Kevin Shirley admits to run-ins with Jimmy Page

By Brian Gardiner and Steve Sauer

Grammy-nominated recording engineer Dave Rideau sat recently with producer Kevin "The Caveman" Shirley at his aptly named studio, The Cave, located in Malibu, California.

In the interview for Solid State Logic, Shirley opens up about his career and his recording methods, including working on Led Zeppelin's digital-era releases and discs from current supergroup Black Country Communion.

The resulting 39-minute interview has been published in three parts on YouTube.

Readers overwhelmingly positive on new Led Zeppelin DVD, live album

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

Led Zeppelin's live album How the West Was Won and chronological live visual set DVD, now out in most of the world, will be released June 11 in Japan and Friday in Australia and New Zealand.

Man, I can't wait. I'm getting home Friday night with my DVD in my hot little hand, locking the gate, bolting the door, putting the phone in the toilet and sitting in front of the tele for the weekend. "Wayyyyyyy down inside!" I hope the neighbours don't wanna sleep this weekend.

Andrew
Christchurch, New Zealand

In the meantime, Lemon Squeezings presents comments from some readers who are infatuated with their new toys. Thanks to all who wrote in.

I was the first one in the Virgin Megastore on 45th & Broadway at 9 a.m. on May 27, and I paid the great price of $22.99 for the DVDs and $20.99 for the CDs. OH BABY BABY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Richard
New York, N.Y.

I arrived home at 3:30 p.m. (Don't mention speed limits, will you?) toput the DVD on first; the thing that strikes me immediately is the flood of memories from actually being at the concerts first time around. I remember I was working at the Hardrock Concert Theatre in Manchester when Zeppelin performed two consecutive nights there, Dec. 7-8, 1972. I was lucky enough to meet Robert Plant for the first time then, a thoroughly nice guy. Next, the thing that (literally) hit me is the phenomenal power and intricacy of the drumming of John Bonham; he must be the only drummer who really did have arms like Popeye and sticks like telegraph poles. Unbelievable.

Mark
Liverpool, England

I bought the DVD and CD from HMV shop in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. I was there at 10 a.m. when it opened. I rushed back home and spent the next six hours or so in heaven.

Ashley
Crewe, England

I picked up the CD this morning at a music store in Grand Central Station, the only one I could find open at 7:30 a.m. on my way to work. Even on my Compaq M700 laptop, they sound unreal. I can't wait to listen on a real system tonight, but the laptop will do for now as I will be listening over and over all day.

Dave
New York, N.Y.

You should've seen me picking them up at Borders. I met a saleswoman who loves LZ too, and we were practically jumping up and down!

Lisa
St. Louis, Mo.

I picked up the DVDs and CDs about five hours ago and am about to check out the DVD before I go to sleep. What'll you bet that I'll be up watching until 10:30 a.m.?

Mark
Long Beach, Calif.

They should've included a concert poster of the L.A. Forum 1972 in the How the West Was Won CD package. In my opinion, they should've really went all out for it in this release.

Joe
Margate City, N.J.

I would have loved a CD booklet, but at least the DVD booklet is good. You know Zeppelin and album covers...

Lynn
West Palm Beach, Fla.

The entire CD set has given a breath of fresh air to all who can breathe again after this great revival of a great era, great music and a great band.

John "They Call Me The Hunter"
Cincinnati, Ohio

The rendition of "Dazed and Confused" at the beginning of Disc Two on
How the West Was Won is by far the best ever. It is crazy how well they change
the beats in a song and then fall right back into it. It is totally apparent
that they are all very talented musicians and the best band ever to grace our
world's stages.

Amity
Memphis, Tenn.

I first heard Led Zeppelin when I was about 13 at a local disco. They blew me away then, and they're still doing it to me. They encapsulate the mystery and magic of my teenage years and are still my favourite band. No one else comes close.

Unfortunately, I never saw them live (if only I'd been born in '55 instead of '65!). The live performances featured on the CD are enough to make me weep at having missed them (as was Dave Lewis's recollections of Earl's Court in the May 24 edition). What will I be like when I watch the DVD?

Marie
Dundee, Scotland

I've just returned from the DVD screening in New York and am recovering from the sonic attack my body just witnessed. The DVD kills! Jimmy, Robert and John Paul were all in attendance, and each made a very brief speech, thanking everyone for coming out and for their support. A fan yelled, "You guys rock!" Robert replied, "We don't use that expression back home." Additionally, Plant then went on to dedicate the night's screening to the group's fourth member and my personal favorite (guess which instrument I play!), John Bonham.

