On This Day 26 May

On This Day Page & Plant performed Wanton Song and were interviewed on Later With Jools Holland.

1998 26 May On This Day Page & Plant on Later With Jools Holland

• 1967 Yardbirds - London, England at Tiles Club
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Salt Lake City, Utah at Salt Palace
• 1977 Led Zeppelin – Landover, MD at Capital Centre (day 2 of 4)
• 1986 The Firm - Concord,CA at Concord Pavilion
• 1995 Page & Plant (Unledded Tour) - Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada at Pacific Coliseum
• 1998 Page & Plant (North American Tour) - Charlotte, NC at Charlotte Coliseum
• 1998 26 May On This Day Page & Plant perform Wanton Song and are interviewed on Later With Jools Holland

1977 Led Zeppelin – Landover, MD at Capital Centre

1998 Jimmy Page and Robert Plant perform The Wanton Song on Later With Jools Holland

1998 Jimmy Page and Robert Plant perform The Wanton Song on Later With Jools Holland

♪  Ten Years Gone (Led Zeppelin, Landover 05/56/77) YouTube
♪  Wanton Song + later interview (Page & Plant, Later With Jools Holland 1998) YouTube

New resource: Radio Interviews

Here are links for radio interviews put together by my friend Frank Smith.  The first is for Led Zeppelin era, the second for post-Zeppelin and the third is miscellaneous.  Frank says this is still a work-in-progress as he continues to consolidate loose ends and make additions.  

I will forward any links to interviews not on Franks' lists that you have if you let me know what they are. You can post the links (and description please) in the comments, below. Meanwhile - there are 112 interviews so far for you to enjoy.  

https://www.mixcloud.com/51965/playlists/zep-interviews/
https://www.mixcloud.com/51965/playlists/post-zeppelin/

https://www.mixcloud.com/51965/playlists/misc/

These links are also posted on the RESOURCES page so you can always find them.  

On This Day 25 May

Three and a half hours of show this last night at Earls Court in 1975.

1975 25 May On This Day Led Zeppelin final performance at Earls Court Exhibition Hall

Dave Lewis says in his book, Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, "..there was no holding Jimmy back tonight. He soloed as if his life depended on it." More from Dave Lewis' TBL on this last night at Earls Court

• 1968 The Yardbirds - San Francisco,CA at Fillmore Auditorium
• 1969 Led Zeppelin – (opens for a Who concert) Columbia,MD at Merriweather Post Pavillion
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Denver,CO at Denver Coliseum
• 1975 25 May On This Day Led Zeppelin final performance at Earls Court Exhibition Hall
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Landover, MD at Capital Centre
• 1986 The Firm - Concord,CA at Concord Pavilion
• 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Tacoma,WA at Tacoma Dome

1975 after the final Earls Court performance, Page & Plant left for Morocco (posted 25 May On This Day)

1975 a few days after the final Earls Court performance, Page & Plant left for Morocco (posted 25 May On This Day)

1975 Dave Lewis' tickets for Earls Court

1975 Earls Court stage - such a small thing for such a big event (Photo Steve Selwood)

1975 Jimmy Page at Earls Court (photo H. Mylett)

1975 Earls Court - The final bows (photo source Dave Lewis)

1975  Jimmy Page takes last bows at Earls Court (photo Chris Walter)

♪  No Quarter (Led Zeppelin, Earls Court 05/25/1975) YouTube
♪  The Song Remains The Same (Led Zeppelin, Landover 05/25/1977) YouTube
♪  Yallah (Page & Plant, Unledded 1995) YouTube

The chocolate of music

I love chocolate ice cream, always have as far back as I can remember. I love ice cream in general, but chocolate is what I prefer. If not just plain chocolate, then chocolate ice cream enhanced with chunks of chocolate. 

I do eat other ice cream. When I go someplace that offers multiple flavors, I get a three-scoop bowl: A scoop of rich chocolate, a scoop of cherry, and a scoop of mint chocolate chip. There's something about the combo that transports my taste buds.

But it's all based on chocolate. Has to be the right chocolate, too - not just any chocolate. It has to be rich, deep, almost bitter (not too sweet!) intense flavor. I don't eat wimpy chocolate ice cream. Why bother?

Personal choice

While I love my chocolate ice cream, I'm not saying I think anyone else should love chocolate ice cream like I do. Everyone's free to love the flavors they love. But me? Chocolate is where it all starts.

If I get a three scoop bowl, the other two flavors without the chocolate are merely ice cream, as superior as they might be. They just don't quite make it. If someone offered me high quality cherry or mint chocolate chip ice cream without any real chocolate ice cream, of course I'd accept and enjoy them. I do really like mint chocolate chip and lots of other flavors of ice cream, but they aren't chocolate. I'd eat them and enjoy them but in the back of my mind there'd be me going: it's not chocolate.  

