Here's a link to a posting on the Les Paul forum from a fan who got his photo included in Jimmy's book:- http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166941

I'm just happy that the list wasn't compiled by Rolling Stone magazine.

Thanks very much. This is great. Spot on accurate as usual:superman:

Source: www.gibson.com/lifestyle Gibson.com's Top 50 Guitar Solos: Full List, Readers Poll Revealed 09.24.2010 With today's announcement of the Top 10 Guitar Solos of All Time (JOHN, PUT LINK HERE), another Gibson.com Top 50 list is in the books. Below, check out the full rundown of all 50 solos that made the list. (You can get more information on each of the entries here: #50-41, #40-31, #30-21, #20-11 and #10-1.) Plus, take a look at the readers poll and the guitarists who scored multiple entries further down the page. We'd like to send out a special thank you to every fan who voted in the poll, as well as musicians Bart Walsh (David Lee Roth) and Jeff Cease (Black Crowes), and Gibson.com's entire editing and writing staff. This is how the full list turned out: 1. "Stairway to Heaven," Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page) 2. "Eruption," Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen) 3. "All Along the Watchtower," The Jimi Hendrix Experience 4. "Hotel California," Eagles (Don Felder, Joe Walsh) 5. "Comfortably Numb," Pink Floyd (David Gilmour) 6. "Free Bird," Lynyrd Skynyrd (Gary Rossington, Allen Collins) 7. "Layla," Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton, Duane Allman) 8. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," The Beatles (Eric Clapton) 9. "Johnny B. Goode," Chuck Berry 10. "Bohemian Rhapsody," Queen (Brian May) 11. "Crazy Train," Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads) 12. "Cause We've Ended as Lovers," Jeff Beck 13. "Sweet Child o' Mine," Guns N' Roses (Slash) 14. "Hot for Teacher," Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen) 15. "Since I've Been Loving You," Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page) 16. "November Rain," Guns N' Roses (Slash) 17. "Mr Crowley," Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads) 18. "Whole Lotta Rosie," AC/DC (Angus Young) 19. "Like a Hurricane," Neil Young and Crazy Horse 20. "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits (Mark Knopfler) 21. "Texas Flood," Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble 22. "One," Metallica (Kirk Hammett) 23. "Cortez the Killer," Neil Young and Crazy Horse 24. "Rock Around the Clock," Bill Haley and His Comets (Danny Cedrone) 25. "Sweet Jane" (live), Lou Reed (Steve Hunter, Dick Wagner) 26. "Purple Rain," Prince and the Revolution (Prince) 27. "Heartbreaker," Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page) 28. "Jessica," Allman Brothers Band (Dickey Betts) 29. "Machine Gun," Jimi Hendrix 30. "Crossroads," Cream (Eric Clapton) 31. "Time," Pink Floyd (David Gilmour) 32. "Are You Experienced," The Jimi Hendrix Experience 33. "Race with the Devil," Gene Vincent (Cliff Gallup) 34. "Don't Believe a Word," Thin Lizzy (Brian Robertson) 35. "Purple Haze," The Jimi Hendrix Experience 36. "Besame Mucho," Wes Montgomery 37. "Sympathy for the Devil," The Rolling Stones (Keith Richards) 38. "Blue Sky," Allman Brothers Band (Duane Allman, Dickey Betts) 39. "My Sharona," The Knack (Berton Averre) 40. "Marquee Moon," Television (Tom Verlaine) 41. "Hitch a Ride," Boston (Tom Scholz) 42. "The End," The Beatles (Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon) 43. "Whole Lotta Love," Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page) 44. "Train Kept A Rollin'" (live), Aerosmith (Joe Perry) 45. "Highway Star," Deep Purple (Ritchie Blackmore) 46. "Dirt," The Stooges (Ron Asheton) 47. "Off the Handle," Rory Gallagher 48. "The Great Curve," Talking Heads (Adrian Belew) 49. "The Messiah Will Come Again," Roy Buchanan 50. "Beat It," Michael Jackson (Eddie Van Halen) Gibson.com Readers Poll Top 25 Guitar Solos Although the readers poll and the overall list agree on the greatest guitar solo in music history (along with many of the other choices), there are some notable differences. For instance, solos by Terry Kath (Chicago), Marc Bolan (T. Rex) and Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) failed to make the final cut. And, boy, you guys sure love your Allman Brothers, don't you? No less than one-fifth of the readers poll consists of Allman tracks even more than that if you count Duane Allman's work on "Layla." 1. "Stairway to Heaven," Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page) 2. "Free Bird," Lynyrd Skynyrd (Allen Collins, Gary Rossington) 3. "Blue Sky," Allman Brothers Band (Duane Allman, Dickey Betts) 4. "Layla," Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton, Duane Allman) 5. "Eruption," Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen) 6. "Whole Lotta Rosie," AC/DC (Angus Young) 7. "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," Allman Brothers Band (Duane Allman, Dickey Betts) 8. "20th Century Boy," T. Rex (Marc Bolan) 9. "Sweet Child o' Mine," Guns N' Roses (Slash) 10. "Rude Mood," Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble 11. "Hotel California," Eagles (Don Felder, Joe Walsh) 12. "Comfortably Numb," Pink Floyd (David Gilmour) 13. "November Rain," Guns N' Roses (Slash) 14. "Back in Black," AC/DC (Angus Young) 15. "Whipping Post," Allman Brothers Band (Dickey Betts, Duane Allman) 16. "Since I've Been Loving You," Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page) 17. "Machine Gun," Jimi Hendrix 18. "Crossroads," Cream (Eric Clapton) 19. "Let There Be Rock," AC/DC (Angus Young) 20. "Statesboro Blues," The Allman Brothers Band (Duane Allman, Dickey Betts) 21. "Keep Yourself Alive," Queen (Brian May) 22. "25 or 6 to 4," Chicago (Terry Kath) 23. "All Along the Watchtower," The Jimi Hendrix Experience 24. "Heartbreaker," Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page) 25. "Landslide," Fleetwood Mac (Lindsey Buckingham) and "Dreams," Allman Brothers Band (Duane Allman) (tie) The Top 50 Guitar Solos: Repeat Offenders Some guitarists' soloing greatness can't be contained by one entry (or even three!). Check out these repeat offenders on Gibson.com's Top 50 Guitar Solos of All Time: Jimmy Page: 4 ("Stairway to Heaven," "Since I've Been Loving You," "Heartbreaker" and "Whole Lotta Love") Jimi Hendrix: 4 ("All Along the Watchtower," "Machine Gun," "Are You Experienced" and "Purple Haze) Eric Clapton: 3 ("Layla," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Crossroads") Eddie Van Halen: 3 ("Eruption," "Hot for Teacher" and "Beat It") David Gilmour: 2 ("Comfortably Numb" and "Time") Duane Allman: 2 ("Layla" and "Blue Sky") Dickey Betts: 2 ("Jessica" and "Blue Sky") Randy Rhoads: 2 ("Crazy Train" and "Mr Crowley") Slash: 2 ("Sweet Child o' Mine" and "November Rain") Neil Young: 2 ("Cortez the Killer" and "Like a Hurricane")

