Jimmy Page Outrider Photos The Ritz, NY 11-12 & 11-13, 1988

[zeplz71]

Sets of fan photographs from JP's two shows at the Ritz in NYC 1988. Is that Mason Ruffner jamming in one pic?

 November 12, 1988:

 

November 13, 1988

 

[SteveAJones]

Interesting. Mason Ruffner was an opening act on this leg of the tour and it does seem to be Mason. No mention of a jam in the New York Times review but there are audience sourced audio recordings from both nights that would confirm it. I've posted some of these images in the past. As I recall the photographer was Dardo Simone, or at least that's how I obtained the images I have.

[1975NQ]

Nice pics - thanks for sharing! And yeah, Mason played on "Train" on the 13th, as it was the last night of the tour.

[Tony Defilippis]

very cool....I shot the first night

(I'm attaching one)...I've waited

thirty six YEARS to see other

images from these gigs

[SteveAJones]

2 hours ago, Tony Defilippis said:

I've waited thirty six YEARS to see other images from these gigs

I have one from the front row on Nov 12th of Jimmy with his acoustic during Blues Anthem. For some reason it's become difficult to post photos here. I think I used to upload images to Photo Bucket and post the links here but Photo Bucket became a pay to play hosting site years ago so I no longer use it.

[sam_webmaster]

11 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

I have one from the front row on Nov 12th of Jimmy with his acoustic during Blues Anthem. For some reason it's become difficult to post photos here. I think I used to upload images to Photo Bucket and post the links here but Photo Bucket became a pay to play hosting site years ago so I no longer use it.

You can simply drag & drop images into your post. Let me know if you're still having any issues with it.

[Tony Defilippis]

...I've been listening to Outrider recently (after many years 

of neglect)...and it definitely stood the test of time (everything 

except the single, 'Wasting My Time', which I never listened to)...the album

is grossly underrated...and like

Walking Into Clarksdale,  it's a

guitar masterpiece in spite of

not having the magical band

chemistry we were all used to

hearing Jimmy's guitar playing

accompanied with in Zeppelin 

...and I had a conversation with 

Chris Farlowe, who I met in NYC

the same week the American 

Outrider gigs had started...and he

was openly disappointed at not

being asked on the tour...and I must

say, looking back on it, that there's 

NO QUESTION I'd have preferred 

him on that tour over John Miles

...his talents were immense...he

definitely had his own thing 

happening whereas John Miles

was standard issue generic hard

rock betlter who could hit the high

notes, surely, but who left no mark

...and Chubsy, I must say...his playing

both on the album and the live shows

...the kid came thru, God Bless him

(drummer from Tull as well)

...here's another from November 12th

 

 

[1975NQ]

Tony, these are tremendous pics from the 12th, particularly the first one ... thanks for sharing these. We get a lot of amateur bootlegged pics (which I'm very grateful for), but it's really nice to see these professional shots that show how photography is such a mercurial art. You picked a good night to shoot him, as well. The 12th is one of the best nights of 88, imho - easily a top 5 show. 

Regarding John Miles - I had the same opinion of his approach and style when I first heard the album and started listening to the boots back in the 80s. At the time, I felt that his workmanlike, generic approach seemed fine ... but where was the "wow" factor"? However, as the years have gone on I realize Page made the smart choice going with him for the tour.

John Miles was an absolutely fantastic singer with an incredible range. He didn't have the kind of stage presence (or if we're being honest ANY stage presence) that rock and roll audiences respond to ... but what a voice! He sang with an incredible amount of emotion. Listening to all the shows (and in particular the red hot shows of late October through late November), I'm continually impressed with the massive amount of feeling he brings to songs like "Who's To Blame", "Tear Down the Walls", "Someone to Love", "Midnight Moonlight" and "Prison Blues". He was able to sing in the style of Plant, Rodgers and Farlowe while also bringing his own thing into it.

This is just my opinion, of course, coming from someone who's listened to these boots hundreds of times over the years.      

[SteveAJones]

13 hours ago, sam_webmaster said:

You can simply drag & drop images into your post. Let me know if you're still having any issues with it.

Ok, I just tried to simply drag & drop an image into a new post, and I get the error message   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL

[sam_webmaster]

2 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

Ok, I just tried to simply drag & drop an image into a new post, and I get the error message   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL

It's most likely a security setting in your browser blocking it.

I'd suggest:

• In case you're using an old bookmark, make sure you're on https://forums.ledzeppelin.com (not "http")
• Try another browser
• Instead of 'drag and drop', click "Choose Files", then select the images on your computer. You can select multiple images at one time.
  
  

 

[SteveAJones]

29 minutes ago, sam_webmaster said:

It's most likely a security setting in your browser blocking it.

