Beck: 'Led Zeppelin Should Stop Now'
From: TISCALI.CO.UK 2008.12.06
Rocker Jeff Beck has slammed Led Zeppelin's comeback plans - insisting it will be pointless without former lead singer Robert Plant.
The 64-year-old legend - who played in cult act The Yardbirds with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page - praised the band's huge one-off concert at London's O2 Arena last December (07).
But Beck argues plans for a full-blown tour should be shelved without Plant, who has repeatedly refused to join his old band mates full-time.
He says, "I really don't think it's a good idea, not if Robert doesn't want to. I was there at the one-off show at the O2 Arena and it was fantastic. But I think they should just leave it there.
"They will have been offered loads of money and it'll be tempting but that's not a good enough reason to me.
"It would be different if they all wanted to do it and record new material but that's not the case."
Plant finally killed speculation he would rejoin the band in September (08) by stating he has, "no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years."
His recent single with Alison Krauss, Please Read The Letter, has been nominated for Record of the Year at this year's (08) Grammy Awards.
Guitar Legend At Funeral Of Drummer
From: THENORTHERNECHO.CO.UK 2008.12.04
A ROCK legend was in the North-East yesterday to say farewell to one of the most talented drummers of his generation.
More than 150 mourners, including Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, braved the arctic conditions to pay their respects to drummer Michael Lee, who played with bands including the revived Thin Lizzy, Aerosmith and Guns ‘N' Roses.
Darlington-born Mr Lee, 39, who was born Michael Gary Pearson, played with Page when he reunited with Led Zeppelin's front man Robert Plant.
The funeral was held at Darlington Crematorium.
Mr Lee, who was epileptic, was found dead at his flat on Tuesday last week. A postmortem examination revealed he died of a seizure.
Floral tributes were left by Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant, who wrote: "What a waste. Too soon. I'm so sorry, I always enjoyed your enthusiasm and ideas. Robert P".
Tony Jepson, lead singer of the Little Angels – the Scarborough band Mr Lee started his professional career with – was among mourners who gathered for the service, which was taken by lay preacher Lesley Stegner.
John Sykes, of Thin Lizzy, and rock band the Quireboys also left floral tributes.
At yesterday's service, Mr Lee's cousin, 50-year-old Steve Metcalfe, paid tribute to the self-taught drummer.
"He was one of the most determined, ambitious, talented men I have ever known."
He recalled how, despite playing with some of the world's most famous rock and roll artists, the Grammyaward winning drummer was just as happy to spend the evening drumming at an open mic night at the Quaker House pub, which Mr Metcalfe runs in Darlington.
"I just hope the good Lord has a decent drum kit for him to play," he added.
The service, which included prayers and a reading of Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, ended with Aerosmith's Don't Want To Miss A Thing.
He also leaves a brother, Tony, and a sister, Janet.
Mr Lee is best known for his work with Page and Plant after he landed a gig in Plant's solo band in the early Nineties and stayed with the singer when he reunited with Page in 1994.
The drummer toured extensively with the Zeppelin duo and was credited on every song on their 1998 Walking into Clarksdale album.
Mr Lee also drummed for the reformed version of Thin Lizzy, The Cult, Little Angels, The Quireboys, Echo and The Bunnymen, and Lenny Kravitz.
After the service, Daniel Stanton, of Coallier Entertainment, a company which worked with Thin Lizzy in the past, said: "Michael will sadly be missed by so many.
"I have received endless calls from fans, friends and family members surrounding Michael's death.
"The guys in Thin Lizzy are crushed, I have spoken to people in the Robert Plant camp who have also expressed the same. We will all miss him."
JPJ Jams with Sonic Youth for Dance Score
From: GUARDIAN.CO.UK 2008.12.04
They used to laugh at us when we talked about an imaginary gig where Led Zeppelin's bassist jammed with Sonic Youth in a work composed by Takehisa Kosugi for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Oh how they laughed at our ludicrous dream. But now our far-fetched fantasy has been realised.
Yes, it's true. Led Zeppelin's bassist, John Paul Jones, is to perform with experimental rockers Sonic Youth. In a work composed by mixed-media sound composer Takehisa Kosugi. For New York's Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
The event will honour the 90th birthday of choreographer Merce Cunningham, "whose radical approaches to space, time, and technology continue to redefine the way we experience dance," the press release boasts. A long-running collaborator of John Cage's, Cunningham was also the composer's life partner until his death in 1992.
Merce Cunningham At 90 will be the international premiere of a new evening-long dance work and a musical team-up between Sonic Youth, John Paul Jones and Takehisa Kosugi. This is not the first time Cunningham has inspired musical collaboration – his company performed with Radiohead and Sigur Rós in 2003.
The performance's multi-tiered set will be designed by architect Benedetta Tagliabue – notorious in Scotland for the controversy over her work with husband Enric Miralles on Edinburgh's Scottish Parliament Building.
Merce Cunningham At 90 takes place April 16-19 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Tickets start at $25 (£17).
Plant and Krauss Among Leading Grammy Nominees
From: CMT.COM 2008.12.04
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss earned five Grammy nominations on Wednesday night (Dec. 3), including record of the year ("Please Read the Letter") and album of the year (Raising Sand) in the all-genre categories. The unlikely duo also secured nominations for best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals ("Rich Woman"), best country collaboration with vocals ("Killing the Blues") and best contemporary folk/Americana album. Some of the nominations were announced during a prime-time Grammy concert on CBS.
Last year, Plant and Krauss won a Grammy for best pop collaboration with vocals for "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)." Krauss has won more Grammy Awards than any woman in history, with 21. Plant's only other Grammy win was in 1998 for best hard rock performance with Jimmy Page.
Uncut Magazine: The Real Jimmy Page
From: UNCUT.CO.UK 2008.12.02
The January 2009 issue of Uncut Magazine features Jimmy Page on the cover. "The Real Jimmy Page" is a celebration of the life and music Led Zeppelin's great guitar wizard, with insights from Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jeff Beck, Paul Rodgers and Page himself...
Myles Kennedy Not Singing For Zep
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.12.01
Austrian heavy 'zine Stormbringer.at conducted an interview with vocalist Myles Kennedy and guitarist Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge prior to the band's November 27, 2008 concert in Vienna, Austria. Watch the 13-minute chat below.
Mark Tremonti recently spoke with Music Radar about the possibility of his former band Creed reuniting next year if Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy goes on tour with the instrumental members of Led Zeppelin, as has been heavily rumored. First, regarding Kennedy's chances, Tremonti said, "We all have to be real hush-hush about it. We hear the rumors; we know what everybody's saying; but as far as what's really happening... I don't really know. Nobody does. The only thing I can say is that, no matter what happens next year, it'll be for the ultimate benefit of Alter Bridge. Alter Bridge is our number one priority. Nothing has changed that in anybody's mind."
As for a Creed reunion possibly going forward if Kennedy hits the road with Led Zeppelin, Tremonti said, "Who knows what can happen next year? 2009 could be one of the craziest years ever for us. Again, all I can say is that Alter Bridge is still very much a band and we have every intention of carrying on."
Creed broke up in 2004, with Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips sticking together and forming Alter Bridge, while singer Scott Stapp embarked on a solo career. Tremonti told The Pulse of Radio in 2005 that he could not envision Creed ever reuniting: "We've really stressed the point that Creed is never gonna happen again, and Alter Bridge is our band, and this is the band that takes 100 percent of our time, and nobody's — you know, we haven't even spoken with Scott, so it's just not in our cards."If Kennedy does go on tour with the members of Zeppelin, Tremonti insisted that he will remain a member of Alter Bridge "without question."
Alter Bridge plans to tour through the holidays and begin writing early next year for a follow-up to last year's "Blackbird"... unless Led Zeppelin and Creed get in the way.
Reports of Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham jamming with other singers first surfaced a few months back, after Robert Plant made it clear he was not interested in doing a Led Zeppelin tour anytime soon.
Paul McCartney Disappointed In Led Zeppelin Tour
From: BLOGSPOT.COM 2008.11.30
Paul McCartney has expressed his disappointment at Led Zeppelin's decision to reunite without frontman Robert Plant.
The Kashmir hitmakers announced last month that they plan to hit the road in 2009 without Plant, who has opted out of the reunion shows.
The remaining members of Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and the late John Bonham's son, Jason, are now auditioning singers to take over vocals.
But fans of the rockers don't want to see the group with another frontman - and former Beatle McCartney concedes it won't be the same without Plant.
He says, "What's happened to Planty? He was great at their gig. It's such a pity."
Drummer Michael Lee Died Of A Seizure
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.11.29
Funeral services for British drummer Michael Lee (Robert Plant, Lenny Kravitz, Thin Lizzy, The Cult, Little Angels, The Quireboys) will be held on Wednesday, December 3 at 10:45 a.m. at Darlington Crematorium in Darlington, England. All flowers and cards can be sent to:
John Meynell Funeral Service
150 North Road
Darlington
County Durham, DL1 2EJ
United Kingdom
Daniel Stanton of Coallier Entertainment, which has worked with Thin Lizzy in the past, said in a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "The results of post mortem was a seizure, apparently the worst one he could have had.
"Michael passed away at his flat (home) in Darlington. He was found at his home by his friend and police on the floor beside his bed.
"Michael was out the night before [he died]. He said he wasn't feeling well and went home to rest it off. When he didn't answer his phone the next morning, a friend had the police enter his home.
"Michael will sadly be missed.
"I have received endless calls from fans, friends and family members surrounding Michael's death.
"The guys in Thin Lizzy are crushed, I have spoken to people in the Robert Plant camp who have also expressed the same. Spike from the London Quireboys has been dedicating their shows each night to Michael. Dave Ling from Classic Rock magazine is said to be doing a feature on Michael Lee in an upcoming issue.
"We will all miss Michael. His boyish smile, his humor, his love and his talent, [but] most of all, we will miss his friendship.
"Michael died way too young. He shares his death with Freddie Mercury of Queen and drummer Eric Carr of KISS who also passed away on the same date.
"We love you, Michael. You are forever in our hearts and your music forever in our souls."
Michael Lee was born Michael Gary Pearson on November 19, 1969. He landed a gig in Robert Plant's solo band in time for 1993's "Fate of Nations" album and stayed with the Led Zeppelin singer when he reunited with Jimmy Page in 1994. The drummer toured extensively with the Zeppelin duo and appears on both Page & Plant's official albums: 1994's "No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded" and 1998's "Walking into Clarksdale".
LED ZEP WORLD TOUR Petition
From: PETITIONONLINE.COM 2008.11.28 To: Everyone
We, the undersigned would like Led Zeppelin to reform with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jason Bonham. We would like them to tour the world so that we all may rock out.
Diamanda Galas taps into life and Zeppelin
From: STRAIGHT.COM 2008.11.27
Pianist and singer Diamanda Galás is famous for her intensity, and that's no less true in conversation than it is in performance. But if her concerts often start with sorrow and spill over into horror, her interviews are punctuated with laughter on both ends of the line.
Although she often performs in sacred spaces—as she will on Saturday (November 29), when she plays St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, as part of World AIDS Day—she's a wonderfully profane raconteur. Over the course of our more than hourlong chat, she touches on wolf songs, the inadequacies of digital sound, Whitney Houston's brilliance, Wynton Marsalis's ego, plus the slim possibility that she might be tapped to fill in for Robert Plant should Led Zeppelin ever stage its long-delayed "reunion" tour.
Which isn't so strange, really, given that she occasionally makes music with Zep bassist John Paul Jones, notably on their 1994 collaboration The Sporting Life. Galás claims that she's been teasing her pal about "his little gig with Zeppelin without the singer".
"I'm just dying," she says, reached at home in New York City. "I'm laughing. But would I do it? Yes. I would do it for a limited amount of time, as if I were doing a musical, like the Ethel Merman role. I would do it for money.
"I have to say that I love John Paul Jones, don't get me wrong," Galás continues. "And, I mean, Led Zeppelin? My God, what a great band! It's just that I couldn't sing ‘Communication Breakdown.' I did it once, and that was enough for me."
"Everyone's Got To Eat"
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.11.26
According to the Robert Plant Newswire, former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant confirmed to the Birmingham Evening Mail on November 6 that he would not be joining guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham on the road for the proposed Zeppelin reunion tour. He said it was partly because he'd be busy working on the follow-up to his awardwinning "Raising Sand" LP.
"In January, I'm starting to record a new album with Alison Krauss and T Bone Burnett," he revealed, before adding, "but I understand that everyone's got to eat," implying that the Plant-less Led Zep has his blessing.
He also imparted one piece of significant information: "They won't be calling it Led Zeppelin!"
Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham recently confirmed that they are contemplating going on the road without Robert Plant, and have jammed witih several potential replacements. Sources have indicated that the leading candidate for the job is Myles Kennedy of the band Alter Bridge.
When asked about the collaboration, an unnamed spokesperson for Page's management company, QPrime, told RollingStone.com, "Whatever this is, it is not Led Zeppelin. Not without the involvement of Robert Plant."
Jimmy and JPJ Spotted at Extreme Gig
From: BOSTON.COM 2008.11.25
Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones paid a visit to Extreme at theirs gig in London's Astoria Theatre last night (Nov. 24). The rock royalty, who're rumored to be looking for a replacement for frontman Robert Plant, posed for a few pictures with Extreme bassist Pat Badger, drummer Kevin Figueiredo, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, and singer Gary Cherone backstage and watching the band from their balcony seats.
Extreme performed Led Zeppelin's Communication Breakdown on their first encore before breaking into a Queen medley.
Drummer Michael Lee Dead At 39
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.11.25
Drummer Michael Lee passed away yesterday morning (Monday, November 24). Lee, best known for his work with Robert Plant, Lenny Kravitz, Thin Lizzy, The Cult and The Quireboys, was just 39 years old. Daniel Stanton of Coallier Entertainment, which has worked with Thin Lizzy in the past, said in a statement that was released to BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "Michael was an amazing drummer and equally an amazing person. He will truly be missed. Our prayers go out to his family."
More information will be made available soon.
Meticulously researched account of the world of Led Zep
From: SUNDAYMERCURY.NET 2008.11.22
WHEN rock bands break up there is usually only one winner.
John Lennon was the moptop who mopped up the plaudits, while Paul McCartney was left with pipedreams of glory. And sappy Pipes Of Peace.
Led Zeppelin authority Mick Wall says this maxim is also true of the ground-breaking heavy metal outfit.
Mick has interviewed all the living members of Zeppelin on numerous occasions, knows their colleagues and friends, and has now written a meticulously researched biography, When Giants Walked The Earth. The man who knows Zepp best claims Black Country blues belter Robert Plant has a future as long and splendiferous as his hair.
But lead guitarist Jimmy Page isn't so fortunate, and is a shadow of his former self, who finds it impossible to leave the pomp of the past behind.
"Robert is exactly where he wants to be," says Mick. "He no longer needs to have anything to do with Led Zeppelin and is in charge of his own destiny.
"More so than Paul McCartney, more so than Mick Jagger, more so than Roger Daltrey. Plant has really pulled it off."
The West Bromwich singer's current position in the music industry is largely due to Raising Sand, the hit album he released last year with country singer Alison Krauss, which was followed by a world tour.
But Plant, 60, also made the news in late 2007, thanks to a one-off reunion gig in London with Led Zeppelin.
Since then, rumours have abounded that he would team up with his other band mates for a full-blown tour of America.
Mick says that is highly unlikely.
"Anybody who has seen those wonderful shows Robert's done with Alison Krauss knows he is so happy, so enjoying what he's doing on the stage," he argues.
"The music he's playing at the moment has so much meaning for him, far more than singing old Led Zeppelin songs that he first sung when he was in his 20s."
Mick says there is another important reason while Plant won't be zooming off with the Zepp – the old gang are grumps.
"It's far more fun working with Alison than working with people like Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones," he says.
"They can be fairly joyless people at this point. Really hard work, very uphill.
"Everybody has got their own manager. Everybody has their own agenda."
Mick has particularly harsh things to say about Page, even though he was once very close to the guitarist.
The two fell out when Mick decided to write his book about Led Zeppelin.
Initially, the rock writer attempted to persuade his old friend to get involved.
But Page refused and has even threatened to sue over the contents of the book. "It has been made plain through mutual friends that I've burned my bridges with him," says Mick.
"But you know what? I'm 50 now.
"When I was 30, 35, even 40, it was very important for me to keep those doors open with Jimmy.
"But now it's far less important.
"I've had 20 years of talking to him and I don't really need to talk to him again.
"I know him almost too well. They say familiarity breeds contempt. I don't think it's turned into contempt by any means, but the novelty wore off a long time ago."
Mick believes Page should follow Robert Plant's lead, and start making fresh music which reflects the interests and anxieties of a man in his mid-60s.
However, he assumes this won't happen, because Page remains obsessed with getting Led Zeppelin back on the road.
Mick even claims Page – who is infamously passionate about the writings of the late Midland occultist Aleister Crowley – has squandered his immense talent and now rarely plays guitar.
"Not because he's brooding over the works of Crowley," says Mick. "These days he's far more likely to have a remote control in his hands.
"From what I've heard from mutual friends, he just sits watching football on the telly. Tragic, really."
* When Giants Walked The Earth is published by Orion, priced £20.
Led Zeppelin Ringtones Offered Via 'Rock The Phone'
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.11.21
Rhino Entertainment and Sprint introduce Rock The Phone, a web site offering rockin' ringtones for every phone of legendary songs from some of rock 'n' roll's greatest bands, including The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, ZZ Top, Ramones and more. Not a subscription service, wireless consumers nationwide can visit www.rockthephone.com for access to over 100 classic rock ringtones for $2.99 each. For a limited time, the website will offer a free ringtone of The Doors' "Love Me Two Times", and Sprint customers will have exclusive access to eight ringtones until December 11.
Robert Plant: Unofficial Bio To Be Released In Germany
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.11.17
U.K.-based journalist Neil Daniels' book on Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, "Robert Plant: Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page & The Solo Years" will be available in a German translation in 2009, published via Hannibal Verlag. The text will be revised, and amended for the German edition.
The book is based on interviews with many of those who knew Plant throughout his career, including childhood friends, and will cover Plant's post-Led Zeppelin career as well as his time in the influential rock band.
For the first time, Plant's solo years — famously working with his former Led Zep cohort Jimmy Page, numerous guest appearances and on his own material — are covered in depth in a complete rock biography. The book also places Plant's later work in the wider context of both Led Zep's own legacy and the broader history of modern music.
This is the very first book to tell the complete story of an enthusiastic young kid from the West Midlands who belied his humble blues roots and defied his stern parents by becoming one of the world's most recognizable and iconic rock superstars. This biography brings his career slap-bang up-to-date covering his latest album "Raising Sand" with the revered bluegrass singer Alison Krauss and the highly-publicized Led Zeppelin reunion in December 2007.
JPJ Scheduled To Perform At Xmas Jam
From: XMASJAM.COM 2008.11.13
John Paul Jones has just been announced as a performer at this years' Xmas Jam, presented by Warren Haynes.
The Christmas Jam will expand to 2 nights for the first time ever and will take place Friday December 12th & Saturday December 13th at the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville, NC. As always all proceeds from the Christmas Jam will be donated to Habitat For Humanity.
It is unknown at this time which day John Paul Jones will be appearing on.
Mark Tremonti Says Myles Kennedy Deserves Zeppelin Gig
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.11.12
According to The Pulse of Radio, Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti spoke with Music Radar about the possibility of his former band Creed reuniting next year if Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy goes on tour with the instrumental members of Led Zeppelin, as has been heavily rumored. First, regarding Kennedy's chances, Tremonti said, "We all have to be real hush-hush about it. We hear the rumors; we know what everybody's saying; but as far as what's really happening... I don't really know. Nobody does. The only thing I can say is that, no matter what happens next year, it'll be for the ultimate benefit of Alter Bridge. Alter Bridge is our number one priority. Nothing has changed that in anybody's mind."
As for a Creed reunion possibly going forward if Kennedy hits the road with Led Zeppelin, Tremonti said, "Who knows what can happen next year? 2009 could be one of the craziest years ever for us. Again, all I can say is that Alter Bridge is still very much a band and we have every intention of carrying on."
Ben Harper Covers GTBT On New CD
From: BILLBOARD.COM 2008.11.11
Ben Harper is recording an album with a new band, Relentless7, and will play a handful of club shows next month to introduce the material.
"White Lies for Dark Times" is due in May via Virgin and finds Harper backed by guitarist Jason Mozersky, drummer Jordan Richardson and bassist Jesse Ingalls, the latter two of the Los Angeles band Oliver Future.
Relentless7's Web site is now streaming a ripping cover of Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times" (which Harper played with Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and Roots drummer ?uestlove at Bonnaroo in 2007) and the original "Serve Your Soul," a riffy blast which fades out into piano and violin.
'I booked Led Zep for £100 but turned down Elton John'
From: HARTLEPOOLMAIL.CO.UK 2008.11.10
A MUSIC promoter has come forward with the proof that one of the world's biggest ever rock bands played a gig in Peterlee.
Brian Stoker and friend David Richards booked rock super group Led Zeppelin for just £100 to play at the Argus Butterfly pub in Peterlee on March 23, 1969.
The gig, which came just weeks after they had released their first self-titled album, saw the group play before hundreds of fans ahead of a gig before tens of thousands at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
The group then went on to become one of the most successful rock bands in the world and played a sell out gig earlier this year after reforming to perform at the O2 Arena in London.
Easington Colliery-born Brian, 65, who organised gigs under the Peterlee Jazz Club banner, has unearthed the original flyers for Led Zeppelin gig and a string of other shows that were held at the pub in the late 1960s.
He said: "We booked Led Zeppelin for £100 and they went down a storm. Everyone loved it and I remember me and Dave had a drink with the lads from the group.
"I was talking to guitarist Jimmy Page and asked if he enjoyed it and he said 'yes' and he would come back. I said what are you doing next month and he said they were playing the Hollywood Bowl, so that was the last we saw of them."
The pair secured the band through a contact at London promotion firm Ellis Wright, which went on to become the Chrysalis music company.
They attracted bands that had played the previous night at universities in Scotland and got them to stop off to play a Sunday night spot in Peterlee while travelling south.
Other groups that played at the venue included Free, Deep Purple, Family, 10 Years After, Taste, and Jethro Tull.
Dad of two Brian, who moved to Sheffield in 1974 to work for a brewery, said: "We had Free on about three or four times and the last time we had them Alright Now was number one the week after. We had booked them for £100 as well.
"They also told us they had this solo act and they wanted £100. I said you must be joking because we had Led Zeppelin for £100. I asked his name and he said Elton John and I said no chance am I paying that for a bloke on his own."
Brian and David later launched similar nights at the Swan pub in Billingham where acts including Joe Cocker and 10 Years After played gigs, but he said the venue did not have the same success as the Argus Butterfly.
Music promoter Mick Arnell is hoping to return the pub into a successful music venue and is appealing for local talent to come forward to perform.
Ronnie Wood 'joins' Led Zeppelin
From: EXAMINER.COM 2008.11.10
Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood's artistic talents go beyond the recording studio and concert stage. The recently rehab'd 61-year-old's paintings have been exhibited around the world. On November 24, Christies, in New York City, is set to auction limited edition prints of Wood's portrait of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. Titled "A Tribute To Ahmet," the drawing was created specifically for Led Zeppelin's landmark reunion concert at the O2 Arena in London on December 10, 2007. Led Zeppelin reformed especially to pay tribute to Ertegun, who passed away in 2006, with proceeds from the concert donated to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund. The limited edition print is signed by all three surviving members of Led Zeppelin - Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones - along with drummer Jason Bonham (son of original drummer John Bonham) and Ronnie Wood. No doubt drawing both interest form Stones and Zeppelin fans.
