Opus + Led Zeppelin + Xmas music = amusing

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happy 60th berfday robert.



thanks for all the music and here's to more.












includingaZeppelintourpleasethankyou.

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very nice t-shirt spotted

while walking around boston this afternoon, i saw someone wearing a brownish/olive t-shirt (lightly faded/distressed) that had this on the front.

page.
plant.
bonham.
jones.

i smiled.

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this could prove to be interesting

granted, it's a highly reputable paper reporting this, but this could prove to be an interesting blend. (you may squee now eva)

Lemmy and Page join forces

Published: 18 Jun 2008
ROCK lords LEMMY and JIMMY PAGE got on so famously at the MOJOs afterparty that they decided to swap numbers.

MOTORHEAD frontman Lemmy and LED ZEPPELIN axe maestro Jimmy were deep in conversation during most of the bash and they clearly intended to continue their conflab at a later date.

But their efforts to swap details were hampered by technology — because neither of the ageing duo could use their mobile phones properly.

One amused onlooker revealed last night: "The pair of them spent an age looking both amazed and confused as they attempted to stab contact numbers into their mobiles.

"They looked like two old cavemen discovering some shiny new objects in the forest."

But a monumental Led Zep/Motorhead hook-up may still be on the cards — because the old-timers gave up their struggle with the phones and scrawled their respective digits on beer mats before parting ways.

The party, at the Parker McMillan club, opposite the awards venue, went on long into the night.

NICK CAVE’s dapper band THE BAD SEEDS toasted their Best Album triumph by demolishing a bottle of bourbon between them.

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Drums Along the Carbide

old & busted:
Drum Machines

new hotness:
video 1
video 2
video 3
video 4

my opinion:
Greatest. Drummer. Ever. in the greatest band ever.

EVER.

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the Mol semi-year in review

well, not really, but i figured if everyone else is, why can't i? i just checked and it looks as though i didn't do this last year so i guess i'm overdue, but i'm not going to bother with 2006. read the past entries if you want some sort of sense of 2006.

but that's now 2 years ago. so, 2007. what can i say about it other than 'eh'. sure there were some high points, no real major low points so i guess all in all, it was an ok year. so a few quick highlights and we'll see where this goes.

molius musical find of the 2007: Porcupine Tree PT is one of those bands that somehow i managed to completely miss and boy did i miss them. they fall into that 'prog' category, but i'd consider it more an evolving prog than anything. if you listen to the early stuff, it bears little resemblance to what their sound is currently. very few bands are able to continually evolve these days and PT is one of the few. live they put on one hell of a show and i'm frustrated that i fell into them late, or i would have tried to see them this year. thank goodness to the tapers who have shared their recordings of the current tours. to each of them, i tip my hat and give a very hearty thanks. (past winners: 2006 - Tom Waits, 2005 - The Residents)

runner up: Battles

molius album of 2007: Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet. pure and simple, this album is the one that when i needed something to listen to, i would listen to. didn't matter what my mood was or if i didn't know what i wanted to listen to, this one fell into my CD player and if you don't have it, i'd strongly suggest picking up a copy.

runner up: Robert Plant/Alison Krauss - Raising Sand

molius reunion of 2007: Led Zeppelin. there were a few this year, but none of them made a splash like the return of Led Zeppelin on December 10, 2007 at the O2 Arena in London. 2 hours and 12 minutes of what for myself (and Zep fans around the world) had been waiting for since Bonzo died. the setlist that they played was solid (including the first full performances of Good Times, Bad Times & Ramble On and first ever of For Your Life) and covered many of the 'hits'. for me In My Time of Dying was blues brutality at its best (pure dirty sleezy blues). Kashmir was crushing with its new strings. it certainly wasn't the best ever performance by Led Zeppelin, (Montreux 8/7/71, Seattle 6/19/72, San Francisco 4/26/69 are all very high on my list) but emotionally, it was one of the most powerful shows by the band ever. Jason did his father very proud. and it may be possible that they get this honor two years in a row - it's looking as though they may tour.

