LED ZEPPELIN - WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE FESTIVAL APPEARANCE?

'I told Pagey one or two people would be here, but he said he doubted that very much' Robert Plant, Knebworth August 4th 1979 ...

Saturday 6 October 2018

EVENINGS WITH LED ZEPPELIN


Now the 50th is upon us, celebrations for fans old and new are now reaching a fair pace. Already I've added two exceptional publications to an increasingly creaking book shelves, and this mighty tome completes something of a holy trinity. I have known Dave Lewis for 30 years now, from when I collaborated on his 'A Celebration' book. Fast forward to today and the amazing growth of knowledge, memorabilia, recordings and film - and the volume of official releases - is astounding. 
  

First impressions are simply this - stunning. Weighing in at a hefty 576 pages, it really is special. From the incisive foreword by Zeppelin tour manager Richard Cole, it immediately becomes compelling. Two prologues follow, the first covering the years 1958 to 1967 and focusing on  the individual members activities. The second is a fascinating and excellently detailed history of 1968, with tour dates from The Yardbirds, Band Of Joy, Obs-Tweedle and best of all more than 20 shows Bonzo played with Tim Rose during the spring and summer of 1968.

The detail and the passion is what sets this book apart. There are 516 confirmed shows, 6 unconfirmed, 11 sessions and TV appearances and 86 cancelled shows all given a microscopic analysis, to the point where almost 400 - including 19 cancelled shows - have ticket stubs illustrated here. Just confirming the detail and unending search we've all been on for (much of) the last half century.

Photo's of venues, both outside and inside, flyers and programmes illuminate the evocative text for every entry. Some wonderful pictures - the four pictures from the Kinetic Playground, Chicago on May 23/24 from the late, great Howard Mylett collection on page 103 spring to mind - help to bring the story, the journey to life.

Cross referencing the audience, radio and soundboard recordings brings a direct link for those that focus their collecting on the audio side of Zeppelin, aided by reference to the various 8mm cine film and broadcast visual clips that have surfaced in the last half century.

Alongside Luis Rey's recent 5th addition 'Evenings With...' makes you want to reach for that LP, that CD, that tape and delve and relive the power, mystery and the hammer of the gods. And one of the biggest compliments I can make is inside all of this the text is not dry and unerring. Dave and Mike have made it interesting, alive and beguiling. Unlike so many reference books that leave me cold and read like a phone book, this is bright and sparkles.

Drawing from so many sources of inspiration over this long and never ending Led Zeppelin journey, they've strived to and achieved a fantastic database (for want of a better word) of those wonderful Evenings with Led Zeppelin. Taking a step back you can only marvel at their inexorable rise from unbilled opening act to stadium headliners, from hungry young men knocking at the door of the late 60's headliners to the biggest band in the World.

There are some contentious dates and venues, which some of us will debate long into many a long night with a beer and a quizzical look, but Dave and Mike know more than enough to explain and elucidate their reasons for placing of shows such as Boston 25/1/69 from 28/5/69 and their argument is both understandable and compelling.

Evenings with Led Zeppelin works on so many levels. In 2018 we've heard, seen and learnt so much since those halcyon days of Howard's first book, the at the time ground breaking A Celebration and the next level compendium The Concert File. As with every Zeppelin publication it's almost immediately outdated the moment it goes to print, as it is with Luis' Tape Documentary, as just one newly surfaced recording or ticket stub gives us new information or questions old truths.

This book is an utter triumph, a vast pool of knowledge and amongst the finest publications on ANY band, let alone those myriad of tomes about Led Zeppelin. Very few books are completely essential. This is...





Sunday 9 September 2018

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.

Monday 30 July 2018

THE LED ZEPPELIN TAPE DOCUMENTARY by LUIS REY - REMASTERED 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION








50 years of Led Zeppelin. The mind boggles. So much time has passed in the blinking of an eye, a moment in time. It's hard to believe I first met Luis 31 years ago, at a Record Fair in London's West End. By chance, but maybe some kind of destiny. Immediately we had such common ground, and a shared love and enthusiasm for what made Led Zeppelin unique - their live performances.

