lzzoso Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I know that I am about to answer some my own topic description, however, I would like to know what others out there may know about this topic. What I may know or have read is probably different than what you know or read. What I know is what I have read in various books, magazines and fanzines about Led Zeppelin over the years concerning the "mighty" Led Zeppelin and the equally great Black Sabbath. Remember, this is what I have read: how true or accurate this is I do not really know. Maybe some of yous out there have read the same and can maybe corroborate some of this. 1. Fact: John Bonham and Robert Plant both grew up in or around the industrial city of Birmingham, England. I also believe that most or all four members of Black Sabbath did also. Whether they knew of or associated with each other or possibly jammed out together in their early years, I have not heard or read. Possibly.(?) 2. Fact: John Bonham, Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi (plus others) all invested in a record store in Birmingham called Heavy Heads Record Shop in 1971. 3. Fact: Ozzy Osbourne has said numerous times that he and the other members of Black Sabbath listened to both copies of Led Zeppelin and Led Zepplein II at the times of their release (both in 1969). Ozzy has also said that Robert Plant is one of his favorite singers and that the "middle" section of "Whole Lotta Love" is fucking awesome. Now on to the speculation. I have read this but cannot verify if this events ever took place. Maybe you can help, corroborate or clarify. 1. John Bonham was Tony Iommi's best man at Tony's wedding (when and what year I do not know). 2. John Bonham and Robert Plant visited and were present at one (or more) of Black Sabbath's recording sessions of their album "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath" in 1973. I wish I could remember or dig out where I read this but it was at least 10 years ago and I have since forgotten. I do remember reading this and being highly surprised. Lastly, there is a famous quote from Mr. John Paul Jones where he said after the release and success of Led Zeppelin IV, "No one ever compared us to Black Sabbath after this record". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I know that I am about to answer some my own topic description, however, I would like to know what others out there may know about this topic. What I may know or have read is probably different than what you know or read. What I know is what I have read in various books, magazines and fanzines about Led Zeppelin over the years concerning the "mighty" Led Zeppelin and the equally great Black Sabbath. Remember, this is what I have read: how true or accurate this is I do not really know. Maybe some of yous out there have read the same and can maybe corroborate some of this. 1. Fact: John Bonham and Robert Plant both grew up in or around the industrial city of Birmingham, England. I also believe that most or all four members of Black Sabbath did also. Whether they knew of or associated with each other or possibly jammed out together in their early years, I have not heard or read. Possibly.(?) 2. Fact: John Bonham, Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi (plus others) all invested in a record store in Birmingham called Heavy Heads Record Shop in 1971. 3. Fact: Ozzy Osbourne has said numerous times that he and the other members of Black Sabbath listened to both copies of Led Zeppelin and Led Zepplein II at the times of their release (both in 1969). Ozzy has also said that Robert Plant is one of his favorite singers and that the "middle" section of "Whole Lotta Love" is fucking awesome. Now on to the speculation. I have read this but cannot verify if this events ever took place. Maybe you can help, corroborate or clarify. 1. John Bonham was Tony Iommi's best man at Tony's wedding (when and what year I do not know). 2. John Bonham and Robert Plant visited and were present at one (or more) of Black Sabbath's recording sessions of their album "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath" in 1973. I wish I could remember or dig out where I read this but it was at least 10 years ago and I have since forgotten. I do remember reading this and being highly surprised. Lastly, there is a famous quote from Mr. John Paul Jones where he said after the release and success of Led Zeppelin IV, "No one ever compared us to Black Sabbath after this record". I have posted to the forum before concerning this (search function). In a nutshell, Bill Ward met Bonham in 1965. Ozzy used to socialize with the Bonham's at Old Hyde Farm. Tony himself has said Bonham served as best man at his first wedding: ---------------------- TONY IOMMI: 'BLACK SABBATH Used To Jam With LED ZEPPELIN All The Time' - May 2, 2005 In a head-to-head Sirius Satellite Radio interview with "Sound of the Beast" author Ian Christe, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi exclusively reveals this week that he has studio tapes of BLACK SABBATH jamming with LED ZEPPELIN during the mid-1970s. "BLACK SABBATH used to jam with LED ZEPPELIN all the time." reports the Birmingham-born Iommi. "We'd be trying to rehearse and they'd come interrupt us. I've got some tapes floating around the house." During the exceptional in-depth session Iommi also reveals stories of having John