"We're Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. And we haven't got Bonzo, and Bonzo hasn't been around for a long time." (Plant) - Robert Plant and Jimmy Page when asked by Peter Howell of _The_Toronto_Star_ why John Paul Jones was not included.
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Music and Las Vegas have always gone hand in hand, the best part about us online casinos is you can listen to your own music while you play.
An evening of musical delight featuring Robyn Hitchcock, Krystle Warren, KT Tunstall, Eliza Carthy, John Paul Jones and Howe Gelb.
Curated by renowned English eccentric Robyn Hitchcock, The Floating Palace is an intimate evening of free-wheeling musical collaboration.
It’s a simple concept: musicians admire each other, are a little envious of each other, and given the chance, like to play with each other. But normally they only get the chance to do this in the studio, or after hours.
For the first time before a paying audience, we present a carousel of exceptional ‘roots’ artists; all lit within by their passion for music, accompanying each other on songs they know and songs they’ve only just met.
Robyn Hitchcock is joined on stage by award winning Scottish songstress KT Tunstall, folk legend Eliza Carthy, Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, Krystle Warren and alternative country experimentalist Howe Gelb.
Unfortunately Abigail Washburn has had to withdraw from The Floating Palace due to unforseen changes in her touring schedule, she will be replaced by Kansas born singer-songwriter Krystle Warren.
Enjoy 10% discount off ice creams and sorbets when you pre-order when purchasing your ticket from Box Office or online. Add an ice cream to your basket now or mention to our Box Office when you call to book your ticket. Find out more here.
The Seventies was a decade of rock 'n' roll excess.
Groupies would indulge bands' every whim, hotel rooms would be smashed up, and Leo Sayer routinely consumed a whole bottle of Tizer before going on stage.
How The Brits Rocked America, celebrating the 50-year history of British popular music in America, looks at this decade of change when FM radio emerged as an experimental frontier, concerts attracted never-seen-before crowds of more than 200,000 gig-goers (that's the lure of Brotherhood Of Man), and a new rock royalty including Black Sabbath and Deep Purple begin to cash in.
Decadence ensued (personalised jets with dancefloors were the order of the day) as the 70s produced a cosy cartel of monolithic rock bands that looked like they were here to stay.
Cream may have paved the way but it was Led Zeppelin who come to own the USA, conquering it in less than a year.
Contributions come from Sir Paul McCartney, Jack Bruce, Jimmy Page, Nick Mason, Tony Iommi and many more, plus there's archive footage of their respective bands The Beatles, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath. The Wombles were unavailable.
Don't expect mention of one famed incident of Seventies excess, however. The story that, at the height of Queen's fame, Freddie Mercury hosted a party at which the waiting staff included dwarves with bowls full of cocaine strapped to their heads, is in fact an urban myth.
Breakout Athens, Alabama quartet Alabama Shakes may be most noted in the press for being the freshest dose of retro-soul around, but - as they've made an effort to point out in a first round of interviews - influences from a range of genres, namely rock, are either beneath the surface on their debut or in store for future releases. There's no need to tiptoe around the label adjustment, however, as frontwoman Brittany Howard and Co. just kicked the door open by taking on classic-rock royalty: Performing for NPR recently, they covered Led Zeppelin's epic “How Many More Times,” appropriately off that band's debut.
Howard and guitarist Heath Fogg (who originally left a classic-rock cover band to join the Shakes) sink their teeth into channeling Robert Plant and Jimmy Page in their hungry heyday while drummer Steve Johnson and bassist Zac Cockrell hold down the rhythm section with steady confidence. All told, it's an impressive take and one which bodes well for this promising group taking their sound in any direction in the years to come.
So, without further ado, check out their full set here and the Zeppelin cover above (thanks to NPR affiliate WXPN's The Key).
Legendary record producer and engineer Phill Brown has worked with some of the biggest and influential names in rock music; Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and countless others. His insights into the world of studio recording, provides a fascinating look behind the scenes of the world of a recording engineer. In Ultimate Guitar’s continuing series, "The Producers and Engineers" Phill Brown speaks to Joe Matera about his illustrious career, recording Led Zeppelin, how he captured some of those classic guitar tones on many classic albums and working with analog tape.
