On this day 24 September

 England, Japan, US, Mexico, Thailand: A whole lotta love of music for the whole world

1971 24 September On This Day Led Zeppelin, Tokyo at Budokan Hall (day 2)

• 1966 Yardbirds - Leeds, West Yorkshire, England at Leeds Odeon Theatre
• 1971 Led Zeppelin - Tokyo, Japan at   Budokan Hall (day 2 of 2)
• 1988 Jimmy Page - New Orleans, Louisiana at New Orleans Municipal Auditorium
• 1995 Page & Plant - Mexico City, Mexico at City El Palacio de Los Deportes Arena (day 2 of 2)
• 1998 Page & Plant - Phoenix, Arizona at American West Arena

1971

A whole lotta experimentation and improvisation during this gig. Tangerine was performed live for the first time. After the show the band visited a geisha house.

1971 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin Tokyo Budokan Hall

1988

Nothing on YouTube from JP's New Orleans show. Looks like I'll have to upload a file myself one of these days. If someone already has it ready to share, let me know!

2011:
This was the first year of the Jesters Care for Kids Gala night, and the first that Jimmy Page attended.

2011 Jimmy Page with Jesters Gala chairman, Woody Underwood

2011 Jimmy Page with Jesters at Care for Kids Gala Night

♪

♪  Led Zeppelin (Tokyo Japan at Budokan Hall - day 2 of 2, 24 September 1971)  
♪  Jimmy Page’s 8mm footage of Japan 
♪  Page & Plant (Mexico City, Mexico at City El Palacio de Los Deportes Arena (day 2 of 2), 24 September 1995)

♪  Page & Plant (Phoenix AZ at American West Arena, 24 September 1998)

On this day 24 August

 Whole lotta international love

2008 24 August Jimmy Page with Leona Lewis - Beijing, China Summer Olympics closing ceremony

• 1967 The Yardbirds - Nantasket Beach Hull, MA at The Surf Club
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Jacksonville, FL at Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
• 1971 Led Zeppelin - Dallas, TX at Dallas Memorial Coliseum
• 1994 Page & Plant – London, England at London Television Centre for band rehearsals with cameras in studio
• 2008 Jimmy Page with Leona Lewis - Beijing, China Summer Olympics closing ceremony 

Whole lotta history
Led Zeppelin began using Whole Lotta Love in their setlists before the official release of the song on their second album, Led Zeppelin II in October 1969. It was performed by Led Zeppelin 199 times, plus once more at the O2 in 2007 for an even 200. It's no surprise: The magick had been brewing in Jimmy Page's head before the members of Led Zeppelin stepped on the stage together for the first time.

I came up with the guitar riff for “Whole Lotta Love” in the summer of ’68, on my houseboat along the Thames in Pangbourne, England. I suppose my early love for big intros by rockabilly guitarists was an inspiration, but as soon as I developed the riff, I knew it was strong enough to drive the entire song, not just open it. When I played the riff for the band in my living room several weeks later during rehearsals for our first album, the excitement was immediate and collective. We felt the riff was addictive, like a forbidden thing.
~ Jimmy Page, interview by Mark Myers for The Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2014

Like Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love was the subject of a lawsuit for music theft from Willie Dixon. The claim lies in the lyrics, though, not the guitar riffs. The lawsuit was settled out of court in 1985.

“Page’s riff was Page’s riff. It was there before anything else. I just thought, ‘well, what am I going to sing?’ That was it, a nick. Now happily paid for. At the time, there was a lot of conversation about what to do. It was decided that it was so far away in time and influence that… well, you only get caught when you’re successful. That’s the game.”
~ Robert Plant, as quoted by Charles M. Young,  "Robert Plant's manic persona". Musician (Amordian Press) 1990

At the 2008 Olympic performance, lyrics were changed from "every inch of my love" to "every bit of my love," which makes sense for a female singer and a mixed audience venue, even if the new words don't quite measure up to the power of the song.  

