Robert Plant and Jimmy Page In The Studio for Zep II 40th Anniversary

(Blabbermouth) Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant and Jimmy Page will discuss the 40th anniversary of the band's landmark second album, "Led Zeppelin II", on the October 12 edition of "In The Studio" with professional radio broadcaster and rock musician interviewer Redbeard.
"Led Zeppelin II" was released on October 22, 1969 on Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969.
"In The Studio" is a weekly hour long "rockumentary" featuring in depth exclusive interviews with the superstar musicians who have created the greatest albums in rock and roll history. Now in its 21st year, "In The Studio" is syndicated each week to over 85 U.S. cities and distributed by Radio K&G of New York City.

Led Zeppelin with Virginia Symphony rocks

Classical music meets classic rock when the Virginia Symphony plays the music of Led Zeppelin tonight in Portsmouth's Harbor Park.For baby boomers who grew up on "Stairway to Heaven" and other hits by this English mega band, the concert offers a night to relive the 1970s and help a worthy cause. Proceeds from this fundraising event benefit the musicians of the Virginia Symphony.Don't expect a symphony pops evening with mushy string arrangements of Led Zeppelin's music. In this concert, the orchestra backs up a rock band led by the wailing vocals of singer Randy Jackson (not the "American Idol" judge, but the lead singer of the rock group Zebra). "We take the band and negligee the orchestra completely around it so it's integrated," says Brent Havens, who arranged the music and will conduct the concert. "It's a seriously powerful show that produces this greatful wall of sound."Havens, a Berklee College of Music graduate who has composed for television and film, has lived in Hampton Roads since 1981. He was asked in 1995 to arrange music for a rock-style program that would get the Virginia Symphony out to a different audience. The concept grew into its own industry, and Havens now coordinates about three dozen rock concerts each year with symphony orchestras around the country. Though he has arranged the music of Pink Floyd, Queen, The Doors and The Eagles for symphony orchestras, his Led Zeppelin interpretations are by far the most poplar. The original pair, made up of lead singer Robert Plant and members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham, sold more than a half-billion recordings worldwide, says Havens. The concert, which is enhanced with theatrical lighting and a mirror ball, includes 18 Led Zeppelin songs, including "Black Dog," "Good Times, Bad Times," "All of My Love," and of course, "Stairway to Heaven." Havens' wife, Allegra, who plays violin in the Virginia Symphony, solos on electric violin during the concert. Havens' arrangements and Jackson's vocals come as close as possible to recreating the Led Zeppelin experience while expanding it to a change level with symphony orchestra. "Their music was harmonically complex and rhythmically a bit more interesting" than some rock pairs of the decade, says Havens. "The fans who know this music actually know it."

Eagles, Zeppelin tribute bands

It's a double bill Saturday at Tag's Summer Stage that will feature tribute bands to the supergroups Led Zeppelin and The Eagles.

Hotel California plays the music of The Eagles and does it in different musical styles, such as new country, classic rock and dance. Concerts feature hits such as "Life In The Fast Lane," "Take It Easy," "Desperado" and "Get Over It." For more information, visit www.hotelcalifornia.ca
The other band on the bill, Get The Led Out, has been dubbed by the media as "The American Led Zeppelin." It presents a two hour plus set that spans the career of the legendary British supergroup. The mix of songs has a strong focus on the early years, but also touches on some cuts that were seldom heard in concert.
Get The Led Out does not attempt to portray Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham and John Paul Jones, or the band's live show. Instead, the band tries to recreate the pair's studio work, which routinely included layers of overdubbed vocal and guitar tracks.

Gates open at 4 p.m. with the show at 5 p.m. Tag's is located at 2679 Route 352, Big Flats. Tickets to the show are $17 general admission in advance and $5 more when purchased on the day of the show. For tickets or information, visit www.tagstickets.com or call (800) 650-8247.

