LED ZEPPELIN - THE MARQUEE

The Marquee celebrates Led Zeppelin at Fifty

Such a milestone deserves much celebration. So many pivotal and important moments, from live shows, Recording Studios, TV and Radio Broadcasts and more besides. And Friday October 18th 1968 is one of THE most pivotal and indeed important milestones.

It was very early days for Bonham, Jones, Page and Plant. From the life changing excitement and hysteria of their initial meeting and rehearsal in Gerrard Street (or Lisle Street, as Zep author Dave Lewis was told by Jonesy) Chinatown in mid August Jimmy gathered them together at his Thames side home in Pangbourne to 'routine the numbers' as he later recalled. 10 shows in Denmark and Sweden, although new information puts that 10th show in Malmo as doubtful (the venue closed months before), were the hangover from the last Yardbirds commitments, packed into an 11 day burst from September 7th to 17th. Within a week or so the as yet christened 'New Yardbirds' were focusing their energy and musicality in Olympic Studios, Barnes and by the second week in October had more than enough for an LP that was to change history.

The sessions were interrupted for a trip to Newcastle on the 4th to play the Mayfair Ballroom, the first of a slew of British shows pieced together by Peter Grant while the band were ploughing through those first Scandinavian warm-ups. Years later he remembered how hard it was to get venues, to work, to play. The original contract for the October 18th show was drafted on September 13th, when the erstwhile 'Yard Birds' were performing for the 7th time at the Inside Club in Stockholm.

With the recording sessions wrapped up the next show was to be The Marquee. Billed as 'The British Debut of The Yardbirds', a Marquee press release refers to them as The New Yardbirds, adding 'Fittingly their British Debut is at the Club'. Jimmy had made his debut with the Yardbirds on Bass back on June 21st 1966, but this was to be a completely different animal. 

You have to remember that the band was yet to confirm their name. All paperwork was labelled The Yardbirds/RAK Management/Mickie Most, showing one of the first signs of the total control over business and musical destiny from Jimmy and under his instruction, Peter. Even the 1" blue tin boxes that carried the precious and soon to be groundbreaking Olympic recordings refused to reveal their new chosen identity.

So what would the Marquee regulars, long standing Yardbirds fans and the curious experience that Friday night? There is much speculation and very little hard evidence of those pioneering British shows. In fact, outside Jimmy's archive only 1 show (Spokane, WA December 30th) exists from 1968, and half an hour of (glorious) outtakes and alternative versions from the Olympic Sessions. Recordings do exist, when Jimmy and Peter flew to New York to cement a deal with Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records they travelled armed with Acetates of songs from Olympic along with 'rehearsal and live recordings', almost certainly from Pangbourne and Scandinavia.

For the Marquee debut, and indeed their return on December 10th - 54 days and 8 gigs later - the set would have been a short burst, yet still able to showcase each member. Based to run an hour or so, sometimes longer on any given night, all but the opening track of each side of 'Led Zeppelin' would feature, alongside two solo spots, a cover version or two and the burgeoning improvisation that would set Led Zeppelin so far apart from the rest. I would surmise the October to December pre-USA shows would be chosen from the following:-

The Train Kept A-Rollin'.

A great, solid opener. Classic Yardbirds arrangement of this Bradshaw/Mann/Kay rocker. Bonzo would kick things off before Jimmy and Jonesy crunch down on the G to A riff before Robert soars over the top. Early 1969 tapes show this to be a perfect opener to get as good a sound balance as possible, even with the primitive PA systems of the time.

I Can't Quit You.

Linked without a pause after TTKAR via a simple yet effect blues motif, then comes a pause for Robert to begin their muscular yet deft arrangement of a Willie Dixon song, even if Jimmy leans much more heavily on Buddy Guy's riffs and pauses. Jimmy had in fact played on the session with Savoy Brown Blues Band, released in August of'66.

Already the syncopation and groove is palpable. Bonzo's use of dynamics and space is breathtaking here, underpinned by understated and solid bass figures by Jonesy, who recalled he never played blues before joining Zeppelin, making his contribution all the more remarkable. Also the first example of Robert's encyclopaedic Blues and Soul repertoire, early live performances attest to the number being stretched and mutated to include lyrics and pieces of songs like I Don't Know Which Way To Go, It Hurts Me So and Nineteen Years Old.

Dazed And Confused.