2008 Jimmy Page - Beijing, China Summer Olympics closing ceremony

2008 Jimmy Page with Leona Lewis - Beijing, China Summer Olympics closing ceremony

2008 David Beckham, Leona Lewis and Jimmy Page - Beijing, China Summer Olympics

♫  Olympic breakfast interview (Jimmy Page with Leona Lewis, Beijing Olympics 2008) YouTube

2008 Jimmy Page  - Beijing, China Summer Olympics (Ross Halfin Photo

♪  Whole Lotta Love over the years  ♪

♪  Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin, first live performance Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, California. 26th April 1969) YouTube

♪  Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin, Royal Albert Hall, January 9, 1970) YouTube

♪  Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin, LA Forum 1972) YouTube

♪  Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin, Earls Court 1975) YouTube

♪  Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin, Knebworth 1979) YouTube

♪  Whole Lotta Love (Page, Plant et al, Live Aid 1985) YouTube

♪  Heartbreaker/Whole Lotta Love  Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert 1988) YouTube

♪  Whole Lotta Love (Page & Plant, Irvine Meadows, Irvine California, 1995) YouTube

♪  Whole Lotta Love (Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes at Jones Beach Amphitheater 2000) YouTube

♪  Whole Lotta Love (Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 Arena, London, on 10 December 2007) YouTube

♪ Whole Lotta Love (Jimmy Page with Leona Lewis, Beijing Olympics 2008) YouTube
♪ Whole Lotta Love / Rough Mix With Vocal (Led Zeppelin, Official Music Video 2015 remaster) YouTube

On this day 23 August

 All in a day's work

1966 23 August On This Day The Yardbirds - Avalon, CA at Catalina Casino Ballroom

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Avalon, CA at Catalina Casino Ballroom
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Dania, Fl at Pirates' World
• 1970 Led Zeppelin – San Antonio, TX at HemisFair Arena
• 1971 Led Zeppelin - Fort Worth, TX at Tarrant County Convention Center 
• 1994 Page & Plant – London, England at London Television Centre for band rehearsals with cameras in studio
• 1998 Page & Plant -  Cologne, Germany- Bizarre Festival
• 2004 Jimmy Page handprints on London Walk of Fame
• 2008 Jimmy Page with Leona Lewis - Beijing, China National Stadium, Olympic rehearsal

Jimmy Page's experience as a session man made him ready and able to perform under all kinds of circumstances: using borrowed equipment, dodging firecrackers, playing on a rotating stage or one that was being demolished by fans or while standing on a rising industrial scissors lift. Somehow I doubt he gave much thought to these sorts of things when he first laid hands on a guitar.

1966 Yardbirds at Catalena (Chuck Boyd photo)

1966 Jimmy Page/Yardbirds at Catalena (Chuck Boyd photo)

1966 Jimmy Page/Yardbirds at Catalena (Chuck Boyd photo)

1966 Jimmy Page/Yardbirds at Catalena (Chuck Boyd photo)

2008 Jimmy Page at Beijing Olympics rehearsal (Ross Halfin photo)

♪

♪  Led Zeppelin (Fort Worth TX at Tarrant County Convention Center, 23 August 1971) 
♪  Page & Plant (Cologne/Koln Germany at Bizarre Festival , 23 August 1998) 

On this day 13 August

 He's the man who started everything. He's just a genius."  
~ Jimmy Page, about Les Paul

"Dazzling"
~ Jimmy Page, about James Brown

Posted 13 August 2020 On This Day James Brown vs Led Zeppelin mashup

Note from Mage Music: Mashups suck. All they do is ruin good songs.

2013, 2015 13 August On This Day James Brown vs Led Zeppelin mashup

Note from Mage Music: As we move along through the year I try to capture a years' different On This Day posts on jimmypage.com. I don't have a lot of time for this project (which I do for free) so it can take a while before they all show up.  Sorry.

