black Sabbath.
Unlikely as it may seem, fans of heavy metal and classical music have much more in common than most people would imagine, according to a new study.
Researchers found fans of the music styles shared "virtually identical" personality traits, such as being creative and at ease with themselves.
The finding was revealed in a major study into the link between people's musical tastes and their personalities.
Professor Adrian North, of Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, said the survey of more than 36,000 people from all over the world is by far the biggest study of its kind ever undertaken.
"I was struck by how similar fans of heavy metal and classical music really are," he said. "Apart from the age differences, they were virtually identical. Both were more creative than other people, both were not terribly outgoing and they were also quite at ease."
He speculated that both types of music have a sense of theatricality about them which may appeal to similar types of people.
Stephen Montague, 65, is one such example of the personality cross-over between fans of the two distinct music genres.
The contemporary classical composer struck up a friendship with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame more than 25 years ago.
"We exist in a curious parallel universe," he said. "There seems to be an interest with people on that side of the music industry in what we do, they think we are the key to immortality and that what they do is superficial when in fact it's quite the opposite because we envy them."
Although previous research has shown that fans of rock and rap are rebellious, and that fans of opera are wealthy and well-educated, this is the first time that research has shown a link between personality and music preference. Some 36,518 people from countries as far afield as Malaysia, China, Japan and Chile were asked to rate 104 musical styles ranging from chart pop to Bollywood music and opera.
Oliver Searle, 30, a professional composer who teaches at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, said he was not surprised by the findings.
"I just booked tickets to go see Slayer and my favourite bands are Iron Maiden and Nine Inch Nails," he said. "All my peers are heavy metal fans and we would have been more surprised if you had said we liked listening to Britney Spears but not heavy metal.
"The darker side of human emotion is emulated by composers and heavy metal rockers alike. There is a definite cross-over."
According to Prof North, the findings from the online survey revealed that musical tastes can be seen as a direct reflection of people's characters, as well as confirming a number of stereotypes. "Fans of country and western tend to be more hard- working, fans of reggae were more at ease and fans of jazz were more creative," he said. "It's as though they're choosing the music to tell the world something about themselves."
Prof North said that fans of jazz and soul music may be said to have the "best" type of personality, showing positive traits such as good self-esteem, creativity and having an outgoing nature. The study also revealed that classical music lovers are more likely to have strong self-esteem and creative tendencies, rap and dance music fans are outgoing, but indie fans can lack self-esteem.
Prof North said: "People often define their sense of identity through their musical taste, wearing particular clothes, going to certain pubs, and using certain types of slang. It's not so surprising that personality should also be related to musical preference."
Deborah Henderson, 23, a student from Glasgow, put the similarities between the two musical tastes down to fashion. "I am surprised to find the two have similar personalities," she said. "I suppose it is because of the way they dress. I think everyone has a metal uncle."
Seb Hunter, author of Hell Bent For Leather: Confessions of a Heavy Metal Addict, confirmed the sentiment. "The sheer unfashionableness of rockers and composers should be a point of commonality," he said. "Neither of them can dress."
Why heavy metal and classical fans make sweet music together
CATHERINE FEGA0N and CHARLOTTE CARMICHAEL
Friday 5th September 2008
HAD he been alive today, Beethoven might well have been bosom buddies with heavy metal rockers Black Sabbath.
Unlikely as it may seem, fans of heavy metal and classical music have much more in common than most people would imagine, according to a new study.
Researchers found fans of the music styles shared "virtually identical" personality traits, such as being creative and at ease with themselves.
The finding was revealed in a major study into the link between people's musical tastes and their personalities.
Professor Adrian North, of Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University, said the survey of more than 36,000 people from all over the world is by far the biggest study of its kind ever undertaken.
"I was struck by how similar fans of heavy metal and classical music really are," he said. "Apart from the age differences, they were virtually identical. Both were more creative than other people, both were not terribly outgoing and they were also quite at ease."
He speculated that both types of music have a sense of theatricality about them which may appeal to similar types of people.
Stephen Montague, 65, is one such example of the personality cross-over between fans of the two distinct music genres.
The contemporary classical composer struck up a friendship with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame more than 25 years ago.
"We exist in a curious parallel universe," he said. "There seems to be an interest with people on that side of the music industry in what we do, they think we are the key to immortality and that what they do is superficial when in fact it's quite the opposite because we envy them."
Although previous research has shown that fans of rock and rap are rebellious, and that fans of opera are wealthy and well-educated, this is the first time that research has shown a link between personality and music preference. Some 36,518 people from countries as far afield as Malaysia, China, Japan and Chile were asked to rate 104 musical styles ranging from chart pop to Bollywood music and opera.
Oliver Searle, 30, a professional composer who teaches at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, said he was not surprised by the findings.
"I just booked tickets to go see Slayer and my favourite bands are Iron Maiden and Nine Inch Nails," he said. "All my peers are heavy metal fans and we would have been more surprised if you had said we liked listening to Britney Spears but not heavy metal.
"The darker side of human emotion is emulated by composers and heavy metal rockers alike. There is a definite cross-over."
According to Prof North, the findings from the online survey revealed that musical tastes can be seen as a direct reflection of people's characters, as well as confirming a number of stereotypes. "Fans of country and western tend to be more hard- working, fans of reggae were more at ease and fans of jazz were more creative," he said. "It's as though they're choosing the music to tell the world something about themselves."
Prof North said that fans of jazz and soul music may be said to have the "best" type of personality, showing positive traits such as good self-esteem, creativity and having an outgoing nature. The study also revealed that classical music lovers are more likely to have strong self-esteem and creative tendencies, rap and dance music fans are outgoing, but indie fans can lack self-esteem.
Prof North said: "People often define their sense of identity through their musical taste, wearing particular clothes, going to certain pubs, and using certain types of slang. It's not so surprising that personality should also be related to musical preference."
Deborah Henderson, 23, a student from Glasgow, put the similarities between the two musical tastes down to fashion. "I am surprised to find the two have similar personalities," she said. "I suppose it is because of the way they dress. I think everyone has a metal uncle."
Seb Hunter, author of Hell Bent For Leather: Confessions of a Heavy Metal Addict, confirmed the sentiment. "The sheer unfashionableness of rockers and composers should be a point of commonality," he said. "Neither of them can dress."
