l:lectl'ic magic

The Led Zeppelin Chr-()nicle

Vol. I No. V

DECEMBER 1990

$2.75

THE POWER AND GLORY

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It's the end of 1990. Looking back on the year, I think we all agree that's it's been a prosperous one for Led Zeppelin fans. A year ago, I would never have believed that Electric Magic would have been started.

This month's issue should help end the year with a bang. Thanks to everyone who wrote in and to those who sent photographs. I hope the tremendous response continues. Please feel free to write with any comments, ideas and help spread the word. Special thanks go out to Leo T. Ishac (of Australia), Mr. Bucks and Ron Kellerman.

Robert Plant continues his trek on tour. The tour is now being named "The Tour that Time Forgot". Oh Bob! ... what a sense of humour! The band will make their way to Hawaii for about ten days. Is it the first time he's performed there since] 970? No word yet on any new Zeppelin songs they may perform.

Plant will be home for Christmas as he and the boys go back to Europe for more gigs. The U.K. dates are as follows:

December 12 - Newcastle December 13 - Manchester December 15 - Wolverhampton December 16 - Newport December 18 - London December 19 - London

Thanks to Christian Peruzza of France for sending in the British dates. No other new dates in Europe have be announced.

Plant must have loved speaking on RockLine on July4th, 1990 so much that he was on it again on October 29th. This time, the full band was with him. They really seem to enjoy each other and get along quite nicely. He was asked about the Knebworth performance at the Silver Clef Awards Show: "Playing Knebworth 10 years ago with Zep, there was twice as many people and they were all there for one reason .... The energy there was much higher. When anybody goes for one thing, then either people don't go or they do go and if they do go then the energy charge is ridiculous ... with flags and fires burning." I guess his new band doesn't quite have the same 'energy'.

Unti1199l...

Sam RapalJo

RARE ZEP FOOTAGE SHOWNONMTV

Who could have ever imagined what surprises MTV would unvail during its 'Whole Lotta Zep' weekend? Amazing footage from the legendary Knebworth '79 concerts was featured. A complete "Ten Years Gone" and "Kashmir" was shown from the pro-shot, multi-camera video of the show. I don't know how they kept it a secret! An interview of Page was shown talking about the extremely unique and original construction of 'Kashmir':

"When I wrote Kashmir, I know that there was nothing that was like that before. I defy anyone to come up and say this sounds like 'this, that or the other'. There's no possible way 'cause T know that's one thing that I've always used to go for in all the riffs was to get as original as possible and the song constructions too."

Then, it happened; Page sitting with the Danelectro guitar gracefully playing the last 20 seconds of " B I a c k Mountain Side". I'm sure everyone glared with wide-eyed anticipation as they bursted i n t 0 "Kashmir". Were we really seeing this or was it a dream? There they were in the familiar K neb w 0 r t h Photo provided by Richard Williams of Carmichael, California

attire seen in hundreds of photographs. It's a great performance and the footage is simply breathtaking.

As everyone waited with overwhelming impatience, the first Led Zeppelin 'video' was premiered. "Travelling Riverside Blues" features some rare footage and a lot of scenes from "The Song Remains the Same." It's a strange video with weird special effects hiding some of the never -before-seen footage. Most of it is from 1973; (outtakes from the ride in the limosine). If only we could hear what they were saying. Some nice shots of Bonzo are featured. There is a great shot of the limosines riding into a packed stadium for an outdoor show. There are some mind blowing clips of Page in a recording studio playing a Stratocaster. All the footage is too short to really

appreciate. It feels like being teased. The video isn't too bad overall and a lot of the visuals match the music somewhat.

Another world premiere video was featured:

"Over the Hills and Far A way". This is considered by most to be much better than the "Riverside" video. The footage is mostly a combination of Danish T.V. '69,1977 footage and Knebworth '79. It's of course the studio version of the song which is matched to live fooatge; and what amazing footage it is! The 1977 sequences are from Seattle and another show. Again, special effects don't allow for a clear appreciation of what is being shown. Some of the Knebworth shots, though, are crystal clear!