What was it like working with Led Zeppelin in the studio?
The full band were there - John Bonham, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and east end heavy, Peter Grant, with a couple of minders. Peter was vast, probably 20 stone, and had difficulty squeezing into the luxurious, high-backed leather chairs that were positioned on the riser behind the Helios desk. To me he appeared very seedy, with thinning long hair, sweaty skin and ill-fitting clothes. He dealt with me and the other minions around him in an off-hand manner and gave off a somewhat threatening vibe. Control room 2 was not a large room, measuring only 15 by 20 feet. With the brown-carpeted walls on the floor and ceiling, dull lighting, desk and machines, nine people (band, manager, minders, myself and an assistant) and this strange aggressive attitude, the sessions were immediately claustrophobic and scary.
The members of the band, apart from Bonham, had long flowing curly hair - looking like Jesus or some Greek gods. Jones was friendly and polite and on another planet altogether. Bonham and Plant were relaxed and relatively easy to deal with, but Page was dark, moody and difficult. I found him particularly hard to communicate with. He was self-centered and into some form of weird spiritual crap. A great fan of the writings of Aleister Crowley, he owned Crowley’s old residence, Boleskine house.
We worked mainly on two songs; “Four Sticks” and “Stairway to Heaven.” The backing tracks had drums, bass and some electric guitars already recorded and there were good vocals on both tracks. We spent most of our time working on “Stairway to Heaven” - trying out flute parts on the introduction with John Paul Jones and overdubbing guitar ideas and solos with Jimmy Page. We worked on lead guitar parts to “Stairway to Heaven” endlessly, trying out different styles, sounds and effects. We tried the guitar through Leslie, desk distortion and various pedals and recorded takes continuously. The guitar overdubs took days to perform and get right. Listening to the final version of “Stairway to Heaven,” it’s hard to imagine how bad some of the playing and tuning was. There were many loose timing mistakes and wrong notes from Page, and the control room atmosphere remained intense.
There was very little direct communication from any of the band, and having Peter Grant sitting beside me did not help. I found him belligerent and rude, and aware of the many stories about Grant’s well-known bullyboy techniques, I was disturbed by his presence. On his death in 1996 there were glowing obituaries in newspapers and music magazines, describing him as “always being on the side of the artist” and “fair.” I would have first hand knowledge of this so-called “fair” attitude to artists later, while working with Jeff Beck.
The sessions with Zeppelin were long, with no convenient breaks and I would be at the desk for some 15 to 18 hours a day. I had to maintain a constant high level of concentration and vigilance during this time - it was not easy. You couldn’t fuck up on projects like these. It was very tiring and the severe atmosphere generated by Peter, his minders and the band, did not leave me with warm memories. I thought Page was a good guitarist but not on a par with Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton. I was relieved when the Zeppelin sessions were over and I could return to projects that were more laidback and easygoing.
Was it hard capturing Jimmy Page’s guitar tones?
I set up an AKG D20 and a Neumann u87 on the guitar amps. The Helios desk had limited EQ so we relied on a good sound in the room from Jimmy. Also we did what the band or Peter asked. I was still young and learning.
When it came to drums, how important were they to how a band and the guitar sounded on record, for example Led Zep’s sound was totally built from John Bonham’s drum sound.
You always need a good drum sound – this is often the bedrock of any recording. My set-up in the ‘70’s was AKG D12 on bass drum, Shure 57 on the snare, and Neumann u87’s on toms and overheads. I now use Coles on overheads, and Seinnheiser 421 mic’s on the toms – a good sounding room with a high ceiling is very important. Since Talk Talk I have used more room mics to create ‘air’ and ‘space’ – usually a Sony c48.
British rock band, Led Zeppelin, took flight in August 1968 and crashed in September 1980 with the untimely death of its drummer, John Bonham. Founded by lead guitarist, Jimmy Page, the group also included seasoned session man, John Paul Jones on bass guitar and keyboards and a then-unknown vocalist named Robert Plant, now a multiple Grammy-winner.