During an auction held at the O2 Arena prior to Led Zeppelin's performance, the prints - signed solely by Wood - sold for $10,000 each. Out of the original edition of 100 prints, only 8 were signed by all members of Led Zeppelin and were unavailable until now. The band agreed to make these rare prints available to benefit the Ertegun charity. However, rabid rock fans can make a dash to Pop International Galleries in New York City, 319 Gallery in Santa Monica, California, and San Francisco Art Exchange in San Francisco, California, where these coveted Zeppelin-Stones artifacts are also available.
Ronnie Wood's specially autographed "A Tribute To Ahmet" is part of Christie's Pop Culture: Punk/Rock auction, which will be held at 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City on November 24. Prior to the auction, items are on view from November 21-23.
Ertegun founded Atlantic Records in 1947 and signed Led Zeppelin to the iconic label in 1968. The music business legend died following complications after a fall backstage at a Rolling Stones concert in New York in 2006. He was 83.
Page, Jones, Bonham Watch Alter Bridge In London
From: LEMONSQUEEZINGS.BLOGSPOT.COM 2008.11.10
There's been no official word from Jimmy Page and the guys on Led Zeppelin this past week, so we rely on inside sources and gossip instead.
Alter Bridge was scheduled to film a DVD at their London concert this Saturday night. I speculated that Page would show up for the concert with John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham in tow -- perhaps to appear onstage with the band's Myles Kennedy, the singer who is said to have been rehearsing new material with Page, Jones and Bonham.
Well, an inside source tells LedZeppelinNews.com the Zeppelin guys did show up for the concert but did not appear onstage. Furthermore, the DVD was not filmed! A decision had been made to postpone filming to Dec. 7, when Alter Bridge performs in Amsterdam at the Heineken Music Hall.
The band apparently did use a handheld camera or three, though, to capture some of the onstage moments at London's Brixton Academy. No word if Page, Jones and Bonham show up in any backstage clips that may have been filmed, although the source reveals they were present at the side of the stage to watch the singer.
Does this signal it is all but decided Kennedy will sing on tour with Page, Jones and Bonham -- whether they would call it Led Zeppelin or not? No decisions have been made, apparently. Would it be an album and tour, or just a tour with no album? Still up in the air, the source says.
Cornell Says Zep Tour Without Plant Would Be "Completely Depressing"
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.11.10
Former Soundgarden/Audioslave singer Chris Cornell has told Canada's Sun Media that he's not interested in filling Robert Plant's shoes should those reports about Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham touring next year with a replacement singer come to fruition.
"I would never do anything like that whether I were approached or not," Cornell said. "It just doesn't make any sense to me at all. I would not want to go see me performing Led Zeppelin songs with the two other guys that used to be in a band called Led Zeppelin while Robert Plant is out somewhere touring.
"That's not a ticket I would buy. God bless 'em, but that's not Led Zeppelin. I find it completely depressing. I'd never do anything like that. I mean just out of respect to the legacy of the band."
Will the Real Roy Harper Please Stand Up
From: CRAWDADDY.WOLFGANGSVAULT.COM 2008.11.06
This week's feature story on Crawdaddy! is about the life and times of Roy Harper, starting 67 years ago, the seaside town of Blackpool, England, going through his brief period in the Royal Air Force, through music making with the likes of Jimmy Page and David Gilmour and up to the present where many of his 40 studio albums will be released in the US as well as a upcoming tribute album entitled All You Need Is What You Have.
Led Zeppelin Winner At Classic Rock Awards
From: METALUNDERGROUND.COM 2008.11.04
Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake, Paul Stanley, Ozzy Osbourne and Foo Fighters amongst others were all honoured at the Classic Rock awards last night. Led Zeppelin were presented the award of "Event Of The Year" for their reunion concert at London's 02 Arena which attracted over a million people applying for tickets.
Ozzy Osbourne also received braging rights as he was crowned with the Living Legend Award by ex- Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash.
AC/DC picked up the award for DVD Of The Year with their latest home video release "Plug Me In"
Whitesnake were able to pick the award for Best Album with their latest album, "Good To Be Bad" and KISS frontman Paul Stanley was presented Showman Of The Year award.
Chris Cornell Talks Led Zeppelin Rumors
From: SPIN.COM 2008.11.03
By Melissa Goldstein 11.03.08 9:07 AM
"I have not been approached so far to fill in for Robert Plant on the upcoming Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be," Chris Cornell coyly told MTV News. And in an even cheekier response: "I think I should actually fill in for Jimmy Page on the Robert Plant / Alison Krauss tour," the former Soundgarden and Audioslave singer said.
Cornell (whose upcoming Timbaland-produced solo LP, Scream, is due in the coming months) is just one of a slew of names -- including Dave Grohl, Sammy Hagar, Jack White, Steven Tyler, and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy -- churning through the rumor mill as possible replacements for Plant, who has said he won't participate in a full-fledged Zeppelin reunion.
Thanks to Dylan Silver
Why Led Zeppelin Shouldn't Reunite
From: SPIN.COM 2008.10.31
By Steve Kandell 10.31.08 11:29 AM
Sometimes getting a taste of something sweet only to see it disappear is worse than never tasting it at all.
Which, I guess, is what's going through the minds of Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones right around now. How else to explain why the excitement from last December's Led Zeppelin show at London's O2 Arena - by all accounts the rare triumphant reunion that actually lived up to its unfathomable ballyhoo - and subsequent tour rumors have now deteriorated, nearly a year later, to this:
The dude who replaced the dude from Creed might be the new lead singer for Led Zeppelin.
There's no amount of times that one can re-read the previous sentence before it makes a modicum of sense. But rather than wait on Alison Krauss' duet partner to get the bluegrass out of his system, which doesn't seem close to happening yet, Page and Jones appear willing to fritter away their legendary band's entire mythos on The Guy Who Isn't Even Scott Stapp for a big-bucks world tour.
This would be hilarious if it weren't reportedly close to being true. Jones, in particular, seems eager to paint Robert Plant as the villain in this story -- the stubborn holdout selfishly depriving his fans of a treasured experience and his bandmates of, well, treasure.
But -- and this is merely speculative, as Plant hasn't yet told me -- it just may be that a 60-year-old man who now more closely resembles the Cowardly Lion than a bare-chested golden god in too-tight jeans wants to preserve that bedroom-poster image, and his dignity, rather than treat us all to the mental image of the juice dripping down his leg. (Who among us wants to hear rock's gnarliest bit of double-entendre turned into a Depends gag?)
Or, maybe he just has enough fucking money, thanks.
Plant's ambivalence is not what's shocking. What's shocking is that Page and Jones can't abide by this reasonable, if disappointing notion. And it wouldn't be the first time Page hired a Plant manque, but at least David Coverdale and Paul Rodgers had their own sizable, if still inferior, pedigrees. Hell, at least Coverdale had long, curly blonde hair. From the back row, if you squinted just so...
But, with all due respect to Myles Kennedy, who may well have a set of pipes and a set of balls up to the unenviable task, his "joining" "Led Zeppelin" feels closer to Journey trolling YouTube for a replacement Steve Perry than a personnel decision worthy of the name on the t-shirts waiting to be sold.
And certainly the box office for this compromised version would be a fraction of the bonanza that could be expected if Plant were on board, but are the numbers still low enough to keep this nothing more than a bad idea rampantly overblown on the Internet?
The song remains the same. Here's hoping sanity prevails and everything else does as well.
Thanks to Dylan Silver
Zep Channel To Return to Sirius XM
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.10.30 SIRIUS XM Radio announced the broadcast of a new 100% commercial-free music channel dedicated to rock icons Led Zeppelin on SIRIUS and XM. Led Zeppelin Radio will be broadcast on SIRIUS channel 12 and XM channel 39 and will launch on Saturday, November 1 starting at 6:00 p.m. ET through December 31.
"Led Zeppelin is one of the most important rock bands in history," said Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer, SIRIUS XM Radio. "We are thrilled to broadcast Led Zeppelin Radio for our subscribers and provide Led Zeppelin fans the only place to go for a comprehensive experience of their music and interviews with one of rock's most iconic bands."
Led Zeppelin Radio will be a non-stop broadcast of virtually every song from Led Zeppelin's music catalog. The channel will also provide Led Zeppelin fans with archived interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham and unique content that celebrates Led Zeppelin's musical contribution to rock music. This channel will provide fans exclusive access to the sounds and insights that have made Led Zeppelin rock legends.
Zeppelin Without Plant? Five Ways To Avert a Disaster
From: LATIMES.COM 2008.10.28
Led Zeppelin, apparently, is mulling a new album and a tour, but without its defining vocalist, Robert Plant. Giving some heft to longstanding rumors, bassist John Paul Jones was quoted on a BBC Radio report as revealing that the band has been auditioning lead singers. Maybe Leona Lewis is booked.
But despite the BBC's defining headline of "Zeppelin to go back on the road," nothing appears imminent.
"It's got to be right. There's no point in just finding another Robert," Jones said, adding, "You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. ... There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be on board."
Wired's Listening Post beat Pop & Hiss to asking readers if it's Zeppelin without Plant, but no bother. The answer is no -- credit Jones for already acknowledging the dreaded "tribute band" tag. But because there's no new Plant-less Zeppelin music to discuss at the moment, here's five ways to help ensure that Led Zep 2.0 has a fighting chance at working.
1. Don't get anyone who sounds like Plant. Not only are the man's vocals instantly recognizable, but any singer who's even remotely similar is going to veer the project straight into tribute band territory. For the new project to work, it needs to be a complete band, not just the leftover Zep members recording music with someone who kinda-sorta sounds like Plant.
2. Don't call it Led Zeppelin. Let it stand on its own, and not have to live up to every piece of music in the Zeppelin back catalog. Calling it Led Zeppelin is also a disservice to the fans who have been waiting for a reunion tour. Let's be clear: In no way, shape or form is it Led Zeppelin. Its two original members + the drummer's son + someone who's not Robert Plant, and all of that = a band that's not Led Zeppelin.
3. Don't fast-track it. Reunion rumors have been circulating for nearly a year now, stretching back to when the band played a London benefit last December. Surely the pressure is on for the act to get on the road. But since this is not Led Zeppelin (see No. 2), it's going to take time for this new, as-yet-unnamed act to find its footing. Target 2011, which also gives Plant time to change his mind.
4. If this tour does happen, focus on the new album, not Zeppelin material. In fact, don't play any Zeppelin songs until the encore, or near it. Keep focused on the new material. If the band is going through the trouble of recording a new effort, don't pull a Rolling Stones and simply use the album as an excuse to tour and play old Zeppelin material. Sure, "Whole Lotta Love" will get a big rise out of the crowd, but that's taking the easy way out. Zeppelin built its fan-base by challenging it. Has the desire now for some sort of Zeppelin reunion run so deep that fans wouldn't even care who's voicing the songs?
5. Keep tickets under $50. It's one thing to gouge fans for a long-awaited reunion that may never happen again. Led Zeppelin fans would be all too happy to give the band a victory lap. But if Jones and Jimmy Page end up touring the world with a new band, price it as such. Selling high-priced tickets based on decades-old Zeppelin hits, and doing so with someone other than Plant, is essentially forcing fans to pay for a touring Las Vegas show. The millions of Zeppelin fans who couldn't see the act last December deserve more.
--Todd Martens
Zep Warned Off 'Pointless' Tour
From: NEWS.BBC.CO.UK 2008.10.28
Members of the legendary rock group have auditioned vocalists to take the place of frontman Robert Plant.
"I certainly don't think they should do a big tour because I can't see the point of it," Goldsmith said.
Goldsmith, who promoted the band in the 1970s and '80s, as well as their one-off reunion last year, added there may be "some opportunities" for a reunion.
He added that, should guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham recruit a new singer, they would be likely to tour under a different name.
"I doubt it will be called Led Zeppelin," Goldsmith told BBC News.
But he said: "I just think it's a lot of talk, I think it's wishful thinking. Whether they all come together and do something in the future, they may.
"I think some of the band really want to go out and do it and other parts of the band need to understand why they're doing it, and if there's no compelling reason to do it, then they shouldn't do it.
"I think that there is an opportunity for them to go out and present themselves. I don't think a long rambling tour is the answer as Led Zeppelin."
"It's a question of whether they want to do it, and you've got to want to do it," he went on.
"Otherwise it's done for the wrong reasons, and when things are done for the wrong reasons, they don't work."
Speaking at the MusExpo music conference in London, Goldsmith said he would "hopefully" be involved in any comeback.
Any potential gigs could be "cause related", he said, or "opportunities to view them in a different way".
The band, including Plant, performed at a tribute gig to late Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun at the O2 in London last December. That was their first show for 19 years.
Last month, the singer said he would not be going on the road with the group. His former bandmates have now confirmed that a new singer is being sought.
Jones told BBC Radio Devon: "We are trying out a couple of singers.
"We want to do it. It's sounding great and we want to get on and get out there."
He said they did not want a replica of Plant. "It's got to be right," he said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert.
"You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band.
"There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be on board."
Zeppelin To Go Back On The Road
From: NEWS.BBS.CO.UK 2008.10.27
Bassist John Paul Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought after Plant ruled himself out.
The last time the band performed together was at the O2 arena in London in December 2007.
Speculation has since been rife that the surviving members of the band, with Jason Bonham, son of their late drummer John Bonham, would go back on the road.
Jones, speaking at a guitar show in Exeter, Devon said: "We are trying out a couple of singers.
"We want to do it. It's sounding great and we want to get on and get out there."
He said that he and guitarist Jimmy Page along with drummer Jason Bonham did not want a replica of Plant.
He said: "It's got to be right. There's no point in just finding another Robert.
"You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band.
"There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be on board."
He described the one-off show at the O2 as "wonderful".
He said: "The most pleasure is making music. I love listening to it, but nothing as much fun as having an instrument in my hand and communicating with people."
He said preparation for the London show had been "very hard work", but everything had clicked on the night.
"It felt like the next night of the last tour."
JPJ Confirms Plans To Hit Road Without Plant
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.10.27
According to eGigs.co.uk, Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has confirmed reports that that he, guitarist Jimmy Page and drummer Jason Bonham - following the band's one off appearance at O2 Arena, London last year - were itching to get out on the road. Singer Robert Plant has already announced that he has no plans to join them, as he was committed to his work with Alison Krauss, although they could be reunited with him in "a couple of years."
In the meantime, the rest of the band is looking for a new frontman before hopefully taking to the road.
Regarding their touring and recording plans, John Paul Jones said during an appearance at this past weekend's Mansons Guitar Show in Exeter, Devon, UK, "I'm afraid, there's no final answer yet. As you probably know, Jimmy, Jason and I are actually rehearsing and we've had the odd singer come in and have a bash. As soon as we know - which we don't - we will let you know. But we really hope that something is going to happen soon because we really want to do it and we're having a lot of fun, actually, just rehearsing. Jason is actually tremendous... he's really taking chances. He is a very brave man... Every other drummer in the world was watching him thinking [at the reunion show], 'That could have been me.' He's creative and really fun. We really want to do something and Robert doesn't want to do this sort of thing, at least for the moment. I don't really know what his plans are. He is touring with Alison, as you know. . . He really doesn't want to make loud music anymore. We do. I mean, I love acoustic music, but it doesn't stop me from turning something up . . . And what we've done so far sounds absolutely fantastic. When it does come, it will come, and you'll know about it."
Video footage of the question-and-answer session at Mansons Guitar Show can be viewed below. Also available is footage of Jones' jam session at the event.
Question-and-answer session:
Jam:
Is Led Zep Trying A New Aero Dynamic?
From: DAILYMAIL.CO.UK 2008.10.25
It is still not yet confirmed whether former lead singer Robert Plant will join Led Zeppelin on their next tour, which may go some way to explaining why the band have been having secret rehearsals with Aerosmith singer Steve Tyler.
I'm told the rock star spent several days in a recording studio in Putney 'jamming' with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham.
'Steve was jamming with Zep. They had a great time but Steve kept fluffing his lines. He got quite flustered about it,' says a source.
Perhaps that's why singer Myles Kennedy has also been hanging out with the band?
JPJ To Appear At Manson Guitar Show
From: 2008.10.24
Led Zeppelin's multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones is among the star studded lineup of guests that are set to appear at Mansons Guitar Show, held over two days (October 25-26) at Exeter, UK's Riverside Leisure Centre.
According to Total Guitar, Saturday's performances will be headlined by Martin Barre, guitarist with Jethro Tull since 1969. Guests appearing during the weekend also include Justin Hawkins, the former frontman of The Darkness and now Hot Leg.
Sunday will feature John Paul Jones answering questions during a special question-and-answer session.
JPJ To Perform Merce Cunningham Birthday Show
From: BAM.ORG 2008.10.22
April 16 marks the 90th birthday of Merce Cunningham, one of the most important choreographers of our time, whose radical approaches to space, time, and technology continue to redefine the way we experience dance. Over the course of his celebrated career, he has forged a distinctive language of movement, illuminating the body's inherent drama and limitless capacity for change. And as a longtime collaborator of John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns, he has played a leading role in fostering innovation across art forms.
In celebration of his birthday, Merce Cunningham Dance Company returns to BAM with the world premiere of a dazzling evening-length work created in collaboration with and performed live by underground rock legend Sonic Youth, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, and mixed-media sound composer Takehisa Kosugi. With an intriguing multi-tiered decor by world-renowned architect Benedetta Tagliabue, lighting by Tony and Obie-winning designer Brian MacDevitt, and costumes by Romeo Gigli, this new masterpiece is testament to the boundless imagination of a man who, on the cusp of his ninth decade, still keeps us on our toes.
Page Cannot Endorse Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star Campaign
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.10.16
Guitarist Jimmy Page does not feel that he can endorse a petition drive to get Led Zeppelin a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his spokesperson said.
A Northern California man who started the campaign, Rocky Dickerson from Chico, requested written approval from Led Zeppelin members and management to proceed with the Hollywood nomination. He has since received the following response from the offices of Jimmy Page's accountant, Joan Hudson & Co:
"There are two letters relating to the [proposed Led Zeppelin star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame], addressed to Jimmy Page, which have been passed to me. I have now had the opportunity of discussing these with Jimmy. He has asked me to thank you for this interest but he does not feel that this is something that he can endorse."
Dickerson told the Chico Enterprise Record that he launched the star campaign after attending the Led Zeppelin reunion performance for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in London last year and returning to California, only to find the VH1's No. 1 ranked "100 Greatest Artist's of Hard Rock" had no Hollywood star.
"I'm trying to make this a totally fan-driven thing," he said. "I don't want anything from any corporate entity, or anything from Led Zeppelin. I want this to be a small thing that we, the fans, can give back to Led Zeppelin after 40 years of great music."
To join Dickerson in his quest to immortalize Zeppelin's star-power, visit his web site at www.ledzeppelinstar.com.
Led Zeppelin-Jack White Rumor Squashed
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.10.15
The Pulse of Radio reports that a source has squashed rumors that White Stripes and Raconteurs frontman Jack White was approached to tour with Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham. White had reportedly been mentioned as a fill-in for Robert Plant, who has no plans to tour with Zeppelin despite the band's massively successful reunion gig last December in London. However, the source told the U.K.'s Daily Star that White was not involved, adding, "I do not believe you can have a band called Led Zeppelin, singing Zeppelin songs, without Plant."
Meanwhile, reports continue to surface, particularly in the British tabloids, that Page, Jones and Bonham are rehearsing with Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy.
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, whose manager also works with Robert Plant, revealed the news in a recent interview, saying, "They're saying (to Plant), 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go, here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid."
Page's U.S. manager had no comment on the report when asked directly by The Pulse of Radio, while representatives for Alter Bridge have also had nothing to say.
Speculation was intense after last December's acclaimed gig that a Zeppelin reunion tour would take place. But Plant himself recently said, "It's both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head."
There's no official word on whether Page, Jones and Bonham plan to record new music, or whether they'll even use the name Led Zeppelin.
Jimmy Page: 'Stormtrooper' Rock Iconz Figure Unveiled
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.10.14
KnuckleBonz has unveiled a limited-edition sculpture of Jimmy Page depicted just as he appeared on stage in Chicago in 1977. The Jimmy Page II "Stormtrooper" Rock Iconz figure is a fully licensed, limited edition collectible. The figure is hand-painted and numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity. This sculpture is licensed and personally approved by Jimmy Page.
The "Stormtrooper" is the second sculpture of Jimmy Page created in a limited edition by KnuckleBonz. The first figure was released in 2007 and featured Page in his white "poppy" dragon suit and violin bow held high overhead.
Pricing and availability: The Jimmy Page II "Stormtrooper" Rock Iconz is expected to ship in November 2008. The figure stands nine inches tall on top a wooden display base. This is a limited edition created by KnuckleBonz; there are only 3,000 available worldwide.
Plant/Krauss Interview on CBS Sunday Morning
From: BITTENANDBOUND.COM 2008.10.12
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, in a collaboration album released last October, received critical acclaim for Raising Sand. They credit much of the success to T-Bone Burnett, who produced the album and gave it its somewhat haunting musical style. He plays guitar on 10 of the 13 tracks.
The folk based album was nominated in July 2008 for the Mercury Prize, awarded for best UK album. The Pair toured the UK, Europe and the U.S. beginning in May 2008 and culminating with a final performance on October 5, 2008.
Krauss, 37, is a blue grass country singer and fiddle player. Plant, 60, is an English rocker singer and song writer who played lead vocals for Led Zeppelin. In September 2008 they won several prestigious awards at the 7th Annual Americana Music Association Awards in Nashville. They won Duo-Group of the Year and Album of the Year for Raising Sand.
Katie Couric featured the pair on CBS Sunday Morning on October 12, 2008 in a 10 minute segment. Between them they have sold 30 million records. Both hinted that they may do another album with T-Bone Burnett. Alison said she'll be interested to see what Burnett comes up with next.
Plant/Krauss Production Team Honored At TEC Awards
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.10.10
The engineers, sound mixers, producers and other audio production professionals behind Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Raising Sand" were among the many winners at the 24th annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards held Friday evening, October 3 at San Francisco's Westin St. Francis Hotel.
In addition to 26 awards for Technical and Creative Achievement, a sold-out house including many of the industry's finest creative talents witnessed two riveting presentations: the induction of musician and producer T Bone Burnett into the TEC Awards Hall of Fame and the presentation of the prestigious Les Paul Award, sponsored by the Gibson Foundation, to "King of Western Swing," musical artist Ray Benson.
Twenty-one-time Grammy winner Alison Krauss and rock legend Robert Plant presented the Hall of Fame award to Burnett - together delivering a poetic appreciation of his knowledge of American musical history and dedication to the craft of recording. Both returned to the stage later in the evening with Burnett and his production team when their collaborative project, "Raising Sand", won the TEC Award for Record Production/Album.
Led Zeppelin Members To Tour With Alter Bridge Singer?
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.10.08
Twisted frontman Dee Snider, whose manager apparently also works with Robert Plant, has told MuchMoreMusic's Matt Wells that Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonhman have tapped Alter Bridge singer Myles R. Kennedy to sing with them on the road tour if Plant refuses to join them for the much-rumored Zeppelin reunion tour. "They're saying [to Robert], 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go, here's a gazillion dollars on the table," Snider told MuchMoreMusic. "If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid. And he can sing the shit out of Zeppelin.' And they're gonna, like, hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK,' and step in, before having the lead singer of Alter Bridge out with John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Jason Bonham."
A short video clip of Snider talking to MuchMoreMusic about the possibility of Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonhman touring with Alter Bridge singer Myles R. Kennedy can be found at this location.
Plant recently shot down reports that he has signed on to team up with Led Zeppelin for a reunion tour. In a message posted on his web site, the singer said that he had no road plans after his recent tour with Alison Krauss, which wrapped on October 5 in Saratoga, Florida.
The message read in part: "Robert has no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years. Contrary to a spate of recent reports, Robert Plant will not be touring or recording with Led Zeppelin. Anyone buying tickets online to any such event will be buying bogus tickets."
Plant himself was quoted as saying, "It's both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward. I wish Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects."
