Friday, April 15, 2016

Just Backdated: STAIRWAY TO THE HIGH COURT

Just Backdated: STAIRWAY TO THE HIGH COURT: Like a nasty dose of some STD that simply won’t go away, the issue of whether or not Jimmy Page and, to a lesser extent, Robert Plant, ...

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Who's Buying This 'Stairway to Heaven' Lawsuit?

Who's Buying This 'Stairway to Heaven' Lawsuit?: A 2014 lawsuit alleging that Led Zeppelin ripped off a lesser-known band to produce Stairway to Heaven will proceed to a jury trial, a California judge decided this week. The filing claims that Stairway's opening acoustic guitar part sounds almost identical to a portion of the song Taurus, written and performed by the American rock band Spirit. Writing in the complaint filed on behalf of the trust established in the name of Spirit's late vocalist, Randy Craig Wolfe, lawyer Francis Malofiy states that the similarities are obvious. Any reasonable observer, when comparing 'Taurus' and 'Stairway to Heaven,' must conclude that—at the very least—significant portions of the songs are nearly identical, the document reads. U.S. District Judge Gary Klausner bought the argument enough to allow the suit to proceed to trial. While the chord progression shared by the two songs is common in music, Klausner wrote in his opinion, the similarities here transcend this core structure. An expert for the plaintiff said some of those include musical accompaniment (the presence of acoustic guitar, strings recorder/flute sounds, and harpsichord) and the Renaissance style of both songs.

Monday, April 11, 2016

On This Day 11 April

The never ending Magick...
2010 11 April On This Day Jimmy Page went to a Bad Company concert at Wembley


2010 Paul Rodgers & Jimmy Page, Bad Company at Wembley (Ross Halfin photo)
  • 1968 The Yardbirds-Boston,MA  at Boston Tea Party
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - St. Louis MO at Kiel Auditorium
Today is Mage Music's last daily On This Day post!  Last year I committed to providing a full year's worth, and now that it's done I won't post any more unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones. You can view each of them by clicking on the date in the right-hand navigation column.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog about the music and Magick of Jimmy Page, as well as previews of new Mage Music projects. In the meantime, enjoy a few magazine covers featuring Jimmy Page over the years plus more of the best music in the world.












♪  Baby Who's Driving Your Car (Jimmy Page, John Williams 1970) YouTube
♪  Asylum (Box of Frogs feat. Jimmy Page 1986) YouTube
♪  Writes of Winter (Jimmy Page, Outrider 1988) YouTube
♪  Absolution Blues (Coverdale/Page 1993) YouTube
♪  Depot Studio Session/Domino (Soundcloud)
♪  Domino (Jimmy Page, Net Aid East Rutherford NJ 1999) YouTube
♪  Kashmir (Page/Plant/Jones/Jason Bonham, O2 2007) YouTube
♪  Ramble On (Jimmy Page, It Might Get Loud 2008) YouTube
♪  Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin, Sunset Sound Mix/Remaster 2014) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube


Sunday, April 10, 2016

On This Day 10 April

Jimmy Page, fashionista
1977 10 April On This Day Stormtrooper outfit debut, Chicago
  • 1968 The Yardbirds - Miami Beach FL at Thee Image Club (day 3 of 3)
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Miami Beach FL at Miami Beach Convention Center
  • 1977 Led Zeppelin - Chicago IL at Chicago Stadium (day 4 of 4)
  • 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Boston MA at Boston Garden
1970:
Much was made in the press of the fact that there were now no opening acts for Led Zeppelin shows, and that the shows were 2 1/2 hours and more long. "We think people come to see us, not an unknown opening act," Jimmy Page was quoted as saying. "So we play the whole thing." Nevertheless this show was cut short, apparently due to conflict between fans who could not get into the sold-out performance and Miami Beach police.
1970 Led Zeppelin, Miami Beach
1977:
Serendipity: when something that happens seemingly not on purpose turns out to be a good thing.

The storm trooper outfit has generated much speculation over the years as to its symbolism, but to me there's a simple, if inelegant, explanation: Jimmy Page had food poisoning the night before. If you've ever agonized through it yourself you'll know what I mean when I say that the storm trooper outfit might have been what he had to wear until the white satin poppy suit was returned from the cleaners. Am I saying this is what actually happened? No. But maybe.