Like TTTKAR, a song brought through from the Yardbirds. Unlike Train, this is the beginning of an incredible musical journey. Discovered as I'm Confused, a menacing acoustic dirge by Jake Holmes in '67 that Jimmy had discovered on the 'Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes' LP, plus he opened for the Yardbirds in Greenwich Village at that time.

By the end of the 'Birds it had new lyrics and a strong powerful arrangement. By the time they got to Olympic, Led Zeppelin had transformed it completely into 6 and a half minutes of mind blowing psychedelia. Jimmy had always said he wanted to create a Symphony with different movements, and here he has. Even in these very early days you could expect 10 minutes or more, including a longer more dramatic introduction, an elongated Bow episode and a spaced out finale. Even the post-Bow thousand notes a second solo, pulled from Think About It, stretched and twisted snake like over what was quickly becoming the most potent and powerful rhythm section of them all.

You Shook Me.

More Willie Dixon and a reminder that for all the possibilities and avenues Led Zeppelin could and would explore, they were still aware of the cornerstone of it all - The Blues. Another Willie Dixon classic, and a heavy sexy blues sludge. With very few exceptions John Paul would not have a Hammond Organ onstage, so the arrangement was solid and heady, instead giving Robert the chance to show off his Harmonica licks before Jimmy soared with an extended solo. The unaccompanied guitar/vocal call and response coda was a moment of high drama too, as Robert could effortlessly soar above the highest note Jimmy could wring out of his Telecaster!

White Summer/Black Mountainside.

A showcase for Jimmy, and another Yardbirds arrangement. Stretched to include moments of Black Mountainside and Bert Jansch's Kasbah, it could run up to 10 minutes depending on mood and set restrictions, and if John added thunderous percussion to turn it into a near riot onstage.

Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You.

Played if time permitted, with a simpler arrangement to the soon to be released version. Restricted by just one guitar and no backing vocals, Zeppelin's sheer dynamics pull this off even if it lacks the acoustic/electric light and shade juxtaposition of the LP version.

As Long As I Have You. 
Fantastic soul single by Garnett Mimms. This would run for anything up to 15, even 20 minutes as it segued into Fresh Garbage (Spirit), Bags' Groove (Miles Davis) and Sam Cooke's Shake plus whatever else came into their frenzied imaginations. A fantastic, loose marathon. It was in the set list for those Scandinavian shows, and was another cover song Zeppelin took to a whole other level.

Flames.
A song by Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera. Probably recorded during the Olympic sessions, much like Baby Come On Home at the end of the famed 30 hours it took to lay down the first LP. Jimmy confirmed on his website this was included in the set at the first show on September 7th in Gladsaxe, Denmark.

Pat's Delight.

Early showcase for John Henry Bonham. Named after his wife, the solo construction is similar to that used in the shorter late 1969 performances of Moby Dick. The intro/outro riff is different, lighter and with more of a 'sixties' feel than the darker and heavier crunch of Moby Dick. Already a highlight in the set, overflowing with power and excitement, it would give John 10 or so minutes in the spotlight. Even at this early stage the 'hands no sticks' section was leaving audiences gasping...

How Many More Times.

The usual set closer. Jimmy had introduced a swinging, almost Jazzy arrangement of Smokestack Lightning to the later Yardbirds live show, and early versions of HMMT began with that distinctive snaking riff. Beginning quietly, Robert would become MC and introduce his mates to the audience, some of whom were probably still Dazed and Confused by the inclusion of only 1 actual Yardbird in the line up. As the show climax, this had the kitchen sink and a whole lot more besides. Mutated from Howlin' Wolf's How Many More Years, there's a section of Bolero before it descends into another Bow episode, where Robert would answer Jimmy's squeals and drones with vocal ad-libs of Shapes Of Things and Over Under Sideways Down in between moans and screams. Then we're into The Hunter, Albert Kings predatory classic where Robert primes his lovin' gun, even drifting into a snippet of self parody with snatches of The Lemon Song. As Zeppelin hit the home strait we even get the Barrelhouse lyric reference from Robert Johnson's Travellin' Riverside Blues. A show stopper, a hybrid of blues, psychedelia and more, and the way Led Zeppelin said goodnight.

Communication Breakdown.

