MHD Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 There is a review of this new book in the latest issue of Mojo magazine (4/5 stars no less!) Written and compiled by Claude and Perry Richardson, these books are a visual documentary of 40 years of the legendary festival. A limited-edition of 4 hardback volumes with more than 2000 photos, each signed and numbered - with custom bookends. What caught my eye is a description of one of the shots " a young man literally clasps his hands in worship, at Jimmy Page's feet, during a 1970 Led Zeppelin show" That sounds an awesome picture! Also included are photos of the legendary 1971 fire that broke out in the lake side casino during a Zappa show. The event that inspired Smoke On the Water. I won't post the full review here at the moment, but if anyone would like it I will scan it or type it up, no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 This will be on my must have list. I believe Perry is Claude's personal assistant. If you can post the entire review that would be great. I'm buying it either way. If only Claude would coordinate to release all the Montreux Jazz Festival audio and film footage he has amassed over the years, to include performances by Robert Plant and Page/Plant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotplant Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Sounds swell! Thanks for the heads up Miss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHD Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 The review in full. Written by David Fricke. The work is published by A Publishing Company Ltd, £250 Put it on your coffee table and there is no room for coffee. But there is visual electricity in abundance: masters and giants captured on-stage and off, often in breathtaking close-up, from the first four decades of the Montreux Jazz Festival. Many no longer walk this Earth, like Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Champion Jack Dupree, Frank Zappa and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Yet, they are alive and thoroughly enjoying themselves here, giving their best in the most unlikely musical heaven on Earth. That Montreux, a small resort town at the opposite end of Lac Leman to Geneva in Switzerland, became the Newport of Europe is entirely due to founder Claude Nobs, the son of a local baker and a passionate jazz and blues fan who put on his first festival in 1967. Montreux was soon famous for its scenery, Nob's hospitaity (he trained as a hotelier) and the live albums made there, including Les McCann and Eddie Harris's best-seller Swiss Movement, recorded in 1969. The first two volumes of Live! From Montreux cover the early years, and there is a treat on every page, from casual snaps and tight-focus portraits to mid-solo ectsasy: the bluesman Son House, wrinkled and grinning, chilling in his Sunday best; Gillespie peering at his opponent's hand in a poker game; a pensive Julie Driscoll, her eyes ringed with spider-leg mascara; avant-jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock in trance-like strum, his eyes rolling back into his head. Elsewhere, a young man literally clasps his hands in worship, at Jimmy Page's feet, during a 1970 Led Zeppelin show. And the 1971 fire that broke out in the lake-side casino during a Zappa show - inspiring Deep Purple's Smoke On The Water - is here in full, including shots of flames licking the ceiling and Nobs running with a fire hose. For all of it's weight, Live! From Montreux still leaves some tale to be told. Nobs is a promoter, not a critic, and so his text - an autobiographical prologue, then periodic deep captions - is more fond reminiscence than musical detail. And as his festival moves into the 1980s and '90s, a glossy pop showmanship starts taking over, with compelling exceptions: guitarist Rory Gallagher, a Nobs favourite, throwing blues lightning; The Specials' Jerry Dammers at his keyboards, mouth wide open, showing off his highway-tunnel dentistry, There are a couple of slip-ups in the captioning (that's flautist Jeremy Steig on page 211, not vibraphonist Gary Burton), the more unfortunate because of all that is right and exciting here: a high-kicking Bo Diddley; Gillespie jamming with Ray Charles; Peter Tosh blowing cumulus clouds of weed smoke. "I look on the festival as a work art," Nobs writes at one point. Live! From Montreux is his art in full, so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Well, for 250 pounds this must be some book! I think I'd like to put in a plug here for this other title which is available for less than $20.00: Led Zeppelin - The Montreux Concerts Book Description Led Zeppelin fell in love with the presence of the secluded mountain getaway during their first Montreux concert in 1970 and would unknowingly help launch a musical industry in the most unlikely of places. The new limited edition book, Led Zeppelin: The Montreux Concerts captures the magic created by John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in