An eye for art of all kinds
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| 1970 05 October On This Day Jimmy Page visited and photographed Rock (Roch) Castle in Wales |
- 1969 Led Zeppelin -Amsterdam, Netherland at Concertgebouw
- 1970 Led Zeppelin III Released
- 1970 Jimmy Page visits and photographs Roch Castle in Wales
- 1972 Led Zeppelin - Nagoya, Japan at Kokaido
- 1976 BBC2/Old Grey Whistle Test airs Black Dog clip from The Song Remains The Same movie.
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| 1969 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Amsterdam |
1970:
The level of work over the first two years of Led Zeppelin's existence was incredible, yet when it was time for a vacation another album was born.
Led Zeppelin III, released on this day in 1970, was composed at Bron-Yr-Aur in Wales, a stone cottage with no electricity or running water, and recorded at Headley Grange, a mansion with few amenities. The band could have afforded anyplace, but they wanted something different. And they got it.
Although
Led Zeppelin III was hardly a collection of acoustic songs, the album was a departure from Led Zeppelin's signature rock and blues sound. Even so, over a million pre-orders for the album were placed.
"After the intense touring that had been taking place through the first two albums, working almost 24 hours a day, basically, we managed to stop and have a proper break, a couple of months as opposed to a couple of weeks. We decided to go off and rent a cottage to provide a contrast to motel rooms. Obviously, it had quite an effect on the material that was written... It was the tranquility of the place that set the tone of the album."
~ Jimmy Page, interview by Dave Schulps for Trowser Press, 1977
Reviews at the time were not so glowing, but some of Led Zeppelin's most-played and most-loved songs today are from that album.
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| 1970 Rock (Roch) Castle through the lens of Jimmy Page |
And as for out of the way places....Rock (Roch) Castle was begun in the 12th century as one of the outer defenses of the boundary between the English and Welsh halves of Pembrokeshire. Over time it has been used as a prison and a governor's house.
The castle's builder, the knight Adam de Rupe, feared the prophecy that he would be killed by a viper's bite, or so it is said, and he sought to live somewhere isolated. The castle, on top of a rock formation, apparently seemed like a safe enough place from the adder (viper), the UK's only venomous snake. Although adders are not considered aggressive, it seems that de Rupe prophecy came true. A viper got into the castle and bit him.
Rock Castle was purchased in 2008 by the Griffiths-Roch Foundation who restored it for the Retreats Group, which specializes in high-end luxury corporate escapes for relaxation or business, and for weddings, events and vacations.
In 1970 Jimmy Page visited the castle, which was for sale, and took exterior and interior photos. We don't know why he didn't buy it, for the photos do make the place seem like something that would have well suited his aesthetic senses. Instead he purchased Boleskine house the following year.
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| 1970 Rock (Roch) Castle through the lens of Jimmy Page |
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| 1970 Jimmy Page at Bron-Yr-Aur |
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♪ Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin 1970) Soundcloud
♪ Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions 1971) YouTube
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♪ Immigrant Song (Foo Fighters and friends at Dave Grohl's birthday party 2015) YouTube
