Zeppelin Mysteries Hosted by Steve A. Jones

[SteveAJones]

If it makes it easier for you to accept my word, check out Dave Lewis' "Tight But Loose" fanzine issue number 4, from April 1980 - it carries a double page feature on the event which confirms that Robert decided to join in the proceedings with Bonzo and Jonesy once he knew that Rockpile (one of his favourite bands) were on the bill - way in advance of the show itself.

Tight But Loose #4, April 1980

Scan courtesy Steve A. Jones Archive

[thozil]

Thanks for that Steve!

[TheStairwayRemainsTheSame]

When and why did they cancel on this festival?

I'm trying to narrow down all the times Page and Hendrix could of met, now they must of cancelled it very early on before as they filled those 3 May dates on the poster with Chicago dates

Edit: Just read they did both dates on the 23rd in Cali and Chicago in Dave Lewis's concert file book, that's impossible surely?

Edited February 18, 2013 by TheStairwayRemainsTheSame

[tmtomh]

I'm not convinced he was the one who sang the words "Little Sister" after the song had already ended, because the manner in which his arm is swung first in the video below suggests he knew the song had ended and he had stopped singing.

I agree Steve - that's definitely not Plant's voice singing the extra "little sister" after the end of the song. It's one of the members of Rockpile, who are on backing vocals at the end of the song.

And thanks for posting that video - I had this song as a teenager and the clip brought back great memories.

Interesting - according to Wikipedia, the Concert for Kampuchea has never been released on CD.

[SteveAJones]

When and why did they cancel on this festival? I'm trying to narrow down all the times Page and Hendrix could of met, now they must of cancelled it very early on before as they filled those 3 May dates on the poster with Chicago dates Edit: Just read they did both dates on the 23rd in Cali and Chicago in Dave Lewis's concert file book, that's impossible surely?

They played the Kinetic Playground in Chicago on May 23, 1969. The cancellation details of their festival appearance can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarian_Family_Festival

With regard to the Page/Hendrix encounter at Salvation in Greenwich Village, I have surmised it occured in October 1969 and posted my thoughts to the existing "Did Jimmy Meet Hendrix?" threads.

[sam_webmaster]

from 1981...

[Cookie0024]

from 1981...

As far as I know that's just some guy that sells eggs.

[Knebby]

from 1981...

Yeah that made it into "Sounds" I seem to remember

[SteveAJones]

Yeah that made it into "Sounds" I seem to remember

I haven't seen that before. Robert Plant's Six Fresh Eggs appears to be a legitamate, registered business but so far as I know it had no connection whatsoever to Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Clever advertising though!

[kingzoso]

I guess this could be considered a "mystery".

On the Rolling Stones album, Metamorphosis, released in 1975 (however, a compilation of songs recorded between 1964 and 1970), is that Jimmy Page who plays the guitar on the (great) song, "I Don't Know Why"? I know that Jimmy is credited as playing on this album. If true, then it was when Jimmy was still a session musician. Hence the 1969-1970 timeframe.

Listen to the two solos beginning at around 1:04-1:25 and at the 2:05-2:27 mark. I could be wrong, however, these two brief solos have a very distinctive Jimmy Page sound.

http://youtu.be/ydHupXGnzPU

[SteveAJones]

I guess this could be considered a "mystery".

On the Rolling Stones album, Metamorphosis, released in 1975 (however, a compilation of songs recorded between 1964 and 1970), is that Jimmy Page who plays the guitar on the (great) song, "I Don't Know Why"? I know that Jimmy is credited as playing on this album. If true, then it was when Jimmy was still a session musician. Hence the 1969-1970 timeframe.

