Led Zeppelin FAQ
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DIGITAL GRAFFITI
The Led Zeppelin Mailing List
presents
THE LED ZEPPELIN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST
v8.1 9-29-94
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Contents of this file:
1 - Common abbreviations found in this file and on Digital Graffiti.
2 - Administrivia.
3 - About Digital Graffiti.
4 - What should/shouldn't I post to the list?
5 - Who was in Led Zeppelin?
6 - How and when did John Bonham die?
7 - When and where was Led Zeppelin formed?
8 - What albums has Led Zeppelin released?
9 - What videos has Led Zeppelin released?
10 - Should I buy the boxed sets? Which one(s) should I buy?
11 - Will _The Song Remains The Same_ be remastered?
12 - So what _is_ the fourth album called, anyway?
13 - What's the deal with those four symbols?
14 - What's that thing on the _Presence_ cover?
15 - What's up with the album covers for _In Through The Out Door_?
16 - What's up with (song title) (and who's Roy Harper)?
17 - Are there a lot of references to J.R.R. Tolkien's work in
Led Zeppelin songs?
18 - Didn't Led Zeppelin copy (song title) from (blues artist)?
19 - What's Led Zeppelin's best song/album?
20 - Is there any more unreleased material?
21 - How does the band feel about bootlegs?
22 - Where do I get bootlegs?
23 - Which bootlegs should I start with?
24 - Are there any books on Led Zeppelin?
25 - Are there any music books featuring Led Zeppelin?
26 - Are there any magazines/fanzines about Led Zeppelin?
27 - Are there any Led Zeppelin fan clubs?
28 - Where do I get Led Zeppelin collectibles (other than bootlegs)?
29 - Where can I get online lyrics, tabulature, GIFs, etc.?
30 - What did the members of Led Zeppelin do after the band broke
up?
31 - Is Led Zeppelin getting back together?
32 - Upcoming releases from the members of Led Zeppelin.
33 - Upcoming tour dates and appearances.
34 - What albums has Jimmy Page released?
35 - What albums has Robert Plant released?
36 - What albums has John Paul Jones released?
37 - Who were the other artists on the Swan Song label?
38 - Are there any Led Zeppelin tribute bands?
39 - What's up with the Led Zeppelin tribute album?
40 - All about _The Song Retains The Name_ (I & II).
41 - Who is Dread Zeppelin and how does the band feel about them?
42 - Did Jimmy Page invent bowing (the guitar)?
43 - What's this "theramin" thing that Jimmy Page uses?
44 - Is Jimmy Page a Satanist?
45 - Are there backwards messages in "Stairway To Heaven"?
1
- Common abbreviations found in this file and on Digital
Graffiti:
BCOH = Baby Come On Home
BTW = by the way
C/P = Coverdale/Page
FAQL = Frequently Asked Questions List
FoN = Fate Of Nations
HHWCID = Hey Hey What Can I Do
HOTG = Hammer Of The Gods
HOTH = Houses Of The Holy
ICQYB = I Can't Quit You Baby
IMHO = in my humble opinion
IMTOD = In My Time Of Dying
ITTOD = In Through The Out Door
JPJ = John Paul Jones
LZ = Led Zeppelin
OTHAFA = Over The Hills And Far Away
PP, P/P, or P^2 = Page/Plant
RTFM = read the * manual (think about it)
SIBLY = Since I've Been Loving You
STH = Stairway To Heaven
TCSR = The Complete Studio Recordings
TSRTS = The Song Remains The Same
WLL = Whole Lotta Love
YFN = your friendly neighborhood
2
- Administrivia.
First of all, _DO NOT_ post administrative requests to the list.
Prepare to be flamed unmercifully if you ignore this rule.
To subscribe to the list, send mail to listserv@cornell.edu with
the message:
SUBSCRIBE zeppelin-l Your Name
Users may choose from among certain options regarding how
listserv will interact with them. To change these options, you
must send a command in electronic mail to listserv@cornell.edu
saying:
SET zeppelin-l MAIL option
where 'option' can be one of:
NOACK -- Do not send me my own postings back
ACK -- Send me my own postings back
DIGEST -- Send me a periodic digest of postings
or POSTPONE -- Do not send me *anything* until I change back
to one of the other three.
The default for all lists is NOACK.
To leave the list at any time, send the command
UNSUB Zeppelin-l
to listserv@cornell.edu. *** NOTE *** If your email address has
changed since you subscribed, this will not work (listserv will
tell you that you're not subscribed). In this case, email the
list owner and ask to be unsubscribed manually.
For help, send the message:
info zeppelin-l
to listserv@cornell.edu
If you have any questions about Digital Graffiti, contact Matt
Hill, the list owner, at mlh1@cornell.edu
If you have any questions about listserv, contact the listserv
manager, at listmgr@cornell.edu
3
- About Digital Graffiti.
Digital Graffiti, the Led Zeppelin mailing list, was created by
Matt Hill at Cornell University on 10 November 1992. Membership
currently stands at over 300 worldwide.
The first _known_ Led Zeppelin list was started by Mike Powers at
Rutgers University in August 1989. That list was transferred to
the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities campus) under the care
of Eric Hendrickson in June 1990, where it resided for a time
before becoming defunct. Digital Graffiti is unrelated to that
list.
4
- What should/shouldn't I post to the list?
This is an unmoderated list--that means there are no regulations
(attached to this list) on what you post. However, the regular
rules of net.conduct apply at all times. The list owner can remove
any subscriber at any time for violating the general rules of
conduct, in the (hopefully unlikely) event it becomes necessary.
New subscribers should wait a few days before posting, so that they
can see the general format other posters are using.
Any news about Zeppelin, its members, its music, or related topics
is welcome on the list. Transcriptions of articles and interviews
are also welcome, assuming you want to take the (minimal) risk of
transcribing without permission. Questions about Zeppelin and
related topics are _also_ encouraged--there is almost always someone
out there who can answer the question. Opinion is welcome on the
list, as are reviews and commentary.
A few topics and types of messages should _not_ appear on the list.
It is possible that no one will _prevent_ you from discussing these
topics, but there may exist strong sentiment against the topic from
other list members:
--Administrative requests. The correct address is in every FAQL,
and is also posted periodically by the list owner.
--Messages to individuals. Posts to the list should be of interest
to nearly all readers.
--Trades and sales of merchandise. Saying, "I have a vinyl copy of
Jimmy Page's first single for sale" is fine, actually concluding
the deal on the list is not. The same holds true for bootlegs--
limit the use of the list to just the initial offer of sale or
trade, and conduct the balance of the deal over private email.
Remember that while the discussion of bootlegs is _not_ illegal,
the sale of them _is_ everywhere but Italy...and that some people
(and some system administrators) frown upon their existence.
Respect those people's wishes when considering trades of this
nature.
--Commercial postings. The list has an official policy on this, as
stated by Matt Hill:
"Individuals: If you have some CDs or other Zeppelin-related
thing you'd like to sell, feel free to post a list--but only post
it once. Please be sure to direct responses to your private email
address, not the list. If you have a long list of items for sale,
give a general description of them and tell people to email you
privately for a complete list. This classification is meant for
people who want to sell things they have bought for their own
personal use, and no longer want. Think of it as a small 'virtual
garage sale.'
Commercial entities of any sort: If you have a quantity of a
product that you think the members of this list would be
interested in, write a _short_ ad for it and then submit it to
mlh1@cornell.edu. Do NOT send it to the list at any point; if
I think it would be of general interest, I will forward it to the
list, retaining the right to edit all postings of this nature.
Otherwise, I will return it to you."
--"Flames"--posts unusually full of "fighting words" and personal
attacks, _not_ intended to be humorous or ironic.
There are also a few topics and types of messages that, while not
exactly "unwelcome," may be either over-discussed or tiresome to
the majority of the list. Feel free to post on these matters if
you want, but remember that not everyone will share your enthusiasm:
--Whether or not there are backwards messages in "Stairway To
Heaven."
--Whether or not Jimmy Page was a Satanist.
--Discussions about the relative merits of Robert Plant and Jimmy
Page.
--Whether or not Jimmy Page has "lost it."
--Polls of any kind, especially best/worst song/album.
--A _long_ series of short messages, one topic per message--this
kind of thing will annoy people.
--Unattributed responses...posting a message that consists of "Yes."
without quoting the question one is answering is obnoxious.
--Almost any message that contains the word "sucks."
--Any misspelling of the group's name. ;-)
Use your own best judgement in each case--and certainly feel free
to contribute to any such discussion if one is in progress. This
is not a proscription, merely a warning.
5
- Who was in Led Zeppelin?
James Patrick Page (b. 9 January 1944 in Heston, Middlesex)
"Pagey" -- All guitars, effects, theramin, backing vocals.
John Baldwin (John Paul Jones) (b. 3 January 1946 in Sidcup,
Kent) "Jonesy" -- Bass, some guitars, keyboards, backing
vocals.
John Henry Bonham (b. 31 May 1948 in Redditch, Worcestershire,
d. 25 September 1980 Windsor) "Bonzo" -- Drums and percussion,
occasional backing vocals (as on "The Ocean.")
Robert Anthony Plant (b. 20 August 1948 West Bromwich,
Staffordshire) "Percy" -- Vocals, backing vocals.
Zeppelin's manager was Peter Grant, and their road manager for the
majority of their tours was Richard Cole.
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6 - How and when did John Bonham die?
On 24 September 1980, Bonham left Worcestershire to meet with the
group at Bray studios for rehearsals for the upcoming US tour.
He consumed a steady diet of quadruple screwdrivers along the way.
After the rehearsals, the band retreated to Page's Windsor house,
where Bonham continued to drink and then passed out. At around
1:45pm on 25 September, sound technician and Plant roadie Benji Le
Fevre checked on Bonham to find out why he hadn't stirred. There
was no pulse. A doctor arrived and pronounced Bonham dead at the
scene. A subsequent coroner's inquest revealed the cause of death
to be accidental -- Bonham choked on his own vomit after drinking
the equivalent of 40 measures of vodka. Alcohol poisoning may
have been involved, but was not positively determined. On
4 December 1980, Led Zeppelin issued the following statement:
"We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the
deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of
undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us
to decide that we could not continue as we were."
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7 - When and where was Led Zeppelin formed?
A brief chronology:
Jimmy Page joins The Yardbirds in June of 1966, first playing
bass, then dual lead guitar with Jeff Beck, then replacing Beck
in November of the same year. In December, John Paul Jones does
string arrangements for The Yardbirds' album _Little Games_.
In 1967, Robert Plant and John Bonham come together in The Band
Of Joy. In March of the same year, Jeff Beck releases a solo
single entitled "Hi Ho Silver Lining," which is backed with a
Page composition entitled "Beck's Bolero". This song is recorded
by Page, Beck, Nicky Hopkins, John Paul Jones, and Keith Moon.
At this session Moon and John Entwistle, who are tired of The
Who's infighting, discuss forming a band with Page and Beck. It
is here that Moon announces that they should call the group Lead
Zeppelin, because, "...it'll go over like a ***in' lead balloon!"
(The "a" was later removed from "Lead" so that Americans would
pronounce it correctly.) (John Entwistle claims that it was _he_,
not Moon, who invented the name. Entwistle:
"Led Zeppelin is a good name, isn't it? I made it up. Everybody
says Keith Moon made it up, but he didn't. About four years ago
I was realy getting fed up with the Who.... And I was talking
with a fellow who is the production manager for the Led Zeppelin
now. I was talking to him down in a club in New York. And I
said, 'Yeah, I'm thinking of leaving the group and forming my own
group. I'm going to call the group Led Zeppelin. And I'm going
to have a an LP cover with like the Hindenburg going down in
flames, and, you know, this whole business.' And like two months
later he was working for Jimmy Page and, like, they were looking
for a name, and so he suggested Led Zeppelin, and Page liked it,
and they came out with the same LP cover that I'd planned."
This "production manager" would have been Richard Cole, which
suggests that Cole was responsible for naming Led Zeppelin.
However, in the absence of definitive proof either way the Keith
Moon version will stand.)
In April of 1968, Page plays on Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (with
Jones arranging). Jones asks to be part of any new group Page may
be forming. The Band Of Joy breaks up in May. On 22 June 1968, it
is announced that Keith Relf and Jim McCarty are leaving The
Yardbirds. In August, Page, Yardbirds' bassist Chris Dreja, and
Peter Grant travel to Birmingham to see Plant in a group called
Hobbstweedle. Plant is offered the vocalist's job in Page's new
band in August, after visiting Page's home. In the same month,
Dreja leaves the project and is replaced by Jones. Plant then
recommends Bonham for drums, and a tireless personal and telegram
campaign convinces Bonham to turn down more lucrative offers from
the likes of Tim Rose and Joe Cocker. In September, the four play
their first rehearsals at Gerrard Street, London. Beginning
September 14 they embark on their first tour, still billed as the
New Yardbirds. They record _Led Zeppelin I_ in October, and play
their first gig as Led Zeppelin at Surrey University October 17.
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8 - What albums has Led Zeppelin released?
This discography follows the format:
_Title_ (release date) Label (artist, if not the subject of the
discography)
Song Title One, Song Title Two...
A list of videos.
Any other relevant information.
The following is by no means a complete discography, but covers
the principal releases of the band in the US. Singles are, in
all but one case, ignored. For a more complete discography
consult Dave Lewis' _A Celebration_.
_Led Zeppelin_ (January 1969) Atlantic
Good Times Bad Times, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, You Shook
Me, Dazed & Confused, Your Time Is Gonna Come, Black
Mountain Side, Communication Breakdown, I Can't Quit You
Baby, How Many More Times
_Three Week Hero_ (April 1969) Liberty/Beat Goes On (P.J. Proby)
Jim's Blues
This album is noted because all four members of Zeppelin appear
on the listed track.
_Led Zeppelin II_ (October 1969) Atlantic
Whole Lotta Love, What Is And What Should Never Be, The
Lemon Song, Thank You, Heartbreaker, Livin' Lovin' Maid
(She's Just A Woman), Ramble On, Moby Dick, Bring It On Home
This album is sometimes called "The Brown Bomber"--a reference to
the color and theme of the cover.
_Led Zeppelin III_ (October 1970) Atlantic
Immigrant Song, Friends, Celebration Day, Since I've Been
Loving You, Out On The Tiles, Gallows Pole, Tangerine,
That's The Way, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Hats Off To (Roy) Harper
On some pressings of this album, an Aleister Crowley quote is
scribed into the runoff matrix of the vinyl (the space between the
last groove and the label). There are also some forged versions of
this pressing.
