This is hailed as Led Zep's Best Concert Ever

The Legendary Bath Festival

6/28/70 Led Zeppelin’s “Best” Performance

Anyone who ever went through any sort of Led Zeppelin phase, is familiar with the pictures of Jimmy Page wearing an overcoat and a “yokel” hat onstage.  The Bath Festival has been held in quite reverence ever since they got offstage, back in 1970.  The sun went down behind them, as they took the stage, and tens of thousands of stoners went,”whoa……..”.

Although the show was professionally filmed, and taped, it hasn’t seen the light of day. If memory serves, Jimmy Page looked into purchasing this footage, for the Led Zeppelin DVD release, but the price was too high. There are only a couple of bootlegs of this show, and they all sound like shit. The one used in the video (which as synced by ssellers, who is amazing) below is a newly found source. It’s much less distorted than other sources, and one can now hear the show (although the quality is still pretty rough).

Anyway, I’m rambling. At this show, Led Zeppelin debuted songs from the as yet unreleased Led Zeppelin 3 album. It’s cool. A good rule of thumb is that if Jimmy Page is wearing a sweater vest, or a fishing hat onstage, then it’s going to be a great show. It wasn’t until he started being “cool” that his chops suffered (prolly from all them drugs what he took). Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh4FfeXqvTQ

The man gets around

It’s Not Led Zeppelin

Moldejazz 2011

You will probably not like this. It’s pure, free, improvisation. Most people call it noise. Supersilent is a Norwegian avant garde improv group, that’s been around almost 15 years.

This clip is from the Moldejazz Festival 2011 (just a few days ago), and features Jonesy jumping in and kicking ass with the mighty nords. John Paul Jones keeps busy like a mofo, and always doing cool stuff, like Seasick Steve, or the collaboration with Sonic Youth, or the Anna Nicole opera, or his own supergroup, Them Crooked Vultures.

Jimmy Page recently launched a website. John Paul Jones FTW.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GkS6dVZqEw

One Of Their Best Concerts Ever

Unbelievable Solos From Jimmy Page

Synced With Knebworth Video

Today is the 32nd anniversary of the last truly virtuoso Led Zeppelin concert (in my opinion). On July 23rd and 24th Zeppelin played two gigs at the Falkoner Theater, in Copenhagen Denmark, as a warm up for the huge Knebworth shows the next month (8/4 and 8/11/79).

The first Knebworth show was pretty awesome, but it didn’t reach the levels of fluidity, and virtuosity of the Copenhagen gigs.  Jimmy Page plays like it’s 1973 again, and the rest of the band is right behind him.I recently shared the band’s 1971 Copenhagen gig.

This version of Ten Years Gone has been synced to the video of the same same song, from 8/4/79.   The sync works almost perfectly. The solos played by Jimmy are exquisite. Not ‘grading on the curve’  or ‘exquisiste for junky Jimmy’.  I mean really, truly amazing (especially that descending run at the end of the second solo).  32 years ago today, this song was played marvelously, and you can hear it anytime you want.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXH64kAigBE

He got the mojo all the way back

His Best Playing Since 1973

So Of Course Robert Quits

1998 was a banner year for Jimmy Page.  He was again touring with Led Zeppelin chum, Robert Plant, and his guitar playing was crazy good. The Bizarre Festival was held in Germany, in August, and Page / Plant were there. And they killed it. As Robert says, in his introduction to How Many More Times, the rain and wind had turned the outdoor space into a “miserable, wet, field”, but it mattered not. For Page and Plant kicked the shit out of those Germans.

Awhile back I posted their insanely awesome performance of Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, because I’m cool, and you need things like this to remind you of the Matrix, and the dreariness therein. Even though the rhythm section is no Jones/Bonham (even though the bassist is also named Jones), Jimmy uses them for all they’re worth.  He started at great on this tour, and only got better. There are still four more months of shows after this one, and by the time we get to December of 1998, Jimmy sounds like 1972 again… just on fire.  He is once again full master of the instrument, and the inspiration flows. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDcSYjGK8W4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkMm-WVpE7k

Led Zeppelin Would Be Proud

You’ll Be Smiling By The End

As you may know, I am fond of Led Zeppelin, and Jimmy Page in particular. I saw this mashup on Wired, actually on Underwire, and I had to post it my self. The amount of work editing this is huge, and my hat is off to Kutiman for doing this. It’s the Coolest Thing Ever.

