I admit that, in all the time Newstalgia has been up and alive, I haven't included any Led Zeppelin material in my posts. Why? Honestly, I overdosed on them around the time this concert was recorded. Led Zeppelin were probably one of the most visible, most hyped bands of the early 1970's. Their albums were played back to back non-stop on most FM stations in the country. Every Rock magazine had at least some kind of story regarding them in every issue. They toured almost constantly and, frankly I heard enough of them to last me a lifetime.

Not that they weren't a good band or anything, and not that I didn't like them. I just hit critical mass hearing about them and hearing Stairway To Heaven for the 2,000th time. That's all.

But my experience is probably not your experience - so when I ran across this concert I was looking at it as a historic document and not out of personal preference. So I decided to run it.

I am sure this concert has made the bootleg circles many times over, as practically everything they've ever done has, in one form or another. What's interesting about this particular concert, recorded at the BBC's Paris Theater in London in 1971, is how sedate the audience is. Evidence Led Zeppelin were much more popular in the States than they were in their native UK. A Led Zeppelin concert in the U.S. during their heyday was a stoner's paradise with massive quantities of drugs and alcohol ingested over the course of the concert to epidemic proportions. Attesting to that was the fact that, at one Zeppelin concert in Los Angeles, I was thrown up on not once, but twice in one night. Wretched excess is what they call it.

At any rate, in case you missed them the first time around, or never quite got into them in the first place, here is a taste of them live relatively early on.

Enjoy. I promise to grab something new and unknown next week.

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.

(Terry Reid - 1968 - had things been different . . . .)

When Jimmy Page was in the formulation stages of putting Led Zeppelin together, his first choice for lead singer was Terry Reid. Reid had been a familiar fixture in the London music scene for some time and he was a natural for the type of raw blues and hard rock Page was looking for.

But the timing was bad and the prior contractual obligations were worse, and Reid was forced to decline Page's offer. He did however suggest a friend, Robert Plant as an ideal choice for vocalist. Plant and Reid had been good friends over the years and it made perfect sense that Plant would be in Led Zeppelin.

Rather than fade into the woodwork, Reid was very much the architect for what was to become the legendary Led Zeppelin lineup. With Plant on vocals and another friend of Reid's, John Bonham on drums, Reid was a key element in the formation of one of the great bands in Rock history.

But Reid continued on his own, with his own group, releasing a number of well received albums over the years, beginning with a track off tonight's album, Bang, Bang, You're Terry Reid from 1968.

Stay With Me Baby is the soul classic as performed by Terry Reid. If you aren't familiar with him, practically all of his recorded output is available.

In the meantime, check out this track for a taste of Terry Reid.

(The Creation - When they said their music was red with purple flashes, they weren't kidding)

Back to the 60s tonight with the dawn of psychedelia and Freakbeat. Creation were one of the cornerstones of the wild aggressive turn pop music had taken. Along with The Who, The Creation were a totally visual and sonic experience, taking the music to a new level. Fronted by singer Kenny Pickett, with guitarist Eddie Phillips whose technique of bowing his guitar predates Jimmy Page's use of it with Led Zeppelin by a few years, the band also included such luminaries as Kim Gardner and Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones). Gardner and Wood joined later, as did other members, but Phillips and Pickett were founding members. Their first incarnation from 1966-1967 yielded tracks like the one tonight "How Does It Feel To Feel", which was released in two different versions; one for the US and the other for the UK. The insane guitar solo is from the US version, which doesn't appear on the UK version. The band went through a quick dissolve, but resurfaced in early 1968 with new members and continued until the end of 1968. From that point on, the band has achieved legend status and has been cited by countless musicians as a pivotal influence. Their songs have been reissued several times and even their rare TV appearances have made it over to YouTube in recent months.

Definitely a band worth checking out if you've never heard them before. They came along at a time when being outrageous was a completely new concept. And they wore it incredibly well.