40 Years..Where did they go?

[RWIGWH]

On this day… 05 Dec 1984
I played in Hamburg with The Firm

During The Firm's first tour of Europe we played Hamburg Audimax. The setlist was:
SETLIST
Closer
City Sirens
Make Up Or Break Up
Morning After
Together
Cadillac
Prelude
Money Can't Buy
Radioactive

 

[RWIGWH]

On this day… 06 Dec 1991
I was at Little Mountain Studios engineering the Coverdale-Page album

Boys are Feeling Hot Tonight!

At this time, David Coverdale and I were at Little Mountain Studios in Vancouver with Mike Fraser, engineering what would become the Coverdale-Page album. The music featured here is from the very first days of getting together to write at David's home near Lake Tahoe. It's rough and ready; vocal, guitar and drum machine with a rockabilly edge (only missing an upright slap bass). I think it reflects the joint enthusiasm for the project.
Warning* Obscene Language enclosed...
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9_RoE07ADY"]David Coverdale & Jimmy Page - Feeling Hot (Tokyo 1993) - YouTube[/ame]

Bonus...Still Of The Night - Jimmy Page and David Coverdale - Osaka 1993
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEOUG8Au9FQ"]Still Of The Night - Jimmy Page and David Coverdale - Osaka 1993 - YouTube[/ame]

PS: Coverdale said that Jimmy did not hesitate at playing the song, and did not ask for music. Just listened to a recording once, just played the same night.

 

[RWIGWH]

On this day... 07 Dec 1997
I performed at the Café de Paris with Robert Plant

On this day in 1997, I played a benefit for the charity War Child with Robert Plant on vocals, Michael Lee on drums and Charlie Jones on bass. The set was:
Ramble On
Move It
Over the Hills and Far Away
Thank You
Crossroads
I think this clip says it all...
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eDZ2P8So8k"]Ramble On - 1997.12.07 London, UK.avi - YouTube[/ame]

 

[BADWIN BING]

There's a sublime article in Record Collector magazine celebrating the 40th anniversary of IV:

http://www.recordcollectormag.com/articles/article-detail/808

You can't view much here without subscription but the mag runs 10+ pages. Great read!!! Probably not much in there you don't know already Zo but if you want a copy I'm just a PM away.

 

[RWIGWH]

Hey B!...It's on it's way to me, but thank you!

Here is a decent read you may enjoy also...

Interview with George in Ultimate Classic Rock about his new LZ book

http://ultimateclass...-zeppelin-four/

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Led Zeppelin ‘IV’
by: Matthew Wilkening 2 weeks ago