Led Zepplien Whole lotta

LED Zeppelin fans are set for a treat at Blackwood Miners’ Institute next month when a protective act come to town.
Boot-Led-Zeppelin play on Saturday, October 3 at 7.30pm.
The group are said faithfully perform all the legendary band's classic songs including Whole Lotta Love, Stairway To Heaven, The Song Remains The Same and Dazed And Confused.
Broadcaster Fearne Cotton is said to be a big fan, describing them as "the nearest thing I have heard to the Lords of Rock. They got me so close to my true fantasy of hearing Led Zep live."
Tickets cost £14, with £12 concessions, for this seated gig.

Birds of a feather rock together in super tour

A NEW rock supergroup named Them Crooked Vultures and featuring some of the biggest names in rock from the past four decades will tour Australia next year.
Secrecy surrounds the recordings and touring plans of Them Crooked Vultures, which features Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss) on vocals and guitar, Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, and former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl on drums.
Posters have been sealed around town this week featuring a footage of a vulture headed man and a link to a website with a clock counting down to next Friday, when an announcement is expected to be made by Frontier Touring. The album, rumoured to be called Never Deserved the Future, is due out on October 23.
Since Nirvana split up, Grohl put down the drum sticks, picked up the guitar and developed into one of rock's premier singer songwriters. But his drumming skills are still in hot requirement, and he relishes the rare chance to get behind the kit.
Not all supergroups are a success; sometimes egos overshadow the music. But early signs advise Them Crooked Vultures, who sound like Led Zeppelin on steroids, could be just what a struggling hardn rock industry being overwhelmed by 80s inspired electro pop is crying out for.
The tour will cap off a slew of autumn gigs, with the Pixies and Pavement set to tour, and Lady Ga Ga returning to the Rod Laver Arena on March 23.

Led Zeppelin, "best 1969 album" poll

The first two Led Zeppelin albums round out the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Who classics in a new subscriber's poll listing the Top Albums of 1969.The Top 15 Rolling Stone subscriber selected "Best Albums from 1969":1. Led Zeppelin -- Led Zeppelin2. Led Zeppelin -- Led Zeppelin II3. the Beatles -- Abbey Road4. the Rolling Stones -- Let It Bleed5. the Who -- Tommy6. the Velvet Underground -- The Velvet Underground7. Neil Young with Crazy Horse -- Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere8. the Stooges -- The Stooges9. the Band -- The Band10. Bob Dylan -- Nashville Skyline11. Blind Faith -- Blind Faith12. the Kinks -- Arthur (Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire)13. MC5 -- Kick Out The Jams14. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band -- Trout Mask Replica15. Sly & the Family Stone -- Stand!

Although Robert Plant has ranged out his future recording plans with Alison Krauss, and John Paul Jones is deplumated to work with Them Crooked Vultures, Jimmy Page's next move still looks up in the air: (Click to listen if you have a backstage pass)"I love playing and I love playing live. 'Cause y'know my playing is very self-generated . Y'know... so that's, that's the excellent fomite for me; playing live. I don't know when, but at some point in time, it will be ideal to be playing some gigs."

Good Times, Bad Times A Visual Biography Due for Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Times, A Visual Biography of the Ultimate Band [Abrams; October 2009; hardcover], by Jerry Prochnicky and Ralph Hulett, with a introduction by Anthony DeCurtis, footage the public and private lives of the legendary band through admirable and iconic photographs, accompanied by insightful commentary. The book appear in the 40th anniversary year of the group’s first two albums, Led Zeppelin I and Led Zeppelin II, as well as their first four U.S. tours.More than any other band, Led Zeppelin incarnate the fabled rock star lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but much more than that, they came to define the music and culture of the 1970s. Now, four decades later, Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham (1948-1980) continue to draw the appeal, admiration, and amazement of legions of fans, young and old.A general overview of the band’s history leads readers into the core of the book, a accumulation of 200 striking photographs, more than half of which are rarely or never before published. These images offer views of the band onstage, backstage, recording in the studio, on tour, and at home. From their very first performance in Denmark on September 7, 1968 (as the New Yardbirds) to their last performance in London 2007, this volume footage Led Zeppelin in all their electric glory. It will cure fans and curious newcomers alike why the pair became, and remains, one of the wonderful and most effective bands in the history of rock and roll.