Speaking of Knebworth, the last great surprise of the MTV 'Whole Lotta Zep ' weekend - "Ten Years Gone'. Fantastic shots are shown of Page at work with the intricate Telecaster fitted with the Parsons string-bender. Even more amazing is the triple-neck acoustic used by John Paul Jones! Who could have known that he alternately switches from the six-string to the l2-string at different parts of the song? The Knebworth songs just have to be seen to be believed. They couldn't have picked two better songs to satisfy the hunger of video-starved Zeppelin fans.

No matter what your opinion is about these 'videos', there's no doubt that it's a step in the right direction. The 1977 and 1979 footage has at least been taken out of the vault. The important thing is that the video exists; and there's much more where that came from. The tapes have been dusted off and hopefully will see the light of day. Maybe more of Knebworth will be shown on MTV in the future ... maybe some of the '77 video ... maybe a full-scale release of a full concert on video! I'm sure we'd even settle for a bootleg video release.

The rest of the MTV weekend featured a fountain of interviews and 'solo' videos of Plant and Page. One of the highlights of the interviews was one of Page done very recently. He starts talking about his early studio days: "1 was doing about 3 studio dates a day and you could say a good 5 days a week and then maybe a couple over the weekends for a period of 18 months or so. It stands without reason that I was on a hell of a lot of stuff you know, and a lot of groups at that. Mind you, when 1 first started doing studio work,I was obviously working with the group, but as It went on, I was doing film music, jingles and very noted others like, how should we put it, like the Petula Clarks and the Tom Jones. Boy, I did the lot." Page then jumps to the present and speaks about the new Zeppelin box set: "It goes without

saying, it would be good to remaster the catalogue of Zep but unfortunately they were put out but I wasn't consulted for them and subsequently they didn't use the right tapes ... It was a good opportunity to get that side of it right - the sound quality."

This MTV weekend was certainly a pleasant surprise. The only real complaint is the pea-brained host (Martha Quinn). They should have got someone who knew something about Zeppelin and didn't have to read cue-cards. 1990 has gotten off to a great start (Danish T.V. '69 on the BBC in January, Knebworth '90, the box set release, 2 songs from Knebworth '79) and who knows what's next?

OVER· THE·HILL GROUPIES RAVE ABOUT PAGE

Long time groupies Pamela De Barr e s and Lori Maddox appeared recently on the Sally Jessy Raphael talk show. De Barres and Maddox have continued to brag about their fling with Zep guitarist Jimmy Page using it as a ticket to fame. Lori was only about fourteen years old when she began seeing Page.

They have appeared on numerous talk shows over the years and I'm sure they assisted in providing some of the 'wild' stories for the trashy book 'Hammer of the Gods'. It was evident that Sally Jessy Raphael didn't have a clue who they were talking about anyway (the name Jimmy Page was at most 'vaguely familiar'). Photos of Page with Maddox were flashed on the screen. (They were mostly the ones featured in 'Hammer of the Gods'.) SJR asked if she (Maddox) still kept in contact with Page. She said that she did and that Page was now married and had a two year old son (James Patrick). SIR was curious if she was jealous of his wife and if she felt inferior. Maddox just kept a wide mouthed smile and said that she wasn't jealous. She also said that she had gotten over her infatuation with Page and that they were still 'friends'. 0

MY DAYS

WITH

PAGE

PART III

By: Ron Kellerman

Here we go again! Thanks to Electric Magic magazine, I have been given the opportunity to share some of the most memorable moments of my life; moments I was fortunate to experience when I was younger. Back in time when either through dumb luck or fate, my path, that of an average rock and roll fan from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, crossed with that of a guitar player from England. A guitar player who was destined to eventually become the legendary lead guitarist of Led Zeppelin.

Just briefly for those who may not have seen the previous issues; who knew when I first sent a letter off to Sun Records in the early sixties concerning Jerry Lee Lewis that it would lead to meeting "the Killer" himself and be given the pleasant task of answering some of Jerry's mail? This would lead to getting involved with the British Rock and Roll scene and Screaming Lord Sutch. It eventually lead to corresponding with a pleasant and extremely talented up and com ing musician named Jimmy Page.