Led Zeppelin’s fourth album turns forty years old today (Nov. 8), and as part of our celebration we’re counting down 10 things you may not know about this legendary and much discussed album with the help of George Case, the author of ‘Led Zeppelin FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Greatest Hard Rock Band of All Time.’
Far from a typical biography, the book jumps in a dizzying but wonderful way across years and topics to explore the band’s work from every perspective possible. As Case explains, “I started off as a fan, but I wanted to write more than just the traditional fan biography. I wanted to dig a little more into the whole cultural background of what Zeppelin was doing when they were actually an active group.”
This is partially done to debunk the sometimes erroneous legends that have surrounded the band over the years: “There seems to have been a mythology put onto them since they broke up, and the fan community has read so much into the music and the album covers and what the band was doing, and when you go back to the actual interviews of what they said they were doing it, they’re actually a lot more off-hand about it than people might suspect.”
Which makes a lot of sense, given the band’s schedule at the time. “Those first four albums were made in less than two years, so obviously they were working at a really fast pace, they didn’t have time to think about everything they were doing and try to come up with a reasoning for why they made the songs, or what they put on the album covers. So I was trying to remind the readers about that, that a lot of this was more haphazard than it seems to be in retrospect.”
It’s a fantastic read and we highly suggest you check it out. If you scroll down below, you might even win your own free copy. In the meantime, here’s 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Led Zeppelin ‘IV’:
1. They had a good reason for not including their name or faces on the cover.
“The cover wasn’t meant to antagonize the record company,” Jimmy Page told reporter Brad Tolinksi in 2001. ‘It was designed as our response to the music critics who maintained that the success of our first three albums was driven by hype and not talent… So we stripped everything away, and let the music do the talking.”
2. The opening sounds of ‘Black Dog’ are a byproduct of studio technology.
As Case explains, “Page did a lot of overdubbing, so when you’ve got three separate tracks of guitars to be played together, they have to get synched. It’s the sound of the tape rolling. He could have cut it out, it’s just them getting lined up from the separate takes and all.” Instead, the guitarist left them in, thinking it sounded like “the massing of the guitar armies.”
3. Robert Plant’s the only one moving at normal speed on ‘When the Levee Breaks.’
Much has been made of the Headley Grange stairwell that helped capture that massive ‘Levee’ drum sound: “People wonder how that sounds so planetary, but there was a natural echo there, and then they put more on it. They also slowed it down in the mix so it sounded really booming, had this huge reverb to it, it’s almost physical when you listen to it.” In fact, “The only sound on ‘When the Levee Breaks’ that’s recorded in natural time is Plant’s voice, everything else is slowed down just a little bit to make it really heavy.”
4. If you had to pick the least popular song on the album, it would probably be ‘Four Sticks.’
Although he’s quick to label it “a very tough call,” Case mentions in the book that the rhythmically tricky ‘Four Sticks’ is probably the least essential of all the songs on ‘IV.’ “I don’t think it’s bad at all, but I think of all the songs on the record it’s the least listenable.” Perhaps the band agrees: “Seven of the eight songs from that album are on their 1990 box set, and ‘Four Sticks’ was the one that didn’t make it. Compared to the other tracks on there, it just doesn’t stand out as much.”
5. The album was recorded in several different places.
When discussing the recording of ‘IV,’ the reportedly haunted house known as Headley Grange comes up, but big parts of the record were recorded at places like Island Studios and Sunset Sound. “Headley Grange is the one that gets known, because it’s a spooky house and that’s really cool, that’s where ‘When the Levee Breaks’ was recorded, in that echoey stairwell, but they did use a lot of other studios too. Headley was not professional enough. They had Ronnie Lane’s mobile outside, but Page was saying they had to go into a real studio for what they were doing.”
6. The band realized they needed to start crediting their lyrical inspirations.
Zeppelin has taken much grief from blues fans for heavily relying on lyrics from other artists in their earlier work, and it seems the degree of this “borrowing” is still being realized. “One thing I didn’t even mention in the book, that I heard just recently, I was listening to Count Basie, and he has a song called ‘Going to Chicago’ — “Sorry that I can’t take you,” so obviously Plant was getting into that at the end of ‘Levee.’ So all the lyrics were taken from Memphis Minnie, except for that little bit of Basie at the end. By that point, by ‘IV,’ I think they knew it was too obvious, that they couldn’t take someone else’s song and all the credit for it, so they snuck her name on it at the end.”
7. Contrary to rumors, there are no backwards messages on ‘Stairway to Heaven.’
“It sounds cool, it’s a great legend, but all that is just something that’s been thrown at it from long after the record was done. It wasn’t until the ’80s, after Zeppelin broke up, that these ideas started getting aired in public. It had to do with the religious backlash that happened in those days, people were reading satanic messages into ‘Dungeons and Dragons,’ this was just one more target for them. The band did use backwards sounds, for the aural effect, but they weren’t trying to put any messages on there.”
8. They weren’t the first to name a song ‘Stairway to Heaven.’
They were beaten to that title, if not by others before him, by none other than pop crooner Neil Sedaka, who included his own song by that exact same name on his 1960 album ‘Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits,’ taking it all the way to No. 9 on the charts.
9. There could have been more than eight songs on ‘IV.’
Zeppelin had a habit of holding onto material until they deemed it ready, for years sometimes. Many of the songs from 1975?s ‘Physical Graffiti’ were actually recorded as far back as the ‘III’ sessions. ‘Boogie with Stu’ from ‘Graffiti’ originally came from the ‘IV’ sessions, as did ‘Black Country Woman.’
10. The symbols the band chose for themselves on the album art don’t mean as much as you might think.
“They were put together pretty hastily, people have read so much into them over the years. When you get down to it, it sounds like John Paul Jones and John Bonham just said, ‘Oh, we’ll pick these, you know, sure, whatever,’ they weren’t that interested. Robert Plant picked the feather in the circle from some mystical account of some lost civilization that probably never existed. It was one of those hippie things that they thought was out there. Page’s “Zoso,” goes way back to the renaissance, really, but basically it’s a representation of Capricorn from a document dating back the 1500s. In those days, the way people drew astrological symbols was a lot more elaborate than just scales or fish, but it does derive from a symbol for Saturn, or for Capricorn. It’s nothing satanic or anything like that.”