runner up: uh...no one qualifies.

molius movie of 2007: No Country for Old Men. i actually managed to see more movies in the theater in 2007 than i have in a long time, but while some were good, none of them ultimately entertained (and amused) me the way No Country did. it's a movie that moves at its own pace (rather than hurry hurry hurry hurry) and is just so twisted that i couldn't help but really enjoy it. it's just one of those movies that you just have to see (prolly more than once) and then you'll start to understand why i like it so much. when a movie makes me smile just thinking about it, you have to know i liked it. and this one makes me smile. so to the Coen Brothers - thanks for making the movie. it's a wonderful (and bloody) headtrip that just makes me smile every time i think about it.

runner up: i really don't know. outside of No Country, for what i saw in the theaters, there really isn't a single movie that would qualify. sure i enjoyed most of what i saw in the theaters, but nothing really jumps out at me. Simpsons, Bourne are the better movies i thought. Spidey 3 was disapointing. Beowulf was visually interesting, but the story was lacking. I Am Legend suffered from my (and M) reading the original story so the entire time we were both thinking 'that wasn't in the original story' or 'that's a change' which i felt detracted from the movie.

molius (over)hype of the year: Apple iphone what an over-rated pretentious piece of hardware.

molius disapointment of the year: christmas holiday season: i'm not really one to care about the holidays, but that thing in the back of my mind that does like it found that this year was the most non-festive holiday season ever. while i really don't care for the holiday season and feel that it's a waste of time and money, i do appreciate (how ever much it makes me sick) the decorations and music that goes along with it. but for political correctness reasons, this year's holiday season was AWFUL. minimal decoration and whenever i went shopping, there was this lack of holiday spirit in the air which was frustrating. this overly political correctness shit that we are now being sucked into blows.

runner up: writers strike. this is directly affecting my television and movie viewing and i don't like it. i understand to some degree what the problem is, but all the strike is doing is allowing the bulk of reality tv to take over. the one upside that i can see (and saw in some article) is that the whole notion of the fall season will go away and shows will move to the more cable minded 'when new seasons are ready, air them' rather than wait for the traditional september/may seasons. i think that the networks would be able to get more of my attention if they did that rather than have everything airing at the same time. i like both Bones and NCIS, but at 8pm on Tuesday, it sucks and i have to pick which i watch and which i tivo. but if i have the choice of a new Bones or a repeat NCIS at 8pm on Tuesday, which do you think i'll watch?

i guess those are my big things for this years list. i didn't read as many books as i would have liked, plus the bulk of what i like to read has been out for some time so i can't offer my book of the year. no real song of the year. didn't goto any concerts so can't add that (tho i spose bootlegs could count)

a pair of enjoyable vacations (Vegas in April, Brussels/Brugge/Cologne in September) certainly qualify as highlights. tons of pictures from each and plenty of memories. need to plan where the next one will be. Hong Kong sounds nice...

well, i'm pretty much out of thoughts at this point. i hate my car. i hate snow. i need more time to listen to music and read. but what else is new? other than 2008. i wonder what will happen in 2008. other than a fucking abysmal presidential election.

to my small circle of friends: thank you. thank you for your friendship. thank you for your support. and you need only to ask.

happy 2008.

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bloody fucking hell

i can't wait to hear this.
1st source dloading as i type. will be in my ears tomorrow morning. w00t! (//mol - 12/11/07)
outside of a few odd goofs, it was one hell of a fucking show. and i can't wait for some other recordings to surface. i've heard snips of 2 different sources that should be very nice. but many thanks to slowburn for being the first to post the show in its entirety. and now the search continues. but it's one hell of a show. In My Time of Dying is fucking brutal, just oozing blues. Kashmir may be the song that Robert considers to be what Led Zeppelin is all about (and i do agree), but In My Time of Dying is a fucking work of art. and to anyone who had doubts about Jason - he did his father very proud. like the millions of other fans, i hope they tour, but if they don't, like Pink Floyd, they went out on top. there is absolutely NO question in my mind. Led Zeppelin = greatest band ever. //mol - 12/12/07



Good Times, Bad Times
Ramble On
Black Dog
In My Time of Dying
For Your Life
Trampled Underfoot
Nobody's Fault But Mine
No Quarter
Since I've Been Loving You
Dazed & Confused
Stairway To Heaven
The Song Remains The Same
Misty Mountain Hop
Kashmir
{encore}
Whole Lotta Love
Rock and Roll

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D'OH!

