Lefraud Shames can now take his talents to loserville. Bwaaa HaHa! IT'S OVER! DALLAS BEAT THE HEATLES! And it was a wonderful sight. DIRK is WUNDERBAR!!! Struggled first 3 quarters but was great when they needed him in the 4th. Deserved the MVP. Man, can you imagine what this win will do to Mark Cuban's head? Dallas had to beat Miami this year, as Miami WILL get better. Of course, we may have seen the last NBA game for a couple years. C'mon owners and players...get together and avert a lockout. Congratulations to Dirk, Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks (America's new favourite team) and their fans. As a Laker fan, at least I can say they lost to the champs.

These are tough times for vampires. Thanks to garbage like Twilight and all these new Vampire romance novels that have flooded the market, it's not exactly a great time to be a vampire these days. But once upon a time, there used to be cool Vampire movies, like Bela Legosi...and the Christopher Lee-Peter Cushing Hammer films from Britain in the 60's and 70's. There were even some cool Lesbian vampire flicks from Europe by Jess Franco, Jean Rollins, etc. But possibly my all-time favourite vampire flick is Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu"...the original F.W. Murnau silent with Max Schreck as the Count is an all-time classic as well...but there is something just a little extra haunting, spooky, and hypnotic about Herzog's version: the cinematography, music, Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani's creamy porcelain skin, Popol Vuh. I was reminded of this, when I was making a post over on the Classical music thread. It is based on Bram Stoker's "Dracula" book...and they actually use the real names of the characters, unlike Murnau's version where they changed the names to avoid having to pay Bram Stoker's family. If you haven't seen it, you OWE it to yourself to check it out...in fact, I COMMAND you to watch it; and make any Twilight-loving friends or kids you have watch it, too. Vampires are NOT supposed to sparkle...they don't look like Euro-trash models. They are supposed to be creepy, spooky, feral, blood-thirsty. Like Klaus Kinski and Max Schreck. Here's a clip of Herzog's "Nosferatu"...there's two versions out on DVD; an original German-language w/English subtitles version and an English version, where Herzog had Kinski and the actors speak english. The German language version is a few minutes longer. Rent it...you won't be sorry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvrBWCtylyI

In reference to the Rover's post above, my favourite use of Wagner in a film is in Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu", his 1979 remake of the silent "Nosferatu". For Jonathan Harker's(Bruno Ganz) journey to the Count's(Klaus Kinski) castle, Herzog uses Wagner's Rheingold Prelude for much of the scene...it begins 2:21 into the clip. The whole scene is epic and hypnotic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkAI9kALWss&feature=youtube_gdata_player Another mesmerizing scene with great music is the Dance Macabre, or Pestilence scene, where Isabelle Adjani walks through the town square as the townspeople, resigned to the fact that the plague has overtaken their town, live it up one last time. The piece of music Herzog uses in this scene is a vocal chant from Georgia(Russia) called Zinskaro or Tsinskaro by the Vokal Ansambl Gordelo. For some reason it is nearly impossible to find on cd.

I have a couple books on Chanel that also place her at the Paris premiere of The Rite of Spring and mention her inviting Stravinsky and his family to stay with her. Any more is conjecture I suppose. But even so, the movie works and I suggest you give it a try. I think you'll like it. Oh, and I forgot to mention in my previous post, but the costumes and art direction/interior design is to die for.

Here's an unorthodox pick that may upset the purists. But it's a cover of one of my favourite Elliott Smith songs, "Between the Bars" by Madeleine Peyroux...and it has a bluesy-soulful feel. As usual with Peyroux, you'll either love her voice or be annoyed by her obvious attempt to sound like Billie Holiday. I tend to fall in the former camp. Give it a listen...

Okay, I have questions. Especially if this purports to be footage from 7-27-73 only. 1. How did he switch from the sunburst Les Paul to the red Les Paul during Celebration Day, as DavidZoso noticed? During the movie, when it switches during Black Dog I bought it, as he could've switched during the ah-ah-ah-ah part, when the band isn't playing. But there isn't one moment during Celebration Day when the guitar isn't playing. When did Jimmy switch? This 8mm film clip is just fragments...is there a noticeable gap on the 7-27-73 soundboard of Celebration Day where the guitar is missing that would explain how Jimmy could switch guitars? If not, then this clip is not just 7-27-73, but a mix of the MSG shows. 2. Why did Jimmy go to the trouble of having that cool outfit made for him and then wear the matching jacket for only the first three songs? Did he ever wear that jacket for an entire show or did he always switch to the black and red poppy jacket after the first three songs? 3. Knowing they were filming the 3MSG shows, why didn't the band tell Jones to pick a shirt and stick with it the entire MSG run?

