Page begins his comeback.1983.

I was curious about this book and read the chapter pertaining to Zeppelin at the Barnes and Noble. It saved me a good bit of change. The information wasn't new at all and it seems to indict Goldberg as one of the main squealers that formed the basis of the Hammer of the Gods release. The only new revelation is he admits to having the photo shot of Page slumped out and smacked out at the Detective photo session. Now there's a guy you can trust.

Reduced: 50% of original size [ 604 x 403 ] - Click to view full image Is that David Johansen? ----------------------------------------------------------- It maybe Michael Monarch the guitarist from Detective.

Stop, Look and Listen - Jeff Beck

Ah...the broken finger photo. That batch of pictures from Minneapolis soundcheck really show how badly broken his digit was early on the 1975 tour. Codeine and Jack Daniels to the rescue.

A Change Is Gonna Come- Sam Cooke....in honor of this week. Hey Middlezep!

I think your correct Otto in regards to Jimmy nurturing his own musical ideas and individual guitar identity. He also might have wanted to avoid the same reaction to Hendrix Jeff Beck had experienced . Jeff Beck said he felt switching careers from ace guitarist to a garbageman after witnessing Hendrix live for the first time!

He broke the E-string on his guitar about 10 seconds after that photo was taken. He then re-arranged the entire second half of the solo. Give it a listen and you'll hear him change gears.

Atlanta, Tampa, Pittsburgh were the other outdoor gigs from the 1973 U.S.A. tour. They may be from one of those gigs.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------quote from Evster: Okay (stretches and prepares for the worst), yes, Jimmy swapped to KT88s, but his volume was just set a 4-7 depending on venue. Not speaker blowing territory when you look at his rig. As for heroin, he (as far as I know) never shot with a needle. It was mostly coke with a little smack cut in. Clearly the set had gotten routine by '75. The magic was Bonham by then. He was the beating heart. The improv was gone for the most part. Tight but loose, yes, but the song didn't remain the same. People always want to blame it on the drugs. But it wasn't the drugs. At least not then. It was the road. The lifestyle across the board took its toll. It was just too big. By '77, the groupies weren't getting the services rockstar Page was delivering in '72. It was a diet of banana daiquiries and magazine interviews. Creem magazine painted the iconic picture. But it took Karac's death to plunge Jimmy into full-on self destruction. Yeah, Jimmy was doing some smack in '77, but that's not what broke him. It was the circus around him. It was off the rails (no pun intended), not the dope. That was present yes, but only took over when there was no Zeppelin, when he was sequestered in his home wondering if his band was over. Zeppelin was a band on autopilot in '77, not a band too fucked up to play. There was so much swirling around them. Like I said, it just got so big. It became more about the show than the performance, if you can follow my meaning. The exploration of the music took a back seat, and the spectacle took over. It wasn't the drugs. That happened later. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your insight into the band's plight at the time is spot on Evster. I think this pattern became truly ingrained following Robert's accident. Lethary, inertia ,depression and sloth all stem from lack of work combined with the various intakes that deplete. That doesn't lead to musical inspiration. It's a bad formula.

Hey Otto. Nice insights. I think both Page and Hendrix were ambitious and creative guitarists - composers. There may have been some level of competition that was unspoken. Jimmy was extremely aware of Eddie Kramer through his creative work with Hendrix and employed him to engineer Zeppelin II. Hendrix would had to have heard that piece of production but never publicly commented upon it. Jeff Beck did stating he was unimpressed. Shows you what he knew!

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - Jeff Beck

It's pretty odd neither Hendrix or Page ever saw one another perform. I remember Jeff Beck commenting on Jimi's extreme incoherence the last few times he saw him. In their earlier times Beck spoke glowingly of Hendrix and the fun they had jamming and hanging. How funny and bright he thought Hendrix was. As things progressed Beck related the sad deterioration in Jimi's demeanor and even in his playing. The pressure he was under and all the users around leeching off him.

Were they playing Same Old Rock? If they were how appropriate for Ginger to get a stone pelting.

Stranger Here Than Over There - Robert Plant

Take It To The Limit - The Eagles

Bad Time - Grand Funk Railroad

Town Without Pity - Gene Pitney

Stand On It - Jeff Beck

A Dream Goes On Forever - Todd Rundgren

Get Up With It- Miles Davis

Happy 64th birthday Mr. Beck! Mr. Strat Cat. Fox News just acknowledged Jeff's birthday showing some recent video of him ripping it up live. The news anchors thought it was old footage because Jeff looks so young. Keep eating those greens Beckola!

Hey Ev and Otto. Jimmy's broken finger in 1975 led to some real cool guitar solos at the Chicago shows on that tour. His phrasing on Trampled Underfoot and Communication Breakdown had a great feel to them. A little slower in pace but still very melodic. Bonham was kicking at those shows to compensate for Robert and Jimmy's frailties.

Whiskey River - Willie Nelson