Bonham serve as best man at his raucous first wedding, being chastised by Bill Ward's mom after setting her son on fire, his early days playing Buddy Holly cover songs in the 1960s, receiving a Gibson SG from Leslie West, and the desire to record new BLACK SABBATH material. The interview airs twice this week (Tuesday, May 3 at 9:00 p.m. EST and Friday, May 6 at 1:00 p.m. EST) on Sirius "Hard Attack"/27's weekly "Bloody Roots" heavy metal history lesson, hosted by Christe. The show will also include rare SABBATH demo tracks, and two songs from the upcoming Iommi solo album, "Fused". For more information, visit www.sirius.com/hardattack. --------------------- Black Sabbath supported Led Zeppelin on short notice in Syracuse (9/10/71) and Rochester (9/11/71). Led Zeppelin allegedly dropped in on Black Sabbath to check on the progress of their fourth album and jammed on their new song 'Supernaut' (unrecorded) at the Record Plant in Los Angeles (6/26/72). Heavy Head Records in Spark Hill, Birmingham was opened by Bev Bevan. He also had his own football team "Heavy Head Records Eleven", which included Bev Bevan, Rick Price and Carl Wayne. Bev organized the Heart Beat '86 charity event at the NEC in 1986 which Robert Plant participated in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigzepfan Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Oh My God. Why I never thought of this before, I dunno. Sabbath warmed up Zeppelin in 1971. I cannot even imagine. but now I know if I ever get my hands on a time machine it will be set for September of 1971. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Bev Bevan's team went head to head against Robert Plant's team on TV's Pop Quiz, and the winner was . . . ?? (The fix was in, IMO. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADOC Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Zep was great but Sabbath filled the void below them. Sab and Deep Purple, UFO, Uriah Heep Grand Funk Railroad{ Iknow IM Idiot} Rocked my world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 "Iommi also reveals stories of having John Bonham serve as best man at his raucous first wedding, being chastised by Bill Ward's mom after setting her son on fire." Wow! I never heard that one before. That Bonham sure knew how to party. Didn't he also throw George Harrison into a pool at his wedding? That was one rowdy dude, a little scary, but a lot of fun, no doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 That Bonham sure knew how to party. Didn't he also throw George Harrison into a pool at his wedding? 5/31/73 Laurel Canyon, CA After-show party to celebrate John Bonham's 25th Birthday at a private residence (possibly JJ Jackson's home)…George Harrison hits Bonham with his own birthday cake…many people were thrown into pool...Jimmy was allowed to walk in...fully clothed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 5/31/73 Laurel Canyon, CA After-show party to celebrate John Bonham's 25th Birthday at a private residence (possibly JJ Jackson's home)…George Harrison hits Bonham with his own birthday cake…many people were thrown into pool...Jimmy was allowed to walk in...fully clothed It's nice to see that Jimmy was handled with care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 It's nice to see that Jimmy was handled with care. As he should be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 Because he couldn't swim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzzoso Posted July 25, 2009 Author Share Posted July 25, 2009 I have posted to the forum before concerning this (search function). In a nutshell, Bill Ward met Bonham in 1965. Ozzy used to socialize with the Bonham's at Old Hyde Farm. Tony himself has said Bonham served as best man at his first wedding: ---------------------- TONY IOMMI: 'BLACK SABBATH Used To Jam With LED ZEPPELIN All The Time' - May 2, 2005 In a head-to-head Sirius Satellite Radio interview with "Sound of the Beast" author Ian Christe, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi exclusively reveals this week that he has studio tapes of BLACK SABBATH jamming with LED ZEPPELIN during the mid-1970s. "BLACK SABBATH used to jam with LED ZEPPELIN all the time." reports the Birmingham-born Iommi. "We'd be trying to rehearse and they'd come interrupt us. I've got some tapes floating around the house." During the exceptional in-depth session Iommi also reveals stories of having John Bonham serve as best man at his raucous first wedding, being chastised by Bill Ward's mom after setting her son on fire, his early days playing Buddy Holly cover songs in the 1960s, receiving a Gibson SG from Leslie West, and the desire to record new BLACK SABBATH material. The interview airs twice this week (Tuesday, May 3 at 9:00 p.m. EST and Friday, May 6 at 1:00 p.m. EST) on Sirius "Hard Attack"/27's weekly "Bloody Roots" heavy metal history lesson, hosted by Christe. The show will also include rare SABBATH demo tracks, and two songs from the upcoming Iommi solo album, "Fused". For more information, visit www.sirius.com/hardattack. --------------------- Black Sabbath supported Led Zeppelin on short notice in Syracuse (9/10/71) and Rochester (9/11/71). Led Zeppelin allegedly dropped in on Black Sabbath to check on the progress of their fourth album and jammed on their new song 'Supernaut' (unrecorded) at the Record Plant in Los Angeles (6/26/72). Heavy