Listen to the two solos beginning at around 1:04-1:25 and at the 2:05-2:27 mark. I could be wrong, however, these two brief solos have a very distinctive Jimmy Page sound.

http://youtu.be/ydHupXGnzPU

The week of June 29-July 7 1964 Jimmy participated in a Mon & Tue session with the Andrew Oldham Orchestra at Decca Studios in London…guitar and/or bassist on 'Try A Little Harder' & 'Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind' with various artists. Wikipedia says it was recorded February 13, 1964 but The Complete Works of The Rolling Stones website matches Jun/Jul dates.

Then from July 21-24 1964 he participated in a Mon, Tue, Wed session with the Andrew Oldham Orchestra again…bassist on 'Heart of Stone' with Jagger/McLaughlin/Cattini.

However, Jimmy is not featured on 'I Don't Know Why', which was recorded July 3, 1969 (the night news broke of Brian Jones' death) during the sessions for 'Let It Bleed'. The music after the stop was spliced in at a later stage, and the second slide guitar solo by Mick Taylor is a copy of the first solo.

Edited March 3, 2013 by SteveAJones

[kingzoso]

The week of June 29-July 7 1964 Jimmy participated in a Mon & Tue session with the Andrew Oldham Orchestra at Decca Studios in London…guitar and/or bassist on 'Try A Little Harder' & 'Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind' with various artists. Wikipedia says it was recorded February 13, 1964 but The Complete Works of The Rolling Stones website matches Jun/Jul dates.

Then from July 21-24 1964 he participated in a Mon, Tue, Wed session with the Andrew Oldham Orchestra again…bassist on 'Heart of Stone' with Jagger/McLaughlin/Cattini.

However, Jimmy is not featured on 'I Don't Know Why', which was recorded July 3, 1969 (the night news broke of Brian Jones' death) during the sessions for 'Let It Bleed'. The music after the stop was spliced in at a later stage, and the second slide guitar solo by Mick Taylor is a copy of the first solo.

Thanks for your quick reply. Like I said, the solos have a very distinct Jimmy Page sound. I guess Mick Taylor is/was a fan of Jimmy Page even way back then.

I had just recently "re-discovered" "I Don't Know Why" when I began listening to the Rolling Stones box set titled, the "London Years" (which I have had for at least 20 years, it seems). Great stuff by the Stones. I know that John Paul Jones does the "arrangement" on "She's a Rainbow". Other standouts on this collection includes, "2000 Light Year's from Home", "Jiving Sister Fanny" and the great (and probably little heard of) "Memo from Turner".

http://youtu.be/U6o2ZpHZWos

http://youtu.be/G0fcqfgJJeE

http://youtu.be/tAPgDs30eq8

So, one last question, are you saying that Jimmy played bass on an alternate version of "Heart of Stone"? Is this the only song that Jimmy played on that would eventually be released as the Rolling Stones Metamorphosis? Thanks!

[SteveAJones]

So, one last question, are you saying that Jimmy played bass on an alternate version of "Heart of Stone"? Is this the only song that Jimmy played on that would eventually be released as the Rolling Stones Metamorphosis? Thanks!

A reference to Page on bass is found only here:

http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/works1.htm

That site is normally accurate, but perhaps incorrect in this instance? So it seems I may need to ask Bill Wyman if he wouldn't mind checking his notes on these sessions...

There may be two songs on 'Metamorphosis' Jimmy Page performed on, 'Heart of Stone' and possibly 'Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind'. Bear in mind Jimmy was also Oldham's in-house producer for Immediate so he may well have been present for several of the other recordings.

[kingzoso]

A reference to Page on bass is found only here:

http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/works1.htm

That site is normally accurate, but perhaps incorrect in this instance? So it seems I may need to ask Bill Wyman if he wouldn't mind checking his notes on these sessions...

There may be two songs on 'Metamorphosis' Jimmy Page performed on, 'Heart of Stone' and possibly 'Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind'. Bear in mind Jimmy was also Oldham's in-house producer for Immediate so he may well have been present for several of the other recordings.

Cool. Again, Thanks. I will have to find and listen to "Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind" and the alternate version of "Heart of Stone".

