Lost And Found: Tales from the rubbish tip…

It’s an easy mistake to make when you have life laundried like I have these past few days.

So there we were at the local Beds County Council rubbish tip with 26 bags of rubbish from the loft to dispose of. It’s quite a maze at our local tip with skips aplenty: man made wood, recycled items, small electrical goods, large electrical goods, newspapers and magazines….now that was the one for us.

So once organized by the not so friendly tip advisor, an anguished cry goes up from the good lady:

“What an earth are you throwing those away for!”….

Christ I thought I’ve somehow included some rare Zep artifact.

An original Earls Court  programme? That VHS video marked Houston video feed May 21 1977?  A rare Zep 1 with turquoise sleeve?

Oh now it was far worse than that. “These are our wedding day cards you’re throwing out!!!”

Now as we are coming up for our silver wedding anniversary early next year that was not a cool move. Hastily said bag was recovered and said cards are now safely returned to the loft.

As I said before this life laundry caper isn’t easy!

Aside from that near catastrophe, progress has been made in the quest to make some space here so the returning Sam can have a crash pad of her own. I even found the complete year of 1980 Sounds music papers I’d loaned from Terry B a couple of years ago. They too have gone back to their original owner (Terry now you can marvel over a years worth of new wave of heavy metal articles – Diamond Head and Saxon ruled in 1980!)

The good lady did have the last laugh. Picking up a binder with the first edition of a magazine part work I was going to collect a few years back called ‘PC Knowhow made easy’…she dryly commented “How come that’s still in the original cellophane?”

Elsewhere it’s been chipping away at TBL 22.

Martyn came over to collect some pics as the life laundry was underway. Of course on further investigation of the loft I’ve uncovered a few gems from the past –many a rarely seen in years item in fact, and we had a laugh watching a video of a young Mick Wall interviewing Jimmy circa Outrider on the old BskyB rock show.

One thing I was very pleased to find was the folder containing some original Zeppelin lyric sheets I was given on a visit to Swan Song office in 1977. Back then Jimmy had a plan to produce a songbook for Physical Graffiti and Presence – some rough music sheets and lyrics had been printed out. I was given copies to check over the lyrics and return the next week. This I duly did and when back in the office I also looked over a fair few contact sheets of photos under consideration for the songbook. These included a lot of Neal Preston shots and one set that caught my eye was a series of shots taken offstage in America in 1977 with Robert wearing an England shirt. Never seen anything surface from that session since..

As it turned out the songbook idea was put aside…and I kept those original lyrics under wraps. In the early 90’s music publishers Barnes Music got in touch and used them for the Remasters official songbook.

One remarkable aspect of those sheets is that  Black Country Woman carries a subtitle of ‘Never Ending Woman Blues’

In fact looking at the sheets again this week it actually states on the music lyric sheet

 “Tag (Spoken)

 “What’s the matter with you mama. Never ending, nagging doubting woman blues”.

Could it be that an outtake exists with that line intact?

The life laundry will continue but not at such a pace with retail frenzy ahead. On the player I’ve a few new acquisitions to get into namely the Bob Dylan Tell Tale Signs outtake set and Fotheringay 2 the newly completed version of Sandy and co’s long lost second album. On the Zep front I can feel a yearning for some late ‘71 and ‘72 UK live tapes enthused by Steve Jones excellent ‘I was there’ feature in the next TBL. 

On that score there’s no shortage of Zep live cassettes of that era still stored in the loft. They ain’t going nowhere. Along with our wedding day cards.

Presence Again / Real Ale / Reading matters

There are sometimes (most times) when only Led Zeppelin will do.

That’s the way it was last night. Coming back from an intensive fourteen hour day at work, an inspired soundtrack was required. Hitting the wheel of the iPod to albums…there was only one thing for it. Presence by Led Zeppelin and fuck did it hit the mark.