Head Records in Spark Hill, Birmingham was opened by Bev Bevan. He also had his own football team "Heavy Head Records Eleven", which included Bev Bevan, Rick Price and Carl Wayne. Bev organized the Heart Beat '86 charity event at the NEC in 1986 which Robert Plant participated in. Being a Led Zeppelin fan for over 25 years now and having read and researched as much as I could (can) on the group, I have never heard of Black Sabbath ever having opened up or "supported" Led Zeppelin on any dates on any tour. Of course I am not saying this never happened because I really do not know, but I do find it a little hard to believe. I just checked in my copy of Dave Lewis' book "the Concert File" and there is no reference in that book that that ever took place on the two dates mentioned. However, being a fan of both groups, I would like to think that this did actually take place because then we would have some proof that these two great "pioneers" actually did share a stage (back and front) together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Being a Led Zeppelin fan for over 25 years now and having read and researched as much as I could (can) on the group, I have never heard of Black Sabbath ever having opened up or "supported" Led Zeppelin on any dates on any tour. Of course I am not saying this never happened because I really do not know, but I do find it a little hard to believe. I just checked in my copy of Dave Lewis' book "the Concert File" and there is no reference in that book that that ever took place on the two dates mentioned. However, being a fan of both groups, I would like to think that this did actually take place because then we would have some proof that these two great "pioneers" actually did share a stage (back and front) together. Black Sabbath was brought in as an opening act for those two shows on short notice. If I'm not mistaken the second edition of Lewis & Pallet's 'Led Zeppelin - The Concert File' does reference this, but then again perhaps not. I just noticed it isn't mentioned in the official timeline. Even so, it makes perfect sense that they would do if both were in New York state at the same time. I can dig for some quotes but it is also presented here among other places: http://www.black-sabbath.com/tourdates/1972.html Again, I will look into this further as it does seem to require additional substantiation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Can you tell us more about your relationship with LED ZEPPELIN? Bill Ward: "Well, we honestly respected the band. We'd known Robert Plant, of course, about the same we knew John Bonham before Zeppelin. He was in a band called The Band of Joy for a long time. So, you know, it wasn't unusual for us to see Robert around town. But when they first came out and that first track came on the air, it was just absolutely phenomenal. "We were going along in Sabbath, thinking that we were doing pretty good and coming along pretty good. We [had] played a concert in Carlisle (in Northern England) and somebody who was a fan of ours used to let us sleep over night at his house. So we were resting there after the concert at his house when he put on the Zeppelin album. We all sat down and listened to it thinking, 'Oh my God! What are these guys doing?' [laugh] It was just like coming out of nowhere. Because to that point, even though (The Who, you know...) there were some heavy bands around, Cream had established a lot of new ways of playing hard rock music and there were just a couple of bands there... But when Zeppelin arrived, it was a whole new bargain. And when the first Black Sabbath album came out about eight months later, it was like there had been a change in popular music. "As far as the relationship goes, we've often crossed paths during our career and we spent time with each other socially. We may have a drink, go out, get high, go watch them play, check out their music... Each of us as individual members of Black Sabbath would mingle with the guys. I thought that things were pretty OK with everybody." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiotHouse Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Since when did Zeppelin have an opening act in 1971?? No reference to Sabbath at all here??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Since when did Zeppelin have an opening act in 1971?? Bronco and Stone The Crows opened for Led Zeppelin at the Empire Pool in Wembley on 11/20/71 and Stone The Crows and Horse opened for them at the same venue the next night. Peter Grant was connected to Stone The Crows: http://www.alexgitlin.com/stc.htm ...while Bronco, formed in 1970, featured Plant's mates from the Midlands in the lineup. Back to Sabbath as an opening act, I am perplexed at the moment as I just don't make these things up. I am trying to put my finger on where this was said. I note they played in NY a couple months prior which would make a reappearance more doubtful. Perhaps there is some mention of it in Peter Grant's book? Perhaps it is simply false? Edited to correct a spelling error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiotHouse Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Apart from the Empire Pool shows (which were big shows for the band) i had not heard of LZ needing support acts especially on the US tours post 1970. I know a band named 'Horse' supported LZ at these Wembley shows which included Cliff Williams on bass, now a member of AC/DC.