You're welcome ZepRex...and it makes me happy that I was able to affect you in that way. For that was my intent with these recent posts of mine...to really give you and others who weren't able to see Led Zeppelin(not counting Page & Plant and the O2 show) in concert a totally gonzo and detailed(or as detailed as I could get) description of those 1973 concerts. And to allow those who WERE at those shows to take a trip down memory lane as well, and maybe trigger their own memories and stories. My inspiration for finally writing these concert reviews(besides hospital confinement) was reading so many books like Stephen Davis' LZ '75...where the emphasis on Zeppelin seemed to be more on what was going on around the band and less on the actual concert. I went to a Led Zeppelin concert because they created sounds and feelings in my head and heart that no other band of the time could. I didn't even know, much less care, about the groupies and smashed hotel rooms at that time. The optimum way to read these 1973 posts would be to cue up the respective bootleg for each show: Bonzo's Birthday Party, Kezar Stadium, and the Three Days After boots....and listen to them while reading. And you could look at David Zoso's photo threads for visual stimulation. Of course, this still wouldn't come close to the total effect of a Led Zeppelin concert....but hopefully it'll be close enough.

What a coincidence...I was just thinking of Stairway to Heaven today and was wondering if I should just make a new thread or resurrect this one. You saved me the trouble...thanks Brad. Anyway, what got me to thinking about Stairway is that I've just discovered something about the lyrics. The part about "If there's a bustle in your hedge-row...it's just a spring clean for the May Queen". Now I just always took it at face-value...meaning that if you heard something was rustling around in your hedges, that it was just a Fairy Queen...or Faerie, if you prefer...doing a little cleaning. But I recently was reading something about English vernacular, and apparently, a "bustle" is another word for "bra" in England. Also, Maytag washing machines were commonly referred to May Queens. So this puts that lyric in a completely different light. Perhaps Knebby, Magic Fills the Air, or some of our other English brethren can confirm this bit of linguistic information. Before I go...I wanted to clear up something about the original post I wrote. I didn't want to suggest that everyone HAD to like Stairway to Heaven. I like it, but if YOU DON'T, that's okay, and I don't think that you have to like Stairway to be a Led Zeppelin fan. My post was more directed at those that DID LIKE Stairway to Heaven, but, because of cultural pressure over the years that suggested that Stairway was lame and that liking it made you a nerd or uncool, started HIDING the fact that they liked Stairway. When people would ask them if they were Zeppelin fans, they'd say yes, but they didn't like Stairway...even though I KNEW that Stairway was their favourite song. It really gained steam around the time of the Wayne's World movie, when the gag about "NO Stairway" at the guitar shop took root. So, my post was just a combination of celebratory Birthday nod(the achievement of Stairway DID lead to the further development of the band, allowing for Rain Song, Ten Years Gone, Achilles Last Stand and other cool songs) and a rallying cry for those that had been shamed into hiding their love for Stairway to come out of the closet. But if you never liked Stairway in the first place, that's cool, and I certainly wouldn't expect you to like it now. The world is big enough for both types of Zeppelin fans, the Stairway lovers and haters...and neither one is a bigger or lesser fan for it.

I've taken your advice...and SuperDave, silvermedallist, and others who suggested...and submitted all three 1973 posts(after some slight editing and rephrasing and corrections) to Sam and the moderators for the Timeline. Hopefully they are not too long...I didn't see a word-limit posted for the Timeline section.

Can't wait to get a copy...waiting for it to hit my local bookstores...either Vroman's, Book Soup or Skylight Books. If you're ever in Los Angles, look 'em up.

As a contrast to the above, here's Skip James' original 1931 recording of Devil Got My Woman. A belated birthday post for Skip James, born June 9, 1902.