 

2011 13 August On This Day 

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Amarillo,TX at Checkmate Young Adult Club
• 2009 Les Paul died

Les Paul (1915-2009)
Born Lester William Polsfuss was a man of many talents.  A guitarist, songwriter, maker of stringed instruments and inventor, Les Paul, was a pioneer of the solid-body electric guitar from which rock and roll rose.  As a guitarist he experimented with overdubbing, tape delay, phasing effects and multi-tracking, not to mention playing the guitar using style techniques that pushed the envelope beyond what others were doing at the time.  Jimmy Page paid attention.

Les Paul wasn't the first to come up with a solid body guitar but Gibson's Les Paul models are considered by many to be the guitar of choice.  Goldtops were the first of the Les Paul line for Gibson, with the Les Paul Custom being next.  These were the Black Beauties, black guitars with gold-plated hardware. After that came the Les Paul Standards (Jimmy Page's Number One and Number Two, among others). There have been countless versions and special editions of Les Paul guitars put out by Gibson over the years.

Les Paul's fertile mind came up with many innovations for the electric guitar and for the recording industry, including the eight-track deck for multi-track recording and a disc-cutter for acetate discs.  He has a permanent exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has received dozens of awards, not only for his contributions to the music industry.  Les Paul was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. 

Les Paul's casket gives the date of August 12th for his death, but apparently his website at one point said August 13th.  Whatever. Video mashups aren't my thing. James Brown may be dazzling, and Jimmy Page might appreciate all kinds of music but I'm a mere mortal and I'd rather have Jimmy Page's music as he himself created it.

1993 Jimmy Page with goldtop Les Paul guitar (image from Coverdale/Page Pride and Joy video - )

♪  Lover (When You're Near Me) Les Paul 1988 YouTube
♪  Pride and Joy (Coverdale/Page) YouTube
♪  James Brown vs Led Zeppelin video mashup YouTube
♪  Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin, MSG 1973)

On this day 29 July

 Dum de dum dum...

1973 29 July On This Day Led Zeppelin - New York, NY at Madison Square Garden
♪ Drake Hotel (Dragnet radio & TV theme song) (Soundcloud)

• 1967 The Yardbirds - Danville, CA at San Ramon High School
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Edmonton, Alberta, at Kinsmen Field House
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - New York, NY at Madison Square Garden
• 1984 Jimmy Page with Roy Harper at Battersea Park, London

1973:
This was the third performance in a row at Madison Square Garden. At the end of Whole Lotta Love, East Indian fire-eater Mike Quashie came dancing out on the stage with a couple of torches. He lit John Bonham's gong and one drumstick, but Bonzo just kept on playing.

This is the show where the robbery occurred of MSG receipts from the safety deposit box at the Drake Hotel. Originally reported as $203,000, the amount was $180,000 and no one was ever arrested for the theft. The band later sued the hotel and received a settlement.

After the show, the band went to a party held by Ahmet Ertegun to present gold records for Houses of the Holy.

This final night was also the final performance in this 1973 North American tour.

1973 29 July Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin - New York, NY at Madison Square Garden

1973 Led Zeppelin at MSG - Mike Quashie lights Bonzo's fire

Led Zeppelin - New York  1973 - Houses of the Holy Gold Album Award.

1984:
GLC Free Festival Battersea Park in London was put on by the Greater London Council, the city's local authority from 1964 to 1986.  It was one of two music festivals used to highlight what the GLC was doing to fight unemployment, boost the London economy and help create and fund new jobs. 

1984 Jimmy Page at Battersea with Roy Harper

♪ Led Zeppelin (New York NY at Madison Square Garden day 3/3, 29 July 1973)

♪  Short & Sweet (Roy Harper feat Jimmy Page, Battersea Park London, 29 July 1984)

On this day 05 July

 Sometimes life is just a riot.

Led Zeppelin, Milan 1971

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Malvern, Worcestershire, England at Winter Gardens
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Hampton, GA at Atlanta International Pop Festival
• 1971 Led Zeppelin - Milan, Italy at Vigorelli Velodromo
• 1980 Led Zeppelin - Munich, Germany at Munich Olympiahalle 
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour -  Madrid, Spain at Sports Palace 
• 2023 Jimmy Page backstage at KISS concert, London (photos below)

1969 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin Atlanta Pop Festival (Photo Phillip Raul)

1971:
Security couldn't tell the difference between an enthusiastic crowd just digging Led Zeppelin and a riot.  So out came the tear gas. 

