Just read Stephen Fry's autobiography (the first one) in which he recalls being at boarding school in the seventies and sixth-formers amusing themselves by sending him (as the younger "fag") to their friends with messages about their favourite bands. They take their favourite bands very seriously and take it as a grave insult if he shows up repeating a message like "Fairport Convention are better than the Incredible String Band" or whatever, and are apt to want to shoot the messenger. Also he isn't into music himself at all at this point, and has trouble remembering the names of the bands ("The Unbelievable String Band" etc, which makes them shout at him even more) or even, initially, realizing that it's even about bands. So when someone gives him a message about Jethro Tull, he says: "As in the drill?" "The Drill? Never heard of them. Look, just say 'Jethro Tull is better than...'" I reckon that would be quite a cool band name. Sounds very punk.

One of my favourites too - I think it was that pic bottom left that started my (non-musical) fondness for Jimmy. It's the only look of his (or any man's, really) that I ever tried to copy (would be good with jeans or a denim skirt). But I couldn't find a scarf that's big and voluminous enough and sits in the right way. Roll on October. I want my book!

Lesser-known Stargroves pics. I know they're not all of Jimmy, but let's make an exception - they just look like they're having so much fun. Jimmy was so chilled out he even let Robert touch one of his guitars...

Helpful guide to the British Isles. I'd be willing to bet not one Brit in a thousand could draw it.

Excellent answers, thanks! Just realized that there's this one too (clearly disembarking; in the dark; the in-car one looks like an after-dark shot too): and this one (hard to say whether it's embarking or disembarking just from the pose, but clearly daytime): So my guess is the two b/w ones are from the start of the journey, by the same photographer who did the pics on the plane (Preston also? Was he travelling with them?), and the three colour ones by someone else who was waiting at the airport on arrival and watched them get in their car etc. I think in the pic on the steps Robert's in the same leather jacket he's wearing in the car; he's just switched scarves by the time he gets to the car. (There was a lot of changing of clothes on this flight and on this day - Jones is seen in two jackets, Bonham in three entirely distinct outfits, Plant in one outfit for the pre-flight b/w shots - if that's what they are - then the jumper, then something else again for the rehearsal shots - perhaps it's all a bit less "candid" than it looks and they're really giving some thought to what they want to be wearing for the pictures). Only problem with that idea: I think they might still be on the plane in the colour shot where Robert's got a mug - it looks like the same mug as in the b/w on-plane shots: - in which case someone has taken pics onboard and then run down the steps ahead of them to get more as they come down - again, perhaps all a lot more staged than it looks. But either way, the colour pics appear to be taken at the arrival end. So it was already dark when they touched down (Jimmy can be seen making an exaggerated "God I'm knackered" face in one shot, pulling down his eyes) and THEN they went and did the rehearsal. But it's January, so it could be dark and still not that late. Even so, looking at the amount of drinks on display in these shots, I think you've got to sort of admire the pace (and quality) they managed to keep up whilst more or less perpetually half-cut.

Which member was that? And do we know the date?

Also, can these pics: - presumably taken either side of the flight - be pinned down re. time, location, photographer etc? (Note Robert's three different outfits and presence / absence of Elvis ribbon). Also, I know the Burroughs interview - - was published in June '75, but on what date was it actually conducted? (I know it was in New York). Finally (nearly there, I promise), any thoughts on date / location / circumstances / photographer of this: - note different jumper to in other pics with similar outfit. Cheers!

Excellent, thankyou. The ribbon was confusing me - I was thinking it was the sort of thing you'd be wearing if you were just given it today, like it was a kind of backstage pass or something. Jimmy's treasured memento of May '74, maybe. (If you look closely at the Starship pics, it's been put on or taken off at some point during the flight). While we're sort of in the area, a few more questions that occurred whilst looking at the pics of Jimmy in this outfit: Firstly, are these pics - taken later the same day (17 Jan) at a soundcheck, i.e. in Bloomington, Minnesota, ready for the show the next day? (Jimmy having ditched the ribbon and Robert having had a change of clothes)? They're very professional-looking pics for a soundcheck (same photgrapher as on the Starship? Following them around for a couple of days for a magazine piece?). Also with a weirdly dark background for a soundcheck (unless they were roadtesting the lighting at the same time), and funny how the band kind of look in some shots like they're putting on a quite flamboyant performance rather than just going through the motions and thinking about technical stuff. Just consciously putting on a show for the photographer? There's also this which clearly is a soundcheck pic, but it has a different look to it - different photographer? I presume they were flying into Bloomington, but where from? Chicago? (I've seen the Starship pics labelled as "Detroit" before but I don't know if that's right). Would they have flown into Chicago after the previous show in Brussels, and stayed there for this leg of the tour?