"Immigrant Song" b/w "Hey Hey What Can I Do" (1970) Atlantic
US Single
This exists on cassingle and CD single as well.
_Untitled_ (November 1971) Atlantic
Black Dog, Rock And Roll, The Battle Of Evermore, Stairway
To Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, Going To
California, When The Levee Breaks
The original album had no band or title identification anywhere on
the cover _or_ inside, with the exception of the "Produced by Jimmy
Page" credit on the inside jacket and the printed lyrics to "Stairway
To Heaven."
_Untitled_ (September 1988) HMV Classic Collection
3500-copy limited edition boxed version of the fourth album.
_The New Age Of Atlantic_ (May 1972) Atlantic (various artists)
Hey Hey What Can I Do
_Houses Of The Holy_ (March 1973) Atlantic
The Song Remains The Same, The Rain Song, Over The Hills And
Far Away, The Crunge, Dancing Days, D'yer Mak'er, No
Quarter, The Ocean
The odd colors on this album cover are a printing error.
_Physical Graffiti_ (February 1975) Swan Song
Custard Pie, The Rover, In My Time Of Dying, Trampled
Underfoot, Houses Of The Holy, Kashmir, In The Light,
Bron-Yr-Aur, Down By The Seaside, Ten Years Gone, Night
Flight, The Wanton Song, Boogie With Stu, Black Country
Woman, Sick Again
The building on the cover is at 97 St. Mark's Place in New York
City. There is currently a used clothing store in the basement
called Physical Graffiti.
_Presence_ (April 1976) Swan Song
Achilles Last Stand, For Your Life, Royal Orleans, Nobody's
Fault But Mine, Candy Story Rock, Hots On For Nowhere, Tea
For One
_Soundtrack From The Film The Song Remains The Same_ (October
1976) Swan Song
Rock And Roll, Celebration Day, The Song Remains The Same,
The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused, No Quarter, Stairway To
Heaven, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love
_In Through The Out Door_ (August 1979) Swan Song
In The Evening, South Bound Suarez, Fool In The Rain, Hot
Dog, Carouselambra, All My Love, I'm Gonna Crawl
_Coda_ (November 1982) Swan Song
We're Gonna Groove, Poor Tom, I Can't Quit You Baby,
Walter's Walk, Ozone Baby, Darlene, Bonzo's Montreaux,
Wearing And Tearing
_Led Zeppelin_ (4CD boxed set) (October 1990) Atlantic
Selections from the studio albums, with the addition of "Hey
Hey What Can I Do," a live in-studio "White Summer/Black
Mountain Side," a live in-studio "Traveling Riverside
Blues," and a Page amalgamation of "Moby Dick" and "Bonzo's
Montreaux". All tracks remastered from the lowest-generation
tapes available by Jimmy Page and George Marino.
Videos for "Over The Hills And Far Away" and "Traveling Riverside
Blues" were released. The videos are a mixture of conceptual
footage and carefully edited clips from a variety of live videos
(some clearly _not_ from _The Song Remains The Same_--such as the
Knebworth footage).
_Remasters_ (2CD boxed set) (October 1990) Atlantic
The non-US version of the 4CD set, later released in the
States. Condensed "greatest hits" package of the remastered
material, with the addition of "Good Times Bad Times" (not on
the 4CD set). Some editions contain _Profiled_, an interview
with the band.
_Boxed Set 2_ (2CD boxed set) (September 1993) Atlantic
Remastered versions of all the material not on the 4CD set,
plus "Baby Come On Home," an unreleased track from the _I_
sessions.
_Led Zeppelin--The Complete Studio Recordings_ (10CD boxed set)
Atlantic (September 1993)
Remastered versions of the original 9 studio recordings with
the original cover art, in a case. All the "previously
unreleased" material appearing on the other sets is tacked
on to the end of _Coda_, with the exception of the "Moby Dick"/
"Bonzo's Montreaux" marriage. The cover depicts the inside
of a Zeppelin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9 - What videos has the band released?
This videography will cover major, _legal_ releases. Videos listed
in quotations do not appear in any known compilations.
Led Zeppelin:
-------------
_The Song Remains The Same_ (1976--released 1984) Warner Video
Autumn Lake, Bron-Y-Aur, Rock And Roll, Black Dog, Since
I've Been Loving You, The Song Remains The Same, The Rain
Song, Stairway To Heaven, Dazed And Confused, Moby Dick,
Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, Stairway To Heaven
Directed by Joe Massot and Peter Clifton, recorded live at Madison
Square Garden July 27, 28, and 29, 1973, and at various locations.
Released to theaters in 1976. It may be reworked in the future.
Page: "I wouldn't mind paying some attention to the laser disc and
video, as well."
_Supershow_ (September 1986) Virgin Vision (various)
Dazed And Confused
Recorded live at Staines Studios on March 25, 1969. More songs
were probably performed, but remain unreleased.
_Rock Aid Armenia_ (November 1989) Virgin Video (various)
Dazed & Confused, Satisfaction Guaranteed
"Dazed" is from the Supershow footage, "SG" is from the Firm.
_The First Cuts_ (1990)
Outtakes from TSRTS. Recalled.
"Over The Hills And Far Away" (October 1990) Atlantic Video
"Traveling Riverside Blues" (October 1990) Atlantic Video
These videos are a mixture of conceptual footage and carefully-
edited clips from a variety of live videos (some clearly _not_
from _The Song Remains The Same_--such as the Knebworth footage).
Jimmy Page:
-----------
_Royal Albert Hall ARMS Concert Part 2_ (1983) Videoform (various)
Prelude, Who's To Blame, City Sirens, Stairway To Heaven,
Tulsa Time, Layla, Goodnight Irene
Part of a two tape set, Page appears on the above tracks. Also
see below.
"Sea Of Love" (November 1984) Atlantic Video (The Honeydrippers)
Page does not actually appear in the video.
_The Firm Live At Hammersmith 1984_ (1985) Atlantic Video (The
Firm)
Live footage from two Firm dates in December 1984. Promo only--
was not released for sale.
"These Arms Of Mine" (1985) Decca (Willie & The Poorboys)
_Five From The Firm_ (1986) Atlantic Home Video (The Firm)
Tear Down The Walls, Satisfaction Guaranteed, All The King's
Horses, Radioactive, Live In Peace
Extremely hard to find, even when it was new.
"Wasting My Time" (June 1988) Geffen Video
_Knebworth: The Event Vol. 3_ (1990) Castle Video (various)
Wearing And Tearing, Rock And Roll
Part of a longer concert, Page appears on the listed tracks.
_The ARMS Concert_ (1991) Rhino (various artists)
Prelude, Who's To Blame, City Sirens, Stairway To Heaven,
Tulsa Time, Layla, Goodnight Irene
A single-tape version of the one listed above. Page appears on
the listed tracks.
"Pride & Joy" (March 1993) Geffen Video (Coverdale/Page)
"Take Me For A Little While" (July 1993) Geffen Video
(Coverdale/Page)
Robert Plant:
-------------
"Little Sister" (January 1980) Swan Song/Atlantic Video (Rockpile)
Live performance from the Rock For Kampuchea concert.
"Burning Down One Side" (June 1982) Swan Song/Atlantic Video
_Prince's Trust Rock Gala_ (1984) MGA/UA (various artists)
Worse Than Detroit, I Wanna Take You Higher
Part of a longer concert, Plant appears on the listed tracks.
"Sea Of Love" (November 1984) Atlantic Video (The Honeydrippers)
"Rockin' At Midnight" (November 1984) Atlantic Video (The
Honeydrippers)
"Pink & Black" (May 1985) Atlantic Video
"Heaven Knows" (March 1988) Atlantic Video
"Ship Of Fools" (March 1988) Atlantic Video
_Mumbo Jumbo_ (1989) Warner Video
Heaven Knows, Big Log, Little By Little, In The Mood, Tall
Cool One (plus additional footage)
"Hurting Kind (I've Got My Eyes On You)" (March 1990) Atlantic
Video
"Nirvana" (March 1990) Atlantic Video
_Knebworth: The Event Vol. 3_ (1990) Castle Video (various)
Hurting Kind, Tall Cool One, Wearing And Tearing, Rock And
Roll
Part of a longer concert, Plant appears on the listed tracks.
_The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert_ (1992) Buena Vista Home Video
(various)
Kashmir intro, Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Plant also performed Thank You and Innuendo, though they do not
appear on the video.
"Calling To You" (June 1993) Atlantic Video
"29 Palms" (1993) Atlantic Video
"I Believe" (1993) Atlantic Video
John Paul Jones:
----------------
_Give My Regards To Broad Street_ (1988) CBS Fox (movie)
Jones appears in the "Ballroom Dancing" segment.
"Do You Take This Man?" (September 1994) Mute Video (Diamanda Galas
& John Paul Jones)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
10 - Should I buy the boxed sets? Which one(s) should I buy?
The sound quality of the newly remastered material is incredibly
improved over the original US CD releases. For that reason alone
any of them are worth getting. And the combination of the two
principal sets _or_ the "complete" set gives one all the studio
material in remastered form. As for the "unreleased" material--
"HHWCID" is available on the "Immigrant Song" single, "Traveling
Riverside Blues" is a staple of AOR radio, and there are many
versions of "White Summer" superior to the one released on the set,
so that should not be the deciding factor. The packaging of the
sets, from cover art to liner notes, is incredible.
However, the release of the newly-remastered "original" CDs has
made this choice a difficult one. Basically, it comes down to
the presence of the "unreleased" material (which does _not_ appear
on the individually remastered _Coda_), a choice of packaging,
and the order in which one wants to hear the songs. The cost of
getting one of the boxed set combinations will almost assuredly
be less than the eventual total cost of the individual CDs.
The purchase of the original, unremastered CDs is not recommended
due to their poor sound quality.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
11 - Will _The Song Remains The Same_ be remastered?
Atlantic said no. However--Page: "That will be done in the
future."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
12 - So what _is_ the fourth album called, anyway?
Nothing. It's officially untitled. It's commonly referred to as
Four Symbols, ZOSO, and most often simply Led Zeppelin IV. The
album, as originally released, carried absolutely no band or
title identification anywhere on the jacket.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
13 - What's the deal with those four symbols?
Page's symbol, while _not_ standing for "ZOSO" or any combination
of letters, is a mystery. It resembles the alchemical symbol for
mercury, but no more is known. Plant reports being once told what
it meant, but he has since forgotten. Jones' symbol (the circle
with the trisecting ovals) came from a book of runes and is said
to represent confidence and competence. It also appears on the
cover of a book about the Rosicrucians, for reasons unknown.
Bonham's (the three intersecting circles) came from the same book,
and represents the man-wife-child trilogy. Some have remarked
that it is the symbol for Ballantine Beer. Plant, like Page,
designed his own symbol, and the feather in the circle is based
on a sign of the ancient Mu civilization.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
14 - What's that thing on the _Presence_ cover?
It's called either The Obelisk or The Object, and was created by
Hipgnosis (the design company) to represent Led Zeppelin's "force
and presence." It was not intended as a reference to the Monolith
of _2001_, though the resemblance has been noted by many; including
Page himself.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
15 - What's up with the album covers for _In Through The Out
Door_?
There are 6 different covers, each showing the same scene from a
different point of view. The album originally came in a plain
brown wrapper. An added bonus -- the inner sleeve, when dampened,
changes color. In case it wasn't obvious, this refers only to the
vinyl versions of the album.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
16 - What's up with (song title) (and who's Roy Harper)?
A few notes about individual songs:
"How Many More Times" -- This is one of three songs in which Page
employs the bow. There is a brief tribute/reference/inside
joke during the long instrumental section where the band plays
part of the Page-written "Beck's Bolero."
"Dazed And Confused" -- The Yardbirds performed this with different
lyrics as "I'm Confused". The guitar solo following the bow
section is Page's solo from the Yardbirds' "Think About It."
The second of the three songs on which Page employs the bow.
"Black Mountain Side" -- Viram Jasani plays tabla.
"Whole Lotta Love" -- The "middle section" was created with the
theremin, some recorded drums, vocal gymnastics from Plant
(heavily filtered through various effects), and a lot of
random knob-twisting by Page and Eddie Kramer in the studio.
"Out On The Tiles" -- The title is British slang for "a night on
the town." It is Page that can be heard saying "stop!" in
this song, reminding himself to stop playing.
"Hats Off To (Roy) Harper" -- Roy Harper is an English folk
musician who toured (though didn't perform) with Zeppelin
and with whom Page and other Zeppelin members have worked,
recorded, and toured. He is probably best known for his
lead vocal on Pink Floyd's "Have A Cigar."
"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" -- "Bron-Y-Aur" is a misspelling of Bron-Yr-Aur.
"Friends" -- The synth drone at the end covers a production
mistake (the original intro to "Celebration Day" was erased.)
The strings in the song are real.
"Since I've Been Loving You" -- Bonham's bass drum pedal squeaks
during much of this song (it's especially annoying during the
intro).
"Tangerine" -- This was a Page composition left over from the
Yardbirds days.
"Black Dog" -- The title came from a black dog that wandered in
and out of the studio during the _IV_ sessions.
"The Battle Of Evermore" -- Sandy Denny (of Fairport Convention)
on vocals. Her parts were handled live by John Paul Jones.
"Misty Mountain Hop" -- Yes, there is a mistake in this song,
(in the line that begins "There you sit..."), though the band
apparently felt the rest of the take was too good to replace.
"Four Sticks" -- Bonham used 4 sticks while recording this song
(two in each hand) hence the title.
"When The Levee Breaks" -- The drum sound was produced by placing
Bonham's kit in a stone stairwell, and hanging a microphone
from the stairs a few flights up.
"D'yer Mak'er" -- pronounced like Jamaica.
"The Rain Song" -- The "strings" on this song are actually a
Mellotron.
"The Ocean" -- There is a phone ringing at about 1:37 in. Don't
ask why. The countoff at the beginning is Bonham: "We've
done four already, but now we're steady, and then they went:
one, two, three, four."
"Kashmir" -- There are keyboards on this song, but there are also
real strings and horns.
"Black Country Woman" -- The sound from an overhead plane was not
removed from the intro, thanks to Plant's audible "No, leave
it in."
"Bron-Yr-Aur" -- A cabin where Zeppelin often retreated for
composition and relaxation. It means "The Golden Breast".
The unusually "thick" guitar sound is a combination of an
open tuning and clever use of backward echo.
"Boogie With Stu" -- Stu is Ian Stewart, the Stones resident
pianist.
"In The Evening" -- The third song in which Page employs the bow.
