Here is an up to date interview with Brian May in the UK Daily Telegraph, which will be serialising a new book on 40 years of Queen. There is a competition open to UK residents at the end of the article. 40 years of Queen: Brian May interview As a lavish new history of one of the world's greatest rock bands is published, Queen's guitarist Brian May grants a rare interview to tell Peter Stanford about his fight with depression, and the long shadow cast by Freddie Mercury's death 7:00AM BST 24 Sep 2011 'It's like looking through a family album," Brian May muses softly as he turns the pages of 40 Years of Queen, the sumptuously illustrated new history of the legendary rock band. "But where's Freddie on this one?" he puzzles, coming to double page photograph, taken from the back of the stage in a stadium in Ireland in the summer of 1986. He reaches into the breast pocket of his black, open-neck shirt and puts on neat, frameless glasses – even rock stars get old – but still can't locate Freddie Mercury, Queen's lead singer. "He must be in the wings," May concludes, and pushes the open book to one side. We are sitting on either side of a white-clothed dining table in a private room at his favourite restaurant in London's Notting Hill. Though May's image as Queen's guitarist was flamboyant, big, bouffant black (now grey) curls down to his shoulders, glittery jackets and customised guitars, in this sober setting 64 year-old May is a master of reserve. He rarely grants interviews and guards his privacy fiercely when he does. I have been warned in advance not to ask him about his second wife, the former EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, who is now appearing in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing. The questions he really dreads, though, are those about Mercury, whose death from Aids in 1991 brought down the curtain on Queen's career as one of the world's most successful recording bands. "Sometimes," May admits, "I do feel I can't do any more retrospectives or I will be sick. The question, 'what was it like working with Freddie?' starts to be the bomb that you see coming at your head." In life, Mercury could eclipse May and the other members of Queen (Roger Taylor on drums and John Deacon on bass). In one interview during their glory days, May voiced his frustration at press coverage of the band: "A lot of them are only dimly aware that the rest of the group exists." But in death, Mercury's shadow has grown bigger still. "People who had made fun of him, derided him, suddenly began to regard him as a great seer, with godlike status after he died," May says. "I find it very funny. Once they were queuing up to put him down, and now he's a great prophet. It is a curious thing when people who didn't know him start telling you about your friend. Freddie was an exceptional human being, but he was a human being." Rock stars who die young are often airbrushed into plaster saints, resulting in something of a dilemma for those they leave behind. Do they play along, or do they put the record straight and risk sounding jealous? Two decades on, May is still trying to square the circle. He is happy enough to celebrate Mercury's genius. Earlier this month, as part of "Freddie Mercury Day", a fund-raiser for Aids research that took place on what would have been the singer's 65th birthday, May and Taylor hosted a party at London's Savoy Hotel attended by a new generation of stars, plus the Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. But, alongside such tributes, he quite reasonably expects credit for his part in Queen's phenomenal success. He for instance wrote many of their best-known songs, including We Will Rock You, Fat-Bottomed Girls and I Want It All. And finally, this essentially modest man is also keen to make clear that he is still a creative force at the top of his game. Does he ever have moments when he wants to put the past completely behind him? "I've been through periods like that, yes, notably straight after Freddie went. There were a couple of years or more when I didn't want to be in Queen. I wanted to be me, to reclaim myself. That is the way it felt, at least. "I went on two tours, one with Cozy Powell, in which I would play the odd Queen song but basically it was my material. I thought Queen was in the past, and I strove to make it that way. But there came a point where I felt I was protesting too much, and it became apparent to me that what I was doing was going through a grieving process by refusing to look at the past. And… well I got over it." While he says that headlines about him being suicidal in the aftermath of Mercury's death are overblown, May is candid about his struggle with depression. "It is something I've lived with in my life and at certain periods I got it bad. I'm not sure how many times, perhaps four, but then, about 15 years ago, I decided I had to get treatment." May took himself to Cottonwood Clinic in Tuscon, Arizona, "and threw away the key. All that mattered was getting better because otherwise I was no good to anyone. And so slowly I rebuilt my life and re-emerged as a different person." The "new" May is generally adept at combining in one seamless thread his past, present and future. "There are still moments when I want to get on with my life," he concedes, sipping at a glass of water, "but, on the whole, I accept that Queen will always be part of me. It's like you have built this beautiful house and one day you have to move out of it, but you don't stop enjoying looking at it now and again. You just don't want to live in it any more." If it doesn't extend the metaphor too far, you might argue that May does still occasionally take up temporary residence there. In 2008-2009, for example, he went on tour with Taylor and the former lead singer of Free, in an act billed as Queen + Paul Rodgers. "What happened came about naturally, organically. And Paul brought his own legacy, so it was a coming together of different threads. "There was coalescence for a while, but it was not an attempt to make Paul into Freddie. I don't particularly enjoy having other people sing our songs. At the Savoy gig for Freddie's 65th, we played with various singers. It was OK, but