JOHN PAUL JONES' ZEPPELIN RELIEF

Former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones claims he is happy the group didn't reunite as it would have prevented him from working with his new band Them Crooked Vultures.
Led Zeppelin didn't reform, John Paul Jones is "happy".
It had been planned for the veteran group to reunite - possibly without singer Robert Plant - last year, but the idea was later scrapped and the bassist went on to join super group Them Crooked Vultures with Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, a move John Paul admits wouldn't otherwise have been possible.
He said: "Jimmy Page and I rehearsed a bit with Jason Bonham and we couldn't actually agree on singers and that fell by the wayside. Then this came along and to be honest, I'm actually glad."
The musician admits he was already a big fan of ex-Nirvana drummer Dave's abilities before they decided to work together.
He added to BBC 6 Music: "I immediately recognised that this was a drummer that was a: actually good, and b: groovy, and c: listened, all those nice things that bass players like in drummers."

Led Zeppelin's: Robert Plant In Talks With Michael Eavis About Glastonbury 2010

Robert Plant says he has spoken to Michael Eavis about performing at Glastonbury 2010 – but he's not sure who it will be with. Speaking before the Q Awards ceremony at Grosvenor House in London this afternoon, Plant told BBC6music: "I've just been talking to Michael (Eavis). There's place for me there, but I have no idea who with." Asked if he's open to perform at Worthy Farm next year, the legend added: "There is a opportunity yeah, but I don't know with who." Fans, of course, will be hoping that it's Led Zeppelin but in reality it's much more likely to be Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. Plant picked up an Outstanding Contribution To Music gong at the Q Awards.

Led Zeppelin: Vultures supergroup gets into a jam

Led Zeppelin may not be embarking on a reunion tour, but it’s not because John Paul Jones isn’t ready.
Blues at the sunday night of the 63 year old Zep bassist proved more than fit for duty, stepping lively with the new supergroup Them Crooked Vultures through a dynamic 82 minute set.
Jones is clearly jazzed to be joining another thunderous rhythm section, as Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters held down the drum seat with the same combination of skill and mania he exhibited during his tenure with Nirvana. One of the night’s great pleasures was watching Grohl pound away with a Cheshire cat grin, free from frontman pressures. Queens of the Stone Age singer guitarist Josh Homme led the way with courtly charm and a full arsenal of blistering riffs and dynamic vocals, darting from stoner drone to funky falsetto.
Sheer hard rocking power in terms, the trio, augmented by guitarist Alain Johannes, lived up to the pre show buzz. This was no mean feat considering the band has yet to release an album it’s due later this year and the erratic track record of supergroups in general.
Sensibly, given the personnel, each tune was built on a sturdy guitar lick and anchored by a taut groove. Sometimes the vibe was fast and furious, as on opener “Elephants.’’ A giddy disco energy infected “Gunman.’’ “Spinning in Daffodils’’ was a low-down, grunge-encrusted rocker that gave way to an elegiac Jones piano solo. Several tunes evolved into epic jams spiraling up and down in energy, from short bursts of riffage to longer solos. The expansive yet stomping improv seemed fitting for a band reportedly formed in a medieval-themed restaurant.
As the show progressed, the fatigue of the unfamiliar began to set in - no songs from the musicians’ original groups were performed - but the playing remained top-notch.
The ovation that Jones received from the rapt and heavily male sold-out crowd was shared by his bandmates onstage, who seemed to vibrate with excitement about their good fortune to play with a legend, and one still so nimble at that.

Led Zeppelin Images Surface in New Photo Book

In 1968, the members of what would soon be named Led Zeppelin were snapped outside a Scandinavian club by a fan. The images of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham are candid, slightly fuzzy and extremely

rare, but now fans can check them out in the new book Good Times, Bad Times: A Visual Biography of the Ultimate Band. The hard cover title, out earlier via Abrams publishers this month, collects shots of the legendary quartet that focus on their off stage lives: the rockers decompressing in the countryside, spending time with their families, composing in the studio.
Check out a selection of rarely seen Led Zeppelin photos from Good Times, Bad Times.

In his introduction to the book, Anthony DeCurtis recalls seeing Led Zeppelin for the first time, and what it was like actually being in the studio with the band when he was on assignment for a Rolling Stone cover story. “The entire set was mesmerizing,” he writes of experiencing the band live as a high school student. “Page soloed spectacularly on every song, and the ecstatic call-and-response exchanges he and Plant engaged in were galvanizing.”
Fans got a glimpse of that magical interaction when the band reunited for their December 2007 gig at London’s O2 Arena that has become the stuff of story. Relive that particular day in rock history with photos from the gig and David Fricke’s full report.

Led Zeppelin: Shadows Taller Than Our Souls by Charles R. Cross

As rock books go, they simply don't get much more complete than this. That the subject of Charles R. Cross' Shadows Taller Than Our Souls is Led Zeppelin who arguably stand only behind the Beatles as the biggest rock band of all time only strengthens the appeal of this book.
If you think that everything that could possibly be written about Led Zeppelin has already been committed to paper, you are for the most part absolutely correct. What sets this book apart from the rest, though, is the treasure trove of extras and bonus goodies you'll find while thumbing your way through its pages. For Led Zeppelin fanatics, this is not just a must own it is in many ways a holy grail of sorts.
Shadows Taller Than Our Souls its title is taken from one of the lyrics to "Stairway To Heaven" is the Led Zeppelin fan's ultimate coffee table book. Housed in a beautiful hardbound slipcase, every page of this lovingly assembled book reveals a new surprise.
There are pages that fold out to reveal never before released photographs of the band, as well as things like reproduced ticket stubs and press releases nicely tucked in between nearly every page.
You get things like the Atlantic Records promo the new cover E.P. for Led Zep's first album, an invite to Zep's first appearance at the 1969 Seattle Pop Festival, and the ticket stubs from Zeppelin concerts in the seventies (at the then outrageous price of $12.50 a ticket).
Towards the end of the book, there is even an original pull out of the press release announcing Led Zeppelin's breakup following the death of drummer John Bonham. There is also an audio CD of a rare Jimmy Page interview with Trouser Press journalist Dave Schulps.
For his own part, Charles R. Cross focuses in on the music, rather than the sort of sordid sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll details of previous Zeppelin bios most notably Stephen Davis' Hammer Of The Gods. A wise move considering the fact that Zep's reputation for road excess has pretty much been covered to death in previous tomes.

T.O., Led Zeppelin tribute band coming

WHOLE LOTTA LOVE— Heartbreaker, a Led Zeppelin tribute band, will perform at the Fred Kavli Theatre at 8 p.m. Sat., Oct. 30. The retrospective musical journey to the ‘70s will feature Zeppelin’s major hits, including “The Rain Song,” “Over the Hills and Far Away” and “Stairway to Heaven.” For information, call the box office at (805) 449-2787