The unusual noises in the guitar solo are caused by the
springs of a fully-depressed whammy bar. The intro is based
on Page's work for the _Lucifer Rising_ soundtrack.
"All My Love" -- The strings and horn sounds are all synths.
"I Can't Quit You Baby" -- The live version on Coda is from the
Royal Albert Hall performance (widely available on bootleg
video)--_not_ the rehearsal as is sometimes claimed.
"Darlene" -- Jones (not Ian Stewart) plays the piano.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
17 - Are there a lot of references to J.R.R. Tolkien's works
in Led Zeppelin songs?
Not really. "Ramble On" and "The Battle Of Evermore" feature
direct references, as does the title "Misty Mountain Hop," but
that's it. There is no apparent link between Tolkien's work and
"Stairway To Heaven."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
18 - Didn't Led Zeppelin copy (song title) from (blues
artist)?
Yes, no, and maybe. Here's a partial list of covers, credited
and otherwise, and sources. Thanks to _Wearing & Tearing_, Glen
Cunliffe, Christopher Williams, _Proximity_, Hugh Jones, Bill
Bratton, and Colin Harper for much of the info in this section.
"Train Kept A Rollin'" -- Written by Tiny Bradshaw, L. Mann, and
H. Kay, first recorded by Bradshaw's Big Band in 1951.
Rewritten as a rockabilly tune in 1956 and recorded by the
Johnny Burnette Trio (whose guitarist, Paul Burlison, was an
influence on Jeff Beck and inspired him to cover the tune with
the Yardbirds). The Yardbirds recorded both the "original"
tune and a rewritten version called "Stroll On" (the lyrics
were modified to avoid copyright hassles) in Michaelangelo
Antonioni's film _Blow Up_, which features the Beck/Page-era
Yardbirds imitating the Who. The original version was often
played live by Zeppelin, and is often mistakenly attributed
to the Yardbirds, which is why it is included here.
"White Summer" -- Davey Graham's "She Moved Through The Fair."
"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" -- Anne Bredon (a/k/a Annie Briggs)
(the Joan Baez version was the one this was based on).
"You Shook Me" -- Willie Dixon, first recorded by Muddy Waters.
"I Can't Quit You Baby" -- Willie Dixon.
"Communication Breakdown" -- Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown."
"How Many More Times" -- Howlin Wolf's "How Many More Years,"
Albert King's "The Hunter," Zeppelin's version is lyrically
related to a cover called "How Many More Times" by Gary
Farr and the T-Bones (liner notes by Giorgio Gomelsky,
one-time producer of The Yardbirds). Zeppelin's particular
arrangement grew from the live jams on "Smokestack Lightning"
that the Page-led Yardbirds used to do.
"Dazed And Confused" -- Jake Holmes, written and recorded as
"Dazed & Confused." The Yardbirds covered it under the
title "I'm Confused," with different lyrics. Page again
changed the lyrics (which were originally about an acid
trip) for the Zeppelin version. The version on the _Session
Man_ album (on Archive) credited to the New Yardbirds is
actually the Holmes original. Page: "I don't know about
all that. I'd rather not get into it because I don't know
all the circumstances. What's he got, the riff or whatever?
Because Robert wrote some of the lyrics on that album. But
he was only listening to...we extended it from the one that
we were playing with the Yardbirds. I haven't heard Jake
Holmes so I don't know what it's all about anyway. Usually
my riffs are pretty damn original [laughs]. What can I say?"
"Black Mountain Side" -- traditional, Annie Briggs, Bert Jansch
The main riff is almost identical to the riff Jansch uses
in his song "BlackWater Side," though he cites Annie Briggs
as an earlier source. Page: "I wasn't totally original on
that riff. It had been done in folk clubs a lot. Annie
Briggs was the first one that I heard do that riff. I was
playing it as well, and then there was Bert Jansch's version."
The DADGAD tuning used here and on "White Summer," "Kashmir,"
"Swan Song" (see the unreleased section), and "Midnight
Moonlight" was supposedly invented by Davey Graham, though
whether or not Page knew this is unclear.
"The Lemon Song" -- Chester Burnett (a/k/a Howlin Wolf) "Killing
Floor," Robert Johnson ("squeeze my lemon" lyric). In some
early concerts and on some pressings of _II_, the song was
actually called "Killing Floor." ARC Music filed a suit
against Zeppelin in the early 70's, which was settled out
of court. Ironically, the "squeeze my lemon" lyric was
lifted by Johnson as well--from Art McKay ("She Squeezed
My Lemon"--1937).
"Moby Dick" -- Bobby Parker (music), Ginger Baker's "Toad" (drum
solo). The song was originally entitled "The Girl I Love,"
which was written in 1929 by Sleepy John Estes and called
"The Girl I Love, She Got Long Curly Hair." There are also
some drum lines lifted intact from George Suranovich's drum
solo with Arthur Lee's Love's song "Doggone."
"Whole Lotta Love" -- Willie Dixon's "You Need Love" (lyrics).
Plant: "Page's riff was Page's riff. It was there before
anything else. I just thought, 'well, what am I going to
sing?' That was it, a nick. Now happily paid for. At the
time, there was a lot of conversation about what to do. It
was decided that it was so far away in time (it was in fact
7 years) and influence that...well, you only get caught when
you're successful. That's the game." Willie Dixon sued
Zeppelin (actually friends of his at the time) in 1985 when
his daughter noticed the resemblance--though by this time,
Zeppelin has sold the rights to their international catalog
and knew _in advance_ of the suit, which was filed only
_after_ the sale had been completed.
"Thank You" -- There is a striking chordal similarity to Traffic's
"Dear Mr. Fantasy." There is an intriguing rumor that Page
is actually the guitarist on the Traffic song, though no
one involved has confirmed this.
"Bring It On Home" -- Written by Willie Dixon, though the Sonny
Boy Williamson II version is the one which this bears a
similarity to. The "Lemon Song" lawsuit also included
language about this song.
"Traveling Riverside Blues" -- Johnny Winter's "Leavin' Blues"
(music only), plus lyrical references to Robert Johnson,
St. Louis Jimmy Oden, and Sleepy John Estes.
"Since I've Been Loving You" -- brief lyrical nod to Moby Grape's
"Never."
"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" -- intro lifted from "The Waggoner's Tale" by
Bert Jansch.
"Gallows Pole" -- traditional, associated with Leadbelly. Page
says that his version was based on a cover of the song by
Fred Gerlach.
"Hats Off To (Roy) Harper" -- traditional, Bukka White (song
entitled "Shake 'Em On Down"), also covered by Joe Lee
Williams and Blind Lemon Jefferson.
"Black Dog" -- the vocal arrangement is very similar to Fleetwood
Mac's "Oh Well."
"Rock And Roll" -- drawn from Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss
Molly/Keep A Knockin'" (mostly the drum line).
"Stairway To Heaven" -- Possible (though unlikely) lift from
"And She's Lonely" by The Chocolate Watch Band, which
became the intro chords. There's really no way of knowing
for sure. The solo chords are also similar to the chords
of Dylan's (and Hendrix's) "All Along The Watchtower,"
though the chord progression is hardly uncommon and any
direct influence is also unlikely. A more believable lift
might be from Spirit's "Taurus," an instrumental from their
_Time Circle_ album--the intro from "Stairway" is remarkably
similar, and Page and Plant were certainly aware of the band.
"When The Levee Breaks" -- Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy.
_Physical Graffiti_ -- The album cover is identical in concept
and very similar in design to the cover of the Jose
Feliciano album _Compartments_, including the pull-out
card and the "hidden" photos.
"Custard Pie" -- Sleepy John Estes did a song entitled "Drop
Down Daddy" in 1935, which seems to be the earliest source
for this material. Blind Boy Fuller recorded a song
entitled "I Want Some Of Your Pie" in 1939. Sonny Terry
covered it with the title "Custard Pie Blues." Big Joe
Williams also covered it under the title "Drop Down Mama,"
and his lyrics are pretty much identical to Plant's. There
is also some Bukka White material in the song.
"In My Time Of Dying" -- Traditional. First recorded by Blind
Willie Johnson as "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed," which is
more like the Zeppelin version than the well-known Bob
Dylan cover. Plant has cited Josh White's 1933 "Jesus
Make Up My Dying Bed" as the source for Zeppelin's version.
A much closer version appears on the self-titled album
by the Canadian band Fear Itself, whose "In My Time OF
Dying" is credited to Ellen McIlwaine, the band's lead
singer and slide guitarist. Besides many musical and
length similarities, the Fear Itself version ends with
the line, "My dying...cough."
"Boogie With Stu" -- Ritchie Valens. Page: "The jam [with Ian
Stewart] turned into 'Boogie With Stu,' which was obviously
a variation on 'Ooh My Head' by the late Ritchie Valens,
which itself was actually a variation of Little Richard's
'Ooh My Soul.' What we tried to do was give Ritchie's mother
credit, because we heard she never received any royalties
from any of her son's hits, and Robert did lean on that lyric
a bit. So what happens? They tried to sue us for all of the
song! We had to say 'bugger off.'" The Valens song bears
a strong similarity to Memphis Minnie's "I Called You This
Morning."
"Nobody's Fault But Mine" -- Blind Willie Johnson (lyrics).
Plant: "First of all, it's public domain because he's been
dead so long, and secondly it wasn't his song in the first
place--nobody knows where it comes from."
"In The Evening" -- James Carr has a song called "In the Evening,
When The Sun Goes Down." The music is not similar.
"We're Gonna Groove" -- Ben E. King, James Bethea.
"Darlene" -- One line from Don McLean's "American Pie."
So is this theivery? Yes, no and maybe. ;-) They _did_ steal a
few things outright--like "Dazed And Confused" (stolen by the
Yardbirds, actually)--but anyone who understands the blues
tradition knows that this sort of "borrowing" goes on all the time.
Willie Dixon may have been more savvy about copyrights than his
counterparts, but he was no stranger to plagiarism himself. Many
of the "songs" Dixon copyrighted could be considered public domain.
And in the end, most of Zeppelin's "lifts" were eventually paid for.
Besides, as was the case with "Traveling Riverside Blues," the
Zeppelin version often bore little (if any) resemblance to the
original. Page: "...Robert was supposed to change the [lyrics],
and he didn't always do that--which is what brought on most of our
grief." [...] "So, anyway, if there is any plagiarism, just blame
Robert! (laughs)"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
19 - What's Zeppelin's best song/album?
This is a purely subjective opinion -- there's no right answer.
Albums -- _IV_ has sold the most copies, though it never hit #1
(it was behind Carole King's _Tapestry_). Critics and fans
usually pick either _IV_ or _Physical Graffiti_ as the best,
though the album most often cited by musicians as being
influential in their early development is _II_. Plant's favorite
is _Physical Graffiti_.
Songs -- "Stairway To Heaven" is one of the most-requested and
most-played rock songs of all time. It was never released as a
single, so comparisons to "I Will Always Love You" (by Whitney
Houston--the biggest-selling single of all time) are not
applicable. The band seems to feel that "Kashmir" captures their
essence better than any other song, though Page and Jones profess
abiding love for "Stairway To Heaven," and Page is particularly
proud of "Achilles Last Stand." Plant loathes "Stairway."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
20 - Is there any more unreleased material?
There are very few (if any) unreleased _studio_ Zeppelin songs, as
most of the extras appeared on _Physical Graffiti_, _Coda_, and the
boxed sets. There are quite a few jams and alternate takes floating
around, however. _Nirvana_ reported the existence of a few more
unreleased tracks, which had found their way to the band through a
third-party.
As far as professionally-recorded live audio and video, most of
this still resides in Page's vaults, though many of the soundboard
bootlegs of the past few years were mastered from tapes stolen from
Page's house. The 1977 tour in particular is known to be pretty
thoroughly recorded. Page: "We also have live tapes going back to
1970, that go all the way through Knebworth in 1979."
This long-rumored Page-produced live retrospective is unlikely to
appear. George Marino of Sterling Sound is quoted about Page's
attitude toward releasing live material -- "Even if they were
guaranteed to sell a million of a live thing, I don't think
he'd put it out if he didn't feel that the playing was good
enough."
Page has recently expressed some interest in releasing live
material (audio and video), but Plant has killed the idea. Page:
"...but Robert has never been keen on doing it. You can't very
well do it if someone is vetoing the bloody thing. It's a lot of
work to go through all these tapes, and I'm not going to do it if
he's going to stop it."
However, the fate of one particular outtake _is_ known. In his
essay for the boxed set, Cameron Crowe mentioned the "unreleased
'Swan Song,'" a solo guitar work in the same tuning as "Kashmir"
and "White Summer". According to Crowe in a recent Prodigy article,
this tune was incorporated into Page's live "White Summer"/"Black
Mountain Side"/"Kashmir" medley (bits of it can be heard as early
as 1970) and eventually resurfaced as part of a "work-in-progress"
with Paul Rodgers on the American leg of the ARMS tour. Later, it
was fleshed out to become the core of the song "Midnight Moonlight"
on the Firm's first album.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
21 - How does the band feel about bootlegs?
First of all, a few definitions--"bootlegs" are, in this case,
defined as live concert recordings, studio outtakes, radio
broadcasts, and similar material neither released nor sanctioned
by the band or its management. They are not to be confused with
counterfeit copies of legitimate releases, which are uniformly
denounced and actively prosecuted by the law.
In the past, Peter Grant used to make surprise stops in record
stores to destroy any Zeppelin bootlegs he found. He also
confiscated or destroyed any microphones and recording equipment
he found at concerts. Since then, however, the band has mellowed
considerably on the subject.
Jimmy Page: "_Coda_ was released, basically, because there was
so much bootleg stuff out. We thought, 'Well, if there's that
much interest, then we may as well put the rest of our studio
stuff out.'" Yet another reason the much-discussed chronological
live album has not been released is, according to Page, because,
"there are so many bootlegs around that people who are interested
have probably made up their own compilation." He also has said,
on the possibility of more studio outtakes being released: "Ah,
no. There's some great live stuff. But there's also some great
live bootlegs, ha ha. Thank God they're there and thanks to the
people who send me these things. I listen to them and go, 'My
God, that was good. I wish it had been recorded on the line.'"
Robert Plant has often been known to autograph bootlegs, and all
three members have from time to time requested copies of some of
the better known productions. And a Page fan reports meeting
Page and giving him a copy of a 10-album Zeppelin bootleg set.
Page said, "Thanks," and continued walking on, as rock stars
usually do when fans hand them something. But when he saw that
the gift was a bootleg, Page stopped, went back to the fan, and
said, "Thanks! This is great!"