Page, Jones and Bonham have reportedly been rehearsing with a series of other vocalists, including Kennedy. There has been no official announcement as to whether the band is planning to tour or record together without Plant's involvement.
View some videos of Alter Bridge covering Led Zeppelin tunes to see what you think of Myles Kennedy's voice
Definitive Collection CD Box Set Due In November
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.10.08
Led Zeppelin first took flight 40 years ago this summer. And while the song may remain the same, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham forever changed rock 'n' roll. To celebrate the band's anniversary and its immeasurable influence on popular music and culture, Atlantic Records/Rhino Entertainment will release on November 4 a limited-edition CD box set. This Japanese import contains all 10 of the quartet's albums in mini-LP replicas with artwork from the original U.K. LP sleeves.
The mini-LP replicas boxed set includes:
* Led Zeppelin (1969)
* Led Zeppelin II (1969)
* Led Zeppelin III (1970)
* Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
* Houses of the Holy (1973)
* Physical Graffiti (1975)
* Presence (1976)
* The Song Remains the Same (1976)
* In Through the Out Door (1979)
* Coda (1982)
The sleeves included in the boxed set feature the original LP album artwork released in the U.K., including the original printing of the group's debut, which used turquoise ink on the cover for the band's name and the Atlantic Records logo. Later printings used orange ink, making the first a rare collector's item. The orange sleeve is included with the boxed set as a bonus.
"Led Zeppelin III" features the gatefold sleeve with the rotatable laminated card disc, while "Physical Graffiti", which was nominated for a Grammy Award for best album package, features the interchanging window illustrations from the original LP jacket that included four covers made up of two inners, a middle insert cover and an outer cover.
Additionally, the set includes all six covers released for "In Through The Out Door", Led Zeppelin's final studio album. Nominated for a Grammy Award for best album package, the "In Through The Out Door" covers feature different photos of the same bar scene taken from different perspectives.
To pre-order this limited-edition CD boxed set, go to Rhino.com.
Carmine Appice Was Involved In Creating Zep Drum Sound
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.09.29
Legendary drummer Carmine Appice was recently interviewed by antiMusic.com's Morley Seaver. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
antiMusic: Vanilla Fudge was the prototype for heavy bands, with your drumming setting the course for a generation to come. What was your mindset when starting this band in terms of how you approach the rhythm to these songs?
Carmine: Well, in those days, it was different from today. There were no p.a. systems, and my style evolved from necessity because I had to flip the sticks backwards. I had to bang on the drums hard which eventually led me to get bigger drums. It's like anything: bigger amp, bigger louder sound. Bigger drums, louder sound. So I ended up getting oversized drums, which ended up becoming a fad. And then I ended up getting John Bonham the drum set that he wanted which was the same as my drum set. It became the Led Zeppelin drum set. So indirectly I was involved in creating that Led Zeppelin drum set which indirectly helped get the Led Zeppelin drum sound. Then I look at even Spinal Tap, they have the drummer on a riser with two Chinese cymbals and a gong. Those are the two things that I brought. One of the things that I brought was the gong. The other thing was the two Chinas on the boom stand. And the other thing was just the big drum set, the big oversized drum set which became sort of the epitome of what the rock drummer was and with all the twirls and everything, it's probably a combination of me and Keith Moon on that one. So I did it out of necessity. And then looking back, and people going "wow, you created a whole new genre of rock playing that's still going on today." And I go, "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I didn't sit down and go, hmmm, I need to create a new genre of rock playing. Let me see how I can do that." You know? And that's usually how things happen. When Led Zeppelin first opened for Vanilla Fudge, John Bonham and Robert Plant were brand new kids. They were green. Nobody knew how big this group was going to be. And that's the way things happen. The Beatles when they got together, they never thought they were going to change the world. They just wanted to play music and have fun, you know. But they ended up changing the world."
Plant Says Reunion Rumors Are 'Bogus'
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.09.29
Singer Robert Plant has ruled out reports that he will embark on a Led Zeppelin reunion tour next year.
A statement posted on his web site says: "Contrary to a spate of recent reports, Robert Plant will not be touring or recording with Led Zeppelin. Anyone buying tickets online to any such event will be buying bogus tickets."
Plant said, "It's both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward. I wish Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects."
Last week, The Sun published a report claiming that Plant had finally decided to join the other members — Jason Bonham, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page — on a full-fledged reunion tour.
In an August 2008 interview with Jim Johnson and Lynne Woodison of the Detroit rock station 94.7 WCSX, Jason Bonham revealed that he had been meeting up with Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones in recent months and that they'd been "trying to do some new material and writing."
"I've been over [to England] a couple of times," Bonham said. "I've been working with Jimmy and John Paul and trying to do ... some new material and some writing. I don't know what it will be, but it will be something. At the moment, all I know is I have the great pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and start work on some material. When I get there, I never ask any questions. If I get a phone call to go and play, I enjoy every moment of it. Whatever it ends up as, to ever get a chance to jam with two people like that, it is a phenomenal thing for me. It's my life. It's what I've dreamed about doing."
He added that was still too early to tell what will become of these "jam" sessions, but admitted that the "possibility of doing something is in the cards. I really felt it was in the cards from the moment we walked offstage at the [Led Zeppelin reunion concert at] O2 [in London in December 2007]."
Robert Plant and bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss are currently touring the USA on the last leg of their "Raising Sand" tour. They played a benefit concert in Oklahoma City for victims of Hurricane Ike last Friday; Austin, Texas last Saturday and tomorrow they play Portland, Oregon before finishing the tour in Saratoga, California on October 5.
After those dates, Robert has no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years, according to a statement posted on his web site.
Zep's Jason Sells Up For 'World Tour'
From: MIRROR.CO.UK 2008.09.27
Led Zeppelin drummer Jason Bonham put his £1.4million country house up for sale yesterday - amid rumours the band are preparing for a world tour.
Guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and Jason have been planning gigs for next summer.
Now a source says Robert Plant, reluctant to tour after the O2 reunion in 2007, could also join them after hearing they were considering going ahead with a stand-in lead singer.
Jason, 42, son of the late John Bonham, the original drummer, put his 5,700 sq ft pad on the market ready for a move to Florida.
The seven-bed house, with three acres, in Burlingham, Worcs, is up for £1.35m. His estate agent said: "He loves it and doesn't want to sell, but it's impractical with spending time overseas."
Hard Rock Park Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.09.25
According to Coaster-net.com, the Hard Rock Park rock 'n' roll theme park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina which opened in April 2008 has announced that it will not be open for the rest of the 2008 season. Hard Rock Park has filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy claim, which means that the business can have time to reconstruct its debts while also continuing to operate. The park said it will open for 2009, but with all the recent problems the park has been suffering, only time will tell if it truly will open or not.
Hard Rock Park was previously described as an approximately 140-acre theme park boasting more than 40 attractions for rockers of all ages, including roller coasters, shows, children's play areas, restaurants, cafes and retail stores, a multi-purpose live music amphitheatre, and ultra-modern sound system specifically developed for the project, creating a totally immersive full-day experience.
The park's signature roller coaster, Led Zeppelin - The Ride, towers more than 150 feet into the sky (15 stories tall), serving as a landmark that helps travelers pinpoint Hard Rock Park whether arriving by air or land. The ride is most notable for the iconic relationship with band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, who have contributed to all aspects of Led Zeppelin - The Ride, including the ride's name, logo and overall look and feel of the vehicles.
Plant/Krauss to play Hurricane Ike Benefit in OKC
From: NEWSOK.COM 2008.09.19
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will play a special benefit concert at the Zoo Amphitheatre on Friday, Sept. 26, to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Ike, it was learned today.
The singers were scheduled to perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston on that date but the show was canceled due to the storm's devastation in that city.
Howard Pollack, head of Innervisions, which produces shows at the Zoo, said he received a call early today from Plant's management, inquiring about the availability of the venue.
"Yeah, it's going to happen," Pollack said. "They called me up in my sleep. They said, 'Howard, we want to do a benefit.' What Robert Plant just found out is how devastated Houston and the surrounding areas are. They just said, 'Hey, we want to make this a benefit. Can we pull this off in a week?'
"We're going to get everybody behind this. I think we can sell 6 or 7,000 tickets and all the money goes to the victims. Tickets.com is kicking in. They're kicking in a major portion of their service charges."
Pollack said he expects several major corporations to offer sponsorship for the event as well.
General admission and reserved-seat tickets will go on sale Monday at Tickets.com or by phone at (800) 511-1552.
Plant and Krauss are touring behind their CMA Award-nominated duet album, "Raising Sand."
Plant/Krauss Are Top Winners at Americana Awards
From: CMT.COM 2008.09.18
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant took top honors Thursday night (Sept. 18) at the Americana Music Association's seventh annual Honors and Awards at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Both were present to accept their trophies, and Plant joined the awards show's bandleader, Buddy Miller, onstage to sing a new song which will be featured on Miller's upcoming album.
"Raising Sand" took the award for Album of the Year, while Plant & Krauss also received the Duo/Group of the Year award.
Bureaucracy Putting Plant Off Zeppelin Reunion
From: CONTACTMUSIC.COM 2008.09.18
Rocker Robert Plant has not ruled out another reunion with his band Led Zeppelin - insisting it's the bureaucracy involved that puts him off the idea.
The Kashmir hitmakers have been dogged by rumours of a world tour since they reformed for a one-off gig in London last year (Dec07) - their first concert in 19 years.
But singer Plant, who is currently touring with bluegrass star Alison Krauss, has so far refused to agree to hit the road with the legendary group again.
And he insists it's not the idea of a reunion which he is opposed to - it's the paperwork that accompanies every live show.
He tells Britain's GQ magazine, "The endless paperwork was like nothing I've experienced before. I've kept every one of the emails that were exchanged before the concert and I'm thinking of compiling them for a book, which I feel sure would be hailed as a sort of literary version of Spinal Tap (semi-fictional heavy metal band featured in spoof documentary This Is Spinal Tap).
"Led Zeppelin's never been about the fans. We've always been about four guys coming together to make thrilling, disturbing rock 'n' roll. On our own terms."
Plant/Krauss Nominated For Country Music Award
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.09.10
"Gone Gone Gone" from Robert Plant & Alison Krauss has been nominated in the "Musical Event of the Year" category at the Country Music Association Awards.
The association's annual awards will be presented November 12 on the ABC television network.
Plant and Krauss told Billboard.com in June that they are hoping to turn their platinum-certified, Grammy Award-winning "Raising Sand" album into a going concern.
"I'm in no hurry to go anywhere," Plant told Billboard.com. "I want to stay very close. This is a font of knowledge, and I'm sticking as close to it as I can."
Krauss concurred: "We're all having a wonderful time, and I hope and I think all three of us are hoping to continue this and that it go on and on." But she added that the duo's association shouldn't bring the curtain down on any of their other projects.
'It Might Get Loud' Debuts at TIFF
From: EPOCHTIMES.COM 2008.09.07
What do you get when you put the legendary guitarists Jimmy Page, U2's The Edge, and the White Stripes' Jack White on screen together? An unbelievable Christmas gift that would please any rock fan for years over.
However, the documentary film, It Might Get Loud, directed by An Inconvenient Truth's Academy Award winning director, Davis Guggenheim, is far more than just a jam-session. It truly gives you an inside look at each of these legendary musicians and their take on the electric guitar.
But despite Page, The Edge, and White's great respect for Davis' work, there was some slight hesitation on their part, about what the project would be like and what would come of it.
"I was obviously aware of Davis' work prior to this. And I must say, the way that Davis presented this to me was quite unique, because you know my forte is actually playing music. I am more at home playing on live stage than any other place," said Page.
"I guess like Jimmy I were a little uncertain how it would work if you had musicians talking about their music," added The Edge.
"I thought to myself well this could be interesting if he happens to catch us on a good day or it could be incredibly boring and just so dull and something could go horribly wrong, and so we did the interview and at the end of the interview, I just thought, I get where he's coming from he's on to something here so, I said I am in!"
The Edge praised the film as more than just about the electric guitar, but also about the journey a musician takes.
"I think what he done is made a film everyone will find entertaining and will find interesting because he has made it not about just the technical part of guitar playing, not about the music, but the personal journeys that have brought the three of us through to the point we are now and doing what we do."
The documentary, which premiered at this year's Toronto Film Festival, was an idea born from producer Thomas Tull, a producer for the critically acclaimed Batman film, Dark Knight.
Tull a long time guitarist, spoke with Guggeinheim about a more original take on the electric guitar, focusing on its attributes as a musical instrument from the perspectives of several of the great guitarists.
"I have always wondered: what is it about this instrument more than any other that I think captures people's imagination, and why when you pick up this instrument does it just feel right... and nothing I had ever seen really felt like, 'yeah, that's why you pick this up and why take that journey.'"
Once Page, The Edge and White had signed up, Guggenheim went to work, learning from his experience on "An Inconvenient Truth" to first conduct audio rather than video interviews, to develop a narrative for each guitarist.
"The first interview with Jimmy, I flew to London, we sat in a hotel and we talked for 3 hours. Just audio, no cameras. And the next day we talked for 3 hours. I had no notes, no pre-disposition. And so whatever comes out of those interviews would be his story. Same thing with Jack, we might meet him in LA. With Edge, it was Burbank one day and then London the next, and I took those audio interviews home, cut them as stories, put them up on the wall and said, ok now I am ready to shoot."
"This process allowed me to figure out, now I know where these stories are going," added Guggenheim.
U2's The Edge praised the film, and touched on what has kept U2 around decade after decade. He cites overcoming the difficulty and fear of starting a fresh slate to record a new album.
"We fail most of the time, actually, and we got used to going in on any given day and coming out with nothing that is of any interest or value to us. But sometimes you just come along, and for whatever that we can't figure out, you hit on something new and something new fresh you get something great."
"We live for those moments"
The Edge cited Nick Singer from the Yah Ya's and the Secret Machines as a couple of exceptional new electric guitarists and musicians in the mainstream.
'If You're Going To Do A Reunion, You Need Four Members'
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.09.06
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has dismissed speculation that his recent jam sessions with bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham would lead to a Zeppelin reunion tour. Speaking at a Toronto film festival press conference where he was promoting the documentary film "It Might Get Loud", Page said, "We're not actually really recording. We played at the O2 (concert in London last year). That was our reunion. It's nothing as monumental as what people are speculating and projecting."
He added, "If you're going to do a reunion, you need four members," referring to lead singer Robert Plant's commitment to touring with U.S. country singer Alison Krauss.
"It Might Get Loud", which is described as "a love letter to the electric guitar," features Page, U2 guitarist The Edge and White Stripes frontman Jack White discussing their musical backgrounds and jamming with each other on a soundstage, according to Reuters.
Page Defends Olympics Performance
From: WENN.COM 2008.09.04
Led Zeppelin star Jimmy Page has defended his recent performance at the Beijing Olympics with Leona Lewis - insisting he can't understand why their act received such negative reviews.
The legendary guitarist teamed up with the "Bleeding Love" singer for a one-off rendition of his hit track "Whole Lotta Love" at the closing ceremony of the games last month.
But the duet was poorly received, with many critics branding it the low point of the 2008 event.
And Page is baffled by the poor feedback - because he thought the collaboration went well.
He says, "We got so much criticism and I really don't know why. I think we did a great job - it was an honor to be there. People just need to be less cynical. You know we went out there, we only had ten minutes - what did people expect?"
But Page is adamant that the experience has not put him off performing at the Olympics and admits he would love to be a part of the forthcoming 2012 games in London.
He adds, "If they asked, it would be an honor."
Led Zep Win GQ Award
From: BUTEMAN.CO.UK 2008.09.02
Led Zeppelin won the Outstanding Achievement title, presented by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.
The night was hosted by singers Sir Elton John and Lily Allen and presenters included Carol Vorderman, actress Thandie Newton and Jerry Hall.
Keane performed the band's new single Spiralling at the bash at London's Royal Opera House.
The awards were voted for by staff at GQ magazine.
Music Sales In Deal With Led Zeppelin
From: MI-PRO.CO.UK 2008.09.01
Leading sheet music publisher Music Sales has concluded an exclusive print deal with Led Zeppelin, the seventies British group whose charity reunion concert last December was the event of the year for many rock fans.
The pan-European deal, which includes digital print rights, will result in a comprehensive re-release of the band's entire catalogue in a wide range of print and online formats. Music Sales will promote and distribute throughout the music trade as well as through its own retail and online outlets.
Led Zeppelin's repertoire includes classics as Whole Lotta Love, which was performed by the group's guitarist Jimmy Page at last weekend's closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games, and Stairway To Heaven, the most played song ever on American FM radio.
New Jimmy Page Tape Up For Auction
From: THISISSOUTHWALES.CO.UK 2008.08.28
Legendary music producer Joe Meek's private recording collection is to be auctioned off.
The thousands of tapes include unheard recordings of Tom Jones, Jimmy Page and David Bowie as singer and saxophone player with the Konrads.
The collection of over 5,000 recordings has been added to the It's More Than Rock And Roll sale to be held at London's Idea Generation Gallery on Thursday September 4. Their estimated value is $600,000.
Ted Owen, Managing Director of the Fame Bureau, said: "To describe Joe Meek as a rock and roll icon is an understatement - he was one of the most important figures in the industry for nearly two decades and these tapes provide a vicarious passage of the 1950s and 60s.
"Furthermore, custodian of the Joe Meek archive, Cliff Cooper has honoured the collection by keeping it intact all these years and cherished for British musical posterity."
Joe Meek became an icon of the recording industry with his experimental techniques in the 50s and 60s and was most famous for The Tornados' 1962 hit Telstar which won him an Ivor Novello Award.
Nick Moran is currently directing a film of Meek's life, called Telstar, starring himself and Kevin Spacey.
Robert Plant Blocks Sunset
From: CELEBUZZ.COM 2008.08.27
Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant pissed off an entire beach of Europeans last night when he parked his boat right in the middle of a bay 10 minutes before the sun went down for Ibiza's 'best sunset of the year'.
To protest their obstructed view, photographers shouted and waved angrily, but unfortunately for them Rob was too lost on his acid trip to notice.
At least his friends got to enjoy it!
Led Zeppelin Trio Back in Studio
From: BBC.CO.UK 2008.08.26
Led Zeppelin musicians Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham have been working on new material.
Drummer Bonham told a radio station in Detroit that the songs could be destined for a new Led Zeppelin album.
Writing new material has been "on the cards" since the band's one-off reunion show in London last December, he told 94.7 WCSX.
But lead singer Robert Plant has not been involved in any of the sessions, he added.
"At the moment, all I know is I have the great pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and start work on some material," he said.
"When I get there [in the studio] I never ask any questions. If I get a phone call to go and play, I enjoy every moment of it.
"Whatever it ends up as, to ever get a chance to jam with two people like that, it is a phenomenal thing for me. It's my life. It's what I've dreamed about doing."
He added: "Lots of politics [would need to] get ironed out [before an album could be made]."
Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years in front of nearly 20,000 fans at London's 02 arena in December.
Their two-hour set opened with Good Times Bad Times - the first track of their debut album.
Original band members Page, Plant and Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham - the son of their late drummer John.
Thanks to Stuart
Jimmy Page Performs At Olympics
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.08.24
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page played an updated version of the band's classic song "Whole Lotta Love" alongside Leona Lewis, winner of the UK reality television show "The X Factor", at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympics Games earlier today (Sunday, August 24) in Beijing. Watch footage of the performance below.
To mark the fact that London will host the 2012 Olympics, an iconic Routemaster bus circled the stadium.
Lewis, Page and soccer star David Beckham made their entrance on the vehicle.
According to Telegraph, some of the lyrics to "Whole Lotta Love" had to be omitted or re-written amid concerns that they could cause offense.
The song was chosen as the centrepiece of an eight-minute $5 million British segment at the event in Beijing at which the Olympic flag will be officially passed to the London Mayor Boris Johnson.
According to London 2012 officials, Lewis - who grew up in east London close to the Olympic site - requested a change to the song's second verse because she was worried they would not make sense for a female singer.
In the original, recorded in 1969, frontman Robert Plant sings, "I'm gonna give you every inch of my love".
But in the version that was sung today, Lewis changed the words to "every bit" of my love.
Led Zeppelin Classic 'too racy' for Olympics
From: TELEGRAPH.CO.UK 2008.08.23
It has been delighting fans for almost 40 years but Led Zeppelin's rock classic "Whole Lotta Love" has been deemed too racy by Olympics organisers.
After choosing the song for the closing ceremony on Sunday they decided that some of the lyrics would have to be omitted or re-written amid concerns that they could cause offence.
The song was chosen as the centrepiece of an eight-minute £2.5million British segment at the event in Beijing at which the Olympic flag will be officially passed to the London Mayor Boris Johnson.
Organisers of the London 2012 Games commissioned the band's guitarist Jimmy Page to record a new version of the song to be performed on top of a special red double-decker bus accompanied by Leona Lewis, winner of the ITV reality television show The X Factor, with David Beckham looking on.
But, according to London 2012 officials, Lewis - who grew up in east London close to the Olympic site - requested a change to the song's second verse because she was worried they would not make sense for a female singer.
In the original, recorded in 1969, frontman Robert Plant sings, "I'm gonna give you every inch of my love".
But in the version that will be sung tomorrow, however, Lewis changes the words to "every bit" of my love.
The band also agreed to a request from organisers to drop the third verse, which includes similar sexual innuendoes, to fit in to the eight-minute performance.
With an estimated two billion around the world expected to tune in for the closing ceremony, the British segment will throw the spotlight firmly on preparations for the London Games in four years time.
Celebrations are being planned at 30 sites across Britain to celebrate the handover.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather in the Mall as the skies above Buckingham Palace are turned the colours of the Union Flag by the Red Arrows display team.
The events, seven time-zones apart, will focus the eyes of the world on Britain's Olympic efforts at the end of the most success Games for 100 years. Last night the British gold medal tally stood at 18 with hopes for more success today.
In contrast to the Beijing organisers, who have been accused of creating a Games lacking in fun and Olympic spirit, London's creative team say they want the show to reflect Britain's deep cultural heritage and party spirit.
As the Beijing mayor Guo Jinlong passes the flag to Boris Johnson, the Greenwich pips will herald the start of the London section of the show followed quickly by a rendition of the national anthem - including, unusually, its second verse, performed by 25 children from the National Youth Theatre.
A London bus will then be driven into the arena, chased by Britain's Olympic gold medal winning cyclists Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton.
Shanaze Reade, the BMX cyclist who was set to win a silver medal in yesterday's competition before a spectacular fall, will have a scan on a wrist injury before deciding whether she can take part.
The top section of the vehicle will open up like a "lotus flower" to reveal a stage from which elevated platforms will lift Lewis and Page. A further platform will rise up to reveal former England captain Beckham, flanked by a violinist and a cellist dressed in Britain's official Olympic kit.
Beckham, who featured in England's disappointing 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Wednesday night, will then kick a football into a crowd of athletes in the centre of the arena.
Tayyiba Dudhwala, a 10-year-old girl from east London, will appear alongside Beckham after winning a competition on the children's programme Blue Peter.
London officials explained they chose the Led Zeppelin number for its instantly recognisable guitar riff and because it would sum up London's desire to turn the 2012 Olympics into 'one big party'.
Dancers from the Royal Opera House, a hip hop dance troupe from South London called ZooNation and CandoCo, a group made up of able bodied and disabled dancers, have spent the last two weeks with other performers preparing for the show at an airfield an hour and a half outside Beijing.
Bill Morris, London 2012 director of culture, ceremonies and education, said: "This is not a distilled version of our opening ceremony four years from now.
"We wanted to keep it simple, make it youthful and diverse. It's entertaining and fun and it's UK and London, loud and proud."