 

[RWIGWH]

08 Dec 1984
I played the Hammersmith Odeon with The Firm

This was the first of the two nights played with The Firm at the Hammersmith Odeon, London. Myself on guitar, Chris Slade on drums, Paul Rodgers on vocals, piano and guitar and Tony Franklin on hair and bass.

SETLIST


Closer
City Sirens
Make Or Break
The Morning After
Together
Cadillac
Prelude
Money Can't Buy
Radioactive
Live In Peace
Midnight Moonlight
You've lost That Loving Feeling
Chase
Guitar Solo
Drum Solo
Someone To Love
Full Circle
Boogie Mama
Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

 

[RWIGWH]

On This Day...
MrZoSo took a vacation until Tuesday December 13th. In the meantime, feel free to post an event, or comment if you wish. See you guys soon!

 

[BADWIN BING]

On This Day...
MrZoSo took a vacation until Tuesday December 13th. In the meantime, feel free to post an event, or comment if you wish. See you guys soon!

Have fun.

 

[RWIGWH]

14 DEC 1993
I PLAYED THE BUDOKAN, TOKYO WITH DAVID COVERDALE

After rehearsing in LA with David Coverdale, we played the first show of a seven-date Japanese tour at the Budokan. We were here to promote the Coverdale Page album. In the set I played some of David’s material from Whitesnake, including ‘Still of the Night’ (yes, Zeppelinesque, but so well put together), along with Led Zeppelin and the new material from the Coverdale Page album. SETLIST

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_kx9yQcD7Y"]Coverdale/Page Saccharin unreleased song 1993 - YouTube[/ame]
​

 

[RWIGWH]

Wild mashup with Hendrix, Zeppelin, Collins, Jay-Z, Snoop, Beastie Boys, and more...
http://vimeo.com/ithacaaudio/walking-in-your-mind

 

[RWIGWH]

15 Dec 2010
I saw Gogol Bordello at the HMV Forum

I had seen the vibrant Gogol Bordello a number of times, and Eugene Hütz and his merry band of men and women whip up some serious energy at their shows. It's always a pleasure to see Liz Sun.

 

[BADWIN BING]

Wild mashup with Hendrix, Zeppelin, Collins, Jay-Z, Snoop, Beastie Boys, and more...
http://vimeo.com/ithacaaudio/walking-in-your-mind

Holy Mary and Joseph (as my wife would say), that is amazing!!! Watched it three times and I'll watch it again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

 

[RWIGWH]

16 Dec 1968
I played Bath with Led Zeppelin

On the first Led Zeppelin tour of the UK in 1968, we played the Bath Pavilion. Apparently, there is a contract for us receiving £75 / 50% for this date. We opened with Train Kept a Rollin. We were to play the Bath Festival of Blues six months later at The Recreation Ground, when we also opened the set with Train Kept a Rollin. One year later we topped the bill for The Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music, where we opened with Immigrant Song.

 

[RWIGWH]

Welcome to The song of the day. A new feature, featuring OldBuckEye's opinion on Led Zeppelin songs...My take follows at the end...

