On this day 16 October

 Awards, guest guitarists, and a toast

chris robinson video link

1999 16 October setlist

• 1970 Led Zeppelin receive Gold and Platinum disc awards at London’s Savoy Hotel
• 1988 Jimmy Page Outrider Tour - Bloomington, MN at Metropolitan Sports Center
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Cleveland, OH at Gund Arena
• 1999 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - Worcester, MA at The Centrum Center 

1970:
For the second time in less than 12 months, Led Zeppelin received awards for record sales. On this day, Peter Grant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant received Gold and Platinum disc awards from Anthony Grant (no relation to Peter Grant), the British Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade. The awards were for U.S. sales in excess of one million copies of Whole Lotta Love and for European sales of Led Zeppelin II, released in December 1969.

The previous year the boys had been awarded gold discs by a different parliamentary secretary, Gwyneth Dunwoody, who quipped, "you seem to be gas rockets rather than Led Zeppelins".

She was wrong. Led Zeppelin was beyond rockets by that point. They had already achieved warp speed.

1970 Led Zeppelin receive gold, platinum discs

1970 Led Zeppelin receive gold, platinum discs from Anthony Grant, UK parliamentary secretary for Board of Trade

1999:
In the video of Chris Robinson talking about working with Jimmy Page, Robinson says:  "Jimmy had done his thing with Robert and the Egyptian orchestra and stuff, but I don't think he maybe was fully satisfied with that..."

See?  I'm not the only one who thinks so.

On this day in 1999, Joe Perry showed up on stage to join in with the encore numbers, You Shook Me and Oh Well.  It wasn't the first time, but it's always special.

2012 Jimmy Page with Ian Hunter at Mott the Hoople film premiere (Ross Halfin photo)

♪

♪ Jimmy Page Outrider Tour (Bloomington, MN at Metropolitan Sports Center, 16 October 1988)
♪  Page & Plant (Cleveland OH at Gund Arena, 16 October 1995) 

♪  Jimmy Page/The Black Crowes (Worcester MA at Centrum Center, 16 October 1999)

♫  Chris Robinson on playing with Jimmy Page

On this day 13 October

 JP Anthology...

On this day for 13 October published 2023

On This Day for 13 October published 2020

• 1967 The Yardbirds - Tampa, FL at University of Tampa
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Chicago, IL at United Center
• 1999 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - New York, NY at Roseland Ballroom (day 2)

1988

Jimmy Page, October 1988 Guitar World

1995:
Setlist and alternate for Chicago. 

Setlist	Alternate
1. Egyptian Intro/Immigrant Song/The Wanton Song	1. Thank You
2. Bring It On Home	2. Bring It On Home
3. Over The Hills and Far Away	3. Ramble On
4. Thank You	4. Shake My Tree
5. No Quarter	5. Lullaby
6. That's The Way	6. No Quarter
7. Hurdy Gurdy solo	7. Gallows Pole
8. Gallows Pole	8. Levee Breaks
9. Since I've Been Loving You	9. Hey Hey
10. The Song Remains The Same	10. Song Remains
11. Going To California	11. Since I've Been Loving You
12. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You	12. Friends
13. Four Sticks	13. Calling To You
14. Whole Lotta Love/Spoonful/Break On Through/Dazed and Confused	14. Four Sticks
15. In The Evening	15. In The Evening
16. Black Dog	16. Black Dog
17. Kashmir	17. Kashmir

2020  

Jimmy Page: The Anthology was released on this day in 2020. It's the inside story of Jimmy Page's career, from the viewpoint of the artifacts that are most meaningful to him. Photos and text. Even if you think you know everything about the man, you probably don't.

Note: I get teensy tiny commissions for purchases made through links in this post but the commissions are NOT added to the listed price.

♪

♪  Page & Plant Unledded Tour (Chicago IL at United Center, 13 October 1995) 

♪ Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes (New York, NY at Roseland Ballroom day 2, 13 October 1999)

On this day 30 September

 I've got some questions for you, Mr. Page...

On This Day published 2019

1971 30 September On This Day Jimmy Page vacations in Bangkok

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Glasgow, Scotland at Odean Theatre
• 1971 Jimmy Page in Bangkok
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded North American Tour - Denver, CO at Fiddlers Green
• 1998 Page & Plant North American Fall Tour - The Midlands/Houston, TX at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
• 2012 Jimmy Page attends The Muse’s show at The Roundhouse

Jimmy Page at the keyboard
When/ Where?

It's been very cool that Jimmy Page has set up some listening sessions where he's taken questions from the audience, and there are many excellent interviews out there. But the man is still a mystery and there are so many unanswered questions. I figure I could do as good a job as anyone so far at interviewing Jimmy Page.