Jason Bonham Leaving Foreigner
From: WCSX.COM 2008.08.22
Friday morning on Detroit radio station 94.7 WCSX (JJ & Lynne Morning Show), drummer Jason Bonham revealed that he is leaving Foreigner at the end of this month. Since Jason filled the seat once occupied by his late father John Bonham at the Zeppelin show in London last December, does this raise the likelihood of a full-fledged Led Zeppelin reunion? Jason says, "I've been working with Jimmy [Page] and John Paul [Jones] and trying to do just do some new material and some writing. I don't know what it will be, [but] it will be something." Jason says his first priority is to "go and watch my kids grow up because they've grown up way to fast in the last four years." No word from Foreigner on who will replace Jason.
- Jason Bonham tells JJ & Lynne he's leaving Foreigner: "My time with Foreigner is coming to an end. This is the first time I've talked about it. I leave at the end of this month so, I mean, I'm looking forward to taking some time out to be with the family really. Since I moved to America I've been on the road, so my first priority is to go and watch my kids grow up, because they've grown up way to fast in the last four years."
- Jason Bonham talks about working with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones: "I've been over [to England] a couple of times, I've been working with Jimmy [Page] and John Paul [Jones] and trying to do just do some new material and some writing. I don't know what it will be."
Whole Lotta Love To Be Performed At Olympics
From: GIGWISE.COM 2008.08.21
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page will play the band's hit song 'Whole Lotta Love' alongside Leona Lewis this weekend.
The pair will perform together at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing.
Bassist Guy Pratt apparently let slip what song they would perform in a post on his blog.
"You may also be interested to know that when Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis perform Whole Lotta Love at the end of the Olympics, that's me playing bass on it," he wrote.
'When Giants Walked The Earth' Book Due In October
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.08.20
Orion Books has set an October 16 UK release date for author Mick Wall's "When Giants Walked The Earth: A Biography Of Led Zeppelin". A description of the 400-page hardcover book reads as follows:
"Forty years since their formation in a grubby Chinatown basement comes the first truly definitive biography of the world's most legendary rock band - Led Zeppelin.
"They were 'the last great band of the sixties; the first great band of the seventies'; they rose, somewhat unpromisingly, from the ashes of The Yardbirds to become one of the biggest-selling rock bands of all time.
"Mick Wall, respected rock writer and former confidant of both Page and Plant, unflinchingly tells the story of the band that wrote the rulebook for on-the-road excess - and eventually paid the price for it, with disaster, drug addiction and death. 'When Giants Walked the Earth' reveals for the first time the true extent of band leader Jimmy Page's longstanding interest in the occult, and goes behind the scenes to expose the truth behind their much-hyped yet spectacularly contrived comeback at London's O2 arena last year, and how Jimmy Page plans to bring the band back permanently - if only his former protege, now part-time nemesis, Robert Plant will allow him to. And Wall also recounts, in a series of flashbacks, the life stories of the five individuals that made the dream of Led Zeppelin into an even more incredible and hard-to-swallow reality: Page, Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, and their infamous manager, Peter Grant.
"Above all, a book that tells the full, shocking story of Led Zeppelin from the inside, written by someone who has known Jimmy Page for over twenty years, 'When Giants Walked the Earth' is the culmination of several years research. It is based not just on the individual interviews with every member of the band that author Mick Wall has conducted over the years - as well as those who knew and worked with them - but on the insight that only thirty years working in the music business alongside its biggest artists can bring."
Led Zep's Jimmy Page to close Beijing Olympics
From: MIRROR.CO.UK 2008.08.14
David Beckham will star at the Olympics closing ceremony in Beijing as the handover to London 2012 gets under way.
The spectacular event on August 24 will also see Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page performing a duet with pop star Leona Lewis.
And an incredible finale will feature Becks, 33, arriving on top of one of London's iconic red double-decker buses - before he kicks a football into the crowd to celebrate.
Hundreds of dancers from the UK will then perform ballet and break-dancing routines as the countdown to 2012 begins.
An insider said: "It is set to be one of the most mind-blowing spectacles ever. David was elated to be asked to take part, as was everyone who has been invited.
"Having a rock god like Jimmy Page and a singer like Leona Lewis performing together for the first time will certainly be something to remember.
"The amount of planning is staggering. It will be truly momentous - and a fitting send-off as London takes up the 2012 challenge."
At the end of each Olympics, the next host puts on an eight-minute show. Organisers had already confirmed that dancers from urban group ZooNation will be joined by performers from the Royal Ballet and CandoCo, a disabled dance company.
The cost for the segment, and a similar one held at the end of the Paralympic Games, will be up to $4million.
The source added: "The performers are the best of British and that is what 2012 will be all about."
Zep Memorabilia Exhibit To Benefit ABC Trust
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.08.11
An exhibit of Led Zeppelin memorabilia is being held at UK's Knebworth House to benefit Jimmy Page's charity Action for Brazil's Children.
Led Zeppelin's music has impacted the lives of people of all ages from all over the world, and this exhibit provides a chance to share in the memories other fans have of the band by seeing memorabilia they have held over the years: items such as tickets, programmes, posters, handbills, clothing, badges, albums and photographs. With proceeds going to the ABC Trust, the exhibit is the organizers' way of thanking the four men that have given us all so much over the 40 years we have rejoiced in their amazing music.
Robert Plant Takes Stage At Cropredy Festival
From: BIRMINGHAMPOST.NET 2008.08.10
Festival-goers battled heavy rains last Saturday night at Fairport Convention's annual concert, Cropredy Festival.
This year's event honored the 30th anniversary of Fairport Convention member Sandy Denny.
Robert Plant made a guest appearance during Fairport Convention's 3-hour set, playing the Led Zeppelin song The Battle Of Evermore.
'It Might Get Loud' With Jimmy Page
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.08.04
The Pulse of Radio reports that a new documentary focusing on Led Zeppelin guitar player Jimmy Page, U2 guitarist The Edge and White Stripes axeman Jack White will premiere this September at the Toronto International Film Festival, according to Variety. The film, titled "It Might Get Loud", first screened in May at the Cannes Film Festival in France while searching for distribution. Directed by Davis Guggenheim, who won an Oscar for making the Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth", the film looks at the history of the guitar through the eyes of the three musicians profiled.
According to The Playlist film music blog, Page, White and The Edge were each picked for their contributions to guitar playing in three separate eras - Page in the '70s, The Edge in the '80s and '90s, and White in the early years of the 21st century.
The movie was shot in London, Dublin, Nashville and Los Angeles.
There's no word on when or if the film will get a theatrical release.
Foo Fighters Wembley Live DVD Due In August
From: ANGRYAPE.COM 2008.07.28
Foo Fighters are to release a DVD of their Wembley Stadium shows from last month, where the band performed with members of Led Zeppelin.
'Foo Fighters: Live At Wembley Stadium' features 18 songs from both nights of their residency at the huge London venue - which took place on June 6th and 7th.
August 23 is the release date and fans will be pleased to know the performances of 'Rock and Roll' and 'Ramble On' (both by Led Zeppelin) that features Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones will be included.
Foo Fighters: Live At Wembley Stadium Tracklisting:
The Pretender
Times Like These
No Way Back
Cheer Up, Boys (Your Make Up Is Running)
Learn To Fly
Long Road To Ruin
Breakout
Stacked Actors
Skin And Bones
Marigold
My Hero
Cold Day In The Sun
Everlong
Monkey Wrench
All My Life
Rock And Roll
Ramble On
Best Of You
Zep Gets Two Noms In Classic Rock Awards
From: BBC.CO.UK 2008.07.23
[Led Zeppelin are] up for event of the year, following their much-hyped reunion gig - which was temporarily delayed by that injured digit.
The comeback show, at London's O2 Arena, was the band's first gig in more than 19 years. More than a million people entered a ballot for just 9,000 pairs of tickets.
Also shortlisted in the event category are Sheffield rockers Def Leppard and David Coverdale's Whitesnake, who receive a joint nominated for their combined tour.
They go up against metal festival Hard Rock Hell, Iron Maiden's world tour and Kiss's appearance at the Download festival.
Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Led Zeppelin also appear in the Band of the Year category, competing against facepainted rockers Kiss and Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters.
The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on 3 November at London's Park Lane Hotel.
Artist Gets Zep Guitarist Seal Of Approval
From: HUNTSPOST.CO.UK 2008.07.23
When the chance to work for one of the world's biggest rock groups came knocking on artist Jon Ellinor's door, he knew it was going to be a stairway to heaven.
The 25-year-old received a commission impossible to turn down - he was asked to produce a painting for legendary Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.
The deal was that should the painting live up the Page's high standards, it would be signed by the rock star and added to an exhibition of Led Zeppelin memorabilia celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band.
Jon, who lives in St Ives and grew up in Earith, told The Hunts Post that his work has now been given the Page seal of approval and is among the collection of rare vinyl, old concert tickets, clothing and other items going on display in Hertfordshire. His painting depicts the band in their very early days and was produced from a photograph taken in the 1960s.
"The painting is now part of the Led Zeppelin exhibition at Knebworth House and is being offered worldwide as a competition prize to raise money for charity," he said.
Tickets to win the signed painting are available through a website - as is another prize signed by Page, a Meridian stereo donated by the Huntingdon-based firm.
Jon was asked to get involved in the project after his work was seen hanging in a furniture shop in St Ives.
Annie Hollinshead, who works for the ABC Trust - a charity set up by Page to help Brazilian orphans - spotted his artwork in Furnish 4 Less earlier this year.
"Annie saw it and contacted me and asked if I wanted to do this. Yes, was the obvious answer.
"I was very pleased with the painting and delighted that Jimmy Page signed it."
Jon studied photography at college in Cambridge and set up his own studio in February.
His business, AKTIV Portraits, is in the grounds of Huntingdon Garden and Leisure in Wyton where he specialises in portrait and wedding photography as well as painting.
As yet, Jon has not met the Led Zeppelin legend but is hopeful Page will be at Knebworth House when the charity exhibition opens next Friday (August 1).
"He is a difficult man to get to talk to, but I'm told he was impressed with the painting," he said.
INFORMATION: View Jon's work at www.aktiv-portraits.co.uk. The Led Zeppelin exhibition runs until Wednesday, September 3 - more details www.memoriesinmusic.com. Tickets for the prize draw cost £2.50.
Rare Led Zep White Vinyl Goes On Sale
From: UNCUT.CO.UK 2008.07.22
Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same has been expanded and remastered for a four LP heavyweight (180g) vinyl box set, released today (July 22), and 100 copies have been made as limited edition white vinyl.
The reissue of the soundtrack to their 1976 concert film which documents Led Zep's three Madison Square Gardens concerts features six additional tracks, not on the original version.
The deluxe four LP reissue also includes liner notes by Cameron Crowe and the remastering was overseen personally by band guitarist Jimmy Page with Kevin Shirley.
The six songs that were not on the original release are: Black Dog Over The Hills And Far Away Misty Mountain Hop Since I've Been Loving You The Ocean Heartbreaker
There have only been 200 copies of the limited edition white vinyl version of The Song Remains the Same, with only 100 of these being made available for sale through LedZeppelin.com.
100 fans who order the LP box set will be chosen at random to receive the white viyl edition.
Also, Led Zeppelin are to issue a 4 LP heavyweight edition of their hugely succesful 22-track remastered song collection Mothership. This deluxe set will be available on August 26, 2008.
Plant/Krauss Get Mercury Prize Nomination
From: REUTERS.COM 2008.07.22
Radiohead's "In Rainbows" is up against 11 other albums including "Raising Sand" by Alison Krauss and former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, in this year's Nationwide Mercury Prize.
Also on the shortlist for album of the year is "The Age of the Understatement" by The Last Shadow Puppets, featuring Miles Kane of The Rascals and Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys.
Chairman of the judges Simon Frith said: "This turns out to be a remarkably rich year for British music.
"What is most striking is the continued resilience and flexibility of the album as a way of organising music-making. It remains an unrivalled source of musical invention and imagination, a way of linking songs, exploring themes and developing sounds."
The shortlist of 12 albums of the year was chosen by an independent panel from more than 240 entries by UK artists.
Previous winners of the award include the Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Antony and the Johnsons and Franz Ferdinand.
This year's Nationwide Mercury Prize winners announcement will be broadcast live on BBC2 on September 9.
The full shortlist for album of the year is as follows:
- Elbow ("The Seldom Seen Kid")
- Radiohead ("In Rainbows")
- British Sea Power ("Do You Like Rock Music?")
- Robert Plant and Alison Krauss ("Raising Sand")
- Burial ("Untrue")
- Estelle ("Shine")
- Adele ("19")
- Laura Marling ("Alas I Cannot Swim")
- Rachel Unthank & The Winterset ("The Bairns")
- Neon Neon ("Stainless Style")
- Portico Quartet ("Knee-Deep In The North Sea")
- The Last Shadow Puppets ("The Age Of The Understatement")
Led Zep 40th Ann. SHM-CD Mini-LPs
From: CDJAPAN.CO.UK 2008.07.18
Warner Music (JDS) is releasing the Led Zeppelin 40th Anniversary SHM-CD Mini-LPs on Sept. 10, 2008.
Price is approx. $248 US, plus tax and shipping.
Cardboard sleeve reissue box set from Led Zeppelin featuring all ten albums of the "Led Zeppelin 40th Anniversary SHM-CD Cardboard Sleeve Reissue Series" in the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (fully compatible with standard CD players), advanced cardboard sleeve replicas of the original UK E-style album jackets, plus six bonus cardboard sleeves including five alternate jackets for "In Through The Out Door" and one alternate jacket for "Led Zepplin I" utilizing the original ink.
Music Student Wins Jimmy Page Guitar
From: GETSURREY.CO.UK 2008.07.16
A music student from Haslemere has beaten thousands of others to win a guitar signed by rock legend Jimmy Page.
Thomas McCluskey, 17, who studies at the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) in Guildford, won the instrument in a competition at GuilFest 2008.
He was presented with a Gibson Les Paul guitar at the University of Surrey after being picked ahead of 1,400 other entrants.
Thomas said he was delighted to have won the coveted prize.
"As I am studying music and guitar at the ACM, it is an awesome prize and I will treasure it forever," he said.
"It's my 18th [birthday] at the end of the month so it feels like I will have the best birthday ever."
Led Zeppelin guitarist Page was recently awarded an honorary doctorate by the university for his services to the music industry.
It also marked the fact Led Zeppelin first played under that name at a performance at the university's student union in October 1968.
John Bonham's Drumkit Going To Auction
From: FAMEBUREAU.COM 2008.07.16
Parts of John Bonham's black and white swirled Vistalite Ludwig kit is going up for auction on Sept. 4, 2008.
The Fame Bureau had acquired some of the 18 pieces originally given in John Bonham from Ludwig, via Chris Welch. After a night of drinking with John Bonham, Chris Welch's car was stuffed full of drum pieces by John Bonham himself.
Since in Chris Welch's possession, the drumkit has been played on a handful of times, most recently by Robbie Williams.
The Fame Bureau verified its authenticity by contacting the Bonham estate and giving them the dimensions of the drums in the Fame Bureau's possession.
Hopefully, Ludwig will put in the winning bid, a'la Acoustic and John Paul Jones' bass stack.
Plant Falls Asleep When Asked About Zep Reunion
From: KOMODOROCK.COM 2008.07.15
According to Gigwise.com, Robert Plant simulated snoring when he was asked on Monday whether Led Zeppelin would reunite for a world tour in the near future.
Plant was speaking to journalists abut his current project with singer Allison Krauss when the subject of his former band was raised.
"Zzzzzzzzzzz," Plant said at a press conference in Toronto, before pretending to fall asleep.
Calls for Led Zeppelin to announce further shows have been constant since the band played a one-off reunion show at the O2 Arena in London last December.
The possibility of another show this year now looks unlikely, however, after Plant and Krauss announced that their tour would continue into October.
The Led Zeppelin singer also hinted at a further extension, telling the Canadian Press that he would like to "extend it as far as we can, if you know what I mean."
As previously reported, according to data from Billboard's Boxscore, the tour which has currently completed 17 dates has taken more than $5m and played to in excess of 77,000 fans.
"I'm surprised at the varying of the performances show to show," Krauss said last month. "Because of the personalities within the band, it has changed the show night to night, not only the show overall but each tune takes on a different character. Everything has its own identity from night to that. That's very exciting for all of us."
Plant, Krauss Extend 'Raising Sand' Tour
From: BILLBOARD.COM 2008.06.14
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have extended their smash hit "Raising Sand" tour through early October. The next round of dates begins Sept. 23 in Kansas City, Mo., and will wrap Oct. 5 in Saratoga, Calif.
The duo's "Raising Sand" album, released last October via Rounder, has sold 1.03 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
According to data from 17 shows reported to Billboard Boxscore, nine of which are sellouts, the tour has grossed more than $5.2 million and drawn more than 77,000 fans.
"I'm surprised at the varying of the performances show to show," Krauss said last month. "Because of the personalities within the band, it has changed the show night to night, not only the show overall but each tune takes on a different character. Everything has its own identity from night to that. That's very exciting for all of us."
Here are Robert Plant/Alison Krauss' tour dates: Sept. 23: Kansas City, Mo. (Starlight Theatre) Sept. 24: St. Louis (Fox Theatre) Sept. 26: Houston (Mitchell Pavilion) Sept. 27: Austin, Texas (Austin City Limits) Sept. 30: Portland, Ore. (Theatre of the Clouds) Oct. 1: Seattle (WaMu Theatre) Oct. 3: San Francisco (Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival) Oct. 4: Kelseyville, Calif. (Konocti Harbor) Oct. 5: Saratoga, Calif. (Mountain Winery)
JPJs Acoustic Stack Sold At Auction
From: BIZ.YAHOO.COM 2008.07.11
An iconic piece of rock gear, the ACOUSTIC amplifier used by Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones from 1969-1976, was bought by ACOUSTIC Amplification in a Christie's auction that took place July 10, 2008, in London. The bass stack, purchased for a winning bid of $27,115.00, consists of an ACOUSTIC 360 bass amplifier, Serial Number L1409 with ZEPPELIN stenciled in white on the top, and an ACOUSTIC 361PP bass cabinet, Serial Number M1032.
The amp and cabinet were prominently used by Jones on stage with Led Zeppelin as early as the Bath Festival on June 28, 1969, continuing until 1976. Notably, the stack can be seen in the legendary Led Zeppelin 1976 concert movie "The Song Remains The Same," chronicling the band's 1973 Houses of the Holy tour.
Led Zeppelin and ACOUSTIC amplifiers are each celebrating landmark years, as both were founded 40 years ago in 1968, and each are enjoying a strong resurgence -- Led Zeppelin with their celebrated London concert last fall and ACOUSTIC with its recently introduced and highly successful new line of bass and acoustic guitar amplification systems.
ACOUSTIC Amplification's Michael Doyle stated, "John Paul Jones' use of this ACOUSTIC bass stack represented a pivotal moment in the history of the company. Led Zeppelin was probably the greatest band in the world at the time, and ACOUSTIC amps were right there with them, night after night. The fact that we were able to purchase this classic piece of rock history as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first ACOUSTIC amplifier makes this momentous occasion even more special. We are proud that ACOUSTIC amplifiers are revered by musicians worldwide and look forward to continuing that tradition."
The lot notes on Christie's Of London's website states that "The vendor's Father played in a band named the Jaguars in the 1970s and one of his fellow band members obtained this amp and cabinet directly from John Paul Jones in 1977. He was working at a guitar shop on Charing Cross Road, London at the time and was contacted by John Paul Jones' assistant who told him that Jones wished to dispose of three such set ups as he was upgrading his stage equipment. He purchased all three sets and, as they were at that time wired for 120 Volts for use on stage in the U.S., he changed them over to U.K. voltage and gave one of them to the vendor's Father."
Zep Bumper Stickers Will Get You Busted
From: THEONION.COM 2008.07.03
SPRINGFIELD, IL - With the state legislature's passage of a bill last week allowing police officers to cite Led Zeppelin bumper stickers as probable cause for a vehicular search, Illinois became the 13th state to recognize classic-rock-related automobile decorations as grounds for waiver of a warrant.
"We've known for years that there was a direct correlation between the presence of a Led Zeppelin bumper sticker and the likelihood of that vehicle containing a controlled substance like marijuana," said DeKalb County Sheriff Ronald Bauer. "However, it wasn't until last Thursday that it was within our power to act on this knowledge to make a drug-possession arrest."
Illinois' action comes on the heels of the recent Supreme Court decision that the Fourth Amendment guarantee against unreasonable search and seizure does not require police to obtain a warrant if there is sufficient cause to believe the vehicle contains contraband.
Following the top court's ruling, a number of states, including Utah, North Carolina and Wisconsin, moved to specifically name Led Zeppelin bumper stickers as a factor in determining whether to conduct searches.
The decision, says Bauer, is supported by extensive data. Illinois state records show that in 1998, there were 362 cases in which a traffic-violation-related search of a Led Zeppelin-logo-adorned vehicle was found to contain illegal drugs or such drug paraphernalia as rolling papers, plastic baggies and metal pipes bearing a row of four cryptic symbols.
Yet before the passage of HB 1921, ill-defined definitions of probable cause have meant that an officer acting on this knowledge was entering risky legal territory.
"This is exactly what policemen have been asking for for years," said Bauer, who said the new law will precipitate a "considerable increase" in the frequency of drug-related arrests of motorists by Illinois police, especially in rural areas. "It used to be that if we spotted a car with that crazy-looking wizard on it, we had to just drive right past unless the longhairs inside were specifically doing something illegal."
Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan applauded passage of the bill.
"After the Supreme Court decision, it was just a matter of fine-tuning our interpretation of 'probable cause,'" Ryan said. "We've found that Led Zeppelin bumper stickers - or, for that matter, just the sound of "The Immigrant Song" or "Livin' Lovin' Maid" coming from an open window - is exactly the sort of smoking gun local authorities needed to establish a baseline for assessing that probable cause."
Ryan continued: "When it comes right down to it, though, prudent officers have always, to a great degree, relied on common sense. If a vehicle, especially a late 1970s American-made sedan with a vinyl top and some rust, also bears a Led Zeppelin sticker, what are the odds the driver is not in frequent possession of drugs or alcohol?"
Preliminary data seems to indicate that this logic is sound. In a Monday-afternoon field test, state troopers detained 100 Peoria-area motorists under the new Criminal Code 861.4/Section 8 (Probable Cause/ZOSO). Nearly 60 percent of the vehicles contained alcohol, drugs or drug paraphernalia, and nearly all contained suspected alcohol or drug abusers.
Rockford resident Doug Wojcek, charged Tuesday with possession of a quarter-ounce of marijuana, was among those arrested under the new law.
"I was minding my own business when some policeman pulls me over and searches my glove compartment," said Wojcek, 36. "It was just like when Robert Plant gets hassled by the cops in that one song 'Misty Mountain Hop.' Hey, what could I do?"
"This is bullshit," he added. "What about the kids with those Nine Inch Nails stickers? No one is going after them."
Despite such complaints, Illinois Gov. George H. Ryan spoke out in support of the law and advocated widening its scope.
"We might have to add provisions for the search of vehicles bearing the Pink Floyd rainbow-and-black-prism, the Blue Oyster Cult symbol, or maybe even the word Ozzy," said Gov. Ryan, noting that many other states had already made these changes. "We cannot allow this law to become discriminatory in practice. It must serve everyone equally."
Led Zep Says "No" To Guitar Hero
From: WSJ.COM 2008.07.01
Clients including Van Halen, the Eagles, Steely Dan and Guns N' Roses "all have deals of varying types in the works with one or the other or both of these companies," says Mr. Azoff, referring to the makers of Guitar Hero and Rock Band.
But some bands have resisted the call of the new medium. Led Zeppelin's thundering riffs are among the most sought after by music game makers, but the group's guitarist, Jimmy Page, and his bandmates have repeatedly turned down offers from both Activision and MTV, says Peter Mensch, a partner at Q Prime Management, which manages Mr. Page, along with Metallica and other acts.
