SteveAJones
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Jimmy Page (The Yardbirds)
1967 Australian Tour
January 21-28 1967
Edit: 1/22/66 article and ad published in Sun-Herald, not Sydney Morning Herald.
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...this you can probably confirm ASAP, Catherine James of Dandelion author writes she saw Led Zeppelin shows at The Shrine in '71 (she probably meant The Forum)
and Just out of curiosity why has Zep never played The Shrine...
Led Zeppelin played Shrine Auditorum twice in 1968 (5/31 & 6/1). It's seating capacity was 6,300 while The Forum held 18,000 for concerts. Every L.A. Zeppelin concert from
Sept 1970 onward was held at The Forum.
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Jimmy Page (The Yardbirds)
1967 Australian Tour
January 21-28 1967
Greg in Sydney (ac124) discovered the following earlier today thru meticulous, painstaking research at the National Library of Australia upon private request and encouragement:
Adelaide Advertiser January 20, 1967
Sydney Morning Herald January 22, 1967
Sydney Morning Herald January 22, 1967
Sydney Morning Herald January 24, 1967
Adelaide Advertiser January 26, 1967
Outstanding!
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Invite for the May 25th after party, anyone? I need to find the file of the transcription of this invite and/or a larger-sized image.
I don't believe my own eyes. Beyond rare! Outrageous!
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Robert Plant
National Indoor Stadium in Canberra Australia
Sat, February 4, 1984 CANCELLED
More than one Led Zeppelin book and nearly every Robert Plant solo concert chronology on the net is now inaccurate as a cancellation notice published the week prior has been discovered. No specific reason given so I shall continue looking into it.
Full credit and many thanks to Greg in Sydney (ac124) for this contribution (as well as for liberating the 1972 Sydney Press Conference photos that have since been widely circulated and even appear on the Cosmic Energy 'Assemblage' dvd!).
Canberra Times January 28, 1984
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^ I have seen that site before, look over in the live section.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jch3nyclists/1...295213675809954
This could be the possible screens?
That is the screen at Capitol Centre the night of the fourth gig (5/25/77). Some suggest the fact it is on indicates they were used, but that photo was taken prior to the start of
the concert during set-up. One attendee who was there said they were not. If they had
been we would have seen gig photos with cameras/cameramen near the stage such as
the Pontiac Silverdome shots.
Speaking of screens, here's an example of how they looked at Earls Court in May 1975:
Photo Credit: Steve Selwood
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Steve when do you ever sleep? thats a mystery in itself. I work odd hours and sometimes look at the board early am EST and your there. same for afternoons and evenings. You are relentless (in a good way).
We're having such a good time
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Any info on video screens at any of the Landover '77 gigs Steve?
At least one attendee has stated they did NOT use video screens at any of the four Landover '77 gigs. Here's a link to John Huntington's photo gallery from 5/30/77:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jch3nyclists/19770530LedZeppelin#
Edit: John Huntington, author of Control Systems for Live Entertainment, the first book on show control and entertainment control systems. Through Zircon Designs, he does consulting and design work on entertainment control, show control, and audio systems.
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It's a joint effort, me and the webmaster of QOTSA / FF.
You both deserve the future
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from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubadour,_London
The club has from time to time played host to a number of major artists in various stages of their careers. Notable amongst these were;
* Jimmy Page - 1975 post Earls Court Arena gig come down session
Is there any known date (of the 5 Earls Court dates) and was there any press on this?
May 17th (1st of five nights)
Jimmy skipped the post-gig revelry in the Blakes Hotel bar to talk occult theology in his room with two sinister looking men. They also listened to a tape of Charles Manson's creepy self-penned songs.
May 25th (5th of five nights)
Led Zeppelin, Peter Grant and Maureen Plant attended the after-show party…apparently it was held in a restaurant at or near Earls Court Arena...Robert arranged for English rock group Dr. Feelgood to perform.
This still leaves May 18, 23, 24 open for the possibility, though I doubt very much he
would have played the Troubador on 23/24 seeing as they played nearly three hour
shows for three straight nights. Leaving only Sunday, May 18th. Have found nothing in the press from this time.