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Hagar says new supergroup could "rival Zep"
http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/sammy-hagar-says-new-supergroup-could-rival-zep-156990Sammy Hagar says new supergroup could "rival Zep"
There's only one way to Zep
MusicRadar, Wed 28 May, 2008
By Joe Bosso
Sammy Hagar is excited about his new supergroup, Chickenfoot, so much so that he says the band "could rival Zep."
Comprised of acclaimed guitarist Joe Satriani, Red Hot Chili Peppers's drummer Chad Smith, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and Hagar, Chickenfoot have written "around eight or nine songs so far" and are due to enter the recording studio in September..
"When people hear the music, it's Led Zeppelin," Hagar enthuses. "I know that's a bold statement, but it's as good as that." The Red Rocker then compares the group to another musical entity, one he has had some experience with: "It's ten times Van Halen, because it's functional - we all like each other."
For his part, Joe Satriani is jazzed about the project but is less hyperbolic than Cabo man Hagar: "We're having a very fun time. For years now I've wanted to do something with a real vocalist and a real band, and I came close a few times but nothing really panned out. This time is different. What I'm doing with Sammy and the rest of the guys feels right. We get together, we have a lot of laughs, and great things happen musically. I'm thrilled, and I can't wait to get our ideas recorded."
Interestingly, MusicRadar has just figured out that the intials of Chickenfoot's members - H.S.A.S. - are exactly the same as another supergroup in Hagar's past. Coincidence?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
'In Search Of The Great Beast 666'
Aleister Crowley, self proclaimed "The Great Beast" and known by the press as "The Wickedest Man in the World", was perhaps the most controversial and notorious individuals in British History. This dramatically reconstructed film unearths the barely believable and shocking facts surrounding a man who was voted in a BBC poll to be one of the most influential Britons of all time.
Was he related to US President George Bush? How was he connected to the founder of Scientology, NASA, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jack the Ripper, Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming and how did this Occultist, Spy, Poet, Writer and accomplished Mountaineer come to know and influence so many other remarkable people?
Featuring the Voice of Joss Ackland and Music Score by Rick Wakeman
Check Out The Official Movie Website Here:
www.aleister-crowley-666.com
Check Out The MySpace Site Here:
http://www.myspace.com/aleistercrowleyfilm
Check Out The YouTube Trailer Here:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WpOZX5vTO00
Was he related to US President George Bush? How was he connected to the founder of Scientology, NASA, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jack the Ripper, Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming and how did this Occultist, Spy, Poet, Writer and accomplished Mountaineer come to know and influence so many other remarkable people?
Featuring the Voice of Joss Ackland and Music Score by Rick Wakeman
Check Out The Official Movie Website Here:
www.aleister-crowley-666.com
Check Out The MySpace Site Here:
http://www.myspace.com/aleistercrowleyfilm
Check Out The YouTube Trailer Here:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WpOZX5vTO00
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Jimmy Page Says Reunion Tour May Happen
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1580419/20080128/led_zeppelin.jhtml
Jan 28 2008
Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page Says Reunion Tour May Happen After All
'The amount of work that we put into the O2 [concert] ... was probably what you put into a world tour,' he told Reuters.
By Gil Kaufman and Kurt Orzeck
Led Zeppelin might not be headed over the hills and far away quite yet — the recently reunited rock legends have let it slip that they may actually perform together again after all, but not before September.
Guitarist Jimmy Page revealed the scenario over the weekend, according to Reuters, saying that the legendary band's one-off, strongly received December reunion gig in London, which sparked rumors of a world tour, was likely a precursor to more shows.
"I can assure you the amount of work that we put into the O2 [concert], for ourselves rehearsing and the staging of it, was probably what you put into a world tour," Page said, adding that more shows are off for the moment because of singer Robert Plant's commitments to touring with bluegrass star Alison Krauss in support of their Grammy-nominated joint album, Raising Sand.
"Robert Plant also [has] a parallel project running, and he's really busy with that project, certainly until September, so I can't give you any news," Page added.
In an interview with New York's Madison Square Garden Network during halftime at a Knicks game on Friday, Plant also opened the door to more shows, saying, "You never know what is around the corner. It's just nice to play with those guys," when asked about Zeppelin tour rumors.
That's a sharp contrast from what Plant said in late September, when he shot down claims of a potential tour outright. "There'll be one show and that'll be it," he told British music mag Uncut.
Plant's remarks had come days after Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl apparently volunteered his services for a potential Zep tour. After saying that he had planned to sneak his way into the long-sold-out London show, the former Nirvana drummer added that he wouldn't mind manning the kit for Led Zeppelin if needed. "[I am] at their beck and call," he told British music weekly the New Musical Express.
Jan 28 2008
Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page Says Reunion Tour May Happen After All
'The amount of work that we put into the O2 [concert] ... was probably what you put into a world tour,' he told Reuters.
By Gil Kaufman and Kurt Orzeck
Led Zeppelin might not be headed over the hills and far away quite yet — the recently reunited rock legends have let it slip that they may actually perform together again after all, but not before September.
Guitarist Jimmy Page revealed the scenario over the weekend, according to Reuters, saying that the legendary band's one-off, strongly received December reunion gig in London, which sparked rumors of a world tour, was likely a precursor to more shows.
"I can assure you the amount of work that we put into the O2 [concert], for ourselves rehearsing and the staging of it, was probably what you put into a world tour," Page said, adding that more shows are off for the moment because of singer Robert Plant's commitments to touring with bluegrass star Alison Krauss in support of their Grammy-nominated joint album, Raising Sand.
"Robert Plant also [has] a parallel project running, and he's really busy with that project, certainly until September, so I can't give you any news," Page added.
In an interview with New York's Madison Square Garden Network during halftime at a Knicks game on Friday, Plant also opened the door to more shows, saying, "You never know what is around the corner. It's just nice to play with those guys," when asked about Zeppelin tour rumors.
That's a sharp contrast from what Plant said in late September, when he shot down claims of a potential tour outright. "There'll be one show and that'll be it," he told British music mag Uncut.
Plant's remarks had come days after Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl apparently volunteered his services for a potential Zep tour. After saying that he had planned to sneak his way into the long-sold-out London show, the former Nirvana drummer added that he wouldn't mind manning the kit for Led Zeppelin if needed. "[I am] at their beck and call," he told British music weekly the New Musical Express.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Led Zeppelin Finds Its Old Power
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/arts/music/11zeppelin.html
December 10, 2007
Music Review
Led Zeppelin Finds Its Old Power
By BEN RATLIFF
LONDON, Dec. 10 — Some rock bands accelerate their tempos when they play their old songs decades after the fact. Playing fast is a kind of armor: a refutation of the plain fact of aging, all that unregainable enthusiasm and lost muscle mass, and a hard block against an old band’s lessened cultural importance.