Back in 1987 Led Zeppelin were largely reviled by media and more besides. The Heavy Metal monster they had been largely responsible for had become not only mutated but watered down, and the musical climate had them out of favour. It took the 1990  6LP/4CD Box Set and the ensuing MTV led publicity to see their music and legacy in a much more relevant and positive light. 



And in 1991 the first edition 'Led Zeppelin Live' was released by Bob Walker through Hot Wax Press, with two updates over the next six years. With the burgeoning Bootleg CD market Luis' work became an essential guide and companion to discovering and enjoying the underground recordings of Led Zeppelin.



Fast forward to 2017, and I was invited to join Luis in a Q&A at the O2 10th Anniversary gathering in London. It was there, meeting for the first time in almost 15 years, we discussed this project and a new edition. And here it is. What more can I say that if you collect the music of Led Zeppelin, it's as essential as any book published past and present. It's been a pleasure and an honour to be very much involved in this edition, and seeing how it's turned out is exciting to say the least.



So what can you expect? Those of you familiar with previous editions will know the format, the focus and detail in every page, every entry. As more information comes to light about dates, venues, obscure and sometimes barely listenable song references, 8mm and professionally shot footage, new Bootlegs etc it's painstakingly added, amended and updated to what was already a very impressive body of work. The cream is obviously more discoveries, either unheard documents or alternative source tapes of already known shows and sessions and there's a treasure trove here. Add to that some wonderful illustrations of bootlegs, ticket stubs, posters, press cuttings and more. 



Coming in at 556 glorious pages, we begin with a chronological history of all the documents we could find, from September 27th 1968 to July 7th 1980. Over 464 of those pages 330 shows, outtakes and more are reviewed in exceptional detail, bringing as much information as possible alongside comments about each and every one, in such an engaging and vivid way it really makes you want to reach for each and every recording and immerse yourself within it once again.

There's a detailed gig history and a section called 'Songs A to Z' which alphabetically details all the original and cover songs in those documents. It's one of my favourite things about The Tape Documentary, and a fascinating insight into the truly unequaled and unrivaled influences that helped fuse the music we know as Led Zeppelin.



As you'll have noticed I can't praise this highly enough! It is a very limited run, so either contact Luis or check out Ebay and Amazon. Suffice to say, if you love Led Zeppelin this is as essential as it gets my friends...  

Wednesday 2 May 2018

LED ZEPPELIN - SICK AGAIN



"Clutching pages from your teenage dreams, in the lobby of the hotel paradise"




Conquering America was a consequence of Led Zeppelin's inexorable rise from their inception in 1968 as unnamed bottom of the bill opening act to record breaking stadium headliners just four and a half years and nine Tours later. With such a rise they became unknown superstars. Throughout this rollercoaster journey and breathtaking ascent Robert narrated life on the road, inside the bubble of fame and madness that fed the myth, the legend.





Just 6 months after those first wide-eyed, tentative steps in the US tales of their touring experiences were creeping into songs, from 'fella's laying their money down' to a past her best groupie cruising in her 'aged cadillac'. They juxtaposed perfectly with the warmth and innocence of Thank You and the travelling fantasy of Ramble On. Whole Lotta Love is the perfect summit of those days. 

'III' opined that Zeppelin were 'in the promised land', could party and have fun Out On The Tiles and still breathe and sit under the oak tree with Stryder and The Boy Next Door. As 1970 drew to a close Big Legged Women with No Soul and Policemen shaking you down for dope vied with the beauty of both a long lost English past and a Californian idyll. 




Their Worldwide forays brought us a multi layered guitar fanfare, Acapulco Gold and a crunching ode to that ever growing Ocean of believers. It was to be the 9th North American Tour where the peak was well and truly reached. After such a trek, such a high a proper break was very much overdue. 3 months later Headley Grange was once again the preferred location for Led Zeppelin to get back to work.