Another one of my all-time favourite blues cats...the great SKIP JAMES! This clip is from the same bar during the '66 Neport Festival that the above Howlin' Wolf clip was filmed...bonus points if you can name all the BLUES GIANTS in the room with Skip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB2POWSnStU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

There was a French movie that came out a year or so ago, called "Coco & Igor". It didn't get a lot of publicity or wide distribution, unfortunately, and kind of got overshadowed by the Audrey Tatou Coco Chanel movie. But I saw Coco & Igor, and I was spellbound. Is it 100% accurate in depicting the relationship between Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky? Who knows. What I do know is that it is worth seeing this movie just for the first 15 minutes, which depicts with great detail the infamous Paris premiere of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring). And the actors who portray Chanel and Stravinsky are wonderful. Highly recommended for fans of both Chanel and Stravinsky...and if you're a fan of the Rite of Spring and want to see a good visualization of what happened that historic night of May 29, 1913. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21ldvFgZCEI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Well, I guess it depends on when and where you grew up. Southern California in the 70's was pretty crazy...the sexual revolution coupled with the counter-culture explosion and the rising divorce rate. There were plenty of kids like me and Trudy...parents divorced, feeling unloved, and when you don't get the love hou want from a parent, sometimes you look elsewhere. Plus I was naturally curious, and a book worm...that led me to discover all those new sex books that exploded onto the scene in the late-60's and early-70's: The Sensuous Woman and The Sensous Man, Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask, The Joy of Sex, My Secret Garden, Total Sex...all those and more I discovered on my parent's bookshelves. And technically I was 10 but my birthday was only a couple months away...and I was tall for my age. And Trudy was nearly a full year older...she turned 12 later that June. Lots of couples in our class were already french-kissing and stuff. We didn't see it as a big deal...it was fun. As for what an 11 or 12 year old girl is attracted to is a matter of personal taste. You may think they only go for Leif Garrett or Justin Bieber types, but you're wrong. I bet there were plenty young tweens who thought Plant was hot. Or David Bowie, T. Rex and any number of rock stars. And I've got more news for you...my 12-year old niece HATES Justin Bieber, Jonas Bros., Zach Efron and all the other teen idols. She's into Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day and the guy from Good Charlotte...or is it My Chemical Romance? I can never remember. She also loves Weezer...a band of 40-year olds; go figure. As for the detail of my memory. First of all, you have to remember I've been LIVING with the memories of these concerts for nearly 40 years. And the three main inputs of information that went into the writing of these three posts were: 1. My journals and concert notes, which I went over so often through the years that most became imbedded in my memory. 2. The Bonzo's Birthday Party and Three Day After bootlegs...both of which I played so many times in the 70's and 80's, that I can still hear certain parts in my head. 3. Knowledge gained from hindsight, whether from books or magazine articles...or just in a change of view in how I see certain things. Like, at the time I was kind of bummed they didn't do an acoustic set, especially for Trudy's sake...she would've preferred that to Dazed and Confused, I'm sure. Anyhow, the memory is a funny thing. Certain seismic events lodge in your brain with no difficulty. That's why I can still recall what I was doing when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, Richard Nixon resigned or OJ tried to escape via the White Bronco...but I cannot remember what I had for breakfast last weekend. And if you don't think a Led Zeppelin concert was a seismic event, I guess I failed to convey that in the posts.

A book? That's quite a compliment, Stargroves Tangie...and FireOpal, Anjin, and others who have suggested likewise, thank you. Flattery and food are a way to a man's heart. But a book? I'm not THAT confident in my writing; hell, that's one of the reasons it took so long for me to share these Zeppelin memories with you. A better writer would've been able to say what I did in half the space. And reading a post on the board is one thing, but would you really pay money to read my gobbledygook? I know what a publisher would ask me: what makes my take on Zeppelin worth publishing? There's already been a plethora of books on Led Zeppelin recently. There have also been several coming of age in the '70's memoirs, none of which set the publishing world on fire. More importantly from the publisher's view, I have zero contact with the band or anyone who knows the band. I don't even know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. I have zero inside information. I'm afraid most, if not all publishers would take a pass. Actually, given that all Zeppelin books, with the dry scholarly exception of Susan Fast's, have been written by men, what is needed is a woman's point of view. A woman to write what it means to be a Led Zeppelin fan, and what their music means through a female sensibility. That would be unique.

