On This Day 6 October

He's the only one

1976 (more likely 1972) 06 October On This Day, Jimmy Page visits Hong Kong

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Birmingham, England at Odeon Theatre
• 1972 Led Zeppelin visit Hong Kong (almost certainly incorrectly posted as 1976)

1972/1976:

Although the jimmypage.com website has posted that he visited Hong Kong ini 1976, it more certainly was during the Japan '72 tour. Jimmy Page said in the Led Zeppelin 1972 section (p. 203) of his photo autobiography Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page,  "I had this suit made in one of those 24-hour tailors on a visit to to Hong Kong", so we know he was in that city in 1972.  

Click on photo to read caption in Jimmy Page's autobiography

Jimmy Page also refers on his webpage to the ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth, which had been sold to a Hong Kong businessmen who had renamed the ship the Seawise University and who had begun to convert the ship into a floating university. In 1972 the Seawise University caught fire in the Hong Kong harbor and was capsized by the water used to fight the flames. Before 1976 the vessel had been declared a shipping hazard. It had already been dismantled for scrap and the remains of the hull were underwater by 1976, so Jimmy Page wouldn't have been able to take that photo of it shown on his webpage in that year.

October 1988 Guitar World Magazine

1988:
Jimmy Page was about one third of his way through the Outrider tour, so this seems to be a good time to post this Guitar World cover with his photo with the harp-guitar.

Today:
I haven't promoted my book, Mage Music: The Blog for a while, so I'm doing that today. I haven't been writing about Magick here since I started the daily On This Day posts, but that's what I focused on when I started out. For those who prefer lengthy reading in book form rather than on blogs, Mage Music: The Blog
is a compilation of selected posts from this blog of May 7, 2012 through November 22, 2014.

Book description from the Amazon page:  "The blog was begun with the intention of discussing and analyzing the music of the extraordinary guitarist, Jimmy Page. It evolved into a broader look at the creative nature of Magick and the connection of Magick with music and other forms of art. This book is the text of that blog. Mage Music: the Blog is not a grimoire. You will find no spells or instructions for making magical objects or invoking entities because the focus is the ur-Magick: the source of the energy and the fundamentals common to all specific practices of Magick. You will, however, find out how to connect with your own Magick, and to appreciate the Magick of the Mage Musician, Jimmy Page."

Mage Music: the Blog is also available for Kindle.

Mage Music: The Blog

♪

♫  8mm Hong Kong video (Jimmy Page 1972)  YouTube
♪  The Only One (Jimmy Page, Outrider 1988) YouTube
♪  Outrider

On This Day 5 October

An eye for art of all kinds

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.

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.

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.

1970 Rock (Roch) Castle through the lens of Jimmy Page

1970 Jimmy Page at Bron-Yr-Aur

♪

♪  Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin 1970) Soundcloud
♪  Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions 1971) YouTube

♪  Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin, L.A. Forum 1971) YouTube
♪  Immigrant Song (Karen O/Trent Reznor cover) YouTube
♪  Immigrant Song (Foo Fighters and friends at Dave Grohl's birthday party 2015) YouTube

On This Day 4 October

Something to Crowe about

1999 04 October On This Day Jimmy Page tour rehearsals with The Black Crowes 

• 1968 Led Zeppelin - Newcastle, UK at Mayfair Ballroom
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Rotterdam, Netherlands at Circus Theatre
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - Osaka, Japan at Festival Hall
• 1999 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes rehearsal

1999:

Jimmy Page seemed to be more light-hearted with the Black Crowes than he had been for a long time. He had jammed with the band in 1995 and they'd been his backing band for the July 1999 SCREAM benefit.

"The Crowes are really known for jamming and ad-libbing. And that's what I've been doing ever since I've been playing," Jimmy Page said in a July 2000 interview with Guitar World.

Not the perfect band, perhaps - certainly nothing of the caliber of Led Zeppelin - but with The Black Crowes sometimes Jimmy let himself loose like he hadn't really done since Outrider.

Watching the rehearsal is really cool. The sound from the video below is unbalanced but you can hear the master's guitar loud and clear. Oh, for a mic that picked up what Jimmy was saying, but even so, I just love that rehearsal video.

1999 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes "In Concert and By Your Side" rehearsal

1999 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes "In Concert and By Your Side" rehearsal

1999 October tour schedule 

2015 Cover of Beatleg Magazine, Japan

♪

♪  The Rain Song (Led Zeppelin, Osaka 1972)  YouTube
♪  Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin, Osaka 1972)  YouTube
♪  Studio rehearsal (Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes, 1999) YouTube

On This Day 3 October

1971 03 October On This Day Led Zeppelin visited India

• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Scheveningen, Netherlands at Fortis Circus Theater
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - Tokyo, Japan at Budokan Hall (day 2)
• 1995 Page & Plant - Irvine, California at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre

1969 Led Zeppelin, Holland

1972 Led Zeppelin, Tokyo day 2 (K Hasebe photo)

1972 Robert & Jimmy go shopping in Japan (Midori Natsukawa photo)

♪

♪  Full set (Led Zeppelin, Tokyo 03 October 1972) YouTube
♪  Thank You (Page & Plant, Irvine 1995) YouTube
♪  Full set (Page & Plant, Irvine 1995) YouTube