The sticking point: The band isn't comfortable with the prospect of granting outsiders access to its master tapes, a necessary step in creating the games. "It ain't about the money," Mr. Mensch says.
Guy Meets Halfin and Page
From: HAMPTONROADS.COM 2008.06.29
Through a chance meeting with Ross Halfin at a NAMM Show, Greg Sipe met with Jimmy Page in a New York City hotel room to show off the custom Gibson acoustic guitar that Sipe has built in tribute of Led Zeppelin.
The guitar has a custom paint job of Led Zeppelin III.
Led Zeppelin Outsells The Veronicas
From: UNDERCOVER.COM.AU 2008.06.29
With a lack of decent new music, the music buyers are rocking to the oldies. On the Australian chart this week, Led Zeppelin's 1972 album 'IV' sold more than The Veronicas first album.
Old albums by Cat Stevens, Billy Joel and Cold Chisel did better than new albums Fiest, Fergie and OneRepublic.
The artists at the top of the chart get all of the headlines but when you look past the Top 50 mark, it is obvious that it isn't the kids going into stores, it 30+ adults.
Between 50 and 60 this week, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, and kd lang sit alongside The Herd, The Music and Jason Mraz.
The Forest Gump Soundtrack, released in 1994, sold more than the most recent Panic At The Disco album.
Heritage artists selling out of stores last week in considerable numbers included Roy Orbison, Rod Stewart, Crowded House, Alanis Morissette, Garth Brooks, Madonna, Beach Boys and Mariah Carey.
U of Surrey Awards Honorary Doctorate To Jimmy Page
From: BALLARD.CO.UK 2008.06.26
The University of Surrey is proud to confer the honorary degree of Doctor of the University to Jimmy Page for services to the music industry. The award was made on Friday, June 20 at Guildford Cathedral. Jimmy generously signed a guitar (see attached photo) which will be given away in a competition at the upcoming GuilFest festival. Surrey's involvement with GuilFest this year celebrates its innovative music programmes that reflect the diversity of contemporary musical practice.
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is a world renowned guitarist and composer. Born in Middlesex in 1944, he grew up in Epsom, Surrey where he developed a passion for both painting and music. Throughout the 1960's he was in demand as a session musician, leading eventually to his becoming a member of The Yardbirds. After various personnel changes, the band renamed themselves Led Zeppelin, and played under that name for the first time at the University of Surrey on October 25th 1968.
Over the next decade Led Zeppelin effectively redefined 'rock' music, drawing on a wide range of influences to create a string of legendary albums which have, to date, sold over 300 million copies. Led Zeppelin are unquestionably one of the most important and influential 'rock' bands ever, and the highly successful reunion concert at The O2 in 2007 shows the phenomenal interest in their music which persists today. Through his work with Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, a major creative force within the band, became universally recognised as being one of the greatest and most versatile guitarists of all time.
Away from music, he has been involved in the Action for Brazil's Children Trust, or ABC Trust. His commitment to this cause goes back to 1994 where he witnessed first hand unrest in the largest of Rio de Janeiro's shanty towns. He resolved there and then to do something to help, which led to the establishment of "Casa Jimmy", a shelter for abandoned street children, which continues to be run successfully today and has helped over 250 children to find a better life. Building on this, the ABC Trust was set up with Jimmy Page as the founding patron. In 2005 he was awarded an OBE in recognition of his charitable work, and also made an honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro later that same year.
Led Zep's 'Stairway To Heaven' Worth $572 Million
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.06.18
Miriam Datskovsky of Portfolio.com reports that Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", originally released in 1971, is considered a musical masterpiece and is one of the most-played rock tunes of all time. Proving its longevity, "Stairway" hit the U.K. charts again last fall and was a top download in the U.S., after Zeppelin's first downloadable album launched on iTunes. But because the band is notoriously protective of its work, "Stairway" hasn't met its full moneymaking potential. While other artists have made big bucks by licensing songs to Hollywood and Madison Avenue - think of Bob Dylan's "Love Sick" in that Victoria's Secret commercial - Zeppelin has shunned most opportunities.
Zep Reunion Show To Get DVD Release
From: GIGWISE.COM 2008.06.18
Speaking at an awards ceremony in London, both guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones said that they expected the concert to become available.
"I hope so one day, yeah," Page told BBC 6Music.
Although Jones echoed Page's sentiment, he said that at the moment "there is no hurry" to release it.
"It was a special occasion you know and we really wanted that just to be it really," he added.
Led Zeppelin's reunion at the O2 Arena last December was watched by 18,000 fans, although over a million people tried to register for tickets.
Led Zep Bag MOJO Award
From: THAINDIAN.COM 2008.06.17
Legendary rockers Led Zeppelin have been honoured with the Best Live Act prize for their one-off reunion at Britain's Mojo Magazine Awards, held in London on Monday.
They were conferred the award in recognition of a show the band staged last December at London's O2 Wembley Arena.
The event was hosted by the magazine's editor Phil Alexander.
Celebrities like Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, British singer Kate Nash and former Blur rocker Graham Coxon attended the award ceremony.
Duchess - Deborah Bonham to Hit Shelves June 27, 2008
From: RHINO.COM 2008.06.17
British blues-rock singer-songwriter Deborah Bonham - sister of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham - makes her U.S. album debut with Duchess. The disc features thirteen soulful songs - including twelve originals - plus guest performances from former Free and Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers and John's son Jason Bonham, a second generation skins-master who played with Zeppelin at their 2007 U.K. show honoring Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.
The album was co-produced by Deborah and Glen Skinner, and features her ace band, made up of former Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley, bassist Ian Rowley, keyboardist Gerard Louis and guitarist Peter Bullick. Paul Rodgers and Jason Bonham are heard on the stand-out track "Hold On" - other highlights include the bluesy "Pretty Thing," "Duchess & the Shufflemeister," the ballad "Love You So," the folk-flavored "Chains" and the country-tinged "Blue" (the latter with veteran pedal steel ace BJ Cole). Also featured is "The Old Hyde Revisited," a new, live-in-the-studio version of the title track from Bonham's '04 U.K. album. The song is a moving tribute to her father John Henry Bonham, Sr. and brothers John and Michael, who all passed away within years of each other.
Deborah Bonham first got the urge to perform when she was six years old and saw her brother in concert with Led Zeppelin. After his untimely death in 1980, she set out to cultivate her own branch of the Bonham family tree's musical heritage. Her U.K. debut For You And The Moon was critically praised, and a second album, The Old Hyde, followed. With DUCHESS, Bonham claims her standing as rock royalty, and comes into her own as an artist.
Led Zeppelin Reunion - The Spirit Has To Be There
From: XFM.CO.UK 2008.06.16
Jimmy Page was speaking to Xfm shortly after he and bandmate, Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, scooped the award for Best Live Band at the Mojo Honours List 2008. Not bad going for band who, prior to last December's one-off, hadn't played a full gig together since 1980.
Asked if he'd tried to subsequently persuade vocalist Robert Plant to rejoin the band, the legendary guitarist responded: "I'm not going to persuade anyone to do anything. It's just like the O2, you do it in the spirit of your heart, don't you? You either do it or you don't."
Page was quick to quosh rumours that his broken finger wasn't quite the story that had been presented to the public. He said: "Broken finger? Damn right! It broke here," he said, showing Xfm the now-repaired digit. "This one that looks like a knuckle on the end. It seriously was, it was broken in three places."
Responding to the hypothesis that three weeks was a short period of time for a broken finger to heal, Page claimed that his focus on the upcoming gig helped him through, saying: "But I gotta tell you, that was the kind of focus that there was on behalf of everybody towards that O2 gig."
He also added that the finger still hadn't fully healed by the time of the gig: "But my personal focus was that broken finger - it didn't matter [about it], it was just steering ahead. It didn't get better in three weeks, it's just that I played in three weeks."
For those fans fearing that Led Zeppelin might never fly again, Page remained positive that the O2 gig would eventually see the light of day on DVD: "Well I hope so, one day; yeah"
Jason Bonham Compares Reunion To World Cup
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.06.16
WENN (World Entertainment News Network) reports that Jason Bonham has spoken of his joy at performing with legendary band Led Zeppelin - comparing it to scoring a string of winning goals at the soccer World Cup.
The drummer joined the band as a replacement for his late father John Bonham at an one-off London gig in December 2007.
And although Bonham was impressed with his performance, he was initially scared of not living up to his father's talents.
He tells UK magazine Musician, "It was like the penalty shoot-out at the World Cup, but you're taking everyone. I had to shoot 16 times and get the goal every time.
"We all arrived separately and didn't communicate with each other until ten minutes before we went on. At that point I don't know what I was feeling. I was breathing deeply trying to keep calm. I knew I could do the gig, but could I do it when it counted?"
And the musician says his time on-stage with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones has left him eager for another reunion.
He adds, "It's hard to be in this situation where it was so good and now I'm left in limbo about what's going to happen next.
"I'm happy with what happened, and if I ask, for me it's me being greedy."
Jason Bonham: 'I Would Do A Led Zeppelin Tour In A Heartbeat'
From: GIGWISE.COM 2008.06.13
Jason Bonham, the son of Led Zeppelin's original drummer John Bonham, has said that he would tour with Led Zeppelin "in a heartbeat".
Bonham took over his late father's drum seat when the band reformed for a one off reunion show in London last year.
The concert, at the O2 Arena, was watched by 20,000 fans, although over a million people registered for tickets for the event.
Since the concert, rumours have been rife as to whether the band will announce any more shows.
Currently, frontman Robert Plant is currently promoting 'Raising Sands', his album with Alison Krauss, on a US tour.
Speaking to the BBC, Bonham said: "It's up to them but if it was up to me, I'd love to."
Bonham, who said the reunion show was "better than I could have imagined", said he hoped to be "put into the loop" regarding more shows.
"My fingers are crossed and I would do it in a heartbeat," he said.
Plant, Krauss 'In No Hurry' To End Collaboration
From: BILLBOARD.COM 2008.06.12
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are hoping to turn their platinum-certified, Grammy Award-winning "Raising Sand" into a going concern.
"I'm in no hurry to go anywhere," Plant told Billboard.com during a teleconference with reporters today (June 12). "I want to stay very close. This is a font of knowledge, and I'm sticking as close to it as I can."
Krauss concurred, "we're all having a wonderful time, and I hope and I think all three of us are hoping to continue this and that it go on and on." But she added that the duo's association shouldn't bring the curtain down on any of their other projects.
"That doesn't mean we've lost any love for who we've played for and play with," she said. "The guys in Union Station, that's like home. So I hope to continue this and go back home, too."
And while no firm plans are in motion yet for a "Raising Sand" sequel, producer T-Bone Burnett, who's also the musical director for the current Plant-Krauss concert tour, said in a separate conversation that he hopes to get another shot at the collaboration.
"I feel like we're just starting to know what we can do with it," Burnett said. "The two of them are so incredibly good that I would hate to not continue to work with both of them."
For the moment, Plant and Krauss are definitely working together through July 19, when the tour wraps up in Nashville (they also stop at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on Sunday). And both said that they're enjoying the opportunity to expand and enhance their musical partnership on the road.
"I'm surprised at the varying of the performances show to show," Krauss said. "Because of the personalities within the band, it has changed the show night to night, not only the show overall but each tune takes on a different character. Everything has its own identity from night to that. That's very exciting for all of us."
Plant, meanwhile, says performing the album's rootsy music, as well as revamped versions of some Led Zeppelin songs, live has "become quite an illumination, really. What has been created with the chemistry between the three of us has its down kind of genre, really. I'm a very fortunate man. I couldn't wish for anything better than this."
More Zep Shows Are Confirmed
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.06.09
According to Aislinn Simpson of UK's Telegraph, guitarist Jimmy Page stated in a brand new interview over the weekend that Led Zeppelin is ready to reunite and perform more live events.
But he said that fans could have to wait until autumn 2009 as band members had to tie up individual projects first.
Page and John Paul Jones joined the FOO FIGHTERS onstage Saturday night (June 7) during the final encore of the Dave Grohl-fronted band's concert at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The ZEPPELIN duo and the FOOS played "Rock And Roll" with Dave Grohl on drums and FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins singing. Grohl and Hawkins then switched places for "Ramble On".
An emotional Grohl told the crowd after the impromptu appearance: "Welcome to the greatest day of my whole entire life."
In a recent issue of Uncut magazine, singer Robert Plant, who is widely viewed as the lone hold out on agreeing to a full scale ZEPPELIN tour, was asked if he felt the success of the band's performance last December at London's O2 Arena was enough of a victory to permanently ice any future work with the band. Plant said, "Not at all. I really enjoyed it. And hopefully, one day we could do it again for another really, really good reason... For people who came from Australia or Japan, to Jason (Bonham's) family, John's family, all the families, anticipation and expectation was huge. The potential for failure was also great because nobody knew what it was going to be like."
Plant went on to reflect on the O2 show saying, "We did what we set out to do and more, in every respect. We showed people that Led Zeppelin did go on a bit... The interplay between us all was excellent."
John Paul Jones, who has said that he, like Page and Bonham, would like the band to hit the road, reflected on the reunion gig, saying, "It felt like the first night of a tour. You think, 'Oh, I could do that bit better, or change something in that song.' And we didn't get a chance to do any more."
When pressed about the prospects of a ZEPPELIN reunion album, Jones said, "I'm not too certain about anything at the moment. I've got no idea what's going to happen, but I'd certainly like to play with Jimmy again."
Jimmy Page said that there are currently no plans to release a CD or DVD from the O2 show: "It was recorded, but we didn't go in with the express purpose of making a DVD to come out at Christmas, or whatever. We haven't seen the images or investigated the multitracks. It's feasible that it might come out at some distant point, but it'll be a massive job to embark on."
When asked point blank what the current status of ZEPPELIN is now and if a tour could happen, Page said, "The focus was on the O2 show. That's what I had my focus on. As for Robert, he had a parallel project (with Alison Krauss) and it's been successful, which I suppose means he doesn't have time for ZEPPELIN at this moment. What I do know, is at the rehearsals, and the O2 gig, we were really inspiring. Okay? That's all I'll say."
JP & JPJ Onstage With The Foo!
From: LED-ZEPPELIN.ORG 2008.06.08
As promised, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones performed two songs during the Foo Fighters' encore at London's Wembley Stadium on June 7, 2008.
Rock And Roll was performed with Dave Grohl on drums & Taylor Hawkins on vocals. Ramble On was played next with Taylor switching back to drums and Grohl on vocals.
Grohl had teased the possibility of the collaboration throughout the show. Early on, after playing an extended This Is A Call, saying "We're gonna do something we've never done at a Foo Fighters show and it's gonna blow your shit out the door! Tonight this is gonna be the show that we're gonna be talking about for the next 20 years!"
After leaving the stage following Monkey Wrench, a clearly emotional Grohl returned to declare, "playing Wembley Stadium is an honour, and if we didn't take advantage of this opportunity, the greatest fucking night in our band's lives… for all 86,000 of you motherfuckers, it isn't gonna be any other show".
The rock legends then joined the Foos for the historic encore. At the end of their stint, Jimmy Page visibly clung on to his guitar after a member of the road crew ran onstage to relieve him of it. The members of the makeshift band then posed arm to arm.
As Page and Jones left the stage before a final encore of Best Of You, an ecstatic Grohl shouted "Welcome to the greatest fucking day of my life!" The night ended with an extravagant firework display.
Led Zep To Perform With The Foo At Wembley
From: GIGWISE.COM 2008.06.06
A tabloid report claims that members of Led Zeppelin will be joining the Foo Fighters onstage at their headline Wembley Stadium shows this weekend.
Dave Grohl of course is a huge fan of the British rock titans and flew over for their one-off O2 Arena show last December. He has apparently been in talks to get members of Zep onboard to perform live with him at Wembley since.
According to the Daily Star, the talks have paid off so Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham will join the Foos at the stadium tonight and tomorrow. Robert Plant won't perform because of his touring commitments with Alison Krauss.
A 'source' told the rag: "He (Dave Grohl) had the night of his life seeing Zep performing together after all these years and was really keen to be involved with them somehow.
"It didn't come off for him to play with them at the time so he suggested they might like to come and do something at a Foos date. Robert Plant is doing his own stuff in the States.
"But Dave has been talking to other members of Zep and they will play three of their own songs with the Foos and see how things go. It's going to be mega."
An unlikely story then, but if it does happen it will truly be phenomenal.
Jimmy Page Talks Guitar with Rolling Stone
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.05.30 RollingStone.com recently conducted an interview with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page as part of a series of articles called "Secrets Of The Guitar Heroes." A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.
RollingStone.com: How did your experiences as a studio guitarist in the Sixties — playing behind so many different singers — influence your writing and playing for ZEPPELIN?
Page: "I was very inspired by the [vocal] groups of the Fifties. I loved the way they worked, the perspective of the guitar within that sound. Blues was a pivotal thing on the first ZEPPELIN album. But I was playing acoustic guitar as well as electric in sessions, and I was into people like [American studio guitarist] James Burton. I wasn't into jazz so much — I preferred things raw."
RollingStone.com: For a short time, you and Jeff Beck both played lead guitar in THE YARDBIRDS. Did you ever consider having a second guitarist in Led Zeppelin?
Page: "In THE YARDBIRDS, when Jeff was there, we played the riffs in harmony. The approach was almost like a big band with brass — the power of that applied to guitars. In Led Zeppelin, I never considered having anything duplicated, because we were such a complete unit. We felt we could do anything in-house, certainly on the records. Once a song got on the road, those parts would change, especially where there were numerous guitar parts on the record. We used to do 'Ten Years Gone' [on 'Physical Graffiti'], and that's got lots of guitars. We did a pretty good version. It wasn't until I played it with THE BLACK CROWES [in 1999] that I heard all of those parts live. That was a thrill."
RollingStone.com: Young guitarists learn to play now by studying your riffs and solos. What is left for you to discover on the guitar?
Page: "There is a lot I can and should be doing. The main thing is quality. I've always had a high benchmark in everything I play. That won't change. The important thing is to commit to playing. You have to put a lot in to get a lot out. The great thing about the guitar, when I was 12 years old, was that it was portable. It made the music accessible to me all the time. I could get together with my mates, and before you knew it you had the serious spirit of music there — even kids just playing a few chords. You can do it with computers and keypads now. But I'm interested in how you get that spirit on the guitar. Because that's my instrument of choice."
Zeppelin in Toronto? Just Rumour, Promoter Says
From: THESTAR.COM 2008.05.23
Persistent rumours and frenzied Internet chat about the likelihood of one or more Led Zeppelin concerts in late August at Toronto's Rogers Centre – formerly the SkyDome – are just that, says one of two rock promoters large enough to handle an event of such magnitude in this part of the world.
"They're just rumours," Debra Rathwell, senior VP at Anschutz Entertainment Group Live and head of the company's New York office, told the Toronto Star.
"(Roots music star) Alison Krauss and (Led Zeppelin front man) Robert Plant are touring together till at least the end of July, and Plant has made it perfectly clear that he doesn't want to tour with Led Zeppelin.
"Of course, stranger things have happened, but I can tell you that my office is not involved in any Led Zeppelin concerts in Toronto or anywhere else," Rathwell added.
Calls to the Toronto office of Live Nation, the other major rock promoter capable of pulling off a Zeppelin show, were not returned.
The rumours began early this week when a MuchMusic blogger reported an unnamed "reliable source" suggesting four SkyDome dates are about to be announced.
Several spots are indeed open on the Rogers Centre calendar in August, including sequential dates Aug. 11-14 and Aug. 25-31. However, nothing has been booked for that month other than Blue Jays baseball and Argos football games, a Rogers Centre spokesperson said yesterday.
"Led Zeppelin does not have a August concert date at the Rogers Centre."
A search of the Internet concert listing service Pollstar reveals no Led Zeppelin dates, although Internet ticket broker TicketsNow is offering email alerts to customers on the basis of "rumours of a Led Zeppelin tour."
Led Zeppelin Set For £250 Million World Tour
From: MIRROR.CO.UK 2008.05.10
Supergroup Led Zeppelin are set to reform for a world tour after their triumphant one-off reunion concert.
The Whole Lotta Love legends, with more than 300 million album sales worldwide, are ready to rock 'n roll again to mark their 40th anniversary this year.
And like the Rolling Stones, they could each make up to £10million.
Fans have been calling for Led Zep to tour after their successful gig at London's 02 Arena last December, which saw Jason Bonham on drums in place of late dad John.
Singer Robert Plant, 59, was originally opposed to the idea but has been talked round by bandmates Jimmy Page, 64, and John Paul Jones, 62.
A long-time pal, Whitesnake's frontman David Coverdale, said yesterday the tour was "very likely" and he was expecting to be the support act.
David said: "I'm expecting a call from Jimmy any day asking my band Whitesnake to support them on their world tour. Am I on board? You bet. Probably worth billions!
"Unlike rolling out the wheelchairs with the umpteenth Rolling Stones world tour, a Led Zeppelin tour will be incredible."
A source added: "A couple of months ago, it looked unlikely because Robert was against the idea.
"But now it looks almost certain. It would either be at the end of this year or early 2009."
Plant and Krauss Talk About 'Raising Sand'
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.05.07
BBC News has posted a five-minute video interview with Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss about their acclaimed 2007 album "Raising Sand" and their current tour. Watch the clip at this location.
Plant and Krauss recently wrapped up a few U.S. shows and are currently in Europe. They'll return this summer to kick off another U.S. leg and are being joined onstage by producer and musician T-Bone Burnett.
Plant and Krauss are among the more than 125 artists performing at the seventh annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, scheduled for September 26-28 at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas.
The pair won "Wide Open Country Video of the Year" at the Country Music Television Awards recently for the song "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)".
Jimmy Page In Rock Documentary
From: VARIETY.COM 2008.05.05
Davis Guggenheim has completed filming on a documentary that will look at the story of the electric guitar from the point of view of three significant rock musicians: the Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White.
Guggenheim, director-producer of "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Deadwood," directed and co-produced "It Might Get Loud," which Thomas Tull financed and produced. The Little Film Co. will represent the pic in Cannes.
Led Zeppelin's Page, U2's the Edge and White, leader of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs, were chosen for their impact across three different generations -- from Page's 1960s days as a session musician and a member of the Yardbirds into the Edge's unique sound developed in the '80s through White's current work. Each explains and demonstrates how he changed the sound of the electric guitar to suit his own style. Pic includes a jam session featuring the three guitarists.
Pic was shot in London, Dublin, Nashville and Los Angeles. Bert Ellice and Hyperion Entertainment are exec producers; music supervisor Peter Afterman of Inaudible and Lesley Chilcott, a producer on "An Inconvenient Truth," are also producers.
Led Zep Nominated For 'Best Live Act' Mojo Award
From: GIGWISE.COM 2008.05.01
Arctic Monkeys have been nominated for Best Album and Best Live Act at this years Mojo Awards.
The Sheffield group will go head-to-head with Led Zeppelin in the Live category, after the veteran group picked up a nomination for their reunion show last December.
Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner also received two nominations for his new side project, The Last Shadow Puppets, which features Miles Kane.
The duo were nominated for Breakthrough Act and Best Song for 'The Age of the Understatement'.
Other nominees in the Breakthrough category include Foals and Duffy, who also picked up a nod for her number one single 'Mercy'.
Radiohead only picked up one nomination for their latest album 'In Rainbows', which was nominated for Best Album.
The awards will be handed out a ceremony in London on June 16th.
Plant Doing Led Zep Songs On Tour With Krauss
From: PULSEOFRADIO.COM 2008.04.30
The Pulse of Radio reports that Robert Plant and Alison Krauss recently wrapped up a few U.S. shows and are headed off to tour Europe in May. They'll return this summer to kick off another U.S. leg and are being joined onstage by producer and musician T-Bone Burnett. He tells The Pulse of Radio we can expect a variety of songs at the show, including some Led Zeppelin songs. "We're doing 'Black Dog'. I think we're doing some more obscure ones too. We're doing a couple of B-sides. We're doing 'The Battle of Evermore', which is just mind-blowing. And that's something that Led Zeppelin never did live. So it's a great chance to do it now with Alison singing the Sandy Denny part. And of course she just kills it."