Page's opinion of boots has soured somewhat since the release of
_Outrider_, however, as his house was broken into during the
early recording stages. Among the items stolen were the demo
tapes for what was to be a 2-album release (rather than the 1
that came out as _Outrider_), numerous studio outtakes and live
soundboard recordings which have since flooded the market, and
the pro-shot Knebworth video from 8-11-79. Page also confiscated
an armful of bootlegs in a Japanese store while on tour with
Coverdale/Page, so what his current feelings are unknown.
Plant's opinion of live material in general seems to have soured
a bit as well, though whether or not he makes a distinction in the
case of bootlegs is not known. Interestingly, he was recently
spotted in a bootleg store in New York, searching for a copy of
the Page/Plant/Bombay Symphony recordings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
22 - Where do I get bootlegs?
This is a touchy subject, as the sale, distribution, and receipt
of bootlegs is illegal. To protect the list from the (extremely
unlikely) possiblility of litigation, care must be taken to
seperate the illegal aspects of bootlegging from the (perfectly
legal) academic discussion of them. Lists of traders will not
appear in this FAQL, nor should the specifics of trading appear
in the list. Bootleg lists, actual trades, bids, and the like
should _not_ be posted. Caution should be exercised for the
protection of both the list and the traders themselves. Having
supplied the necessary disclaimers:
Small (non-chain) record stores that advertise "New-Old-Used"
records almost always carry bootleg albums and CDs, as well as
some out-of-print stuff. _Goldmine_ and _Record Collector_
magazine can be scanned for sources, though _Goldmine_ no longer
allows small collectors to specifically advertise bootlegs. Tape
trading, the most popular form of collecting, is usually restricted
to individuals rather than organizations or companies. Though
beginning collectors often have no choice, many tape traders frown
upon the "sale" of bootlegs--preferring "even" trades (sometimes
with postage compensation) to buying and selling.
Most often, simply posting to the list and stating your desire to
find unreleased Zeppelin material will start the ball rolling. If
you have bootlegs that you want to trade, then a post to that effect
is acceptable (while a detailed list may not be).
Note that the discussion of bootlegs is in no way illegal, and is
an important facet of the list's discussions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
23 - Which bootlegs should I start with?
This is a very short list of the most popular collections/shows
culled from _A Celebration_ and ZOSO Magazine. A more up-to-date
version is in preparation. Apologies if your favorites were left
out:
The ZOSO Top Ten CDs:
Tour Over Europe '80 (Zurich), Moonlight/Dinosaur, Dallas '75,
Classics Off The Air I, II, & III, Blueberry Hill, Live In San
Francisco, Destroyer (Archive version), Stokes '73, Rotterdam
'80, Silver Coated Rails/Rock & Roll
Recommendations culled from a special ZOSO feature and _A
Celebration_:
LP's -- Bonzo's Birthday Party, Cologne 1980, Copenhagen
Warm-Ups--The 2nd Night, Feel All Right, Fillmore West 1969, V
1/2 (Highway or TMQ), For Badgeholders Only, Going To California,
How Many More Times, Knebworth (Stork), Live At The Budokan, Pb
(a/k/a Mudslide), No Quarter, Tangible Vandalism, Three Days
After, 214, 207.19, LA Forum--A Night At The Heartbreak Hotel,
Persistence, Live at the Chicago Stadium, Bonzo's Last Ever Gig
In Berlin, The Can, In The Light '69-'85, Something Else,
Hiawatha Express, The Making Of Friends, Studio Rehearsals May
1970, Inedits, Out Through The Back Door, The Last Rehearsal,
Listen To This Eddie, Strange Tales From The road, Alpha Omega,
White Summer, Live at the London Lyceum, Bath Festival 1970, My
Brain Hurts, Quantient, Bonzo's Birthday Party
CDs -- (in addition to above list)--Something Else, Studio
Daze, Last Stand/ Final Touch, Jennings Farm Blues Tapes--2-1-69
Fillmore East, 4-7-70 Raleigh NC, 9-29-71 Festival Hall Osaka,
6-9-71 Charlotte NC, 6-19-72 Seattle, 6-25-72 The Forum LA, 10-4
& 10-9-72 Osaka, 5-5-73 Tampa, 5-13-73 Mobile AL, 5-14-73 New
Orleans, 5-19-73 Fort Worth, 7-6-73 Chicago, 7-21-73 Providence,
7-26-73 Buffalo, 2-12-75 MSG NY, 2-28-75 Louisiana State
University Baton Rouge, 3-5-75 Dallas, 3-10-75 San Diego, 3-24 &
3-25 & 3-27-75 LA Forum, 5-(17,18,23,24,25)-75 Earls Court,
6-7-77 MSG NY, 6-19-77 San Diego, 6-(21,25,27)-77 LA Forum,
7-23-77 Oakland, 8-11-79 Knebworth, 7-2 & 7-3-80 Mannheim
Videos -- Danish TV 1969, 1-9-70 Royal Albert Hall, 1-21-75
Chicago, 2-8-75 Philadelphia, 3-75 Seattle, 3-24-75 LA Forum,
5-18-77 Birmingham, 7-23-77 Oakland, 7-11-79 Knebworth, 7-5-80
Munich
Note that there's duplication and overlap in the above lists. A
few notes about formats--the quality of CD releases is only
occasionally better than other formats, but the permanence and
playback advantages of CDs have convinced many collectors to
concentrate on them. The CDs are not always tracked well, though--
track markers are often misplaced or missing altogether. LPs
suffer from quality problems with repeated playback and
scratching, but have the advantage of better packaging. Tapes are
the cheapest option, and suffer the most from each playback/
copy--thus low generation tapes are prized by tape traders.
However, tapes have two significant advantages over other formats:
many shows have never appeared on CD or LP, and complete concerts
are much easier to obtain on this format (CDs and LPs exhibit the
so-called "slice and dice" mentality of bootleggers trying to deal
with maximum time strictures and still make money).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
24 - Are there any books on Led Zeppelin?
Many. Few good ones, though. The key resources are:
_Led Zeppelin_ -- Howard Mylett
_Led Zeppelin In The Light_ -- Howard Mylett and Richard Bunton
_Led Zeppelin From The Archives_ -- Howard Mylett
Photos, 56 pages. Contact Howard Mylett, 151 Thornhill Rise,
Mile Oak, Portslade, Sussex, BN41 2YJ, England. 10 pounds
sterling.
_Led Zeppelin: The Definitive Biography_ -- Richie Yorke
_Led Zeppelin In Their Own Words_ -- Paul Kendall
_Led Zeppelin: A Visual Documentary_ -- Paul Kendall
_Led Zeppelin Portraits_ -- Neal Preston -- This book is a
must-have, as Preston was an "official" photographer and
knew better than anyone how to capture Zeppelin's mystique.
_Led Zeppelin: The Final Acclaim_ -- Dave Lewis
_Led Zeppelin: The Book_ -- Chris Welch
_Stairway To Heaven_ -- Richard Cole -- Basically a rewrite of
_Hammer Of The Gods_, with a few more personal stories and
photos thrown in. Less ridiculous speculation than Davis'
book, though. Page: "There's a book written by our former
road manager, Richard Cole that has made me completely ill.
I'm so mad about it that I can't even bring myself to read
the whole thing. The two bits that I have read are so
ridiculously false, that I'm sure if I read the rest I'd
be able to sue Cole and the publishers. But it would be
so painful to read that it wouldn't be worth it.
_The Illustrated Collectors Guide To Led Zeppelin, 3rd edition
-- Robert Godwin -- Another must-have, covers the legal and
bootleg discographies on vinyl and CD, though the pace of
new CD releases makes the latter section obsolete. According
to Hugh Jones of Proximity, however, Godwin is working on a
4th edition that will cover all new CD releases (up to the
printing date, that is), color photos, and the most
comprehensive tour date listing yet.
_Led Zeppelin Live (An Illustrated Exploration Of Underground
Tapes) (2nd edition)_ -- Luis Rey -- Features concert
reviews, photos, and bootleg descriptions, along with the
matching of concerts to specific bootlegs. Susan
Pickel-Hedrick and Base Hedrick (editors of the Page fanzine
_Oh Jimmy_) also edited this book. It is available from Hot
Wacks Press, P.O. Box 544, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada, N4K
5R1, for $21.00 (US) postage paid.
_The Led Zeppelin Worldwide Collector's Guide Of Singles And
Extended Plays_ -- Samuel Ketenjian -- picture sleeves, pictures
of described memorabilia, singles, EPs, and complete country-
by-country listings. $5 per book (or $10 for a limited
edition signed and numbered copy) + $3.50 postage ($5.00
overseas) to Samuel Ketenjian, 16335 Calahan St., North Hills,
CA 91343. (818) 893-2079, fax (818) 893-1547.
_Led Zeppelin A Celebration_ -- Dave Lewis -- The principal
resource for this FAQL. Incredible.
_Led Zeppelin Heaven And Hell_ -- Charles Cross and Erik Flannigan,
with Neal Preston -- another key resource for this FAQL.
_Jimmy Page: Tangents Within A Framework_ -- Howard Mylett
_Live Dreams_ -- Laurance Ratner -- Possibly the best-produced Led
Zeppelin work yet, a 200+ page coffee-table book with only
4000 copies printed. Wonderful color photos (some of the best
out there), a specially-commissioned artwork on the cover,
superior materials used for the paper and binding, and a
forward by Dave Lewis. Expensive, but worth it for the
serious collector. Larry is online, so you can contact him if
you have questions.
Contact: LRC Limited
P.O. Box 10648
Chicago, IL 60610-6048
(USA)
71352.3210@compuserve.com
_The Complete Guide To The Music Of Led Zeppelin_ -- Dave Lewis
Simply an excerpting of the song analysis in _A Celebration_,
with some info on new songs, pictures, and downsized to fit
in a standard CD rack.
..and, of course:
_Hammer Of The Gods_ -- Stephen Davis -- The band denounces it.
It's mostly the whisperings of tour manager/perpetual addict
Richard Cole, whose own book is much more valuable for this
type of insight. Readers should know that Stephen Davis
once claimed (quite seriously), in an interview for a Zeppelin
fanzine, that Jimmy Page had put some sort of curse on him.
Read at your own risk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
25 - Are there any music books featuring Led Zeppelin?
There are _many_ third-party collection (mostly simplified tab
collections) of material from the first five albums, and for
the most part these are not listed here.
"Stairway To Heaven" -- Warner Brothers (piano, notation + tab,
tab, easy piano)
This exists in all 4 formats--the notation + tab format is
licensed by Warner Brothers to _Guitar For The Practicing
Musician_, and the easy piano edition exists as a Warner
Brothers production (though we've seen Dan Coates' version
in the past).
_Led Zeppelin Complete_ -- Superhype/Warner Brothers (piano or
piano + tab)
Music from the first 5 albums. This also exists in an
Intermediate Guitar format.
_Led Zeppelin Complete Vol. 2_ -- Superhype/Flames Of Albion/
Warner Brothers (piano or piano + tab)
Music from the last 4 studio albums. This is not yet widely
available, it seems.
_Led Zeppelin Guitar Superstar Series_ -- Warner Brothers (tab)
Intermediate guitar transcriptions, from the first six albums.
_Led Zeppelin_ -- Warner Brothers (notation + tab)
A 2-book companion to the 4CD set, features notation and
tablature for all instruments used on the boxed set tracks.
The transcription is excellent, though the lyrical
interpretations leave something to be desired. Whether or
not this process will be repeated for _Boxed Set 2_ is
unknown.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
26 - Are there any magazines/fanzines about Led Zeppelin?
Note: this section is provided for information only. No
endorsement or guarantee of the services provided is intended.
Proximity -- The Led Zeppelin Collector's Journal
P.O. Box 45541
Seattle, WA 98145-0541
Published quarterly.
Subscription info:
Standard--$12 per year (4 issues)
Premium (mailed in a protective envelope)--$16 per year
Overseas--$24 per year (all US funds)
Single issue or back issue (US)--$4
Checks or money orders payable to Hugh Jones.
Hugh Jones is online, so he is available for questions/comment, at
HugLesley@aol.com.
Wearing And Tearing
Mark Archer
Flat 3, 13 Lynton Rd
Heaton Moor, Stockport, SK4 4RQ
England
The Only One
86 Main St. Suite 503
Dundas, Ontario
L9H, 2R1 CANADA
Published bimonthly starting 1 April 1994. Rates:
One year--$24 (6 issues)
Four issues--$18
Sample issue--$5
The first 250 subscribers will receive numbered issues as collectors'
items.
The Ocean
46 Briarwood Drive
Westwood, MA 02090 (USA)
Oh Jimmy
Susan Hedrick
P.O. Box 6307
Bellevue, WA 98008 (USA)
Oh Jimmy - The Jimmy Page Fanzine
Tim Tirelli
Via Pedretti 12
41015 Nonantola (MO) Italy
Single issues of _Oh Jimmy_--$4 US, $5 Canada
The Lemon Tree (Plant fanzine)
Liz Hames
20 Ludford Crescent
Gainsborough, Lincs.
DN2I IXB, ENGLAND
Published quarterly. Rates:
4 issues -- 8 pounds (UK)
10 pounds (Europe)
14 pounds (rest of the world)
Single issues - 1.5 pounds per copy
Tight But Loose
14 Totnes Close
Bedford, MK40 3AX
England
Four issues of the Tight But Loose magazine (twice annually) PLUS
four additional information service newsletters:-
UK------------- 16 all prices inclusive of
Europe--------- 21 all postage costs
USA/Canada----- 28
Australia/Japan 31 all prices in pounds
Payment: by cheque/postal order/eurocheque/international money
order in UK sterling only. Payable to D. Lewis.
The magazine is also available individually to non-subscribers at
the following rates: UK 3.50
Europe 4.50 again, prices in pounds
USA/Canada 6.00
Japan/Australia 6.50
Founded by Dave Lewis, this was the premiere fanzine during Led
Zeppelin's active years. This publication has resurfaced, including:
Still available - Tight But Loose 7 - The Celebration Update
Special issue sequel to the Dave Lewis book Led Zeppelin _A
Celebration_. 40,000 word chapter by chapter update.
UK 4.00 Europe 5.00 USA/Canada 6.5 Japan/Australia 7.00
prices in pounds.
Also, a word about _ZOSO_ -- due to financial difficulties,the
production of _ZOSO_ has apparently ceased--permanently. The
status of merchandising, etc. is unknown. _Electric Magic_ has
also, sadly, gone by the wayside.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
27 - Are there any Led Zeppelin fan clubs?