Chocolate music
It's the same with me and music (and aren't you surprised?). I love almost all music, and particularly Led Zeppelin, but it's the music of Jimmy Page I love the most. The four scoops of Led Zeppelin are the best combination in the world because of Jimmy Page. Without him, they're merely ice cream, as superior as they might be. Without him I listen and enjoy all kinds of music but I'm thinking: it's not Jimmy Page.

To put it simply, I listen to Jimmy Page's music almost exclusively because Jimmy Page is the chocolate ice cream of musicians for me.

♪  Ice Cream Dreams (Cartoones feat. Jimmy Page guitar, 1969)  YouTube

More on the Cartoones 

Chocolate guitar!

On This Day 24 May

No more perfect choice to award the late, great B.B. King with the Polar Music Prize than Jimmy Page.

2004 24 May On This Day Jimmy Page presents B.B. King with Polar Music Prize

2004 Polar Music Prize guest list and seating.

• 1968 Yardbirds - San Francisco, California @ Fillmore Auditorium (day 2)
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Chicago,IL US at Kinetic Playground (day 2)
• 1975 Led Zeppelin - London UK at Earls Court Arena (day 4)
• 2004 24 May On This Day Jimmy Page presents B.B. King with Polar Music Prize

Polar Music Prize press release for 2004 ceremony

This was day four of five for Led Zeppelin at Earls Court in 1975.  Dave Lewis says in his book, Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, "Jimmy performed one of his best ever solos on Stairway to Heaven, building slowly before taking off on a seemingly never-ending spiral of virtuosity."

♪ Rock Me Baby (B.B. King) YouTube
♪ Rock Me Baby (Jimmy Page with Bad Company, Schaefer Music Festival NYC 1974) YouTube
♪ Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin - Earls Court 24 May 1975) YouTube
♪ Lux Aeterna (György Ligeti) YouTube

1975 Plant & Page of Led Zeppelin at Earls Court Exhibition Centre London - Urban Image photo

1975 Jimmy Page at Earls Court Exhibition Centre London - Urban Image photo

On This Day 23 May

Day three of the Earls Court concerts in 1975 and, in 1969, two concerts half a continent apart in one day. Let no one say it's all fun and games and Riot Houses in the life of rock stars.

1968 23 May On This Day The Yardbirds - San Francisco,CA at Fillmore Auditorium

In 1969 Led Zeppelin performed two shows, one in San Jose CA and one in Chicago, thanks to a Lear jet provided by the promoters of the Santa Clara Pop Festival to fly the band to Chicago after their festival performance.  

Even though Led Zeppelin only had one album out at this time, they appeared with some big names.  The three-day festival lineup included: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane, The Chambers Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon, Spirit, Canned Heat, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Youngbloods, Steve Miller, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Taj Mahal, Noel Redding, Lee Michaels, Blues Image, Santana, Aum, Elvin Bishop, Poco, People!, Lynn County, The Loading Zone, Sweet Linda Divine, Cat Mother, Doc Watson & New Lost City Ramblers.  Eric Burdon wound up not appearing.

• 1967 The Yardbirds - Bristol,England at The Corn Exchange
• 1968 23 May On This Day The Yardbirds - San Francisco,CA at Fillmore Auditorium
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - (show 1 of 2 this day) San Jose, CA at Santa Clara Pop Festival
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - (show 2 of 2 this day) Chicago,IL at Kinetic Playground
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Albequerque,NM at University Arena
• 1975 Led Zeppelin - London,England at Earls Court Exhibition Hall
• 1976 Page and Plant jam with Bad Company at the LA Forum
• 1986 The Firm - Costa Mesa,CA at Pacific Amphitheatre
• 1995 Page & Plant (Unledded Tour ) Portland,OR at Portland Memorial Coliseum
• 1998 Page & Plant (North America Tour) at Jacksonville,FL at Coliseum
• 2012 Page at Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee party

 ♪ No Quarter (Led Zeppelin, Albuquerque 1973) YouTube

1975 Led Zeppelin - London,England at Earls Court Exhibition Hall - Melody Maker front page 24 May

1975 Led Zeppelin - London,England at Earls Court Exhibition Hall - NME front page 24 May

1976 Page and Plant jam with Bad Company at the LA Forum

1976 Page and Plant jam with Bad Company at the LA Forum

2012 Jimmy Page at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee party at the Royal Academy

Rude World

By the way, have you read my brief Amazon review of Rude World?  It's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's contribution to the Album The Inner Flame - A Tribute to Rainer Ptacek.  

♪ Rude World YouTube