Of the 8 new compositions that provided both the backbone and widescreen inspiration on Physical Graffiti, Sick Again is certainly the most strident and roadworthy. We are lucky to have two completely different early versions to chart the growth and composition of the song. The companion disc glimpse from October 25th '73 is short, powerful and a brief but compelling snapshot of Jimmy's groinal riff, with just a small hint at the unique and insistent cross rhythm syncopation John was to bring to the between verse strut.



A much fuller version appears on the 63 minute rehearsal tapes, most likely from November, and much more of the structure - alternative intro aside - is in place. Once hammered into place Robert found a metre and a theme. Becoming disillusioned with some of the groupie scene and situations, Sick Again is a tale of an era falling away, of lost souls searching for that teenage dream, built and embellished over the years and tours through high schools and elder siblings. Robert was once quoted as saying " Such a shame, they haven't got the style they had in the old days - way back in '68". The era of the GTO's, the Plastercasters and the rest was fading away, and the '73 Tour provided the last vestiges of the era with after show parties on the Starship and onstage namechecks for the Butterqueen.



The gist and flavour of that '73 trek is captured well in Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe's own memoir of his first great Rock 'n' Roll adventure.




Away from the tale itself, Sick Again is an out and out Rocker that struts along with consummate ease. The Rhythm section is superb, Jonesy precise and understated while John lays down some outstanding precision depth charges and outrageous rolls around the skins while never overpowering the song. Jimmy splits the riff across different guitar dubs, keeping it subtle and interesting without losing the punch of the riff and solo's with a lovely sense of melody and urgency. Robert, in the middle of throat problems and an imminent operation, is hoarse but clear, adding to the feeling of road tiredness in the lyrics.






It closes the LP, and as such is sometimes forgotten amid so much greatness that came before on the set. Essentially a live number, it was to be the first new music fans heard on the '75 Tour, being placed second in the set, powering in after Rock And Roll. As a short, sharp punch it didn't vary much length wise onstage, and much of the variation was down to Jimmy as he toyed with phased effects and long bent low notes to create a mesmeric drone over Bonzo's powerful rhythms. 




The coda also gave Robert and Jimmy some vocal/guitar scat workouts, more disciplined than Dazed And Confused and a nod towards Nobody's Fault But Mine and the live madness of Achilles. 


As second song it was played at all 42 '75 shows, and is a good indication of the health of the band and acoustics of the increasingly large and unforgiving venues. For the '77 shows it retained second slot, now following after The Song Remains The Same and a short The Rover interlude and if anything is even more muscular and insistent than in '75. Robert's vocal harmonizer gives it a different, more hysterical feel, and is perfect as a prelude to his customary 'Good Evening!' greeting. Although we are to yet have all of the tour on tape, it's a pretty safe bet it was played on all 44 shows.








The last times Led Zeppelin performed Sick Again was in 1979. Missing from the first Copenhagen warm up, it appeared at the other 3 shows, but later on in the set between Trampled and Achilles. Good, powerful versions but with the subject matter and all Zeppelin had been through it seems slighty out of time, a postcard from the past. 




There are no singles or EP's, and I've yet to see a Polish or Russian flexi disc. On film, we have 5 Pro-shot versions from the two Earls' Court films, Seattle and the two Knebworth shows. Cine film from '75 has clips from New York Feb 7th (very close 8mm time coded from the pit), Philadelphia Feb 8th, Dallas March 4th and the first two LA Forum shows. 



In '77 we have the 3rd Chicago show on April 9th (the night Jimmy collapsed and the bootleg LP was titled 'Sick Again'),

the final Maryland show on May 30th, Madison Square June 11th, two of the LA Forum shows - June 22nd and 27th - and finally the  first Day On The Green show at Oakland on July 23rd.




Post Zeppelin, Jimmy resurrected it with the Black Crowes and brought the various guitar dubs and harmonies to life for the first time.



  


Friday 27 April 2018

LED ZEPPELIN - THE DESTROYER!



"And when we kiss my hearts on fire, 

burning with a strange desire"





The stuff of legend. The Destroyer.