At the right time and in the right mood these seven tracks sum up what this band means to me more than any other record they made. From the sheer exhilaration of Achilles (just imagine being in the studio when Jimmy was constructing those overdubs!), the venom of For Your Life, the lighter touch of Royal Orleans (‘’Whiskers!’’), the sonic thrust of Nobody’s Fault (surely their greatest ever intro), the knockerbout fun of Candy Store Rock, the uplifting swing of Hots On For Nowhere (John Henry you were the one), and the downbeat blues of Tea For One.. ..this is an album dripping with a raw emotional quality that at the time signified triumph over adversity.

It still does.

I can go a few days, maybe a week or more away from the Zep catalogue…but then the moment will be right, and coming home on the bus listening to Presence last night was reaffirmation of how vital they still sound, and total justification why I’ve spent a large part of my waking hours chronicling their music over these past 30 years and more.

It’s Led Zeppelins’ world.

We just live in it….

Elsewhere – I survived the beer festival – highlights of which were Black Dog (‘’3.6% Reddish brown black mild with liquorice, rounded by hints of roast malt and a growing dry bitterness’’) and Nirvana (‘’5.7% strong IPA with masses of hops and well balanced malty sweetness’’)

Hey it’s only real ale but I liked it!

Also bumped into Jerry Bloom who runs the Richie Blackmore magazine and had a biography of the man in black published last year. He is about to publish the Nick Hornby-ish memoirs of one of our Bedford mates in which a young DL figures frequently.

More on that subject soon.

Sam came back at the weekend and it was great to see her, though she was suffering from what I think is termed  ‘freshers flue’. Home comforts, TLC and a big roast dinner was the required medicine.

Loads on at work where we are preparing to do battle with the credit crunch and hopefully take some big money over the next few weeks despite all the apathy – the new AC/DC album is one that looks like doing some strong biz. TBL 22 is ongoing with deadlines looming. Reading matter here…plenty of Zep books (another photo volume has appeared Led Zeppelin Revealed – yours for a fiver at Zavvi) and the excellent Paul Weller The Changing Man by Paolo Hewitt.

Right … It’s time to get back to the album with the original catalogue number SSK59402. ‘’Where the mighty arms of atlas hold the heavens from the earth’’

Vital Led Zeppelin music then…vital Led Zeppelin music now. 

40 Years Gone / Croydon Convention / John Lennon

Forty years ago this month Jimmy Page’s new group were ensconced in Olympic Studios recording their debut album. Reason enough to dig out that Zep 1 vinyl (my favourite version is an original US pressing on Atlantic SD 8216 with heavy duty cardboard cover).

I’ve also had on that amazing outtake session on the Olympic Gold bootleg CD with raw versions of Babe I’m Gonna Leave You and You Shook me. My they were rocking back then…

The 40^th anniversary celebrations culminate here at the November 7 Convention at the Fairfield Hall Croydon. This is shaping up to be an excellent day with tribute band Boot Led Zeppelin headlining, Mick Wall confirmed as guest speaker talking about his new Zep biography and the ABC auction set to raise some serious cash. It’s an ideal opportunity to get out of our dens once more to celebrate a milestone anniversary and toast 40 glorious years. I look forward to seeing as many of you that can make it.

I type this early on October 9 – always a poignant date as it marks John Lennon’s birthday. He would have been 68 today. Couple of Lennon/ Zep references – around ‘77 word came that Lennon had heard and loved Stairway (‘’What, he’s only just heard it!’’ was Robert’s tongue in cheek reply) and during Lennon’s famous Phil Spector produced sessions for his Rock And Roll album I have a bootleg of the New York rehearsals where they jam briefly on Whole Lotta Love. A new biography by Philip Norman John Lennon The Life will be on my Christmas list and I’ll be digging out some Lennon to play on the pod to accompany me to MK this weekend (Mind Games/Instant Karma/Jealous Guy/How/Oh My Love/ Imagine/Nobody Told Me/Starting Over/Watching The Wheels/Whatever Gets You Thru The Night etc the man was a genius…)

He is the one rock star I would have most wanted to meet (I did meet his famous Beatle songwriting partner in a toilet once but that’s another story)

Elsewhere it’s been full on with text for TBL 22 – some great stuff in from collector Cliff Hilliard and the man who saw Zep more times than most in the UK Steve Jones.