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..Searched... and this, may have not been posted before...
Sam Judd
Played gig at Shrine w/ Xenon's. Led Zep showed up. Stayed Over.
The Xenons were these very large xenon Lantern Projectors that took 31/4"x4" slide transparencies (Kodachrome and Kodalith)... we used them to project BOC logos,(today people call them the Kronos, but nobody from the band ever calls them that) and copies of the Album Covers and pics of the band on the walls on the Shrine... the images were about 50x 50 and could be seen for miles...
They were the property of Jay Sloatman who was the guy that whipped most of Skynyrds ass in Louisville the year before when he was out with BOC working for Tychobrae Sound... Jay was Frank Zappa's brother in law, but the night before after eating that amazing dinner, Rick Downey and I accompanied Jay as he went by Franks house/studio to pick up the Xenons and test out the slides that we had picked up at the airport... I was very briefly introduced to Frank who was working in his studio on the lower level of the house...
Plant and Page were there driving their rented Ferrari's and they had Linda Lovelace (Deep Throat) with them, they were in LA doing a week of shows and staying on the entire top floor of the Sunset Hyatt (Riot) House... there were about 6 or 8 bands staying in that same hotel that week... they were at that show cause Pretty Things were on their Swan song label and Plant and Page went out and told the crowd what a GREAT BAND they were about to see and then intro'd Linda, who intro'd the band...
(Incidentally "Stayed over" refers to the fact that rather than leave immediately after the show and rolling to the next city (Standard R&R procedure) we stayed over in LA as it's a quick drive down to SD the next day...)
Wish I had a tape of my intro that night... I got inspired being where the doors had played so many times and even recorded live and so I borrowed some of Morrison's poetry...
We actually had a curtain that night and had one of those xenons projecting the Me262 and other album covers and stuff working back to the 1st album cover going up as the house lights went down and my intro began...
I started out howling and shit and then recited the beginning of "Celebration Of The Lizard":
Lions in the street and roaming, Dogs in heat... rabid, foaming...
A Beast Caged In The Heart Of The City...
The body of his mother rotting in the summer ground
He fled the town...
Went down south and crossed the border
Left the chaos and disorder back there... over his shoulder...
Is everybody in?
The Ceremony is about to begin...
Citizens of Los Angeles !!!
Allright you dogs, etc, etc,
The curtain opened, the flash pots went off and those people were never the same again I'd wager...
George Geranios
I actually remember little about the show except that I was vaguely dissatisfied with the sound that night (gee, that's unusual.) I was also put off about all the fuss being made over Pretty Things, a band whose subsequent history speaks for itself. But there was a lot of strutting going on that night combined with the buzz of Big Stars in the house.
What I DO remember tho' is returning to the Riot House that night. The lobby of the (then) Continental Hyatt House is not particualry large to begin with. Much wider than deep and not all that wide to begin with that lobby is quite underwhelming except for the fact that as I walked in the door that night I was greeted by what must have been 300 liggers jammed into that small space.
It was like a massively overstuffed club. You couldn't move or get to the elevators. The hotel staff were attempting to sort out who belonged and who didn't. Most didn't, but the hotel was filled with Rock Notables that week and the hangers-on wanted to be there. I finally waved my key at the right person and was admitted to the magic elevator. Safe at last!
I've stayed at the Riot House many times but have never seen anything like that mob in the lobby....Gpg
Stealthtip
The only time I interviewed Eric, Buck, and Allen was the night before they played the Shrine Auditorium in March of 1975. They were staying at Hyatt House on the Sunset Strip and a friend of a friend worked for a newspaper who set-up the interview and he needed a ride to Hollywood. So I became the wheels and we went and did the Interview. It was so cool!
One thing I did notice was that you show Pretty Things opening and they did along with REO Speedwagon in the middle spot. One cool thing that happened that evening was having Robert Plant come on stage to introduce Pretty Things because they were the new kids on the Swan Song record label. Thus the intro from Robert Plant. That was an unexpected surprise.