1977, a year that I remember for many things, but the return of Led Zeppelin, even though it was more than 3,000 miles and a continent away, is one of the most striking and vivid memories I hold. As the year unfolded it was a strange time for us Led Zeppelin fans. We'd just seen two elpees in one year, a film - that was doing the late and all night cinema rounds by the time we hit spring - but no live shows. After the rumours interviews and pictures in the music press, the 11th Led Zeppelin North American Tour was a reality. Originally scheduled to begin on February 27th in Fort Worth, Robert's laryngitis caused a reschedule that moved the opening show to Dallas on April 1st and the loss of two proposed Canadian shows in Toronto and Montreal and a show in Dayton, Ohio.

In the end, 51 dates were confirmed spread over 3 legs from April 1st until August 13th. By now I was a ravenous bootleg collector, with my stack of maybe 20 bootleg elpees and a growing pile of cassettes. Those 51 dates became my focus, my priority. This the age before Record fairs, the internet, conventions..... There was a network of fans, trading what we could and had to satiate our hunger for all things Zeppelin. Al Rudis reviewed one of the Chicago nights for Sounds, and interviewed Jimmy in his suite at the Ambassador the afternoon after the disastrous 3rd night at Chicago Stadium. 




The next I read was Patti Dewing's 'No Messing' review for Melody Maker, a very positive piece, trumping Zeppelin as 'the best and most significant rock band in the World'. As you can imagine, this only fuelled the fire. By June Ray Coleman was dispatched to New York by MM to report on the Madison Square residency and chat with Robert. The four page pullout 'Biggest Of Them All' was just incredibly exciting, bringing all sorts of thoughts and ideas to the fray. The proposed Wrotham Park show on August 20th was now 'officially' written off, so it was down to bootlegs and crossing fingers.

And then it happened. In July, before tragedy curtailed the tour, a C120 landed on the mat. For Badgeholders Only (part 1) was on it, with the significant bonus of Achilles from 'a 4LP thing on Smilin' Ears called 'The Destroyer''. Wow! It came from an old friend, Phil in Canterbury and was my soundtrack to the summer of '77. Before long I contacted a 'purveyor of fine rare rock vinyl' and sent £31, for For Badgeholders Only (£13), The Destroyer (£16) and £2 for postage.... Six pieces of wonderful wax! Soon, a tape list with Madison Square June 9th (wrong date - was the 11th!) and Chicago April 7th came through, and over the next 4 years I acquired a few shows of the 44 played. so, what exactly are on these sets?

Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland 27th April




In 1980 I'd heard rumours of a 1977 soundboard, that Bonzo had leant a tape to a friend who lent a tape.... etc etc.... but nothing. The following summer I went to the Reading Festival, and wandering around the site on the friday saw a stall (large van) manned by a familiar face - the man they call Tim. Within minutes I was clutching a 4LP box called 'Destroyer', supposedly from Seattle 77, but suspiciously the same title as the wonderful box set I'd cherished for the previous 4 years. My mind told me it was a copy, but a different sleeve and for £15 it HAD to be mine!

On returning home from the 4 day bash, I stuck it on the turntable and was floored to hear a soundboard, a crystal clear recording! Even though the start of the opening track was missing it was astounding to hear. You have to remember in 1981 the only soundboard or FM recordings we had were Stockholm & Fillmore 69, the BBC shows, Royal Albert Hall, Pb and the extra bits from the movie! It was in a mixed up order and had some edits too. And, once I'd played the thing to death, it was a less than spectacular show. Even then I sussed out it was the April 27th show by process of elimination, and another of the 44 was ticked off. So what have we got? Over the 8 sides of wax is a 'standard' 1977 set, with edits in The Song Remains The Same and the first instrumental jam section of No Quarter. Interesting the two performances of No Quarter either side of this show feature the first two versions of Nutrocker, so it's possible it was played on this night too..... Also, very little chat is left, only Robert mentioning Cleveland at the end gives us a definite date and venue.