I had a strong feeling then that it is not my favourite thing to do. I want to do new things, take the creative part of Queen into new areas." Occasionally, though, the struggle to fit all the pieces together neatly can still trip him up. Does looking at all the old pictures in the new book make him feel nostalgic, I ask. He hesitates for a few minutes before answering. Finally he replies, gently and apparently genuinely puzzled, "Define nostalgic?" I talk about that sense many of us have, when looking back on high days and holidays in photo albums, of wishing we had lived more in the moment, appreciated then how lucky we were. "I suppose," he says, "I'm very used to it. Sorry, I'm not explaining myself very well today. But our past as Queen still lives with us very strongly. "So, nostalgic? Yes and no. There is a bit of sadness looking at these. A lot of the people here have gone." Queen came together in the late Sixties when May was well on his way to a high-flying academic career in astrophysics. He had been brought up in the west London suburb of Feltham, where his father was a draughtsman at the Ministry of Aviation by day but a keen amateur musician in his spare time. Science and music were competing for May Junior's attention in 1969 when he was introduced to dental student, Roger Meddows-Taylor, and discovered they both wanted to be in a rock band. Then along came graphic design student Mercury – or Freddie Bulsara as he was at the time – and finally John Deacon, who was doing a degree in electronics. Queen's first album in 1973 failed to reach the charts, but two years later they spent nine weeks at number one in the UK singles chart with Bohemian Rhapsody. Their Greatest Hits remains the biggest-selling UK album ever. May continues to work closely with Taylor overseeing the band's legacy – "as wise uncles" is the distancing phrase he chooses. Relations with Deacon, who retired in 1997, sound cool. "We let him know what we are doing and he lets us know if he objects," he says. Current projects are the hit "Queen musical" We Will Rock You, now in its 10th year, a planned movie (starring Sacha Baron Cohen as Mercury and written by Peter "The Queen" Morgan) and re-releasing old recordings on a new label. And what about May's own recent output? There have been successful solo albums post-Queen. He produces and tours with the singer Kerry Ellis, and has just finished working with Lady Gaga and My Chemical Romance. In 2002, before a global audience of billions, he performed a memorable solo spot on the roof of Buckingham Palace playing his own arrangement of God Save the Queen as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations. It was quite an achievement. Many in his shoes might consider that they had now proved themselves capable of being successful with and without Queen and would therefore rest on their laurels, spend time with the family – May has three grown-up children from his first marriage, to Chrissie Mullen, which ended in 1988 – and enjoy an estimated fortune of £85 million at the rock-star mansion in Surrey he shares with Dobson. But instead May keeps stressing how busy he is. Today, he admits, has been his first chance to look properly at the forthcoming Queen book. As well as music, he has picked up his abandoned academic career. In 2007, he returned to Imperial College, London, to finish his doctoral thesis in astrophysics and get his PhD. He is now a visiting researcher there as well as Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University. "But that's different," he adds, "it is more a PR and outreach role." So what chance of him turning up to give lectures to undergraduates? "I'm not sure I'm good enough to do it." There again is that endearing humility about May. He appears anxious, at all stages, not to talk himself up or claim some innate talent. "I've always worked very hard at everything I've done," he emphasises. His current writing project – on astronomy – is with his great friend, 88 year-old Sir Patrick Moore. Occasionally he does guest appearances on Sir Patrick's long-running television series The Sky at Night. Another contributor once remarked that far from looking like an archetypal rock star, May was the spitting image of Isaac Newton. And then there is his campaigning. May has been vocal in his online "soapbox" – "I was doing it long before anyone used the word blog" – in opposing any repeal of the fox-hunting ban. "I'm not a political person," he explains, "and my temptation is always to run away from politics, but I am appalled by the images I have seen of cruelty to animals. The current ban, however patchily it is enforced, is better than nothing. We have just got to get over this idea that humans are the only ones that matter. We are animals too." His gaze has returned, as he talks, to the book that lies on the table between us. He starts once again to look through it and stops at the spread on Queen's headline-grabbing appearance at the Live Aid concert in 1985. There is a picture of him being introduced backstage to Diana, Princess of Wales. "She was a lovely human being," he remarks. Will the book, I wonder, only appeal to diehard fans? "Our fans have always been very important to us," May concedes. "So for the people who have followed us, this will be like recapturing their youth. But" – and here there is a note of genuine excitement in his voice – "there's a whole new generation of young people now fascinated by what we did." Queen, he seems to be saying, isn't only about revisiting the past. 40 Years of Queen by Harry Doherty (Goodman) is published Oct 3. To order (available from today) for £26 + £1.25 p & p call Telegraph Books Direct on 0844 871 1515 or visit books.telegraph.co.uk We are offering two lucky readers the chance to win a copy of 40 Years of Queen, signed by Brian May and Roger Taylor, plus Island Records' remastered collection of 22 Queen albums, including Deep Cuts as well as the Live from Wembley DVD. Five runners-up will win an unsigned copy of the book.Enter online at telegraph.co.uk/promotions before noon on Friday, September 30. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18 or over. Full terms and conditions available online.