I'd suggest:

• In case you're using an old bookmark, make sure you're on https://forums.ledzeppelin.com (not "http")
• Try another browser
• Instead of 'drag and drop', click "Choose Files", then select the images on your computer. You can select multiple images at one time.
  
  

 

Many thanks for all you do, Sam. I will get it sorted so I can continue to share here.

[SteveAJones]

[Tony Defilippis]

23 hours ago, 1975NQ said:

Tony, these are tremendous pics from the 12th, particularly the first one ... thanks for sharing these. We get a lot of amateur bootlegged pics (which I'm very grateful for), but it's really nice to see these professional shots that show how photography is such a mercurial art. You picked a good night to shoot him, as well. The 12th is one of the best nights of 88, imho - easily a top 5 show. 

Regarding John Miles - I had the same opinion of his approach and style when I first heard the album and started listening to the boots back in the 80s. At the time, I felt that his workmanlike, generic approach seemed fine ... but where was the "wow" factor"? However, as the years have gone on I realize Page made the smart choice going with him for the tour.

John Miles was an absolutely fantastic singer with an incredible range. He didn't have the kind of stage presence (or if we're being honest ANY stage presence) that rock and roll audiences respond to ... but what a voice! He sang with an incredible amount of emotion. Listening to all the shows (and in particular the red hot shows of late October through late November), I'm continually impressed with the massive amount of feeling he brings to songs like "Who's To Blame", "Tear Down the Walls", "Someone to Love", "Midnight Moonlight" and "Prison Blues". He was able to sing in the style of Plant, Rodgers and Farlowe while also bringing his own thing into it.

This is just my opinion, of course, coming from someone who's listened to these boots hundreds of times over the years.      

undoubtedly that's why Jimmy went with him 

...I totally agree with you....I was simply stating 

on a personal level I'd have enjoyed Chris more

...but I also enjoyed John....funny guy, btw...one

night we were talking at the hotel bar...he bought

a round for us...couple of pints of Guinness...when

I returned the favor a bit later, he switched his order,

asking the bartender for a particular Cognac I wasn't 

familiar with...turned out it was a $500 / bottle Cognac

 and his little snifter cost me $50....

 

[SteveAJones]

On 11/1/2024 at 12:03 PM, 1975NQ said:

Regarding John Miles - I had the same opinion of his approach and style when I first heard the album and started listening to the boots back in the 80s. At the time, I felt that his workmanlike, generic approach seemed fine ... but where was the "wow" factor"? However, as the years have gone on, I realize Page made the smart choice going with him for the tour.

Neither the album nor the tour recordings have aged particularly well -- indeed they all sound somewhat dated now. However, as these originally occurred it was universally appreciated and praised as a real return to form.   

3 hours ago, Tony Defilippis said:

...when I returned the favor a bit later, he switched his order, asking the bartender for a particular Cognac I wasn't familiar with...turned out it was a $500 / bottle Cognac and his little snifter cost me $50....

The bartender had not told Tony this when ordering. Coincidentally, that bartender has never been seen since.

[Tony Defilippis]

well, perhaps John Miles did away with him

after concluding his Cognac had been watered down

[SteveAJones]

2 hours ago, Tony Defilippis said:

well, perhaps John Miles did away with him

after concluding his Cognac had been watered down

😄

Kansas City (October 14, 1988)

 

[Tony Defilippis]

Chubsy....absolutely hysterical pic

...Thank God his mum has recovered 

...she was there in Manhattan for

tri-state area gigs on Outrider...a truly 

lovely lady (I met her before I met Jimmy

or Jason, actually)...

[SteveAJones]

21 minutes ago, Tony Defilippis said:

Chubsy....absolutely hysterical pic

...Thank God his mum has recovered 

...she was there in Manhattan for

tri-state area gigs on Outrider...a truly 

lovely lady (I met her before I met Jimmy

or Jason, actually)...

It's truly wonderful news that Jason has shared with us. 

I haven't seen any photos in public circulation of Pat Bonham taken during the Outrider tour but those are priceless memories to have indeed.

[1975NQ]

On 11/2/2024 at 2:08 PM, Tony Defilippis said:

undoubtedly that's why Jimmy went with him 

...I totally agree with you....I was simply stating 

on a personal level I'd have enjoyed Chris more

...but I also enjoyed John....funny guy, btw...one

night we were talking at the hotel bar...he bought

a round for us...couple of pints of Guinness...when

I returned the favor a bit later, he switched his order,

 and his little snifter cost me $50....

 

No worries! It would have been interesting to hear Chris' takes on a lot of the material they played for sure. It's easy to imagine him and Page doing a killer rendition of "In My Time of Dying".

John Miles sounds like a prankster .. he got you!

[1975NQ]

On 11/2/2024 at 5:24 PM, SteveAJones said:

Neither the album nor the tour recordings have aged particularly well -- indeed they all sound somewhat dated now. However, as these originally occurred it was universally appreciated and praised as a real return to form.  