Mark
New York, N.Y.

The Los Angeles theatrical premiere was f***ing awesome. Forgive the bad language, but it was that good! People were cheering after every song as if it were a real concert. There were a lot of cool people there, and I had a great time. Seeing Bonzo play was sublime; he was an animal! Robert was amazing and amazingly hot. Jimmy was out of this world, and John Paul Jones was fantastic.

I have been a fan for four years. I fell in love with Led Zeppelin without seeing them. The first time I saw them was watching The Song Remains the Same and bootleg stuff on the Internet. But this DVD is Led Zeppelin live, it is them. I am only 17, but I know that you can't make music like that anymore.

Stephanie
Los Angeles, Calif.

I traveled 30 miles north to gather with a couple of buddies just to see the Led Zeppelin DVD on a huge, high-definition screen with a complete surround sound system. Both of my buddies experienced Zeppelin live in their earlier days: One of them attended the Fillmore East in 1969, and the other one saw Zep in Pittsburgh in 1970. The latter one remembers being very impressed with the opening song; it was "We're Gonna Groove," as he finally learned 12 years later when it was released on Coda. The Royal Albert Hall show starts with precisely this song, and, according to him, it is exactly as he remembers it.

Footage of that concert gave me the opportunity to see John Paul Jones from a different angle; he is actually rocking and dancing to the rhythm of "Dazed and Confused" during the middle section and during "How Many More Times."

Sergio
San Diego, Calif.

I was amazed when Jimmy played "White Summer," and Bonzo's "Moby Dick" was killer. The "What is and Should Never Be" performance was totally rocking and had to be my favorite of the show.

Amity
Memphis, Tenn.

Jimmy really knows his way around a guitar. Watching him play like that during "White Summer" is intimidating.

Jan
Washington, D.C.

I especially enjoyed watching a young Bonzo thrash away to "Moby Dick." This is priceless. His talent was surreal.

Dennis
Jupiter, Fla.

"How Many More Times": just simply unbelievable. I was honestly standing and cheering in my own living room by myself. "White Summer" too -- I do believe that is why Jimmy is the best. Simply unmatched. That was just a few of the many highlights.

Jeremy
Canada

Don't you just love that version of "The Ocean" from Madison Square Garden 1973! That bit just KNOCKS ME OUT! So cool!!!

Joe
Margate City, N.J.

I was wondering why that version of "The Ocean" didn't make the movie cut of The Song Remains the Same. What an incredible version of that song!

Jeremy
Canada

As far as I am concerned, there will never again be any need whatsoever to play The Song Remains the Same or its soundtrack; they are so inferior now compared to these new releases.

Dennis
Jupiter, Fla.

How cool is the Earl's Court 1975 footage?!!!

Jane
Greenwich, Conn.

Knebworth: much maligned, but a favorite of mine. I found the bootleg video a good 10 years ago. Watching the bootleg was like needing corrective lenses for 10 years. Watching the DVD is like suddenly having 20-20 vision. The "Rock and Roll" encore from August 4 comes on like a five-alarm fire. Where's Fireman Joe when you need him? The band is roaring away during "Nobody's Fault but Mine." Even young rovers have to appreciate the musicianship and enthusiasm demonstrated here. You can see John Paul Jones gettin' down. During "Sick Again," Jimmy may be dueling with demons, but he can still do his daffy duckwalk! Plant knows he is still the Tall Cool Abe of rock 'n' roll.

"Achilles Last Stand": Now with fantastic clarity, we can see how Plant is emotionally embroiled with the song, how his life has changed since those vacation plans were made. "In the Evening" proves that Zeppelin was alive and well in 1979. It's timeless music that influenced the flannel-wearing, 240 Z drivers in Seattle and keeps young groupies interested even today, as the band members are nearing the big 6-0.

As we make the journey to "Kashmir" via Bonzo's famous beats, we feel much like a man I know named Dave, who has seemingly been everywhere and back. Robert looks truly happy at the end of "Whole Lotta Love." It's as if he finally found the girl with "flowers in her hair."

You can truly hear the "ocean" roar at Knebworth. Somewhere at this very moment, Luis Rey must be re-writing a passage in his book, and the "ocean" wants a copy.