Happy Birthday Chester...er, Mr. Wolf! You've heard of lickin' stick? Get ready for lickin' harp...How Many More Years; Newport '66:

LET'S GO MAVS! LET'S GO MAVS! LET'S GO MAVS! LET'S GO MAVS! LET'S GO MAVS! LET'S GO MAVS! Okay, that was another hella-win by the Mavs last night. In fact, this whole series has been a gas to watch...just about every game has gone down to the wire. FANTASTIC SFUFF! But now the hard part...going to Miami for the final 2 games. For it is a trueism of the NBA that on the road, 3-point shots don't fall as easy and the bench players usually don't play as well. These games in Miami will be Eastern Conference-style grinders...no scores in the 100's. Dirk and the starters will have work and play TWICE as hard now, and grit and grind it out. Expect Lebron to be more comfortable and more aggressive at home...and, as such, get the benefit of the ref's calls. I expect Wade to go all-out crazy, too. If Dallas can withstand the first 10 minutes of the game, when the Heat will be super-amped to blow Dallas out, then they'll be alright. Coach Carlisle has got to have his team ready to match the Heat's energy. In fact, to get his team in the mindset of taking care of business, I would have Dallas pack for only one day.

I hear ya, Super Dave! It's one of those crazy quirks that are part of nearly every Led Zeppelin live release. For HTWWW, I always wonder if someone misread a memo or something, because both That's the Way and Bron-Y-Aur Stomp seem to be misrepresented. For That's the Way, they use the Forum version where Robert forgets the last verse and goes to the last chorus too soon. They should have used the Long Beach one, where I don't recall him messing up the lyrics. Then, for Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, they use Long Beach, which is a nice version, but lacks the extra oomph and crowd atmosphere of the Forum version. So instead of LA Forum That's the Way and Long Beach Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, it should have been the other way around: Long Beach That's ..., followed by LA Forum Stomp. Yeah, I know...I'm nitpicking. Don't get me started on the gutting of the encores. Back to the studio version of Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, I have used this song, and Led Zep III, particularly side 2, to turn many self-professed Led Zeppelin-haters into grudging admirers. Even my dad. It's one of the albums I used to gently ease my first girlfriend into Zeppelin. In fact, if you caught me on a certain day, THIS(LZ III) might be the ONE Led Zeppelin album I save from a fire or take on a deserted isle, if I can only pick one. Especially if I can take my super-deluxe version...first made on cassette in the 80's...now currently burned on cd...the live tracks have changed from time-to-time. Here is the track listing for my super-deluxe Led Zeppelin III: 1. Immigrant Song 2. Friends 3. Celebration Day 4. Since I've Been Loving You 5. Out on the Tiles 6. Jennings Farm Blues (studio outtake) 7. Gallows Pole 8. Tangerine 9. That's the Way 10. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp 11. Feel So Bad/Fixing to Die/ That's Alright Mama (studio outtake...Hat's Off to Harper music with different lyrics) 12. Poor Tom (from Coda) 13. Hey Hey What Can I Do Bonus Live Tracks: 14. Out on the Tiles (Live @ LA Forum 9-4-70) 15. Bron-Yr-Aur (Live @ LA Forum 9-4-70) 16. That's the Way (Live @ Berkeley 9-14-71) 17. Celebration Day (Live @ Osaka 9-29-71)

Okay...the above didn't knock anyone out...take a listen to THIS! This is California Desert Blues, the flipside to Hard Time Blues...Lane Hardin's only recordings.

What a coinkidink...that's one of the CD's I've had with me during my hospital stay. The 2003 remaster with bonus tracks. Love the early Wilco too...especially Being There. But Yankee Foxtrot Hotel was the necessary great leap forward. And the later addition of local legend Nels Cline was genius. When I first heard Radio Cure, I was gobsmacked...I knew then the band was gonna be all right and not hit a creative dead end. The genius of the song is that it is simultaneously soothing and unsettling. Submitted for your approval: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ea8gCC5HuE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Roy Haynes can GROOVE, mister! Neil Peart tonight.

Wow, nobody's replied to this yet? This is AWESOME NEWS! Looking forward to the new stuff very much. Wilco is in my top 5 or so of best artists of the past 20 years...something like this: Radiohead Stereolab Wilco Low Sigur Rós Lucinda Williams PJ Harvey Bjork Broadcast White Stripes That's a general top 10...the order might fluctuate on any given day. The next 10 would probably include: Elliott Smith Sonic Youth Aimee Mann Mogwai Explosions in the Sky Black Crowes Acid Mothers Temple Nick Cave/Grinderman Beck Jon Brion

It wouldn't work on my phone. Happy Birthday anyway, Les Paul!