juxtiphi Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) Boston College Heights, Apr 7, 86 I was at this show. It was the second time I saw The Firm, the first time was the year before in Worcester. I was blown away when I saw Jimmy's laser Pyramid for the first time.. Don't know why so many like to bash Jimmy during this time. He was playing great and I have plenty of shows to confirm it. The Outrider tour was really good too. Brought a younger friend who liked hair metal to see Jimmy and he admitted that Jimmy was far better than he gave credit for. Edited February 24, 2014 by juxtiphi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 PAUL RODGERS ｉｎｔｅｒｖｙ，８５ http://youtu.be/2SF_Ad8-CZM video thanks to ok jubili^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 (edited) ^^^ Wow, that's quite a find. Never seen it before. It's amazing to see Paul at home, and he mentions Machiko (his Japanese wife at the time, whom he married in 1971). The name of the interviewer escapes me at the moment but I believe he went on to host for many years a Japanese television program called Bang Up Rock. Edited March 24, 2014 by SteveAJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 ^^ Thanks, I totally enjoyed it. It's Paul talking about the Jimmy and the Firm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Thanks Deborah J, I enjoyed it also. This past week I got a hold of 3 Firm concert recordings that I haven't heard before, so I was in a firmly good mood when I seen you post that interview, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Hi luvlz2...PM me please...glad you enjoyed it. I still cannot understand why (other than timing) that The Firm was not huge success. They are to me:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thozil Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Apologies for the poor quality... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juxtiphi Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 The reason The Firm wasnt that successful is because the youth of that day were into a completely different thing, Rat, Poison, Skid row Guns and roses, even though those guys may have once been inspired by Zeppelin their fans were younger and didnt grow up on Zep the way I did anyway. To me the Firm is too cerebral for those people. Not the at lyrics were particularly deep or anything but all they had by way off hair was Tony Franklin and it wasnt enough of a draw for young kids who wanted fast music that didnt require any thinking on their part to enjoy it. plus all the younger people I knew thought Jimmy page was old and he was only in his forties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 (edited) The reason The Firm wasnt that successful is because the youth of that day were into a completely different thing, Rat, Poison, Skid row Guns and roses, even though those guys may have once been inspired by Zeppelin their fans were younger and didnt grow up on Zep the way I did anyway. To me the Firm is too cerebral for those people. Not the at lyrics were particularly deep or anything but all they had by way off hair was Tony Franklin and it wasnt enough of a draw for young kids who wanted fast music that didnt require any thinking on their part to enjoy it. plus all the younger people I knew thought Jimmy page was old and he was only in his forties. Well, with the exception of Ratt none of those bands became big until after The Firm disbanded in 1986. Even so, your point is well taken and seems to compliment the suggestion that it was bad timing. I'd agree it was bad timing because '84-'86 was sort of a transition from Kajagoogoo, Wham etc. to the rise of the hair bands. However, another factor was that The Firm received savage reviews from critics. The one I always recall is Charles M. Young's, who dismissed their debut album with the phrase "more regressive rock from two masters of the form". A third factor, IMHO, is that The Firm were not ambitious enough with regard to touring. A couple of months in the states and a handful of European dates was not nearly enough to cement themselves on the rock scene. They should have doubled their efforts and also taken it to Japan & Australia. A fourth factor, I don't think the singles were strong enough to attract new listeners, particularly with the second album. Finally, perhaps the biggest reason they did not become bigger than they were was their resistance to perform any Led Zeppelin or Bad Company material. I get what they were attempting to do as artists, but I can also see where the casual fans would be inclined to skip the shows for the same reason. By 1985 even Robert Plant could no longer maintain a proper solo career without incorporating Led Zeppelin material into his live shows. Edited March 25, 2014 by SteveAJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Apologies for the poor quality... I've done some work on them: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juxtiphi Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Well they did have The Chase which was a way to carry something over from the Zep days, But I think they wanted to make a statement on their own without leaning