But Led Zeppelin slowed its down a little. At the O2 arena here on Monday night, in its first full concert since 1980 — without John Bonham, who died that year, but with Bonham’s son Jason as a natural substitute — the band found much of its old power in tempos that were more graceful than those on the old live recordings. The speed of the songs ran closer to those on the group’s old studio records, or slower yet. “Good Times Bad Times,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” and “Whole Lotta Love” were confident, easy cruises; “Dazed and Confused” was a glorious doom-crawl.
It all goes back to the blues, in which oozing gracefully is a virtue, and from which Led Zeppelin initially got half its ideas. Its singer, Robert Plant, doesn’t want you to forget that fact: he introduced “Trampled Underfoot” by explaining its connection to Robert Johnson’s “Terraplane Blues,” and mentioned Blind Willie Johnson as the inspiration for “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” (Beyond that, the band spent 10 luxuriant minutes each in two other blues songs from its back catalog — “Since I Been Loving You” and “In My Time of Dying”).
Ahmet Ertegun, the dedicatee of the concert, would have been satisfied, sure as he was of the centrality of southern black music to American culture. Ertegun, who died last year, signed Led Zeppelin to Atlantic Records; the show was a one-off benefit for the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which will offer music students scholarships to universities in the United States, England, and Turkey, his homeland.
By the end of Zeppelin’s two-hour-plus show, it was already hard to remember that anyone else had been on the bill. But the band was preceded by Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings—a good-timey rhythm-and-blues show with revolving singers including Paolo Nutini and Albert Lee, as well as a few songs each by Paul Rodgers (of Free and Bad Company) and Foreigner — all of whom had recorded for Atlantic under Ertegun.
There was a kind of loud serenity about Led Zeppelin’s set. It was well-rehearsed, for one thing: planning and rehearsals have been underway since May. The band wore mostly black clothes, instead of its old candy-colored wardrobe. Unlike Mick Jagger, Mr. Plant — the youngest of the original members, at 59 — doesn’t walk and gesture like an excited woman anymore. Some of the top of his voice has gone, but except for one attempted and failed high note in “Stairway to Heaven” (“there walks a la-dy we all know{hellip}”), he found other melodic routes to suit him. He was authoritative; he was dignified.
As for Mr. Page, his guitar solos weren’t as frenetic and articulated as they used to be, but that only drove home the point that they were always secondary to the riffs, which on Monday were enormous, nasty, glorious. (He did produce a violin bow for his solo on “Dazed and Confused,” during that song’s great, spooky middle section.)
John Paul Jones’s bass lines got a little lost in the hall’s acoustics — like all such places, the 22,000-seat O2 Arena is rough on low frequencies — but he was thoroughly in the pocket with Mr. Bonham; when he sat down to play keyboards on “Kashmir” and “No Quarter” and a few others, he simultaneously operated bass pedals with his feet, keeping to that same far-behind-the-beat groove.
And what of Jason Bonham, the big question mark of what has been — there’s no way to prove this scientifically, but let’s just round it off — the most anticipated rock reunion in an era full of them? He is an expert in his father’s beats, an encyclopedia of all their variations on all the existing recordings. And apart from a few small places where he added a few strokes, he stuck to the sound and feel of the original. The smacks of the snare drum didn’t have exactly the same timbre, that barbarous, reverberant sound. But as the show got into its second hour and a few of the sound problems were gradually corrected, you found yourself not worrying about it anymore. It was all working.
Led Zeppelin has semi-reunited a few times in the past, with not much success: short, problematic sets at Live Aid in 1985, and at Atlantic Records’ 40th Anniversary concert in 1988. But this was a reunion that the band had invested in, despite the fact that there are no plans yet for a future tour; among its 16 songs was one the band had never played live before: “For Your Life,” from the album “Presence.”
The excitement in the hall felt extreme, and genuine; the crowd roars between encores were ravenous. At the end of it all, as the three original members took a bow, Mr. Bonham knelt before them and genuflected.
December 10, 2007
Music Review
Led Zeppelin Finds Its Old Power
By BEN RATLIFF
LONDON, Dec. 10 — Some rock bands accelerate their tempos when they play their old songs decades after the fact. Playing fast is a kind of armor: a refutation of the plain fact of aging, all that unregainable enthusiasm and lost muscle mass, and a hard block against an old band’s lessened cultural importance.
But Led Zeppelin slowed its down a little. At the O2 arena here on Monday night, in its first full concert since 1980 — without John Bonham, who died that year, but with Bonham’s son Jason as a natural substitute — the band found much of its old power in tempos that were more graceful than those on the old live recordings. The speed of the songs ran closer to those on the group’s old studio records, or slower yet. “Good Times Bad Times,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” and “Whole Lotta Love” were confident, easy cruises; “Dazed and Confused” was a glorious doom-crawl.
It all goes back to the blues, in which oozing gracefully is a virtue, and from which Led Zeppelin initially got half its ideas. Its singer, Robert Plant, doesn’t want you to forget that fact: he introduced “Trampled Underfoot” by explaining its connection to Robert Johnson’s “Terraplane Blues,” and mentioned Blind Willie Johnson as the inspiration for “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” (Beyond that, the band spent 10 luxuriant minutes each in two other blues songs from its back catalog — “Since I Been Loving You” and “In My Time of Dying”).
Ahmet Ertegun, the dedicatee of the concert, would have been satisfied, sure as he was of the centrality of southern black music to American culture. Ertegun, who died last year, signed Led Zeppelin to Atlantic Records; the show was a one-off benefit for the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which will offer music students scholarships to universities in the United States, England, and Turkey, his homeland.
By the end of Zeppelin’s two-hour-plus show, it was already hard to remember that anyone else had been on the bill. But the band was preceded by Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings—a good-timey rhythm-and-blues show with revolving singers including Paolo Nutini and Albert Lee, as well as a few songs each by Paul Rodgers (of Free and Bad Company) and Foreigner — all of whom had recorded for Atlantic under Ertegun.
