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Zeppelin Mysteries Hosted by Steve A. Jones


SteveAJones

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i know i am on permanent ignore from SAJ, but maybe someone else has the answer ...

what do the symbols mean on JPJ's bass?

jpj_Rockhalld.jpg

I found an article over at Achilles which has JPJ describing it...

http://www.led-zeppelin.org/studio-and-live-gear/81-reference/studio-and-live-gear/john-paul-jones-gear/860-becvar-series-i-triple-omega-bass

It was built by a guy who was at Alembic and then left the company to start on his own. It's just an amazing creature--sort of Gothic Revival in style. Actually, it's more California Gothic, with a mandala on the back, with little mermaids, sea shells and palm trees inlaid. A very fine instrument. Very loud. The Riff King it was called. When Page first heard it, he said, "Oh, no. I'm not playing to that!" - John Paul Jones

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thanks, bayougal :)

so it seems the pics were put there by the maker, and not JPJ .... although he may have ordered it like that? or were they mass produced like that?

Yes, the little tropical symbols are inlaid in between the frets. I dont think this was mass-produced, the article in the link makes it sound like it was all handmade.

From what I can tell some of the symbols are a mermaid, star-fish, flamingo, crab, palm trees, seahorse?, fish?... Very sweet workmanship!

Didn't JPJ always have the coolest instruments!?

One of the reasons I love Zep is their respect for the instruments they play.

After the o2 when Jimmy kisses his Les Paul, I think that says it all!

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So I'm doing some research on Barrington Coleby at the moment. I've found some photos of him, and an old address.

He left Norwich in the early 1980s with his wife and young son. He returned to Edinburgh in the latter half of that decade. He's now in Switzerland, he moves around the country and also visits Germany on occasion. I've posted photos of him and some of his works on the hermit painting thread: http://forums.ledzeppelin.com/index.php?/topic/7838-the-hermit-painting

I have a lead in an art dealer in Zurich who is asking around for me.

I've just found this, it looks like he went to school with Jimmy in Epsom, which I hadn't heard before:

1961-64

Looking for: the 'Basic's Course' students -Sep 61 at Lintons Lane. Susan Viner, Ann, Valerie, ? Marchant (always had camera), and any one else.
Also 1962-64 Church Road building. Fine Art/Graphics.
Terry Blackall, Barrington Coleby, Lesley Huckle, Ian Baker, Trevor Heath, Ann Tomassi, (Ann Davidson has died unfortunately - a real loss).
We had great times here -art/great music/dances(most amazing), great parties.
HOW ABOUT A REUNION AT A PUB IN EPSOM ???

Susan Felstead (Clay)

http://www.friendsreunited.co.uk/Discussion/753101

And if anyone knows 'Rockhound' it would be most appreciated if you put me in touch with him, as far as I know he is the only person to know Barrington's current location.

Edited by Cookie0024
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I'm looking for exact material on the famous guitar stolen from Jimmy Page - a 1960 Gibson Custom Black Beauty (I think) in 1970. I haven't been able to find out much more. Dates where it was used, last seen, etc.

Edited by Catherine Warr
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I'm looking for exact material on the famous guitar stolen from Jimmy Page - a 1960 Gibson Custom Black Beauty (I think) in 1970. I haven't been able to find out much more. Dates where it was used, last seen, etc.

Please see the following posts made previously to this thread: #2335, #2336, #2243, #2244, #3354, #3381.

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Hi Steve, I have a question: How big was the audience on the 1980 shows? I have no clue about it and it's been bugging me for a long time. I know we've talked about two shows from that tour being canceled because the tickets failed to sell, but not exactly about how big the audience was.

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Hi Steve, I have a question: How big was the audience on the 1980 shows? I have no clue about it and it's been bugging me for a long time. I know we've talked about two shows from that tour being canceled because the tickets failed to sell, but not exactly about how big the audience was.

Most shows were a sellout. Some venues such as Cologne only held 4,000. Others like Frankfurt and Munich held 10,000. There was no advertising locally and very little notice of the impending tour. There were no questions about demand but rather time and word of mouth. Berlin was also a somewhat smaller venue, holding 6,000.

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I don't have the attendance numbers for each show, but I did find the capacity of each venue they played on the '80 tour - courtesy of Dave Lewis' book. The smallest venues were Messezentrum Halle A, in Nuremberg and Messenhalle 20, in Hannover - each capacity just 5,000! The largest venue appears to be 16,500 for the tour opening show at Westfalenhalle, in Dortmund. All others are in that range.

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Wow... I thought they were playing for like 2000 people, guess I was way off!

So they were still selling a ton of tickets, then why was the press saying that Zeppelin was dead and were having trouble selling tickets?

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Wow... I thought they were playing for like 2000 people, guess I was way off!