too heavily on their older work. I agree they should have toured in Japan and Australia, they would have been huge there. As far as the singles go Radio Active was like a joke to the younger people I new. Paul just wasnt flashy enough and he was too mature of an image for the younger crowds. When I took my younger friend to see Jimmy he was heavily into Dokken and Motley crew but his eyes popped out of his head during Jimmy's Solo in the chase. He admitted that he was wrong about Jimmy not being a great guitarist. Too bad more of the young people of the day didnt get this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 ^^^ Thanks for the articles thozil. Steve, I agree, if they would have played Bad Company or Led Zeppelin crowds would have been larger..but as stated CASUAL fans didn't get it IMHO. juxtiphi, of course your friends eyes popped out of his head watching Jimmy. I would love to see Jimmy on a stage with Paul again. These men are Rock Royalty in my opinion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juxtiphi Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 (edited) ^^^ Thanks for the articles thozil. Steve, I agree, if they would have played Bad Company or Led Zeppelin crowds would have been larger..but as stated CASUAL fans didn't get it IMHO. juxtiphi, of course your friends eyes popped out of his head watching Jimmy. I would love to see Jimmy on a stage with Paul again. These men are Rock Royalty in my opinion! mesqeline He and I hung around a lot, he lived down the street from me. We pretty much grew up together. We were partying one night and we had taken some mescaline and I knew that the Song Remains The Same was on TV that night. I made him watch and during the bow solo I tore my skin off right in front of him and made him freak out. I didn't really tear any skin off but it was at that part where Jimmy is scraping the bow along the strings and I sort of acted it out you know what I mean. I laughed my ass of. Later we were outside and had lit a fire. I was playing a live No Quarter from 75 Earls Court and if you've ever tripped you know how sometimes it looks like there are shadows moving all over the place. Well the coals were doing that and on a whim I said "you wanna see something cool" and I waved my hand over the coals they flared up into a small flame. He looked at me with scared eyes and I said "I have more power than you think and it all comes from studying Jimmy". He said "do it again" and I got lucky that the breeze had picked up just enough and another flare up occurred. Well, he almost fell over! he thought it was real for a just second and it make him shake. Took me twenty minutes to calm him down . Thats a true story. Edited March 26, 2014 by juxtiphi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvlz2 Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 When I heard the first broadcast of The Firm on Westwood One and recorded it that night, that was it. I played that cassette uncounted times, and turned a lot of people on to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juxtiphi Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Nothing wrong with the The Firm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargroves Tangie Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Just realized that 28 years ago tonight I was in the front row at the Nassau Coliseum watching The Firm, ahhh happy memories... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 ^^ I was thinking about you when I posting The Day In History Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargroves Tangie Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 ^^ I was thinking about you when I posting The Day In History Awww thanks for thinking of me Deborah, I know you love The Firm as much as I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 Just realized that 28 years ago tonight I was in the front row at the Nassau Coliseum watching The Firm, ahhh happy memories... I still have your pictures from that night. Would you happen to know if this video is actually that show? According to my notes an audience-shot video from Nassau has been in circulation for many years (but I don't have it). I know for certain it cannot be Buffalo as The Firm never performed in Buffalo. It could also be Rochester but I don't show a Rochester video in circulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecongo Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 Why didn't the Firm ever tour Japan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 (edited) Why didn't the Firm ever tour Japan? According to my notes, an injury to Paul Rodgers knee led to the cancellation of at least five North American dates in July 1985. That same month the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited at Live Aid, and in January 1986 they convened for additional rehearsals. With the benefit of hindsight I think it's fair to say that Jimmy's level of ambition with The Firm tapered off significantly following Live Aid. Specifically, when they did release a second album in 1986 it was supported with less than three months of USA tour dates. No UK gigs. No Japanese tour. The fact