Todd
Evansville, Wis.

I was so agitated by the people who were allowed to watch them perform for those extra 1969 clips from Denmark and France. They were obviously not enjoying themselves. I can't believe they would get just anyone when there were people that did want to hear Zeppelin play. One boy even had his fingers in his ears, and people were talking to each other on the French clip. The one with all the teens sitting around was sad. I don't think I have ever seen so many teenagers in one place so utterly bored -- except maybe in math class.

Kim
Alabama, U.S.A.

I haven't seen or heard anything yet as mine are on order from Amazon.com. I'll have to wait till Tuesday -- yeah, right!! As soon as I get paid on Friday, I'm headed to Target! I can't wait the whole weekend!

Chris
Tucson, Ariz.

My boyfriend Ray said what he remembers best about seeing them in 1977 -- in addition to Page's incredible performance -- was Bonham's "thunder." And that's precisely what comes into crystal clarity, especially in the DVD.

Jane
Greenwich, Conn.

Thank you, Jimmy Page. You did a fantastic job!

Kim
Alabama, U.S.A.

I always believed Zeppelin was the greatest band ever, and this DVD totally backs it up. Jimmy totally wails on the guitar, Bonzo drums like a madman, Jonesy's many talents are portrayed, and Robert's empowering voice and sexual image make my whole body quiver. Not to mention the chemistry between the band is just unbelievable. You can see their confidence and can tell that they love what they are doing.

Amity
Memphis, Tenn.

If you don't yet have these two new releases, then head without delay
directly to your nearest retailer.

Steve "The Lemon"
Washington, D.C.

Led Zeppelin DVD, live album released in U.S.

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

The new Led Zeppelin live album How the West Was Won and chronological live set DVD are now out in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. Australia is next, with a proposed release date of May 30.

Click here for a write-up about their contents.

Hey, how are the new Zep releases? Let me know what you think.

As reported two days later, readers were overwhelmingly positive about the request.

Led Zeppelin releases DVD, live album in U.K., Europe

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

Led Zeppelin's chronological live set, DVD, and live album, How the West Was Won, are released today in Europe and the United Kingdom and tomorrow in the United States!

Click here for a write-up about their contents.

Thrilling online clips preview Led Zeppelin's official DVD compilation

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

Ten days remain until the U.S. release of Led Zeppelin's chronological live set, DVD, and live album, How the West Was Won. (Click here for a description of their contents.)

Here's a quote that makes me hope the next 10 days go quickly. Dave Lewis and Dave Linwood at TBL/Web write:

"The Earl's Court footage captures Zeppelin at their most extravagant and thrilling, totally on top of their game and performing with supreme confidence. It's just sensational viewing."

Earlier comments from Dave Lewis are available here.

Also, in the last few days before we're offered supreme footage from concerts like the Earl's Court show described above, we can sit back and enjoy Led Zeppelin's newly improved official site, which now offers a sneak preview of five songs from the CD set. Visit www.ledzeppelin.com today! And for a sneak preview of "What Is and What Should Never Be" from the DVD's 1970 Royal Albert Hall performance, try the news page of Electric Magic's Web site at http://www.led-zeppelin.com/news/ and look for "AOL DVD preview." High-speed Internet connection recommended.

Update: None of the Web content described in the preceding paragraph is available any longer.

Madison Square Garden '73 shows to be reissued by 30th anniversary

This news originally appeared at the end of the edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History" published on the 30th anniversary of the start of Led Zeppelin's ninth North American tour, in 1973.

That's the beginning of the 1973 tour, 30 years ago today. The end of the tour, three nights at Madison Square Garden, was captured in the 1976 film The Song Remains The Same and its accompanying soundtrack. With the release of Led Zeppelin DVD in about three weeks, we'll see even more of those final shows than ever before!

Be sure to read the latest update on Led Zeppelin DVD at Tight But Loose's Web page. Visit http://www.linwood.demon.co.uk/dvdpreview.html (link no longer active) for information on the 1973 performance captured on the DVD and much more!

Finally, a five-song promo sampler for How the West Was Won has been hitting the airwaves. Listen to your favorite radio stations to find out whether the 1972 live versions of "Immigrant Song," "Heartbreaker," "Black Dog," "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Ocean" are currently in rotation.