1977 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Chicago

2004 April Player Magazine (Ross Halfin photo)

2014 Matt Cameron, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Tokyo (Ross Halfin photo)



♪  Audience footage (Led Zeppelin, Chicago 10 April 1977) YouTube
♪  Gallows Pole (Page & Plant, Boston Garden 1995) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube




NOTICE: Tomorrow will be the last daily On This Day post
as that will be a full year's worth. I won't post any more
unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog
about the music and Magick of
JIMMY PAGE
and previews of new Mage Music projects!

Saturday, April 9, 2016

On This Day 09 April

1969 09 April On This Day Led Zeppelin, Tolworth England at the Toby Jug
  • 1968 The Yardbirds - Miami Beach FL at Thee Image Club (day 2 of 3)
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - Tolworth England @ Toby Jug
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Tampa FL at Curtis Hixon Hall
  • 1977 Led Zeppelin - Chicago IL at Chicago Stadium (day 3 of 4)
  • 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Boston MA at Boston Gardens
1970:
Check out how Jimmy Page handles Becks Bolero at approximately 7:00 in the How Many More Times medley in Tampa. What an extraordinary show that was.

1977:
Day three of Chicago, after a break due to the hockey game at the Chicago Stadium, and this night's show was cut short because our Mr. Page was sick with probable food poisoning.  "If I hadn't sat down I would have fallen over," he said. Various accounts have Jimmy Page swaying, dropping his pick, collapsing onto the drum riser or into a chair that a roadie had brought out for him, throwing up, and/or passing out. No wonder he looked so grumpy in the photos.

The show was to be rescheduled for August, with a promise by Jimmy Page published the next day in Circus to do an "all-request show", but it was not to be.

1977 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Chicago




♪  White Summer/Black Mountain Side (Led Zeppelin, Tampa 1970) YouTube
♪  How Many More Times (Led Zeppelin, Tampa 1970) YouTube
♪  Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin, Tampa 1970) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube




NOTICE: April 11 will be the last daily On This Day post
as that will be a full year's worth.  I won't post any more
unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog
about the music and Magick of 
JIMMY PAGE
and previews of new Mage Music projects!

Friday, April 8, 2016

On This Day 08 April

...all will be revealed 

2004 08 April On This Day Jimmy Page visited the Cairo Museum

  • 1968 The Yardbirds - Miami Beach FL at Thee Image Club (day 1 of 3)
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - Welwyn England at Bluesville 69 Club 
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Raleigh NC at J.S. Dorton Arena 

1968 Jimmy Page / The Yardbirds, Miami Beach FL

1969:
"If Led Zeppelin plays ten times stronger than the Yardbirds, the sound is similar. In that, it is primarily the group of Jimmy Page. Hopefully the Led Zeppelin will also be appreciated that the Yardbirds were in their time."
~Bruno Ducourant, Rock & Folk, No. 29, 5/69
1969 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Welwyn England
1970:
Unlike most rock concerts, the audience spent a great portion of the show saluting the solos in standing ovations.
~Steve A. Jones
1970 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Raleigh NC

1977 Jimmy Page, Shirley Dixon, Robert Plant, Chicago 
2004:
The Stele of Revealing is a painted, wooden funerary tablet discovered in 1858 at the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. It was made for the priest Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu i, a Theban priest of the god Mentu, whose coffin was in the temple.

Not long after coming across the stele in a museum in Cairo in 1904, Aleister Crowley authored The Book of the Law (the Law of Thelema), the basis for which was the hieroglyphic text on the stele.

The number 666 on the reverse of the stele is the catalog number assigned to the object by the Egyptian Museum.  666 has numerological significance in the system of Thelema, a religion based on a philosophical law (the stele's current catalog number is A 9422).

Thelema is a Greek word meaning "will" or "intention". One of the earliest mentions of the spiritual philosophy of Thelema is found in the five-book serial novel, Gargantua and Pantagruel, written by Francois Rabelais in 1532, which recounts the adventures of a father and son who happen to be giants. In one book, a Friar John founds an "anti-church", the Abbey of Thélème, for the purpose of providing an education that countered the Christian standards and morals of the day. The rule of the Abbey was "Do what thou wilt", one of the basic tenets of Thelemic philosophy today.

