Tag Archives: Jimmy Page

June 24: Happy birthday Jeff Beck

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I don’t care about the rules. In fact, if I don’t break the rules at least 10 times in every song then I’m not doing my job properly.
~Jeff Beck

Every time I listen to Jeff Beck my whole view of guitar changes radically. He’s way, way out, doing things you never expect.
~Brian May

Jimmy Page inducts Jeff Beck at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009:

Jeff Beck accepts the award at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Induction:

Continue reading June 24: Happy birthday Jeff Beck

May 31: The late John Bonham was born in 1948

bonham in action

I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It’s all very well doing a triple paradiddle – but who’s going to know you’ve done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It’s being original that counts.
– John Bonham

John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and “feel” for the groove. 

Led Zeppelin – Full concert Live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970:

“Bonzo had very broad listening tastes. When we weren’t listening to James Brown or Otis Redding, he might be listening to Joni Mitchell or Crosby Stills Nash & Young. Bonzo was a great lover of songs.” – John Paul Jones

He is widely considered to be one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music by many drummers, other musicians, and commentators in the industry. Over 30 years after his death, Bonham continues to garner awards and praise, including a Rolling Stone readers’ pick in 2011 placing him in first place of the magazine’s “best drummers of all time”.
Continue reading May 31: The late John Bonham was born in 1948

March 28: Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy was released in 1973

led zeppelin houses of the holy

March 28: Led Zeppelin  Houses of the Holy  was released in 1973

“The Rain Song” is one of Zep’s finest moments, featuring a soaring string arrangement and a gentle, aching melody. “The Ocean” is just as good, starting with a heavy, funky guitar groove before slamming into an a cappella section and ending with a swinging, doo wop-flavored rave-up. With the exception of the rampaging opening number, “The Song Remains the Same,” the rest of Houses of the Holy is fairly straightforward, ranging from the foreboding “No Quarter” and the strutting hard rock of “Dancing Days” to the epic folk/metal fusion “Over the Hills and Far Away.” Throughout the record, the band’s playing is excellent, making the eclecticism of Page and Robert Plant’s songwriting sound coherent and natural.”
– Thomas Erlewine (allmusic)

#1 – The Song Remains The Same

Continue reading March 28: Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy was released in 1973

Today: The late John Bonham was born in 1948 – 65 years ago

 

bonham in action

I think that feeling is a lot more important than technique. It’s all very well doing a triple paradiddle – but who’s going to know you’ve done it? If you play technically you sound like everybody else. It’s being original that counts.
– John Bonham

John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and “feel” for the groove. 

Led Zeppelin – Full concert Live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970:

“Bonzo had very broad listening tastes. When we weren’t listening to James Brown or Otis Redding, he might be listening to Joni Mitchell or Crosby Stills Nash & Young. Bonzo was a great lover of songs.” – John Paul Jones

He is widely considered to be one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music by many drummers, other musicians, and commentators in the industry. Over 30 years after his death, Bonham continues to garner awards and praise, including a Rolling Stone readers’ pick in 2011 placing him in first place of the magazine’s “best drummers of all time”.

bonham cool

Led Zeppelin – Kashmir – Earl’s Court 1975:

Awards and accolades

While Bonham is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential rock drummers by other musicians and commentators in the industry, he continues to receive the greatest acclaim from fans, and several opinion polls and critic lists continue to list him in first place before any other drummer in rock history.

  • In 2007, Stylus magazine rated Bonham number 1 on its list of the 50 greatest rock drummers, 
  • as did the online music magazine Gigwise.com in 2008,
  •  Rolling Stone reader’s poll where he “led the list by a significant margin” in 2011.
  • Bonham was ranked at no. 1 on Classic Rock’s 2005 list of “50 Greatest Drummers in Rock”,
  • Modern Drummer magazine describes him as “the greatest rock ‘n’ roll drummer in history.”
  • In September 2008, Bonham topped the Blabbermouth.net’s list of “Rockers fans want brought back to life”, ahead of Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury.
  • Rhythm magazine voted him the greatest drummer ever, topping their reader’s poll to determine the “50 greatest drummers of all time” for its October 2009 issue. 
  • At the end of the BBC Two series I’m in a Rock ‘n’ Roll Band! on 5 June 2010, John Bonham was named the best drummer of all time.

John Bonham has been described by Allmusic as one of the most important, well-known and influential drummers in rock. Adam Budofsky, managing editor of Modern Drummer magazine, writes “If the king of rock ‘n’ roll was Elvis Presley, then the king of rock drumming was certainly John Bonham.”

Moby Dick – great video w/focus on Bonham (the whole 30 minutes with a long drum solo) 24 May 1975:

Led Zeppelin is not available @ Spotify, so let’s roll another video..
Whole lotta love:

Other May-31:

Continue reading Today: The late John Bonham was born in 1948 – 65 years ago

Today: Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” was released in 1973 – 40 years ago

led zeppelin houses of the holy

The epic scale suited Zeppelin: They had the largest crowds, the loudest rock songs, the most groupies, the fullest manes of hair. Eventually excess would turn into bombast, but on Houses, it still provided inspiration.
~Gavin Edwards (rollingstone.com)

#1 – The Song Remains The Same

Wikipedia

Released 28 March 1973
Recorded January–August 1972, Stargrovesand Headley Grange with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, and Island Studios, London; Mixed at Olympic Studios, London and Electric Lady Studios, New York
Genre Hard rock, heavy metal
Length 40:58
Language English
Label Atlantic
Producer Jimmy Page

Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973. It is the first Led Zeppelin album composed of entirely original material, and represents a musical turning point for the band, who had begun to record songs with more layering and production techniques.

During the sessions, Led Zeppelin also recorded a song named “Houses of the Holy”, and planned to make it the album’s title track. However, the band eventually decided that it didn’t fit in, and the song was instead released on their next album, Physical Graffiti.

  • Houses of the Holy was certified 11× Platinum by the RIAA
  • In 2012, it was ranked number 148 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

led zeppelin houses-of-the-holy-back

 But side two begins with two amazing, well, dance tracks–the transmogrified shuffle is actually called “Dancing Days,” while “D’Yer Mak’er” is a reggae, or “reggae”
~Robert Christgau (http://www.robertchristgau.com)

#5 – Dancing Days

Album Sleeve Design

The cover art for Houses of the Holy was inspired by the ending of Arthur C. Clarke’s novel Childhood’s End, which involves several hundred million naked children, only slightly and physically resembling the human race in basic forms. The cover is a collage of several photographs which were taken at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland, by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis. This location was chosen ahead of an alternative one in Peru which was being considered.

NI_710.tif
Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

 Critical reaction

Upon its release, the album received some mixed reviews, with much criticism from the music press being directed at the off-beat nature of tracks such as “The Crunge” and “D’yer Mak’er”. However, the album was very successful commercially, entering the UK chart at number one, while in America its 39-week run (2 of them spent at number one) on the Billboard Top 40 was their longest since their third album.

#2 – The Rain Song

Full album on youtube:

Other March-28:

Continue reading Today: Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” was released in 1973 – 40 years ago