Source:- www.gibson.com If Paul Rodgers is going to record solo material and then do a solo tour, fat chance that he'll get back together with Jimmy. I was kind of hoping that they would. Bad Company to Close Shop? Michael Wright| 09.24.2010 In a new interview with the Southwest Times Record, Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers hinted that the band he helped found in 1973 might be nearing the end of the road. "After this Tulsa show, there will be no further plans for Bad Company beyond dates in Japan," said Rodgers. "I'm working on new solo material in the studio, and I've got a solo U.K. tour planned later, so I'm just seeing how it goes." "We aren't saying never - we never want to say never," the 60-year-old singer continued. "We aren't putting Bad Company to bed, as they say, but the band definitely is something that will be placed onto the back burner." When asked about recent rumors about having been asked to replace Steven Tyler in Aerosmith, Rodgers said, "I love Joe Perry; he's a great guitar player up there with the Jimmy Pages and Jeff Becks of the world. And I love Steven, too. He's a fantastic frontman, and stepping into that slot would be a difficult scenario. Those five guys together is (sic) just fantastic." Bad company will play their final scheduled North American tour date at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Catoosa, Oklahoma on October 7.

Maybe Jimmy's new website will go live to tie in with the publication dateB) .

These restaurant owners were formerly caterers to music celebrities. One of them got into the frame of a Jimmy/Robert photo shoot. The photographer wasn't chuffed (was it Halfin???). Maybe some of our Texas based forum members will know these guys. The last night at Backstage In Spicewood, 86 tears and a requiem for a steakhouse Alberto Martínez photos AMERICAN-STATESMAN Enlarge Photo Chef Raymond Tatum shakes a skillet to burn the alcohol from the wine in which he is sautéing mushrooms. He came to the Backstage from restaurants like Jeffrey's and 612 West. <BR class=clear> Enlarge Photo Kent Hayner, who owned Backstage Steakhouse with wife Beth, greets their last customers.AMERICAN-STATESMAN RESTAURANT WRITER Published: 11:05 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010 people yelling the number 86 a lot. When you 86 something, that means it's all gone: 86 filets, 86 onion rings, 86 mushrooms, 86 cheesecake.Eighty-six Backstage Steakhouse. In quieter tones, if you don't mind. Saturday was the last night for Kent and Beth Hayner's restaurant on Texas 71 in Spicewood, the one they opened in 2002 as an extension of the 28 years they catered to stars like Janet Jackson, KISS, Van Halen, even Rick Springfield and Frank Sinatra. I pulled a shift in the Backstage kitchen that last night, running onion rings and chicken-fried steaks, even lobster, to the only working fryer. Just a month ago, I worked there for a behind-the-scenes story, roasting tomatoes, shredding duck, hauling trash and falling into bed reeking like a soup can. But then the story changed into an epitaph. The last night was huge, the biggest at Backstage in three years. Tickets chattered on the kitchen printer like angry insects, filling one rail and swarming to the next. This was supposed to be the Hayners' night, when they could circulate among friends and say goodbye. A band called Ken Davidson and the Fabulous GTOs muscled up some rock and soul on the patio, and the Longhorns played on the big screen. But so many people came. By 6:15, Kent Hayner was in the kitchen prepping smoked beef appetizers with chipotle mayo. And halfway through, Beth Hayner was running dirty dishes in a shimmering blouse that belonged at a symphony gala. She dragooned a few well-dressed friends to do the same. Some kid called 911. Ordering turned into an act of attrition: You can have anything you want as long as it's halibut or a 16-ounce strip. The bittersweet cheer evaporated. The place was getting slammed. Some of the people from that last night, the angry ones who waited an hour for steaks and got whatever side dishes the kitchen had in stock, will say it's no wonder the place went out of business. But it was like asking a minivan to perform like an Indy car for one last night. No way, no matter how many of us got out to push. When they started Backstage, the Hayners made a high-end commitment by hiring chef Raymond Tatum, who had run kitchens at Jeffrey's, 612 West and Jean-Pierre's Upstairs. When Tatum applied, Kent Hayner told him, "We can't afford a chef of your caliber." Tatum's answer? "You can't afford not to have a chef of my caliber." Before the recession, Backstage had 28 employees and a million dollars' worth of business in a year, Kent Hayner said. Both of those numbers dropped more than 40 percent afterward, he said. Backstage became a luxury people decided they could do without. And low lake levels from two years of drought kept away wealthy clients with summer homes on the Highland Lakes, he said. And the paperwork wore him down. Too much government in his life, with health-care reform about to add to the load, he said. Kent Hayner, 66, said he'd like to do nothing for a while. Beth Hayner, like so many of the people who worked for her, will fall back on her day job with a surgical supply company. "I feel like we're tin cans tied to a bumper," she said after all but the diehards had left. "We'll just go wherever it takes us next." There are many versions of "next." For Tatum, the future will be written in pork, sold from a trailer window. He's trying out names with nursery-rhyme allusions, analyzing numbers and looking for a shady place to cook braised pork-belly sliders with soy-maple reduction and Asian pancakes with sweet and spicy pork shoulder, for starters. His No. 2 man in the kitchen, Rene Rodriguez, has worked with the Hayners for 20 years, starting with a Janet Jackson show in 1989. He once walked right into the frame during a photo shoot for Zeppelineers Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. They were cool about it, he said. The photographer was not. Rodriguez said he'll stay out of the restaurant business awhile, maybe return as a baker. Matt Alves, a pantry cook, said he'd like to "go Kerouac" for awhile, maybe hit the road. More realistically, he'll try to pick up more hours at Tony C's, the pizzeria at the Hill Country Galleria where he works with fellow Backstager Paul Brodsky. Brodsky is the head waiter at Backstage. He's squared away, stoic and moves with the economy of a jungle cat, dressed from the neck down in sleek waiter's black. The next day after the finale, over lunch at Asia Cafe with the core of the Backstage kitchen team, he's the one with the full sleeve of tattoos on his right arm, sunglasses pulled up on his head, the coolest guy in the room. Billie Dixon's a weekend warrior at Backstage, with a full-time gig at Whole Foods Market. He worked his final shifts with a torn Achilles' tendon. To him, the Hayners are "mentors, bosses, friends, parents." Or just "Mom and Dad." Expediter Chris Linscomb will go to his brother's car lot in Oak Hill. Waiter Ian Perry just got a promotion at P. Terry's Burger Stand. Pantry cook Jimmy Thomas said he'll apply at H-E-B or somewhere in the Galleria. His brother, dishwasher Joey Thomas, just shrugged. His sinks were too full to think about it. msutter@statesman.com; 912-5902