[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]S[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]ONG [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]O[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]F [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]T[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]HE [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]D[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]AY [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]XCIII [/FONT]
[/FONT]When you hear the words Led Zeppelin, certain images and thoughts immediately spring to mind. I?m sure for every person that is a fan of the group, your ideals and beliefs are different; they are uniquely your own. And that is a great tribute to what the band accomplished during their career. They wrote many tremendous songs that have touched us all in vastly varying degrees of difference and they basically gave us the freedom to take from them what we needed to in order to relate to their music.
Every single one of us loves the band for many reasons and for me; one of the best parts about this group was the lyric writing of Robert Plant. Yes, I have said it many times and will continue to expound on this belief because I feel his words are so full of depth and subtlety that they often go unnoticed. And I find that a terrible shame.
Perhaps it?s just who I am; someone who needs more than just a great beat or a great riff; I need something to connect with lyrically, spiritually, and without that, it?s often difficult for me to get into a band. And with Led Zeppelin, and particularly Robert Plant, I find that connection and I embrace it for all it?s worth.
And so it is today that we will examine one of Robert?s greatest songs ever, from a lyrical standpoint and one that many people don?t have any idea as to what he?s singing about. Now I don?t claim to have some insider information and I am not here to tell you that my feelings and thoughts on this song are the be-all, end-all of truth, it is quite possible that I am completely off base and wrong on every aspect. But, until Robert sits down and clarifies it for us, it is left to us to decide for ourselves.
So pull out your copy of "In Through The Outdoor" and turn to side two, track one, another lengthy piece, clocking in at 10:34, "Carouselambra."
Robert once gave an interview and when asked about "Carouselambra" he said it was about someone who would one day realize it was about them and they would be taken back by it and ask; „My God, was it really like that??
I have a theory as to who that „someone? is and also what this song is about. I am not going to explain it all because it might anger some people and it may give the impression that I am claiming something that I am not. I will say this though, in hopefully a rather typical, cryptic Robert Plant manner, that if you consider certain events that took place in 1977, and what has happened every year, it seems, since the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin first reunited for Live Aid, I don?t believe that I am off the mark here.
I will also say that I can relate to this song in a very direct way. To me, and this is based on my own experience with certain people in my life who claimed to be "friends" but later proved they were not friends at all, this song is full of resentment and sadness. The lyrics tell the tale. All you have to do is study them, look at 1977… particularly the mid-summer of that year and what transpired shortly after that, and I believe the picture will become clearer for you.
The song starts off with John Paul?s synthesizer playing a repeating three note riff before Bonham and Page join in and the song is as energetic as anything in their history, only here the synth is the lead instrument whilst Page?s guitar is lower in the mix. A furious pace pushes the song forward, as if racing towards an imaginary finish line while showing, yet again, that Zeppelin knew no boundaries.
It was a song that literally shook people up when it was first released because this wasn?t the type of song most expected from the band that brought you "Whole Lotta Love." „Ever onward? was a Zeppelin motto, and on this song, as the 1970?s were drawing to an end, ever onward was indeed at the heart of this classic track.
When Robert enters, his vocals are really buried in the mix, making it extremely difficult to discern what he?s saying. I would assume that this was Plant?s idea, though I have no idea why he would want these great lyrics, and another phenomenal vocal performance, to be hidden away behind a wash of keyboards and drums.
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Sisters of the way-side bide their time in quiet peace [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Await their place within the ring of calm; [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Ah-ah [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Still stand to turn in seconds of release [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Await the call they know may never come [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]In times of lightness, no intruder dared upon [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]To jeopardize the course, upset the run; [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Ah-ah [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]All was joy and hands were raised towards the sun [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]As love in halls of plenty overrun [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Ah-ah Ah-ah Ah-ah Ah-ah [/FONT]
[/FONT]Once again John Bonham is simply superb here. I?ve heard stories that he wasn?t in the best of shape while recording this album, but listening to this song, or any song from "Outdoor," leaves me questioning that thought process. He plays things that are so complex, so intricate, and yet he makes it all sound so easy. Not only is his timing impeccable, but the little fills he throws in throughout are just an absolute joy to listen to and would be another point of interest for any young aspiring drummers. Just check him out between 1:08-1:10.
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Still in their bliss unchallenged mighty feast; [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Unending dances shadowed on the day [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Ah-ah [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Within their walls, their daunting formless keep; [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Preserved their joy and kept their doubts at bay [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Faceless legions stood in readiness to weep [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Just turn a coin, bring order to the fray; [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Ah-ah [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]And everything is soon no sooner thought than deed [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]But no one seemed to question anyway [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Ah-ah Ah-ah Ah-ah Ah-ah [/FONT]