Robert Plant Scheduled for 46664
From: QUEENZONE.COM 2008.04.23
Robert Plant is scheduled to appear on June 27, 2008 at London's Hyde Park for a concert celebrating Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday.
What is interesting about this article is that "Robert Plant and special guests" will perform. Of course, this is mere speculation as to whom these special guests might be.
Also scheduled to perform in London are Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, Bono and The Edge, Bryan Adams, Eminem, Eric Clapton, John Mayer and Buddy Guy, Jay-Z and Beyonce, Jools Holland, Joss Stone, Keane, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lenny Henry , Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Queen with George Michael, Paul Rodgers with Robbie Williams, Razorlight, Roger Waters, Sheryl Crow, Spice Girls, Sting, Tina Turner, Vusi Mahlasela and Will Smith
Plant-Krauss Tour Kicks Off
From: COURIER-JOURNAL.COM 2008.04.21
As their impeccable band swung into "Rich Woman" with an easy flourish, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss took the stage Saturday night at the Louisville Palace to the first of several standing ovations.
Plant, still the god king of rock 'n' roll, strolled out with a quietly confident swagger, his hair in that tangle of curls so familiar to Led Zeppelin fans. Krauss looked like she was headed to a prom in her pink dress, maybe one with "Stairway to Heaven" as its theme.
And when they began singing, it was clear they still felt the chemistry so evident on their "Raising Sand" album, his well-traveled yowl blending perfectly with her pristine voice. There were a few goose bumps, and not the last.
This was the first night of the "Raising Sand" tour, but both the singers and the band sounded fully warmed up. Krauss didn't hit a bad note all night, almost flaunting her perfect pitch, and the band, led by T Bone Burnett, was nearly flawless. Plant was Plant, and that was plenty.
Krauss and Plant performed nearly all of "Raising Sand," a handful of Led Zeppelin classics and a couple of songs associated with Krauss' solo career. They also threw in a George Jones cover just because they could.
As expected, the Zeppelin songs drew a huge response -- one guy screamed "Led Zeppelin rules!" barely five minutes into the show -- but they weren't the highlights (although "Black Dog," with the world's spookiest banjo, was pretty amazing).
"Fortune Teller" was better, with drummer Jay Bellerose exploding the song from the inside out, and Krauss broke every heart in the place with "Through the Morning, Through the Night." "Killing the Blues" and "Trampled Rose" were also contenders.
But the most unexpected song might have also been the night's finest. Krauss, backed by Plant, Buddy Miller and Stuart Duncan, soared through an a capella version of "Down to the River to Pray," from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" that was so beautiful it sucked the air out of the room.
Everyone who went back for yesterday's second sold-out show should be so lucky.
Led Zeppelin to Re-Release Immigrant Song
From: TWISTEDEAR.COM 2008.04.16
That's according to the rumour mill, with Immigrant Song being groomed for a summer release.
Led Zeppelin have been in contact with Pendulum to remix their classic track Immigrant Song, to be released at some point over the summer.
However, what's not clear is just how the Pendulum remix will be used. Led Zeppelin have so far not commented on the news, whilst the PR for Pendulum revealed: "We just know they wanted someone cool to do a remix for some stuff they've got coming up."
So far three rumours have surfaced as to the reason behind the Immigrant Song overhaul.
Firstly, it's believed the song could be used in the build-up to announcing yet more live performances.
Secondly, the remix could be used to promote the DVD release of last December's O2 concert in London.
And finally, and by far the strongest rumour, is that the Pendulum remix will form part of the package that sees Immigrant Song released as the band's first single. The remix has already been previewed on BBC Radio 1, were Pendulum appeared as guest DJs.
Plant/Krauss To Rock Austin City Limits
From: BILLBOARD.COM 2008.04.15
Foo Fighters, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Beck, Manu Chao, John Fogerty, David Byrne, the Raconteurs and the Mars Volta are among the top acts booked for this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival, set for the city's Zilker Park from Sept. 26-28.
Three-day passes are available for $170, including fees and a print-at-home option, at ACLfestival.com until sellout or show time. Sponsors are AT&T, AMD, Dell, Austin Ventures, WaMu, BMI, H-E-B, Heineken, Blackstone Winery and Sweet Leaf Tea.
The ACL festival was the fourth-ranked festival in the world in 2007, based on its gross of $11.3 million and attendance of 225,000 from three sold-out days, according to Billboard Boxscore.
Rocker Robert Plant wins CMT award
From: UPI.COM 2008.04.14
British rocker Robert Plant and U.S. singer Alison Krauss won a prize for their video "Gone Gone Gone" at the CMT Awards ceremony in Nashville Monday night.
The pair's song earned the wide open country video award, which honors a song and video that push the boundaries of country music.
"I'd like to say how peculiar it is to be here," Plant, former lead singer for Led Zeppelin, told the crowd. "But it's a great honor."
"It's a great honor to have made a record in Nashville that sounds so good. I'd like to thank Don and Phil Everly for getting me through my teenage years, and I'd like to thank Alison for helping me get through my late 50s."
Page, Jones and Bonham Together Again?
From: FOR BADGEHOLDERS ONLY 2008.04.12
A post yesterday on the For Badgeholders Only mailing list said that Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham were in a rehearsal studio last week in London.
No word yet if any vocalist joined them or would be joining them.
Stay tuned on this gem!
$1829 for Coaster Seats
From: MYRTLEBEACHONLINE.COM 2008.04.09
Forget $50 for a day pass or $150 for an annual pass. One Horry County woman is paying $654 - more than $4 per second - to ride the signature roller coaster at Hard Rock Park.
Cindy Ennis, 45, said she is the top bidder in a charity eBay auction for seats on Led Zeppelin - The Ride's first public run.
The park this week auctioned off 15 seats, and Ennis said she snagged four - two in the front row, two in the second row - for a total of $1,829.
"I'm not a roller coaster enthusiast," she said. "But it was just the idea of being so close [to the front of the ride], and being the first of something - that's really what did it."
Plus, she said, the money would go to charity.
The first public ride will be held April 15, when the $400 million, 55-acre park off of U.S. 501 will open to a paying audience for the first time.
All told, the auction appears to have raised $5,002.48 for the Sara Goodwin Memorial Foundation, and park CEO Steven Goodwin has said he will match the top bid.
Park spokeswoman Megan Winnett said she could not confirm the winners until later this week. Ennis said she has already paid her tab, and the name of her real estate and property management business - Ennis Properties - was the name of the winning bidder on eBay.
Though Ennis doesn't consider herself an experienced eBay user, she had a strategy: Watch the tickets closely, and bid right before the auction closes.
"I [bid] probably 10 seconds before it was actually going to expire," she said. "Luckily, it held."
Ennis had already bought annual passes and taken a behind-the-scenes tour.
She plans to give the other tickets to her children, Robert Ennis, 19, and Kelly Rosenthal, 29, and her son-in-law, David Rosenthal.
The one tough decision left to make: Who will sit where?
JPJ Bergenfest Norway with Robyn Hitchcock
From: BERGENFEST.NO 2008.04.08
John Paul Jones will be the guest of Robyn Hitchcock at this year's Bergenfest in Bergen, Norway. They are scheduled to perform at the Hotel Norge Bankettsalen at 21:00 on April 30, 2008.
Page's William Morris Tapestry Fails To Sell
From: GUARDIAN-SERIES.CO.UK 2008.04.05
A tapestry made in William Morris's workshop and owned by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page went under the hammer at Sotheby's.
The Pre-Raphelite work, by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, which was expected to sell for £1 million was auctioned but did not reach its reserve price.
For now the 24ft-long tapestry, called The Attainment: The Vision of the Holy Grail to Sir Galahad, Sir Bors and Sir Perceval, will stay as part of rock star Mr Page's collection.
It was woven for Stanmore Hall in Middlesex in 1893 and Mr Page is only its third owner - he bought it himself at auction in 1978.
The 24m-wide weave is considered to be a seminal work of the Arts and Crafts movement. It was the star item in a sale of more than 130 lots in a showcase stretching from the Gothic revival of the 1840s through to post-war design of the 1960s.
A spokeswoman at the famous Bond Street auction house said she could not say if it would go on sale again.
See below some video of the tapestry and more on the William Morris Gallery.
Auction For First Roller Coaster Ride Seats
From: AUCTIONWIRE.COM 2008.04.04
Auctionwire, in conjunction with Rock My World Children's Village and Hard Rock Park announced today the launch of an experience aimed at roller coaster enthusiasts, fans of classic rock's biggest band and anyone who just wants to make history.
Beginning on March 31 at 9:00 p.m. ET and ending on April 7 at 9:00p.m. ET, Hard Rock Park will be auctioning off 15 individual tickets for the inaugural ride of the Led Zeppelin - The Ride roller coaster. Visit the Charity Auction here.
A joint creative connection between Hard Rock Park and legendary guitarist Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin - The Ride was conceived to give Led Zeppelin fans the ultimate amusement park experience.
The highest winning bidder from Row 1, Seat 1 will have the opportunity to sit next to Steven Goodwin, Hard Rock Park CEO who will also make a personal contribution to add to the final bid price to support the charity.
Each prize pack to be bid on in this one-of-a-kind charity auction will include a seat on the coaster's very first official ride, a signed Led Zeppelin poster and commemorative certificate declaring the rider's place in history. The rider will also have his or her ride forever commemorated with a photo taken of the event. The media will be on hand for this landmark event, providing a potential interview opportunity to chronicle the rider's breathless adventure.
Only fifteen individual seats will be available for auction in this highly anticipated maiden voyage of the bands flagship roller coaster. The auction, which will take place on eBay, is being held exclusively by Auctionwire. Bidders may visit www.auctionwire.com/hardrockpark to bid. The auction begins March 31, 2008 and ends on April 7,2008.
New Plant and Krauss Music Video
From: ROUNDER.COM 2008.04.01
Rounder Records has posted the video for the Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' release of Please Read The Letter on their website.
Led Zeppelin - The Ride Set To Open June 2
From: HARDROCKPARK.COM 2008.03.31
Led Zeppelin: The Ride is set to open June 2, 2008.
The park's website says to "Get ready for Hard Rock Park's signature roller coaster that sends you 15 stories high, 65 miles per hour and loops six times – all set to Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love'."
"It begins at a huge silver airship, as if you are stepping onto the cover of Led Zeppelin's debut album. Once inside, Led Zeppelin music and videos play throughout the queue, leading to a studio area where rockers are treated to a moving, multimedia show before climbing aboard the coaster."
Slash Says Led Zeppelin Reunion "Unlikely To Occur"
From: NME.COM 2008.03.31
Slash, who is good friends with Jimmy Page, has revealed that a Led Zeppelin tour is unlikely to occur in the near future.
Speaking to the Daily Star's Playlist, the Velvet Revolver guitarist explained that rumours that his own band might be supporting the rock legends on a forthcoming tour had been exaggerated.
"I'm good friends with Jimmy Page so I can tell you once and for all the tour doesn't look like happening any time soon. But who knows, one day?" he said.
"There were rumours Velvet Revolver had been asked to support Zep on a reunion tour," he added. "But those reports were taken out of context."
Speaking of the reunion show Led Zeppelin played last December at London's O2 Arena, Slash said: "I heard like literally everybody was there except me. We were in Australia so I missed the gig. I was pretty upset."
Led Zeppelin may release new album
From: NME.COM 2008.03.28
Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has hinted that his band may record a new studio album, following their reunion show on December 10 last year at London's O2 Arena.
Speaking in the May 2008 issue of our sister title Uncut, the bassist said he was uncertain about the future of the band but refused to rule out heading into the studio to work on a new album with his bandmates.
"I'd have to think about that," he said, when asked if he'd like to make another Led Zeppelin album. "We spoke afterwards [after the O2 Arena show] and we thought the same - it felt like the first night of a tour. You think, 'oh, I could do that a bit better, or change something in that song'. And we didn't get a chance to do any more."
When asked if the reunion began and ended at the O2 Arena, Jones said: "It's possible. It's possible."
Asked specifically about the possibility of a new album, he said, "I'm not sure. I'm not too certain about anything right at the moment. I've got no idea what's going to happen. But I'd certainly like to play with Jimmy [Page] again."
Led Zeppelin Won't Release Comeback Concert DVD
From: MIRROR.CO.UK 2008.03.28
Led Zeppelin are to disappoint fans by not releasing a DVD or CD of their one-off comeback concert.
Thousands of music lovers who could not get tickets for their O2 gig in December had been hoping they could watch or listen at home.
But guitarist Jimmy Page said: "It was recorded - but we didn't go in with the express purpose of making a DVD to come out at Christmas, or whatever." Page said a future release "at some distant point" was remotely possible.
Robert Plant Confirms "Led Zeppelin Could Play Again"
From: UNCUT.CO.UK 2008.03.27
Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant has said that there is a chance of more one-off live perfomances from the band, if the reasoning was right.
Speaking in the new (May 2008) edition of UNCUT magazine, the Zep singer, commenting on the huge success of their December reunion show at London's O2 Arena, said: "Hopefully, one day, we could do it again. Our profit is - it's metaphysical."
The group's bassist John Paul Jones added: "We (Jones and Page) spoke afterwards, and we both thought the same - it felt like the first night of a tour. You think, 'Oh, I could do that a bit better, or change something in that song.' And we didn't get a chance to do any more."
Plant also says the Ahmet Ertegun reunion gig was very different to previous gigs in their heyday. He says he: "sang his nuts off" and says it was weird that the "personality of the audience has changed from those days when everybody was in the same condition as the band. Now it was more like the 68th wonder of the world rather than a gig. So I felt a bit embarrassed."
See the latest issue (May 2008) of Uncut for Plant, Page and Paul Jones' first in-depth interviews since their reunion for the Ahmet Ertegun reunion at London's O2 Arena last December.
The issue will also come with a brilliant 15-track CD of the music that shaped the band, featuring Elvis Presley, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker and Otis Rush amongst the selections.
Slash Refutes Claims To Open For Zep Reunion
From: SKY.COM 2008.03.27
Sky News entertainment correspondent Matt Smith talked to Saul Hudson, a.k.a. Slash, Guns N' Roses rock legend and member of Velvet Revolver, in an exclusive TV broadcast interview to be aired from 0600 on Friday, March 28 on UK's Sky News. An extended version of the interview will be carried on www.sky.com/news.
Slash speaks about his life of sobriety, his new range of guitars — and about the odds of Guns N' Roses getting back together.
In the same interview, Slash also refuted comments made by bassist Duff McKagan that Velvet Revolver would open for Led Zeppelin on a rumored world tour. Slash said, "There's been a huge rumor going around about us opening for them and I think that was something that was taken out of context. I think as far as Zeppelin doing a tour, that remains to be seen."
Led Zeppelin has made no plans to tour yet despite an acclaimed and hugely successful reunion show in London last December.
Hangin Backstage With Mr. Robert Plant
From: MATTSORUM.TV 2008.03.24
Hey friends,
After the last couple of days, and all the craziness Had a really cool surprise, Robert Plant came into our dressing room and we had a nice sit down with him for a least an hour. Its so weird, even though here I am playing in bands for all these years and meeting so many famous musicians and people. This was really a highlight. What a great guy. Have met him before when I was with the Cult. He came to a show at Manchester Apollo. As well as last time with VR there. Tonight was just cool and more intimate I guess We just shot the shit. A few road stories and he told me he wrote Black Country Woman about a girl that was from the area we were playing in called Wolverhampton. Wow, trivia from the man himself. His son was in the opening band and Dad was playing roadie for the night. The band is called Aura and they were young and rockin. Very blues based alot like Zep. Also on the bill is Scott Ians band with his girl Pearl, another kid of rockstar Meatloaf. Awesome singer and great performer. Cool to hang with Scott, good friend and cool dude. So pretty cool night all in all. Got more good news from LA after getting on the bus on the way back to Birmingham. Mike Inez from Alice in Chains went in my new clothing store and bought one of my leather jackets. Like I said Keepin the Rock alive and very well.
I'll keep u posted my friends, Matt
Raising Sand Certified Platinum
From: RIAA.COM 2008.03.20 Raising Sand, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' recent release was just certified platinum on March 4, 2008 after only being released for 98 days.
Plant and Krauss will kick off their world tour to support Raising Sand on April 19, 2008 in Louisville, Kentucky's Palace Theatre.
Jason Bonham Confirmed For Drummer Live
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.03.20
Jason Bonham is among the first confirmed drummers for Europe's largest drumming festival, Drummer Live, which launches in London on June 14 and June 15 and promises to be the music event of the year. With a spectacular lineup of famous drummers and hundreds of exhibitors, this will be ultimate day out for all drummers and percussionists.
Drummer Live will be the closest thing to drumming heaven for all those gear junkies. The very latest percussion gear and jaw-dropping kits will be on display at the biggest gathering of drum manufacturers in the Europe. From top of the range acoustic drums to congas, state-of-the-art electronic kits to cymbals, the most famous brands in the business will be showcasing their best products and offering every conceivable product, service, part or accessory a drummer could wish for.
Drummer Live is part of the UK's biggest music exhibition, the London International Music Show, which includes the London Guitar Show, Unplugged and Sound Recording and Technology Show. It takes place at ExCel London, now firmly established as one of the UK's premier (and largest) exhibition venues. Located in the heart of London's Docklands, ExCeL is set within a stunning waterfront environment in the dynamic and thriving Docklands and just across the water from The O2 arena. There's easy access to ExCeL via the Docklands Light Railway/ Jubilee Line and easy road access from the M25, M11, A406, A13, plus there's plenty on-site parking.
For further information on Drummer Live, the London International Music Show and for all the latest news and show updates, go to this location.
Velvet Revolver To Support Led Zeppelin
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.03.17
Duff McKagan has revealed to HotPress.com that Velvet Revolver is in pole position to support Led Zeppelin if the legendary rock act decides to go ahead with a full-blown reunion tour.
"I understand that we have it, although I imagine there will be plenty of bands prepared to kick and punch us out of the way for the privilege!" said McKagan. "I would so love to have been at their London gig before Christmas, but we had dates of our own that obviously took precedence.
"What made up for it was running into Jimmy Page at an awards ceremony and him not only knowing who I was, but also saying he'd caught a couple of Velvet Revolver shows. No way did I think in 1977 when I saw Led Zep in Seattle that one day I'd be hanging out with the guitarist. Things like that I still pinch myself!"
Page To Auction Tapestry & Other Items
From: CBC.CA 2008.03.16
There may be a Stairway to Heaven, but for Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, there's no wall space for his Holy Grail tapestry.
Page, founder of the iconic rock band behind the mega-hit from 1971, is reportedly putting up for auction his mammoth pre-Raphaelite tapestry depicting the Holy Grail.
The Guardian newspaper in England reports the seven-metre-long piece, part of an original set of six tapestries featuring scenes from the Arthurian legend, had been in storage for years.
The report says Page is getting Sotheby's auction house to sell the one piece — which depicts a climactic scene from the Holy Grail story, worth upwards of $2 million Cdn.
According to the William Morris workshop, which was contracted to create the pieces, the tapestries took three weavers two years to complete.
William Morris, who died in 1892, was an English artist and regarded has one of the greatest pattern designers of all time. His workshop produced carpets, embroideries, wallpapers and woven clothes.
Morris is credited with spearheading the British Arts and Craft Movement of 1850 to 1915 focusing on simplicity, and good craftsmanship and design.
The tapestry Page is selling was last viewed in public at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London back in 1996, when Page was between houses.
Apparently the 64-year-old musician had hung it in the billiard room of his Windsor mansion, but it was sold. He then bought the house back and has now sold it again.
Page's friend, art dealer Paul Reeves, says the guitarist has a new mansion in the Thames Valley, but it has wood-panelled walls, which are too weak to hang the tapestry.
Page, a member of the Yardbirds before founding Led Zeppelin, is a collector of museum-quality pre-Raphaelite and British Arts and Crafts Movement pieces.
In the same auction next week, Page is selling a gigantic set of Arthurian round table and chairs, and two sideboards.
The tapestry has only been sold twice before, by Sotheby's, once by the heirs of the original owner and then when Page bought it from the heirs of the Duke of Westminster.
Page Donates Doubleneck To Charity
From: GIGWISE.COM 2008.03.13
Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page has donated an ultra-limited edition, iconic double-neck guitar to raise money for charity.
The auction, Childline Rocks, takes place at London's IndigO2 tonight (March 13), with the Jimmy Page Signature Double Neck EDS 1275 being one of the star lots on offer.
Also up for auction are guitars donated and signed by Noel Gallagher and Status Quo, tickets on the Flight 666 piloted by Bruce Dickinson for a trip to see Iron Maiden play live in Lisbon, a personal acoustic performance by Thunder, a guitar signed by all the artists appearing at Childline Rocks and a plaque presented to Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin.
Page's guitar will be signed and personalised for the highest bidder by Jimmy himself.
Performing tonight are the likes of Roger Daltrey, Lulu, Marillion, The Zombies, Fish, Thunder, Glenn Hughes and Russ Ballard.
Plant's Led Zep Book In Auction
From: NEWS.BBC.CO.UK 2008.03.12
Legendary rockers Led Zeppelin have donated a signed souvenir programme from their reunion gig last December to a football club to help raise funds.
It was sent to Aberystwyth Town by singer Robert Plant, and there are plans to auction it later this year.
Tony Bates, chairman of the Welsh Premier League club, said he had known Plant for years and asked him for his help.
The programme comes with a picture of Plant and a letter of authenticity.
The club auction is planned for later this year and will also include football memorabilia.
Mr Bates said: "I have known Robert Plant for some time and prior to the recent massively successful concert at the O2 stadium, I asked him to obtain for me a programme signed by himself, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones which the football club would be able to auction in aid of club funds.
"Robert is a very keen football supporter and he was happy to oblige."
Mr Bates, a solicitor in Aberystwyth, added the souvenir came with a letter of authenticity from Plant.
Aberystwyth Town and its team of semi-professionals plays in the Welsh Premier League.
Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years before nearly 20,000 fans at London's 02 arena last December.
Original band members Page, Plant and Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham.
More than one million people had taken part in a ballot for the 9,000 pairs of tickets available for the show.
02 Concert Tickets Most Money Last Year
From: NEWS.BBC.CO.UK 2008.03.06
Tickets for concerts by Take That and Led Zeppelin were the most in demand on internet auction sites last year, according to research firm Tixdaq.
"Second-hand" Take That tickets generated £12.8m in online sales across the UK's 25 biggest sites, it said.
Led Zeppelin's gig at London's O2, meanwhile, produced the highest average ticket price at £707.97 despite measures to prevent resale, it added.
Tixdaq monitors secondary ticket sales on the websites.
Tickets for Paul McCartney's gig at the BBC Electric Proms were the second most expensive at an average of £498.14 per ticket, while third were tickets for Ireland's Electric Picnic festival, fetching an average of £360.96 each.
Tixdaq spokesman Will Muirhead said secondary ticket exchanges had created a huge new market in the last couple of years.
"No wonder artists are concerned that they do not generally share in the proceeds," he added.
In January, a committee of MPs said that artists and sports bodies should share profits from tickets resold on internet auction sites.
In a report on touting, they stopped short of calling for a ban, but said online touts must "clean up their act" because they exploit fans.
The Culture, Media and Sport select committee said up to 40% of tickets were being sold on the internet.
The Resale Rights Society (RRS) - representing the managers of the Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Robbie Williams and more than 400 other acts - is lobbying for a levy to be added to resold tickets.
It says that the existing situation - where big profits can be made by ticket sellers with nothing going to the organisers or rights owners - was "unfair and must be addressed".