Led Zeppelin reunion show postponed

LONDON - Led Zeppelin fans awaiting the rockers' reunion will have to wait a little longer.

The band's first concert in two decades, scheduled for Nov. 26, has been postponed until Dec. 10 after guitarist Jimmy Page fractured a finger, organizers said Friday.

"I am disappointed that we are forced to postpone the concert by two weeks," Page said in a statement.

"However, Led Zeppelin have always set very high standards for ourselves, and we feel that this postponement will enable my injury to properly heal, and permit us to perform at the level that both the band and our fans have always been accustomed to."

Led Zeppelin, who split up in 1980 after the death of drummer John Bonham, announced in September they were reuniting for a one-off show. The lineup includes Page, singer Robert Plant and bass player John Paul Jones, along with Bonham's son Jason.

More than 1 million fans entered a draw for a chance to buy one of the 10,000 tickets to the concert at London's O2 Arena, a tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who died last year. The lineup also includes former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, Foreigner and young Scottish singer Paolo Nutini.

Organizers said tickets for the Nov. 26 gig will be honored at the rescheduled show.

at least it won't be like the start of the tour in 1975 when he broke his finger then and they continued on. but then it did bring How Many More Times back into the setlist...

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what a shame...

i have the day off.

Led Zeppelin confirm reunion gig

The surviving members of legendary rock group Led Zeppelin are to reform for a star-studded tribute concert in London.

Singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones will play at the show to remember the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.

The one-off concert, the trio's first performance for 19 years, will take place at the O2 arena on 26 November.

Tickets will cost £125 and be allocated by ballot. Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and Paolo Nutini will also perform.

Ertegun, who signed Led Zeppelin in 1968, died last year.

The place of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980, will be taken by his son Jason.

Plant said: "During the Zeppelin years, Ahmet Ertegun was a major foundation of solidarity and accord.

"For us, he was Atlantic Records and remained a close friend and conspirator. This performance stands alone as a tribute to the work and life of a longstanding friend."

The news is likely to spark a huge rush for tickets as devoted fans scramble to get into what could be the band's last show.

Tickets will only be available to those who register on a dedicated website, ahmettribute.com, and will be limited to two successful applications per household.

With their pounding, blues-influenced anthems and explosive stadium shows, Led Zeppelin paved the way for artists across the worlds of heavy metal and alternative rock.

Their best-known songs include Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Rock and Roll, Kashmir and Communication Breakdown - although they never released singles in the UK.

Led Zeppelin's last full concert was in Berlin in July 1980 - two months before John Bonham died.

'Whole set'

Page, Plant and Jones performed at Live Aid five years later, and also get back together at a concert to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Atlantic Records in 1988.

But a rift between Jones and the other two band members opened after Page and Plant started working together without him in the 1990s.

Rumours of a reconciliation surfaced several years ago, leading to speculation about a reunion.

Harvey Goldsmith, who is promoting the concert, said that he had originally asked the three band members to play a 30-minute set.

"Jason Bonham became part of the catalyst, and they did a week's rehearsal," he said. "We had a meeting and Robert turned around and said we're not going to do 30 minutes, we're doing to do a whole set."

"It's a day I never thought would come," said Dave Lewis, editor of Led Zeppelin fan magazine Tight But Loose. "The four people on stage in 2007 - wake me up, I'm dreaming!"

The concert coincides with the release of a new two-CD best of compilation, Mothership, on 13 November.