[/FONT]Things change slightly just after this verse as the band keeps you guessing as per usual. Jimmy plays a cool riff as his guitar finally creeps up into the mix, but then suddenly we are back to the main synthesizer-driven theme.
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]How keen the storied hunter's eye prevails upon the land [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]To seek the unsuspecting and the weak; [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Ah-ah [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]And powerless the fabled sat, too smug to lift a hand [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Toward the foe that threatened from the deep [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Who cares to dry the cheeks of those who saddened stand? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Adrift upon a sea of futile speech [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Ah-ah [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]And to fall to fate and make the 'status plan' [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]And the Lord there in Heaven would never preach [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]I'm singin' [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Ah-ah Ah-ah Ah-ah Ah-ah [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Oh-oh… oh-oh… oh-oh… ohhh [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Oh… Oh… Oh… [/FONT]
[/FONT]During the "Oh-oh" sections the music shifts around a bit, alternating between Jimmy?s riffing and mellower sections before finally, at 4:06, settling into a nice arpeggiated section from Jimmy and then, yet again, the song shifts down, turning the mood of the piece into one of reflection and mourning.
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Where was your word, where did you go? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Where was your helping, where was your bow? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Bow… [/FONT]
[/FONT]Page shines through this section, using the Gibson Double-neck and playing some very fluid and hypnotic chords. Jimmy employed the use of a Gizmotron on this song, causing a deeper drone-like sound and adding sustain to the notes. Though the Gizmotron was extremely temperamental, making it a bit of a pain to work with, it does show here that it had its uses and could create some cool sound effects.
Just as quickly as the song slows down, it picks right back up again with more arpeggiated notes from Page before it once again resumes it slower, melancholy section.
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Dull is the armor, cold is the day [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Hard was the journey, dark was the way [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Way… [/FONT]
[/FONT]And again the song picks up and once again I would be remiss to not mention the playing of John Bonham. No matter the style or genre of song, he could play it to perfection and the things he does during this song are simply more proof of his prowess as a drummer. When this section kicks back in, his drums are just amazing and he plays a very cool pattern at the 6:18-6:19 mark. It?s some of the little things he did; the subtle things, that separated him from any other rock drummer.
As the next verse comes in Plant sounds defiant; almost angry! And it is Bonham?s drums that reflect that and pound that point home.
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]I heard the word; I couldn't stay [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Oh… [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]I couldn't stand it another day, another day [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Hey- ey another day… another day… [/FONT]
[/FONT]John Paul takes over again as he drives the song forward, pulsating notes charging from his synthesizer and Bonham furiously following him.
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Touched by the timely coming [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Roused from the keeper's sleep [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Release the grip; throw down the key [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Held now within the knowing [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Rest now within the peace [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Take of the fruit, but guard the seed [/FONT]
[/FONT]Page enters with a forceful guitar, switching from a rousing riff to stabbing chords out in rhythm as the song keeps building behind Bonham?s manic drumming and Jonsey?s ever present synth.
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]They had to stay! [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS][FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Held now within the knowing [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Rest now within the beat [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Take of the fruit, but guard the seed [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS,Arial Unicode MS]Oh, take of the fruit, but guard the seed [/FONT]
[/FONT]As the song winds down we get treated to some wild sounding synth notes from Jonsey as Page and Bonham keep things going before the song just slowly fades out.
Sadly, Led Zeppelin never had the opportunity to perform this piece live, as Bonham passed during rehearsals for what would have been the 1980 US tour. "Carouselambra" was ear-marked as a piece for the new decade and would have certainly been an enthralling piece in a live setting.
During the Page/Plant tour in 1995/96, Robert would add a few lines from "Carouselambra" in the middle of "In The Evening," often times mixing the lyrics around, sometimes changing them slightly, but that?s as close as this track ever was to being played live.
For reasons that I cannot fathom, there are a number of Led Zeppelin fans who don?t find favor with "In Through The Outdoor" and that is something that completely mystifies me. Some call it the "John Paul Jones album" and while Jonsey certainly has a lead role in the music, both the playing and writing, what he brings to the table with this album is simply stellar material.
I never have and never will understand people who criticize a band for expanding their horizons or reaching out and trying new things. And Zeppelin did this throughout their entire career; from the hard rock/blues of "Zep II" to the mellow, acoustic sounds on "Zep III," from the many genres flirted with on "Physical Graffiti" to the back-against-the-wall angst of "Presence" and on through to the "John Paul Jones album." This is what made Led Zeppelin so great and so unique. They never released the same album, not even close.
"In Through The Outdoor" is filled with many great songs and triumphant moments and it?s a shame that some fans choose to turn a blind eye to the brilliance that encompasses this material.
Take of the fruit… but guard the seed… Indeed!
Jeff

