ANN AND NANCY WILSON TRIBUTE TO LED ZEPPELIN

In a performance that had Robert Plant on the verge of tears, Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart sang ‘Stairway to Heaven’ as the finale of a star-studded musical tribute to Led Zeppelin during the Kennedy Center Honors, which were broadcast last night (Dec. 26) on CBS.

It seems like about 3,000 people were on stage during this performance, with the Wilson sisters joined by late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham’s son Jason on drums, as well as a gigantic house band featuring string and horn sections and what appeared to be two different vocal choirs.

As anyone who’s seen their frequent live performances of ‘Rock and Roll‘ or ‘The Battle of Evermore‘ can tell you, the Wilson sisters know how to play Led Zeppelin live. From the moment they began, all eyes and ears were focused on Ann Wilson, and she knocked this one out of the park, leaving John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and a clearly misty Plant with big smiles on their faces as they watched from the balcony.

Earlier in the evening, the Foo Fighters, Kid Rock and Lenny Kravitz performed short versions of three other Led Zeppelin classics, and you can watch those right here.

THE DEATH OF JOHN BONHAM 9-25-1980

On Sept. 25, 1980, at 32 years of age, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham passed away, inadvertently bringing an end to one of rock’s greatest bands.

The group’s final studio effort ‘In Through The Out Door’ had been released in Sept. 1979 after many delays. In May 1980, the group performed what would be their last European tour. That September, the band was in rehearsals at guitarist Jimmy Page’s house in advance of an American tour.

Bonham reportedly began drinking early in the day, continuing to consume copious amounts of alcohol well into the evening. Not long after the group’s rehearsals had wrapped up for the night, Bonham passed out in a drunken state and would never wake up.

In the weeks following Bonham’s untimely death, London newspaper The Guardian reported that Bonham had consumed “about 40 measures of vodka in 12 hours.” At the inquest of Bonham’s death, his assistant Rex King told the authorities how he and Page’s assistant Albert Hobbs had put Bonham to bed that evening.

On the morning of Sept. 25, Led Zeppelin’s road manager Ben Lefevre attempted to stir Bonham but noticed that something was indeed wrong with the drummer. After unsuccessfully searching for a pulse, Lefevre called an ambulance. A sample taken from Bonham’s bladder showed an alcohol level of 276 milligrams per hundered millilitres. Bonhams’s death was ruled accidental after it was determined that he died after inhaling his vomit.

Pathologist Dr. Edmund Hemstead reportedly said, ”This indicated he inhaled the vomit but didn’t die immediately as the result of that, and that he died some hours later due to the shocked state on inhaling vomit, during which time the alcohol in his blood would have broken down.”

Led Zeppelin issued a brief statement declaring they would not continue as a band without their departed drummer, and apart from a handful of charity shows they have kept their word. The most recent of these events, a full-length 2007 concert at London’s O2 arena, is headed for November 2012 release as the live album ‘Celebration Day.’

BUDDY GUY, DUSTIN HOFFMAN, DAVID LETTERMAN, LED ZEPPELIN : KENNEDY CENTER HONOREES

Associated Press Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy is among the honorees for the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors. Also on the list: David Letterman, Dustin Hoffman and Natalia Makarova.

Led Zeppelin is among the luminaries who will receive the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors, which recognize outstanding lifetime contributions to the arts. The British hard-rock legends, along with, Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, longtime TV host David Letterman and Russian ballerina/choreographer Natalia Makarova, will be saluted at a December 2 gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. A two-hour TV special featuring highlights of the event will air on CBS on December 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Although Led Zeppelin will be honored as a group at the event, the band's three surviving members -- singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones will be acknowledged individually with the award.

In a statement issued Wednesday, Kennedy Center chairman David M. Rubenstein said, "Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant transformed the sound of rock and roll with their lyricism and innovative song structures, infusing blues into the sound of rock and roll and laying the foundation for countless rock bands."

The Zeppelin band mates and their fellow honorees will be seated with President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, at the Honors Gala, at which various celebrities will deliver tribute performances and presentations. A pre-gala reception and a post-event supper dance also will be held.

Other famous musicians who have received Kennedy Center Honors include Paul McCartney, The Who's Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Paul Simon and Brian Wilson.