Profits from the show will go towards scholarships in Ertegun's name in UK, the USA and Turkey, the country of his birth.

His wife Mica said: "He would be very proud that Led Zeppelin have chosen to reunite and headline a benefit concert in his name featuring so many of his friends.

"I would like to thank all of the artists for their generous contribution to help make Ahmet's vision a reality."

Goldsmith said Ertegun "became a friend and was my mentor".

"Our industry deeply misses such a giant of music," he said. "It is a fitting tribute that these great artists have all come together to perform in his memory."

He also warned that tickets being sold on the black market would be cancelled.

Paolo Nutini, Ertegun's last UK signing, went on to score a hit album last year.

"He touched my life with his amazing personality and opened a few doors when I was starting my career," he said.

"He was a special guy, a real gentleman and it's such a shame he's gone but a massive tribute that all his music lives on - and will do forever."

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Happy Birthday Bonzo

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30 Years ago this evening...

30 years ago tonight, Led Zeppelin performed a concert at Richfield Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. while the performance was ok, the recording of the show was better than ok. (Personally, the following night (4/28) is one of the finest 1977 shows they did, but the recording isn't as good)

as any Zep bootleg collector can tell you, the recording from this night is pretty common. and while there are better performances from the 1977 tour (as i mentioned above), this one holds a special place in my heart. until 1992, i wasn't aware of Zeppelin bootlegs. it never occured to me that people recorded bands other than taper friendly bands (eg: Grateful Dead, Phish), so when JW (my roommate) borrowed Destroyer from WP, i was surprised. JW was trying to get me to listen to The Dead and he would make copies of shows that WP had, but on a trip to NYC, WP came back with Destroyer (2cd version, didn't have Over The Top/Moby Dick).

for me, live Zeppelin to this point was only The Song Remains The Same. i liked it a lot, but wasn't educated in the ways of bootlegs to realize that it wasn't a very good live document of Led Zeppelin. Destroyer was a better document. a near complete version of the show and i was facinated. but it wasn't until i listened to White Summer that my mind was completely blown away. i was familiar with White Summer (Jimmy included the version from the BBC session (6/27/69) on the box set). what i didn't know was in concert, White Summer crashing into Kashmir was going to change my view on Led Zeppelin forever. i remember sitting in the money chair (you could always find change that had fallen out of pockets in it) with my 2 big speakers on either side of me. volume up, but not too loud. late afternoon/early evening. grey and rainy day (similar to what it's like now). the closing strains of White Summer playing and out of nowhere, the entire band goes crashing into the opening chords of Kashmir. that transition of calmness into the power and majesty that is Kashmir sent the chills running up and down my spine for the next few minutes. i was completely dumbstruck by what had just happened. i listened to it again, and again chills. i must have listened to that sequence a few times before i was able to pull myself together enough to try and figure out what i had just listened to.

i quickly dug out some tapes so i could record the show, and eventually i had to return Destroyer to WP, but from that point on, i knew i needed more. my 2nd Zep bootlegs were from 2 separate (incomplete) shows in 1973 (soundboards that had been stolen from Jimmy in the late 80's) and from there i was as good as screwed. i began to discover that there was much more available (all for a price of course) and other shows quickly followed (Brussels 6/20/80, New York 2/12/75, Copenhagen 5/3/71) and by the time i graduated from college, i had a pretty decent sized collection of Zeppelin bootlegs. i quickly discovered that bootlegs of other bands i liked were available (most notably Pink Floyd), and ever since then, i've been collecting shows. i very rarely buy bootlegs these days, on occasion i might, but for the most part, it's all digital. it's become somewhat of an obsession, and i realize that i can't listen to all of them, but it doesn't seem to stop me.

and it all started with a recording of a show that Led Zeppelin did 30 years ago tonight.

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on this day in history, the world was blessed with the birth of a bouncing baby boy who would become one of the guitar greats.

Happy Birthday James Patrick Page




and for those of you who have the Led Zeppelin DVD, tonight would be an EXCELLENT night to put disc 1 in and play it nice and loud.