Ok, my turn...Short version.
Jimmy at this time was out of it. He was not himself, as his addiction had taken over his life, hence the question of his contribution during ITTOD. In many ways, yes, ITTOD was JPJ, and Robert's album, but both Jimmy & John Bonham played flat out brilliant on it.
Robert was emotionally scarred over the death of his son Karac. Lots have been written about Robert's specific lyrical line from this song, and it is the focal point of any conversation regarding his relationship at the time with Jimmy.
My take...

Where was your word, where did you go?
Where was your helping, where was your bow?
Bow…

Yes, indeed this was directed at Jimmy. Robert was devastated Jimmy was not there for him during this time...Or at least he thought so...
During the Page/Plant early years these lyrics show up again live in concert. Only Robert changes the words DRASTICALLY...

Strong was your armor, Long was your Bow...

Huh? Why the strong drastic change?
Old friends talked. Got a few things out that were hanging in the closet for years. Personal, emotional things, that the public is not (and should not be) privy too.
Wounds healed, which was represented in the lyric change.
The darkest time in Zeppelins history was represented in full in Carouselambra. It's a masterpiece, IMO...
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARyyGzZ7NX0"]Led Zeppelin - Carouselambra - YouTube[/ame]

 

[RWIGWH]

In The Evening 95 with Carouselambra breakin @ 4:05
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGsm6L8bkVE"]Jimmy Page & Robert Plant - In The Evening 6/18/95 Germany - YouTube[/ame]

 

[RWIGWH]

THE BRAIN KEPT A ROLLIN’
17 DECEMBER 1987
ON THIS DAY… OUTRIDER SESSIONS BEGAN

On this day in 1987, I began sessions for a solo album. Some of the material I had already written and some of it was made up on the spot. I asked Chris Farlowe to come and join me on vocals and I kicked it all off with the classic Johnny Burnette and the Rock ‘n Roll Trio number Train Kept a Rollin’ – a song Chris had performed with the original line-up of The Thunderbirds and I had done with Neil Christian and the Crusaders. Later that day, we had completed ‘Prison Blues’ and ‘Blues Anthem’ and both of these tracks appeared on the Outrider album that was to be released the following year.
I now had The Sol studios running as a commercial venture with Leif Masses, chief engineer and studio manager from Polar Studios, at the helm. I fitted in my sessions around other artist bookings at the Sol.
​

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLqGaosb-vQ"]Jimmy Page Train Kept a Rollin' (Outrider sessions) 17.12.1987 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[RWIGWH]

