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Robert Plant - Pre-Zep History


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I downloaded this newspaper article off of EBAY a few years back. Unfortunately, it's "unreadable":

67plantarticle-1.jpg

What's attached at the bottom of the garland of flowers around his neck? Is it an imitation wolves head? Wolverhampton FC logo? Note the wolves heads on the cover of his Now and Zen album

NZalbum1988.jpg

Meg

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What's attached at the bottom of the garland of flowers around his neck? Is it an imitation wolves head? Wolverhampton FC logo? Note the wolves heads on the cover of his Now and Zen album

NZalbum1988.jpg

Meg

Robert has said his first "gig" was attending a Wolverhampton Wanderers match with his

father in the late 50s, so it's known he was an avid fan during this era. I don't know if

they had a "logo" similar to this in the 60s.

Wolverhampton Wanderers nearly ruined my marriage - Robert Plant

May 25 2008 By Lorne Jackson

Sunday Mercury

He's the Black Country football team's most famous fan. Rock star Robert Plant has always been a hardcore supporter of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Now he has revealed exactly why he follows the club - he loves the pain.Plant also admitted that watching the Molineux team, who narrowly missed out on a play-off place this season, placed a huge amount of pressure on his marriage.

The former Led Zeppelin frontman said: "I know what I'm doing every other Saturday is masochism, and it's the nearest thing to actually walking under a bus.

"Well, I suppose it is a bit like a religion, but I don't carry the crucifix right through the weekend these days, although I used to."

The tousle-haired rock icon, went on to admit that his love of the beautiful game led to some ugly scenes in the marital arena.

Plant, who was married from the late 60s until the early 80s said his fever for footy wasn't always appreciated at home.

"It played havoc with my marriage for a while," he said. "When we won the League Cup in 1974, it took me three days to get home from Wembley to Worcestershire.

"I haven't got a clue where I was. "I know the Mayor of Wolverhampton received the team in official form, and I remember being there for a minute or two."

Many other famous rock stars have also been fanatical about footy.

Rod Stewart supports Manchester United, Celtic and Scotland, while Elton John backed Watford both emotionally and financially.

Yet Plant, who was born in West Bromwich and was brought-up in Halesowen, is the most fervent fan of all.

During Led Zeppelin's heyday in the 1970s the band undertook gruelling foreign tours.

But Plant would always appear on the terraces for crucial matches.

The 59 year-old, who is currently touring with country singer, Alison Krauss, admits he always got a wow out of Wolves.

"It's the love of something where I don't have to be explaining myself, justifying it; being a spook on the edge," he said. "I'm right in the middle of it, and I love it to death. And it's right and it's wrong and it's banal."

Plant also said he enjoyed the fact that he could be totally anonymous while watching Wolves.

Which wasn't the case in most other places in the western world during the 70s.

He said: "It's insane, but it's a panacea for me. I used to go to the South Bank in the early 70s, and I'd be there with 15,000 other people chain-smoking Woodbines, and I was just getting over the fact that if I went to some other place on the planet, I would have to have security.

"But instead of that, I was on somebody else's shoulders, falling through the crowd.

"I nearly broke my leg when we beat Man City at Wembley in that League Cup Final."

Plant, who made his comments during an interview with Recorder Collector Magazine, also admitted he isn't just a Wolves fan.

He also loves the comedy of... Frank Carson.

The hard-living rocker said the Irish gagmeister regularly led him to a Stairway To Heaving Chuckles.

He even hopes that Frank will attend his 60th birthday bash.

"I want to see if I can get a good deal on him coming out for a drink with me for a couple of hours," he said. "I don't think I'd want him for the whole evening, though, because after about 45 minutes, he may just start again."

He added: "He's hilarious. I just like somebody to keep giving me some daft jokes."

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If the article with the pic of Robert isn't from a local paper, it looks like it would have been from the old Daily Express. It's their typeface, etc.

At least it mentions "Long Time Coming" which I would imagine was the purpose of the stunt.