Should Zeppelin reunite? Most definitely
From: MSNBC.COM 2008.03.04
The communal bond that keeps fans of Led Zeppelin listening and hoping is strong, if not stronger, than it was when first forged by the hammer of the blues-loving gods in the late 1960s. It has withstood the death of one member, long absences by the other three and occasional cameo reminders of what is and what will never be.
When the three remaining members - Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones - reunited with drummer Jason Bonham, son of the late John, for a concert last December in London to honor the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, Ron Laffitte considered not attending, even though he obtained a ticket more precious than Willy Wonka's gold ducats.
"I've been a fan since I was 11," said Laffitte, a managing partner at Red Light Management, which handles acts like Alanis Morissette, The Decemberists and Band of Horses. "I bought 'Physical Graffiti' in 1976. I didn't get to see them when they toured in '77, when I was 12."
Read the rest of the story at MSNBC.COM. Thanks Frederick Key
Jimmy Page's Love Affair With His Les Paul
From: MSNBC.COM 2008.03.04
View the video below from 2004 as Jimmy Page talks about his love for his Gibson Les Paul #1.
Led Zep In Fan-Inducted Hall Of Fame
From: WNCX.COM 2008.03.03
98.5 WNCX in Cleveland, OH has taken a ballot over the past few months to re-create a rock and roll hall of fame list of inductee's chosen by the people, for the people. Today, (Monday, March 3rd) the first inductee has been announced, and that group is Led Zeppelin.
Thanks to KPE6zep
Robert Plant Out And About
From: LED-ZEPPELIN.ORG 2008.03.03
Hi Jeff
He was there to watch his mate Steve Bull who is the new manager of Stafford Rangers football team.He stayed & watched the whole match which unfortunately Stafford lost 2-0.
He stayed after the match talking to local fans me included & did a few interviews for local radio
Not every day that we get a Rock legend at our local
Regards
Tony
Plant Turns Down £100m For World Tour
From: SUNDAYMIRROR.CO.UK 2008.03.02
Robert Plant has turned down an extra £100million fortune to take Led Zeppelin on a world tour.
The rock legend wants to concentrate on his new partnership with US country singer Alison Krauss... spelling the likely end of the famous band.
Led Zep fans had been longing for a tour announcement since last year - when the 1970s superstars reformed for a one-off show at London's O2 Arena.
Surviving members Plant, Robert Page and John Paul Jones were offered a guaranteed £100m each for a tour of North America and Europe after a million fans applied for O2 tickets.
But after extensive talks Led Zep - best known for the song Stairway To Heaven - decided against the moneymaking opportunity.
Guitarist Jimmy Page, 64, was keen to do the tour this year and was backed by bass player John Paul, 62.
But singer Plant, 59 - already worth an estimated £70million - wants to concentrate on his new success with US country singer Krauss. The pair's duet album Raising Sand went to No 2 in America and Britain and they are starting their own tour in April.
A band source said: "Despite the enormous offer, the decision did not come down to money. They always said they would do the one-off show and then see how they felt.
"Jimmy had enjoyed the concert in December enough to want to tour. He argued they still had something to offer. He likes the idea of another chapter in the band - the grown-up tour.
"John sided with Jimmy. He loved making music with the others again.
"But Robert wanted to leave last year's concert as their legacy. They had proved they could still do it and that was enough.
"He has other commitments and is happier looking forward to those. Robert put the mockers on the tour.
Jimmy Page Interviewed For Japanese Tv
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.02.26
Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, along with host Rolly of Japan's NHK program "Eigo De Shabera Night", interviewed Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page for an episode of the show, which aired Monday night (February 25). Watch the five-minute segment below.
Top Artists Sought For World Peace Concerts
From: BILLBOARD.COM 2008.02.25
World Peace One, a not-for-profit global peace advocacy group whose mission is to bring peace to the world through a 10-year global campaign of concerts, education and government initiatives, has targeted some of the top acts in the world for a series of international concerts to begin May 17.
The event is in discussions with such marquee acts as U2, Madonna, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Lionel Richie, Celine Dion, INXS, Velvet Revolver, Will I. Am, Justin Timberlake, and Timbaland, says WP1 founder Doug Ivanovich.
International artists in discussion, according to Ivanovich, include Reyna Reyna, Brazilian artists Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, Sergio Mendes and Linox; Jane Zhang and the Trollmates in China, Tarkan in Turkey, and Saer, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Tamara Day for Africa.
Of course, "discussions" is one thing and artists actually taking the stage in the name of WP1 is quite another. Still, WP1 is nothing if not ambitious. "Our mission is ending all war at the end of our 10-year period," Ivanovich tells Billboard. "Our intent is to foster and generate the largest peoples' movement, grassroots as well as institutional, in the history of the world."
New Led Zeppelin Tribute 2-CD Set
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.02.17
Cleopatra Records has released a two-CD set called "LedBox - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute" on the Deadline label. This 25-song double CD set contains contributions from many great classic rock artists, including the following:
Eric Bloom (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT) Brian Robertson (MOTÖRHEAD, THIN LIZZY) Tony Franklin (THE FIRM) Doane Perry (JETHRO TULL) Pat Travers Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW) Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (THE DOOBIE BROTHERS) Jack Russell (GREAT WHITE) Bruce Kulick (KISS) Manny Charlton (NAZARETH) Rick Derringer Steve Lukather (TOTO) Albert Lee Dweezil Zappa Rick Wakeman (YES) John Wetton (KING CRIMSON) Geoff Downes (ASIA, YES) Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE) Keith Emerson (ELP) Billy Sherwood Tony Kaye Alan White (Yes) Paul Di'Anno (IRON MAIDEN) Taime Downe (FASTER PUSSYCAT) Jani Lane (WARRANT) Joe Leste (BANG TANGO, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES) John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, UNION) Marq Torien (BULLETBOYS) Kelly Hansen (FOREIGNER)
Bruce Kulick plays guitar on "Dazed and Confused". Also his brother Bob Kulick plays guitar on this track, along with Jack Russell from Great White on vocals, Tony Franklin from The Firm on bass, and Doane Perry from Jethro Tull on drums. Bob Kulick produced three of the songs on this collection and plays 12-string electric guitar on the song "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You".
"LedBox - The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute" track listing:
Disc 1:
01. Good Times, Bad Times
02. Houses Of The Holy
03. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
04. When The Levee Breaks
05. Dazed and Confused
06. Whole Lotta Love
07. You Shook Me
08. Immigrant Song
09. Ramble On
10. Rock And Roll
11. D'yer Mak'er
12. Stairway To Heaven
Disc 2:
01. Fool In The Rain
02. Dancing Days
03. Heartbreaker
04. Black Dog
05. All My Love
06. Kashmir
07. Misty Mountain Hop
08. The Ocean
09. Houses Of The Holy
10. The Rover
11. Dancing Days
12. Nobody's Fault But Mine
13. Stairway To Heaven
TSRTS To Be Screened At Film Festival
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.02.15
On Friday, March 7, as part of this year's Bradford International Film Festival, the National Media Museum, Bradford, UK presents a special event featuring screenings of Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same", plus a special guest appearance by director Dick Carruthers.
Archivist and documentary maker Chris Phipps looks back at the origins of über-rockers Led Zeppelin. This special event is complemented by screenings of the thinly veiLed Zeppelin tribute "Almost Famous" and the band's legendary concert film "The Song Remains the Same".
Dick Carruthers is a multi-award winning director of live concerts and concert DVDs. He is also the producer/director of the groundbreaking 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD set. He will discuss the artistic and technical challenges of selectively unleashing and showcasing the myth that is Led Zeppelin and reveal the challenges of directing last year's reunion gig.
The Bradford International Film Festival will also screen "Almost Famous" on Tuesday, March 13.
For more information, click here.
Robert Plant Speaks For First Time About O2 Gig
From: NME.COM 2008.02.12
Led Zeppelin's lead singer, Robert Plant, has spoken out for the first time about his experience at the band's O2 reunion gig last year (December 10).
The Golden God' - in a just published interview - said they were just as good on the night as they were in their prime.
Speaking to Esquire Magazine the morning after the show (December 11) Plant said: "It was ramshackle, casual, nervous, overblown, a little self-indulgent – it was all the things we ever were. We were the genuine thing last night."
He added: "We're not some ambivalent dross that pours into the charts by being some sort of valium for the middle-aged. It was a very decent and exciting visitation."
Revealing further details about the event Plant admitted he did not warm up before gig saying: "We did two songs at a soundcheck the day before, and they were pretty hot. But yesterday [December 10] I had to keep very, very quiet. I didn't want to talk. I just lay in a dark room playing my little ukulele, going: "If I was in Mali, it wouldn't be like this."
After the gig Plant had only one thing on his mind, grabbing a drink.
The singer said: "I was trying to find the special brew. My children are always embarrassed when I get on the Tenant's Super, and the other guys, well none of them drink. So I just had a drink, gave everybody big hugs, saw my family, took in a bit of, I guess, nostalgia."
Plant also revealed that the whole evening seemed like a bit of a blur saying: "In the middle of all that effort, there were so many little flashbacks that I didn't expect. I couldn't put a form to a lot of it: it was just there. I thought: this is really cute, all these fucking old blokes huddled round John's [Bonham] son."
Concluding the interview Plant remained adamant that a world tour would not happen saying he wanted to concentrate on his project with Alison Kraus.
He said: "I really enjoyed playing with my friends [Led Zeppelin], and we are a lot closer because of it. But the responsibility, the whole deal... it's a whole different thing to what I'm doing with Alison."
Plant then continued adding: "I was singing the same, better, last night. I could go to certain places. But with Alison, it's not about that. It's about being comely. That's where I'm bound."
TSRTS HD-DVD & Blu-Ray To Be Released
From: HIGHDEFDIGEST.COM 2008.02.11
After a series of street date delays, Warner has announced a late February Blu-ray and HD DVD arrival for the Led Zeppelin's concert classic 'The Song Remains the Same.'
Originally planned for release in November of last year (day-and-date on Blu-ray, HD DVD and standard-def), Warner subsequently delayed 'The Song Remains the Same' on all formats by three weeks. That new December street date didn't last long, however, with the studio again yanking the title from its release schedule only days before it was due to hit stores.
High-def copies of 'The Song Remains the Same' weren't impossible to find, however, as numerous reports surfaced online that Blu-ray and HD DVD stock had still appeared at several online and traditional retailers.
Now Led Zeppelin fans who have been unable to snag an early copy can mark February 26 on their calendars, as Warner will finally bow the long-delayed disc across all formats (according the studio's press announcement, the HD DVD version of 'The Song Remains the Same' will not be affected by the studio's three-week transition window).
Previously announced specs remain unchanged, with both the Blu-ray and HD DVD versions set to include 1080p/VC-1 video and audio options in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround.
Supplemental features include over 40 minutes worth of additional material, including never-released performance footage of "Over The Hills And Far Away" and "Celebration Day," plus the bonus cuts "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Ocean." Other extras include a rare 1976 BBC interview with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, vintage TV footage and the theatrical trailer.
Retail also remains the same, with the Blu-ray and HD DVD listing for a suggested $28.95 each.
Video from JPJ with Foo Fighters
From: YOUTUBE.COM 2008.02.11
Robert Plant on UK TV
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.02.10
Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant was a guest on ITV's "This Morning" program on January 11, 2008 to discuss his collaboration with bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand", and Zeppelin's reunion gig at London's O2 arena this past December. Watch the interview in two parts below.
Plant & Krauss Win Grammy
From: GRAMMY.COM 2008.02.10
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss won the (non-televised) award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.
This is for a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together.
Plant and Krauss beat out Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé & Shakira, Gwen Stefani & Akon and Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake.
Why TSRTS DVD Was Pulled
From: STEVEHOFFMAN.TV 2008.02.10
There was some conjecture that the reason the DVD was pulled was because 40 seconds of You Really Got Me was playing during a clip on one of the Extras. The Cameron Crowe bit. Anyway it appears it was pulled because Warner did not get clearance for the clip.
> It was indeed the Davies Brothers.
>
> They never would and still won't acknowledge that Jimmy played on YRGM.
>
> They refused permission for the 40 seconds of it on the DVD.
>
> Unfortunately Warner Home Video ( NOT WMG ) never got got clearance so they were forced by the pissant brothers to pull all copies.
>
> It will be reissued in the exact same format but without the "offending" 40 seconds.
>
First Look at the New Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom
From: GUITARPLAYER.WORDPRESS.COM 2008.02.08
Here's a first look at one of the tastiest releases of 2008 - the Gibson Custom Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul Black Beauty.
Early in Jimmy Page's career, one of his most relied upon guitars was the three-pickup 1960 Les Paul Custom "Black Beauty" with a bigsby tailpiece. In 1970, the guitar was stolen and never recovered, but thanks to the Gibson Custom Shop, this guitar is back in the form of a new Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom, recently announced at NAMM.
From Gibson:
No one has had a bigger impact on the style and sound of hard rock guitar than the deservedly legendary Jimmy Page. As the musical mastermind of Led Zeppelin, Page's tone, playing, and phrasing made him one of the most influential musicians of the past 50 years.
In Zeppelin's early days, Page relied heavily on a three-pickup 1960 Les Paul Custom "Black Beauty" with a Bigsby tailpiece. Unfortunately, the guitar was stolen in 1970 at an airport and never recovered. Page has always felt that that particular guitar was "the one that got away."
Gibson proudly returns Page's cherished lost guitar in the form of the new Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom—a painstaking recreation of that iconic instrument, with the addition of some of the most innovative electronics to ever grace a Les Paul.
The result is this stunning "Black Beauty" with a slim-profile neck, Page BurstBucker pickups, gold Bigsby vibrato and an innovative six-position toggle that lets you isolate the neck and bridge pickups, or add the middle in any combination. A stop tailpiece version is also available.
Led's Bonnaroo Controversy Results In Free Publicity For Lez
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.02.07
Chris Harris of MTV.com reports: It was perhaps one of the bigger music-press snafus in recent memory, and it began at midnight Wednesday, when the press release for this year's Bonnaroo festival was distributed via e-mail to various members of the media. Along with news that Kanye West, Pearl Jam and Metallica would be headlining the event, the announcement further boasted that New York's all-femme Zep tribute band, Lez Zeppelin, had also been confirmed for the bill.
Months before the lineup went public, though, several unsubstantiated rumors had spread like wildfire, suggesting that other band, Led Zeppelin — who had recently reunited to play a gig in London — would be anchoring the festival's bill, performing their first Stateside concert in well over two decades. As a result, a number of prominent publications — including the esteemed Associated Press and the Chicago Sun-Times — erroneously reported Wednesday morning that it would be Led Zeppelin, not Lez Zeppelin, topping Bonnaroo's roster.
Zep's Confirmation For Bonnaroo Leads To Mass Confusion
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.02.06
The Pulse of Radio reports that a number of news sites — including the British music news site NME.com (which apparently "broke" the news) — erroneously reported that Led Zeppelin was going to headline the 2008 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, scheduled for June 12 through June 15 in Manchester, Tennessee. The lineup was posted at the official Bonnaroo site at midnight ET on Wednesday (February 6). But in actuality the lineup includes Lez Zeppelin, an all-female Led Zeppelin cover band from New York. Nevertheless, dozens of other sites picked up the erroneous story without apparently first bothering to check the official Bonnaroo site itself.
Led Zeppelin's appearance at the event had been rumored for weeks.
The festival, which launched in 2002, will take place once again on a 700-acre farm 60 miles south of Nashville, with a total lineup of more than 100 bands and over 20 comedians, including the headliners Metallica, Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson and Kanye West.
Jimmy Page Sells Works at Auction
From: ARTINFO.COM 2008.02.05
LONDON—Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and '80s band Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp are selling rare works at Sotheby's on March 20 in the largest-ever auction of British design from the 19th and 20th centuries, the Telegraph reports.
The auction, worth more than $5.94 million, is the first either at Sotheby's or Christie's to be organized by a dealer. Paul Reeves, a clothes designer to rock stars in the 1960s, is organizing the sale, which features a abundance of rare hndmade Arts and Crafts designs.
Both Page and Kemp are offering works that new homes cannot properly accommodate. Page is selling a 24-foot-long Burne-Jones tapestry, The Quest for the Holy Grail: The Achievement, which is estimated to bring a record $1.98 million, and five Burne-Jones stained-glass windows, estimated at $49,500 to $69,300 each. Kemp is selling furniture from the 19th-century Arts and Crafts movement, including an 1875 hanging bookcase estimated to bring between $118,000 and $158,400, a record for a piece of furniture by designer Edward William Godwin.
Led Zeppelin Have 'No Idea' About Future Plans
From: GIGWISE.COM 2008.02.05
Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has said that the band have "no idea" about what their future plans might be.
Speaking at Radio 2's annual Folk Awards in London last night (February 4th), the bass player couldn't confirm any further recent tour rumours.
Asked if they had spoken to each other, he told the BBC: "I am obliged to say we have and we have absolutely no idea of what we are going to be doing."
Rumours about the band's future have been persistent since they performed a one-off show at the O2 Arena in London last December.
The high demand for tickets – which saw over 1 million people register for just 9,000 pairs of tickets – is believed to have caused them to think about doing more shows.
Last month, guitarist Jimmy Page told reporters that they wouldn't be able to consider additional shows until at least September.
Led Zep TV Performances Headed To Online Music Channel
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.02.04
According to The Pulse of Radio, online music channel Rockworld.TV has announced that they have purchased footage of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles that has been rescued from obsolete Super 8 and Betamax formats.
Uncut.co.uk reported that a new deal has been reached between RockWorld.TV and the Infernal Machine music archive to digitally clean up such lost 1960s TV broadcasts as the German music show "Beat Club", among other rarely seen shows. The remastered footage will appear sometime this year on Rockworld.TV along with additional performances from Aerosmith, The Who, and the Greatful Dead.
Pete Hadfield, co-founder and joint CEO of Carnaby Media, who own Rockworld.TV, has said: "We are getting access to some of the most exciting music footage in existence, a great deal of which has rarely if ever been seen before, which make our broadcast offering even stronger than it is already."
Jimmy Page Joins Marty Friedman On Stage
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.31
According to a posting on former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman's official web site, Led Zeppelin guitar legend Jimmy Page joined Marty in Japan for the taping of a new episode of "Eigo De Shabera Night", NHK's hit program which Marty is a regular guest on. The show will be broadcast on February 25.
Jimmy Page Footage From Press Conference
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.30
A short Japanese TV report featuring footage from Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page's January 28, 2008 press conference in Tokyo can be viewed below.
As previously reported, Page said at the press conference that Led Zeppelin was "musically ready" to go on a world tour, although the earliest that was likely to happen was September. According to Yahoo! News, Page said that the band's intense rehearsals for its reunion show at London's O2 Arena last month were "what you would normally put into a world tour anyway." But Page added that frontman Robert Plant "has a parallel project running, and he's really busy with that project, certainly until September. So I can't give you any news on anything at the moment."
Plant has mapped out a series of live shows around the world with singer Alison Krauss, with whom he recorded the recently released "Raising Sand".
Page was in Japan to promote the Zeppelin retrospective collection "Mothership", which arrived in the U.S. late last year.
Page, Plant and bassist John Paul Jones performed together for the first time in nearly two decades at the December 10 show in London, joined by late Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's son Jason behind the kit.
Since the acclaimed show, speculation has been rampant that Zeppelin will launch a full tour, with massive offers reportedly already on the table from some of the world's largest concert promoters.
Meanwhile, Plant was interviewed by MSG TV last Friday (January 25) during the halftime break of the Knicks and Sixers game at New York City's Madison Square Garden. When asked about the possibility of a full Zeppelin reunion tour, he responded, "You never know what is around the corner."
TSRTS Gets NME Award Nomination
From: NME.COM 2008.01.30
The re-release of The Song Remains The Same has been nominated in this years' Shockwaves NME Awards.
Here is a list of the nominations in the category of Best Music DVD:
'Up The Shambles' – Babyshambles 'The Song Remains The Same' – Led Zeppelin 'Unplugged In New York' - Nirvana 'Lord Don't Slow Me Down' - Oasis 'I Told You I Was Trouble' – Amy Winehouse
Fans can logon to the NME Website to cast their vote on which nominee will win.
The awards will be presented on Feb. 28, 2008 at the Indig02 in London, England.
Jimmy Page visits boot shops in Tokyo…again!
From: COLLECTORSMUSICREVIEWS.COM 2008.01.28
Jimmy Page is in Tokyo this week for business, and as usual he spent time visiting the record shops in the Shinjuku section of Tokyo yesterday, January 27th.
He was photographed and filmed at the Lighthouse Record Store.
After selecting CDs, he started to watch the Led Zeppelin show at the O2 Arena on DVD. In the photo below he is watching In My Time Of Dying and he watched it very intently. Afterwards he was satisfied and gave a big smile. He seemed very impressed with the DVD and requested several copies.
John Paul Jones To Conduct At The Grammys
From: BILLBOARD.COM 2008.01.28
The Foo Fighters will perform as part of this year's "My Grammy Moment," produced in partnership with YouTube and CBS.com. The segment gives up to 20 unsigned musicians the opportunity to play with the rock group as part of an orchestra that will be arranged by special guest conductor John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame.
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 10 at Los Angeles' Staples Center.
Zep Concert Off Until At Least September
From: REUTERS.COM 2008.01.28
TOKYO (Reuters) - Rock band Led Zeppelin enjoyed jamming together again last year in a charity concert but won't have another session before September at the earliest, lead guitarist Jimmy Page said in Tokyo on Monday.
A successful reunion show in London in December rekindled hopes of a world tour, but Page said that singer Robert Plant's tour with U.S. country singer Alison Krauss is keeping him busy for now.
"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.
But, "Robert Plant also had a parallel project running and he's really busy with that project, certainly until September, so I can't give you any news."
Page, in Tokyo to promote a greatest hits release, painted a happy picture of the reunion.
"It was exhilarating, fantastic, every week was a week to look forward to," he said. "We did the show and it was great."
The band, formed in 1968 by Page, Plant, bass guitarist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham, became arguably the world's biggest rock group by the early 1970s.
Their fourth album, released in 1971, included their most famous song, "Stairway to Heaven", while the band has sold an estimated 300 million albums worldwide.
The group decided to break up shortly after Bonham died in September 1980, although Page and Plant collaborated at times over the years.
Plant, Page and Jones performed together in London before about 20,000 fans on December 10, with Bonham's son Jason on the drums.
When the concert was announced, the Internet site selling tickets crashed with applications, while the possibility of a new world tour had fans around the globe excited.
Page said after many years the song indeed remained the same.
"That is what was so thrilling really -- to come together after all this time and find that there was so much chemistry and so much electricity involved in these four characters."
New Robert Plant Interview
From: YOUTUBE.COM 2008.01.26
Jill Martin from MSG TV interviewed Robert Plant during the halftime break of Jan. 25, 2008's Knicks and Sixers game. Robert said that the most memorable performance at Madison Square Garden was in 1973, from which they made The Song Remains The Song Movie.
He also talked about his upcoming tour with Alison Krauss and that Kashmir was the one he would choose to play to bring the house down at Madison Square Garden.
"You never know what is around the corner" was Robert's reply to playing again with Page, Jones and Jason Bonham.
Plant & Krauss 'CMT Crossroads' Preview Available
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.25
A preview clip of Led Zeppelin frontman and legendary rocker Robert Plant and bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss performing the track "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)" as part of the all-new episode of "CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant And Alison Krauss" can be viewed at this location.
"CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant And Alison Krauss" will premiere on Monday, February 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The two music icons perform songs from their "Raising Sand" album, including "Please Read the Letter" and "Rich Woman". The pair performed Alison Krauss and Union Station's "The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn", as well as Led Zeppelin classics "Black Dog" and "When the Levee Breaks". The pair also pay homage to The Everly Brothers with their version of "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)". Special guest T Bone Burnett, acclaimed songwriter, performer and "Raising Sand" producer, joins in the onstage collaboration.
