We're still at 25% of our goal. A big debt of gratitude for the donations so far. But we still have a ways to go. We can get there if you can help out, any way you can. It doesn't have to be big - every bit helps. Give what you can so we can keep Newstalgia from going away forever. I know that sounds bad, because it is. Newstalgia will cease to exist after May if we can't raise $5,000.00 to pay the rent. I know we can get there. And if you like what this site is all about please do what you can to help.

Since we ran David Bowie last night, it's only natural we dig a bit more into the mainstream for something else unusual. And tonight it's Led Zeppelin in their second session at the BBC, recorded on June 24, 1969 for The John Peel Program.

If you're a diehard fan, you will probably have this session somewhere in your collection. You are probably well-versed in all things Zep. But if you're a casual fan, you may not have heard this session, and you may not have realized Led Zeppelin were originally The New Yardbirds, when the old Yardbirds dissolved. When Jimmy Page, the last remaining member of The Yardbirds set out to form a new band, following largely in the footsteps of the old one. When asked if he was interested in joining up in this new venture, Who drummer Keith Moon declined, casually adding Page's new band idea would mostly likely go down like a Led Zeppelin with audiences.

And the rest is history.

And so's what you're going to hear:

24/06/1969 - Led Zeppelin
Producer - John Walters
Engineer - Tony Wilson
Studio - Maida Vale 4

TRACKLIST
What Is And What Should Never Be
Whole Lotta Love
Travelling Riverside Blues
Communication Breakdown

LINE UP
Jimmy Page (Guitar)
Robert Plant (Vocals)
John Paul Jones (Bass, Piano, Organ)
John Bonham (Drums)

Take it from there.

We're slowly getting there; about 10% of our goal so far. Thanks to the amazing outpouring of donations from all of you to keep Newstalgia from extinction. Keep it going. Anything you can do will be unbelievably appreciated. You're making a difference!

David Bowie tonight. Someone I haven't played, I don't think, ever on The Roundtable. I ran across this session recorded on May 23, 1972 for the John Peel Program at The BBC and had to include it.

Vintage Bowie from the classic period, turning the Music world Glam in the process.

Here's what's up tonight:

1. White Heat, White Light
2. Hang On To Yourself
3. Suffragette City
4. Moonage Daydream
5. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust

Not that you're going to want to break out the day-glo eyeliner or Platform boots and cover yourself in glitter or anything. But it IS Friday night, and I suppose you could. . .

Or just turn it up and let the music do it for you.

Continuing in familiar territory tonight. This session, done for the Andy Ferris BBC show, was recorded on March 25, 1970 and features only one track this time - A Bowie rendition of Waiting For The Man (which is purported to be radically different from another session version of this track).

David Bowie, just before his dramatic shift to glam, doing a song popularized by The Velvet Underground only a few years earlier.

Enjoy.

(Dana Gillespie - Championship Water Skier, Pop Singer, David Bowie Discovery, Blues Belter . . in that order)

Most people probably remember Dana Gillespie from her RCA album "Weren't Born A Man" which had the distinction of a: being produced by David Bowie and b: best use of a corset in a photo shoot.

I suppose if you wanted to get really abstract about it, her pop-star period could resemble that of Samantha Fox, only in the 1960's. But I think that would be a cheap shot, because Dana Gillespie was (and still is) multi-talented, as is evidence by her solid reputation as a blues singer these last twenty years.

This particular track goes back to her first album issued in 1968 (although it dates to 1967. it wasn't issued in the states until a year later). It's rumored to feature a virtual who's who of London session musicians, including Jimmy Page. "You've Just Got To Know My Mind" opens the album Foolish Seasons, and is written by Donovan. It's a great track that sadly made little impression in the U.S. but was enough to establish her as a major artist in the U.K. and Europe (which was no mean feat, considering the competition at the time).

I admit, it rocks.

(Junior's Eyes - The best known unknown band of the 60's)

Most people have probably never heard of Junior's Eyes. It's not a name that comes rolling off the tongue or conjures up some instant recognition. But if I told you they were David Bowie's backup back and played on Space Oddity and The Man Who Sold The World, then you'd at least have some idea. They never toured the U.S. and only had one album (their first) issued by A&M in 1969. No hit singles, no airplay to speak of and not given over to rave reviews with the press when it first came out. It's that curious mixture of psych, progressive and hard rock - not really settling in on any one thing that led to nonplussed assessments.

Some bands don't age well. Junior's Eyes isn't one of them. In retrospect they had a lot more to offer than they were given credit for and this track, "Playtime" gives ample evidence.