On This Day 2 October

It makes me wonder... Terry Reid

1966 02 October On This Day The Yardbirds - Ipswich, England at Gaumont Theatre
published 2020

1966 02 October On This Day The Yardbirds - Ipswich, England at Gaumont Theatre

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Ipswich, England at Gaumont Theatre
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - Tokyo, Japan at Budokan Hall
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Irvine, CA at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
• 1998 Page & Plant - Memphis, TN at Pyramid Arena 

1966:

The Jaywalkers disbanded in 1967.  Record producer Mickie Most, long-time friend of Peter Grant's (as well as business partner in RAK Management), became Terry Reid's manager.  Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones had both played sessions for Mickie Most productions before Jimmy joined up with the Yardbirds, managed by Peter Grant. There were a lot of connections between Reid and Jimmy Page, but Reid had other musical commitments and could not accept the invitation to the new venture that became Led Zeppelin.

You have to wonder just how things would have gone if... but what's done is done.

1972:

Jimmy Page was presented with a Greco guitar at the 30 September press conference in Tokyo. The Greco EG-360S, produced by the Japanese Kanda Shokai Corporation, was a replica model of Jimmy Page's Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar with a sunburst finish. 

Jimmy Page and John Bohnam don't appear happy in photos from the press conference, maybe not so much about the guitar as about Greco's use of Led Zeppelin as an advertising boost with the tagline "Led Zeppelin is my brother" on the official tour programs. John Bonham demanded that Greco black out that claim before the first show. It was done.

John Paul Jones had recently obtained a Mellotron, a keyboard that can play back pre-recorded music.  It was used on this tour for the premiere of The Rain Song. 

1972 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin Tokyo at Budokan Hall  (day 1)

1972 Tokyo press conference, Jimmy Page with Greco guitar (Lon Cabot photo)

1972 Tokyo press conference, Jimmy Page with Greco guitar

♪

♪  Dean (Terry Reid, 1973) YouTube
♪  The Rain Song (Led Zeppelin, Tokyo 02 October 1972) YouTube
♪  Full set (Led Zeppelin, Tokyo 02 October 1972) YouTube
♪  Full set (Page & Plant, Irvine 1995) YouTube
♪  Full set (Page & Plant, Memphis 1998) YouTube


[edited 02 October 2020]

On This Day 01 October

Get a thrill at the Brill

1984 01 October On This Day the Honeydrippers' Sea of Love feat. Jimmy Page, released

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Newcastle City Hall
• 1984 The Honeydrippers release of Sea of Love feat. Jimmy Page
• 1998 Page & Plant North American Tour - New Orleans, LA at UNO Lakefront

1984:
A "honeydripper" is a silver-tongued man who charmed women with his sweet talk.

The Honeydrippers project was the brainchild of Robert Plant and Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegün and Phil Carson.  The name came from the original honeydripper, Roosevelt Sykes, an American bluesman.  The song Honeydripper was recorded by Joe Liggins in 1945 and topped the US Billboard R&B chart for 18 weeks.

Sea of Love was written by John Phillip Baptiste (aka Phil Phillips) and George Khoury. The 1959 recording of the song peaked at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart.

The A side of the Honeydrippers' single was originally Rockin' at Midnight, a cover of Elvis Presley’s Good Rockin’ Tonight with Sea of Love as the B-side.  The producers are listed as Nugetre and the Fabulous Brill Brothers. Nugetre is an anagram of Ertegün and the Fabulous Brill Brothers are Robert Plant & Phil Carson, possibly named for the Brill Building in New York City.

The Brill Building in the theater district of NYC is named after the Brill brothers, early tenants whose business was located on the ground floor in 1931.  The building also housed a number of music publishers, record companies, artists and artists’ managers for decades and had the reputation as a music hit factory. The Brill Building's name is a shorthand term for a broad and influential stream of American mainstream popular music.

Jimmy Page is featured on the Honeydrippers' Sea of Love and I Get a Thrill.

Sea of Love, the Honeydrippers 1984

1998 Page & Plant, New Orleans

2012 Jimmy Page atttends Rival Sons concert at Electric Ballroom, London

♪

♪  The Honeydripper (Roosevelt Sykes) YouTube
♪  The Honeydripper (Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers, 1983) YouTube
♪  Sea of Love (Phil Phillips 1959) YouTube
♪  Sea of Love (Honeydrippers feat Jimmy Page 1984) YouTube
♪  I Get a Thrill (Honeydrippers feat. Jimmy page 1984) YouTube
♪  Full set (Page & Plant, New Orleans 1998) YouTube

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 - 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?

2015:  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?

1993 Guitare & Claviers Magazine

Perhaps it is just coincidence that Jimmy Page appeared on the 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.

I came across a YouTube video in which Jimmy Page allegedly is playing 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."

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 Jimmy Page. 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, Mr. Page. We'll set up an appointment to do an interview at your convenience.

1995 January Guitar Classics Collector's Yearbook

1972:  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 

Jimmy Page in his studio 1973

2012

2016

♪

♫  Jimmy Page home movie (Bangkok 1971) YouTube
♪  Whole Lotta Love (Page & Plant, Denver 1995) YouTube
♫  Page and Plant Interview (TFI Friday 3 April 1998) YouTube
♪  Piano bit (Jimmy Page allegedly playing piano at 00:40)) YouTube

 [blog post updated 2019 but music links not confirmed as still valid]