Led Zeppelin — “Trampled Underfoot”
This takes me back to the summer of ’88, which is when I first fell in love with Physical Graffiti. My favorite song from the album changes yearly, but this one holds a special place in my heart. I had been a Zep fan for about 18 months and I believe that PG was the 5th or 6th album of theirs I bought. It seemed so expensive at the time- it was on two tapes! This was one of those albums I would put on and just listen to whole thing. I had a boom box in my room and me and my friends would groove to Trampled, rock out to The Rover and Custard Pie, become mesmerized by In My Time Of Dying, etc., etc.
There have been rumors of Phish playing PG for Halloween stretching back to ’94. This is what I want them to play. Others would be good, this would be great. The aura of mystery that surrounds this year’s choice is quite intriguing, no overblown website, no secret codes to unscramble. Nothing.
Rolling Stone’s 1969 review of Led Zeppelin
Here’s a review by John Mendelsohn of Rolling Stone, taken from March 15, 1969. Written roughly 5 years before I was born, I know that if I would have read this and taken his words (no mention of Dazed and Confused?) to heart, I would have completely dismissed Zep. Thank goodness I didn’t. Don’t (always) listen to critics!
The popular formula in England in this, the aftermath era of such successful British bluesmen as Cream and John Mayall, seems to be: add, to an excellent guitarist who, since leaving the Yardbirds and/or Mayall, has become a minor musical deity, a competent rhythm section and pretty soul-belter who can do a good spade imitation. The latest of the British blues groups so conceived offers little that its twin, the Jeff Beck Group, didn’t say as well or better three months ago, and the excesses of the Beck group’s Truth album (most notably its self-indulgence and restrictedness), are fully in evidence on Led Zeppelin’s debut album. (more…)
Led Zep — Best cover band ever?
We posted this previously over a year ago, but the link is now dead and it’s pretty darn entertaining stuff. If ya missed it the first time around, it seems this fella on Howard Stern’s show claims the mighty Zep stole much of their early catalogue from old bluesmen, Jake Holmes, Joan Baez, Spirit, Traffic, etc., etc. The evidence is pretty darn indisputable, but Page & Co. harnessed their energy and power to give these songs their own sound and flair. The power, mystery and the hammer of the gods, indeed.
Did You Know??
Led Zeppelin is the only band whose albums all reached the U.S. Billboard Top Ten.
Led Zeppelin — “Ten Years Gone”
This is one of those songs that is almost constantly in my head. It’s probably been there (my head) for 20+ years. From Knebworth 1979.
29 Years ago today…
Led Zeppelin played their last concert with John Bonham in West Berlin, Germany. Bonham would tragically die two and a half months later on 9/25 and Zep called it quits. The setlist for the show is as follows:
Train Kept a Rollin’, Nobody’s Fault But Mine, Black Dog, In the Evening, The Rain Song, Hot Dog, All My Love, Trampled Underfoot, Since I’ve Been Loving You, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Kashmir, Stairway to Heaven, Rock and Roll, Whole Lotta Love
Happy Birthday — John Bonham
Zeppelin drummer, John Henry Bonham was born on this date in 1948. Bonham is one of the most influential drummers in rock history and was the backbone to Zeppelin. Here’s Zeppelin in ’75 at Earl’s Court with “Moby Dick”:
Led Zeppelin — “Since I’ve Been Loving You”
“Working from 7… to 11 every night.”
Did You Know??
Jimmy Page scored the 1983 cinematic masterpiece, Death Wish 3. If you’re trying to imagine what it sounds like, listen to the other worldly sounds of “In The Evening” from In Through The Out Door.
Led Zeppelin — “Ten Years Gone”
From Knebworth 1979.
Led Zeppelin — Hampton, VA (9/9/71)
1 Immigrant Song
2 Heartbreaker
3 Since I’ve Been Loving You
4 Black Dog
5 Dazed and Confused
6 Stairway To Heaven
7 Celebration Day
8 That’s The Way
9 Going to California
10 What Is and What Should Never Be
11 Moby Dick
Led Zeppelin — Toronto, CAN (9/4/71)
1. Stairway To Heaven
2. Celebration Day
3. That’s The Way
4. Going to California
5. What Is and What Should Never Be
6. Moby Dick
Led Zep — Physical Rarities (Outtakes)
1-Jenning’s Farm Blues (Studio Session 1969)
2-Poor Tom (Outtake From Led Zeppelin IV 1971)
3-Walter’s Walk (Previously Unrelised Session Take 1972)
4-Trampled Underfoot (Alternate Work-in Progress Mix)
5-Custard Pie (Diffferent Version)
6-Black Dog (Headly Garden Session 1971)
7-Since I’ve Been Loving You (Previously Unrelised Rehearsal Take From 1969)
8-No Quarter (Headly Grange Session 1971)
9-Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (Version II Olympic Studios 1968)
10-Stairway To Heaven (Previously Unrelised Early Acustic Version 1971)
11-Swansong (Previously Unrelised First-Ever Take)
12-Ozone Baby (Rare Rehearsal Take From 1978)
13-Wearing& Tearing (Rare Rehearsal Take From 1978)
14-Something Else (Headly Garden Session 1971)
15-Immigration Song (Studio Rehearsal Take From 1970)
16-Moby Dick (From A 1969 Studio Session)
17-Out On The Tiles (Studio Rehearsal From 1970)
18-Willow Tree (Headly Garden Session 1971)
19-Baby Come Back Home (Tribute To Bert Burns, Olympic Studios 1968)
Led Zeppelin — Zurich, Switzerland (6/29/1980)
Here we have very late period Zeppelin. On the heels of In Through The Out Door and post Karac Plant’s (Robert’s young son) passing, this is a band that unbeknownst to them, has little time left. John Bonham would die less than three months later and the band would cease to exist at year’s end. This is a crisp and clear SBD, the jams are tighter, perhaps more focused.