For one thing, what about the photo above? Piano or keyboards? Jimmy Page can play many instruments and no doubt he can do a decent job tickling the ivories, but what was the story with that photo? Was it a recording session? Was he composing? Demonstrating an idea? Just fooling around?

As far as I can figure out, the above photo was taken during the the early May 1969 sessions with Screaming Lord Sutch at Hollywood's Mystic Studios. John Bonham was there, as well. JP said in a 1970 interview, "...I just went down to have a laugh, playing some old rock and roll, a bit of a send-up. The whole joke sort of reversed itself and became ugly."  

Jimmy Page wasn't the only musician to regret getting involved with Sutch's project. "Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends" was voted the worst album of all time in more than one poll.

Perhaps it is just coincidence that Jimmy Page (and Jeff Beck) appeared on the September 1999 cover of Guitare et Claviers, a French magazine no longer in publication, a magazine not just about guitars but claviers. A clavier is a keyboard instrument, especially one with strings, such as the harpsichord. I haven't read the interview in that issue, but maybe Jimmy Page's piano playing is brought up.

Probably not.

1999

I came across a YouTube video in which Jimmy Page allegedly is playing the guitar and later the piano (at 0:40). It was funny to me that when I read the comments I found two posts by me questioning whether it really was Jimmy Page. I wrote:

"What I want to know is why anyone thinks this actually is Jimmy Page playing piano.  The guitar in the beginning didn't particularly sound like him.  The guitar after the piano doesn't particularly sound like him.  I'm not saying it isn't Jimmy Page, but really - it could be anyone playing, couldn't it?  Who believes anything anyone posts on the internet anymore without some verification."

Actually, I don't think it was Jimmy Page playing anything on that clip. At any rate, it has been determined that the actual piano player was Dave Lawson. The piano piece was released on the 1999 Remaster of Death Wish II Soundtrack, as 'Alternative Jill's Theme' and Lawson was credited.

And that brings me to my point.  Inquiring minds want to know the answers to these questions and so many more. No matter how much diligence used when researching Jimmy Page, the fact is that nobody knows Jimmy like Jimmy Page knows Jimmy. So I'd like to go right to the source.

I know I could do a great job of interviewing him. I've got tons of questions nobody's ever asked before.  And besides, lots of the interviews out there are just plain crap. So just give me a call or email me, Jimmy. We'll set up an appointment to do an interview at your convenience.

Guitars:
There's lots written about Jimmy Page's go-to guitars, but not so much about guitars he hardly touched, much less actually played. I'd be asking JP about them if he was in the mood to answer.

1995 January Guitar Classics Collector's Yearbook

Some guitars never got played at all

Greco Guitars wanted the endorsement of a widely known guitar player and during a press conference on September 30, 1972 in Tokyo, Japan for Led Zeppelin's forthcoming Japanese tour, Jimmy Page was presented with a Greco EG-360S Guitar. Pictures that have surfaced from this press conference show that Jimmy Page and drummer John Bonham were not happy with this presentation. Bonham, in fact, was so displeased with Greco Guitars that he demanded the company's tagline, “Led Zeppelin is my brother”, be blackened out of their advertisement in the official tour programs.

~ excerpt from Five Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Page's Guitars 

In the past 20 years or so, JP has been ambushed (that's my word for it) by being handed a guitar that's often not in tune and being expected to play on it. For a few years he'd go along with it but we aren't seeing any more of that nowadays, thank goodness. 

OTHER PHOTOS TAKEN ON THIS DAY YEARS AGO

Jimmy Page in his studio 1973

2012 Jimmy Page with The Muse (Ross Halfin photo)

2016

The photo above is of Jimmy Page holding a copy of Riza Magazine (Germany) which features a photo by Terry O'Neill of David Bowie and a canine partner working on an a version of the album cover for Diamond Dogs in London, 1974.

♪

♫  Jimmy Page home movie (Bangkok 1971) 
♪  Page & Plant Unledded Tour (Denver CO at Fiddler's Green, 30 September 1995) 
♫  Page and Plant Interview (TFI Friday 3 April 1998) 

On this day 26 August

 Musical mischief

1994 26 August On This Day Final recording session for Unledded Project for MTV

• 1966 The Yardbirds - San Leandro, CA at Rollarena
• 1967 The Yardbirds - Huntsville, Ontario, Canada at Hidden Valley Ski Resort
• 1970 Led Zeppelin - Cleveland, OH at Cleveland Public Auditorium
• 1971 Led Zeppelin - Houston, TX at Sam Houston Coliseum
• 1994 Page & Plant - Unledded -  London, England at London Studios, Studio 2
• 1998 Page & Plant - Dublin, Ireland at The Point Theatre

1994:

And then it was done. The practicing, the recording and filming outdoors in Wales and Morocco, and indoors with orchestras in front of an audience at the London Television Centre, was completed for the MTV Unledded telecast. The notion of "unplugged" had been given up in favor of "Unledded" and all that the name implied. 