Guitar Heaven Carlos Santana's 'Guitar Heaven' review: Album doesn't quite master rejigging masterpieces Jim Farber Tuesday, September 21st 2010, 4:00 AM Santana's 'Guitar Heaven' reworks air guitar masterpieces, but doesn't quite create its own. Santana's 'Guitar Heaven' was suggested by corporate mentor Clive Davis. Carlos Santana accepted a strange assignment for his latest CD. At the suggestion of his corporate mentor Clive Davis, he chose 12 of the most air-guitar-worthy songs of all time, then superimposed his own style on top of them.For "Guitar Heaven," Santana surveyed the work of his few peers - from Jimmy Page to Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton - and selected for interpretation their most obvious masterpieces, from "Whole Lotta Love" to "Little Wing" to "Sunshine of Your Love." Consider it peer-to-peer social networking of the highest order. As commercial as it may seem on one level, significant risks lurked under the surface. If Santana didn't radically rejigger the original songs, he could end up throwing his own towering talents into the shadow of others. On the other hand, if he switched things up too much, it would be like drawing mustaches on masterpieces. As it turns out, a little of each came into play. While "Guitar Heaven" can't help but satisfy an ax-nerd's fantasy, there's also something restrictive about it. The new arrangements may feature all kinds of small switch-ups, but the essential songs remain the same. "Whole Lotta Love" honors Page's original breakdowns to the note, while "Sunshine of Your Love" treats the central chugging riff with a religious reverence. Likewise, the hired-hand star singers who populate the disk stand in awe of the original yowlers - to the point where you couldn't identify some without a cheat sheet. Train's Pat Monahan does a dead-on karaoke of David Lee Roth in "Dance the Night Away," as does Chris Daughtry of Def Leppard's Joe Elliott in "Photograph." (How a Def Leppard song got in this exclusive club is an even bigger problem.) Of the front men, only Nas' rap, in "Back in Black," brings something radically new to the table, though it's a blast to hear Chris Cornell mimic Robert Plant's most virile phase in "Whole Lotta Love." The biggest switchups occur in Santana's many meaty solos, which can be thrilling. Yet he has shaded his style, making it lean more toward frantic metal. At times, he can sound more like a low-down shredder, on the order of Steve Vai, than the high-minded Carlos we know. Typical is his take on the Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," which could use a less exaggerated wah-wah. It's also a shame Santana didn't tap more of his Latin roots, which comes through more in the percussion. For his solos alone, the album has worth. But in the end, it can't help feeling a bit like an intellectual exercise. Either that or just a scheme by Clive to get his man more play on the next Rock Band video game.