Author Frank Reddon – a long-time lover of Led Zeppelin’s music and a devoted collector of the band’s official and unofficial recordings – based this, his first book of several planned, on research he conducted for more than a decade. His quest was to explain how and why the band’s music has endured for over forty years, rather than delve into the tabloidesque details of rock’n’roll excess.
Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. Volume 1 – Break & Enter was officially published on September 7, 2008 – the fortieth anniversary of the band’s first-ever public performance, at Gladsaxe Teen Club in Copenhagen, Denmark.
In February 2009, Reddon’s book was given a home in the Curatorial Library of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
The e-book version, which was created from the hardcover and formatted by eBookIt.com, contains the majority of Reddon’s interviews with deejays, musicians, promoters and concert attendees who helped Led Zeppelin “break” in Scandinavia and “enter” the North American market.
It provides readers with over 500 “pages” of proprietary information about Led Zeppelin, much of which appeared for the first time in print in Reddon’s hardcover version.
This electronic version contains a foreword by renowned Led Zeppelin author and editor of the all-Zeppelin magazine Tight But Loose, Dave Lewis of the United Kingdom. Upon reading the original hardcover, Mr. Lewis declared: “When it comes to solid research, Sonic Boom is as good as it gets.”
The e-book version of Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. Volume 1 - Break & Enter is available as a PDF as well as in formats for Kindle, iPad, Kobo, other e-readers and mobile devices. It may be purchased through online e-book retailers or ebookit.
In February 2012, Enzepplopedia will release another e-book title: "J.J. Jackson Remembers Led Zeppelin: The Music and The Guys Who Made It".
Enzepplopedia Publishing, Inc. is co-owned by author Frank Reddon and his sister, editor Lou Anne Reddon. The company is based in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. Other e-books about Led Zeppelin are planned for release throughout 2012.
Enzepplopedia is a registered trademark of Enzepplopedia Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Book and e-book titles are copyrighted and registered with Library Archives Canada and the United States Library of Congress. Other brand names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the intellectual property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
John Paul Jones, April 30, 2011, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Arena, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Photo by Richard Grubb for TBL
John Paul Jones is set to perform with Spin Marvel at the first night of the Conexions series of concerts staged in Oslo, Norway on Saturday February 4, 2012.
The Conexions is a brand new concert series curated by Fiona Talkington that celebrates Norwegian & British musical partnerships with performances in both countries.
UK/Norwegian outfit Spin Marvel kick-starts the Conexions series with their Feb 4th gig at Oslo’s Victoria venue. The inaugural concert features some true high profile guest performers that includes John Paul Jones and trumpet icon Nils Petter Molvær.
The rest of the Conexions series features equally impressive partnerships: Sidsel Endresen & Philip Jeck, Christian Wallumrød & Garth Knox, In The Country with BJ Cole, Food with Eivind Aarset and Prakash Sontakke and last but not least Jaga Jazzist teaming up with Britten Sinfonia.
February 14, 1974 - Page, Plant and Bonham attend a Roy Harper concert
February 4, 1975 - Zeppelin perform a last minute show at Nassau Coliseum to accomodate fans after being banned in Boston
February 24, 1975 - Physical Graffiti finally issued worldwide to phenomenal sales
February 1976 - Media reports that Zeppelin are due to release an album entitled Obelisk
February 1977 - Robert contracts a bout of tonsillitis postponing the American tour
February 1978 - Robert Plant helps produce a record for punk band Dansette Damage
February 16, 1978 - The cases against Bonham, Cole & Grant stemming from the Oakland incident are heard and all receive suspended prison sentences and fines
February 1979 - Although absent from the US stage or market, Led Zeppelin rank best in many music magazine categories
February 1979 - Mixing sessions for ITTOD take place at Polar Studios. Rumors fly of a European tour
February 3, 1980 - Robert joins Dave Edmund's Rockpile at the Birmingham Top Rank