There was a kind of loud serenity about Led Zeppelin’s set. It was well-rehearsed, for one thing: planning and rehearsals have been underway since May. The band wore mostly black clothes, instead of its old candy-colored wardrobe. Unlike Mick Jagger, Mr. Plant — the youngest of the original members, at 59 — doesn’t walk and gesture like an excited woman anymore. Some of the top of his voice has gone, but except for one attempted and failed high note in “Stairway to Heaven” (“there walks a la-dy we all know{hellip}”), he found other melodic routes to suit him. He was authoritative; he was dignified.
As for Mr. Page, his guitar solos weren’t as frenetic and articulated as they used to be, but that only drove home the point that they were always secondary to the riffs, which on Monday were enormous, nasty, glorious. (He did produce a violin bow for his solo on “Dazed and Confused,” during that song’s great, spooky middle section.)
John Paul Jones’s bass lines got a little lost in the hall’s acoustics — like all such places, the 22,000-seat O2 Arena is rough on low frequencies — but he was thoroughly in the pocket with Mr. Bonham; when he sat down to play keyboards on “Kashmir” and “No Quarter” and a few others, he simultaneously operated bass pedals with his feet, keeping to that same far-behind-the-beat groove.
And what of Jason Bonham, the big question mark of what has been — there’s no way to prove this scientifically, but let’s just round it off — the most anticipated rock reunion in an era full of them? He is an expert in his father’s beats, an encyclopedia of all their variations on all the existing recordings. And apart from a few small places where he added a few strokes, he stuck to the sound and feel of the original. The smacks of the snare drum didn’t have exactly the same timbre, that barbarous, reverberant sound. But as the show got into its second hour and a few of the sound problems were gradually corrected, you found yourself not worrying about it anymore. It was all working.
Led Zeppelin has semi-reunited a few times in the past, with not much success: short, problematic sets at Live Aid in 1985, and at Atlantic Records’ 40th Anniversary concert in 1988. But this was a reunion that the band had invested in, despite the fact that there are no plans yet for a future tour; among its 16 songs was one the band had never played live before: “For Your Life,” from the album “Presence.”
The excitement in the hall felt extreme, and genuine; the crowd roars between encores were ravenous. At the end of it all, as the three original members took a bow, Mr. Bonham knelt before them and genuflected.
Led Zeppelin Lives!
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=ede92bb0-d94d-43ac-aae0-63b4d068da86&entry=index
Led Zeppelin Lives!
by Sarah Hall
Mon, 10 Dec 2007
It's been a long time since they've rock and rolled, but the surviving members of Led Zeppelin proved they still have what it takes.
Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and the late John Bonham's son, Jason, came together Monday night for their much-anticipated tribute to Atlantic Records exec Ahmet Ertegun.
Following a video montage of the band's glory days, the rockers kicked off the reunion with "Good Times, Bad Times," much to the delight of fans packed into London's O2 Arena.
"In the days of my youth, I was told what it was to be a man/ Now I've reached the age, I've tried to do all those things the best I can/ No matter how I try, I find my way to do the same old jam," Plant, 59, shrieked, as the audience seemed to simultaneously cheer and sing along.
From there, they launched into a bluesy version of "Ramble On," followed by "Black Dog."
The two-hour-plus, 16-song set included usual suspects like "Kashmir," "The Song Remains the Same" and extended versions of "Dazed and Confused" and "Stairway to Heaven," before ending with a one-two punch of "Whole Lotta Love" (which Page dedicated to Ertegun) and "Rock and Roll."
Plant's whine was in full force. Jones, 61, and the younger Bonham, 41, ably held down the bottom line. And Page, 63, showed no ill effects from the finger injury that forced the band to postpone the show from its original date of Nov. 26.
"What they have done here tonight is prove they can still perform to the level that originally earned them their legendary reputation," Britain's New Musical Express proclaimed in its postconcert review. "We can only hope this isn't the last we see of them."
The show was the band's first all-out concert since John Bonham died in 1980. Page, Plant and Jones reunited with the younger Bonham for short sets at Live Aid in 1985 and Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary concert in 1988. The three original members last performed together at the band's 1995 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
There have been rampant rumors the band would use the reunion show as a platform from which to launch a full-scale tour; however, Plant, in particular, has repeatedly denied such a tour is in the works.
"The whole idea of being on a cavalcade of merciless repetition is not what it's all about," he told London's Sunday Times.
Likewise, popular speculation that the band will be the headlining act at this summer's Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee remains just a pipe dream at this point.
"It's just a rumor, none of that is real," Randy Phillips, CEO of concert promotion company AEG Live, told the Los Angeles Times.
"The reality is Zeppelin has not agreed to a tour," Phillips added. "They want to play this show and see how it goes, how it feels, and then go from there. There's nothing firm yet, but maybe afterward."
The band certainly has the fan base to ensure that any reunion tour would be an instant sellout. Some 20 million would-be concertgoers applied for tickets to the Ertegun tribute, for which only 16,000 seats were available, according to event organizers.
The tickets were priced at a face value of $250, but sold upwards of $2,000 online. One fan, 25-year-old Glaswegian Kenneth Donnell, paid $168,500 for his tickets in a BBC charity auction.
Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Foreigner and Paolo Nutini were also the bill, effectively serving as Zeppelin's opening acts.
Despite his apparent aversion to returning to the tour circuit, even Plant hasn't completely ruled out the idea of hitting the road with his bandmates at some time in the future.
"It wouldn't be such a bad idea to play together from time to time," he admitted to the Sunday Times.
Led Zeppelin Lives!
by Sarah Hall
Mon, 10 Dec 2007
It's been a long time since they've rock and rolled, but the surviving members of Led Zeppelin proved they still have what it takes.
Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and the late John Bonham's son, Jason, came together Monday night for their much-anticipated tribute to Atlantic Records exec Ahmet Ertegun.
Following a video montage of the band's glory days, the rockers kicked off the reunion with "Good Times, Bad Times," much to the delight of fans packed into London's O2 Arena.
"In the days of my youth, I was told what it was to be a man/ Now I've reached the age, I've tried to do all those things the best I can/ No matter how I try, I find my way to do the same old jam," Plant, 59, shrieked, as the audience seemed to simultaneously cheer and sing along.
From there, they launched into a bluesy version of "Ramble On," followed by "Black Dog."
The two-hour-plus, 16-song set included usual suspects like "Kashmir," "The Song Remains the Same" and extended versions of "Dazed and Confused" and "Stairway to Heaven," before ending with a one-two punch of "Whole Lotta Love" (which Page dedicated to Ertegun) and "Rock and Roll."