In truth there isn't much to write home about with this show. In My Time, the acoustic set and Kashmir come across the best, and the final encore frenzy too. A fine example of how a perfect sound lacks the real atmosphere and warmth of a great audience recording, exposing mistakes and separating the audience from the whole listening experience. The next night show that to perfection. Having said all that, even a bare bones Led Zeppelin at 60% on their most erratic tour still takes some beating!

This show first appeared, with a picture of Jimmy from the Earls' Court programme as the cover, on DGRM. This was I believe a European bootleg, with black labels. The US version came in a large plastic carry case with a different rainbow coloured xerox picture of Jimmy from the '77 tour. The box is what computer tapes came in back then I think. The sound was far inferior, some awful phasing and a terrible pressing too - like some of those awful 'east coast' bootlegs on labels like King Kong, CBM etc where bits of paper would be stuck in the pressings....! 

It became an obvious candidate for CD, and in the further and less discernible territories passed off as a legitimate, promo or (cough) 'fan club' issue. The relaunch of TMOQ/Smoking Pig in Europe in the 90's brought a new splatter vinyl edition on 3LP's with a great 1980 pic of Jimmy wielding the lake placid blue Strat. All the time it's the same tape, eq'd and cleaned up, sometimes squashed and compressed, but the same tape. No audience recording has surfaced. Yet.

And now we have some fascinating just circulated cine film from the show. Dubbed very well, the opening clips of 'The Song Remains The Same' are taken from the second night's audience tape before it reverts to the soundboard recording for the rest of it. 

Yet another twist in the saga of 'The Destroyer'... 




Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland April 28th





Now THIS is the real deal! With the striking 'battle scene cover', complete with typo's and spelling mistakes, this is glorious. The illustration on the cover is a black & white copy of one of Frank Frazetta's legendary paintings, the very suitably titled 'Conan The Destroyer'. A nice touch from the bootleggers! Love the label name Smilin' Ears, from an era of great little bootleg labels like Flat ('the only good record is a flat record'), SODD, TAKRL ('a high standard of standardness'), Digger, Ruthless Rhymes, Cream Of The Crop..... 

As a performance this is one of THE best of the tour, without doubt. The atmosphere and audience response as Bonzo warms up is spine chilling, and the band play as if it's their lives depended on it. By Nobody's Fault it's near hysteria, and the pauses and breaks are greeted with a wall of sound, a deafening roar that grows each time, culminating with bedlam by the time Robert leads into the solo with his 'oh Jimmy' battlecry. In My Time and Since are whole drama's in themselves, the band are so confident in their playing and interaction that the arrangements are in their heads and what they play is springboarded from there. They KNOW. Every line in Since from Robert, every call and response has not only Jimmy but also Jonesy and Bonzo filling or leaving a gap in what seems total harmony and empathy, and each line is unique and a passion play in itself. It's a long way from 1969 in many ways, but the complex and daring arrangements of As Long As I Have You those 8 years before at the San Francisco residency are to me the seeds of that 'you can't teach it' confident musical collective only Led Zeppelin can pull off with such grace and ease.



And No Quarter is where the show really opens up. yes, the long solo's can be a bit overbearing at times but the new sophisticated and complex arrangement is perfect. After the dry ice and initial verses, with Robert in fine voice and Bonzo being just perfect, have Cleveland on its feet Jonesy takes us on a bizarre journey with his Grand Piano through classical passages and daring, dissonant phrases that jolt the ear and mind - Ravel, Beethoven, Debussy and even a burst of 'Granada' from Spain. 

The new arrangement has 2 group passages, and tonight the first is the second recorded destruction of 'Nutrocker'. Fantastic and playful, and so powerful. Tchaikovsky would have approved! ELP have their own arrangement, but they couldn't get within a mile of this. After that, the ovation and hysteria is palpable, and Led Zeppelin respond with a beautifully crafted instrumental section. Once again the three are in perfect harmony, and we move effortlessly from restful to intense and dramatic. The vinyl version fades before the final verse, but most is recovered for the later CD versions that feature the complete recording, warts n all. 