Jimmy and Robert's great friend, Roy Harper, is appearing on the new series of 'Later With Jools Holland' on 20 September. Artists include Snow Patrol, Emeli Sande, The Duke Spirit, Trombone Shorty and Roy Harper. You can now watch great performances from the Later... studio twice a week on BBC Two as well as on BBC iPlayer. On Tuesdays, Later... is broadcast live for half an hour. Friday night's extended version offers another chance to see performances from Tuesday's show, along with an additional half hour of music and chat.

Hi Strider, The reason you haven't come across the term "banns" is because the posting of banns is not required in the US. The word itself is pronounced exactly the same as you would say the singular "ban", just with an 's' on the end. I have copied below some material from Wikipedia and a wedding website. I think the historical reason for posting of banns in the UK is for anyone to object (perhaps the bridegroom's current wife - the one he forgot to divorce!) where they know there is a legal reason for the two parties not to wed. Hope this helps From Wikipedia, The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the "banns" or "bans" are the public announcement in a Christian parish church of an impending marriage between two specified persons. It is commonly associated with the Church of England and with other denominations whose traditions are similar; the Roman Catholic Church abolished the requirement in 1983. Civil Ceremony Both of you must have lived in a registration district in England or Wales for at least seven days immediately before giving notice at the register office. If you both live in the same district, you should both attend your local register office together to give your notices of marriage. If you live in different registration districts then each of you will need to give notice separately in your respective district. After giving notice you must wait a further sixteen days before the marriage can take place, (for example, if notice is given on 1 July the marriage may take place on or after 17 July). America Banns or equivalent notice by publication is not required prior to marriage in most U.S. states, although most U.S. states require that a marriage license which establishes the freedom of the parties to marry be established prior to a valid marriage, often a certain number of days prior to the marriage ceremony. Such license is no more than a legal formality, as the license is not publicized in any significant way.

Hi imPLANTED, Thanks for your kind comment . I posted this for anyone who likes McCartney, and might want to take their camera along, if they find out the date of the ceremony.