The Stele of Revealing, Cairo Museum Egypt



♪  Kashmir (Led Zeppelin, Knebworth 1979) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube




NOTICE: April 11 will be the last daily On This Day post
as that will be a full year's worth.  I won't post any more
unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog
about the music and Magick of 
JIMMY PAGE
and previews of new Mage Music projects!

Thursday, April 7, 2016

On This Day 07 April

Shut up and listen...
1977 07 April On This Day Led Zeppelin in Chicago

  • 1967 The Yardbirds - Stockholm Sweden at Radiohuset
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Charlotte NC at The Coliseum
  • 1977 Led Zeppelin - Chicago at Chicago Stadium (day 2 of 4)
  • 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - East Rutherford NJ at Brendan Byrne Arena (day 2 of 2)

1970 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Charlotte NC
1970:
Totally amazing that the audience could be so bad that Robert Plant would tell them to shut up. Can you imagine these days going to a Led Zeppelin concert and not being 110% focused on the show?

The show must not go on...
1977:
Chicago provided its challenges. This second of four days of shows had a time limit, tough for a band that played long shows. Because the Chicago Black Hawks had to use the arena the next night, the union that worked this arena demanded that the band be done by 11:00 P.M.  The Showco sound system had to be torn down and then after the hockey game, reassembled for Saturday's show. In My Time Of Dying and Trampled Under Foot were dropped from the set that night.

Note that the Stormtrooper outfit was  not worn on this day - in spite of the photo used for today's post on Jimmy Page's website.  The outfit was only worn on the final night in Chicago and then only for part of the show.

1977 Jimmy Page / Led  Zeppelin, Chicago

1995 Jimmy Page & Michael Lee (drums) / Page & Plant, East Rutherford NJ




♪  Shapes of Things / Heartful of Soul / Mr. Your a Better Man Than I (The Yardbirds, Sweden 1967) YouTube
♪   You Go Your Way I Go Mine / Over Under Sideways Down / Little Game (The Yardbirds, Sweden 1967) YouTube
♪  My Baby (The Yardbirds, Sweden 1967) YouTube
♪  I'm A Man (The Yardbirds, Sweden 1967) YouTube
♪  What Is And What Should Never Be (Led Zeppelin, Charlotte 1970) YouTube
♪ The Song Remains the Same/The Rover/Sick Again (Led Zeppelin, Chicago 07 April 1977) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube




NOTICE: April 11 will be the last daily On This Day post
as that will be a full year's worth.  I won't post any more
unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog
about the music and Magick of 
JIMMY PAGE
and previews of new Mage Music projects!

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

On This Day 06 April

Jimmy Page may have studied a lot of biology over the years, but his heart has always been with music.
1958 06 April On This Day, Jimmy Page & skiffle group on BBC TV
  • 1958 Jimmy Page – London at BBC’s All Your Own hosted by Sir Huw Wheldon
  • 1968 The Yardbirds - Amherst MA at University of Massachusetts 
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - Nottingham England at Nottingham Boat Club
  • 1977 Led Zeppelin - Chicago IL at Chicago Stadium (day 1 of 4)
  • 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - East Rutherford NJ at Brendan Byrne Arena (day 1 of 2)


1958 Jimmy Page & skiffle group on BBC TV

1969:
The Nottingham Boat Club's capacity was 250. Led Zeppelin was paid 60% of the door and advance sales. Their contract called for them to play two 30 minute spots.

1977:
Eight years after the Nottingham Boat Club gig, Led Zeppelin drew a crowd of more than 20,000 for the first of four shows at the Chicago Stadium. The band played basically non-stop for over three hours.
 
1977 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Chicago

1977 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Chicago
1995:
WARNING: OPINION FOLLOWS  I think one of the more irritating things is how the Page & Plant shows started over the course of their collaborations. This one's no exception. Whether it's the Tale of Bran or a recording of an Egyptian orchestra - it's just a holding place. It's not what we came for. Forget the artsy, give me the music!

You can skip to about 1:50 in the video below if you agree. Or even if you don't. I won't tell anyone.



♫  Skiffle group & brief interview, BBC All You Know show 1958 (with commentary by Jimmy Page, 2008) YouTube
♪  Opening medleys (Page & Plant, East Rutherford 1995) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube




NOTICE: April 11 will be the last daily On This Day post
as that will be a full year's worth.  I won't post any more
unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog
about the music and Magick of 
JIMMY PAGE
and previews of new Mage Music projects!