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHD Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 And the Ozzy/Bonham connection continues.... Jason played alongside Ozzy (billed as Slash & Friends) at this year's Quart Festival in Norway Ozzy with Slash & Jason - I Don't Know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Apart from the Empire Pool shows (which were big shows for the band) i had not heard of LZ needing support acts especially on the US tours post 1970. I know a band named 'Horse' supported LZ at these Wembley shows which included Cliff Williams on bass, now a member of AC/DC.... Horse it is. I typed Home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickZepp Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Apart from the Empire Pool shows (which were big shows for the band) i had not heard of LZ needing support acts especially on the US tours post 1970. I know a band named 'Horse' supported LZ at these Wembley shows which included Cliff Williams on bass, now a member of AC/DC.... Judas Priest opened for them in Oakland if I'm not mistaken. Back to Sabbath/Zeppelin, I think I remember Plant telling a story somewhere about how he and Bonham would go to Sabbath shows just to taunt the band and say how much they sucked, I'll try and find the exact interview right after I post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Judas Priest opened for them in Oakland if I'm not mistaken. Back to Sabbath/Zeppelin, I think I remember Plant telling a story somewhere about how he and Bonham would go to Sabbath shows just to taunt the band and say how much they sucked, I'll try and find the exact interview right after I post. Yes, Judas Priest did open Zeppelin's final North American concert ever on 7/24/77. They heckled Slade and pelted them with vegetables in Texas (May '73) but I don't show them doing anything of the sort with Black Sabbath. I'd be interested to see if anything turns up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glicine Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 They heckled Slade and pelted them with vegetables in Texas (May '73) but I don't show them doing anything of the sort with Black Sabbath. I'd be interested to see if anything turns up. Steve, I have a quote from Robert, but can't tell when and where it was from. Did you ever feel any solidarity with fellow Midlands acts coming up at the same time as Led Zeppelin? Quite the opposite, actually. When we were 17 years old, Bonzo and I told everybody we were better than everybody in the area and people would cross the road to avoid us. When we started kicking ass and writing songs that were substantial, we might go to a gig somewhere and Bonzo would buy a selection of vegetables, stand in the orchestra and lob them at Slade or Black Sabbath or whatever. Now you look at it all and say there’s room for everything. But at the time there was all that pointy-pointy stuff, which was very funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Steve, I have a quote from Robert, but can't tell when and where it was from. Very interesting. The Slade incident has been confirmed with the exception of the actual day and venue. It's almost certainly May 20th or 21st 1973 in Dallas or Ft. Worth, TX. Blocoboy is a huge Slade enthusiast and he had said he intended to investigate further. Insofar as Robert mentioning Black Sabbath, it's somewhat difficult to discern if he is speaking matter of factly or slipped into his occasional "media mode"...akin to stream of consciousness or painting with a broad brush...little regard for accuracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Steve, I have a quote from Robert, but can't tell when and where it was from. I've got that too, it was from Mojo January 2007. The article adorned by my avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glicine Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Very interesting. The Slade incident has been confirmed with the exception of the actual day and venue. It's almost certainly May 20th or 21st 1973 in Dallas or Ft. Worth, TX. Blocoboy is a huge Slade enthusiast and he had said he intended to investigate further. Insofar as Robert mentioning Black Sabbath, it's somewhat difficult to discern if he is speaking matter of factly or slipped into his occasional "media mode"...akin to stream of consciousness or painting with a broad brush...little regard for accuracy. I found it, it was from Mojo, Jan 2007. Robert was interviewed by Mat Snow. (Oh now I see Aqua is quicker than me. Thanks!) I think when he used "we" he meant him and Bonzo, seeing how the first time "we" came up in that paragraph. But yes it's a bit difficult to tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickZepp Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 That could have been it but I coulda swore there was more into it and more specifics about it since they grew up knowing some of the members of Sabbath. I am going to be gone for the next week so I won't have the time to find it now, but I'm positive he talked about how they would go to sabbath shows just to heckle them. And since Sabbath and Zeppelin basically formed at around the same time it had to be in between Zep shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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