3/4 Of The Young Ones (the funny ones)

“Why Can’t You Be More Like Roger Daltrey?”

Because I’m Not Queer!

Ah, British 80′s comedy. Bad News was a Spinal Tap-ish band/documentary created by former Young Ones Rik Mayall (rik), Adrian Edmonson (vivian), and Nigel Planer (neil). They were the subjects of two episodes of the BBC comedy, The Comic Strip. This show was aired on MTV in the late 80′s, and it was funny as hell (most of the time).

Well, the Bad News episodes were very popular, so the boys recorded an album, produced by Queen’s Brian May, and took to playing live, just like a real horrible metal band. They achieved such status as to attract real musicians, like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and the aforementioned Brian May to perform at the concerts.

I love the tshirt for the Checkerboard Lounge (Chicago Blues Club)

Here is a recording of Jimmy Page exchanging some patter with Vim Fuego (Adrian Edmonson) before the song. It’s funny. Vim says, “I said stay behind the stacks!”  to which Jimmy replies, “There’s too many back there already. The pushed me out.”  Good stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na70Lux3-gA

A better partnership than Page/Plant at this point

And you try to tell me with consternation
That you have found me a brand new lock
Then you try to warn me that there’s only one combination
One new sling – the same old rock

I told you I would post this as soon as I found a video, and I have. Ok, This video was around on Sunday morning, but a brother’s got to make his paper, so I had to put this off. Irregahdless, this song, and performance, is truly sublime. I owe my brethren at FBO for this, as they’re always the first with this kind of stuff.

Jimmy played on the original, back in 1969/70, and it was just like this, but not as passionate.  They key to enjoying this is to not expect a JIMMY PAGE performance. This is Roy’s night, in Roy’s town, to Roy’s crowd. Roy Harper is a true artist, bard, visionary… in a very English way.  He’s magnificent, pure, and (as a result) at times a bit hokey to those not in the same zeitgeist.

This song is an indictment of organized religion and dogma. The rock referred to is not rock and roll, it’s the hurled rock of the defiant against the system. Davy/Goliath.  It’s beautiful. Jimmy plays beautifully and really cuts loose at the end (this song is long. folks. Either pay perfect attention, or zone out and come back at the end when the guitar gets good), and it makes me wonder why the fuck Jimmy doesn’t do more work with Roy. After all, he’s made 5 albums with Roy Harper, and they’re all classics.  There’s been talk about tendonitis or arthritis impinging upon Jimmy’s ability to really bend strings that well anymore… so play acoustic, motherfucker.

This is beautiful. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2bdLAVHbQU

Jimmy Page joins Roy Harper for The Same Old Rock

The Fifth Of November

Remember

Roy Harper threw a 70th birthday concert on 11/5 (or 5/11 to our brothers across the pond), and Jimmy Page came out for the encore. I have pictures, and I have a testimonial, but I’ve not found any video. I will post it when I do.

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 Crowes Are A Truly Great Band

The ZoCrowes Were tight

The Army Of Guitars Was Achieved

I’m sorry I never got to see Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes (who played together recently) when they toured in 2000.  I wasn’t really enamored with their album. I don’t like Chris Robinson’s voice singing Zep (I love him singing his own stuff). He sounds flat to me.
In any case, this song is all about the guitars, and they sound great, and work well together. Lush, dense, and distinct, the three guitar treatment of Ten Years Gone, while not superior the Led Zeppelin 7/24/79 Copenhagen version (posted here), it’s a tight, solid performance. Enjoy it. It’s the coolest thing ever.

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

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

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

ZoCrowes Reunion 2011

Final Crowes Show In UK

Jimmy Page got offstage about two hours ago, from playing with the Black Crowes on their farewell to England Tour. This video appeared on YouTube about 20 minutes ago (from post time). I act fast. Jimmy Page was supposed to launch his website today. That hasn’t happened yet, but he’s getting a shitload of traffic from thousands of fans refreshing ten time a minute. Clever, Mr. Page, but a bit dickish. The teen girls on Tumblr are apoplectic.

Continuing the trend of actually playing the guitar (rather than just posing with one) Jimmy Page joined the Black Crowes at the Shepherds Bush Empire, for a rousing rendition of Shake Your Moneymaker. Jimmy’s looking good, rocking the leather jacket and white hair. He’s cool as fuck. In fact he’s the Coolest Thing Ever. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QQ4HSPejX4

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.