Not that Digital Graffiti is aware of. Sadly, _Nirvana_ has come
to an abrupt end in both its fanzine and fan club formats.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
28 - Where do I get Led Zeppelin collectibles (other than
bootlegs)?
Super-collector Rick Barrett can be contacted at:
Rick Barrett
PO Box 66262
Houston, TX 77266-6262
fax 713-680-0325
And, of course, almost any music magazine has advertisements for
Zeppelin shirts, posters, keychains, etc. _Goldmine_ magazine
is a source for hard-to-find collectibles.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
29 - Where can I get online lyrics, tabulature, GIFs, etc.?
***(Note: Info is not guaranteed, and sources remain incomplete
and unverified)***
Bootlegs -- Members of Digital Graffiti are working on a
comprehensive bootleg/tour list. Stay tuned. Contact Risto
Pohjonen at rtpo@tukki.jyu.fi if you want to help.
Tour dates -- Contact Risto Pohjonen at rtpo@tukki.jyu.fi for the
online list of (past) tour dates.
Trivia -- Steven Wheeler (swheeler@lawson.its.utas.edu.au) is
working on a list of "obscure Zeppelin trivia." Contact him with
submissions/suggestions.
Lyrics -- all "official" lyrical publications range from bad to
awful. This includes the boxed set folio, which has incorrect and/or
missing lyrics throughout. The _best_ source of lyrics thus far is
Digital Graffiti, which has thrashed out "best-guess" versions over
the past year or so. These are available by anonymous FTP at the
music archive (cs.uwp.edu or ftp.uwp.edu) in the led.zeppelin/lyrics
directory. ***NOTE: due to
inconsistent maintenance, there are _two_ versions of "Hey Hey What
Can I Do" on the archive--the "correct" version is
hey.hey.what.can.I.do, _not_ the one with underscores.
Tabs -- the boxed set folio has excellent tablature (and standard
notation) for vocals, all guitars, bass, drums and percussion,
keyboards, and all other instruments. There are also online sources
(see below). Also see the above section on music books.
GIFs -- See addresses below.
There is a nice gif of the four symbols at cs.uwp.edu (3444 bytes),
courtesy of Steve Rospo. They should be in
/pub/music/pictures/l/led.zeppelin, but for now look in
/pub/incoming/pictures/led.zeppelin. A jpeg of these symbols is
also available at the same site.
Fonts -- The _HOTH_ font, with the "four symbols," is available
as a TrueType Font for Win 3.1 at:
nic.switch.ch in software/msdos/win3/fonts/truetype/kashmir.zip
nic.funet.fi in pub/msdos/windows/tt-fonts/kashmir.zip
..and for the Macintosh at:
sumex-aim.stanford.edu in info-mac/font/tt/led-zeppelin-12.hqx
nic.funet.fi in pub/mac/info-mac/font/tt/led-zeppelin-12.hqx
Another _great_ source of info is the Hypercard stack put
together by our own Brian Davies:
*****************************************************************
"The Led Zeppelin Stack (v1.2) is an interactive database of
lyrics, artwork, set lists, sound samples, trivia and reviews.
The stack will run on any Mac with System 6.0 or greater and
HyperCard 2.0 or greater. It is constantly expanding, and as of
this writing it contains the most complete collection of lyrics
available on the net, about 400K of sounds and art from all the
albums and then some. Songs, albums and concerts are
cross-referenced for easy traversal of the stack. To subscribe
to the stack, mail $10 and either an e-mail address or a
formatted disk & SASE to Brian Davies, 1310 Chicago Ave., Apt.
2A, Evanston, IL 60201. Questions or comments are welcome; I
can be reached at davies@medici.ils.nwu.edu.
*****************************************************************
Due to a general lack of interest, however, Brian may or may not
continue to update this. Contact him for more info.
FTP sites with Zeppelin info include:
ftp.nevada.edu pub/guitar (tabs)
sumex-aim.stanford.edu info-mac
fonts (_HOTH_ font)
card (Hypercard stack of Zeppelin info)
sound (Zeppelin samples)
Host cs.uwp.edu (or ftp.uwp.edu)
Location: /pub/music/discog
FILE -rw-r--r-- 3319 Dec 20 1990 zeppelin
Location: /pub/music/lyrics/files
DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 512 Nov 21 1991 led.zeppelin
Archie -- Anyone who can do an Archie search can find many more
sources for info, GIFs, etc. Ask the list for help if you need to.
Gopher -- The music archive at cs.uwp.edu is accessible through
Gopher, as are many other archive sites.
WWW -- World Wide Web home pages with Zeppelin info include:
http://fjord.res.cmu.edu/zeppelin
http://uvacs.cs.virginia.edu/~jsw2y/zeppelin/zeppelin.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
30 - What did the members of Led Zeppelin do after the band
broke up?
(For more complete information, consult the discography sections.)
Jones recorded the soundtrack for _Scream For Help_, with the
assistance of Page and Yes' Jon Anderson. He produced albums
by Mission UK, John Renbourn, Stefan Grossman, and his daughter
(Jacinda Jones), as well as a group he referred to as "industrial
flamenco": La Sura Dels Baus. He did string arrangements for
Cinderella's _Heartbreak Station_, Raging Slab's _Dynamite Monster
Boogie Concert_, and REM's _Automatic For The People_, guested on
a Brian Eno album, and appeared on Peter Gabriel's _Us_ playing
surdu, bass, and keyboards. He appeared in Paul McCartney's movie
and soundtrack for _Give My Regards To Broadstreet_. He appeared
on stage with Plant once (in December 1983), during the _Principle
Of Moments_ tour. He composed for and performed with the early
music ensemble Red Byrd. He appeared on and assisted with Ben E.
King's reunion tour and album. He professes his interests to be
in keyboards and dance music, rather than rock. Most recently,
he produced and played some bass on the newest Butthole Surfers
album, _Independent Worm Saloon_. He reported that he was working
on both a solo album (on which guitarist Paul Leary of the Surfers
would probably appear) and a symphonic album. He also made a
surprise appearance as Lenny Kravitz's bassist at the 1993 MTV
Video Music Awards. Current projects include production and
performance for a live Heart album, production for a new Michael
Penn album, and performance and production for his album with
Diamanda Galas entitled _The Sporting Life_, for which is currently
touring the US. He is married and has three children.
Plant released 6 solo albums -- _Pictures At Eleven_, _The
Principle Of Moments_, _Shaken 'N' Stirred_, _Now & Zen_, _Manic
Nirvana_, and _Fate of Nations_. He was the vocalist for the
Honeydrippers' only album, which also featured Jimmy Page on "Sea
Of Love" and "I Get A Thrill." He appeared on the _Porky's_,
_White Nights_, and _Wayne's World II_ soundtracks, and also on
an album of Elvis covers. He contributed vocals for the song "The
Only One" on Page's _Outrider_. He did a Coke commercial
structured around the song "Tall Cool One." He had a relationship
with Canadian singer Alannah Myles. He appeared on _Adios Amigo_,
a tribute album for R&B songwriter Arthur Alexander. At the moment,
he is working with Jimmy Page on a host of projects. He is currently
divorced, and has 2 children (Carmen and Logan) from a previous
marriage, as well as (according to VOX magazine) a child from
another relationship. His first son, Karac, is deceased, and his
daughter Carmen is married to his current bassist, Charlie Jones.
Page composed and recorded the soundtrack to the film _Death Wish
2_. He jammed extensively, with (among others) Jeff Beck, Yes,
Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Poison, Eric Clapton, Ian Stewart,
Roy Harper, Alexis Korner, Robert Plant, The Beach Boys, Jaco
Pastorius, Solid Ground, Mason Ruffner, and even Harry Connick, Jr.
He appeared on albums by Willie and The Poor Boys, Stephen Stills,
and Box Of Frogs (an ex-Yardbirds reunion). He teamed up with Paul
Rodgers of Bad Company, Tony Franklin from Roy Harper's band (last
seen with Blue Murder) and Chris Slade of Manfred Mann (now with
AC/DC) to create The Firm, which released 2 albums--_The Firm_ and
_Mean Business_. He participated in the British and American
versions of the ARMS tour (to benefit MS) with Eric Clapton, Jeff
Beck, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Kenny Jones, Simon
Phillips, and other British rock stars. He guested on two tracks
from Plant's _Now & Zen_ album, "Heaven Knows" and "Tall Cool One."
He released a solo album entitled _Outrider_ with Jason Bonham on
drums and featuring Plant's vocals on one track--"The Only One."
He released an album with David Coverdale (of Deep Purple and
Whitesnake) entitled _Coverdale/Page_. He is currently working
with Robert Plant on a number of projects. He is married to a
woman named Patricia and has two children--James (with his current
wife) and Scarlet (with a previous girlfriend).
Bonham, surprisingly enough, made it past the grave as the
sampling source for the drum track of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's
hit "Relax," and has been extensively sampled for rap beat
compilations. He can be heard (in sampled form) on Power Station
and early Beastie Boys albums, among others.
Peter Grant was last reported to be working on the much-lamented
Malcom McLaren biopic about Robert Plant (starring Jason Donovan),
and also working on a film about his own life (according to an
interview reprinted in _ZOSO_ magazine). The two projects may be
related, and they may also be on indefinite hold.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
31 - Is Led Zeppelin getting back together?
No. But Jimmy Page and Robert Plant _are_ working together. See
part three of the FAQL for more information--this section will
merely provide a history of the event.
The current furor started with a report in the Boston _Globe_
(echoed in other markets) that Page and Plant were doing an
episode of MTV's _Unplugged_. These rumors were supported when
Page and Plant were sighted together in Boston, and again in New
York, in late November (before Page left for Japan to fulfill his
Coverdale/Page touring obligations).
The next wave of reports was initiated when Page and Plant held
rehearsals and writing sessions in a studio at King's Crossing,
and again in Morocco. Some of this material has already been
recorded, and some will appear in slightly different form in the
MTV _Unledded_ special and on the companion album and video
releases.
The first tangible evidence appeared when Page, Plant, Charlie
Jones, and Michael Lee performed 17 April 1994 at the Alexis Korner
Blues Show in Buxton, England. The set list:
Baby Please Don't Go, I Can't Quit You Baby, I've Been Down So Long,
That's Why I Love You, Train Kept A Rollin'
All were in fine form, and CD bootlegs of the show already exist.
The pair have since popped in to a few clubs for spontaneous jams,
and have a press conference planned for October 11th in New York
City.
This is, of course, not the first "reunion."
A brief history:
XYZ -- a project combining elements of Yes and Zeppelin. Chris
Squire reports that he has tapes of songs that he, Alan White,
Page, and possibly Jones (though no one has mentioned him) were
involved in. The project crashed for lack of a vocalist --
namely, Plant -- and because of thinly veiled threats from
various management interests. The name, in case someone hasn't
figured it out, stands for "eX-Yes-and-Zeppelin".
Live Aid -- On 13 July 1985, the 3 living members of Zeppelin,
along with Paul Martinez (from Plant's band) on bass, Tony
Thompson (of Chic) on drums, and Phil Collins (who had to fly
over after his performance at Wembley) on drums, appeared at the
Live Aid festival at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. They performed
"Rock And Roll," "Whole Lotta Love," and "Stairway To Heaven."
Plant was hoarse from 4 consecutive nights of singing and a
morning rehearsal, Page's guitar was out of tune, Collins and
Thompson were lost much of the time, and Bill Graham, who was
promoting, was pointing at his watch all through "STH" because
Zeppelin was taking more than their allotted time. Ten days
later, Page joined Plant on his solo tour for a few encores.
Reunion #1 -- In January of 1986, Zeppelin and Tony Thompson met
in secret in a village hall near Peter Gabriel's Bath studios.
Plant handled bass chores while Jones played keyboards. They
worked through "..two or three things that were quite promising,
a sort of cross between David Byrne and Husker Du." (Plant) But
it was not to be--Plant was not used to having to deal with Page's
eccentricities (Page reportedly changed the batteries in his
wah-wah pedal after every other song), and Tony Thompson was
injured in a car accident. Plant walked out and the reunion
crashed.
Hammersmith Odeon -- 17 April 1988, Page joins Plant's tour for a
blistering encore featuring "Trampled Underfoot," "Gambler's
Blues/I Can't Quit You Baby/Since I've Been Loving You," "Misty
Mountain Hop," and "Rock And Roll."
Atlantic 40th -- 14 May 1988 -- A 12-hour tribute concert for
Atlantic Records, which came to a climax with Zeppelin's
performance (Jason Bonham on drums). Jason played well, but the
night is generally considered a disaster. The rehearsal was
(reportedly) brilliant. The evening arrived with the band better-
rehearsed than they had been at Live Aid; but the concert ran late,
upsetting Page's always fragile nerves--which caused him to drink
a bit more than he should have. Not to be outdone, Plant had
suddenly decided that he didn't want to sing "Stairway." He refused
to change his mind until the band was literally standing onstage.
The sound feed for the TV broadcast completely lost the keyboards,
which made "Kashmir" sound rather thin. Plant was bumped by a fan
during the same song, forgot the lyrics to one verse and later on
forgot the words to "Stairway." Page's solos were somewhat of a
disaster, though he did redeem himself a bit at the end of his
"Stairway" solo. The set list was: "Kashmir," "Heartbreaker/Whole
Lotta Love" (the Knebworth '79 arrangement), "Misty Mountain Hop,"
and "Stairway To Heaven."
Carmen Plant's Birthday -- The band played at Carmen Plant's 21st
birthday Party, once again with Jason on drums. Set list was
"Trampled Underfoot," "Misty Mountain Hop," and "Rock And Roll."
November 1989.
Jason's Wedding -- The band also reformed for Jason Bonham's
wedding, playing "Bring It On Home, "Rock And Roll," "Sick
Again," "Custard Pie," and Jerry Lee Lewis' "It'll Be Me." Both
this and the previous performance were said to be outstanding.
28 April 1990.
Knebworth '90 -- Page joined Plant's band (despite rumours and
even the official promotion announcing Led Zeppelin's presence,
Jones was nowhere to be found) for "Misty Mountain Hop," the
first-ever Page-led performance of "Wearing And Tearing," and
"Rock And Roll." Page had stood on the sidelines earlier as
Plant's band covered "Immigrant Song" and "Going To California."
Reunion #2 -- The following January, the members of Zeppelin met
with Peter Grant to discuss a reunion tour. Lighting and sound
companies were contacted, and stadiums were quietly reserved.
After badgering Plant in public and private about the reunion,
Page thought he had finally convinced him to go along with it.