[SteveAJones]

Robert Plant Jam with The Stray Cats in 1988

This report from Midnight Toker:

in addition to 10-20-88 Capital Centre.....later that night Plant joined The Stray Cats at The Bayou in Georgetown, Washington DC.

100% confirmed...via a new documentary on the Bayou, plus pictures and audio. It was also mentioned a few days later in the entertainment section of the Washington Post iirc. (worth noting, Lois - the bar manager - (who I knew) got into a scuffle w/ Plant and a few female admirers of his for drinking after legal hrs and had him removed from the building. )

here is audio of the jam:

https://soundcloud.com/#davidtaylor-2/robert-plant-stray-cats-bayou


I always knew it happened, but just wasn't 100% on which tour it was...I was initially thinking '85 because it was closer to the Setzer/Plant SNL appearance. Now I know with certainty it was 88. The Stray Cats tour schedule has them at The Bayou on that night:

http://straycatscollectors.net84.net/StrayCatsTourArchive1980s.html

Edited March 6, 2013 by SteveAJones

[SteveAJones]

Know what - I'm starting to wonder about the date he sang with them. I saw them on March 4th 1989 but that was at the Town and Country Club, as my ticket shows.

I can't remember if it was there that Robert sang with them. Then they played the Hammersmith and I think that was on their NEXT UK tour, which was in June or July of 1990, and that's the one Robert turned up at with Charlie and I don't remember if he sang there or not.

I'll really try and look into this over the next couple of days - for my own peace of mind as much as anything else.

According to this recently developed archive for The Stray Cats, seems it could have been June 10 or 11 1989. I'm hoping to confirm via press coverage, etc.

http://straycatscollectors.net84.net/StrayCatsTourArchive1980s.html

[Knebby]

We'll get to the bottom of this eventually!

[SteveAJones]

We'll get to the bottom of this eventually!

I'm hopefull. Very perplexing because based on your eyewitness account we know for certain it occured, yet unable to confirm the where and when. This "eyewitnessed but unconfirmed date" circumstance only holds true for just five other post-1980 Robert Plant performances:

Sgt. Pepper's in Ibiza, October ?? 1982

Plant, Martinez, Woodroffe, Blunt, and Barlow are joined by Chris Squire of Yes on bass…'Little Sister', 'Knock On Wood', 'Save the Last Dance' & 'C'mon Everybody'

Sgt. Pepper's in Ibiza, October ?? 1982

The next night, Plant, Martinez, Woodroffe, Blunt, and Barlow are joined by Phil Carson on bass

Sportpaleis Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands October (?) ?? 1983

Plant and band perform two songs during AVRO's annual Platengala Internationaal for telecast on AVRO

Monmouth Rowing Club in Monmouth, Wales ??? ?? 1984

During Rockfair '84, Robert Plant allegedly performed three or four numbers towards the end of a set

Market Tavern in Kidderminster October ?? 1991

Plant and Jason Bonham top the bill for this benefit concert raising over 3,000 pounds for Darren Norwood, late drummer for Kidderminster band Kernal Klark

[SteveAJones]

According to this recently developed archive for The Stray Cats, seems it could have been June 10 or 11 1989. I'm hoping to confirm via press coverage, etc.

http://straycatscollectors.net84.net/StrayCatsTourArchive1980s.html

Update: Jon from Stray Cats Collectors website has confirmed the date...June 11, 1989.

[Geezer]

Steve, I've heard that Eddie Van Halen jammed with Page in 1973. Is this even close to being true?

[sam_webmaster]

Steve, I've heard that Eddie Van Halen jammed with Page in 1973. Is this even close to being true?

no

[SteveAJones]

Steve, I've heard that Eddie Van Halen jammed with Page in 1973. Is this even close to being true?