TBL/Web also has a preview of the full 3-CD set. Read the comments from Dave Linwood at http://www.linwood.demon.co.uk/howthewestwaswon.html (link no longer active) and you might be singing the same thing I am, which is: "If I keep on drooling, the levee's going to break!"

Live Led Zeppelin DVDs, CDs to be released May 27: official announcement

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

A note from Steve "The Lemon" to the PR person responsible for writing the following official Led Zeppelin press release:

Please identify yourself so I can have what you're having.

OFFICIAL LED ZEPPELIN PRESS RELEASE

Led Zeppelin Live At Last On DVD And CD: Legendary performances due May 27 with rare and unreleased material

Mar 07 2003

THE mother lode of Led Zeppelin live recordings has at long last arrived! Slated for a simultaneous May 27th release are LED ZEPPELIN DVD, a two-disc set, and HOW THE WEST WAS WON, a three-CD set. Long sought-after by Zeppelin devotees and collectors, this marks the first-ever official release of these rare and legendary performances, which span the group's entire career. Much-rumored and eagerly anticipated, the DVD and CD sets each contain entirely different material, so there is no overlap between the two releases. As a gesture to the band's millions of fans, both sets are specially priced - the 2-DVD set at 29.98 list, and the 3-CD set at 26.98 list.

Clocking in at nearly five and a half hours, 'LED ZEPPELIN DVD' has been culled from just a handful of performances which were ever filmed during the band's extraordinary lifetime. As guitarist Jimmy Page explains, 'We were never really part of the pop scene. It was never what Led Zeppelin was supposed to be about. Our thing was playing live. In that sense, Zeppelin was very much an underground band. The fact that it became as successful as it did was something that was almost out of our control. We actually shunned commercialism, which is why so little official footage of the band has ever been seen before.'

Featured are performances from: London's Royal Albert Hall in January 1970, just one year after the release of their debut album; their triumphant five-night run at London's Earl's Court in May 1975; and their record-breaking shows at England's Knebworth Festival in August 1979, just one year before the death of drummer John Bonham led to the band's dissolution. Also included are songs from New York's Madison Square Garden in July 1973 [that] were not included in 'THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME' concert film, the only previously released live Zeppelin footage. Other highlights of the DVD include: extremely rare television appearances, among them a performance for Danish television in March 1969; promotional clips; TV interviews; behind-the scenes material; and even a bit of fan-shot 'bootleg' footage.

Visually and sonically stunning, 'LED ZEPPELIN DVD' has been painstakingly restored, remixed, and remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, DTS, and PCM Two-Channel Stereo - under the personal supervision of Jimmy Page and director Dick Carruthers.

Recorded in California, 'HOW THE WEST WAS WON' is a brilliant audio complement to the DVD. The material on the three CDs has been culled from two of the most legendary and incendiary live performances by Led Zeppelin, at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena on June 25th and 27th, 1972. Melded together and sequenced to replicate a single concert from beginning to end, it captures the band at the height of their formidable powers. Among the highlights are a 25-plus minute version of 'Dazed And Confused' and a 23-minute medley based around 'Whole Lotta Love.' Alongside such classics as 'Stairway To Heaven' and 'Rock And Roll,' these shows find the band introducing songs from their forthcoming 'HOUSES OF THE HOLY' album, which would not be released for another nine months.

* * * * *

2003 marks the 35th anniversary of the first fateful rehearsal which brought together the talents of guitarist Jimmy Page, vocalist Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham in the summer of 1968. Universally recognized as one of the most innovative, powerful, and influential groups in rock history, Led Zeppelin has sold some 200 million albums worldwide. This is all the more impressive considering that the band only existed [sic] for a comparatively short 12-year period. In the decade between 1969 and 1979, the British quartet released eight studio albums and a live soundtrack ([A] posthumous set of previously unreleased studio material followed in '82).

While their work in the studio was brilliant, Led Zeppelin's work onstage was transforming. In concert, the band displayed a power and charisma unparalleled in modern music. Never content [in simply replaying] their recordings, Zeppelin used the stage as a creative platform in its own right - introducing material live before it was recorded, and always expanding, improvising, and pushing into uncharted territory. Their legendary, epic live sets - often lasting more than three hours - were shamanistic experiences [that] traversed exceptional musical territory, sonic journeys which were truly cathartic experiences for the band and audience alike.