Both Page and Jones had expressed varying degrees of enthusiasm
for the idea. But Plant, after agreeing to the tour and breaking
for lunch, came back one hour later and said no. This angered
Page immensely, and given Plant's rather critical attitude towards
Zeppelin in the press, he allowed his displeasure to be known:
"...Robert certainly wasn't doing anything...and there was a
great feeling in the camp that we would probably be getting back
together again in some shape or form -- some capacity -- whether
it be a tour or what. But, I mean, as you can tell at this point
it just didn't happen...[softly] it just didn't happen, so.... I
think it's pretty safe to assume that if it didn't happen then...
then...you know, it's...well, it's pretty dim any...any chance of
it happening in the future. Everyone...I mean, as far as Jonesy
and I were concerned, we were really keen to see it begin...get
something going. But, you know, Robert just wasn't...[softly]
wasn't interested. Well, at the time...I mean, I'll leave this
for everybody's speculation: that he thought it would harm his
solo career. That's...that's what he said, which is rather
peculiar, but...but that's his reason."
Relations between the two were sometimes amicable, sometimes dicey:
Plant: "...I do find Jimmy's constant sort of complaining about
the lack of Led Zeppelin in the major sort of festival auditoriums
in the country a bit boring."
Page: "Someone should just tell Robert to keep his mouth shut."
..but with recent developments, it appears that this unpleasantness
is behind them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
32 - Upcoming releases from the members of Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin
------------
All the original Led Zeppelin albums, with the exception of _The
Song Remains The Same_, have been re-released with remastered audio
and restored "original artwork."
_A Tribute To Led Zeppelin_ (January 1995) Atlantic (various
artists)
Down By The Seaside, Misty Mountain Hop, Custard Pie, Four
Sticks, other tracks unknown
Artists participating include Tori Amos and Robert Plant (Down By
The Seaside), 4 Non Blondes (Misty Mountain Hop), Helmet (Custard
Pie), and Rollins Band (Four Sticks). Possible participants
include Cracker, Tesla, Duran Duran, Stone Temple Pilots, Sting,
Lenny Kravitz, and Aerosmith.
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant
-------------------------
_Unledded_ (8 November 1994) Atlantic
Track listing unknown.
(Jimmy Page--guitars, Robert Plant--vocals, Charlie Jones--bass,
Michael Lee--drums, Porl Thompson--banjo and rhythm guitar,
Jim Sutherland--mandolin, Nigel Eaton--hurdy-gurdy)
This will be the recording of the MTV special, not the album of
new studio material. A laserdisc of the special is due to be
released the same day, while a videocassette is scheduled for an
11 November release.
_(title unknown)_ (date unknown) Atlantic
Wonderful One, City Don't Cry, "Wah-Wah Song," other tracks
unknown
The album of new compositions from Jimmy Page and Robert Plant,
recorded in London and Morocco this summer and fall, and due at
some point this winter. The track listing is incomplete. The
band will include Charlie Jones (bass) and Michael Lee (drums).
Robert Plant
------------
_Adios Amigo_ (September 1994) Razor & Tie (various artists)
If It's Really Got To Be This Way
A tribute to the R&B songwriter Arthur Alexander, this features
Plant on the listed track.
Jimmy Page
----------
Nothing is planned.
John Paul Jones
---------------
_The Sporting Life (6 September 1994) Mute (John Paul Jones &
Diamanda Galas)
Skotoseme, Do You Take This Man?, Dark End Of The Street,
You're Mine, Tony, Devil's Rodeo, The Sporting Life, Baby's
Insane, Last Man Down, Hex
(Diamanda Galas--vocals, organ, and piano, John Paul Jones--basses
and steel guitar, Pete Thomas--drums)
A video for "Do You Take This Man?" has been aired.
"Do You Take This Man?" CD single (September 1994) Mute (John Paul
Jones & Diamanda Galas)
Do You Take This Man?, (other tracks unavailable)
Jones will appear, in both playing and production roles, on the
upcoming live Heart album (date unknown). He has also produced
the upcoming Michael Penn album (date unknown).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
33 - Upcoming tour dates and appearances.
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are hosting a press conference in New
York City 11 November 1994.
_Unledded_ (a 90-minute MTV special featuring Jimmy Page & Robert
Plant) will air in the US on MTV 12 October at 10pm; MTV Europe 17
October at 21:00; other MTV affiliates (like MTV Asia) unknown;
VH-1 5 November & 6 November; MuchMusic (Canada) is in the process
of securing the broadcast rights but has announced no airdate.
This special will feature tracks recorded in three different
locations: Morocco, London, and Wales. The personnel differs
depending on the venue:
Marrakesh, Morocco (8 August 1994)
Two new songs recorded, one entitled "City Don't Cry," with
four Gnaoui musicians playing such traditional instruments as
metal drums, iron castanets, and a gibrel (three-string bass).
Along with Page on acoustic guitar, the songs were performed
in an ancient courtyard in the center of the city.
Morocco (9 August 1994)
Unknown tracks recorded with female Berber singers, in an as-
yet-unidentified 11th century village.
Corris Slate Quarries (near Bron-Yr-Aur), Wales (15 August 1994)
Three songs performed by Page, Plant, Charlie Jones, and
Michael Lee, with an audience of two people and a few sheep:
Gallows Pole, When The Levee Breaks, Nobody's Fault But Mine
London Television Center, London, England (August 1994)
Two nights of recording (each around 90 minutes) at this semi-
secret location, in front of an invitation-only audience of
250. The first night was billed as Plant/Page, the second as
Page/Plant.
Thank You, What Is And What Should Never Be, Battle Of Evermore
(with an unknown Indian woman singing the second vocal),
Gallows Pole (with hurdy-gurdy, banjo, and mandolin)
(Jimmy Page--guitars, Robert Plant--vocals, Charlie Jones--
bass and backing vocals, Michael Lee--percussion, Porl
Thompson--banjo and rhythm guitar, Jim Sutherland--mandolin,
Nigel Eaton--hurdy-gurdy)
The following numbers were performed by the same personnel,
and also included Egyptian and traditional orchestras (see
notations):
The Rain Song (traditional, with acoustic guitar), Since I've
Been Loving You (traditional, similar to the 1971 arrangement),
Four Sticks (Egyptian, similar to Bombay version), Friends
(Egyptian, similar to Bombay version), Kashmir (both orchestras,
a new arrangement),
The following numbers were performed, but it is not known if
the orchestra(s) were included:
That's The Way (with drums), Nobody's Fault But Mine (a new
arrangement, combined with one of the new songs), Wonderful
One (described as a "romantic duet,") City Don't Cry
Information on the Unledded special will air on MTV news the
weekend of 1 October 1994.
MTV Europe has scheduled a "Weekend With Led" for 24-25 October
1994.
JOHN PAUL JONES -DIAMANDA GALAS
Fall 1994 Tour dates
Nov. 10 New York City Irving Plaza
Nov. 13 Philadelphia Irvine Auditorium
Nov. 15 Ann Arbor, Mi The Michigan Theatre
Nov. 17 Chicago The Vic
Nov. 18 Madison, WI The Barrymore Theatre
Nov. 20 Lincoln, NE The Lied Center
Nov. 22 Columbus, OH Mershon Auditorium
Nov. 24 Toronto, Ont, CAN The Phoenix
Nov. 26 Washington, DC The Lincoln Theatre
Nov. 30 Austin, TX The Paramount
Dec. 2 Tempe, AZ Gammage Auditorium
Dec. 4 Los Angeles Wadsworth Theatre
Dec. 7 San Francisco Fillmore Theatre
Dec. 8 Portland, OR The Portland Art Museum
Dec. 10 Seattle, WA The Moore
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant are rumored to be planning a spring/
summer tour, but nothing has been officially announced as of yet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
34 - What albums has Jimmy Page released?
This discography follows the format:
_Title_ (release date) Label (artist, if not the subject of the
discography)
Song Title One, Song Title Two
A list of videos.
Any other relevant information.
This discography will cover major releases only--most guest
appearances will _not_ be included. Also, only new singles and
older singles of particular interest will be listed. For a more
complete discography, consult _A Celebration_ by Dave Lewis.
Pre-Zeppelin:
-------------
(Note: a sessionography for Page would be an enormous undertaking,
thus it is not attempted here. However, there are a few sessions
worth mentioning, as they sometimes come up in discussions:
"Can't Explain"--The Who--Page on rhythm guitar.
"You Really Got Me" & "All Day & All Of The Night"--The Kinks--
Page on rhythm and possibly lead, though Dave Davies disputes
this.
Other sessions are listed in the regular discography.)
_Jimmy Page And Sonny Boy Williamson_ (1964) BYG
Jam session also available as _Jimmy Page Special Early Works_ on
Springboard.
_Anthology Of British Blues Vol. 1 & 2_ (?) Immediate (various)
Choker, Snake Drive, West Coast Idea, Tribute To Elmore,
Freight Loader, Draggin' My Tail, etc.
This collection also appears as _Best Of British Blues_, _Guitar
Boogie_, _White Boy Blues_, and under of number of other titles.
Basically, these are "basement" tapes recorded at Immediate and
in Page's home studio, featuring Page, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger,
Ian Stewart, some of the Yardbirds, and other British rock
luminaries. The exact personnel list for each track is unknown,
however, as is exactly which tracks are actually _from_ these
sessions.
"She Just Satisfies" b/w "Keep Moving" (February 1965) Fontana
Page plays all instruments but drums, and sings on the first track.
_James Patrick Page--Session Man Vol. 1 & 2_ (?) Archive Productions
International
This two-volume LP and CD set features pre-Zeppelin studio work.
"Hi Ho Silver Lining" b/w "Beck's Bolero" (1966) Columbia (Jeff Beck)
The b-side is a Page composition featuring Beck, Page, Keith Moon,
John Paul Jones, and Nicky Hopkins. It appears on Beck's album
_Truth_ as well.
_Little Games_ (1967) Epic, re-released on EMI (The Yardbirds)
Little Games, Smile On Me, White Summer, Tinker Tailor Soldier
Sailor, Glimpses, Drinking Muddy Water, No Excess Baggage,
Stealing Stealing, Only The Black Rose, Little Soldier Boy,
Ha Ha Said The Clown, Goodnight Sweet Josephine
(On UK reissue only)--Think About It, Remember The Night
(Jimmy Page--guitars, Keith Relf--vocals and harmonica, Chris Dreja--
bass and rhythm guitar, Jim McCarty--drums and percussion)
_Blow Up_ (March 1967) MGM (soundtrack)
Stroll On
The Yardbirds imitating the Who (Page on bass, Beck on guitar). The
song is "Train Kept A Rollin'," rewritten by the band to avoid
copyright problems.
_Live Yardbirds With Jimmy Page_ (1971) Epic, re-released on the
Columbia Special Products label (the former features a yellow label,
the latter a red label) (The Yardbirds)
Train Kept A Rollin', You're A Better Man Than I, I'm Confused,
My Baby, Over Under Sideways Down, Drinking Muddy Water, Shapes
Of Things, White Summer, I'm A Man
Page used legal pressure to remove this album from stores, though
it appears in many semi-official and bootleg formats.
_Little Games Sessions & More_ (1992) EMI (The Yardbirds)
Little Games, Smile On Me, White Summer, Tinker Tailor
Soldier Sailor, Glimpses, Drinking Muddy Water, No Excess
Baggage, Stealing Stealing, Only The Black Rose, Little
Soldier Boy, Puzzles, I Remember The Night, Ha Ha Said The
Clown, Ten Little Indians, Goodnight Sweet Josephine, Think
About It, Little Games, You Stole My Love, White Summer,
Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor, LSD, Drinking Muddy Water, De
Lane Lea Lee, Glimpses, Never Mind, Ten Little Indians,
Goodnight, Sweet Josephine, Henry's Coming Home, Love Mum
And Dad, Together Now, Shining Where The Sun Has Been,
"Great Shakes" commercial spot
(Jimmy Page--guitars, Keith Relf--vocals and harmonica, Chris
Dreja--bass and rhythm guitar, Jim McCarty--drums and percussion)
This 2-CD set is the third in a series of Yardbirds collections
that completely document the band's studio work, including
unreleased and alternate takes. Some of the tracks have been
remixed, in addition to being remastered. This is the complete
Page-era Yardbirds collection, with the exception of "Stroll On"
(from _Blow-Up_) and the possible exception of "Happening Ten
Years Time Ago," which appears on the _Roger The Engineer_ CD.
_Jimmy's Back Pages...The Early Years_ (1992) Sony
Les Fleurs De Lys--Circles, So Come On, Moondreams; The Blue
Rondos--Baby I Go For You, Little Baby; The First Gear--
Gotta Make Their Future Bright, The "In" Crowd, A Certain
Girl, Leave My Kitten Alone; Gregory Phillips--Please Believe
Me, Angie; The Primitives--How Do You Feel, You Said; The
Lancastrians--She Was Tall, We'll Sing In The Sunshine;
Wayne Gibson & The Dynamic Sounds--See You Later Alligator,
Kelly; The Authentics--Without You, Climing Through; Nico--
I'm Not Sayin', The Last Mile; Donovan--Sunshine Superman
Jimmy's early session work.
_Metamorphosis_ (1975) Decca (The Rolling Stones)
Pre-1975 outtakes with Page's "assistance" on unspecified tracks.
Mid-Zeppelin:
-------------
_With A Little Help From My Friends_ (1968) Regal Zonophone (Joe
Cocker)
With A Little Help From My Friends, Bye Bye Blackbird,
Marjorine
_No Introduction Necessary_ (1968) Spark/Thunderbolt (various)
Unknown.
_Love Chronicles_ (January 1969) CBS (Al Stewart)
Unknown.
_Lord Sutch And Heavy Friends_ (June 1970) Atlantic (Lord Sutch)
Wailing Sounds, 'Cause I Love You, Flashing Lights, Thumping
Beat, Union Jack Car, Baby Come Back
Page, Bonham, Jeff Beck, Noel Redding, Nicky Hopkins, and others
recorded "new" versions of rock standards, which Sutch added "new"
lyrics to later. Also available as _Smoke & Fire_ on Thunderbolt.
_Stormcock_ (June 1971) Harvest (Roy Harper)
Same Old Rock
Jimmy appears here under the pseudonym S. Flavius Mercurius.
_Lifemask_ (February 1973) Harvest (Roy Harper)
The Lord's Prayer, Bank Of The Dead
_Flashes From The Archives Of Oblivion_ (November 1974) Harvest
(Roy Harper)
Page with Harper's band in a live show, Plant hosts but does not
otherwise participate.