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[/FONT][/FONT]Today we will look at a song that just about every human being will be able to relate to. It’s probably safe to say that anyone reading this has, at one time or another, been in love, and when you are in love you are extremely vulnerable. It takes a considerable amount of faith to open yourself completely and let all of your walls down, and there are times when, despite doing everything you can to make it work, it just doesn’t. Today’s song takes a look at a situation that is about this very topic and since everyone can relate to it, that’s just one of the many reasons it has long been a favorite of Zeppelin fans the world over.
It is a song of love and what might have been and I’m certain that all of us have at least one person in our past that we look back on and wonder… what happened to them; where are they? Why did it not work out? Are they happy now? Am I happy now? Would we be happy had we stayed together?
That’s a lot of questions and the answers are different for us all. But to see how Robert dealt with this emotional issue, pull out your copy of "Physical Graffiti" and turn to side three, track four, clocking in at 6:33, the melancholy and beautiful "Ten Years Gone."
There are so many superlatives that I could use to describe this song and how each of the members in the band did something great, but the first thing that should be talked about is the music that Jimmy wrote, and then played, to make this song happen.
Initially it was intended to be an instrumental piece, just as "The Song Remains The Same" was, but just as that song transpired and evolved over time, here Plant came up with a melody and lyrics as well and the result is a staggering success. Jimmy’s guitar work in this song is absolutely celestial. The opening A chord and the following picked notes are so beautifully played that we are instantly pulled into this piece within the first few seconds. 2
There’s an extreme despondency to the entire sound of the guitar and long before Plant utters a single word, we know this is a song ruminating on the sense of loss. As Jimmy plays through the intro he concludes it with a beautiful chord progression that leads us into a massive riff. The guitar in this song is tuned to Drop D – which just means tuning the low E down a step to D. That low D note adds a certain heaviness to the song and helps create a tension that fits the reflective mood.
After the entrance of the riff, Jimmy treats us to another beautifully orchestrated chord progression and we also get the full effect of his "Guitar Army" as many overdubbed tracks are being used. It’s been reported that he employed as many as 14 guitar tracks on this song and listening to this section of the song, with only Jimmy’s guitar{s} playing, we get a glimpse of what this might have been like as a purely instrumental piece.
Nearly a full minute into the song, Jimmy returns to the opening again as Robert opens his heart for all to see. When questioned about "Ten Years Gone" Robert stated that it was about a girl he was madly in love with who gave him the ultimatum: Me… or your music. Robert was adamant that he could not stop and so ended the relationship. And fate is sometimes quite funny. What if Robert had chosen her and walked away from a career as a singer? And I also wonder… what does she think now of Robert and the choice he made?
[FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New]Then, as it was
Then again it will be
You know the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea…
Blind stars of fortune
Each have separate ways
On the wings of ‘maybe’
Downing birds of prey
Kind of makes me feel sometime
We didn’t have to go
But as the eagle leaves the nest [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New]3
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New]We’ve got so far to go…
[/FONT][/FONT]Those are some very heavy lyrics and as is typical of Robert, he uses a lot of metaphors within them. He also pulls the curtain back just a bit here as we get a slight glimpse into what must have transpired between this girl and him, particularly in the line: "On the wings of ‘maybe’." I always get this vision of a girl – whoever this girl was, I don’t know – but I see a girl telling him; ‘Yeah… maybe it will work out, but what if it doesn’t? Then what?’
As funny as it may sound, I can understand where the girl was coming from. At the time, Robert was nothing. He was singing in local bands, probably barely scraping by, and nobody could have predicted the massive success that would soon follow. The line: "Downing birds of prey" is, to me, symbolism for every person who has ever put another in the position that this girl was putting Robert in. It’s the killing of someone’s spirit; taking their very life-blood from them by forcing them to give up on their dream in order to make the other person happy.
I also find it very telling that he returns to the "bird" theme with the line about an eagle leaving the nest. Robert was being forced into a fork in the road and when one is backed into a corner like that there are only two choices… you either give in or you have enough faith in yourself and your abilities and you move on. It’s so much easier said than done, because when one factors in the bond of love, that caring for another person so much and yet that feeling in the pit of your gut that tells you that you must not give up on what you were born to do… to have that internal struggle going on and not knowing how things will turn out, but living on blind faith in yourself knowing that doing so will cause you to lose someone you love… that’s a very difficult and painful place to be.
[FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New]Changes fill my time
But baby that’s alright with me
In the midst I think of you
And how it used to be… [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New]4
[/FONT][/FONT]Jimmy takes us out of the quiet section and lifts the mood with a beautifully constructed solo. Here, his guitar says the things that Robert can’t; we hear it whisper, we hear it cry, we hear it beg, we hear it scream, and we hear it soar. We all know that Jimmy has recorded tons of great guitar tracks, but what he plays here and the emotional level with which he plays, is simply superb. It’s the painting at the Sistine Chapel, it’s the Mona Lisa, and it helps elevate this song to an entirely new level.
[FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New]Did you ever really need somebody?
And really need ‘em bad?
Did you ever really want somebody?
The best love you ever had
Do you ever remember me baby?
And did it feel so good?
‘Cause it was just the first time
And you knew you would…
[/FONT][/FONT]More beautiful playing from Jimmy and this part has always seemed to me to represent the girl answering Robert. Was that his intention? I don’t know. But I know it works and it sounds amazingly sweet when I hear it. And then… suddenly we’re back to the heavy riff and the massive guitar army as Robert presides over it with more eloquent words.
[FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New]Do your eyes not sparkle?
Senses growing keen
Tasting love along the way
See your feathers preen
Kind of makes me feel sometime
Didn’t have to go
We are eagles of one nest
The rest is in our soul…
[/FONT][/FONT]Jimmy brings us back again to the beginning section; that sad and forlorn guitar – alone - perfect symbolism for what one feels when going through a situation such as is described in this song. 5
[FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New][FONT=Browallia New,Browallia New]Vixen in my dreams
With great surprise to me
Never thought I’d see your face
The way it used to be…
Oh darling – Oh darling…
[/FONT][/FONT]As the band kicks back in, Jimmy’s guitars ringing out in beautiful harmony, we hear Robert lamenting about the time passed and how he still is holding on.
This is such a deeply emotional tune and one that must not have been easy for Robert to write about. Whenever someone close to you departs there is always a range of emotions; perhaps sadness one minute, anger the next… and occasionally, perhaps you think back to those times when it was just the two of you and you were madly and deeply in love and all was right in the world… and then you realize… ten years gone…
Jimmy created a masterpiece of a song and Robert delivers a top notch, heartfelt, emotional statement of lost love and yet, they also painted themselves into a bit of a corner. Trying to take this song to the stage, with only Jimmy on guitar, would be an almost impossible task.
They did play it live, with John Paul Jones using a triple-neck instrument that included mandolin, six and twelve string guitars {acoustic} as well as playing bass pedals, with Jimmy on the Brown Bomber; his Brown, B-Bender Telecaster. That they actually pulled it off decently well speaks highly of them, but they really needed at least one other electric guitar to fill out the soundscape of the song on the stage.
They debuted this on the 1977 US tour and played it again in 1979 at the Copenhagen warm-up shows as well as the first night at Knebworth on 4 August. Then they never played it again.
During the long Page/Plant tour of 1995/96, Jimmy and Robert did play it once; treating the audience in Osaka to a very special moment, and then Jimmy played it again during his brief time with The Black Crowes. The versions with the Crowes were the first time the song was played live with multiple guitars and the sound was pretty special as Page’s "Guitar Army" was finally brought to life. 6
It amazes me that "Physical Graffiti" had so many incredible songs and, as I feel and I’m sure others do as well; so many [FONT=Courier New,Courier New][FONT=Courier New,Courier New]EPIC [/FONT][/FONT]songs. We’ve already covered two of those epics from this album and there’s still one more to go…
In the midst I think of you…