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Happy Birthday Mr. Jones

Thanks for all the music.





thanks for letting me swipe the pic

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thank you.

Music pioneer Ahmet Ertegun dies at 83
By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer

NEW YORK - Ahmet Ertegun, who helped define American music as the founder of Atlantic Records, a label that popularized the gritty R&B of Ray Charles, the classic soul of Aretha Franklin and the British rock of the Rolling Stones, died Tuesday at 83, his spokesman said.

Ertegun remained connected to the music scene until his last days — it was at an Oct. 29 concert by the Rolling Stones at the Beacon Theatre in New York where Ertegun fell, suffered a head injury and was hospitalized. He later slipped into a coma.

"He was in a coma and expired today with his family at his bedside," said Dr. Howard A. Riina, Ertegun's neurosurgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Ertegun will be buried in a private ceremony in his native Turkey, said Bob Kaus, a spokesman for Ertegun and Atlantic Records. A memorial service will be conducted in New York after New Year's.

Ertegun, a Turkish ambassador's son, started collecting records for fun, but would later became one of the music industry's most powerful figures with Atlantic, which he founded in 1947.

The label first made its name with rhythm and blues by Charles and Big Joe Turner, but later diversified, making Franklin the Queen of Soul as well as carrying the banner of British rock (with the Rolling Stones, Cream, Led Zeppelin) and American pop (with Sonny and Cher, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and others).

Today, the company, part of Warner Music Group, is the home to artists including Kid Rock, James Blunt, T.I., and Missy Elliott.

Ertegun's love of music began with jazz, back when he and his late brother Nesuhi (an esteemed producer of such jazz acts as Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman) used to hang around with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington in the clubs of Washington, D.C.

"My father was a diplomat who was ambassador to Switzerland, France and England before he became ambassador to the United States, and we lived in all those countries and we always had music in the house, and a lot of it was a kind of popular music, and we heard a lot of jazz," Ertegun recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. "By the time we came to Washington, we were collecting records and we amassed a collection of some 25,000 blues and jazz records."

Ertegun parlayed his love of music into a career when he founded Atlantic with partner Herb Abramson and a $10,000 loan. When the label first started, it made its name with blues- edged recordings by acts such as Ruth Brown.

Despite his privileged background, which included attending prep school and socializing with Washington's elite, Ertegun was able to mix with all kinds of people — an attribute that made him not just a marketer of black music, but a part of it, said Jerry Wexler.

"The transition between these two worlds is one of Ahmet's most distinguishing characteristics," Wexler said.

Black music was the backbone of the label for years — it was Atlantic, under Wexler's production genius, that helped make Franklin the top black female singer of her day.

"We had some pop music — we had Bobby Darin ... and we developed other pop artists such as Sonny and Cher and Bette Midler and so on," said Ertegun. "But we had been most effective that set a style as purveyors of African-American music. And we were the kings of that until the arrival of Motown Records, which was long after we started."

But once music tastes changed, Ertegun switched gears and helped bring on the British invasion in the '60s.

"If Atlantic had restricted itself to R&B music, I have no doubt that it would be extinct today," Wexler said.

Instead, it became even bigger.

In later years, Ertegun signed Midler, Roberta Flack and ABBA. He had a gift for being able to pick out what would be a commercial smash, said the late producer Arif Mardin, who remembered one session where he was working with the Bee Gees on an album — but was unsure of what he had produced.

"Then Ahmet came and listened to it, and said, `You've got hits here, you've got dance hits,'" Mardin once told the AP. "I was involved in such a way that I didn't see the forest for the trees. ... He was like the steadying influence."

One strength of the company was Ertegun's close relationships with many of the artists — relationships that continued even after they left his label. Midler still called for advice, and he visited Franklin's home when he dropped into Detroit.

His friendships extended to the younger generation, too, including Kid Rock and Lil' Kim.

Besides his love of music, Ertegun was also known for his love of art, and socializing. It was not uncommon to find him at a party with his wife, Mica, hanging out until all hours with friends.