Post-Zeppelin:
--------------
_Death Wish 2_ (February 1982) Swan Song (soundtrack)
Who's To Blame, The Chase, City Sirens, Jam Sandwich, Carole's
Theme, The Release, Hotel Rats & Photostats, A Shadow In The
City, Jill's Theme, Prelude, Big Band/Sax & Violence,
Hypnotising Ways (Oh Mamma)
(Jimmy Page--guitars and sythesizer guitars, Chris Farlowe--vocals,
Gordon Edwards--piano and vocals, Dave Paton--bass, Dave Mattacks--
drums, Dave Lawson--arrangements)
_Right By You_ (1984) Atlantic (Stephen Stills)
50/50, Right By You, Flaming Heart
_The Honeydrippers, Vol. 1_ (November 1984) Atlantic (The
Honeydrippers)
Sea Of Love, I Get A Thrill
_The Firm_ (February 1985) Atlantic (The Firm)
Closer, Make Or Break, Someone To Love, Together, Radioactive,
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, Money Can't Buy, Satisfaction
Guaranteed, Midnight Moonlight
(Jimmy Page--guitars, Paul Rodgers--guitar and vocals, Tony Franklin--
bass, Chris Slade--drums)
There were videos released for "Radioactive" and "Satisfaction
Guaranteed."
_Whatever Happened To Jugula?_ (March 1985) Beggars Banquet (Roy
Harper & Jimmy Page)
Nineteen Forty-Eightish, Bad Speech, Hope, Hangman, Elizabeth,
Frozen Moment, Twentieth Century Man, Advertisement (Another
Intentional Irrelevant Suicide)
(Roy Harper--guitars, vocals, percussion, Jimmy Page--guitars,
Tony Franklin--bass, Nik Green--keyboards, Ronnie Brambles--drums,
Steve Broughton--drums, Preston Heyman--drums, Nick Harper--
guitars)
_Scream For Help_ (March 1985) Atlantic (soundtrack)
Spaghetti Junction, Crackback
Guitar on both tracks.
_Willie And The Poorboys_ (1985) Decca (Willie And The Poorboys)
These Arms Of Mine, Slippin' And Slidin'
A video for "These Arms Of Mine" was released.
_Mean Business_ (April 1986) Atlantic (The Firm)
Fortune Hunter, Cadillac, All The King's Horses, Live In
Peace, Tear Down The Walls, Dreaming, Free To Live, Spirit
Of Love
(Jimmy Page--guitars, Paul Rodgers--guitar and vocals, Tony
Franklin--bass, Chris Slade--drums)
There were videos released for "Tear Down The Walls," "All The
King's Horses," and "Live In Peace."
_Strange Land_ (1986) Epic (Box Of Frogs)
Asylum
This is the ex-Yardbirds' project.
_Dirty Work_ (1986) Rolling Stones Records/CBS (The Rolling Stones)
One Hit To The Body
_In Between Every Line_ (1986) Harvest (Roy Harper)
Short and Sweet, Referendum, Highway Blues, True Story, The
Game, One Man Rock'n'Roll Band
Live from 1984.
_Lucifer Rising_ (1987) Boleskine House Records (soundtrack)
This features 23 minutes of Page's headache-inducing "music" for
the Kenneth Anger film of the same name. There are innumerable
bootlegs of this. Note: the catalog number of the "original"
is BHR 666.
_Now and Zen_ (February 1988) Es Paranza (Robert Plant)
Heaven Knows, Tall Cool One
Guitar solos on both tracks.
_Outrider_ (June 1988) Geffen
Wasting My Time[%], Wanna Make Love, Writes Of Winter, The
Only One[+@], Liquid Mercury[@$], Hummingbird[*], Emerald
Eyes[@$], Prison Blues[*@], Blues Anthem[*@]
(Jimmy Page--acoustic, electric, and synthesizer guitars, John
Miles--vocals, [*]Chris Farlowe--vocals, [+]Robert Plant--vocals,
Durban Laverde--bass, [@]Felix Krish--bass, [%]Tony Franklin--
bass, Jason Bonham--drums, [$]Barrymore Barlow--drums)
There was a video released for "Wasting My Time."
_Coverdale/Page_ (16 March 1993) Geffen (Coverdale/Page)
Shake My Tree, Waiting On You, Take Me For A Little While,
Pride And Joy, Over Now, Feeling Hot, Easy Does It, Take
A Look At Yourself, Don't Leave Me This Way, Absolution
Blues, Whisper A Prayer For The Dying
(Jimmy Page--acoustic and electric 6 & 12-string guitars, dulcimer,
harmonica & other stringed instruments, David Coverdale--vocals
and acoustic guitar, Ricky Phillips & Jorge Casas--bass, Denny
Carmassi--drums, John Harris--harmonica, Lester Mendez--keyboards)
Videos for "Pride & Joy" and "Take Me For A Little While" have been
released. In the "Pride & Joy" video, Page is playing (among a range
of acoustic and electric guitars--including the doubleneck) a
dulcimer.
An upcoming EP release with songs not on the album was mentioned
by both Page and Coverdale. 5 or 6 songs (including one entitled
"Saccharine") are left, according to a Guitar World interview.
The cover (done by Hugh Syme, who does Rush's covers (among others'))
features a merge sign in a variety of locations. Coverdale: "This
is the traffic sign that means two roads joining to one road. We
were trying to express _unification_ or _joining together_."
The band has broken up; Page going on to work with Plant, Coverdale
reforming Whitesnake, and touring bassist Guy Pratt rejoining Pink
Floyd on tour.
"Take Me For A Little While" b/w "Easy Does It" 7" single (1993)
Geffen
"Take Me For A Little While" Limited Edition 12" single (September
1993) EMI/Geffen
Take Me For A Little While (album version), Take Me For A
Little While (acoustic version), Take Me For A Little While
(edit), Shake My Tree (guitar crunch mix)
A picture disk, with a two-sided poster sleeve.
"Take Me For A Little While" cassette single (November 1993) Geffen
Take Me For A Little While, Easy Does It
"Take Me For A Little While" CD single (September 1993) EMI/Geffen
Take Me For A Little While (album version), Take Me For A
Little While (acoustic version), Take Me For A Little While
(edit), Shake My Tree (guitar crunch mix)
"Take Me For A Little While" Limited Edition CD single (September
1993) EMI/Geffen
Take Me For A Little While (album version), Take Me For A
Little While (acoustic version), Take Me For A Little While
(edit), Shake My Tree (guitar crunch mix)
In a box, with four "art prints" depicting the covers of the various
CD singles.
"Take A Look At Yourself" Limited Edition CD single (November 1993)
EMI/Geffen
Take A Look At Yourself (album version), Take A Look At
Yourself (acoustic version), Take A Look At Yourself (with
girls), Waiting On You
--------------------------------------------------------------
35 - What albums has Robert Plant released?
This discography follows the format:
_Title_ (release date) Label (artist, if not the subject of the
discography)
Song Title One, Song Title Two...
A list of videos.
Any other relevant information.
This discography will cover major releases only--most guest
appearances will _not_ be included. Also, only new singles and
older singles of particular interest will be listed. For a more
complete discography, consult _A Celebration_ by Dave Lewis.
Pre-Zeppelin:
-------------
"You Better Run" b/w "Everybody's Gonna Say" (October 1966)
CBS/Columbia 45 with the band Listen
"Our Song" b/w "Laughing, Crying, Laughing" (March 1967) CBS 45
"Long Time Coming" b/w "I've Got A Secret" (September 1967) CBS 45
_In The Forest_ (1989) Forest Music compilation with the Band Of
Joy on the track "Adriatic Sea View"
Mid-Zeppelin:
-------------
_The Concerts For Kampuchea_ (February 1981) (various artists)
Rockestra Theme, Let It Be, Lucille (all live, with Jones and
Bonham), Little Sister (live with Rockpile)
A video for "Little Sister" was released.
Post-Zeppelin:
--------------
_Pictures At Eleven_ (June 1982) Swan Song
Burning Down One Side, Moonlight In Samosa, Pledge Pin, Slow
Dancer[*], Worse Than Detroit, Fat Lip, Like I've Never Been
Gone[*], Mystery Title
(Robbie Blunt--guitars, Paul Martinez--bass, Jezz Woodroffe--keys &
synths, Phil Collins & [*]Cozy Powell--drums, Raphael Ravenscroft--
saxophone)
A video for "Burning Down One Side" was released.
_The Principle Of Moments_ (June 1983) Es Paranza
Other Arms, In The Mood, Messin' With The Mekon, Wreckless
Love, Thru With The Two Step, Horizontal Departure, Stranger
Here...Than Over There, Big Log
(Robbie Blunt--guitars, Paul Martinez--bass, Jezz Woodroffe--
keyboards, Phil Collins & Barriemore Barlow--drums, John David
& Ray Martinez--backing vocals)
Videos for "In The Mood" and "Big Log" were released. The title
refers to physics (as in "moments of inertia.")
_The Honeydrippers Volume One_ (October 1984) Es Paranza (The
Honeydrippers)
I Get A Thrill, Sea Of Love, I Got A Woman, Young Boy Blues,
Rockin' At Midnight
Videos were released for "Sea Of Love" and "Rockin' At Midnight."
Jimmy Page plays guitar on "Sea Of Love" and "I Get A Thrill."
Jeff Beck plays guitar on "Rockin' At Midnight."
_Shaken N' Stirred_ (May 1985) Es Paranza
Hip To Hoo, Kallalou Kallalou, Too Loud, Trouble Your Money,
Pink And Black, Little By Little, Doo Doo A Do Do, Easily
Lead, Sixes And Sevens
(Robbie Blunt--guitars and synthesized guitars, Paul Martinez--
bass & guitar, Jezz Woodroffe--keyboards, Ritchie Hayward--drums,
Toni Halliday--backing vocals)
Videos were relased for "Little By Little" and "Pink And Black."
_Little By Little Collectors' Edition_ (1985) Es Paranza
Little By Little (remix), Easily Lead (live), Rockin' At
Midnight (live), Sixes And Sevens
_Porky's Revenge_ (1985) CBS (soundtrack)
Philadelphia Baby (under the name Crawling King Snakes)
_White Nights_ (1985) Atlantic (soundtrack)
Far Post
_Now And Zen_ (March 1988) Es Paranza
Heaven Knows[*], Dance On My Own, Tall Cool One[*], The Way
I Feel, Helen Of Troy, Billy's Revenge, Ship Of Fools, Why,
White Clean And Neat, Walking Towards Paradise (CD only)
(Doug Boyle--guitars, Phil Scragg--bass, Phil Johnstone--keyboards
& guitar, Chris Blackwell--drums & percussion, Toni Halliday &
Marie Pierre & Kristy MacColl--backing vocals, Jimmy Page[*]--
guitar solos, Jerry Wayne--voiceover on "White, Clean, And Neat")
Videos for "Heaven Knows," "Ship Of Fools," and "Tall Cool One"
were released.
"Ship Of Fools" CD single (September 1988) Es Paranza
Ship Of Fools, Helen Of Troy (live), Dimples (live)
_Outrider_ (June 1988) Geffen (Jimmy Page)
The Only One
_Manic Nirvana_ (March 1990) Es Paranza
Hurting Kind (I've Got My Eyes On You), Big Love, SSS&Q, I
Cried, She Said, Nirvana, Tie Die On The Highway, Your Ma Said
You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night, Anniversary, Liar's Dance,
Watching You
(Doug Boyle--guitars, Charlie Jones--bass, Phil Johnstone--keyboards
& guitars, Chris Blackwell--drums & guitars, Siddi Makain Mushkin &
Laila Cohen & Caroline Harding & Mickey Groome & Rob Stride--backing
vocals)
Videos for "Hurting Kind" and "Nirvana" were released. The "noise"
on "Your Ma..." is from the sampled drum track of the original song,
by Schlaks & Glaser.
_Manic Nirvana Limited Edition_ (1990) Es Paranza
A red digipak (featuring Plant's wolf logo on the cover), a
specially-printed CD (with the red wolf logo again), pictures
of the band and Plant in the liner notes, and packaged with a
red tapestry with the wolf logo and "Robert Plant" in black
lettering.
"Hurting Kind" CD single (March 1990) Es Paranza
Hurting Kind, I Cried, Oompah (Watery Bint)
"Hurting Kind" CD single (March 1990) Es Paranza
Hurting Kind, Don't Look Back, Oompah (Watery Bint), One Love
"Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night" CD single (June
1990) Es Paranza
Your Ma Said...(remix), Your Ma Said...(album version), She
Said, One Love
_The Last Temptation Of Elvis_ (1990) NME (various artists)
Let's Have A Party
_Knebworth: The Album_ (July 1990) Polygram (various artists)
Hurting Kind, Liar's Dance, Tall Cool One, Wearing And Tearing
(with Jimmy Page)
_Fate Of Nations_ (June 1993) Es Paranza
Calling To You, Down To The Sea, Come Into My Life, I Believe,
29 Palms, Memory Song (Hello Hello), If I Were A Carpenter,
Promised Land, The Greatest Gift, Great Spirit, Network News
(Robert Plant--vocals, guitar, harmonica, Doug Boyle--guitar,
Francis Dunnery--guitar, Phil Johnstone--guitar, harmonium, piano,
electric piano, organ, vocals, "electric orchestra," Kevin Scott
MacMichael--guitar, vocals, Richard Thompson--guitar, Oliver J.
Woods--guitar, Charlie Jones--bass, Chris Blackwell--drums, Chris
Hughes--drums, Michael Lee--drums, Pete Thompson--drums, Martin
Allcock--mandolin, Phillip Andrews--keyboards, Nigel Eaton--hurdy-
gurdy, Nigel Kennedy--violin, Navazish Ali Khan--violin, Gurdev
Singh--dilruba, sarod, Sursie Singh--sarangi, Rainer Ptacek--steel
guitar, Maire Brennan--vocals, John Flynn--vocals, Steve French--
vocals, Julian Taylor--vocals, Lynton Naiff--string arrangements)
Videos for "Calling To You," "29 Palms," and "I Believe" have been
released.
The European version of the album contains a track not on the US
version, entitled "Colours Of A Shade". "If I Were A Carpenter"
is a Tim Hardin song.