And it was good.

1994 Jimmy Page, London, Final recording session for Unledded Project 

1994 Jimmy Page, London, Final recording session for Unledded Project 

1994 Jimmy Page, London, Final recording session for Unledded Project 

1994 Jimmy Page, London, Final recording session for Unledded Project,
 Ovation double neck guitar

1994 Jimmy Page, London, Final recording session for Unledded Project
Hand crafted tripleneck made by Andy Manson for Jimmy Page:
bottom neck standard six-string guitar,
middle neck twelve-string guitar,
top neck eight-string mandolin

♪

♪  I can't seem to come up with any shows to share with you for 26 August. Sorry!

On this day 17 August

 Levee

1994 17 August On This Day Page & Plant - Wales, Corris Slate Quarry to record for No Quarter: Unledded

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Santa Fe, NM
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Wallingford, CT, Oakdale Theatre
• 1970 Led Zeppelin - Hampton, VA, Hampton Coliseum
• 1994 Page & Plant - Wales, Corris Slate Quarry to record for No Quarter: Unledded

1969:

This show was performed on a revolving stage. Good for the audience half the time.

1970:

The band and crew were already old hands at touring; this concert was at the beginning of Led Zeppelin's sixth US tour - the sixth in two years' time. The first week's shows were cancelled due to John Paul Jones' father's health. Peter Grant was now booking larger venues with five-figure audience capacity. After this show there were rumors that the band had been so loud the coliseum ceiling cracked.

1970 - Led Zeppelin - Hampton, VA, Hampton Coliseum

1994:
On this day Jimmy Page and Robert Plant recorded songs for the MTV Unledded telecast in a slate quarry. Because why not.

It turned out that the unlovely quarry actually had pretty good acoustics provided by the huge mound of slate. The electrical lines overhead, which can be seen in the images below, kind of add to the weirdness of the whole thing.

1994 - Page & Plant - Wales, Corris Slate Quarry

1994 - Page & Plant - Wales, Corris Slate Quarry

1994 - Page & Plant - Wales, Corris Slate Quarry

♪  Led Zeppelin (Hampton VA at Hampton Coliseum, 17 August 1970) 

♪  When the Levee Breaks (Page & Plant, on-location taping for No Quarter for MTV 1994) YouTube

♪  If It Keeps On Raining (When the Levee Breaks - Rough Mix, CODA remaster) YouTube

On this day 16 August

 Take no prisoners

1969 16 August On This Day Led Zeppelin - Asbury Park, NJ 

2015 16 August On This Day Madonna/Led Zeppelin mashup
Justify a Whole Lotta Love (Madonna/Max Audio) Vimeo

I'm not a Madonna fan, and I'm not a fan of mashups, especially when I could be listening to the real deal. So okay, happy birthday and let's move right along.

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Denver, CO at Hal-Baby's
• 1967 The Yardbirds - Pittsburgh, PA at Hunt Armory, Teen Fair
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Asbury Park, NJ at Asbury Park Convention Hall
• 1994 Page & Plant - Dolgoch Falls, Wales to record for No Quarter: Unledded 

1969 Led Zeppelin - Asbury Park, NJ (Paul Chiarello photo)

1994:
The live album, No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded, was recorded outdoors at three locations: Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakesh, Morocco; a slate quarry near Corris in Wales; and at Dolgoch Falls, Wales. Additional recording took place on a sound stage in London with the Egyptian Ensemble and the London Metropolitan Orchestra.

On this day in 1994 the Dolgoch Falls recordings were made. The Dongoch Falls are a series of three waterfalls near Tywyn in the southwestern corner of the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. Bron-yr-Aur cottage is on the edge of the park.

The Unledded project was for MTV's Unplugged series. Started in 1989 as an acoustic music venue, Page and Plant used a lot of electricity and amplification -- hence the name change. Unledded is supposed to indicate that this music, which combines blues and Middle East sound, is not a Led Zeppelin reunion, and although there are Led Zeppelin songs on the album they're meant to be a new treatment of music that, in my opinion, doesn't improve on them at all. 

I'll listen to JP's music whenever and wherever I can, but if I've got a choice, it's Jimmy Page, wholly Jimmy Page, and nothing but Jimmy Page.