that many of those USA dates were played to half-full venues seemed to seal the deal the band was done. Edited April 6, 2014 by SteveAJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargroves Tangie Posted April 6, 2014 Share Posted April 6, 2014 I still have your pictures from that night. Would you happen to know if this video is actually that show? According to my notes an audience-shot video from Nassau has been in circulation for many years (but I don't have it). I know for certain it cannot be Buffalo as The Firm never performed in Buffalo. It could also be Rochester but I don't show a Rochester video in circulation. Yes this video is the Nassau Coliseum show- I compared Someone To Love from this video (the first song) to the Nassau video I have (Someone To Love is the second song on mine, Fortune Hunter is the first). Camera angle is the same, band movements are the same but what clinched it was that both videos have the same comment from the taper/audience member at the same point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Yes this video is the Nassau Coliseum show- I compared Someone To Love from this video (the first song) to the Nassau video I have (Someone To Love is the second song on mine, Fortune Hunter is the first). Camera angle is the same, band movements are the same but what clinched it was that both videos have the same comment from the taper/audience member at the same point. Thank you so much for the confirmation. I shall attempt to have the uploader correct the title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deborah J Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 ^^ Stargroves , thanks for confirming and what a great memory for you :-) and Steve your attempt is appreciated as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potbanger Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 First a correction to my typo: the tour ended 5/28/86. Historically, this was not only the last show of the tour but also The Firm's final performance. Through the years I've enjoyed immensely an audience audio recording I own of the show. It documents that they had to stop performing for several minutes after Closer on account of the general admission main floor crowd getting crushed up front. Once the crowd is finally convinced to step back the house lights go down again and the band continues to deliver one of their finest performances. Emerald green lasers accentuate Live In Peace and strobe lights and fog showcase Radioactive. Jimmy concocts a phenomenal bow solo later in the show. Money - a Led Zeppelin encore in '80 - is the surprising opener to a high-spirited encore at the end of the show, at the end of the tour, at the end of an era. ---------- ~ A complete audience video recording has surfaced! ~ Scan courtesy Steve A. Jones Archive I was at that show as well, also within the first 10 rows. Jimmy's first few solos, as I recall, were with his back to the audience. After they had to stop the show for 20 minutes (because the crowd was completely into it and crushing the front rows), he got into it as well. At the beginning of Midnight Moonlight, he strummed the Danelectro and it was out of tune. As he handed it to the roadie, he said to the audience "I like lplayin'em, but I don't like tuning'em!" On Spirit of Love, Paul couldn't get the white grand piano to work -- wouldn't come over the PA. Gave it a try or two, and then just moved to the keyboards. Crowd was excellent -- even during the bass and drum solos. Great show -- first and only time I've seen Page live. here's a Tony Franklin interview on the subject: Fretless bassist Tony Franklin speaks with Lemon Squeezings about the Firm's final concert on May 28, 1986. (See also his previous interview, a longer one touching on other work with Jimmy Page in The Firm and previously with Page in Roy Harper's band.)SS: Tell us about the Firm's last concert.TF: That last show was wild! The audience was electric. I think the show had to be stopped at one point as the audience was pushing forward so hard that people were in danger of getting hurt! They may have been the loudest audience on the tour. At one point I remember somebody throwing a basketball shoe towards me on the stage. It was funny because I was like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. I was transfixed. And before I knew it ... BOOM! it hit me square in the chest and knocked me back a few feet! Still, I didn't miss a beat! Ha ha! Fond, fond memories. And what a great send-off to a great band.There are always mixed feelings at the end of any tour ... from sadness that the great "adventure" of the last few months is coming to a close ... and relief that's it's over ... with the prospect of going home and having a break from the craziness.I don't think that any of us in the band thought that this would be our last ever show as The Firm. There was certainly no talk of it ... Maybe some of the guys had an idea that this was the end, but I didn't. It's probably just as well. Now where in the hell can I get this DVD? PM me a source if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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