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

On This Day 05 April

Remembering Peter Grant, who would have made mincemeat of Peter M.
1999 05 April On This Day Jimmy Page recorded at Depot Studios, London
AUDIO (Soundcloud)

  • 1935 Peter Grant born
  • 1968 The Yardbirds-Flushing Meadows,Queens,NY  at Queens College,Golden Center
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - Dagenham,London,England  at Village Blues Club,Dagenham Roadhouse
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Baltimore,MD  at Baltimore Civic Center

1970 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Baltimore MD
1980 Peter Grant (1935-1995) and Jimmy Page in a pub in the UK 

2013 Jimmy Page in NYC (Ross Halfin photo)



♪ Bring It On Home (Led Zeppelin, Baltimore 1970) YouTube
♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube




NOTICE: April 11 will be the last daily On This Day post
as that will be a full year's worth.  I won't post any more
unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog
about the music and Magick of 
JIMMY PAGE
and previews of new Mage Music projects!


Monday, April 4, 2016

On This Day 04 April

Pals
2009 04 April On This Day Jimmy Page inducts Jeff Beck into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

  • 1967 The Yardbirds - London England at BBC Radio, The Saturday Club
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Indianapolis IN at Indiana State Fairgrounds
  • 1986 The Firm - East Rutherford NJ at Brendan Bryne Arena
  • 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour-Philadelphia PA at The Spectrum
  • 2009 Jimmy Page with Jeff Beck - Cleveland OH at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1973:
Only days after its release, Houses of the Holy Atlantic Records announced that the album had already reached gold .


2009:
Jimmy Page inducted Jeff Beck into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on this day.  The music played that night doesn't give us much of Jimmy Page, but Jimmy Page's being there gave a lot to Jeff Beck.  A beautiful and generous tribute.
2009 Jimmy Page, Ronnie Wood, Hall of Fame practice

2009 Jeff Beck & Jimmy Page, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2009 Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck & Ronnie Wood, Rock and Roll Hall of  Fame



♪  Make or Break (The Firm, The Firm 1985) YouTube
♪  Train Kept A-Rollin' (Beck Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2009) Rolling Stone article with video
♪  Beck's Bolero & Immigrant Song (Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2009) YouTube
♫  Jimmy Page's induction of Jeff Beck into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2009
♪  Since I've Been Loving You (Page & Plant, Philadelphia 1995) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube




NOTICE: April 11 will be the last daily On This Day post
as that will be a full year's worth.  I won't post any more
unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog
about the music and Magick of 
JIMMY PAGE
and previews of new Mage Music projects!

Sunday, April 3, 2016

On This Day 03 April

It started long ago. It's not over yet.
1968 03 April On This Day The Yardbirds' last studio recording session

  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Macon GA at Macon Coliseum
  • 1977 Led Zeppelin - Oklahoma City at The Myriad
  • 1979 Bonham, Page & Plant encore with Bad Company - Birmingham England at Odeon at Theatre 
  • 1986 The Firm - Uniondale NY at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
  • 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Philadelphia PA at The Spectrum (day 1 of 2) 

1968:
The five tracks recorded by The Yardbirds on this day were not released immediately. Avron Knows, Hold On Me, Spanish Blood, and My Baby appeared on The Yardbirds' 2000 album, Cumular Limit, while Knowing That I'm Losing You reappeared as Tangerine on Led Zeppelin III.

If you don't listen to anything else linked below, listen to Jimmy Page's guitar work in Spanish Blood.  Um... PG rated at the end, but that's not why I'm recommending it.
1977 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Oklahoma City

1977 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Oklahoma City
1979:
John Bonham, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant jammed with Bad Company at Bad Company's Birmingham Odeon gig on this day for the encore numbers, Long Tall Sally (featuring Page and Bonham) and Going Down (featuring Plant, Page and Bonham). You would think that someone would have recorded this, but apparently not.