Plant's whine was in full force. Jones, 61, and the younger Bonham, 41, ably held down the bottom line. And Page, 63, showed no ill effects from the finger injury that forced the band to postpone the show from its original date of Nov. 26.
"What they have done here tonight is prove they can still perform to the level that originally earned them their legendary reputation," Britain's New Musical Express proclaimed in its postconcert review. "We can only hope this isn't the last we see of them."
The show was the band's first all-out concert since John Bonham died in 1980. Page, Plant and Jones reunited with the younger Bonham for short sets at Live Aid in 1985 and Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary concert in 1988. The three original members last performed together at the band's 1995 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
There have been rampant rumors the band would use the reunion show as a platform from which to launch a full-scale tour; however, Plant, in particular, has repeatedly denied such a tour is in the works.
"The whole idea of being on a cavalcade of merciless repetition is not what it's all about," he told London's Sunday Times.
Likewise, popular speculation that the band will be the headlining act at this summer's Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee remains just a pipe dream at this point.
"It's just a rumor, none of that is real," Randy Phillips, CEO of concert promotion company AEG Live, told the Los Angeles Times.
"The reality is Zeppelin has not agreed to a tour," Phillips added. "They want to play this show and see how it goes, how it feels, and then go from there. There's nothing firm yet, but maybe afterward."
The band certainly has the fan base to ensure that any reunion tour would be an instant sellout. Some 20 million would-be concertgoers applied for tickets to the Ertegun tribute, for which only 16,000 seats were available, according to event organizers.
The tickets were priced at a face value of $250, but sold upwards of $2,000 online. One fan, 25-year-old Glaswegian Kenneth Donnell, paid $168,500 for his tickets in a BBC charity auction.
Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Foreigner and Paolo Nutini were also the bill, effectively serving as Zeppelin's opening acts.
Despite his apparent aversion to returning to the tour circuit, even Plant hasn't completely ruled out the idea of hitting the road with his bandmates at some time in the future.
"It wouldn't be such a bad idea to play together from time to time," he admitted to the Sunday Times.
Led Zeppelin: The Full Report From David Fricke
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17601364/led_zeppelin_the_full_report_from_david_fricke
Led Zeppelin: The Full Report From David Fricke
DAVID FRICKE
Posted Dec 11, 2007
For the second encore of their first, full concert in twenty-seven years, at London's 02 arena last night, Led Zeppelin tore into "Rock and Roll," from their untitled fourth album, with a joyful vengeance. As drummer Jason Bonham hammered with the ghostly precision and ferocity of his late father, guitarist Jimmy Page fired dirty chunks of Chuck Berry and bassist John Paul Jones kept iron time with familiar reserve, singer Robert Plant sang the most obvious words of the night: "Been a long time since I rock and rolled." Overhead, images of a much younger Zeppelin, in concert during the early and mid-Seventies, flashed on a huge digital-video screen. In those films, Led Zeppelin were the biggest, loudest and most cocksure band in rock. Jimmy Page's now snow-white hair was still jet black; Robert Plant was a golden god, not yet a Viking elder, and the late John Bonham — whose death in 1980 abruptly ended Zeppelin's reign — still ruled the engine room.
But the band that played underneath those memories last night was not the one that misfired at Live Aid in 1985 or again in New York in 1988. This one was rehearsed, ready and out to kill. This band was Led Zeppelin in every way.
Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham the Younger opened their two-hour show with the confident wit and colossal nerve of "Good Times Bad Times," the first song on Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album. Even before Plant opened his mouth, the original fury — a surprisingly lean, dub-like crossfire of cannonshot chords, frantic, gulping bass runs and polyrhythymic swagger — was in order and in force. "In the days of my youth/I was told what it means to be a man," Plant sang, in the slightly lower register of someone who gives those lessons now. It was an appropriate effect, too — an admission of age delivered with feral pride — on a night dedicated to the memory of Zeppelin's late friend and mentor, Atlantic Records' co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. (Proceeds fromticket sales will go to music scholarships, created in Ertegun's name, at schools in New York, England and his native Turkey.) Earlier, a quote from Ertegun, who died in 2006 at age 83, hung from banners at the sides of the stage: "It is a great life, this life of music." Zeppelin honored that sentiment by playing like a band renewed, not merely reunited.
You could see the pleasure — in the way Plant kicked at the base of his mike stand in "Ramble On," sending it in an arc over his head '72-style, and in the big grin on Page's face, blown up on the screen, as Bonham flew into the climactic drum thunder of "Black Dog." For much of the show, even with a full, wide stage to themselves, Page, Plant and Jones stood in tight formation at the foot of the drum riser, often facing Jason, as if they were still in rehearsal. "I just want to have fun!" Plant barked at one point, as the band swerved from the extended, frenzied mid-section of "In My Time of Dying" back into the song's blues-march backbone.
Zeppelin did not walk or waltz through any of tonight's sixteen songs. You could hear the care, the weeks of practice that started back in June, in the live debut of "For Your Life" from Presence, a song which, according to Plant in our recent cover story, the band tried in the first rehearsals but dropped after two days. Obviously, there was no staying away from its eccentric oceanic chop. There was no getting away from the warhorses either. "No Quarter" came with the obligatory dry ice. "There are certain things we had to do — this is one of them," Plant said, almost in apology, introducing "Dazed and Confused." Page was soon back in ancient ritual — pulling long wah-wah groans from his Gibson Les Paul with a violin bow under a rotating steeple of green-laser beams.
More impressive, though, was the fresh tension in the song's slow-drag sections as Page, Jones and Bonham pulled at the tempo, heightening the expectation between Page's bent-note growls and Bonham's thundercrack rolls with extra delay. "Stairway to Heaven" was also not quite its overfamiliar self, and refreshing for it, Page fingerpicking the opening motif and hitting the ringing twelve-string chords with a relaxed, folk-rock grace, echoing Plant's thousand-yard stare as he sang "And it makes me wonder . . . "The inevitable "Whole Lotta Love," the first encore, was almost identical to the second-album script except for a short, tantalizing passage of raw-blues argument after the whooping-theremin blowout — no drums, no bass, just Plant and Page's guitar snapping at each other like junkyard dogs.
