Robert Plant 'Storytellers to debut on VH1

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

Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation will appear on "VH1 Storytellers" today at 11 p.m. Eastern. And remember, it's not too late to join Robert Plant's Official Online Team: You can do so at http://65.45.90.98/events?13852xy153 (Web content no longer available).

Collectible lithograph offer: Photographer captured first Led Zeppelin concert

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

Before Led Zeppelin was known by that name, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham perpetuated the Yardbirds' name for about a month, performing first in Scandinavia. It would have been hard to predict how famous that particular quartet would end up becoming, and those who showed any interest whatsoever at the time are hard to come by.

One particular name jumps out: that of a kid who took a camera to concerts to capture snapshots of the mugs of musicians like Jimmy Page. In doing so, Jorgen Angel became the only person to photograph the first live performance by the four members of Led Zeppelin.

Jorgen has offered his photographs through his Web site as prints in the past, but as of today he is publishing a limited edition lithograph of "The First Performance." This edition is limited to only 750 copies worldwide and 50 artist's proofs. When the edition is sold out, it will never be reprinted. Each art print will be signed and numbered by Jorgen Angel and comes with an original certificate of authenticity.

It has been Jorgen's wish for some time to present the best shots from this evening in a way that would take the Zep fan back to that special night. For many months, the photographer worked with designers and a visual artist to produce a simple, yet elegant artwork, designed to encapsulate the show as the photographer saw it -- presenting those magic moments in 26 frames. In the innocence of those early days, it was possible (for a schoolboy with his mother's camera) to get very close to the rock stars, actually on stage at times, as it shows in the intimate images on the lithograph.

Please see http://www.angel.dk/ for more information on the lithograph, how to order and for a special limited-time offer. You will also be able to see with great detail what the product looks like. When ordering your numbered lithograph, please be sure to tell Jorgen that Steve "The Lemon" sent you!

Tribute to John Entwistle, "The Ox" (1944-2002)

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

"On top of the sky is a place where you go if you've done nothing wrong, if you've done nothing wrong. And down in the ground is a place where you go if you've been a bad boy, if you've been a bad boy. Why can't we have eternal life and never die, never die?

"In the place up above, you grow feather wings, and you fly round and round with a harp, singing hymns. And down in the ground, you grow horns and a tail, and you carry a fork and burn away. Why can't we have eternal life and never die, never die?"

- Lyrics to the Who's "Heaven and Hell," written by John Entwistle

Lemon Squeezings mourns the loss of legendary rock bassist John Entwistle, who died Thursday, just one day before the Who was to begin a North American concert tour. LZ History sends its condolences to Who fans and those who held him dear. All rock music fans suffer the loss of this innovative instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. Led Zeppelin fans may recall that Entwistle took credit for coining the name of Led Zeppelin some time before the band existed. The 57-year-old's death will undoubtedly affect the plans of Robert Plant, who was to open for the Who on the second and third legs of that tour beginning next month.

Long live rock, be it dead or alive,
Steve "The Lemon" Sauer

Robert Plant 'Dreamland' album released in U.K.

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

Robert Plant's Dreamland is now available in the United Kingdom.

Just a reminder: Plant's "Darkness, Darkness" video can be seen at http://65.45.90.98/events?13852xy132 (Web content no longer available).

'Red Dress': Robert Plant song review of the day (No. 10 of 10)

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

The last song to be reviewed is "Red Dress," the second of the two completely new songs on the album. This groovy shuffle begins with a lead played on fretless bass and steel guitar. The riff sounds like something out of the North Mississippi All Stars' songbook. (By the way, if you don't have that group's debut album from last year, Shake Hands with Shorty, you need it.) The percussion used here gives it sort of an Australian sound. It features Plant's first recorded harmonica probably since 1993. His last attempt I can think of was on "Promised Land" from his previous solo album, Fate of Nations. The harmonica in that song was just like in Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks." On Plant's new "Red Dress," the harmonica is not derivative of anything. If anything is derivative, it's the sound of that steel guitar; it sounds like it belongs on John Paul Jones' solo albums! The lyrics on the song aren't very intricate; Plant's pretty much singing about a "pretty little girl with a red dress on." When he hypothesizes about the meaning of love in this song, he manages not to get too deep in thought. It even sounds like he's guessing at what Skip Spence would say love is, too! No mention of badge holders anywhere, and that's a good thing in my mind.