Not so much a "mystery" as "something that's factual and known but I just don't happen to know it", but can anyone clarify how many times Zeppelin and Elvis met? (And any further details regarding dates, times, places etc). What I have is: First time: 1972 (as stated by Cameron Crowe; date unspecified) - in Elvis' Las Vegas hotel suite. (Cameron also says"they would never meet again"). Second time (according to article on ultimateclassicrock.com): 11 May 1974 (the band were in LA for the Swan Song launch and met Elvis at the LA Forum). Third time (still Ultimate Classic Rock): at Elvis' home (date unspecified - not even the year). Fourth time (UCR again): "on Baltimore airport tarmac when both were on tour in 1977" (more precise date unspecified). In the 1975 pics taken on board the Starship (am I right in thinking these were taken 17 January 1975?) Jimmy is wearing an "Elvis on Tour" ribbon - is that some souvenir of having seen / met him shortly before, or just a more general statement?

"Edelweiss". I don't even like it. I just read a funny story a couple of days ago about how Ronald Reagan, at some point in the 80s, was in Austria taking to an Austrian diplomat when the band struck up "Edelweiss" and Reagan sprang to his feet, hand on heart and gaze fixed in the middle distance, convinced that this was the Austrian National Anthem. Been humming the damn thing ever since.

^ Wow, I love the lining in that jacket. So he does wear colour. A bit of a dandy on the quiet, still.

Zep gigs, obviously. Probably followed by an attempt at joining the ranks of the groupies, I'm a little ashamed to say. There's no-one around nowadays who I would behave that way for, but if it was Zep, I've got a feeling I could go there. And Shakespeare's London; seeing the original performances of the plays and meeting the man himself. If I was limited to my own lifetime and fixing my own mistakes, well there'd be a laundry list. But one thing would be: I'd go to 1995 (the first time I was allowed to go to a festival - Glastonbury) and watch Page and Plant. At the time I didn't know or care who Page and Plant were, and I genuinely have no idea whether I saw them or not, which makes me cross with myself. Even if I did see them, I wasn't paying much attention. I would make sure I was watching, and pay attention.

I think it's the lighting - whenever you see pics taken in natural light during the Zep period, he always looks really pale. I don't think he was really much of a getting-out-in-the-fresh-air-and-sunshine kind of guy then. More a "staying in a darkened room with candles lit and the blinds closed and a bottle / guitar / needle / girl / stack of esoteric literature" kind of guy. But there's lots of pics from much later on where he's very brown - I think he's one of those people who will tan very easily if he does actually let the sun get near him: It is fantastic to see him looking healthy. But I think it's clear that the mind doesn't always recover as readily as the body. Like he said in a recent interview, "drugs do not make you one bit more creative". Badly translated possibly, but you get the gist. I really think that the stuff got to whatever part of the brain is responsible for writing awesome songs, and damaged it, permanently. It's tragic how many people whose talent really wasn't in need of any enhancement fell into the trap of thinking that the hard stuff was somehow going to do them some good. I think Jimmy was quoted somewhere saying that he "only got into heroin because I thought it would make me more creative." It really is evil stuff. It's never done anybody any good at all, ever.

It is, isn't it? (I agree, "innies" are much nicer). But it's the golden glow on the stomach that really gets me about the pic. That and the sharp hipbone... I always liked them skinny.

I don't know - if so, clearly much too wasted to realize he didn't have his mouth near enough a mic for anyone to hear. Yep, I think it's safe to assume that by this date (the last one before the tour was tragically cut short) he was in a pretty bad way. Though I've always thought this is the most "wasted" pic of all:

7

Live highlights of 1977. A little monotonous because of the near-continual wearing of the white dragon suit this year, but some nice shots. And here endeth the series, seeing as there are just no really good live pics from 1979 or 1980, unless someone wants to prove me wrong, which would be nice. If anyone has clearer pics of the "Zoso" jacket (worn only once), that would be nice too. 77

Ah, so I see: http://www.josaka.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14049 http://www.nwra.com/resumes/baldwin/personal.php Also, have now found that my original question was answered over four years ago (before I was a member on here) - a forum member's father has actually been in the music room, and confirms it's Sonning: http://forums.ledzeppelin.com/index.php?/topic/12964-jimmys-music-room/?hl=deanery Now I'm wondering if Jimmy built the huge extension or if it predates him... he could have built his ideal music room from scratch, lucky bugger. And a James Bondesque vault for guitars, with reinforced walls four feet thick...

It was a VERY interesting read. Rarely have I disagreed with something so much ("Tangerine" one of their best, and "Dazed" lousy? Please) whilst also really enjoying it. He's very intelligent and perceptive, even if I think he's mostly wrong. (He's not being iconoclastic for the sake of it). And that's probably what actually does you some good to read, a hell of a lot more than just reading stuff that reinforces what you already think. Although the bits that DO reinforce what I already thought are awesome. That description of what's great about "Good Times Bad Times" is so completely bang on. “True Wit is Nature to advantage dress'd What oft was thought, but ne'er so well express'd; Something whose truth convinced at sight we find, That gives us back the image of our mind." - Pope Sorry, I'm feeling poetical today. But that's the nature of the best rock writing - you don't need a writer to tell you to love something, but when they can really capture why you do, it's glorious.