Well, I'm still looking into this. It's certainly plausible because they did have the night off and The Pretty Things were their label mates. Linda Lovelace did the stage introduction at Zep's Forum gig the next night. Have found nothing else to substantiate the Plant
stage announcement for The Pretty Things.
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Led Zeppelin - The Moon Shot
This post from Michael Pierson in the Official Timeline:
They got up and played I think pretty much their first album. Sounded great. Page’s guitar solos were amazing. They played at least one Yardbirds song, “White Summer,” and of course the violin bow was used during a song or two. At the time it seemed extremely cool to see them—and in retrospect, it was something to see them before they got really big. "My friend and I were waiting for our ride, standing in the parking lot, when we saw some cool-looking guys walking toward us. Then we realized, wow, it was the group. I pulled out my camera and took a picture of Page as he was walking by. I should have asked before taking it, but he didn’t seem to mind. We watched them walk to a small house in the middle of the parking lot and go in. We stood outside one of the windows, hoping for a peek inside, but no such luck.
Headed home in the car, we realized that we were missing the telecast of man first walking on the moon, on July 20, 1969. We also realized that Led Zeppelin were probably inside that little house watching it themselves. [it was the home of Herman Spero, head of Upbeat.]
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According to Cleveland DJ and Rock Historian, Mike Olszewski (author of "Radio Daze"), Led Zeppelin stayed here when it was an inn, to witness the moon landing (or tv reports
on it), immediately following their Cleveland gig at Musicarnival.
Photo taken in 2005 and since renamed "Shaker Gardens" (an old folks home).
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Page Places: Pangbourne
Most are aware of Jimmy's connection to the boathouse in Pangbourne, but there's also this:
Jimmy (wearing coat also worn in The Yardbirds)
St. James the Less in Pangbourne
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During the February 2002 Rockline radio show, I asked Mr Jones if he had plans for releasing any audio or video from his solo album and tour. He said yes he did have plans to release both video and audio from his solo tours-or words to that effect. I have this radio show on CD somewhere in storage.
JPJ was interested in the possibilities of distributing one's music digitally years before Napster, i-Tunes, etc even existed. Making it available as downloads thru the internet may well have been what he had in mind.
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from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubadour,_London
Is there any known date (of the 5 Earls Court dates) and was there any press on this?
Ah, wiki wisdom. First I've ever heard of this. I'll look into it and see what I can find.
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Plant and Page were there driving their rented Ferrari's and they had Linda Lovelace (Deep Throat) with them, they were in LA doing a week of shows and staying on the entire top floor of the Sunset Hyatt (Riot) House... there were about 6 or 8 bands staying in that same hotel that week... they were at that show cause Pretty Things were on their Swan song label and Plant and Page went out and told the crowd what a GREAT BAND they were about to see and then intro'd Linda, who intro'd the band...
It does seem on the surface there was some level of interaction, and they may well have attended as recalled, but the "rented Ferrari's" part sounds like an over the top embellishment. Robert, especially Jimmy driving Ferraris in LA? C'mon. It wasn't Malibu Vice. Linda did introduce Led Zeppelin from the stage during one of their LA Forum gigs.
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Jimmy Page Jam with Poison
University of Nevada - Lawlor Events Center
May 14, 1991
Previously in this thread we investigated a Coverdale/Page jam session with Poison back in 1991. Since there is no confirmed press coverage all I've had to go on was word of mouth that it was during the encore, that both Coverdale and Page jammed on 'Rock And Roll', 'The Rover', and 'Stairway To Heaven' and that Jimmy did indeed fall into a hole on the stage.
Now, singer Bret Michaels clarifies the events of that evening:
It was lead guitarist C.C. DeVille's birthday. Jimmy Page came onstage with me and I had always been a Zeppelin freak. The place went insane. I was unbelievably excited, getting to play Rock And Roll with Page. And on top of that, he was going to play my brand-new Les Paul (Gibson guitar). It was the greatest day of my life.