Ten Years Gone is another 'one of the best' and the balance between Jimmy and Jonesy is captured just right too. The acoustic set is spot on too, tempering the atmosphere and giving everyone - including those of us still listening 40 years later - time to relax just a little. It's the final section where things really go into the stratosphere. After a frantic White Summer, Kashmir is extraordinary. Robert once called it 'the pride of Zeppelin'. How apt on nights like this. No relaxing listening to this my friends!

Bonzo keeps the adrenaline up with 20 minutes of incredibly powerful and deft percussion before Jimmy gets to play with his toys and creates a maelstrom of sound around an edgy star Spangled Banner and the crowd pleasing bow sketch. And the comes the absolute highlight - Achillles' Last Stand. The first live version I ever heard, it's brutal and powerful. How Bonzo does what he does here......wow!! After 2 and a half hours Stairway closes the show. Missing from the vinyl due to a few tape issues and swearing from the bootlegger, it's a great version amid the chaos. The encores are something else too, and the final half speed dense cloud of sound at the finale of Trampled Underfoot is quite remarkable and the perfect way to end such a great show. 

If you only hear/get half a dozen '77 shows this is right up there with the best LA nights. A desert island bootleg for me. 

The original vinyl box set was repressed with a white box and plain labels, and once the original tape was recovered a variety of CD sets have poured out from the good, the bad and the expensive. Do like the 'Storongest Edition' by TDOLZ. 


Capitol Center, Landover, Maryland, May 30th

As the 1980's wore on Led Zeppelin were seemingly out of favour with the music buying public. But not for us and certainly not for the bootleggers. The demand for live Zeppelin saw the lowering of sound quality of what could and would be pressed onto vinyl and a constant stream of 'new' shows hit the market stalls and record fairs. 'Destroyer III' was one of them. From the final and best of their 4 nights at the Capital Center, it's from a very good audience recording, clean after a heavily distorted The Song Remains The Same but always on the edge of overload. Another great show with a great atmosphere too. Love the No Quarter that's both complex and chaos at the same time. The coda is extended more and more as the tour progresses, Theremin moans and crazy wah wah against Robert's heavily echoed calls to the Dogs of Doom.

They seem so relaxed and at home during the acoustic set, and Robert in particular is certainly master of ceremonies. A brief glimpse of 'Surrender' fills a gap, could this be why it was called 'Destroyer III'?? Again the 'big' songs bring the show to climax after climax, for me Kashmir and Stairway stand head and shoulders above the rest for drama and power. Another great night.



The vinyl set was on the DREAZ label. Nasty, cheap affair really, simple xeroxed sheet and poor plain white or yellow labels and rough 'east coast' pressing, full of bits in the grooves..... Japan fared even worse with the 4 acetate 'Hot tracks' set that's rare, expensive and barely listenable. The CD revolution brought a few versions, but now we have a less than flattering soundboard of the gig (all 4 nights on soundboard now) as well. All the shows used the in house video screen, so there's a point that the 'soundboards' are audio from the footage. Sadly, no footage has as yet appeared but there are a lot of shows of other artists from this venue that are out there.......

Musicarnival, Warrenville Heights, Ohio, July 20th 1969

And here we have the last (so far!) Destroyer saga. Guessing the proximity to Cleveland made the bootleggers of Tarantura release this recording as 'The Destroyer 1969'. And it's a selling point too. A listenable audience recording of an open air show the day before the Central Park double header. Standard set, an hour of intense and overwhelming Led Zeppelin on a bill with both Jeff Beck and The James Gang. 

The blues covers from the first album are great here, and sound too much for the audience. The closing medley is something else too, a fantastic The Hunter before Robert diffuses the madness with a tongue in cheek 'You Make Me Feel So Young'. They seem relaxed and free to just play at this smaller event, probably happy for a bit of restbite from the intense circus of the big festivals they'd been playing throughout the summer.

So there we have it. 4 Destroyers. A legend that became a series and almost threatened a franchise! For all the clarity of the soundboard, the assured power in Maryland and the youthful brilliance back in '69, the 'Battle Scene/Conan' box set is the one for me. Smilin' Ears indeed!!