01. The Train Kept A Rollin’
02. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
03. Black Dog
04. In The Evening
05. The Rain Song
06. Hot Dog
07. All My Love
08. Trampled Under Foot
09. Since I’ve Been Loving You
10. Achilles Last Stand
11. White Summer, Black Mountain Side
12. Kashmir
13. Stairway To Heaven
14. Rock And Roll
15. Heartbreaker
Bustle In Your Hedgerow — Chicago, IL (8/6/2006)
SET ONE
Song Remains the Same*, Ramble On, Immigrant Song $, What is and What Should Never Be, Travelling Riverside %, Four Stix, Bring it Back Home
SET TWO
Moby Dick, Over the Hills and Far Away, Fool in the Rain*, Heartbreaker, All of My Love, Good Times Bad Times > How Many More Times*, The Ocean
$. Mike Keneally on Guitar
%. Sarah Zimmerman
* Bayliss Vox
Bustle In Your Hedgerow with Sarah Zimmerman — Travelin’ Riverside Blues
Here Bustle In Your Hedgerow with the aid of Paul Green School of Rock’s Sarah Zimmerman just nail Robert Johnson cum Led Zeppelin’s “Travelin’ Riverside Blues”. Check out Sarah’s smokin’ slide guitar solo.
Happy Birthday — Jimmy Page
Born on this day in 1944, Jimmy Page has served as a session musician, guitarist for The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, The Firm and several side projects. Page is also a very accomplished producer with recording innovations that revolutionized the recording industry. Here’s Robert Plant with a personal tribute to Pagey:
Click here for more on Zeppelin, including shows, trivia and videos.
In related news, Jimmy Page stated yesterday that “Led Zeppelin Are Over” and that there are no longer plans to tour with another singer. Click here for the story.
And still here for an amazing Presence-era show from Houston ’77. Or here for a hot Houses Of The Holy-era NYC show from ’73.
Led Zeppelin — Still ain’t happenin’
Rolling Stone:
If your one wish for Christmas was a Led Zeppelin reunion tour, too bad: Robert Plant has once again reiterated that the band isn’t reuniting for a full-scale tour anytime soon. Asked for probably the millionth time in 2008 whether he’ll get back with Jimmy Page and the rest of Zep, Plant said, “I still see Jimmy quite a lot and he’s very complimentary and supportive of what I’m doing, but we are in different places now and you have to go on to do different things.”
Led Zeppelin — New York, NY (7/28/1973)
Radio Spot
Rock And Roll->
Celebration Day->
Black Dog
Over The Hills And Far Away
Misty Mountain Hop->
Since I’ve Been Loving You
No Quarter
The Song Remains The Same
The Rain Song
Dazed And Confused
Stairway To Heaven
Moby Dick
Heartbreaker->
Whole Lotta Love (Medley)
The Ocean
Download1 Download2
Led Zeppelin — Live In Chicago (1975)
Really cool 8mm camera footage here of Zep in action in Chi-town. Included are No Quarter, Moby Dick, Dazed & Confused, Whole Lotta Love, Out On The Tiles, Black Dog.
Jimmy Page — “Mama Don’t Want To Skiffle Anymore”
Jimmy Page is but a mere 11 years old in this clip, playing the seminal favorite “Mama Don’t Want To Skiffle Anymore”.
Led Zeppelin — Houston, TX (5/21/1977)
Great Zeppelin show featured here. Back in ’77 Zeppelin were at the height of their collective powers. This night in Houston captures the band pulling material from all of their albums to that point. With a stellar acoustic portion and plenty of hard rocking lunacy, the band turns in a 25+ minute “No Quarter”, a blooze slide guitar clinic on “In My Time Of Dying” and top notch performances of several of the band’s early and late period classics. Enjoy!
The Song Remains The Same
Sick Again
Nobody’s Fault But Mine
In My Time of Dying
Since I’ve Been Loving You
No Quarter
Ten Years Gone
The Battle of Evermore
Going to California
Black Country Women
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
White Summer-Black Mountain Side
Kashmir
Out On The Tiles-Moby Dick
Guitar Solo
Achilles Last Stand
Stairway to Heaven
Rock and Roll
Trampled Under Foot
Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes — Ten Years Gone
Dug this album out recently again and listened—great, great stuff. Here’s one of my fave Zep tunes from Physical Graffiti, Ten Years Gone:
Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck & Eric Clapton — Stairway To Heaven
A trio of ex-Yardbirds gunslingers featured here. Of course this is a Zeppelin song, but this performance is post-Zep in late ’83. No vocals, just heavy, blistering guitar work. In reading Clapton’s autobiography, I was struck by Clapton’s disdain for Zeppelin. He has always been quite critical of their obvious swiping of old blues musicians, but he still seems rather appalled by the English quartet’s massive success. Of course Clapton also recognized and noted that he had mistakenly plagiarized a section in the builiding guitar crescendo on his song “Let It Grow”. It is obvious in listening to it, he did. Whatever the case, all three of the men here are massively talented and incredibly virtuousic guitarists.