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2AEnLAP9XY"]Led Zeppelin / Ten Years Gone / Live / High Quality - YouTube[/ame]

 

[BADWIN BING]

This is one of my fave Led Zep tracks. I hope you don't mind me adding to this Zo.

Robert Plant wrote the lyrics about a girlfriend who made him choose between her and his music 10 years earlier. She got the boot. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine (March 13, 1975) the interviewer, Cameron Crowe, asked Robert Plant what gambles he had taken. Plant replied: "Let me tell you a little story behind the song 'Ten Years Gone' on our new album. I was working my ass off before joining Zeppelin. A lady I really dearly loved said, 'Right. It's me or your fans.' Not that I had fans, but I said, 'I can't stop, I've got to keep going.' She's quite content these days, I imagine. She's got a washing machine that works by itself and a little sports-car. We wouldn't have anything to say anymore. I could probably relate to her, but she couldn't relate to me. I'd be smiling too much. Ten years gone, I'm afraid. Anyway, there's a gamble for you."

Jimmy Page used some 14 guitar tracks to overdub the harmony section on this piece, which was originally intended to be an instrumental number.

John Paul Jones used a strange 3-necked guitar and bass pedals to play this live. It became too much of a chore and they dropped it from concerts in 1977.

 

[RWIGWH]

Not at all B...This is one of my favorite Zeppelin songs also, where you have Jimmy's music colliding with Robert's lyrics to reach perfection. It's rare, but somehow they got it right often...This song was one of those occasions.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZbxe8c-yIo"]Ten Years Gone - YouTube[/ame]

Osaka Japan...The last time Page/Plant played this song together live.

 

[RWIGWH]

ON THIS DAY… 18 DEC 1966
BLOW UP PREMIERED IN NEW YORK

The award-winning Michaelangelo Antonioni film, Blow Up, was premiered on this day in 1966 in New York and went on general release. Although The Yardbirds were not invited to any of the premieres, some of us lined up with everybody else sometime after the event to see the film. Apart from the section we had recorded, we knew very little about the film. The production team seemed to know as little about the plot as we did: in fact, it was said that Mr Antonioni had been asked what was the ‘Blow Up’ during the shoot and he replied ‘This is the blow up’, referring to the guitar breaking scene. I remember a very tall, statuesque in the line waiting to see the film, it was in fact Veruschka, a famous model of the time who featured in the film.
For Blow Up, The Yardbirds recorded the track ‘Stroll On’ at IBC studios in London. It was the first time Jeff Beck and I got to record with the guitars.

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