LED ZEPPELIN'S COUNT DOWN IS OVER

Led Zeppelin have completed their mysterious Facebook countdown, and now it's time for Celebration Day. That's the title of a new concert film based on the British rockers' 2007 London reunion show, the band announced today. The movie is scheduled to come out in theaters worldwide on October 17.

This video is up now on Facebook Click Here to Buy Tickets

Yesterday the British newspaper the Sun may have scooped the band on the DVD and Blu-ray release date, reporting that both will be available on Nov. 22.

The 16 song set included many of the rock legend’s most well-known tracks, like ‘Kashmir,’ ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and ‘Rock and Roll.’ It was their first headlining show in 27 years, and included the three surviving members, with Jason Bonham replacing the late John Bonham.

LED ZEPPELIN NEW HINT ON FACEBOOK/YOUTUBE

Facebook.com/LedZeppelin

It looks like we have some confirmation, albeit unofficial, about what that mysterious countdown is on Led Zeppelin's Facebook page and Twitter account. An unnamed source tells U.K. tabloid The Sun that the band is indeed planning to finally make its 2007 reunion concert at London's O2 Arena available to fans. Youtube to mp3

The source reports that the show will be issued as a CD/DVD package and a Blu-ray disc "as part of a simultaneous global release" on November 22. The source also says guitarist Jimmy Page is overseeing the project and "has been in the studio making sure everything is perfect."

The countdown began on Saturday with the posting of the word "FIVE." The latest message, unveiled Tuesday, reads "II," so we assume the official announcement will be revealed on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a new video clip debuted on Led Zeppelin's YouTube channel on Tuesday that shows the four symbols featured on the group's fourth studio album, and is accompanied by the opening riff of "Good Times Bad Times" and the sound of an audience cheering.

LED ZEPPELIN FIVE AND NOW FOUR ANNOUNCEMENT...

A second Led Zeppelin clue was dropped Sunday morning (Sept. 9) when the band’s Facebook page posted the word “Four” in the band’s familiar script, thus leading to speculation that a countdown was in progress after the previous “Five” posting.

For those doing the math in their heads, if there’s a new number each day that would make Wednesday, Sept. 12 the number “one.” The day is significant in Led Zeppelin history for the fact that it was the day they announced their reunion show in London five years ago.

Could this mean another performance will be coming from the veteran rockers? Not out of the question, but also probably not likely given that Robert Plant already has two projects already in the works for the coming year.

Might it be that a DVD of the special 2007 event is en route? That’s probably a better guess, as a video version of that performance has been rumored for a while. But right now, it’s all just speculation. However, Led Zeppelin’s fans will no doubt have some fun thinking about all of the possibilities over the next few days.

Led Zeppelin’s first three albums were named only by successive numbers, and their fourth is often commonly referred to as ‘IV,’ but it seems highly unlikely the surviving members of the group — Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones — would reunite for a new studio album at this time. Plant is reportedly in various states of production on albums with two different solo groups — the Band of Joy and the Sensational Shape Shifters.

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LED ZEPPELIN DOUBLEDVD/CD SET RELEASE

LED ZEPPELIN DOUBLE DVD/DOUBLE CD PACKAGE FOR CHRISTMAS 2012

Led Zeppelin Dvd set

Five years after they reunited at the O2 Arena in London, millions of Led Zeppelin‘s fans who didn’t get to see the historic show may soon be able to enjoy the set (legally) for the first time, as a double DVD, double CD package will reportedly be out by Christmas.

‘That Metal Show’ co-hosts Eddie Trunk and Jim Florentine have both recently publicly alluded to something big coming from the Zeppelin camp this holiday season, and now we may know what it is. A report on Belgian site rtbf.be (via FindingZoso) claims ‘Led Zeppelin: Live at London’s O2 Arena’ will be released in November.

Tickets for the one-night only show were more valuable than gold, with millions hoping to land one of just 18,000 seats inside the arena. There’s been rumors of a commercial release for years, with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones admitting in 2008 that they weren’t in a hurry to put something out. ”It was a special occasion you know and we really wanted that just to be it really,” Jones said (quote via Led-Zeppelin.org). A release seemed all but certain early in 2011.

Page, Robert Plant, Jones and John Bonham’s son Jason opened the Dec. 10 show with ‘Good Times, Bad Times’ and spent two hours playing hits. ‘Black Dog,’ ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ were highlights with the band not shying away from the longer, more difficult tunes. They closed the show with ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and ‘Rock and Roll’ as an encore.