1994 Page & Plant - Dolgoch Falls, Wales to record for No Quarter: Unledded

1994 Jimmy Page - Dolgoch Falls, Wales to record for No Quarter: Unledded

♪  No Quarter: Page & Plant Unledded (1994) 

On This Day 16 October

Awards, guest guitarists, a toast, and a request

1999 16 October On This Day Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes, Worcester MA at The Centrum

1999 16 October, with Joe Perry for encores

1999 16 October setlist

• 1970 Led Zeppelin receive Gold and Platinum disc awards at London’s Savoy Hotel
• 1988 Jimmy Page Outrider Tour - Bloomington, MN at Metroplitan Sports Center
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Cleveland, OH at Gund Arena
• 1999 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - Worcester, MA at The Centrum 

1970:
For the second time in less than 12 months, Led Zeppelin received awards for record sales. On this day, Peter Grant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant received Gold and Platinum disc awards from Anthony Grant (no relation to Peter Grant), the British Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade. The awards were for U.S. sales in excess of one million copies of Whole Lotta Love and for European sales of Led Zeppelin II, released in December 1969.

The previous year the boys had been awarded gold discs by a different parliamentary secretary, Gwyneth Dunwoody, who quipped, "you seem to be gas rockets rather than Led Zeppelins".

She was wrong. They were in a space ship, already having achieved warp speed.

1970 Led Zeppelin receive gold, platinum discs

1970 Led Zeppelin receive gold, platinum discs from Anthony Grant, UK parliamentary secretary for Board of Trade

1999:
In the video of Chris Robinson talking about working with Jimmy Page, Robinson says:  "Jimmy had done his thing with Robert and the Egyptian orchestra and stuff, but I don't think he maybe was fully satisfied with that..."

See?  I'm not the only one who thinks so.

On this day in 1999, Joe Perry showed up on stage to join in with the encore numbers, You Shook Me and Oh Well.  Videos of those two songs have been removed from the web.

2012 Jimmy Page with Ian Hunter at Mott the Hoople film premiere (Ross Halfin photo)

♪

Request:

If you have links to music relevant to any On This Day post, please share it in the comments so we can all enjoy more music of Jimmy Page.  Thanks!

♫  Chris Robinson on playing with Jimmy Page
♪  Page & Plant (Cleveland, 16 October 1995) YouTube

♪  Jimmy Page/The Black Crowes (Worcester 16 October 1999) YouTube

[edited 10/16/20]

On This Day 13 October

JP Anthology...

On This Day for 13 October published 2020

1995 13 October Page & Plant in Chicago

• 1967 The Yardbirds - Tampa, FL at University of Tampa
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Chicago, IL at United Center
• 1999 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - New York, NY at Roseland Ballroom (day 2)

1995:
It's difficult to read the text for the On This Day for 1995, so here it is:

One of the high points of the Unledded tour was that we would combine with an orchestra in each major city and at this concert we had members from the Chicago Symphony, considered to be the best classical orchestra at that time. There was an alternative setlist available for this night, which wasn't used. I thought this would be interesting to include for people to see how we were thinking at that time.

Setlist	Alternate
1. Egyptian Intro/Immigrant Song/The Wanton Song	1. Thank You
2. Bring It On Home	2. Bring It On Home
3. Over The Hills and Far Away	3. Ramble On
4. Thank You	4. Shake My Tree
5. No Quarter	5. Lullaby
6. That's The Way	6. No Quarter
7. Hurdy Gurdy solo	7. Gallows Pole
8. Gallows Pole	8. Levee Breaks
9. Since I've Been Loving You	9. Hey Hey
10. The Song Remains The Same	10. Song Remains
11. Going To California	11. Since I've Been Loving You
12. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You	12. Friends
13. Four Sticks	13. Calling To You
14. Whole Lotta Love/Spoonful/Break On Through/Dazed and Confused	14. Four Sticks
15. In The Evening	15. In The Evening
16. Black Dog	16. Black Dog
17. Kashmir	17. Kashmir

In my (not so) humble opinion the orchestra, good as it is, is not necessary. In fact, I've had a hard time with the Page & Plant collaborations all along because so much of feels overblown, filling all the space, bludgeoning with quantity instead of stabbing with quality. The resulting reduction in contrast means there's little chance for the light/dark that Jimmy Page has always used so well.

Jimmy Page, October 1988 Guitar World

♪

♪  Since I've Been Loving You (Page & Plant, Chicago 1995) YouTube
♪  Full set (Page & Plant, Chicago 1995) YouTube
♪  Since I've Been Loving You (Page, Plant, Jones, Jason Bonham, O2 2007) YouTube