The usual first encore, sometimes used as an opener as well. Proto-Punk meets Eddie Cochran and nigh on invents Heavy Metal! Close to the recorded version in arrangement, Jimmy would rev up the band with an extended introduction before lift off. Another moment of high drama and power, Robert's unearthly screams the icing on the cake. The usual way to round off the night

For Your Love.

Another Yardbirds classic, slowed down to a Hendrix influenced grind, with more than a passing nod at the future arrangement of Killing Floor. Would have been an (occasional) encore during those early shows, in particular if Communication was chosen to open the set.

And there we have it. 60, maybe 75 minutes of prime, potent early Zeppelin. Both 1968 Marquee shows would have the same basic structure, plus the addition of some guitar free Harmonica jamming should Jimmy break a string during the early assault. One review of the December 10th show talked of Led Zeppelin being 'too forceful', and a need to 'cut down the volume a bit' even if there was praise for the Bow episode in 'Days Of Confusion'(sic). 4 more British shows would follow over the next 10 days before Led Zeppelin headed off to the West Coast and fame & fortune. For those lucky enough to have been at either of the '68 Wardour Street shows it was a never repeated experience of seeing a fledgling band bursting through like no other either before or since.

Fast forward to March 1969. Led Zeppelin's 3rd UK tour would bring them back to The Marquee on March 28th. In this short space of time they already had played 64 gigs, 2 BBC Sessions, 3 TV appearances and 2 filmed performances (one live, one mimed) under their collective belts.

Once again, a press report of the march show in Melody Maker adds to the confusion and legend, noting that not only did they play two encores including 'The Train', but did so to a crowd of 1800!

   

Of course the Marquee gig was one of 14 UK shows in just 27 days and all would be single set blasts. Only when they returned to the US would the 2 set  marathons start to take shape. The next London show would be at the Royal Albert Hall, then the Lyceum Ballroom and a return to the Albert Hall. From there on it was  onwards and upwards to The Empire Pool, Alexandra Palace and Earl's Court. Led Zeppelin's days on the Pub and Club circuit were well and truly over, or  so it would seem. 

But, as they set about plans for gigs and tours in 1971 the idea was discussed to go back to their roots in the UK, back to those venues that had booked them from the off. Perhaps overwhelmed at the size of some of the US Stadia they'd risen to in such a short time, they wanted to get up close and personal again. Stung by the harsh treatment of 'III' and buoyed by the fantastic new songs they'd written for their next 4th LP, they looked to the fans.

12 shows in 19 days, from Belfast to The Marquee via Dublin, Bath, Nottingham and and 7 more around the UK. Tuesday March 23rd was the date for Led Zeppelin's 4th and final appearance at The Marquee.  It had only been 5 days short of 2 years since that last gig, but Zeppelin were a completely different animal. Only two songs remained in the set from those early days, plus Bonzo's showcase. 2 years older, wiser and more confident. In those 725 days between Marquee gigs there had been 5 American Tours alone, almost of 200 shows and two more LP's released and another very much in the pipeline.

Although we sadly have no recordings of any of The Marquee shows, the set would have almost certainly been very similar song wise as their very next show 9 days later at the Paris Cinema, Lower Regent Street recorded for the BBC and less than half a mile away. Here's the probable set list-

Immigrant Song/Heartbreaker

Since I've Been Loving You

Black Dog

Dazed And Confused

Stairway To Heaven

Going To California

What Is And What Should Never Be

Moby Dick

Whole Lotta Love + Medley

Encore -

Communication Breakdown

Also That's The Way, Rock And Roll, Thank You and possibly Bring It On Home were featured in the set or as encores at this time. A show fit for a stadium played for a very lucky few hundred fans in a packed club, a venue of such status and legend and with such history it's only fitting that The Marquee would host their last ever 'back to the clubs' show.

Tonight marks 50 years since that first appearance. This celebration aims to showcase and highlight the energy and power of that initial burst, and also the incredible leap in songwriting and performance Led Zeppelin achieved by the time of that final 4th appearance. I hope you enjoy this evening and reflect on a time when the greatest live band of the Rock era - Led Zeppelin - played four memorable shows at the greatest club venue of the Rock era - The Marquee.

Andy Adams, August 2018

Special thanks to Michael Starke for photographic research. 

Photo credits (where known) - Eric Hayes (march '69), D Tarle (dec '68) andB Norman (march '71)

Copyright Andy Adams/Tobear0ck, 

no reproduction in part or full

without permission.