Click To Grab the Show

Four Songs

Soundboard Quality

Led Zeppelin rehearsed for months, in preparation for their 2007 reunion, at the o2 Arena. For the first time, at least as far as I know, we can hear some of the rehearsals, and they’re awesome. There are 4 songs:

• Good Times Bad Times
•  For Your Life
•  Since I’ve Been Loving You
• Rock and Roll.

They are all great, although Since I’ve Been Loving You (or SIBLY to we Zep nerds) is truly outstanding, with truly emotional playing from Jimmy Page. Have a listen. It’s the Coolest Thing Ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2LdvGm33SM

An Exhaustive Record Of Led Zeppelin's Last Tour Ever

Dave Lewis Compiled A Great Book

An In Depth Look Led Zeppelin’s Last Stand

I recently received a package from the UK. It was Dave Lewis’ Led Zeppelin – Feather In The Wind – Over Europe 1980. I’m listening to Bluecongo’s excellent matrix mix of Led Zeppelin’s 6/29/80 show in Zurich, as I write this. I love it. I love that I got a signed copy (thanks, Dave!). I love the stories about this tour, show by show, from people who were there. Dave Lewis himself was a guest of the band at several of the stops on this tour.

This tour was a watershed. No more long solos, no more Dazed and Confused and Moby Dick. The songs were pared down, rough and ready. The excess and, let’s face it, hubris, of the 1977 tour was rejected for a more simple, almost punk, aesthetic. This was the first tour after the tragic loss of Robert Plant’s son. Both Jimmy Page and John Bonham were still in their addictions, but they seemed to be pulling it together, and really into getting back to the music. No more lasers. No more drum solos. Even Nobody’s Fault But Mine is stripped of it’s minutes of droning guitar, and goes right into the fucking song. It’s amazing.

Yes, this book is for Zeppelin fans, but if you’re a fan, then this book will not disappoint. It’s so good, in fact, that I’m cutting this post short, because I’m actually going to create a separate page on Youdopia for this book. For some reason I get a lot of Led Zeppelin fans, and all should know of this book.

You can still get a signed, numbered copy of this amazing book (with more than 250 rarely seen pics, did I mention that?) on Dave’s legendary Tight But Loose site. It’s totally worth the money, even with the exchange rate, and it is truly the Coolest Thing Ever.

Click The Pic To Download A Lossless Copy

Led Zeppelin 1971

This Is A Good One

Led Zeppelin is my favorite band, as you noble readers already know, I’m sure. I want to share an excellent Led Zeppelin concert from August 31, 1971. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are still at the top of their game (Robert’s voice on the Immigrant Song is nuts). The sense of fun is evident here, in a bit of banter between Bonzo and Jimmy just before Black Dog. A bit of back and forth in a Scottish accent. I love it. You love it. You will love it or by God, there will be hell to pay.

This concert is offered here as mp3′s for you youngsters with the iPods and cell phones. I converted them lovingly with the LAME codec in variable 0 mode. That means it will sound awesome. Now, that also means that you must never ever ever offers this in trading circles. Show trading is for the pure, lossless versions only. For real. For the other 99.999% of you who just want to listen to Led Zeppelin live, because they’re awesome, go nuts.

I’ve offered dozens of free concert downloads. Check them out.

http://www.mediafire.com/?rbcei3rdu3v3x6b

http://www.mediafire.com/?4fpn5h9k4l6nsum

Yes, That's an SS uniform. Yes, he is a bit skinny.

Zoso Uber Alles

Heroin Fascism Is Trés Cool

Jimmy Page has done things normal people have not. Not all of it is good, but most of it is cool. If you would like to hear a solo concert from Jimmy Page’s Outrider tour, you may do so here.

Imagine the debauchery

Jimmy Page And Ron Wood Sound Great Together

Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) is old friends with Ron Wood (Rolling Stones), to the point of sharing Ronnie’s spouse for a time. Yes, it was the ’70′s. It was 2/13/75 in Uniondale, NY. Led Zeppelin (I believe they were some sort of sporting team. Lawn darts, I believe it was… or polo) was playing one of their rock and roll concerts, and their chum Ronnie Wood (who was playing NYC with the Faces) jumped onstage for a rollicking version of Communication Breakdown.

The sound quality is very good, but this audience recording lacks bass, and it’s a shame because Jonesy’s bass lines would have funked this up a ton if they were more prominent.  I’m sure a soundboard tape of this gig exists, since the next night is available in pristine stereo sbd (hear for yourself), and more and more ’75 board tapes are dribbling out.

Until the board tape of this gig is liberated we’ll have to make do with this. Enjoy the unique experience of hearing Led Zeppelin with two guitarists. Some of it is awesome. All of it is the Coolest Thing Ever.