Any doubts about Plant's ability to still hit the high notes, his willingness to go stratospheric, was obliterated at the right, dramatic points in "Since I've Been Loving You" and "Kashmir." Jones and Bonham locked in like family. And Page was a continual shock on guitar, mostly because he has played so little in public for the past decade. At sixty-three, Page is undiminished in his sorcerer's mix of reckless ferocity — stammering runs, strangled howls, granite-block chords — and guitar-army wow. He recreated the harmonized-lick break in "Ramble On" with a sly blend of phasing and natural glide, and evoked the riff-orchestra swoop of "The Song Remains the Same" with a sustained rain of twelve-string harmonics. It was also clear why Page's solo career has been one of fits and starts. In Led Zeppelin, Page built the perfect beast for his fury and ambitions. Last night, he cut and slashed against Jones' percolating clavinet in "Trampled Underfoot" like an enraged butcher, and matched Plant's hairpin cries in the field-holler passages of "Nobody's Fault But Mine" with a devils' choir of distortion.
At times, Zeppelin seemed to amaze themselves. "Spectacular!" crowed Plant, turning to Bonham with pride at the end of "Rock and Roll." As the words "Led Zeppelin" filled the back screen, before the band left the stage for good, Bonham dropped to his knees and bowed, as if to say "I'm not worthy," In fact, he was, in spades, pushing his elders — hard — in the circle dance "Misty Mountain Hop" and the steady, exotic ascension of "Kashmir."
It is only fair to point out that there were other performers on the bill, including Foreigner, Bad Company's Paul Rodgers, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings and members of Yes and Emerson Lake and Palmer — all squeezed into an hour's potpourri to pay tribute to Ertegun and his reign at Atlantic, with varying historic accuracy. Rodgers got the first, major ovation of the night, but with a version of his 1969 hit with Free, "All Right Now." Singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini — the youngest featured act by about twenty-five years — did his best with "Mess Around," written by Ertegun for Ray Charles, then followed it with "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)," a 1966 hit for Cher, an Atlantic artist, but on another label. Stranger still, Nutini sang it with a raspy, trilling effect that eerily called to mind a late-Sixties cover of the song by British singer Terry Reid — best known now for being the guy who turned down Page's offer to be in Zeppelin and suggested Plant instead.
It is also important to note that Zeppelin left the building wiithout making any reference to their future together, if there is one — no "See you next year!" or "Until next time . . ." The only message they left behind was, "We were the best — and still are."
The waiting begins again.
Led Zeppelin: The Full Report From David Fricke
DAVID FRICKE
Posted Dec 11, 2007
For the second encore of their first, full concert in twenty-seven years, at London's 02 arena last night, Led Zeppelin tore into "Rock and Roll," from their untitled fourth album, with a joyful vengeance. As drummer Jason Bonham hammered with the ghostly precision and ferocity of his late father, guitarist Jimmy Page fired dirty chunks of Chuck Berry and bassist John Paul Jones kept iron time with familiar reserve, singer Robert Plant sang the most obvious words of the night: "Been a long time since I rock and rolled." Overhead, images of a much younger Zeppelin, in concert during the early and mid-Seventies, flashed on a huge digital-video screen. In those films, Led Zeppelin were the biggest, loudest and most cocksure band in rock. Jimmy Page's now snow-white hair was still jet black; Robert Plant was a golden god, not yet a Viking elder, and the late John Bonham — whose death in 1980 abruptly ended Zeppelin's reign — still ruled the engine room.
But the band that played underneath those memories last night was not the one that misfired at Live Aid in 1985 or again in New York in 1988. This one was rehearsed, ready and out to kill. This band was Led Zeppelin in every way.
Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham the Younger opened their two-hour show with the confident wit and colossal nerve of "Good Times Bad Times," the first song on Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album. Even before Plant opened his mouth, the original fury — a surprisingly lean, dub-like crossfire of cannonshot chords, frantic, gulping bass runs and polyrhythymic swagger — was in order and in force. "In the days of my youth/I was told what it means to be a man," Plant sang, in the slightly lower register of someone who gives those lessons now. It was an appropriate effect, too — an admission of age delivered with feral pride — on a night dedicated to the memory of Zeppelin's late friend and mentor, Atlantic Records' co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. (Proceeds fromticket sales will go to music scholarships, created in Ertegun's name, at schools in New York, England and his native Turkey.) Earlier, a quote from Ertegun, who died in 2006 at age 83, hung from banners at the sides of the stage: "It is a great life, this life of music." Zeppelin honored that sentiment by playing like a band renewed, not merely reunited.
You could see the pleasure — in the way Plant kicked at the base of his mike stand in "Ramble On," sending it in an arc over his head '72-style, and in the big grin on Page's face, blown up on the screen, as Bonham flew into the climactic drum thunder of "Black Dog." For much of the show, even with a full, wide stage to themselves, Page, Plant and Jones stood in tight formation at the foot of the drum riser, often facing Jason, as if they were still in rehearsal. "I just want to have fun!" Plant barked at one point, as the band swerved from the extended, frenzied mid-section of "In My Time of Dying" back into the song's blues-march backbone.
Zeppelin did not walk or waltz through any of tonight's sixteen songs. You could hear the care, the weeks of practice that started back in June, in the live debut of "For Your Life" from Presence, a song which, according to Plant in our recent cover story, the band tried in the first rehearsals but dropped after two days. Obviously, there was no staying away from its eccentric oceanic chop. There was no getting away from the warhorses either. "No Quarter" came with the obligatory dry ice. "There are certain things we had to do — this is one of them," Plant said, almost in apology, introducing "Dazed and Confused." Page was soon back in ancient ritual — pulling long wah-wah groans from his Gibson Les Paul with a violin bow under a rotating steeple of green-laser beams.
More impressive, though, was the fresh tension in the song's slow-drag sections as Page, Jones and Bonham pulled at the tempo, heightening the expectation between Page's bent-note growls and Bonham's thundercrack rolls with extra delay. "Stairway to Heaven" was also not quite its overfamiliar self, and refreshing for it, Page fingerpicking the opening motif and hitting the ringing twelve-string chords with a relaxed, folk-rock grace, echoing Plant's thousand-yard stare as he sang "And it makes me wonder . . . "The inevitable "Whole Lotta Love," the first encore, was almost identical to the second-album script except for a short, tantalizing passage of raw-blues argument after the whooping-theremin blowout — no drums, no bass, just Plant and Page's guitar snapping at each other like junkyard dogs.