There were these huge holes on stage to hold the fireworks. Page began moving toward one and it was like one of those scenes in a movie with the character going slow motion to try to stop a disaster. 'Nooooooo,' I was yelling, but he went down, luckily not landing on the fireworks, luckily not injuring himself, even though he fell 6 to 8 feet. My Les Paul snapped in half, but he got back up and continued to play with us. Still, even with that memory, I love to play Reno.
So it would seem this jam was limited to just Jimmy on 'Rock And Roll'. The search for
press coverage/photographs continues.
Stop press! Bret's memory is selective, This from a certain David Coverdale:
"When I walked on stage with Jimmy at that Poison show in Reno and received that magnificent greeting, it brought a tear to an old snake’s eye, it really did".
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I like this one! His eyes look beautiful in it. What color are they?
They appear to be black and white in that photo.
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This courtesy of Sam "The Pop Culture Addict" Tweedle (2006)
Interview with Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits
Sam: What was Mickie Most's influence on the band? What was working with Mickie Most like?
Peter: Mickie Most and I were friends. I had moved to London and we became friends as well as partners and we both had very similar musical taste. My greatest memories are of Mickie and his wife Christina singing "So Sad" with a kind of beauty reserved for those wonderful moments when you see people who love each other, singing a beautiful song, with perfect harmonies to and with each other. Kismet? Hardly!
Sam: A lot of debate has been made over how many songs were performed by the Hermits. Barry has said that session musicians were used on any songs that used any sort of orchestration (i.e. Kind of Hush) but that he and Karl, Keith and Lek still provided harmonies, and played on all songs that did not have outside involvement. Do you agree with this account? Just how often were session musicians used?
Peter: Mickie and I became the tyrants. We took over the recordings. No malice was intended because we didn't tell anyone who was on the recordings and sometimes the Hermits produced brilliance as witnessed in "Mrs. Brown," "Henry the VIII," "Listen People" etc etc etc But we also recorded many hits without them. Keith and Karl should be remembered as wonderful background singers who delivered the right parts in exactly the right way. In tune and with a laugh when it was tense. That was the very essence of the 60s and what we put into it. We laughed we sang and we made recordings without ever asking how much
Sam: There is no denying that you were the face and the personality of Herman's Hermits. The world never really got to know Karl, Keith, Barry or Lek. Could you tell us a bit about each of them, and the last time that you encountered any of them?
Peter: I see Keith when I go to Manchester and we chat a lot. He was the best musician in HH and of course has gone on to fresh and wonderful new works. He and I were responsible for the original music in Herman's Hermits and together we brought "The End of the World," "Mrs. Brown," "Sea Cruise," "Mother In Law," "I'll Never Dance Again," "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" to the other Hermits. Keith is one of my favorite musicians and one of the most underrated and knowledgeable guitarists from the period
Lek was a great bloke and sadly I didn't get to tell him how much I respected him before he passed away. Being fifteen and sixteen when we got busy and famous didn't give me the tools one needs to not hurt peoples feelings and some of my humor was probably a bit too acidic for most peoples taste. I see he lives on through his daughters, one who is a phenomenal musician just like him.
Karl was always envious of my ability! Envy made him miserable. I envied talent like Paul McCartney and John Lennon and spent my time trying to hang out with them in case any talent fell off and I could grab it.
Karl, Keith and I were the "sound" of Herman's Hermits and we built it around my lead and their incredible knack for getting the harmonies right! The last time I saw Karl and Barry was at Mickie Most's funeral (6/9/03) when they refused to say hello to me, so I went and chatted with Jeff Beck and John Paul Jones. At the funeral Mickie had chosen his own music and had chosen two Herman's Hermits tunes and a Zeppelin song. To everyone's surprise the music that got played was the "fake" tracks that Barry and Karl had made, with Karl doing a pretty poor version of me. I felt sorry for them both, as Mickie would have preferred to have the recordings he made of "I'm Into Something Good" and "There's a Kind of Hush" played at his funeral, but thank GOD he didn't hear the fakes. I'm glad Barry and Karl got to hear them in front of all the people who knew what they had done. The perfect revenge for a dirty deed done dirt cheap.