Sometimes when I think back, its hard to believe all that happened but when I look at some of the personal photographs and letters I still have of Jimmy's I think ... yes, it did happen. I've been given the pleasure of sharing these moments in print with YOLl- the Led Zeppelin fans. So, with that in mind here goes- one of the unique and

Jimmy with Ron's sister Denise in their home.

unforgettable days or should I say nights in the life of this Zeppelin fan.

As I could recall, it was a very pleasant evening in late October 1969. We were enjoying the last remnants of Indian Summer. The time change was already in effect so it was getting dark earlier. It was around 5:30 in the evening and I was sitting in my living room with Screaming Lord Sutch. Lord Sutch (whose first name is Dave) was spending a few days at my home. The agenda was the usual; lots of great stories from the screamer and lots of great rock and roll. Dave was starting to work on his upcoming debut American album:

"Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends" which would host a royalty of heavyweight rock stars such as jeff Beck, Noel Redding, Nicky Hopkins and of course John Bonham and Jimmy Page. Since I playa couple of instruments myself, Dave would rehearse and my home. When the album was released in 1970, I was given the opportunity to play in the backup band on many of his appearances in the tri -state area.

At the moment, Zeppelin was in New

York City and would be doing a major concert the following night. Now to me at this point in time, Jimmy was no longer just the wonderful pen pal from England with whom I exchanged records and rock and roll memorabilia for several years but a monumental talent approaching the status of rock and roll GOD. In other words, sometimes in life, situations

change and this

was defintely one of them. To say I was in awe of Jimmy is putting it rather mildly. So now try to imagine this as Dave and myself, just

sitting around in the parlour kidding around. Dave looks at me and says "How would you like to have Jimmy Page come over here tonight?" I looked at him and said "Are you kidding?!" he said "No, he's has the night off and I bet he's just taking it easy in his hotel room. He always wanted to see your enormous record collection." At the time, my collection was humongous. I had thousands of albums and 45s including rare Sun records, such as an original Elvis Presley Sun single plus rare R&B records on the long defunct Excello label. These were items that Jimmy was very interested in.

Well, since only a person who bordered on being brain dead would refuse the prospect of having an individual of the status of Jimmy Page in their home, I said "Of course! Call Him!"

I held my breath as Lord Sutch went to the phone and called Jimmy at his hotel in N.Y.C. After Lord Sutch and Jimmy exchanged some pleasantries over the phone, he hung up and said "Let's go pick Jimmy up!" I simply said ... "ALRIGHT!" As we drove up the N.J. turnpike in my 1968 Burgundy Chrysler 300 with the white roof, music was blasting off the FM hard rock station. In those days, not an hour went by without a Zeppelin song being aired. "Whole Lotta Love" came on the radio and I thought "This can't be happening."

Even though Jimmy and I had written to each other for several years before the formation of Led Zeppelin and even though I had met Jimmy in person with the Yardbirds and backstage at Zeppelin concerts many times, this was different. Jimmy would now be in the unlikely setting of my house in the unlikely location of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. In an hour or so, Jimmy would now be back at my house unless of course the world should suddenly come to an end. (Well, the world didn't come to an end and we did all get back to

"In an hour or so, Jimmy would now be back at my house!. .. unless of course the world should suddenly come to an end."

my house.) So, we pulled up to this posh hotel. Dave jumped out of the car and went into the entrance of the lobby while I waited outside in the car so I didn't have to bother parking anywhere. After 7 or 8 minutes, Dave appeared with this tall, lurky figure at his side. The person at Dave's side is dressed very casually and I see the long, dark,

unmistakeable curly hair and I know this evening is defintely getting more amazing with every minute. As he got into the car I said:

"Hey Jimmy, how ya doin'?". Jimmy replied: "Great Ron, good to see you." We were on our way back. Homeward bound!