1995 Jimmy Page / Page & Plant, Philadelphia
2013:
Gene Simmons, his wife Shannon and son Nick happened to be at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York when Ross Halfin walked over to say hello. When Gene saw that Jimmy Page was with Ross he grabbed his phone to take photos.  When the photos were posted by Gene, his comment was, "Hail the RiffMaster of them all"
2013 Jimmy Page with Gene Simmons & Nick Simmons, NYC




♪  Avron Knows (The Yardbirds, Cumular Limit 1968/2000) YouTube
♪  Taking A Hold On Me (The Yardbirds, Cumular Limit 1968/2000) YouTube
♪  Spanish Blood (The Yardbirds, Cumular Limit 1968/2000) YouTube
♪  My Baby (The Yardbirds, Cumular Limit 1968/2000) YouTube
♪  Tangerine (Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin III 1970) YouTube
♪  Full set (Led Zeppelin, Oklahoma City 1977) YouTube
♪  Since I've Been Loving You  (Page & Plant, Philadelphia 1995) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube




NOTICE: April 11 will be the last daily On This Day post
as that will be a full year's worth.  I won't post any more
unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog
about the music and Magick of 
JIMMY PAGE
and previews of new Mage Music projects!

Saturday, April 2, 2016

On This Day 02 April

Did those journalists really think Led Zeppelin needed to play France?
1973 02 April On This Day Led Zeppelin, Paris (day 2 of 2)
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - Cardiff Wales atTop Rank Ballroom
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Charleston WV at Charleston Civic Center Coliseum
  • 1973 Led Zeppelin - Paris at Centre Sportif (day 2 of 2)
  • 1986 The Firm- Mean Business album released
1969:
This show was a benefit in for the Biafran Relief Organisation. Led Zeppelin did their part, but in the middle of How Many More Times the revolving stage was engaged and cables suddenly were jerked out of the amps' sockets, some broken off. That was the end of that.

1973:
The band had already cancelled two shows in France because of the audiences. They came back to Paris (actually a suburb to the north of the city) to play the Palais des Sports de Saint Ouen. Roy Hollingworth of Melody Maker reported:  "Zeppelin kicked a great hole in the night..."  But it was too late for France. Led Zeppelin was done with that country.

1973 Led Zeppelin get more gold discs

1973 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Paris
1986 Mean Business, by The Firm
1986:
You're probably tired of my whining about The Firm, but tough. It's my blog and I'll whine if I want to. And here I go:

The problem with The Firm is there's too much of Paul Rodgers and not enough Jimmy Page. Hey, I'm not putting down Mr. Rodgers. He's a great singer. But, as I've described elsewhere in this blog probably too many time, Paul Rodgers isn't giving it up to the muse that Jimmy Page answers to. Unfortunate for The Firm, because Jimmy Page is the one channeling the magick.

Cadillac, from The Firm's 1986 Mean Business, is a good example of when Jimmy Page gets to open to that channel and let it flow. Paul Rodgers comes through in this one to deliver lyrics and melody that match the setting Jimmy Page has provided. But then on the same album we get Free To Live, which doesn't come up to those standards. 

Cadillac roils with Jimmy Page's dark twisty tones, gasping pauses, and shocking thrusts of high notes. Free To Live starts out with promise: Slade's thumping and the growly guitar in the intro really work nicely together to hint of... well, we never find out, because Paul Rodgers starts singing and the other members of the band just back off and support him. At 2:00 Jimmy Page comes back in and takes over and we get some good stuff working - and then the song recedes to that old band-supports-the-vocalist format, where the singer is making lyrics the music instead of letting words serve the music. That's traditional but it's also boring. And unfortunately, as good as the quartet was, traditional was too typical of The Firm's work. The band was very good, but it was not innovative. We had already heard it all before. And what a shame. It didn't have to be that way.

So I, for one, don't love The Firm as much as I might. That's why I'm hoping that Jimmy Page will soon put out new music that leaves him free of the anchor of a traditional vocalist and rather lets his guitar do the singing.



♪  Dancing Days (Led Zeppelin, Paris 02 April 1973) YouTube
♪  Cadillac (The Firm, Mean Business 1986) YouTube
♪  Free To Live (The Firm, Mean Business 1986) YouTube
♫  Mean Business MTV promo 1986usiness 1986) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube




NOTICE: April 11 will be the last daily On This Day post
as that will be a full year's worth.  I won't post any more
unless Jimmy Page's website offers some new ones.

Stay tuned for new posts here on the Mage Music blog
about the music and Magick of 
JIMMY PAGE
and previews of new Mage Music projects!