Any doubts about Plant's ability to still hit the high notes, his willingness to go stratospheric, was obliterated at the right, dramatic points in "Since I've Been Loving You" and "Kashmir." Jones and Bonham locked in like family. And Page was a continual shock on guitar, mostly because he has played so little in public for the past decade. At sixty-three, Page is undiminished in his sorcerer's mix of reckless ferocity — stammering runs, strangled howls, granite-block chords — and guitar-army wow. He recreated the harmonized-lick break in "Ramble On" with a sly blend of phasing and natural glide, and evoked the riff-orchestra swoop of "The Song Remains the Same" with a sustained rain of twelve-string harmonics. It was also clear why Page's solo career has been one of fits and starts. In Led Zeppelin, Page built the perfect beast for his fury and ambitions. Last night, he cut and slashed against Jones' percolating clavinet in "Trampled Underfoot" like an enraged butcher, and matched Plant's hairpin cries in the field-holler passages of "Nobody's Fault But Mine" with a devils' choir of distortion.
At times, Zeppelin seemed to amaze themselves. "Spectacular!" crowed Plant, turning to Bonham with pride at the end of "Rock and Roll." As the words "Led Zeppelin" filled the back screen, before the band left the stage for good, Bonham dropped to his knees and bowed, as if to say "I'm not worthy," In fact, he was, in spades, pushing his elders — hard — in the circle dance "Misty Mountain Hop" and the steady, exotic ascension of "Kashmir."
It is only fair to point out that there were other performers on the bill, including Foreigner, Bad Company's Paul Rodgers, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings and members of Yes and Emerson Lake and Palmer — all squeezed into an hour's potpourri to pay tribute to Ertegun and his reign at Atlantic, with varying historic accuracy. Rodgers got the first, major ovation of the night, but with a version of his 1969 hit with Free, "All Right Now." Singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini — the youngest featured act by about twenty-five years — did his best with "Mess Around," written by Ertegun for Ray Charles, then followed it with "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)," a 1966 hit for Cher, an Atlantic artist, but on another label. Stranger still, Nutini sang it with a raspy, trilling effect that eerily called to mind a late-Sixties cover of the song by British singer Terry Reid — best known now for being the guy who turned down Page's offer to be in Zeppelin and suggested Plant instead.
It is also important to note that Zeppelin left the building wiithout making any reference to their future together, if there is one — no "See you next year!" or "Until next time . . ." The only message they left behind was, "We were the best — and still are."
The waiting begins again.
Led Zeppelin
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/music/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=10327
Led Zeppelin
Bottom Line: It's been a long time, but the band shows it can still rock the house.
By Ray Bennett
Dec 11, 2007
The three surviving members of Led Zeppelin -- John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, from left, and Jason Bonham, son of the late John Bonham -- reunited in London for a one-night tribute to Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegun. (Getty Images photo)
O2 Arena, London
Monday, Dec. 10
For two hours and 10 minutes Monday night, legendary British rock band Led Zeppelin had the privileged fans accommodated by London's O2 Arena ecstatic listening to 16 of its greatest hits. It was something not seen for almost 20 years.
The evening was to honor the late Atlantic Records founder and producer Ahmet Ertegun, and the band's devoted throng -- many of whom had paid thousands of dollars and flown thousands of miles to see them -- could not have been happier.
The Led Zeppelin part of the show began right on time with a giant screen showing clips from U.S. television when Led Zeppelin first toured the States.
Original members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant blasted onto the stage with drummer Jason Bonham taking the place of his father, John Bonham, who died in 1980. The stage was brilliant and the lighting looked great, with an excellent video display offering multiple images behind the live players.
Page, 63, is stout these days, with puffy features and frizzled hair, but his fingers move just as quick. Plant, 59, whose visage is more familiar with all the publicity he's been doing for his hit album "Raising Sand" with Alison Krauss, appeared like a well-fed Anglo Wild Bill Hickok, commanding the stage and still finding those elusive trills.
Jones, 61, was clean cut, all business on keyboards or bass, and Bonham at the drums looked beefy but fit.
They began with a brisk version of "Good Times, Bad Times," with Page's guitar crisp and clear but Plant's voice cramped by feedback. When "Ramble On" followed, Plant's microphone was working better and he sounded in good voice, growling and snapping just like he used to.
Page swung into "Black Dog," with Plant teasing the crowd while the guitarist chopped left and right with industrial power. Classic blues chords summoned a long, dynamic delivery of "In My Time of Dying," and the years started falling away.
Plant spoke of the "thousands and thousands of emotions that we've been going through for the last six weeks ... and to be here tonight for Ahmet and with Jason here."
He said, "This is our first adventure with this song," and the band played "For Your Life," from its seventh studio album "Presence." It was the first time the song had been played live.
Plant then did something the band didn't always do: He paid tribute to Robert Johnson and his song "Terraplane Blues" ahead of a lively encounter with "Trampled Under Foot" from 1975's "Physical Graffiti."
The Staple Singers, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Blind Willie Johnson were name-checked by Plant as he introduced Johnson's "Nobody's Fault but Mine," also from "Presence."
"No Quarter," from the band's fifth album "The Song Remains the Same," which was always at the heart of their concerts back in the day, allowed plenty of time for rumination on strings by lead Page with Jones on keyboards and Plant finding the glittering high notes of old. "Since I've Been Loving You" followed.
Plant said, "It's peculiar to think of creating a dynamic evening and choosing songs from 10 albums, but there are certain songs that have to be here, and this is one of them."
"Dazed and Confused" then promptly ruled as Page used a violin bow on his guitar to erect a cathedral of dissonance while the crowd roared its approval. Another required number was "Stairway to Heaven," which Page performed on a double-necked instrument as Plant's surprisingly still-supple voice glided on the legendary hit.
"The Song Remains the Same" kept the crowd joyous, and Plant then tipped his hat to drummer Bonham for stepping into his father's shoes, leading into "Misty Mountain Hop."
Thanking all the people who had come from more than 50 countries, Plant declared, "This is the 51st country" and commenced "Kashmir," which was the song most Led Zeppelin fans said they wanted to hear in a music magazine poll. It left the singer in tears and the audience, which had been long on its feet, hollering for more.
Back onstage, the encore inevitably took the form of "Whole Lotta Love." At the end, Plant saluted Ertegun and Atlantic Records and said good night. It looked like it was all over, but then, Led Zeppelin burst back for a resounding version of "Rock and Roll," leaving the packed house celebrating the extraordinarily good fortune that allowed them to witness it.
All them good times, yeah, you can say that again.