According to a posting dated 13.02.2010 on this site http://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asia-news/65219-pattaya-tahitian-queen-gogo-raided-shows.html he has been to Pattaya before.

Electrophile, The nuns in this situation went beyone the smacking on hands with a ruler routine. There was a feature film made here in Scotland about it, produced by filmaker Peter Mullan. The cases were brought to court successfully after many, many years had passed. There was a sexual element to the abuse with the nuns forcing the girls to stand before them naked and making mocking remarks. I was at a Catholic school and they always insist on having teaching nuns on the staff - they really are not suitable for dealing with children. We used to call them 'the Black Mafia'.

Knebby, Perhaps that is why this tour of Britain was touted as a 'State' visit, as opposed to the Pastoral one of 1982. Maybe a State visit has to be paid for by the host country - I honestly don't know. Also, I don't know if anyone remembers that it has not just been priests who have been guilty of abuse. Up here in Scotland, successful cases have been brought against nuns who practised cruelty against schoolchildren in their care.

Thanks Magic for keeping us posted about this. Even if it contains a lot that we know, or have seen before, at least it isn't breaking the bank.

Do any of you think this is too little, too late for those whose lives have been ruined? Source: ITN News Pope apologises for priests' 'unspeakable crimes' The Pope has apologised for the "unspeakable crimes" committed by Catholic priests who sexually abused children. Pope Benedict visit: Day three Play video Pope apologises for priests 'unspeakable crimes' Play video Pope apologises for priests 'unspeakable crimes' Enlarge photo In the most strongly worded public apology of his state visit so far, the Pontiff spoke of the "shame and humiliation" brought by the scandal.He told the congregation at London's Westminster Cathedral: "I think of the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the Church and by her ministers. The apology comes after he acknowledged this week that the Catholic Church had failed to deal with abusive priests decisively or quickly enough. Earlier this morning the Pontiff was greeted by Prime Minster David Cameron - the first time the two men have met since the Pope arrived in the UK. The religious leader also spoke with other political figures including Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and acting opposition leader Harriet Harman.

Is anyone surprised that George has been moved to a 'soft' prison? George Michael Is Moved To 'Softer' Prison Pop star George Michael has been moved to a "softer" prison to finish his drug driving sentence. Related photos / videos The 47-year-old was originally taken to London's Pentonville jail but has transferred to Highpoint - a class C prison in Suffolk. The jail is home to almost 1,000 male convicts with former inmates including Moors murderer Myra Hindley. Michael was jailed on Tuesday for eight weeks after crashing his Range Rover while high on cannabis. The 1980s idol was found slumped at the wheel after hitting a branch of the photo chain Snappy Snaps in north London in July. He admitted driving while unfit through drugs and possessing two cannabis cigarettes when he appeared at London's Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court. The singer, who has a previous conviction for the same offence, was told by District Judge John Perkins there was no option but jail. Lawyers acting on behalf of the singer were due to apply for bail before a judge at Blackfriars Crown Court but a court spokeswoman said: "The bail application has been abandoned."