Wolverhampton archives are housed in the old Molineux Hotel which is situated approx 100 yard from The Molineux..so if anybody fancies doing some research there do it on match day ..who knows who you might bump into

Edited by Blocoboy
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  • 1 month later...
Its been a while but I have a valid excuse :rolleyes: ..anyway..apologies if this is well known but do the Obs tweedle recordings still exist-

From the Express and Star May 2nd 1968

Is there anything else in the paper which states which studio?

Meg

Edited by Meg Ireland
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No.. but I have emailed Bill Bonham to see if he has any memories,hopefully he may be able to fill in the details.

I've just checked my email archive and Bill did indeed state that they did record some songs but he has no idea what happened to them.

Meg

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I've just checked my email archive and Bill did indeed state that they did record some songs but he has no idea what happened to them.

Meg

Ahh..that explains why Bill thought he had spoken to me about it before.

This is what I got off Bill today..."Robert introduced us to Buffalo Springfield and we recorded. Hello Mr Soul, Rock and Roll Woman and a couple of other songs in that studio."...he couldn't remember the studio but says Terry Rowley was the engineer.

Meg..if you are researching this stuff drop me a line..I don't want to tread on anyone's toes.

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Ahh..that explains why Bill thought he had spoken to me about it before.

This is what I got off Bill today..."Robert introduced us to Buffalo Springfield and we recorded. Hello Mr Soul, Rock and Roll Woman and a couple of other songs in that studio."...he couldn't remember the studio but says Terry Rowley was the engineer.

Meg..if you are researching this stuff drop me a line..I don't want to tread on anyone's toes.

You probably know more than me. Bill was very vague on details. He didn't keep diaries or receipts. It would be good if we could get into contact with other band members. They maybe able to shed more light.

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Hope this of interest..from The Sutton Coldfield News Friday 5th June 1964

bonham004.jpg

Gig was Saturday 30th May 1964 at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall.

bonham005.jpg

This has to be one of the best threads I have seen. Thank you for all of this and to evryone else who contributed. This is so interesting and informative. So much info....THANK YOU again!!!

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Great find on that Senators picture! Probably John Bonham's earliest press exposure.

I find it interesting that the article lists the lead singer as Bobby Child, yet their bass player (Bill Ford) says that the singer during Bonham's tenure was Terry Beal. Ford says that Child wasn't in the band with Bonham....yet there he is in the article.

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From what I understand Scott, Terry Beal took on the name Bobby Child, because the band van and merchandise had the name Bobby Child on it, so he simply adopted the name Bobby Child. The original Bobby Child was called Barry Goodchild.

Great find on that Senators picture! Probably John Bonham's earliest press exposure.

I find it interesting that the article lists the lead singer as Bobby Child, yet their bass player (Bill Ford) says that the singer during Bonham's tenure was Terry Beal. Ford says that Child wasn't in the band with Bonham....yet there he is in the article.

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From what I understand Scott, Terry Beal took on the name Bobby Child, because the band van and merchandise had the name Bobby Child on it, so he simply adopted the name Bobby Child. The original Bobby Child was called Barry Goodchild.

Did they ever go under the name "Mark Anthony and The Senators"?

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I might have mentioned that I am researching the pre fame career of Slade..this is pure history from the Express and Star-

senatorsnb001.jpg

The Senators gig is Saturday 28th November 1964.

The gig is at Johns uncles pub..The 'Nbetweens included Dave Hill and Don Powell who would later form Slade..can you imagine the noise that was created that night..the sheer power of Bonham and Powell.

Steve Brett and The Mavericks featured Noddy Holder ..who would become lead singer with Slade..he lived approx 100 yards away from the Boat..the lead guitarist with the Mavericks was Pete Bickley who lived approx 10 houses away from where I lived at the time..I lived approx 1 mile from the Boat.

I don't think Mr Plant would have been lodging at the boat at the time but obviously his future Obstweedle colleague Bill Bonham would have been watching his cousin.

The music scene in the Midlands was very tight knit and I reckon this ad illustrates this quite well.

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Wow, great stuff, Blocoboy! I'm just catching up after a couple of weeks away, and was blown away by that pic of John Bonham--the earliest one I'd seen of him (apart from childhood pics, of course).

I get the impression the Midlands music scene is still very tight knit, btw.

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