Sam: The legend has it that members of Led Zeppelin played on a number of Herman Hermit's albums. How deep was John Paul Jones' and Jimmy Page's involvement to Herman's Hermits recordings....really?
Peter: I am sure Jimmy Page played for money and that he was slightly amused by Herman's Hermits as we were not his cup of tea, but he was always a gentleman and as you may see, he is always a jovial sort by nature and he played on a couple of our tunes and I can't find the session lists to see which. John Paul Jones is on lots of stuff. Any time Barry isn't on a record you will find John Paul Jones. He was the bass player and arranger (strings brass, drums, guitars, bass) on "No Milk Today," "Dandy," "There's a Kind of Hush," "My Sentimental Friend" and most of the stuff after 1965.
Interview with Barry Whitwam of Herman's Hermits
Sam: What kind of a man would you say Peter Noone is?
Barry: Very bitter. He's very bitter because he lost the name in 1975. He was paid for his pains for over ten years, and then stole the name anyways afterwards. Not many fans know that, really. They just think that I've got no rights to the name but we actually went into court. It was fair. One person can't be the whole band, and we had the name Herman's Hermits and he wanted to be Peter Noone, and that's the bed he slept in for fifteen years. So he's very bitter that he lost that. Anybody that sees our show in England that actually goes to his web-site or his e-mail and says that we saw Barry and the rest of the boys in England and it was a brilliant night gets a response within five minutes, because he's usually on his web-site or the chat room… well, a chap says to me the other week that he sent out an e-mail to Peter and told him what a great show that we had in England and he got an e-mail back that said, "do you have shit for brains". That's what Peter Noone e-mailed him back. [Peter Noone said that] you must have shit for brains if you like that band. Since 1975 the campaign has been to discredit the Hermits for playing on the records. He's always said that Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones played on all the records. Those are absolute lies. The only records that we didn't actually do the backing on were records that had brass and violins and there weren't many of those. The reason for that was because John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, before they were in Led Zeppelin, were session men, and Mickie Most would say that they would bring in the drums and the bass and the guitar parts with the violins and stuff because it was easier, because all the musicians would be reading the same music and that's the way that went down for not many songs. Everything he says is that it was Jimmy Page, and Jimmy Page probably can't remember any of the songs that he played. If you look at our top ten in America, "I'm Into Something Good", it was us. All Hermits. There was only a piano added on. That was on a two track machine so we played at the same time. That got to number thirteen. "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", there were no other instruments. That got to number two. "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" got to number one. "I'm Henry the VIII". Number one. "A Must to Avoid". Number eight. "Listen People". "Leaning on the Lamppost". That's six in the top ten with Jimmy Page or anybody else not involved! Another seventy of the tracks on the albums is only the Hermits. I think I worked it out, and I think in only thirty percent of all the songs ever recorded the Hermits didn't do the backing, but the Hermits were always on the vocals doing the harmonies. So he's trying to discredit us, saying that we didn't have anything to do with anything.
Sam: Would you say that he is dropping these Led Zeppelin names to almost make him look hard-core and edgy, or is it just nothing more than a bad game of name-dropping?
Barry: Well he started this in 1975, trying to discredit us, because he took the decision from the high court very hard. So even today, in the last article I read in June 24th in Daytona Beach… someone sent me an article where he basically said that the Hermits had nothing to do with anything and basically we should have been cleaning the toilets in the BBC studios while he was recording Top of the Pops. He says that we were lucky if we got our pictures on the sleeves of the albums. I read this, and all I could think was that this was absolute rubbish! The people that know me know that we were there all the time. [They know about] the hard work we put in for seven years. He didn't do anything on his own regarding Herman's Hermits. It was a five man input. Having said that, using Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones as a sort of weapon is damaging the good name of Herman's Hermits. Derek Leckenby played all the leads and he did! [He played] all the live shows and probably eighty percent of the tracks that had the violins and the brass on. They weren't the biggest hits. Only the ones that had the five of us playing because that was a more honest sound.
Sam: Did you always feel that Peter Noone has this sort of attitude toward the rest of the band?