"29 Palms" cassingle (June 1993) Es Paranza
29 Palms, Whole Lotta Love
"29 Palms" CD single (June 1993) Es Paranza (paper-cover)
29 Palms, Whole Lotta Love
"29 Palms" CD single (June 1993) Fontana/Es Paranza (jewel box)
29 Palms, 21 Years, Dark Moon
"29 Palms" CD single Limited Edition (June 1993) Fontana/Es Paranza
(digipak)
29 Palms, 21 Years, Dark Moon, Whole Lotta Love
"Calling To You" CD single (September 1993) Fontana/Es Paranza
(jewel box)
Calling To You, Naked If I Want To, 8'05
"Calling To You" CD single (September 1993) Fontana/Es Paranza
(digipak)
5 mixes of "Calling To You"--Song To Kalsoum, Shookran Sah-
Abi, Always My Heart, Artist's Valley, Per La Gente
"Calling To You" 12" single (September 1993) Es Paranza
Contents unknown
"I Believe" cassingle (November 1993) Es Paranza
I Believe, Dark Moon
"I Believe" CD single (September 1993) Fontana/Es Paranza
I Believe, Great Spirit (acoustic), Hey Jayne
This CD single is the companion to the limited edition "29 Palms"
CD single.
"If I Were A Carpenter" CD single #1 (December 1993) Fontana/Es
Paranza
If I Were A Carpenter, Ship Of Fools (live), Tall Cool One
(live)
The live tracks are from Montreaux.
"If I Were A Carpenter" CD single #2 (December 1993) Fontana/Es
Paranza
If I Were A Carpenter, I Believe (live), Going To California
(live)
The live tracks are from Montreaux.
_Fearless_ (July 1994) Atlantic (Francis Dunnery)
Plant plays harmonica on unspecified tracks.
_Adios Amigo_ (September 1994) Razor & Tie (various artists)
If It's Really Got To Be This Way
This album is a tribute to R&B songwriter Arthur Alexander.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
36 - What albums has John Paul Jones released?
This discography follows the format:
_Title_ (release date) Label (artist, if not the subject of the
discography)
Song Title One, Song Title Two...
A list of videos.
Any other relevant information.
This discography will cover major releases only--most guest
appearances will _not_ be included. Also, only new singles and
older singles of particular interest will be listed. For a more
complete discography, consult _A Celebration_ by Dave Lewis.
Pre-Zeppelin:
-------------
"Baja" b/w "A Foggy Day In Vietnam" (April 1964) Pye/Parkway
The second track is an Andrew Loog Oldham composition that doesn't
feature Jones at all, but _may_ feature some of the Rolling Stones.
_Little Games_ (1967) Epic/MFP (The Yardbirds)
Jones arranging and contributing session bass work.
Mid-Zeppelin:
-------------
_No Introduction Necessary_ (1968) Spark/Thunderbolt (various
artists)
Unspecified tracks, with Jimmy Page.
_Truth_ (1968) Columbia (Jeff Beck)
Old Man River (organ)
_Dusty...Definitely_ (1968) Fontana (Dusty Springfield)
Unknown.
_Comin' Atcha'_ (December 1973) RCA (Madeline Bell)
JPJ on bass and keys; also produced and recorded at his home
studio.
_H.Q._ (June 1975) Harvest (Roy Harper)
The Game
_Back To The Egg_ (May 1979) EMI/MPL (Paul McCartney & Wings)
Rockestra Theme, So Glad To See You Here (both with Bonham)
_The Concerts For Kampuchea_ (February 1981) (various artists)
Rockestra Theme, Let It Be, Lucille (all live, with Plant and
Bonham)
Post-Zeppelin:
--------------
_Give My Regards To Broadstreet_ (October 1984) EMI/MPL (soundtrack)
Ballroom Dancing
_Scream For Help_ (March 1985) Atlantic (soundtrack)
Spaghetti Junction[*], Bad Child, Silver Train[@], Crackback[*],
Chilli Sauce, Take It Or Leave It[$], Christie[@], When You
Fall In Love[#], Here I Am[$]
(John Paul Jones--vocals, guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, Colin
Green--guitars, Graham Ward--drums, [$]Madeline Bell--vocals,
[#]John Renbourn--guitars, [@]Jon Anderson--vocals, [*]Jimmy
Page--guitars)
_Save The Last Dance For Me_ (March 1988) EMI/Manhattan (Ben E. King)
Because Of Last Night, Whatever This Is (It Ain't True Love),
Two Loves
_Children_ (March 1988) Mercury (The Mission)
Keys and production.
_Music From Films_ (1988) Opal Land (various artists)
Three Minute Warning
_Us_ (1992) Geffen (Peter Gabriel)
Fourteen Black Paintings
Jones played all keyboards on the listed track.
_Independent Worm Saloon_ (1993) Capitol (Butthole Surfers)
Production and some bass.
_The Sporting Life (6 September 1994) Mute (John Paul Jones &
Diamanda Galas)
Skotoseme, Do You Take This Man?, Dark End Of The Street,
You're Mine, Tony, Devil's Rodeo, The Sporting Life, Baby's
Insane, Last Man Down, Hex
(Diamanda Galas--vocals, organ, and piano, John Paul Jones--basses
and steel guitar, Pete Thomas--drums)
A video for "Do You Take This Man?" has been aired.
"Do You Take This Man?" CD single (September 1994) Mute (John Paul
Jones & Diamanda Galas)
Do You Take This Man?, (other tracks unavailable)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
37 - Who were the other artists on the Swan Song label?
Swan Song artists included Bad Company, Pretty Things, Maggie
Bell, Detective, Dave Edmunds, Midnight Flyer, Wildlife, Robert
Plant, and Jimmy Page. Signed but unreleased artists included
Mirabai and Metropolis. Bobby Parker was never signed, though
considered. Richie Sambora claims he was signed to Swan Song for
a time, as do members of the Kentucky Headhunters.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
38 - Are there any Led Zeppelin tribute bands?
Physical Graffiti -- tours mostly the east coast of the US, and
very faithful to both costume and stage presence. Musically strong,
as well. (203) 231-9432 is their hotline (for tour information),
and booking information can be obtained from their office number
(203) 231-9434 or from their agent (Flash Group) at (203) 739-3941.
No Quarter -- defunct, but responsible for the acoustic backing on
the oft-mistaken "acoustic Black Dog" track appearing on many
bootlegs.
Presence
Prezence -- apparently from the Chicago area. Described as intense,
loud, and quite excellent.
Led Zepagain -- Booking info:
Barra Cuda Ent.
P.O. Box 121
Anaheim, CA 92815
Tel/Fax (714) 991-5065
Voice mail (714) 490-7050.
Tracy Longo--guitar
Other personnel unknown.
Let's Eppelin--from Jyvaskyla, Finland. Formed in the late 1980s,
tours Finland and Estonia. They've released two albums--an EP
entitled _Promo EP_ and a full-length self-titled CD. The current
lineup is: Jukka Viitasaari--guitar, Jorma Hietamaki--vocals, Pekka
Lampinen--bass, Asko Vikki--drums.
More info on these bands would be appreciated.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
39 - What's up with the Led Zeppelin tribute album?
It should be out in January 1995. Among the artists believed to be
contributing are Tori Amos with Robert Plant ("Down By The Seaside").
4 Non Blondes ("Misty Mountain Hop"), Helmet ("Custard Pie"), Rollins
Band ("Four Sticks"), Lenny Kravitz, Tesla, Stone Temple Pilots,
Sting, Cracker, Aerosmith, and Duran Duran. Tori Amos:
"It's very different. We do it kind of like `Riders in the Storm.'
It was a jam, so it's eight minutes. He played guitar, I played
piano, and two of the guys that are now in the band that he's in
with Jimmy Page, this is the project they're doing together, the
bass player and the drummer, who have been with Robert, I think,
for a little while. Anyway, it was just kind of neato. I showed
up, and we kind of rehearsed, and I threw in a section and he threw
in a section that hadn't been in before. I kind of went, `God, I
really want to do this part.' I thought the melody was different
from what it was. In the shower, I always sang this different
melody. But I was so married to it that I just made it my part.
They rolled tape, and we were finished, and we all went and
listened and said, `Where's the Indian takeout? This is
finished.' It was kind of like -- it was so neat, because I waited
all my life for that. So I stored up 20 years of estrogen. But
that's coming out in January."
Artists that have apparently turned down the invitation include
Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, and Soundgarden.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
40 - All about _The Song Retains The Name_ (I & II).
The first is a collection of Zeppelin covers by rock/metal bands.
It _may_ be available from:
Mad Rover Records
Dept. CZ,
Box 22243
Sacremento, CA 95822
Track listing:
Black Dog The Royal Mixxers with KGIG and Konan
Kelley
Living Loving Maid Rich Hardesty & The Del Reys
(She's Just A Woman)
Down By The Seaside Robert Kuhlmann & Flying Boats
Good Times, Bad Times Dalai Lamas
Four Sticks Earwigs
Immigrant Song Headface
In The Evening Twice Shy
No Quarter I Love Ethyl
What Is And What Helen Keller Plaid
Should Never Be
Houses Of The Holy Fool Killers
Rock And Roll Tent Poles
The second is on Safe House records, and available from them at:
Safe House
P.O. Box 5349
W. Lebanon, NH 03784-5349
Track listing:
Dancing Days Bad Livers
Misty Mountain Hop 7 Second
Houses Of The Holy Folkadelic
Tangerine When Skip Jack Tripped
Kashmir The Ordinaires
When The Levee Breaks Mojo Nixon & The Toadliquors
Out On The Tiles Helen Keller Plaid
Trampled Underfoot Michael Hall
The Wanton Song Whyos
D'yer Mak'er Alluring Strange
Friends Men and Volts
Ramble On The Dusty Diamonds (featuring The
Delevantes)
Misty Mountain Hop/The Elephant Walk (instrumental reprise)
Hot Joe
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41 - Who is Dread Zeppelin and how does the band feel about
them?
Dread Zeppelin are a group of musicians playing rock/reggae, often
covering Zeppelin and/or Elvis songs. Their albums (there are
three) have contained progressively less Zeppelin content. They
were, at the outset, extremely satirical in nature. Page hates
them. Plant loves them. Jones' opinion has not been noted but is
almost assuredly the same as Plant's.
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42 - Did Jimmy Page invent bowing?
No. It was suggested to him by a session violinist (whose father
was the actor David McCallum), but it had been done before. His
bow work can be found on the Yardbirds track "Glimpses," and the
Zeppelin songs "How Many More Times," "Dazed & Confused," and "In
The Evening."
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43 - What's this "theremin" thing that Jimmy Page uses?
This is the first device to use alternative means of interaction
to produce...er...music (sort of). It was invented by Leo
Theremin, a Russian living in England, in the 1930's, and was
made popular in the 1960's by Sun Ra. The instrument produces
sine-wave sounds by the beat frequencies between a reference RF
oscillator and an oscillator tuned by the change in capacitance
between a antenna and the performer's hands, arms or body caused
by movement. The closer one comes to the antenna, the higher the
capacitance and higher the pitch. Later versions of the
instrument have volume control from a second antenna. Page uses
the theremin live during "Whole Lotta Love" and "No Quarter," and
occasionally elsewhere. It was also prominent in the studio
version of "WLL".
The theremin is used at the beginning of Beach Boys' song "Good
Vibrations". It is considered by many to be the first synthesizer.
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44 - Is Jimmy Page a Satanist?
Jimmy Page is a collector of occult books and paraphenalia. He
is interested in religion and spirituality to the extent that he
considered "...getting a degree in theology." He was a devotee of
Aleister Crowley, a famous English occultist (and, perhaps,
Satanist) to the point of buying Crowley's old residence. He often
quoted Crowley, most notably on the runoff matrix of _III_. So is
he a Satanist? He says no, the band says no. There is no profit
in further speculation.
Rumours persist that the band "sold their souls" to Satan in
exchange for power, fame, wealth, etc., and that Jones was the only
one to refuse. The various disasters which have befallen the band
are often used to support this theory. However, there is absolutely
no evidence for this, the band denies it, and in the words of
Zeppelin biographer Charles Cross:
"Rereading these comments, while lying in a room that Jimmy Page,
the person -- the human being -- once occupied, I can't believe
the heartlessness, the meanness, the utter inhumanity of those
remarks. From mud sharks to pacts with Satan, the public seems
to suspend normal human empathy when talking about Led Zeppelin,
accepting preposterous malice of the sort that would never be
accepted if it were directed toward anyone outside of rock 'n'
roll. Have you heard anyone describe a successful business
executive as having sold his soul to Satan? Wouldn't we laugh
this comment off instantly if applied to anyone else, anyone
working in any other art form? Can one _really_ believe that a
pact with Satan is possible, and if so isn't _that_ the big story
here?"
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45 - Are there backwards messages in "Stairway To Heaven"?
You're far from the first to ask. This rumor has persisted ever
since a California committee of parents and religious leaders set
out to prove that rock music was leading our children down the
path to the devil. For reasons still unknown to rational minds,
they decided to play some albums backwards, and professed to hear
all sorts of messages in songs like Queen's "Another One Bites The
Dust," anything and everything by Styx and ELO, Rush's "Anthem,"
the Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown," Skynyrd's "Freebird," The
Eagles' "Hotel California," and most notably the (at that point)
most-requested rock song of all time, Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To
Heaven."
A definition is useful here -- "backmasking" is the process of
either: 1) recording a backwards message on a track meant to be
played forwards, or 2) the "hiding" of messages within forward
phrases so that, when played backwards, another phrase is revealed.
So does backmasking exist? Andy Johns, the producer of _IV_,
says that not only is "backmasking" a myth, but that there was no
such nonsense while he was present. Certainly, since the advent
of the "backmasking" scandal, groups such as ELO and Pink Floyd
have used the technique to poke fun at people who would actually
play records backwards. Most of the bands named in such
accusations tend to ignore the outcry, for as Jones commented in
_Rolling Stone_, there's absolutely no arguing someone out of
something they really want to believe. But the idea of
backmasking is uniformly considered ludicrous by musicians and
producers alike, and they're the ones that would be responsible
for the process.
Despite the denials of the people involved, let's assume that
these messages do exist. Are they effective? If they were
subliminal messages played _forward_, then scientists agree that
the brain could and would process the information. But
scientists are also convinced that the brain cannot decipher
backwards information unless it is specifically engaged for that
purpose. Therefore, even if backmasking _did_ exist, it would be
useless. So much for Satanic intent.
And specifically, as regards "Stairway To Heaven" -- there are
many messages that various groups have claimed to hear while
playing the song backwards, but the most uniformly cited is the
phrase "Here's to my sweet Satan." Not all listeners that hear
backward phrases are in agreement here, however, and not even
close to all who hear the song backwards hear any message at all.
Many of those who do hear "something" dismiss it as a mere
phonetic coincidence. And few of those who _do_ hear the actual
message were una