:lol:

Steve, If that concert doesn't go ahead in some form or another, will this guy Garson not end up with more egg on his face than a frittata? Is Garson someone that US fans are more familiar with - I'd never heard of him.

He may well be in Brazil because he has been noticeably absent in Ross' diary, although RH has in fact been in the US recently. I should think he would want to complete any recording in Brazil, so that he is around for his kids at half term school holidays in October.

George Michael abandons appeal for bail 3 hours 30 mins ago application on behalf of pop star George Michael has been cancelled, a court spokeswoman said. Lawyers acting on behalf of the singer were due to apply for bail before a judge at Blackfriars Crown Court. But a court spokeswoman said: "The bail application has been abandoned."The 47-year-old, whose real name is Georgios Panayiotou, was jailed on Tuesday for eight weeks after crashing his Range Rover while high on cannabis. He was found slumped at the wheel of the car after it smashed into a branch of Snappy Snaps in north London in July. Michael, who has a previous conviction for the same offence, was told by District Judge John Perkins there was no option but jail. The former Wham! star admitted driving while unfit through drugs and possessing two cannabis cigarettes when he appeared at London's Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court last month.

Source:- Rex Features I've already posted some of these on the 'Hot Pics of Robert' Forum for our female members, but have included some others here for everyone. They are of Robert's appearance on the NBC Today show on14 September.

Plant taps into teenage attitude By JANE STEVENSON, QMI Agency Last Updated: September 16, 2010 3:52pm Robert Plant On his latest album, Band of Joy, singer Robert Plant continues his exploration of Americana music covers that began with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss on the multiple-Grammy winning 2007 disc, Raising Sand. And yes, that new album's title is also the name of the Birmingham group that Plant and drummer John Bonham played in before they joined Led Zeppelin. "It has to do with attitude," said Plant, 62, holding court in a Toronto hotel room on Thursday morning. "I mean once upon a time, I was 17, in the Band of Joy, precocious, adamant, triumphant, unloved, but driven like a steam train and with a kind of determination and nonchalance that almost didn't make sense because the fact was that nobody liked it. But I loved it and I believed in it and of course everybody had to jump ship 'cause we were starting to get very hungry. "But I just figured that everything that got me into my world was basically developed on the premise and on the projection of me as a member of the Band of Joy. I was on fire. I made myself flammable. And it was that, that got me the hitch and the foot up into the whole world of music." Plant, dressed casually but stylishly in beige loafers (no socks), tight dark-wash jeans, a navy T-shirt and with his long, curly blond mane tied back in a messy ponytail, looks like he just stepped off the plane from one of the travels he's famous for taking. "I have to take the mountain to Mohammad," he explains of his creative process. "I have to go on a soul searching mission for music in a certain way. So today is Thursday -- in 10 days time, I shall be on the southern-most shores of the Atlantic, at the very tip of Morocco, getting my recompense for this. I'll go out and stand out and see the raging sea come in and all behind me will be vast expanses of desert. It's not expensive to do that, it's just I know how I have to exist to make me into the guy in the Band of Joy." Plant and Krauss actually attempted to make a follow-up record with producer T-Bone Burnett but the results were lacking. They even got together with Canadian producer Daniel Lanois at one point. "He had a bottle of Jameson's and several cases of Tecate, and he and I and Alison met and talked about the meaning of life and it appeared that we could do something. And I'm sure one day we will 'cause Dan is probably one of the most spectacular and important guys in contemporary music 'cause he's wild, he's crazy, he's wonderful. His imagination and his capacity to come up with an idea in a split second actually turns the day inside out. It was a wonderful time. I spent three days with him. We wrote five songs." Eventually Plant ended up with noted Nashville guitarist-producer Buddy Miller, who played in the Raising Sand Band Revue, and Patty Griffin became Plant's new female duet partner after Krauss decided to go back to her day job with Union Station. "Buddy's a man for every single turn, and shape, and angle of great music," said Plant, whose tour with Band of Joy is expected to have dates in Canada beginning in Toronto on Jan. 18. "His taste and his fountain of knowledge is immeasurable. I've never known anybody so profound and with such a great charm and superb discretion. Whenever I get a little bit, (starts singing), 'Hey, Mama, Mama', He sort of looks at me and frowns a little bit. And I go, 'Oh, yeah, I know what you mean.' So I rein back in the demon -- the little tiny bits of that other guy occasionally surfaces -- and I go, 'Oooooh.' "Whatever it is, it's a part of my personality. I've got an exaggerated personality I suppose. Let's face it. If that's all I've come out with that's a bit dodgy, that's not bad really. I was immune to penicillin for years." Plant eyes fancy tape recorder So I sit down to talk to Robert Plant at a Toronto hotel on Thursday morning and he immediately eyes my Sony cassette tape recorder and demands to know where he can buy one. "You can't get those in England," says the one-time lead singer of Led Zeppelin. Plant immediately orders a record company employee to go out and find one before he gets on a plane. "Let's get analogue!" he commands. "That's how you'll help me make a new album of all original songs." He explains further: "I bought a whole beautiful digital set-up that you could chuck into half a shoebox, but I don't like the way digital stacks memory. Admittedly now, I'm hardly writing music, I'm just performing now a lot, but when I was writing, my more recent solo stuff, I've had to record vocal ideas against backing tracks using digital stuff. I don't care (about the quality of analogue) because it's not the finished article anyway." jane.stevenson@sunmedia.ca