On the way back I listened to some delightful conversation between Jimmy and Dave concerning the early years in England. Jimmy was really in a good mood but then he always seemed to be in a very pleasant, cordial mood, at least every time I had the pleasure of being in his company. As I turned onto the street 1 lived on, Park A venue (no relation to the street in New York as far as prestige) everything was as usual except for one thing ... Lord Sutch's Rolls Royce with the British flag painted over the entire car which sat directly in front of my home. We got out of the car and made our way up the front steps. I entered the living room first as my mother came down the hallway. Dave looked at my mother and said:

"Belie, I'd like you to meet Jimmy Page." Jimmy greeted my mother very warmly,

Something I couldn't quite remember about this night was if my sister Denise, who was about 14 years old at the time, knew if Jimmy was coming over. So I recently called her in New York City to ask her. These days my sister is quite a class act and has a very prominent name in the business world but going back to that night, this was her reply: "Yes, I knew you and Dave had made plans to pick Jimmy up so I knew he was coming over. .. but when he showed up I went nuts anyway!"

The night was off to a great start.

Ron's story of his ROY AL house guest will continue next month ...

ThiS little essay is intended to convey thoughts about the Led Zeppelin box set released October 23rd, 1990. This story may he reprinted in whole or in part by anyone

wishing to do so. Reprinted with permission of XlV magazine, P.O. Box 1432, Denton, TX 76202. (C) 1990.

October 23, 1990 crawled like Christmas. thought it would never get here. Waiting for the first Zeppelin anthology isn't easy. In the interest of punctuality, I checked my calender. Oddly enough, October 23 had arrived on October 23; "Just in time". The CD collection would arrive at my store, Fourteen Records, but I wanted the LPs, which none of my distributors were handling. So I bought the LP box set at Sound Warehouse. Forty-two dollars and ninety-nine cents later, I was the proud owner of "Led Zeppelin." I walked out of the record store just in time to catch a glimpse of a zeppelin shadow gliding quickly and silently across the street and over the buildings. I pointed at it but it was gone.

The front cover of the bos depicts a zeppelin shadow floating across an orange wheat field which has those mysterious circles cut into it. You know, the Elvis circles. It is rumored that Elvis Presly, from his UFO Cadillac, is laser cutting odd shapes in English farm fields in an attempt to distract tabloid editors from determining his current whereabouts.

Each edge of the box bears the following mystical statement, sure to confuse scholars and fans alike: ATLANTIC 7 821441-1 LED ZEPPELIN 6-LP SET followed by an Atlantic Records logo. What does this mean? Atlantic spelled backwards is "Citnalta'' which is obviously another satanic reference that the band is so well known for. If spoken allowed, "Citnalta" also sounds suspiciously like "Satan Alter": There you have it. This band is evil and you are possessed by unholy spirits every time you look at any photos of them or listen to their music or even think about

them. Unfortunate, but that's the music business.

More mysterious numbers confront us from the front of the box. 54, 69, 79 and the infinity symbol are presented in each corner as logistical coordinates. After meditating in front of the box (while clutching a cross to my breast to escape its satanic power) it dawned on me. "54 songs recorded from '69 to '79 which have sold enough records to reach from here to infinity." Of course! How could I have been so blind.

The backcover of the box is designed to fit ever so snugly into the frontcover. In addition to the 54 song titles are recording credits, another Atlantic Records logo and a price code. You know, those little white squares with skinny black lines and numbers which are now printed on everything from cans of peas to Holy Bibles. Have you noticed that record stores never have the code-reading equipment needed to utilize these things? Yet another infingement of commerce over art. Lately, Atlantic has begun placing these price codes on the backs of Zeppelin albums, which completely disrupts the effect of the fourth album cover and "Houses of the Holy". HANG THE CODE PLACER! HANG THE CODE PLACER!

I will admit what many will not; I was more excited about the packaging of this project than the music itself. I already haxe all this music; most serious fans do. With only four songs not commercially available before, this box is no garden of secrets or attic full of lost toys. It is simply a great retrospective of music we've all enjoyed for years. Since I could not be curious about the music, I spent my curiosity on the book and graphics, which was always half the fun of being a Zeppelin fan, anyway, wondering what the new album would look and sound like.