'Skip's Song': Robert Plant song review of the day (No. 9 of 10)

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

Today's song is "Skip's Song," named for its author, Alexander "Skip" Spence. As a member of Moby Grape, he and the band first recorded it as a demo on Nov. 6, 1967, while rehearsing new material for the group's second album. In those days, Spence was a really loving guy, those who knew him said. But during the second album's recording sessions, Spence apparently snapped, possibly the result of some drug use. In a well-publicized incident, Spence apparently tried to use an ax on another member of the band. Spence was then institutionalized for six months.

With Spence no longer in the band, Moby Grape chose not to use "Skip's Song" for the second album, Wow. But the song was retitled "Seeing" and used as the final track on Moby Grape's third proper studio album, Moby Grape '69.

Robert Plant has long been a fan of Moby Grape and Skip Spence. The lyrics to the first two lines of Led Zeppelin's bluesy "Since I've Been Loving You" are a play on the corresponding lyrics of Moby Grape's soulful "Never." Since the Led Zeppelin days, he's performed versions of Grape's "Sitting by the Window" and "Lazy Me" and recorded versions of Grape's "8:05" and "Naked, If I Want To" and Spence's "Little Hands." This new cover of "Skip's Song" falls right in line.

The song closes out Plant's new album, Dreamland. Organ and acoustic guitar are the first sounds heard on the track. Generally speaking, "Skip's Song" has a different sound from the rest of Plant's album; sorry, I won't be using the word "soundscape" in today's review. The song jumps from light to heavy in the flash of a drum fill -- and back.

There are backup singers on it that are definitely not Plant; some of them are female! But the male backup voices might be the boys in the band, like bassist Charlie Jones, Plant's right-hand man when it comes to backing vocals on tour these days. Whoever it is highlights the words, "Save me," definitely a jarring phrase when taken into consideration that they were written by Spence while he was still a friendly man.

Throughout the choruses, there are two electric guitars: one strumming the chords and the other playing a country-folk improvisation. The arrangement here was not unlike what Moby Grape guitarists Jerry Miller and Peter Lewis employed on their version of the song.

In the end, Plant's version just fades out. But not eerily so. In a way, it does sort of leave you hanging ...

'One More Cup of Coffee': Robert Plant song review of the day (No. 8 of 10)

Today's song is "One More Cup of Coffee," by Bob Dylan. Now, here's a song I'd been anticipating since the moment in February when I first heard the song was being recorded and even considered for a single. The thought that crossed my mind was that if the song were to be released as a single, the sound would have to be totally different from the original.

With all due respect to Mr. Dylan, the version on his January 1976 album, Desire, was about as uncommercial as one could get. It was nearly a dirge in a minor key with a poetic verse that requires one to ponder long before it makes any sense. It's not exactly lighthearted party music fit for commercial radio.

Dylan's even sounded unrehearsed in a few places. The violinist soloing in the opening bars obviously wasn't entirely sure of the chord changes, and that wasn't fixed by overdubbing. Dylan and backup singer Emmylou Harris obviously weren't reading from the same lyric sheet, and that wasn't fixed by overdubbing.

(Funnily enough, Plant left that second mistake intact at the end of his version, harmonizing with his own overdubbed second vocal line. With Plant's sense of humor, it's probably an intentional nod to Bob.)

On Plant's version, out goes the violin, and in come the electric guitars. He nudges the tempo just a bit so that the song doesn't drag. He sings it in the same key as the original, but instead of bellowing the lyrics as did his predecessor, Plant uses his raspy, breathy voice to ease through the verses. On the choruses, where he overdubbed his vocals to sing with himself, he alters the harmony from the original so that he doesn't have to sing in a female vocal range. Each chorus concludes with a full-band break preceding the last four words.

In these reviews, I've used words like "landscape" and "soundscape" so many times, I'm growing sick of it! But really, the Strange Sensation ought to be renamed the Smooth Sensation because the arrangements on these songs are perfectly smooth, swirling and textured. It will become such a cliche by the time I'm through reviewing each song, but that doesn't mean the album repeats itself at all. It's really an album that is worthy of being heard and thus enjoyed.