an extraordinary setting. The group's appearances there helped establish Montreux, Switzerland as a special and exotic musical destination. Like Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, the misty mountains of Montreux soon formed a hippie commune of its own, drawing people from all over Europe. Led Zeppelin: The Montreux Concerts explores the band's impact, and the people who were drawn by the town's timeless beauty and musical vibes. One of the only books ever endorsed by Jimmy Page. A portion of all proceeds are donated to the ABC Trust and Casa Jimmy charities. About the Author Co-author and photographer of Led Zeppelin: The Montreux Concerts, Gilles Chateau revisits his unforgettable experiences there in the late 1960s/early 1970s. A never-before-seen collection of photographs provide a rare view of the group and community of fans that came to Montreux, with insightful interviews, research and text by LedZeppelin.com creator Sam Rapallo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Product Details Paperback: 100 pages Publisher: Crossfire Pubns (August 24, 2001) Language: English ISBN-10: 0964815796 ISBN-13: 978-0964815797 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHD Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 The author of the article, David Fricke, describes the work as follows: This is not a book. It is a library unto itself: a limited-edition beast of four hardback volumes with more than 2000 photographs, each set signed and numbered - with custom bookends. Certainly out of my reach. I'm more interested in Sam's book, thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledded1 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Well, for 250 pounds this must be some book! I think I'd like to put in a plug here for this other title which is available for less than $20.00: Led Zeppelin - The Montreux Concerts Book Description Led Zeppelin fell in love with the presence of the secluded mountain getaway during their first Montreux concert in 1970 and would unknowingly help launch a musical industry in the most unlikely of places. The new limited edition book, Led Zeppelin: The Montreux Concerts captures the magic created by John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in an extraordinary setting. The group's appearances there helped establish Montreux, Switzerland as a special and exotic musical destination. Like Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, the misty mountains of Montreux soon formed a hippie commune of its own, drawing people from all over Europe. Led Zeppelin: The Montreux Concerts explores the band's impact, and the people who were drawn by the town's timeless beauty and musical vibes. One of the only books ever endorsed by Jimmy Page. A portion of all proceeds are donated to the ABC Trust and Casa Jimmy charities. About the Author Co-author and photographer of Led Zeppelin: The Montreux Concerts, Gilles Chateau revisits his unforgettable experiences there in the late 1960s/early 1970s. A never-before-seen collection of photographs provide a rare view of the group and community of fans that came to Montreux, with insightful interviews, research and text by LedZeppelin.com creator Sam Rapallo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Product Details Paperback: 100 pages Publisher: Crossfire Pubns (August 24, 2001) Language: English ISBN-10: 0964815796 ISBN-13: 978-0964815797 I have this one and it is is a nice book to have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikezep61 Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 I have this one and it is is a nice book to have This must be the photo from 3/7/70 they're referring to in the book: I don't mean to be contrary, but I must say that I was pretty disappointed in the "Montreux Concerts" book. The reasons why I was disappointed were as follows: - the dates for the 1972 concerts were wrong! - very little memorabilia associated with the concerts themselves (no ticket stubs, ads for the show, programs that we've all seen elsewhere) - no decent photos of either venue, the Casino (one poor photo) or the Pavillon (no photos). - too much focus on non-Zep related history All that being said, I still enjoyed the book which is worthwhile to pick up. I'm just saying that I was disappointed because I thought a lot more could have been done to represent the 5 concerts they played in Montreux from 1970 -1972. On another note, does anyone know definitively whether the Montreux Pavillon was a part of the Montreux Palace or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatbo Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 The review in full. Written by David Fricke. The work is published by A Publishing Company Ltd, £250 very nice, miss honey, thanks for the post. looks overpriced, but i'll have to see it in my hands. sounds like a gotta have... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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