He gave his occupation as 'business executive', rather than 'musician', or 'singer/songwriter', or 'living legend' Paul McCartney posts wedding banns in London [url=http://www.reuters.com/]By Mike Collett-White | Reuters – 1 hour 42 minutes ago LONDON (Reuters) - Former Beatle Paul McCartney posted wedding banns this week at Westminster Register Office in Marylebone, central London, the same venue where he married his first wife Linda over 40 years ago. The banns allow McCartney to marry New York heiress Nancy Shevell any time 16 days after the September 14 posting at the Register office. It will be McCartney's third marriage. Shevell, 51, who is divorced, and McCartney, 69, are believed to have begun dating after the Fab Four singer's bitter split with second wife, former model Heather Mills. The banns list the couple as James Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell. He gives his profession as "business executive" and his multi-millionaire future wife is listed simply as an "executive". Alison Cathcart, Westminster City Council's registrar for almost 20 years who has married celebrities including Sylvester Stallone and Joan Collins, said: "I'm delighted that Paul and Nancy have chosen Marylebone Town Hall for their special day. "I am honoured to be conducting the ceremony and will get to see the look of joy on both their faces when I declare them husband and wife. "Lots of couples get married here because of the venue's reputation as a rock'n'roll place to tie the knot and this ceremony will certainly continue that legacy." HAPPY MARRIAGE, BITTER DIVORCE McCartney was happily married for 29 years to American photographer Linda Eastman until her death of breast cancer in 1998. He said at the time that he and Linda had spent just 11 nights apart during their marriage. The couple tied the knot at the same register office on March 12, 1969, and were greeted by hundreds of fans who had waited outside to catch a glimpse of one of the most famous figures in pop. McCartney's marriage to Mills was less happy. The couple wedded in 2002 in a lavish ceremony at Castle Leslie in Ireland estimated by celebrity magazines to have cost around $3.2 million (2 million pounds). But four years later they confirmed they had separated, blaming media intrusion into their private lives, and in 2008 the couple divorced. A judge had to rule on the size of the divorce settlement after the couple failed to reach an agreement themselves. Mills was eventually awarded 24.3 million pounds, ending one of the most acrimonious breakups in showbusiness history. Mills had sought five times as much and said McCartney was worth 800 million pounds. The judge ruled his fortune at the time was half that amount. McCartney's partnership with John Lennon in The Beatles in 1960s Britain produced some of the most famous and enduring pop songs of the past 50 years. The "Hey Jude" singer has five children. He has a son, two daughters and a stepdaughter from his marriage to Linda and a daughter from his union with Mills. McCartney's spokesman declined to comment on his wedding plans when asked this week about press rumours of an impending ceremony. (Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

This is from today's Sun (UK) newspaper. Mick Jagger: No plans for 50th gigs By GARY O’SHEA Published: Today at 00:00 ROLLING Stone Mick Jagger has told fans hoping they will tour for next year's 50th anniversary: "Don't hold your breath." He was seen last week leaving a London meeting with bandmates Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood. But Jagger, 68, quelled rumours the Stones will perform for the first time since 2007 — possibly at the London Olympics. He said: "A band gets trapped. When a band starts as a blues band, it always remains sort of true to that." He is currently working with all-star group SuperHeavy — featuring Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damian Marley and film composer AR Rahman. Their debut album is out today. Jagger said: "If people like it, we could do a few other things."

Hi Honeybrown 1976 The books are ordered, and paid for, online from Genesis Publications website. Presumably, the purchaser of the 'Mr Fantasy' book informs Genesis as to whether they want Robert or Stevie Winwood to sign their copy, alongside the signature of Jim Capaldi's widow. It operates like the procedure followed for Jimmy's pictorial book from Genesis. It is not like a signing in a bookstore - the book is sent to you in the post, already signed. You may already be aware that any books published by Genesis come with a hefty pricetag. Hope this helps.

This is from Genesis Publications' website regarding the forthcoming release of their book 'Mr Fantasy' about the late, legendary Jim Capaldi. It seems buyers will get their choice of Robert or Stevie Winwood to sign their copy. 'Maybe it was the place - it was definitely the time. The arrival of Traffic's songs and the imagery of Jim Capaldi's lyrics brought us adventures and characters that vibrated through the psychedelic underground...' Robert Plant This new Genesis edition with copies signed by Aninha Capaldi - and by your choice of legendary singer songwriters Robert Plant or Steve Winwood - celebrates the work of the late drummer, poet and founder member of Traffic: Jim Capaldi.

I am wondering if this guy is referring to Jimmy's trip to Pattaya last year. He posted on YouTube that he met Jimmy on 18 September 2010. I remember the charity which Jimmy helped was called 'Jesters Care For Kids'. I've found a couple of photos on their Facebook page which might be relevant to this year's fundraising. ]

Hi MissMelanie, I don't have a larger photo - I simply copied it straight over from the Facebook site. I've attached the frontpage of the site below. I've also attached the most recent photo which Nathan has posted showing a poster which Jimmy has signed.

On one of the many Facebook Sites dedicated to Jimmy, a guy called Nathan Butler has posted a photograph of himself and Jimmy which he claims was taken today in Pattaya. I recall that on a previous visit to Pattaya, Jimmy met Nathan and his partner in a bar with their baby, Jimi. Obviously, I cannot vouch for when the photo was taken or whether the information is correct, but I have attached the photo herewith. I do know that Jimmy has been involved in fundraising for childrens' charities in that area of the country in the past.