I’m off to the 31^st  Bedford Beer Festival tonight (and yes I’ve been to most of them!) – I’m a lager drinker myself (just find it more refreshing – apologies real ale fans) but drank the old ale for many years in my 20’s and always enjoy lining up in front of the barrels for the dark and mysterious auld roger and the like. It’s always a special event in the social calendar here and I’m sure I’ll be fending off ‘’Are Zep touring or not?’’ enquiries from friends and acquaintances at the bars.

I seem to recall they had a brew called Black Dog on last year. I’ll have a look for that again. It’s work tomorrow and all weekend so wish me luck with the hangover…       

Thoughts on the ‘Will they or won’t they’ saga…

With so many rumours and counter rumours floating about, it’s been a job to keep up with the ‘’Will they or won’t they’’ saga in recent weeks. It was therefore something of a relief when official word came through via the Robert Plant web site of the singer’s own intentions.

Given the comments Robert has given in various interviews since the 02 reunion, perhaps it was no real surprise that he has made the decision not to re group with Jimmy JPJ, and Jason.

The big issue now of course is what plans the latter trio might have in the future. If rumours of another singer being drafted in are true then there is every possibility they will go out on tour – though surely not under the Led Zeppelin banner.

The way I see it is that if they did decide to work without Robert, there are ways and means of doing outside the structure of it being a Zep revival fest in all but name.

What would be more fascinating for the real Zep connoisseur would be a live presentation and celebration of the players involved that encompasses their 40 year plus careers.

In rather like the way Jimmy formulated the set on his 1988 Outrider tour as a career overview, I’d like to see them wade through Yardbirds numbers such as Think About It and Little Games (which of course JPJ did the string arrangement for)…. Solo numbers such as City Sirens, Blues Anthem and JPJ’s Crackback from Scream For Help and indeed tracks such as Grind and Tidal from Zooma which could sit alongside the expected Zep numbers. That way it becomes more of a presentation of the individual musician’s careers than a pure Zep revival show. For Jason’s part a compact arrangement of say Bonzo’s Montreux would be a fitting tribute.

If they did tour together in such a format, maybe the ‘’I have to see Led Zeppelin to say I as there’’ brigade might be less enthusiastic at shelling out for tickets…leaving real fans to indulge in a show that celebrates the music of Led Zeppelin and much more.

Of course such a career overview presentation might leave the door open for Robert to guest on The Only One, Paul Rodgers to romp through Midnight Moonlight and dear Sir David Coverdale to scream through Shake My Tree (‘’Here’s a fucking song for yer!’’), hey and maybe and then they could all regroup on stage for a finale of With A Little Help From My Friends..

As Robert himself might put it – that would be ridiculous!

But seriously, if it has to be the fab three then a large measure of integrity is surely called for.

That’s my thoughts anyway.

Elsewhere here we’ve been getting used to Sam being away (Sam’s settling in ok and rocked out at The Foals gig at the UEA last Monday ) and sorting all sorts of things we’ve been putting off in the summer like getting new bath taps (phew rock’n’roll !)… on the player’n’pod plenty of good autumn fare including Led Zep 3, The Who By Numbers, Bob Dylan Hard Rain, latter period Jam notably Weller’s great track Shopping),Robert Plant Far Post, and the Hendrix In the West LP.

It’s me and the boy Adam on our on this weekend as the good lady enjoys a weekend away with her girlie cousins in Bournemouth, which of course should greatly benefit the takaway trade around these parts.

Next Thursday I’ll be venturing out to the annual Bedford Beer Festival for some dark and mysterious ales as is traditional this time of year. All guaranteed to warm the heart (and bring on the hangover!) as the cold nights kick in.