Barry: He was always sort of an extrovert. During the time that he was with Herman's Hermits up until 1971 he was opinionated and started to believe his own write ups in articles about him, but it was in 1975 that it all changed. He had his way up until then. The management wasn't strong and they spoiled him. He had been pampered, and in 1975 he got a slap in the face and he never got over it, I don't think.
Sam: When was the last time you saw Peter Noone?
Barry: At Mickie Most's funeral. Three years ago.
Sam: Did you guys speak?
Barry: No. We did not speak. He came along and hugged me, I think. I think that was because he was embarrassed because of all the litigations. It must have been about two hundred thousand in lawyers' fees because of him not getting back to me. Instead of talking he sued me. It must have cost him as much as it had cost us. I think he was embarrassed to see me.
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Re .Shenstone Teacher Training College 1968.
I thought I might save a bit of petrol money by emailing Worcester Archives to see if they would check The Bromsgrove Messenger for any Obstweedle gigs during the relevant period.
This is the reply-
Thank you for your enquiry regarding Obstweedle and their possible appearance at Shenstone Training College in July 1968. The Bromsgrove Messenger was the only local newspaper during that period and would have covered college stories. However, I have searched the period from the end of June through to the first week of August and have not found any reference to Obstweedle.
Not the best result..it just means that I will have to get over there at some point and check for myself..it's quite easy to miss stuff..unless of course someone on here lives in the area and has a hour to spare :-)
I can only encourage you to continue, Chris. I doubt very much anyone else is willing to give it a go as it's very time consuming and oft for not, as you know.
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I'm just inquisitive by nature...and this particular mystery could be by design.
The discrepancy I observed between "Deserve The Future" on the official website and "Never Deserved The Future" on the promotional poster has been resolved.
This from antiquiet.com:
We've Been Hoaxed!
By Skwerl, August 6th, 2009
Here's the good news: Them Crooked Vultures are in fact playing the previously reported show at the Metro in Chicago this sunday. They do in fact plan to tour very soon; we've confirmed immediate plans with an opening act we can't announce yet. Their album is in fact coming very soon.Here's the totally fucked up news: The promo poster and YouTube clip we presented yesterday are fake; both seem to be part of an elaborate hoax staged by that kid wax on the Rekords Rekords forum.
So the release date is not necessarily October 23rd. The album title is not Never Deserved The Future. Also, wax and his buddies are a bunch of testicle eaters.
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Even if only one camera sound's boring, I assure you that one correctly placed stereo microphone can make all the difference between a professional and not so professional a sound recording.
Microphone placement is the first rule in a live recording! But, if your going to take it back to the studio and re-record a lot of it, it will matter not how many or what kind of microphone's you have.
Just depends on what was in the work's at that time.
If in fact Frankfurt was recorded I'd really like to see it released one day, but don't get me started. Claude Nobs has a massive film archive from the Montreux Jazz Festival and
it may include JPJ's jams with Etta James and Maria Muldaur, as well as the Count Basie
set that he and Bonzo attended. I do have the Basie gig on vinyl, but I'd like to see it.
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Correct, that video is from New Orleans 3/14/00. The entire show was filmed. Not sure exactly how many gigs were professionally filmed (multi-camera) in their entirety, but the New Orleans video is the best one overall that I've seen.
Thank you, Sam. It's unfortunate that there were so few complete pro-shot multi-cam performances recorded during the Led Zeppelin era, let alone the post-Zeppelin era.
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Jimmy Page & Screaming Lord Sutch - 'Flashing Lights' - set to Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. 3:06 of sheer bliss:
Lord Sutch - Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends
May 19, 2009
What’s not to love about Sundazed Music? Their re-release of recordings considered essential by collectors, yet out of print for decades, never ceases to astound. Their High Definition Vinyl output is especially impressive. Let’s give a listen to an infamous record that has been slagged by some critics and ignored by Atlantic Records nearly since its first release back in 1970 – Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends. Sundazed knows the importance of this record and so should you.