The booklet does not disappoint. It is 36 pages, printed in full color on thick glossy paper, serving appropriately as a wonderful tourguide to the music. I wish it was longer, but what would it take to make me happy ... 300 pages? The

in sight. I find myself wishing more obscure references had been included, such as outtakes from photo sessions, or abandoned or altered cover concepts, maybe even reproductions of original concert and promotional posters. As album covers are giving way to smaller CD booklets, it would also have been nice to have larger reproductions of the cover art in this book to serve as a permanent reminder of who did it better than anybody else. Without typing all the titles and trying to say deep insightful things, let me just say that Page personally assembled this set and determinded the order of the 54 songs, and has succeeded in creating a monumental moodswing. PHOTO: ROCK RETROSPECT-RALPH HULETr In vaguely chronological

centerspread folds out into a nice collage spread of order, the songs rearrange the Zeppelin map into a

photos. There is also a discography in the back different geography. From the opening "Whole

with the covers and release dates of each album. Lotta Love" to the closing "All My Love", the

For the fourth album, there is no title given, a songs parade before us as if they are holding hands

reminder that the band intended for the album to with one another in an unbreakable chain.

not be called anything, not Led Zeppelin IV, not Probably, I would have maintained less of a

ZOSO, not The Four Symbols, not Untitled. It chronological order. But this order is wonderful

simply does not have a name. Both this album and and displays an obviously thoughtful selection

"Holy" contained no information on their covers, process. Each of us would have put these songs

not even catalogue numbers. Pure art if you want together differently, but no-one's order

it. Oddly enough, there are 54 photos of the band preference could matter as much as Page's and it's

in this book, one for each song. Is this wonderful to see and hear his order at work.

kitchensynchronicity? Again, the UFO Elvis One wonders why any rock fan might find

effect comes into play. this collection anything less than utterly

There are three glaring omissions from this amazing. If these guys are boring old dinosaurs,

book. One, the 1969 black and white publicity I'm willing to be a caveman, but not without a

photo used to promote the first album with Page Walkman. If they were indulgent, I say the proof

resting his elbows on the shoulders of Bonham and is in the pudding. No-one else has accomplished

Plant (The cover of Electric Magic: August '90 - anything distantly close to what this band did.

Ed.). Suffice it to say that this was the Perfect hard rock, perfect beautiful rock, perfect

quintessential defintive photo of Jimmy Page's weird rock. They took music and shot it through a

"Weeping Willow Tree" haircut, the one that made prism, creating a rainbow sound unlike any heard

him look like the coolest white guy on earth, before or since. And that is why a six LP (4 CD)

which, of course, he.is. Two, the Swan Song logo. compilation with an infinity logo in the corner is

Innactive, yes. But it should have been in the warranted. Zeppelin were the biggest and the

book. Why isn't it? Three, the famous "field best at what they did, and at their best they seemed

photo" of our four friends standing in the to be acknowledging something bigger and better

knee-deep grass. Everyone I know was expecting than themselves. Tea, anyone?

this to be the front or back cover and it's nowhere •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

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The wave of soundboard tapes continues to please Zep collectors. They are still from the 1973 and 1980 tours. This month, EM spotlights some of the newest tapes in the trading circles.

OXFORD 1/7173

This first show is a pleasant, Sunday evening concert. They kick off the performance with usual '73 opener: 'Rock and Roll'. Everyone is in great form except for Plant who seemes to be a bit squeaky. There are a few sound problems as Page's guitar doesn't seem loud enough at some points. Bonham ends the song in his trademark solo which leads into a change of mood. Page breaks into the soft guitar opening of 'Over the Hills and Far Away'. It's a great performance of the song with the only real complaint being the guitar being too low.

A very relaxed atmosphere seemed to be prevalent except for one thing as Plant explains:

"A nice Sunday evening to you ... Sorry about the delay but since we joined the common market, this area has gone down the nick. Somebody threw an iron bar onto the electric rai I way lines and the trains have stopped ... too much. This is one for the guy who did that. .. it's called 'Black Dog'." A powerful performance to say the least. Bonham does some fantastic bass drum work!

'Misty Mountain Hop' follows which is another hot one. It continues into the wailing guitar intro for 'Since I've Been Loving You'. An interesting thing about this version is that the '73

European tour was the last time John Paul Jones used the Hammond Organ on stage. It really stands out on this song and it's a shame that he didn't continue using it. The alternation between the Rhodes electric piano and the organ adds a great touch to the song.