Concert set list follows
Good Times, Bad Times
Ramble On
Black Dog
In My Time of Dying
For Your Life (first time ever played live)
Trampled Under Foot
Nobody's Fault but Mine
No Quarter
Since I've Been Loving You
Dazed and Confused
Stairway to Heaven
The Song Remains the Same
Misty Mountain Hop
Kashmir
Encore
Whole Lotta Love
Rock and Roll
Led Zeppelin
Bottom Line: It's been a long time, but the band shows it can still rock the house.
By Ray Bennett
Dec 11, 2007
The three surviving members of Led Zeppelin -- John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, from left, and Jason Bonham, son of the late John Bonham -- reunited in London for a one-night tribute to Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegun. (Getty Images photo)
O2 Arena, London
Monday, Dec. 10
For two hours and 10 minutes Monday night, legendary British rock band Led Zeppelin had the privileged fans accommodated by London's O2 Arena ecstatic listening to 16 of its greatest hits. It was something not seen for almost 20 years.
The evening was to honor the late Atlantic Records founder and producer Ahmet Ertegun, and the band's devoted throng -- many of whom had paid thousands of dollars and flown thousands of miles to see them -- could not have been happier.
The Led Zeppelin part of the show began right on time with a giant screen showing clips from U.S. television when Led Zeppelin first toured the States.
Original members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant blasted onto the stage with drummer Jason Bonham taking the place of his father, John Bonham, who died in 1980. The stage was brilliant and the lighting looked great, with an excellent video display offering multiple images behind the live players.
Page, 63, is stout these days, with puffy features and frizzled hair, but his fingers move just as quick. Plant, 59, whose visage is more familiar with all the publicity he's been doing for his hit album "Raising Sand" with Alison Krauss, appeared like a well-fed Anglo Wild Bill Hickok, commanding the stage and still finding those elusive trills.
Jones, 61, was clean cut, all business on keyboards or bass, and Bonham at the drums looked beefy but fit.
They began with a brisk version of "Good Times, Bad Times," with Page's guitar crisp and clear but Plant's voice cramped by feedback. When "Ramble On" followed, Plant's microphone was working better and he sounded in good voice, growling and snapping just like he used to.
Page swung into "Black Dog," with Plant teasing the crowd while the guitarist chopped left and right with industrial power. Classic blues chords summoned a long, dynamic delivery of "In My Time of Dying," and the years started falling away.
Plant spoke of the "thousands and thousands of emotions that we've been going through for the last six weeks ... and to be here tonight for Ahmet and with Jason here."
He said, "This is our first adventure with this song," and the band played "For Your Life," from its seventh studio album "Presence." It was the first time the song had been played live.
Plant then did something the band didn't always do: He paid tribute to Robert Johnson and his song "Terraplane Blues" ahead of a lively encounter with "Trampled Under Foot" from 1975's "Physical Graffiti."
The Staple Singers, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Blind Willie Johnson were name-checked by Plant as he introduced Johnson's "Nobody's Fault but Mine," also from "Presence."
"No Quarter," from the band's fifth album "The Song Remains the Same," which was always at the heart of their concerts back in the day, allowed plenty of time for rumination on strings by lead Page with Jones on keyboards and Plant finding the glittering high notes of old. "Since I've Been Loving You" followed.
Plant said, "It's peculiar to think of creating a dynamic evening and choosing songs from 10 albums, but there are certain songs that have to be here, and this is one of them."
"Dazed and Confused" then promptly ruled as Page used a violin bow on his guitar to erect a cathedral of dissonance while the crowd roared its approval. Another required number was "Stairway to Heaven," which Page performed on a double-necked instrument as Plant's surprisingly still-supple voice glided on the legendary hit.
"The Song Remains the Same" kept the crowd joyous, and Plant then tipped his hat to drummer Bonham for stepping into his father's shoes, leading into "Misty Mountain Hop."
Thanking all the people who had come from more than 50 countries, Plant declared, "This is the 51st country" and commenced "Kashmir," which was the song most Led Zeppelin fans said they wanted to hear in a music magazine poll. It left the singer in tears and the audience, which had been long on its feet, hollering for more.
Back onstage, the encore inevitably took the form of "Whole Lotta Love." At the end, Plant saluted Ertegun and Atlantic Records and said good night. It looked like it was all over, but then, Led Zeppelin burst back for a resounding version of "Rock and Roll," leaving the packed house celebrating the extraordinarily good fortune that allowed them to witness it.
All them good times, yeah, you can say that again.
Concert set list follows
Good Times, Bad Times
Ramble On
Black Dog
In My Time of Dying
For Your Life (first time ever played live)
Trampled Under Foot
Nobody's Fault but Mine
No Quarter
Since I've Been Loving You
Dazed and Confused
Stairway to Heaven
The Song Remains the Same
Misty Mountain Hop
Kashmir
Encore
Whole Lotta Love
Rock and Roll
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Led Zeppelin are definitely reforming
http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/47601515
Led Zeppelin are definitely reforming says Robert Plant
09/06/2007
Yahoo! Music
courtesy of NME.com
Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has confirmed that the legendary rock band will be reuniting later this year.
A reunion has been strongly rumored for the last week or so and today (September 5) the singer confirmed it's definitely on.
A fan who met Plant in London today contacted NME.com explaining that the singer said he was on his way to meet bandmates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.
"How did you find out about this?" asked Plant when asked about the prospects of a reunion show by the autograph hunter. "Well, we've got a band meeting about it this afternoon about it. There's not a lot to work out as it's only going to be one-off gig."
NME.com has also learned from a music industry source that the show, possibly to take place in November at the 02 in London, will be a charity gig organized by promoter Harvey Goldsmith.
Led Zeppelin are definitely reforming says Robert Plant
09/06/2007
Yahoo! Music
courtesy of NME.com
Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has confirmed that the legendary rock band will be reuniting later this year.
A reunion has been strongly rumored for the last week or so and today (September 5) the singer confirmed it's definitely on.
A fan who met Plant in London today contacted NME.com explaining that the singer said he was on his way to meet bandmates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.
"How did you find out about this?" asked Plant when asked about the prospects of a reunion show by the autograph hunter. "Well, we've got a band meeting about it this afternoon about it. There's not a lot to work out as it's only going to be one-off gig."
NME.com has also learned from a music industry source that the show, possibly to take place in November at the 02 in London, will be a charity gig organized by promoter Harvey Goldsmith.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