Fan and critical reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The show was arranged to raise money for the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund. Ertegun was the founder of Atlantic Records. “We did it, Ahmet,” Plant said after singing ‘Stairway to Heaven” (quote via the BBC)

LED ZEPPELIN GUITARIST JIMMY PAGE'S BOOK "LIGHT & SHADE"

Jimmy Page "Light & Shade"

Crown Publishing Group

Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page always has been surrounded by a great deal of mystery and mystique, as the rock legend has historically shied away from speaking at length to the press. A new book titled Light & Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page likely will give fans a greater understanding of the enigmatic guitarist. The book was compiled by longtime Guitar World editorial director Brad Tolinski, who used as his source material more than 50 hours' worth of interviews he conducted with Page over the last 20 years.

Light & Shade will include discussions with the influential rocker on a variety of aspects of his career, from his years as a sought-after session musicians, through his Zeppelin heyday and beyond, to his various endeavors following the band's 1980 breakup.

Ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash calls Light & Shade "the most comprehensive & compelling collection of interviews, insights & historical anecdotes of one of rock and roll's premier guitarists, songwriters and producers ever compiled."

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett adds that the book "illuminates the haunted genius of Jimmy Page in an original and completely satisfying way," while ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons says, "This fine work will rock you!"

Light & Shade is scheduled to be published on October 23.

RETRO: KIMMER'S 10 FAVORITE LPS OF 1969-1972

Kick Out the Jams is the first album by Detroit heavy-weights The MC5, released in 1969. It was recorded live at Detroit's Grande Ballroom over two nights, Devil's Night and Halloween, 1968. In 2003, the album was ranked number 294 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Which of course RK rates it much higher!

Kick Out the Jams MC5 Live at the Grande Ball Room

Derek and The Dominos

Released in 1970, Layla is one of the most known and loved rock songs of all time. Written by Eric Clapton, and released by his band Derek and the Dominos, Layla was inspired by Clapton's love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of George Harrison.

The Who Live at Leeds

Live at Leeds is The Who's first live album, and is their only live album that was released while the group was still recording and performing regularly. Initially released in the United States on 16 May 1970. As of 2005, the album is ranked number 170 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Deep Purple in Rock

Released in June 1970. It was their fourth studio album. Deep Purple in Rock was their breakthrough album in Europe and would peak at #4 in the UK, remaining in the charts for months. The album was supported by the hugely successful In Rock World Tour which lasted 15 months

Grand Funk Railroad LIVE Album

Grand Funk sold more than 25 MILLION records, toured constantly, packed arenas worldwide, and received four RIAA gold albums during 1970— the most for any American group that year.
GFR out sold The Beatles at NY's Shea Stadium and don't get me started about Mark Farner... :)

Led Zeppelin One

Led Zeppelin One was released on 12 January 1969. The album featured integral contributions from each of the group's four musicians and established Led Zeppelin's fusion of blues and rock.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 29 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Allman Brothers Live at Fillmore East

At Fillmore East is a double live album by The Allman Brothers Band. The band's breakthrough success, At Fillmore East was released in July 1971. It ranks Number 49 among Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and remains among the top-selling albums in the band’s catalog. It is often cited as being one of the most well-known live recordings in history. It is a great album for certain.

Rolling Stones Exile On Main Street

Exile on Main St. Released as a double LP in May 1972, it draws on many genres including rock & roll, blues, country and soul and calypso. Exile on Main St. was initially greeted with mixed reviews, but it has since become almost universally regarded as a masterpiece.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 7 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

J Geils BLOODSHOT

Great funky album, with deep roots in blues-rock-R&B . Most of the songs here are my favorite dance tunes "Make Up Your Mind", "Southside Shuffle", and "Give It To Me".

Spirit Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus

Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus album released in 1970 shortly before Spirit disbanded.

This diverse yet cohesive effort is a sci-fi-based, loose concept album. The album's second song is the key track "Nature's Way", the most notable hit (along with "I've Got a Line on You" – #28 in Canada) the band would ever produce. "Mr. Skin" also became a hit single in the U.S., three years after the album's release. The album also includes several other less well-known tunes which are considered to have had an impact on the genre of experimental rock in the United States. We girls absolutely loved this record...