The song about school days is next. Plant:

"This is a ditty off the new album that's due out anytime between now and August. I've been taking lessons in learning how to sing in American which has really come to my aid. This is a song about. .. really the recollection of being at school and having a little school badge that you used to keep with a little pin ... and take it off and have a cigarette on the back seat of the bus .... and the chicks at night." 'Dancing Days' is another rare chance to hear Zep since they never really played this song after this tour. What a truly great song to play live!

The only 'sitting down' song, 'Bron- Y -Aur Stomp' brings a lighter shade to the performance. "It's about a dog that refuses to be bathed, washed, brushed and spends a lot of his time doing nothing." It's a good chance to hear Page on backup vocals.

Another 'new' song comes next. Page brings out the double-neck guitar for 'The Song Remains the Same' and features some jamming during the guitar solos. It's unlike any other version ever heard before (which can be said about any Zep song). The mood is brought to a sudden change with 'The Rain Song'.

The first song from 'Led Zeppelin l ' follows. 'Dazed and Confused' is complete with amazing jamming, extending the song into tommorow. An incredible burst of energy comes with the familiar riffs of "Waiter's Walk". It also sounds great live

and illustrates their talent for improvisation. 'Stairway to Heaven' is unfortunately the last song on the tape.

Overall, the sound quality of this show is excellent and that goes for the performance as well. The tape is about 90 minutes and hopefully more will surface in the future.

I

VIENNA 3/16/73

Although some of this show popped up a while ago, a 60 minute soundboard tape is now available. The sound quality is one of the best of the '73 shows. The tape begins in the middle of 'Dazed and Confused' and also features 'Stairway to Hea ven', , Whole Lotta Love' and 'Heartbreaker'. The main improvement over the previous tape is the longer time length and the greatly improved sound quality.

MANNHEIM 1980

The newest crop in the 1980 list is two shows from Mannheim, Germany july 2nd and 3rd. The July 3rd show is a bit better in sound quality but I think they're about even in terms of performance. The songs are the same on both shows except for the encores. Jimmy starts things off with 'Train Kept a Rollin'. A fast-paced version which continues through 'Nobody's Fault But Mine'. Both shows begin with a good thrust of power.

After 'Nobody 's ... ', Page comes to the mike to greet the crowd: "Good evening ... GOOD EVENING!. That's better." People are yelling out songs. Page: "Right ... Alright, yes, yes I can hear all that. We're gonna do a number ... It's called 'Starngers In the Night' ... 'Black Dog'." Jimmy's sense of humour is well appreciated by the crowd.

'In the Evening' features great wah-wah pedal guitar. The first mellow song of the night is 'The Rain Song' but it doesn't help to calm down the crowd who are pushing to the stage. Plant: "Still a small attempt to go back a bit, yeah? This one's a request for Benji Lefevre, the man who can rabbit all night and still go out with a Danish girl. It's called 'the Rain Song'. The crowd seemed to have gotten a little hostile in some places: "Well, it was gonna be called 'the Rain song'. We just seem to have a little kind of Monty Python sketch on the one side of the stage." Jimmy adds in: "It's called

Amplifier Brainstorm (7)". Plant: "That's Jimmy there; talking." The rest of the show goes on without any real problems.

The shows continue with 'Hot Dog', , All My Love', Trampled Underfoot', 'Since I've Been Loving You', 'Achilles Last Stand', White Summer/Black Mountain Side', 'Kashmir' and 'Stairway to Heaven'.

The encores for the July 2nd show consisted of 'Rock and Roll' and a great version of 'Whole Lotta Love'. The July 3rd show featured 'Communication Breakdown' and 'Rock and

Photo: Steve Jones

Roll'. At the rate at which the soundboards are surfacing, most (or all) of the 1980 tour should be available soon.

More of the latest developments in the collector's world of Led Zeppelin ...

• NEXTMONTH

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The Australian Led Zeppelin Tour 1972

IAN MELDRUM TALKS TO ROBERT PLANT

Interviewing Robert Plant was easy because he's that type of guy. None of the 'I'm a star so make it quick' bit. None of the off-stage aura thing that 'I'm so unapproachable so careful what you ask'. My chance to interview Robert Plant was at Zeppelin's Gold Record reception held at Melbourne's Southern Cross, but for all he cared we might as well have been in a coffee house in India chatting about what to see next - the Taj Mahal or Great Red Fort.