I never really listen to the album except for the Plant track. Regarding the tour, I actually think the opposite - I think that stuff has aged nicely. Repeat listens of the boots reveal how incredibly fluid Page was during that time period and also just how well John Miles did with the material they played. The set list is a perfect synopsis of Page's career up to that point in time. It also shows just how strong some of those songs are as the live versions shine much more brightly than the studio releases ("Midnight Moonlight", "Prelude", "Tear Down the Walls", "Who's to Blame" etc).

I agree that some of it sounds dated ... those keyboards on "The Chase" and "Who's to Blame" are very 80s indeed. But for me, it just adds to the charm.

[Tony Defilippis]

On 11/2/2024 at 7:24 PM, SteveAJones said:

Neither the album nor the tour recordings have aged particularly well -- indeed they all sound somewhat dated now. However, as these originally occurred it was universally appreciated and praised as a real return to form.   

The bartender had not told Tony this when ordering. Coincidentally, that bartender has never been seen since.

I most certainly disagree with that, Steve....and the reason it doesn't sound dated at all is cause a lot of those songs on Outrider (save for the bullshit throwaway single) weren't written at that time and / or don't jive at all with any of the crap from that late 80's MTV period (ALL of which does sound dated)...even the sub-genres the majority of those tracks fall into have nothing in common with the processed cheese from that Godawful era...I spoke with Jimmy at that time...we both agreed that, besides Jane's Addiction, R E.M and Guns n Roses, everything out there at the time was absolute garbage...

 

[SteveAJones]

11 hours ago, Tony Defilippis said:

I most certainly disagree with that, Steve....and the reason it doesn't sound dated at all is cause a lot of those songs on Outrider (save for the bullshit throwaway single) weren't written at that time and / or don't jive at all with any of the crap from that late 80's MTV period (ALL of which does sound dated)...even the sub-genres the majority of those tracks fall into have nothing in common with the processed cheese from that Godawful era...I spoke with Jimmy at that time...we both agreed that, besides Jane's Addiction, R E.M and Guns n Roses, everything out there at the time was absolute garbage...

Ok, let's have the argument. 😆

Track 1, 2, 3, 4: Dated ('80s rock).

Track 5, 7: Not Dated.

Track: 6, 8, 9: Traditional Blues 

[Tony Defilippis]

13 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

Ok, let's have the argument. 😆

Track 1, 2, 3, 4: Dated ('80s rock).

Track 5, 7: Not Dated.

Track: 6, 8, 9: Traditional Blues 

...nope....I'll agree only on tracks #1 and #4...but you painted the entire album that way initially...and GOOD GOD, my friend....track #2 is PURE JIMMY PAGE MAGIC....you ain't gonna find ONE track by ANY DUMB DICK BAND...especially from THAT PERIOD...that has that kinda swagger....LORD, no....

On 11/2/2024 at 7:24 PM, SteveAJones said:

Neither the album nor the tour recordings have aged particularly well -- indeed they all sound somewhat dated now. However, as these originally occurred it was universally appreciated and praised as a real return to form.   

The bartender had not told Tony this when ordering. Coincidentally, that bartender has never been seen since.

I most certainly disagree with that, Steve....and the reason it doesn't sound dated at all is cause a lot of those songs on Outrider (save for the bullshit throwaway single) weren't written at that time and / or don't jive at all with any of the crap from that late 80's MTV period (ALL of which does sound dated)...even the sub-genres the majority of those tracks fall into have nothing in common with the processed cheese from that Godawful era...I spoke with Jimmy at that time...we both agreed that, besides Jane's Addiction, R E.M and Guns n Roses, everything out there at the time was absolute garbage...

 

[SteveAJones]

7 hours ago, Tony Defilippis said:

...track #2 is PURE JIMMY PAGE MAGIC....you ain't gonna find ONE track by ANY DUMB DICK BAND...especially from THAT PERIOD...that has that kinda swagger...LORD, no....

Aerosmith's 'Heart's Done Time' (1987) has similar if not same qualities. I don't dislike Outrider but to my ears it's a tough listen these days. We'll agree to disagree! 

[Tony Defilippis]

14 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

Aerosmith's 'Heart's Done Time' (1987) has similar if not same qualities. I don't dislike Outrider but to my ears it's a tough listen these days. We'll agree to disagree! 

yeah, sorry...Permanent Vacation marked the beginning of the PERMANENT SELLOUT period...for Aerosmith...and there's NOTHING...on that silly album...that can touch Wanna Make Love....and PLEASE do not tell me, Steve...that you have a 'tough listen'???...with OUTRIDER???...but still crank up PERMANENT VACATION???...boy, oh, boy....