So they were still selling a ton of tickets, then why was the press saying that Zeppelin was dead and were having trouble selling tickets?

I never heard that before.

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not sure if anybody knows, but I was wondering about Robert as a guitarist.

During the songwriting, and rehearsals and arranging, did Robert ever play rhythm guitar? For instance, if they were getting some ideas together and Jimmy wanted to experiment, did Robert ever cover the other easier parts? (I guess I should ask if there is any "evidence" or quotes, and/or credible claims that he did)

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Hi Steve, I have a question: How big was the audience on the 1980 shows? I have no clue about it and it's been bugging me for a long time. I know we've talked about two shows from that tour being canceled because the tickets failed to sell, but not exactly about how big the audience was.

Wow... I thought they were playing for like 2000 people, guess I was way off!

So they were still selling a ton of tickets, then why was the press saying that Zeppelin was dead and were having trouble selling tickets?

A second date in Berlin (July 8, 1980) appeared in the final tour itinerary and on official merchandise but was scrapped (as I recall the second date in Berlin was never announced or promoted and tickets never went on sale). To my knowledge no gigs in '80 were cancelled on account of poor ticket sales, though several dates in June were rescheduled on account of more extensive tour rehearsals than anticipated becoming necessary in May 1980.

By '80, Led Zeppelin was catching flak in the UK press for being dinosaurs, a viewpoint fueled in part by a new generation of writers and the growing popularity of punk rock. Disdain resulted in only one

UK magazine reporter being sent on assignment to cover their Over Europe tour, Steve Gett of Melody Maker.

Venue capacity has been provided here by others.

Edited by SteveAJones
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Not sure if anybody knows, but I was wondering about Robert as a guitarist. During the songwriting, and rehearsals and arranging, did Robert ever play rhythm guitar? For instance, if they were getting some ideas together and Jimmy wanted to experiment, did Robert ever cover the other easier parts? (I guess I should ask if there is any "evidence" or quotes, and/or credible claims that he did)

No quotes or recordings come to mind that suggest this was a standard practice but it's plausible Robert & Jimmy on guitar occured on rare occasion, particularly while at Bron-Y-Aur working on material for Led Zeppelin III.

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A second date in Berlin (July 8, 1980) appeared in the final tour itinerary and on official merchandise but was scrapped (as I recall the second date in Berlin was never announced or promoted and tickets never went on sale). To my knowledge no gigs in '80 were cancelled on account of poor ticket sales, though several dates in June were rescheduled on account of more extensive tour rehearsals than anticipated becoming necessary in May 1980.

By '80, Led Zeppelin was catching flak in the UK press for being dinosaurs, a viewpoint fueled in part by a new generation of writers and the growing popularity of punk rock. Disdain resulted in only one

UK magazine reporter being sent on assignment to cover their Over Europe tour, Steve Gett of Melody Maker.

Venue capacity has been provided here by others.

Great info, thanks alot! So, do you think the American tour would sell without a problem?

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Great info, thanks alot! So, do you think the American tour would sell without a problem?

It was anticipated, and apparent upon early ticket sales, that sellouts would occur at all American venues. America at the time did not share the UK's disharmony with long established acts.

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Great info, thanks alot! So, do you think the American tour would sell without a problem?

There's no question demand for tickets in the United States of America never waned, in part because the '77 tour was cut short and they hadn't performed in the USA since then.

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not sure if anybody knows, but I was wondering about Robert as a guitarist.

During the songwriting, and rehearsals and arranging, did Robert ever play rhythm guitar? For instance, if they were getting some ideas together and Jimmy wanted to experiment, did Robert ever cover the other easier parts? (I guess I should ask if there is any "evidence" or quotes, and/or credible claims that he did)

Jimmy has confirmed that he and Robert both played guitar during the Bron-yr-aur retreat of 1970. Listen closely and you can hear two guitars on several recordings:

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To my knowledge no gigs in '80 were cancelled on account of poor ticket sales, though several dates in June were rescheduled on account of more extensive tour rehearsals than anticipated becoming necessary in May 1980.

Venue capacity has been provided here by others.

Interesting Steve. Do know how long or often they rehearsed for the tour? Did they play together at all between the 2nd Knebworth gig and those rehearsals?
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Interesting Steve. Do know how long or often they rehearsed for the tour? Did they play together at all between the 2nd Knebworth gig and those rehearsals?

I show rehearsals began Fri, April 18th 1980 at The Rainbow in London and moved to New Victoria Theatre (also in London) on Mon, May 5, 1980. On Sun, May 18, 1980 the start of nearly a month of more intensive rehearsals began at Shepperton Film Studios, resulting in rescheduling of nine tour dates after tickets had already gone on sale.

So far as I know the band had not performed together since the second Knebworth Festival date, a hiatus of eight months.

Edited by SteveAJones
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