Plant, and the rest of Zeppelin (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones), truly deserve to be on the top rung of the ever-changing ladder of international music scene successes. The four together, not only on record but live, are a brilliant combination of music and showmanship. I know, and so do 14,000-odd others who soared and rode high at Kooyong-Melbourne last Sunday afternoon ... and every Zeppelin fan from Perth to Brisbane too.

A rant with Plant...

What's it like playing to a Melbourne audience?

"I thought they were about the warmest thing I've felt in Australia yet - warmer even than the climate, really good."

On the subject of Australia and its warmth, what exactly happened in Perth when you arrived there?

"Well nothing really happened. I think it's what they call' all in the mind'. There was a concert, a very successful concert. At the same time there was the unusual element of people who are part of every corner of society who decided they'd bring wirecutters and cut their way in, and I also found that the police over here haven't really sorted out ways of handling situations like this. I don't know whether they can even be handled. There were people coming over the fences and all that and there were people phoning the Mayor and saying this is too much. There were 8000 inside, 4000 outside and I suppose there were probably

two dozen phone calls to the Mayor, so it was about two dozen to 12000 in odds. Somewhere someone along the line is worried that these things can take place. I'm worried about the fact that they can be abused because the basic idea is to have a wonderful time and see everyone glow, really glow."

Yes, that was obvious today at Kooyong. "But I don't like violence and I never advocate that people should abuse authority when it comes to the fact that they lay open a place, a sports arena or something like that - it's not fair to do it, for people to bash the place about. But at the same time it's not fair for the authorities to get so paranoid that they have to come to deductions and follow the usual run-of-the-mill ... well you know what it is ... (right) ... and that part we can't even talk about because we know what goes through the minds of people who retaliate in the way that they did."

OK, what about Adelaide?

"Well, Adelaide .. err ... err ... Adelaide (pause), well it was a bit like a short of midwest cow-town in America. It's a shame really, because my voice was a bit rough, we'd been travelling a lot and not sleeping and everything like that and I went on - there were people shrieking and shouting and fights ten feet from the stage and I was getting really upset because this is the last thing any of us in the group like to see, because we're pretty intent in what we're doing, especially as we've got a good following here. And there was all that going on in front of us, and no organized security. Well, there was a little guy of about eighty with a flash-lamp and that was about it."

Forgetting the Australian tour for a moment and back to Robert Plant, the person, when did you realize you had the power in your voice - or more important, when did you fully realize you could use your voice the way you do?

"It was this group that did it. Before I was singing blues and things like that but it wasn't until

the four of us knitted together so perfectly - the catalyst was the unity - it wasn't until that happened that we all suddenly realized that each of us had, not super-powers, but had the ability to come over the top of things - over the top of everything. So really it's been knocked out with what goes on around you 'cause I've sung with a lot of pwople since, just playing and jamming doesn't mean a thing, a lot of time it doesn't mean a thing at all. There's so much there in this group, and there's always a smile on their faces as well."

To me and to a lot of other people, each of your albums is totally different from the last, yet with a lot of overseas artists who construct albums - like for example Elton - they tend to get a sameness with their albums. Ho do you and the group work from one album to the next and get such a contrast with each?

"I don't know, I don't really know at all." Do you sense the contrast yourself?

"Oh, you do when it's finished but on the way through it you don't really know how it's going to be at all. You know when you start writing that it's going to be different - you become wiser you know. Your whole horizon gets wider and wider and it's experiences like the ones we've had recently that broaden it one way or another - you either get a chip on your shoulder or you just laugh 23 hours a day (laughs). It's all these different experiences, like when we went to Milan and we started playing and there were 250 riot police. I mean, I'm not a social deviant. I know you can't change the world without taking ninety percent of the people with you and I don't intend to try it, or

even be a party to anything that does try it, if it's not going to consider everybody. But, at the same time we're roped in, you see ... experiences create a state of mind. Now like on the fourth album, things like 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Going to Cal ifornia ', they're all different corners of my brain, you know."