No, as Sam said, and so far as I know although they are friends the two have never jammed together publicly (if not privately as well). Eddie has said he was inspired to create some of his techniques after watching Jimmy perform the solo for 'Heartbreaker' at The Forum in Inglewood "in '71 or '72"...which I subsequently confirmed as '72. So even as a teenager and prior to the formation of Van Halen Eddie was well aware of Led Zeppelin. However, his earliest known meeting with any of them was a brief encounter with Bonzo at the Rainbow circa '75'-77. If you search this thread for "Van Halen" you'll see the many posts that were made concerning that as well as some of Eddie's meetings with Jimmy in the early 90s.

[PlanetPage]

It's said that a picture often speaks a thousand words. Take a good look at this one

submitted to me by Horselunges and posted to the board by Mr. Zoso:

Jimmy Page and his companion Charlotte Martin upon arrival, Dorval Airport in Montreal. They look so pissed off! Here's why:

The April 18th 1970 edition of The Montreal Gazette reported Led Zeppelin departed Minneapolis for Montreal at 6am the day of the show. They transited Milwaukee before arriving in Toronto, where they encountered a very frustrating delay to clear customs.

Ultimately, they arrived in Montreal frazzled, with a show to perform that same night!

Another interesting mystery concerning Montreal 1970 is they actually returned a couple days after their Montreal Forum concert. Jimmy went browsing thru the antique district looking for a Tiffany lamp on April 15th.

More on this submitted to me from Grandmeaulne:

There is indeed an antique shopping district just a few blocks south of the old Montreal Forum. It's located on Notre-Dame street, roughly between Atwater and Guy streets.

I kick myself for throwing out my older-brother's copy of a French-language weekly entertainment paper. He attended the concert and it covered the 1970 concert straight from the moment the band landed at the Dorval airport (with pictures of the band in the arrival area) to gossips about what they did and where they went. And there was a pic of Jimmy with Charlotte waiting for their luggage!

I also remember the story because it detailed how the concert was a marketing break-through for the promoter, Donald K. Donald. Back then (and still today, to a much lesser degree) the city of Montreal was divided into two hermeticaly closed communities: English and French. While French Canadians bought records, they rarely attended concerts at the Forum (located in the English part of town) with marketing limited to the English-language press and radio. But the reviewer wrote that for once, French-Canadians did attend the show en-masse, which probably led to its record attendance for a rock concert.

I think the paper was Echo-Vedette. It still exists today as a sort of star-oriented supermarket tabloid. I'm tempted to convince the publisher to dig into his archives for that copy.

Steve, I just want to thank you for your contributions on this forum. It's good to have a devoted connaisseur who hasn't moved to a more specialized board.

...this publication/photos has been located at libraries in Montrea/Ottawa but these or any public institution has a stipulation for copyright, without this clearance from publisher, photos scans cannot be copied; Echo-Vedette Magazine publisher TVA has denied copyright for my purpose of posting one time only at the Official Site of Ledzeppelin - despite re-writing...only Led Zeppelin themselves, or the writers/photographers have permission to access these photos...sorry,

[SteveAJones]

...this publication/photos has been located at libraries in Montreal/Ottawa but these or any public institution has a stipulation for copyright, without this clearance from publisher, photos scans cannot be copied; Echo-Vedette Magazine publisher TVA has denied copyright for my purpose of posting one time only at the Official Site of Ledzeppelin - despite re-writing...only Led Zeppelin themselves, or the writers/photographers have permission to access these photos...sorry,

If you would like to pm or email me your information I can send it directly to Grandmeaulne in Montreal, who I have remained in contact with thru the years. I am confident he may possess the essential linguistics, savvy, credentials & legal support (if necessary) required to liberate these articles from the libraries!

[PlanetPage]

If you would like to pm or email me your information I can send it directly to Grandmeaulne in Montreal, who I have remained in contact with thru the years. I am confident he may possess the essential linguistics, savvy, credentials & legal support (if necessary) required to liberate these articles from the libraries!

...SAJ, all right, later at the end of the day;