1971 Led Zeppelin in Milan before it got nasty

1971 Led Zeppelin in Milan after it got nasty

1980:
Munich, next to last show of the European tour. Simon Kirke of Bad company joins in on second drum kit on Whole Lotta Love.

1980 Led Zeppelin at Munich

1980 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Munich

2023:

Jimmy Page was photographed behind the scene before a KISS concert in London

Paul Stanley & Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page & Shannon Simmons

♪ Led Zeppelin(Hampton GA at Atlanta International Pop Festival, 05 July 1969) 

♪  Led Zeppelin (Milan Italy at Vigorelli Velodromo, 05 July 1971) 

♪ Led Zeppelin (Munich Germany at Munich Olympiahalle, 05 July1980) 
♪ Page & Plant Unledded Tour (Madrid Spain at Sports Palace, 05 July 1995)

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

♪  Thank You (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!

On This Day 30 March

Ooh la la!

1968 30 March On This Day The Yardbirds at Anderson Theatre, NYC

• 1968 The Yardbirds - New York NY at Anderson Theatre
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Southall England at Northcote Arms Farx Club
• 1970 Led Zeppelin - Pittsburgh PA at Pittsburgh Civic Arena
• 1998 Page & Plant - Paris France at La Cigale

1968:

Unfortunately for us today, The Yardbirds' shows weren't officially recorded by the band, and what there is out there of audience recordings is usually terrible quality. On this day in 1968 The Yardbirds did two shows at the Anderson Theatre, and Train Kept A-Rollin was recorded for Epic Records. The video link is below.  You won't want to look at it - the video part is not only not synced with the audio, but the video is at a faster speed. Unfortunately also there is fake audience applause dubbed onto the audio. Ewwwww.

1968 Jimmy Page / The Yardbirds, NYC

1968 Jimmy Page / The Yardbirds, NYC

1969:
As reported by Dave Lewis in his amazing reference book, Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, the band's contract for the Farx Club gig included a fee of £75 or 60% of the door, whichever was greater.  Those bargain days didn't last long.

1998 Ooh La La bootleg from Page & Plant at La Cigale, Paris 

♪

♪  Train Kept A-Rollin (The Yardbirds, New York Anderson Theater 1968) YouTube
♪  When I Was A Child (Page & Plant, La Cigale Paris 1998) YouTube
♪  How Many More Times (Page & Plant, La Cigale Paris 1998) YouTub
♪  Whole Lotta Love (Page & Plant, La Cigale Paris 1998) YouTube

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

On This Day 12 March

1963 12 March On This  Day Micky Finn's This Sporting Life/Night Comes Down
feat. Jimmy Page guitar

• 1970 Led Zeppelin - Dusseldorf ,Germany at Dusseldorf Rheinhalle
• 1975 Led Zeppelin - Long Beach, CA at Long Beach Arena
• 1985 The Firm - Tempe, AZ at Arizona State University Activities Center

1963:

The British guitarist Micky Waller (1947-2013) went under the stage name of Mickey Finn so as to not be confused with the drummer of the same name (percussionist later for T Rex). Jimmy Page was a session guitarist for Finn for a while, and years later Waller himself became a session man in France.

1970:
"We're Gonna Groove was the usual set opener the first half of 1970 but Communication Breakdown is the opener here. It sounds like Page wanted to loosen his fingers and somehow wandered into the Communication Breakdown riff and the band just followed along. It rocks!"
~ Argenteum Astrum 

1970 12 March Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Dusseldorf

1970 12 March Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Dusseldorf

♪

♪  Night Comes Down (Mickey Finn, feat Jimmy Page 1963) YouTube
♪  Communication Breakdown (Led Zeppelin, Dusseldorf 1970) YouTube
♪  Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin, Dusseldorf 1970) YouTube
♪  Full Set (Led Zeppelin, Long Beach 12 March 1975) YouTube

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