On the subject of musicians and the four musicians involved, it's obvious to me today that you admire each other immensely - even on stage, because of the knitting in.

"Yeah, it's like magic, it is really like magic." Yes, but it can be lost sometimes with a group that becomes so successful and has to do so many tours.

"It's because of the different approach each time we play. You see, 'Dazed and Confused' has never been like 'Dazed and Confused' was today. Sometimes it's longer and more extended in one part than another, you know. The same even with 'Immigrant Song' and the phrasing of the drums and the bass. You can bring movements into phrase with the instruments and different sounds like that. So it's just like one of those magic coloring books that you just add water to. You turn the page and you're still adding water to the coloring book but it's different colors."

Getting back to talking about showmanship, which obviously the group has a lot of ...

"Yeah, but we play like that when we're not playing in front of anybody."

That's interesting, but when you see people like yourselves, Rod Stewart and the Faces and Elton John, seems to have all the showmanship about it and the groups tend to put it over so successfully, whereas an American counterpart on the same level tends to try to play it cool.

"yeah, yeah"

Have you noticed that when you go to America or when American groups come to London?

"Yeah and it can become a bit of a drag occasionally."

Like for instance, Elton John complained that when he was at the James Taylor/Carol King concert, which I was also

Photo courtesy of Richard Williams

disappointed with James Taylor because he spent so much time tuning up. In fact it was almost half the concert. Have you any comments on that?

"Well, not really."

J asked that because I felt that you gave a full thing today - if the people paid the full pairce to get into your concert they certainly got their money's wirth and more with what you put on today.

"Thanks, but as for Taylor, I really don't know because I've never seen him. The only solo artist I've been to recently was the Neil Young one and I really dug that because I like a plaintive voice - Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and people like that I really dig, but I'm not going to bother whether they take half an hour to tune up or not, just as long as by the time they're finished I'm full, when I've watched them I'm full, and I can say, well that's an experience. "

I found your acoustic stuff today really fantastic, really enjoyable.

"Yeah, a lot of people say you shouldn't do that, you shouldn't, you should just keep to the heavy stuff and all that, but it's an integral part, very important part. Today was OK, but Perth I think was the best we've played yet - we've just landed and we were full of Bombay and Singapore and full travelling, but nevertheless, well, today was warmer. You could see the people and you could see the colours. Everybody was grooving and everybody was smiling. Even the elements (meaning the rain) couldn't hold it back."

Do you play many outdoor afternoon concerts?

"None, that was about the first one we've done for two years since Atlanta, Georgia, when it was about 110 degrees, ohhhg."

You complained about the heat today. "Well, no, it was just about the right temperature, yet everyone in the audience was putting blankets over them ... funny Australian lot.

No, it was a good day.

With the latest album and the huge success it's enjoying - did you expect it? I mean, you must thinkwhen you're recording an album - is this going to be a big seller or not? Is it going to have the same appeal, or a larger appeal, to the public than the last?

"Well, you know you're going to get the same old criticism ... oh well, oh weI!. .. 'cause every critic has got a different opinion of how they expect you to be - longterrn."

How much notice do you take of the British critics?

"B ugger all, really they're a bunch of old queens, you know."

This story could get back to England. "Really, well they're no ALL (laughter). There must be at least two expectations somewhere along the line. Oh dear, oh well, I never speak to them at all. Let's say it was 'F' dash dash all. I don't really know. England has got into a state of ... err ... I was trying to talk about the sub-society, the s u b-cu I tu re and all that and how it's suddenly got itself its own class system sort-of-thing, like San Francisco and it's rubbing off onto England a bit. There's a lot of paranoia amongst the kids there, everyone's suddenl become a critic and all that. But a critic can only relate what he saw, not how good it was on his standards, because there's thousands of millions of people who are going to read that. I mean, I've met so many people we've read things in the Beat Beat who've said, 'Well, what a load of bulldust.' they're just not relating what they saw. I've been to concerts like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and things haven't been particularly fine musically."

AUSTRALIAN PLANT INTERVIEW CONTINUES o NEXT MONTH 0

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