Source:- The Montreal Gazette Robert Plant Band of Joy Es Paranza/ Rounder Rating 4.5 out of 5 As he closes another recorded chapter in one of rock's most impressive third-act journeys, Robert Plant is clearly having a whale of a time. On the last track of his superb new disc, Band of Joy, the former Led Zeppelin vocalist wails on top of a drum-dominated stomper: "Fame is but a slow decay/ Even this shall pass away," he sings. The line is significant. An awareness of rock 'n' roll glory's fickle nature pretty much defines the secret of Plant's late-career successes. He has resolutely taken a pass on seemingly sure bets like a Zeppelin reunion and a sequel to his platinum, multi-Grammy-winning collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand, preferring to skip the easy money and explore territory that tickles his artistic fancy. The new album reveals its treasures at a leisurely pace. At first, it seems to lack the disarming force of Mighty Rearranger, released in 2005, and the shocking beauty of Raising Sand, issued two years later. But as the ear becomes acclimated to Plant's new ensemble -related, in name only, to his psychedelic pre-Zep group -stirring its pot of backbeat-driven roots, traditional folk blues and dark, menacing rockers, the level of artistry here becomes dramatically apparent. The guitar work of Plant's right-hand-man and co-producer, Buddy Miller, serves as a sort of anchor to the album's sound. Whether it's bright and chiming, as on the gorgeous, inscrutable Townes Van Zandt composition Harm's Swift Way or barely repressing rage, as on the inspired covers of Silver Rider and Monkey by Minnesota slowcore trio Low, Miller's instrument is a key element. As the disc unfolds, mandolin, banjo and pedal steel play off Miller while Patty Griffin occasionally sweetens the vocal mix. As latter-day Plant albums have led us to expect, his voice is in fighting trim, even when settled most of the time at a lower register. His interpretive powers are also on full display, as he digs happily into the typically stirring melody and incongruously bleak lyrics of Richard Thompson's House of Cards. "The birds are wheeling/ Up above your head/ Ah, your days are numbered/ You're as good as dead," Plant sings in Thompson's song. But Band of Joy suggests that Plant, even at 62, is nowhere near done. Podworthy: Falling In Love Again Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Robert+Plant+Band+Treasures+slowly+revealed/3531873/story.html#ixzz0zjLPho2E

I thought he looked fantastic - like he is really enjoying himself these days.

Only if you are well behaved, Steve. Santa knows who has been good or bad.

Robert on the NBC Today show - still charming the ladies Source:- Rex Features