Lord, or Screaming Lord, Sutch as he was alternately known had been gigging around the U.K. since the early ’60s. He was actually rather innovative in his stage show, having stolen the horror- show gimmickry from his namesake, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and taken it to another level. He had a bit of a reputation leading up to the recording of his debut full-length album as a political oddball and proponent of cutting-edge swinging London fashion (especially with his long hair and historical costuming). Sutch had no trouble attracting quality musicians to his camp despite his acknowledged limited vocal abilities; even a young Ritchie Blackmore slung axe for Sutch before forming Deep Purple. Enter Jimmy Page, ever the studio rat even into his early success with Led Zeppelin, and an unholy partnership was formed. Page co-wrote several songs with Sutch and agreed to produce an album for him. With his own formidable musical connections, Page attracted Experience bassist Noel Redding, fellow guitar phenom Jeff Beck, piano wizard Nicky Hopkins and Page’s own regular drummer John Bonham to the studio for some fun. What came of the sessions was originally thought by the musicians to be demo recordings that would undergo more polishing before being unleashed on the public. Silly musicians! Cotillion released Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends following what Page considered to be the record’s completion and it faced an immediate denunciation from the musicians involved. Many music fans also disliked the result. The record, and Sutch to some degree, began a rapid descent into obscurity. I feel, however, that history has done wrong by Sutch, Page and the Heavy Friends. It’s an extremely listenable record with several quality performances. It deserves, and Sundazed was right on this of course, a closer listen some decades on.
As each song does not have individual credits, we are left to pick out unmistakable performances based on the style of the musicians involved. And it ain’t hard. Side one begins with “Wailing Sounds” and it may as well have been an unused Zeppelin track with Sutch instead of Plant on vocals. Page recycles riffs found on the first two Zeppelin albums and uses many of the guitar effects that he was known for early on. The opening riff sounds as if it’s stolen from “Helter Skelter,” but it’s all Page and Bonham after that. “’Cause I Love You” follows and is again featuring solos made famous by Page in Led Zeppelin, but has different studio musicians behind him. The song is a little sloppy, but the so were the first two Zeppelin records. Sutch has no ability to emote, but rather adds a bit of grit to a delivery that’s one step up from monotone. We’ve heard a zillion tracks like this on Nuggets and Pebbles collections by garage bands throughout the world, and we love the stuff. This is at least that good; one step below what Page had done elsewhere, but still quite good. Side two’s “Union Jack Car” tells the true tale of Lord Sutch touring around in his Rolls Royce decked out in Britain’s emblem. It’s a 4-bar blues, not unlike “Sweet Little Sixteen,” but hints at punk music as do several other songs on the album. We learned to appreciate the vocal shortcomings of many punk singers over the years and I think we can easily do the same for Lord Sutch. “Brightest Light” is one of the few songs not co-written by Page, but it brings new elements in background vocals and an organ. Page, the producer is showing the innovation that he has been known for on this song. If we had heard this track 20 years later as recorded by Pavement, we wouldn’t have flinched. The record closes out with “Baby, Come Back,” which is sort of a maxed-out “You Really Got Me” kind of song. Remember, Page played guitar on a lot of old Kinks’ singles, and he’s dredging it all up once more on this tune. The proto-punk feel of the song and basic, guttural vocal delivery had been extremely influential on garage-psych punks and also, much later, heavy metal bands. The listener gets to thinking that Page may actually have contributed to a style of music (punk) that eschews everything he’s known for (Zeppelin). Wild!
Check this record out; it’s an absolute hoot. Whether you’re curious about the character Sutch, interested in the various projects Jimmy Page has been involved in over the years, or as a document of what sorts of attempts were being made at popular British rock music back in 1970, you won’t be disappointed. And don’t forget to thank Sundazed for reproducing that spectacular album cover featuring Sutch and his Rolls. We no longer have squint to see Sutch’s sneer like we do when looking at the CD booklet.
- Mark Polzin www.classicrockmusicblog.com
Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath
in Led Zeppelin Master Forum
Posted
I should have double-checked to be sure. I will change it back to Home in my database.