Video of Three of Jimmy's Homes The guy who runs a company called Roadkill Productions put the following video on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI8WIU7g0XI&feature=player_detailpage . He entitled it 'No Quarter Rehearsal', but effectively it is a video of his visits to three homes owned by Jimmy. He seems to have gained access to inside Plumpton Place, courtesy of the caretaker. I searched on this thread and the rest of the site to see if this has been included before, but could not find it. I'm sure many of the site's members will have seen it already. Sorry I don't know how to copy a YouTube video over here directly - I am not that technologically advanced!! This is the text accompanying the video: "1982 I was able to visit the three homes of Jimmy Page, although, before arriving in Scotland to see the Alister Crowley home (and I say it knowing it's not the actual Alister Crowley home), I wasn't able to ask Jimmy first, for his permission to go inside, so, I never got to see the inside. Jimmy was not there at the moated mansion, but his caretaker, Mr Whittle, provided the guided tour. By the way, I'm purposely being vague about the exact location of Jimmy's former homes near Windsor and the moated mansion because I don't want them to become like Bron Yr Aur is with fans showing up and disturbing the people who currently own the homes. The Alister Crowley location is too easy to find for me to be vague. The moated mansion was built in 1568. The date is in the brick-work above the front door. Also, according to Mr Whittle, the two swans that appear in TSRTS had a fight to the death a few weeks after the movie was filmed. And it is my belief that the motorcycle is Jimmy's, but Pat Bonham probably gave it to him... "

Winners 2011 GQ MOTY 2011 as it happened By GQ.COM 23:00 "It's not bad writing a book and getting an awards," says Keith Richards. "I'd like to remind everyone don't forget Help for Heroes." Well said sir. 22:55 Johnny Depp on Keith Richards: "He's lived his life on his own terms," he says, referring to Richards as "the maestro." 22:52 As for the GQ Writer Of The Year, it's only Keith Richards! 22:51 Johnny Depp! 22:50 For our final award, Writer Of The Year, is being presented by Tom Stoppard and... (drum roll please) 19:48 Asked Keith Richards "How does it feel to sell a million copies of your book?" His response: "Surprising - I wish I could sell that many records" 1935: Keith Richards has arrived. Asked when he last wore a tie, he quipped "In court, probably" and unsurprisingly picked Mick Jagger as his Man Of The Year.

There will be an exhibition of Rolling Stones' photographs, starting on 15 September 2011 at the Proud Gallery in London. The Decca Years: The Rolling Stones 1962-1971 The Decca Years: The Rolling Stones 1962-1971 15th September 23rd October 2011 This September, Proud Chelsea is pleased to be hosting an exhibition of portraits of the Rolling Stones between 1962 and 1971, when they were signed to Decca Records. Including the work of the greatest music photographers such as Gered Mankowitz, Dominique Tarlé and Michael Cooper, to name a few, this exhibition intimately documents the rise to fame of the most charismatic and controversial band of their day and comprises intimate portraits as well as live shots. Highlights include Philip Townsend's earliest known images of the group taken just prior to their signing with Decca records, Gered Mankowitz's renowned photographs capturing their first flush of commercial success in the US, Michael Cooper's highly personal shots taken in Tangiers and the California desert, Ethan Russell's historically important images from the infamous 1969 US tour - culminating in the Altamont debacle - where the Stones were incarnated as 'the Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the world' and finally, Dominique Tarlé's evocative and sensual photographs from Villa Nellecôte in the South of France where Exile on Main Street was recorded. Also included are salacious and amusing shots of Mick and Keith from The Sticky Fingers LP cover session by David Montgomery, Michael Joseph's Hogarthian portraits from the Beggars Banquet shoot in '68 and Jerry Schatzberg's transgressive images of The Stones in drag. Proud Galleries has worked closely with Raj Prem to curate and present this extraordinary exhibition. Prem says: 'I'm delighted to be presenting this historic photographic exhibition at Proud Galleries, comprising iconic images of the Rolling Stones photographed during their most creative and critically acclaimed years. This collection is a visual testament to the cultural ferment between art and music in the 1960's, capturing the Stones from their seminal period as chart topping attractions to their late 60's incarnation as leaders of the counter culture, worshipped as much for their bohemian lifestyle as for their music.'