Plant and Krauss were recently nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" for the song "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" from "Raising Sand".
Led Zeppelin Ringtones Available
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.24
Led Zeppelin ringtones are now available for the following songs:
According to Rhino, rach ringtone "requires compatible handset and service through participating carriers. Standard text messaging rates apply. See your contract for details. Available content subject to change at any time."
Jimmy Page To Hold Japanese Press Conference
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.24
According to a posting on the Led Zeppelin fan site Royal-Orleans.com, Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page will hold a press conference at Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjyuku, Japan on Monday, January 28. Park Hyatt is reportedly the hotel Jimmy stayed at during the 1996 Page & Plant tour.
Times Online reported in December that Led Zeppelin could earn well over £100 million (approximately $200 million) if the hard-rock band went on tour this year in the wake of last month's triumphant reunion gig. The band is being pursued with offers from both Live Nation and AEG, the rival concert promoters, with each structuring bids in the form of a large upfront payment to lure the band to their venues.
One source said that "AEG put a bid in on the night" — although that could not be confirmed independently — but intense demand would probably make a Zeppelin reunion the most sought-after ticket in 2008.
The reluctance of Robert Plant, the lead singer, still makes a tour far from certain, although the three other band members are believed to be willing to go ahead. Venues in America have been held open in the hope that Plant will say yes.
It is likely that the four-piece band would be able at least to match the estimated $212 million grossed by The Police for their reunion last year, according to figures compiled by Billboard, the industry magazine.
Led Zeppelin concert uses Kahuna
From: SCREENAFRICA.COM 2008.01.23
As Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham opened the Led Zeppelin reunion show — a tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, the late founder of Atlantic Records and mentor to many music icons — they launched into "Good Times Bad Times" against a 28-meter by 10-meter backdrop featuring video mixed on a Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switcher.
For this, the first song on the band's 1969 debut album, and the next 15 songs that rocked London's O2 arena on Dec. 10, 2007, Concert Video Director Dick Carruthers used the Kahuna to create the visual spectacle envisioned by the legendary troupe for its stage return.
"Led Zeppelin songs vary massively from gentle, tender blues to knock-your-head-off songs like 'Kashmir' and 'Whole Lotta Love,' and to reflect this the Kahuna allowed us to create and apply a variety of beautiful textures perfectly suited to what each song was about," said Carruthers, who mixed video from the Front of House position. "The Kahuna is unparalleled in terms of its quality and what it can achieve technically, and that's only half the story because we also had the support of Snell & Wilcox behind us. We programmed layers of effects and mapped them into 20 or 30 buttons, subdivided by song, so that I could recall each one instantaneously. It was a 'Wizard of Oz' kind of thing, and the resulting pictures on stage were mind blowing."
Officially titled the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, this first full Led Zeppelin concert in 27 years not only recognized Ertegun, who died in 2006 at age 83, but also served as a benefit for the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which will offer music student scholarships to universities in the United States, England, as well as Turkey, Ertegun's homeland. In building the images displayed behind the band's three surviving members — Plant, Page, and Jones — and drummer Jason Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, Carruthers used a 4-ME Kahuna to switch graphic material, live slow-motion playback, and eight live HD camera feeds through the switcher DVEs.
Carruthers specifically sought out the Kahuna for production of this Led Zeppelin concert. Though the on-screen result was at times subtle, the effects Carruthers applied with the Kahuna ranged widely from heavy colorization (blue or red in the blacks) to black and white with heavy contrast ratios to color washes and film effects such as strobing, smears, and jiggles.
Carruthers' team captured the whole event using 12 cameras recording in HDSR and also with three film cameras. Though Carruthers worked at a switching surface at Front Of House, the Kahuna mainframe was located in a CTV OB unit 150 meters away. The high quality of the uncompressed HD images and uncompressed processing allowed Carruthers to get the best out of each look.
Reunion Show Breaks Merchandise Sale Record
From: PROMOTIONAL-MERCHANDISE.ORG.UK 2008.01.23
When Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years, Event Merchandising worked with the organisers to put together a range of merchandise for sale at the gig and from the online shop.
Nearly 20,000 fans attended the event at London's 02 arena where original band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham.
The products sold, broke the record for sales of merchandise in the O2 venue.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Schedule US Dates
From: BILLBOARD.COM 2008.01.18
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will kick off a world tour in support of their acclaimed 2007 album "Raising Sand" with a handful of dates in the U.S. and Europe this spring.
The first leg begins in Louisville, Ky., on April 20 and continues to Knoxville, Tenn., on April 22, Chattanooga, Tenn., on April 23 and Birmingham, Ala., on April 26. The tour's 11-date run in Europe follows in May.
The duo will be joined on stage by producer and musician T Bone Burnett. Tickets for the April U.S. dates go on sale Jan. 25. A longer run of North American shows is planned for June and July, but dates and details have not yet been announced.
The Plant/Krauss trek, long in the works, would likely complicate the scheduling of a potential full Led Zeppelin tour, which has been widely speculated following the legendary band's one-off December reunion concert in London.
"Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)," the single from "Raising Sand," is currently up for a best pop collaboration with vocals Grammy. The album bowed at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 in October.
Led Zeppelin pics uncovered after thirty years
From: ABC.NET.AU 2008.01.15
It was 1972, and the world's biggest band of the time, Led Zeppelin, was due to play at the Sydney Showground. No-one was to know it would become one of the great concerts, and thankfully, photographer Ted Harvey was there to capture the moment. But the discovery of these images seems more a result of 'accidental archiving'.
Ted came across his extraordinary images three years ago when he conducted a search of his many rock music photographs when someone enquired about his work as a freelance photographer in the 1970's.
Ted had photographed the likes of Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple and Cat Stevens. After he took these shots of Led Zeppelin in Sydney, he met the band and enjoyed a stroll in Kings Cross with Robert Plant. He recalls Plant started to sing at the top of his lungs without a passer by seeming to notice! Now based in the Northern Rivers, Harvey has fond memories of the Zeppelin concert that Sunday 27 February, 1972.
"I drove my van around to the back of the stage, parked and walked to the front. I was surprised I seemed to be the only press photographer there."
Ted literally had front row seats with the rest of the crowd distanced from the stage behind a concrete barrier. I had free movement around the stage, great for picture taking!"
He captured this historic moment on film but the images were never sold because of a pay dispute with a magazine. The images were eventually forgotten about and misplaced until early 2005.
"A friend of mine kept telling me he wanted to see the Led Zeppelin photos so I had a big search. I was just looking though some storage and actually found the negatives, I was quite shocked to find them and immediately scanned them and printed them up."
"No one, apart from the Zeppelin band members, had seen the photos. I thought others might like to relive the memories of an era that will never be repeated."
Led Zeppelin played the Sydney Showground in an extraordinary three-hour concert on an otherwise-sleepy February Sunday afternoon, their only-ever Sydney gig. Officially, there were 28,000 fans attending, though it was more like 38,000 as 'lots of people climbed the fence'.
It was a record crowd for the era. Despite the millions of albums sold and record breaking tours at the peak of their success, Led Zeppelin shunned media attention. Notoriously camera-shy the band were almost inaccessible to the media and few photographs of their live performances exist.
Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant said Ted Harvey's images are the best ever taken of the band.
In exhibiting this works, Harvey hopes to raise awareness for Rockphoto aid – helping to support children who live in extreme poverty in Brazil, a project he and his wife are committed to.
Led Zeppelin continue to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. The band have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide and recently played a reform concert in the UK.
The exhibition also presents responses from contemporary artists Adam Cullen, Nicholas Harding, Geoff Harvey, Euan Macleod, Lucille Martin, Alan Jones, Craig Waddell, Chris O'Doherty (aka Reg Mombassa), Danius Kesminas and Gareth Samson.
The photographs were first exhibited in an exhibition called 'One Night Stand' at the Lismore Regional Art Gallery.
The exhibition opens January 19 to March 2, 2008 at the S.H. Ervin Gallery, National Trust of Australia.
Robert Plant And Alison Krauss: 'CMT Crossroads' To Premiere Next Month
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.15
Led Zeppelin frontman and legendary rocker Robert Plant and bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss share the stage performing their own classics as well as songs from their new album, "Raising Sand", in the next all-new episode of "CMT Crossroads: Robert Plant And Alison Krauss", premiering Monday, February 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Plant and Krauss were recently nominated for a Grammy in the category of "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" for the song "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" from "Raising Sand".
Together, Plant and Krauss combine his rock intensity with her angelic grace for a phenomenal episode of "CMT Crossroads". The two music icons perform songs from their new album, including "Please Read the Letter" and "Rich Woman". The pair performed Alison Krauss and Union Station's "The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn", as well as Led Zeppelin classics "Black Dog" and "When the Levee Breaks". The pair also pay homage to The Everly Brothers with their version of "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)". Special guest T Bone Burnett, acclaimed songwriter, performer and "Raising Sand" producer, joins in the onstage collaboration.
New Robert Plant book release date to move forward
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.14
UK-based journalist Neil Daniels' book on Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, "Robert Plant: Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page & The Solo Years" (Independent Music Press), has had its release date moved forward to January 31 from the previously announced February 28.
The book is based on interviews with many of those who knew Plant throughout his career, including childhood friends, and will cover Plant's post-Led Zeppelin career as well as his time in the influential rock band.
For the first time, Plant's solo years — famously working with his former Led Zep cohort Jimmy Page, numerous guest appearances and on his own material — are covered in depth in a complete rock biography. The book also places Plant's later work in the wider context of both Led Zep's own legacy and the broader history of modern music.
This is the very first book to tell the complete story of an enthusiastic young kid from the West Midlands who belied his humble blues roots and defied his stern parents by becoming one of the world's most recognizable and iconic rock superstars. This biography brings his career slap-bang up-to-date covering his latest album "Raising Sand" with the revered bluegrass singer Alison Krauss and the highly-publicized Led Zeppelin reunion in December 2007.
For more information, visit www.neildaniels.com.
Plant and Krauss Receive Grammy Nomination
From: TBLWEB.COM 2008.01.14
Even though Raising Sand was not eligible this year as an album, the single "Gone Gone Gone" was released early enough to be eligible. It has been nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocal.
The list for this category: "Steppin' Out" -- Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera "Beautiful Liar" -- Beyoncé & Shakira "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" -- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss "The Sweet Escape" -- Gwen Stefani & Akon "Give It To Me" -- Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake
The Grammy Awards show will take place on February 10, 2008 in Los Angeles.
Special 'Bonham To Bonham' Interview in DRUM NAMM! magazine
From: HULIQ.COM 2008.01.10
Enter Music Publishing, publishers of diverse, hip drum/percussion magazines, such as DRUM! DRUM! Interactive, TRAPS and HOW TO PLAY DRUMS, has made available its February 2008 DRUM! Special NAMM (National Association of Music Merchandisers) Show Issue. It features an innovative tribute the drumming legacy of John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) including a joint interview involving John and his son Jason.
The interview (printed in a special minibook bound into the issue) celebrates the compelling 40-year old hold that John Bonham has made on the imaginations of drummers worldwide, and his son Jason's recent powerful performances with the reunited Led Zep.
Since John passed away in 1978 (Jeff note: "Oi!") it's logical to ask how one could interview the father and son together. This editorial sleight-of-hand was accomplished by asking Jason and John the same interview questions twenty years apart. Back in 1993, DRUM! Editor Andy Doerschuk conceived the double interview between Jason and John Bonham. He asked Jason the exact same questions that John had answered in an interview twenty years before—and then published the answers side by side. The editorial result was both compelling and prescient. Though Jason had performed once with the remaining members of Zeppelin in 1988, no one knew then that in 2008 that Bonham Jr. would take over his father's chair with Led Zeppelin. The original John and Jason interview has been updated and re-edited for this special issue.
Led Zeppelin: New Verizon Commercial Posted Online
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.09
Advertising Age has posted a new McCann-produced TV commercial promoting the tie-in between Led Zeppelin and Verizon.
According to AdAge.com, the spot — highlighting Verizon's deal to bring their customers the band's recently re-released digital catalog — cleverly features scenes, symbols and characters from Led Zeppelin's history, including album covers, concert posters, equipment, symbols and people. The song "Kashmir", from the album "Physical Graffiti", plays as the commercial's main character travels down the street, headphones on, listening to the song. He walks past a tattoo shop with the classic Led Zeppelin symbols (from "IV") on display in the window, past a girl with the symbols tattooed on her back, past a Led Zeppelin poster on a contractor's building board and past a character with a bundle of sticks on his back — as featured on the front of the album cover for "IV". At the end of the commercial the main character walks into the building featured on the cover of "Physical Graffiti".
Led Zep Bassist Looks Back On Reunion Concert
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.09
David Fricke of RollingStone.com recently conducted an interview with Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:
RollingStone.com: What were your feelings the day of the show, in the hours before you went on stage?
John Paul Jones: I tried to keep the enormity of it all as far away as possible, until the last minute. I sat around playing banjo all day. It calms me down. For every show we've ever done, there is always hype, expectancy. For us, it was just "Let's get on and do it." Obviously, it was quite a reception when we did get out there.
RollingStone.com: There was a dramatic quality to opening with "Good Times Bad Times" — the first song on Led Zeppelin's first album.
John Paul Jones: That's the hardest riff I ever wrote, the hardest to play. But it was a good starter, because everybody had to focus. We soon figured out in rehearsals what the first three numbers would be ("Good Times Bad Times", "Ramble On", "Black Dog") and that we would play them straight through.
What gave us confidence was the week before [the show], we did a full production rehearsal, with the full screen set up. That was really good. It was a smaller room, and you could hear everything, which is the only thing I regret about those stadiums — you don't hear all of the subtleties. The groove is much tighter in the small room. I can only wish we could play 2000 seaters forever, because that's where it sounds great. But the excitement was there on stage [at the O2 arena], as it was in the old days.
RollingStone.com: At soundcheck, I was surprised to hear you, Jimmy Page and Jason Bonham play instrumental versions of "Good Times Bad Times" and "Ramble On". It was like hearing Zeppelin in dub — the subtleties and interplay that go into the background when Robert Plant sings over them.
John Paul Jones: He didn't do that much singing in rehearsal. Robert wanted to protect his voice. We did a lot of the songs instrumentally for quite awhile, especially when he was out doing promotion [for "Raising Sand", Plant's hit album with Alison Krauss]. And it was really good for us. It was us getting used to each other, which you have to do in order to bring this off. You want to be tight. But I like to be free in what I do. I hardly ever play the same bass line twice. Even in songs where it's mapped out, like "Good Times Bad Times", I swap it around a little bit. We all enjoy the freedom to do that. In order to have that freedom, you have to know each other so well.
RollingStone.com: How would you describe Jason's playing during the show? He was very much his father's son.
John Paul Jones: A lot of the fills were not what his dad did at all. He's as fearless as his dad, that's for sure [laughs]. But he did an amazing job, when you consider that he had to answer to every drummer in the world after that show. With that sort of pressure, to bring all that off was astonishing. "Kashmir" was absolutely wonderful, the way he led in and out of the choruses and bridges.
Average Ticket Price For Reunion Show: $14,700
From: GUARDIAN.CO.UK 2008.01.08
The loud and proud return of Led Zeppelin was the most lucrative event of the year for the touts and fans at the centre of a heated row over the resale of tickets online, according to figures published yesterday.
One of the leading online ticket resellers, Seatwave, said the average price for tickets sold through the site for Led Zeppelin's comeback gig at London's O2 arena was £7,425.
Online resellers have effectively created a rolling market for high-profile gigs and sporting events.
There is no legislation covering the resale of concert tickets and sporting events other than football matches but the culture, media and sport select committee will this week release a hotly anticipated report on the matter.
Desperate Led Zeppelin fans were willing to risk thousands on tickets sold through sites such as Seatwave. The tickets had a face value of £125.
The figures reveal that boxer Ricky Hatton's much-hyped bout with Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas was the second most popular event for users of the site, with tickets going for up to £3,050.
Dedicated resale sites such as Seatwave and Viagogo, as well as established online retailers such as eBay, have angered artists, managers and promoters who say they are profiting from online touting. But those behind the sites say the vast majority of their customers are legitimate fans.
The live music market is now worth more than £743m a year, and the online ticket resale market alone is worth an estimated £200m a year.
Sky's The Limit For Led Zep
From: POLLSTAR.COM 2008.01.08
While the music business and international media continue the "will they or won't they tour the world" debate, Harvey Goldsmith - the promoter of Led Zeppelin's December 10 reunion show in London - says the band's earning capacity is unlimited.
But Goldsmith, who was awarded the MBE for his services to music and charity, doesn't believe what The Times described as "a whole lotta loot" will be the motivating factor.
"Basically, the sky's the limit," he told Pollstar, without revealing if he's among the promoters who, according to The Times, are "structuring bids in the form of a large upfront payment to lure the band to their venues."
The paper reported that Led Zep is "being pursued with offers from both Live Nation and AEG," and claimed the latter put in an offer immediately after the London show, although it admitted it couldn't verify that info.
But Goldsmith reckons some creative thinking is more likely to win the day.
"They are one of the few bands around that do not need to tour for money," he explained.
"Not much point in talking hypothetically. Led Zeppelin committed to playing one show for Ahmet [Ertegun]. That was it," he explained, as if dismissing any question of his own future involvement.
"If they decided to go onwards there are so many different ways to reach an audience. Money is not the driver.
"Therefore, what would be important is creating an environment that worked both for band and audience. That would need a lot of creative thinking with the band's input being paramount."
If Live Nation or AEG is about to stump up "well over £100 million," which is where The Times is pitching the act's potential earnings, then they're not letting on.
"I wouldn't presume to have any knowledge or info on this," was LN head of global touring Arthur Fogel's reaction to his company's mention in The Times piece. However, he did admit to having thought about it.
Having persuaded The Police to reunite and take to the road again would suggest that producing a world tour for Led Zeppelin would be right up his street.
Anyone trying to prognosticate whether Live Nation is about to table a bid may be left feeling a little dazed and confused. While Fogel said he didn't profess to speak for Live Nation colleague Michael Cohl when talking about Led Zeppelin, Cohl himself is saying nothing.
AEG Live President Randy Phillips, who was at the London show, is clearly a fan and would love to promote a tour.
"Standing on the floor of the O2 Arena, I closed my eyes and felt like I was in college studying for finals again," he told Pollstar.
"As far as making an offer for a world tour that night, this never happened. I was told that the group are going to meet again in January to decide whether this was a one-off or if they will want to do more performances.
"Needless to say, if they decide to do more I would be honoured to be invited to make a proposal to be their tour promoter."
Live Nation's Los Angeles-based rival is seen as the other main contender by one or two of the U.K.'s serious papers, although Cohl will likely also have considered the fact the act doesn't have a record deal.
As head of Artist Nation he now has an infrastructure to deliver a tour and record contract, as the company has recently done with Madonna.
The will they/won't they debate may even be turning into a can they/can't they question as singer Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are set to tour in the spring.
Most of Europe, apart from non-qualifying countries including all those in the U.K., is also likely to be more focused on the continent's major soccer competition during the summer.
However, according to the Daily Star, the tour is definitely on and the act is already looking at playing Cardiff Millennium Stadium. It quotes Welsh Rugby Union chief exec Roger Lewis as saying, "We would love to welcome Led Zeppelin and we have already put in a request to Harvey Goldsmith."
Only time will tell if he's talking to the right person.
Led Zeppelin Reunion Crowned 'Hottest' Event Of 2007
From: GIGWISE.COM 2008.01.07
The concert, which saw the veteran band play together for the first time since 1988, beat sporting events and Barbara Streisand to the top spot.
"Last year's must-see event was undoubtedly Led Zeppelin's comeback concert at London's O2 Arena, with fans desperate to get their hands on a ticket," said Joe Cohen, CEO of Seatwave, an online fan-to-fan ticket exchange.
Cohen said that the average price paid for Led Zeppelin tickets via Seatwave was £7,525, with one fan paying £7,425.
Original tickets for the concert cost £125 each and were allocated via a ballot system which attracted over 1 million applicants.
Cohen said that the price of tickets showed that the secondary market was "increasingly becoming a great indicator of an event's popularity."
A whole lotta hassle for the Rev Zeppelin
From: DAILYMAIL.CO.UK 2008.01.05
For decades, the Rev John Dale has looked forward to retiring to the isolated 18th Century cottage he owns in the Welsh hills.
But his dreams of tranquillity have been shattered - by hundreds of Led Zeppelin fans.
For the property, Bron-Yr-Aur, overlooking the Dyfi Valley on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, is where Robert Plant and Jimmy Page penned the band's third album, Led Zeppelin III, in 1970 and ever since it has attracted hundreds of their followers.
Some have even stolen "souvenirs" from the grounds of the house, after which Plant and Page named a track on the LP.
Mr Dale, 65, the vicar of St Michael's in Michaelston-y-Fedw in South Wales, bought the stone-built cottage in 1972 as a country retreat for his family and, eventually, as a retirement home.
But with renewed interest in Led Zeppelin following their recent reunion gig in London, he is pleading to be left alone.
Mr Dale, who is not a Led Zeppelin fan and did not know of the cottage's connection to the band when he bought it, said:
"I've lost count of the number of people we've had up here when I'm staying with the family.
"We've had people from all over the world - Italy, China, Australia and America.
"Most are polite and, after having a quick look, tend to leave quietly, but we've had more than one break-in and once a photograph was taken near the fireplace and posted on the internet, which we weren't too happy about."
Over the years, three house name signs have gone missing, forcing Mr Dale to take drastic action.
"We've resorted to painting the house name on a ruddy great boulder which I've concreted into the ground," he said.
Mr Dale, a father of four, added: "I am not an unreasonable man but if the visits by fans become more frequent or intrusive, I'll have no option but to think about upping the security measures, which would be a shame.
"It is a beautiful place but people must remember it is a private house surrounded by private farmland."
According to Mr Dale, there is also a misconception about the links between the house and the band. Contrary to popular belief among Led Zeppelin fans, Robert Plant never owned the property and the band visited only once.
But he adds:
"It's the most beautiful, calming, peaceful place you could ever wish to be in. I'm very much looking forward to spending more and more time there when I retire. The scenery is spectacular.
"Despite the rock fans tramping up to the cottage, we've never thought of selling it."
Then, pausing for thought, he joked: "We've never been made an offer from a fan, though. I suppose if it ran into millions, we may have to give it some consideration."
Led Zeppelin Focus Of BBC's 'Metal At 40' Program
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.03
A program celebrating 40 years of heavy metal — focusing on the genre's founding fathers, including Led Zeppelin, aired Thursday morning (January 3) on BBC Radio 4. The show, dubbed Metal at 40", included several short interview clips from the '80s with Robert Plant.
You can listen to the program at the BBC Radio 4 web site.
Bonaroo Spokesman: Led Zeppelin Report "Inaccurate"
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.03
The president of Big Hassle, a publicity firm for the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, has told Murfreesboro, Tennessee's The Daily News Journal that reports of Led Zeppelin appearing at the festival in Manchester, TN this summer are inaccurate.
The Mirror, an English newspaper, reported Dec. 31 that the rock group would headline Bonnaroo in June.
"It's still a rumor and the information in the Mirror is inaccurate," said Ken Weinstein, president of Big Hassle. "I speak on behalf of (promoter) Superfly and AC Entertainment."
In early December internet report of Led Zeppelin's pending appearance at Bonnaroo in June was denied by Superfly and AC Entertainment.
Robert Plant's Video Salute To Jimmy Page
From: BLABBERMOUTH.NET 2008.01.03
A video salute to Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page by Robert Plant filmed especially for the 2007 Classic Rock Roll of Honour awards staged by Classic Rock magazine, where Page won the Living Legend accolade, can be viewed below.
The Classic Rock Roll of Honour awards took place in London in early November.
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler paid tribute to the guitarist, who also received a video message from guitar legend Les Paul.
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