Although he was slowed by triple-bypass surgery in 2001, he still went into his office almost daily to listen for his next hit.

Finding those hits were among the most wonderful moments in his life, he said.

"I've been in the studio when you go through a track and you run down a track and you know even before the singer starts singing, you know the track is swinging ... you know you have a multimillion-seller hit — and what you're working on suddenly has magic," he said. "That's the biggest."

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heeheehee...

TK told me this a while back so i was excited then, but seeing this has me excited now.

i figured out the other day that when it comes to music, the music that i like is generally linked to one song. that one song opens my eyes to them and from that point on, i'm a fan. (and as i'm sure M would attest, it's all downhill from there.) but for me, what blew my mind for The Residents, was High Horses. 20 minutes of carousel music that when listened to thru headphones is just mindblowing (for me at least). only it isn't always the cheerful happy music, only twisted as only the mighty eyeballed ones can. fucking beautiful.

so, some insight to my musical tastes and why.

Led Zeppelin - White Summer -> Kashmir (Cleveland 4/27/77)
the first time i heard this transition from a calm, beautiful, relaxing moment into the chaos that erupts when everyone crashes into the opening chords of Kashmir, i had chills run up my spine. i can count the number of times on my hand, that this transition didn't send chills up my spine. they started doing this in 1977, and did it in 1979 and 1980 and each time, chills. from there, it was all downhill.

Tool - Hooker With A Penis
when i bought Ænima, it was after seeing A Perfect Circle open for Nine Inch Nails. i hadn't realized just how much Tool i had heard on the radio (Stinkfist, Eulogy, Sober, Prison Sex, Opiate) because i had always liked what i heard. but listening to Ænima, i realized it was good and then came Hooker. 4 1/2 minutes of venom, bile, hatred, and mocking. i loved it. Undertow and Opiate followed and i discovered what i had been missing. random trivia: when i bought my current vee-hick-le, Ænima was the first cd i listened to in it. while on the test drive.

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb (Delicate Sound of Thunder)
back in the day when MTV actually showed videos (or at least more than they do currently, i suppose it was a semi-tranisitional period for them), they showed the video for Comfy Numb off Delicate Sound of Thunder and something about it drew me in. i've since heard umpteen versions which are vastly superior, but this version always holds a special place as the song that woke me up to Pink Floyd. i had a copy of Collection of Dance Songs, but it never hooked me (outside of the Dr. Who theme in One of These Days), but post-Comfy Numb, i listened to Collection with different ears and realized just how good it is.

well, here are 4 bands and some pathetic attempt at explaining why i love them. other bands/songs include:

Curve - Coast is Clear (Toni's voice)

Front 242 - Neurobashing

Ministry - So What

Dead Can Dance - Rakim (decending trills)

Tom Waits - Lucinda (this was a neck snapping moment as i described it to TK, fucking blew my mind, absolutely phenominal)

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arg...

i hate when i want to look something up and i promptly forget what it was. at least i remembered that i wanted to try and find Flight of the Bumblebee. it's actually harder than i thought. i can find some mp3s, but not all of them are loud enuff, or simple enuff (looking for a good piano version if possible). i've figured out how to put ringtones on my phone, and after several years of not having it, i want Flight of the Bumblebee on my phone. right now, i'd be willing to guess that not that many people have the opening bars of Kashmir on their phones, let alone a live version of Kashmir. or something by The Residents. heh. what else can i put on it...

but before i sat down just now, i wanted to look something up, and now i can't remember what it was. must not have been that important. but of course now it's going to bug me. need to do my dishes, took out the trash, will do some cleaning, those i remember. but this i forget. whatever this is.

damn.

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on the ride home today, i was listening to the Zeppelin Box Set (cd2), and while waiting for traffic to move, i happened to see a black dog taking a walk with his owner. the song playing?

Black Dog

i smiled and laughed.

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best. drummer. ever.

"We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend, and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."

R.I.P. Bonzo

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