Thanks Indi . It was a slip up on my part - trying to give a quick answer to MissMelanie. I do know the difference between the two - and the different cost structures!! I understand that some of the very traditional firms like Anderson and Sheppard will still not do bespoke suits for women. Edit:- It occurred to me that the last time I enquired about shirt-making in London, I got the impression that some of the newer firms were moving onto this 'standard shirt block/laser cut' method. I won't mention any names, but they were offering to make just one shirt, whereas before, you were obliged to place a minimum order for six. Best wishes.

Hi Sturie, I posted this topic on the Led Zep Trivia sub-forum on 26 August. You will find other members have replied there.

Thank you Steve. As ever, polite and well informed.

I wasn't asking you the question, nor do I care if you don't care .

You have stated the names of everyone in the photograph. What, therefore, is the name of the person who took the photo?

This is from Flickr. Apparently, the jewellery Jimmy is wearing round his neck is by a designer called Alex Streeter. The piece is called 'serpent and onyx mirror'. copyright Alex Streeter Jewelry

I found this photo on Flickr. It appears to be taken when Jimmy was on holiday earlier this year in Cuba. The other guy in the photo is English actor, Clive Owen. Presumably, the lady is the owner of the restaurant. Nice to see Jimmy personifying the 'bright red, out too long in the sun' British tourist look . Clive Owen, Silvia Cardoso y Jimmy Page COPYRIGHT Restaurante La Casa Alejandro RobainaThis photo was taken on January 25, 2011 [url=

Financial Times (London,England) May 28, 2003 Wednesday London Edition 1 Treasure from a shipwreck of rock: James Woodall charts the process that has gathered bootleg and official footage of Led Zeppelin into an astonishing DVD set: BYLINE: By JAMES WOODALL SECTION: ARTS; Pg. 17 LENGTH: 709 words When ex-Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page lamented "it's a real shame that . . . there isn't enough live footage of us," he wasn't being completely candid. Page, who was speaking to me in 1998, knew full well just how much footage there was. Some of it was in the possession of himself and Robert Plant, some was left over from the only official full-length film made of the band, The Song Remains the Same (1976), and much of it, more problematically, was in the hands of bootleggers. Now, however, with the release this week of more than five hours of footage on two DVDs, accompanying a three-CD set, How The West Was Won, of Zeppelin on stage in Los Angeles in June 1972, this footage is finally seeing the light of day. Page has been keen over the years for this material to be released. Step in music-video director Dick Carruthers, who has worked with Oasis, the Rolling Stones and The Who. Page asked Carruthers to assemble from official and bootleg material a definitive portrait of Led Zeppelin's 11 years together. One aim is plainly to prevent further proliferation of poor-quality bootleg. Another is to show the band in the flesh to the under-40s - there are plenty of Zep-heads who have never have seen them live since they broke up in 1980. "Before anything, we had to call an amnesty with bootleggers," says Carruthers. An intermediary (whom Carruthers won't name) worked on behalf of Page and his two colleagues to track down and obtain whatever film might be out there. Led Zeppelin were the most bootlegged outfit in history - their reticence with the media made the temptation illicitly to film their concerts irresistible. Small cine cameras using 8mm film were easy to smuggle into venues, although, crucially, the Super 8 format doesn't record sound. The music was often on separate audio tapes. "The job," says Carruthers, "was to assess the quality of audio tape, some of it obsolete, so old machines were hired to process it and digitalise it. Then, we had to work out what was on the film, and where and when, and match it to the music." The surviving members of the group - Page, Plant and bassist John Paul Jones - were closely involved not least of all to help identify what, on silent film, was being played. The result is compelling, with some sharp shocks. Is that a pert Germaine Greer sitting next to blond rock god Plant at a post-gig reception in Australia in 1972? In the same clip, Bonzo (drummer John Bonham) talks for the first and only time - and he comes across as remarkably softly spoken for a man of his fearsome reputation. Zeppelin built their reputation on their live act and no-one in rock has invented on the road like them - which is why this package is, in Carruthers' words, like discovering shipwrecked treasure. We see and hear them at their living, and sometimes livid, best; this is history in the making. On the CDs, it's fascinating to listen to them airing great songs nearly a year before they could be heard on an album, such as "Over the Hills and Far Away", "Dancing Days", "The Ocean", all from 1973's Houses of the Holy. No band today, in a rock climate valuing promotion and merchandising above improvisation and experiment, would dare attempt that. A visual high point comes from the penultimate stretch of film on DVD2, from gigs at Earls Court in 1975. Even with the doomy clouds of punk gathering, Zeppelin were at their zenith: airing the double-album Physical Graffiti and looking fabulous. A rare rendition of an old Dylan blues, "In My Time of Dying", one of the finest things they ever recorded, is astonishing. The following years were disastrous for the band. Plant was seriously injured in a car crash in 1976, taking them off the road for a year. His son died of a pulmonary virus the following year, aged six. Page struggled with addiction and Bonzo drank - following a binge, he choked in his sleep in 1980. Zeppelin could be no more. In a 1975 interview clip on the DVD set, Plant confirms that the band would never attempt solo projects while they were Led Zeppelin, that they couldn't play without each other. He was right. <A name=ORIGHIT_6>Led Zeppelin straddled the 1970s like a colossus, then fell silent. With the arrival of this project, we're able to travel back in time, and be thrilled.

Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page Mark Williams, International Times, 9 May 1969 A VERY WELL respected record producer recently informed me that Led Zepplin were the ONLY band that we're going to elevate themselves to the ranks of the Nice, Jethro Tull, Ten Years After etc., out of the current British. What's more neither he nor his company have any financial interest in the band. So you can possibly realise how dull the scene is here and how much of a responsibility Jimmy Page has to all the really heavy guitar freaks. Page, however, has many years behind him as a worshipped guitarist and, as one can gather from the Led Zeppelin's first LP and their live performances, is well able to demonstrate his prowess as a fingerboard athlete and his originality as a musician. Page was off with the group to the States a couple of days after we met for China tea and splutterings from an inferior record player, high above London's romantic Soho, a fact which prompted me to ask just what he thought of the British music scene? JP: I don't think there really is one. M: But wouldn't you say that there's a greater interchange of ideas between musicians over here and a certain amount of 'spirit' that didn't exist, except in isolated cases, a few years ago? JP: Well yes, but that doesn't really constitute a 'Scene'. Over here in Britain there are some good musicians and a few record companies promoting things that ought to be heard but that's about all. In America the big difference is that most of the cities have a couple of FM Underground Stations and they keep everybody informed about what's happening nationally, which groups are coming to town, and they play the records that the groups they're talking about have made. So the kids are fully aware of everything that's going on. In Britain, after we'd formed the new group, nobody wanted to book us because we weren't called the Yardbirds. In some cases they did book us and when we got to the gig we'd find that we'd been billed as the Yardbirds! That situation just wouldn't occur in the States. Of course, once we'd been to the States and begun to make a name for ourselves, all the British promoters wanted to know. It's such a drag. At first I thought the group was going to crumble before it had started properly. M: So you feel that radio has a large part to play in pop? JP: It's very important, but over here the BBC have effectively killed the progress of 'underground' music. I know the policy down there, there's a reviewer who gives new releases one listen, just ONE listen and if it fits the Radio One concept of what a groovy record should be, it MIGHT get selected for plugging and they only plug six, I think it's six, records per week. It's amazing that they should be allowed to do that. It's only John Peel and that other guy, er, Pete Drummond, who can play any of the good stuff. The only producer who's really into it is Bernie Andrews... M: He's just been given the elbow from Peel's programme, I gather. JP: Oh what a bloody drag, he was such a great guy, really involved in what he was doing. Who's going to replace him, do you know? M: Well I think it's a guy called Peter Ritzemer, who produced a few Nightrides. JP: Oh well, Nightride was a show I liked. Not the sort of thing our group could be on though, but it had a lot of good things to say, presented a good variety of sounds. M: Mmmm, I wish they could've put that on every night... JP: Yes. Well I used to agree with you but then I realised that if you put it on every night you'd he falling into exactly the same trap as Radio One does with, say the Jimmy Young Show. I mean think about lorry drivers going across the country every night, they'd get pissed off listening to the same sort of stuff every night with no alternative station to switch to. There really needs to be an alternative. M: Well there is Radio Andorra. JP: What's that? M: Well there's a tiny postage stamp country in Europe with a bloody great transmitter, more powerful than Luxembourg and you can record shows in London which are sent out and broadcast from Andorra, to this country at £50 for quarter of an hour. JP: Well that's great, somebody really ought to take advantage of that before the big companies get hold of it and make it into another Radio Luxembourg scene. I really don't understand why the British just accept everything that's laid on them without trying to resist. M: Do you think that the record companies are starting to realise that due to the escalation of the album market and the increasing sales of progressive music, despite the media's reluctance to promote it, that progressive music may well be the pop music of the seventies? JP: Well they've got to. There is nothing else, Jimmy Young and the Love Affair can't go on churning out the same rubbish forever. I hope that kids will move over to progressive stuff as they get a little bit older, rather than turn to the sort of thing you hear on Family Favourites every week. You can't really tell, there's so many things involved. I do think that many of the important people in the business are becoming much hippier than they used to be, so maybe they'll try and effect some changes. M: The material on your first album covered a lot of styles, heavy electric sounds, blues, contemporary folk etc. Does this indicate that you are trying to widen the scope of your music? JP: Well all the things on the album are things that just seemed to be natural for the group to do. There's no reason to stick to one style of music nowadays... M: Except that it's often difficult to produce certain things onstage, whereas in a studio it's comparatively simple? JP: Not really. We do the same arrangements onstage as we did on the album. As a group we don't want to be put into a category because we are bound to develop individually and therefore the group will always be changing. That was the trouble with the Yardbirds, everyone expected to see Keith playing harmonica like Sonny Boy Williamson, so he had to do it, even though he wanted to get into different scenes. M: Was that one of the reasons why the Yardbirds split? JP: Well yes, I suppose so, but there were so many things involved, it's never that simple. We quit when we were enormous in America and forgotten over here. It was a very strange situation to live with. © Mark Williams, 1969

Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes: Live At The Greek (SPV) Mat Snow, Mojo, September 2000 Recorded live in October’99, a scorching blues-rock hit-packed double album like they used to make ‘em. THERE ARE some things that are fun by yourself but are even better with a few thousand close friends. Boogieing down to the sound of Led Zeppelin is just such a pleasure. The more of you there are, the bigger the blast. Which is all the excuse Jimmy Page needed to bring the LZ songbook to the multitudes once more. But after Robert Plant and the crew that came with him for the 1998 Page & Plant world tour dispersed in search of fresh challenges, Page required a new band to carry the weight. That band is The Black Crowes, and he has chosen wisely. Like the ‘60s Eel Pie Island generation of which Page remains (after Keith Richards) the second least likely to get a knighthood, this Atlanta-based outfit have a soul-blues schooling and that lucrative knack for alchemising the defiance of the downtrodden black underclass into the dandified swagger of the hormone-driven white libertine. (Can we agree that this particular paradox has been chased around the cultural studies farmyard long enough? Leave it to the copyright lawyers to sort out.) And, crucially, they sing and play as if their careers so far have been leading to this point. What we don’t hear, due to The Black Crowes’ record contract, are any of their own numbers which they and the blues-rock legend performed last year at Hollywood’s Greek Theater. What we do get are 13 Zep tunes, plus blues chestnuts by Willie Dixon ('Mellow Down Easy' and 'You Shook Me'), Elmore James ('Shake Your Money Maker'), B.B. King ('Woke Up This Morning') and Jimmy Rogers ('Sloppy Drunk'). Even more mouthwatering: Fleetwood Mac’s rattlesnake-shaking 'Oh Well' and The Yardbirds’ psych-rock 'Shape Of The Things', which Mr Page revisits just as excitingly as did his former Yardbirds spar Jeff Beck back when Rod Stewart fondled the mikestand. Nothing here is rethought or even rearranged from studio versions we know and love strutting to. Chris Robinson hollers mid-point between Rod The Mod gruffness and Percy Plant’s suppleness. Brother Rich and fellow guitarist Audley Freed crank out those interlocking dog-leg riffs, chugs and wails that a mere two-handed Page never could on-stage with Led Zep. Which means that 'Whole Lotta Love' blasts away with bells, whistles and maximum heaviosity. The crowd’s buzz does the rest. So, probably the most conservative rock’n’ roll record of the year so far, and probably also the most enjoyable. It’s said they’re doing it all over again. Make sure they do it all over you. © Mat Snow, 2000