Robert Plant, Alison Krauss promote album on PBS

Led Zeppelin's upcoming reunion concert never factored into the discussion with Robert Plant, Alison Krauss and T-Bone Burnett on yesterday's "Charlie Rose."

The 26-minute conversation, which aired yesterday on PBS television and is shown below, centers entirely on the ideas behind the album Raising Sand and Burnett's involvement as producer.




The singers detailed who was responsible for picking each of the songs on their album and what their initial thoughts were when they approached them.

"I went in deliberately trying to keep any preconceived idea out, and we recorded in a much different way than I am used to recording," explained Krauss. "The group that I've played with for the last number of years [Union Station] -- we're very planned out when we go in, very specific. Many times, [we] have the sequence of tunes already known when we go in. You know, we've worked what the sequence of the record was gonna be. And I really felt like my role in this, besides coming to sing, was to really be open and to support T-Bone's ideas, no matter how vague it was to me."

In one point that matches up with a statement of Plant's in the November issue of Uncut, Krauss said Burnett sent the singers communications with very detailed and persuasive descriptions of the songs he had picked out. "Wow, we were blown away by the material," she continued. "You know, these were the original artists singing all this, and he has a description of everything, and it's very deliberate. And then you get in the studio, and it's sort of opposite. It's very natural, and he wants everybody to do what they would naturally do. And he kind of sits in the background and kind of herds everybody ever so slightly, enough where Robert and I are, 'What's he doing in there?' 'I don't know what he's doing in there!'"

Plant recounted what it was like arriving at her house in Nashville, to be greeted there for the first time by the hulking T-Bone Burnett. "And he's bigger than me too!" said Plant.

Krauss also recounted an anecdote she's previously stated in interviews, about receiving a phone call from Plant and purposely sounding very restrained -- only because she didn't want to wake her baby.

As far as their future touring plans, Plant discussed the idea of a revue. "I don't sing all the time, and neither does Alison, so it's good that way because you can leave the stage, somebody else can -- the spotlight definitely moves," he said.

"An evening with us should be something really, really special. It should be supported by other artists. It should be, I think -- it could be quite an interesting little adventure, you know."

Update: This interview can now be purchased on DVD.

Fans pay top dollar for Led Zeppelin tickets

How much would you pay for two tickets to Led Zeppelin's reunion concert?

How about $171,600? That's apparently what one man thought seeing the band's first billing in 19 years is worth.

This auction, sponsored by the BBC, was the first of several charity auctions ending this month for admission to the show. It also seems to have signalled that the concert tickets are the most expensive in British history.

Kenneth Donnell of Glasgow, Scotland, was the high bidder in an auction to benefit the BBC's annual Children in Need appeal, BBC News reported today.

As part of his deal, Donnell and a guest will attend not only the concert on Dec. 10 but also a rehearsal, tentatively scheduled to take place the day before the show.

In an eBay auction, two tickets donated by Jimmy Page has so far drawn 54 bids from 19 individuals since Nov. 9. This auction, which is to raise money for the Page-affiliated charity Task Brasil, is set to end Monday.

The charity will stand to draw in more than $12,600, according to the current high bid.

A Seatwave.com ticket auction is set to close Nov. 30 with a pair of tickets given to each of the three highest bidders. The package also includes passes for an "after-show party," about which no further information is currently available.

The Page-affiliated Action for Brazil's Children Trust is the beneficiary for this auction, whose current high bids range between $11,060 and $12,627.

Over the weekend, the Sun reported that the £5,000 reserve price for a pair of tickets auctioned on Seatwave would make them "the most expensive concert tickets in British history."

It appears that the BBC tickets, which raised £83,000, eclipsed that figure 16 times over.

Led Zeppelin hits media circuit

Interviews with the members of Led Zeppelin are popping up everywhere. A chat with Jimmy Page is included in the December issue of Classic Rock magazine hitting newsstands today, and Robert Plant and John Paul Jones are making media appearances tonight.

The magazine cover is made to look like the cover of Led Zeppelin III. The first installment in a two-part interview with Page is just one part of this special collector's edition, much of which is devoted to Led Zeppelin.

In the United Kingdom, Jones appeared on the BBC Radio 2 program hosted by Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie. He discussed the Mothership release and the upcoming Led Zeppelin reunion concert.

The hosts played "Black Dog" and "Trampled Under Foot" from Mothership, as well as "The Last Goodbye" from the album he produced for Uncle Earl. That four-piece old-time string band is currently on tour in England.

Plant will surely face a question or two about Led Zeppelin while guesting on tonight's episode of PBS television's "Charlie Rose." [Update: No Zep-related questions were asked! See TV spot here.] However, the singer is being interviewed alongside Alison Krauss and producer T-Bone Burnett; the three are promoting the recent release of their album, Raising Sand.

This issue of Classic Rock magazine "comes encased in an exclusive wallet that apes the design of the Zep III album," according to the magazine's official Web site. "What’s more, our wallet was designed by none other than the mysterious and enigmatic Zacron – the reclusive artist who actually created the original Zep III sleeve way, way back in 1970!"

The magazine also includes a feature on Zacron and an interview with former Atlantic Records executive Phil Carson, as well as features on the band's March 1969 Supershow appearance and on Page as a producer, or "Rock's Sonic Architect."

Several famous musicians also comment on Led Zeppelin's reunion in the new issue. The magazine carries quotations from "Slash, Roger Daltrey, Ian Anderson, Tony Iommi, Neal Schon, Steven Tyler, Nancy Wilson, Kid Rock, Dave Mustaine, Ace Frehley, Billy Gibbons and many more" including Ritchie Blackmore.

Led Zeppelin will also be the cover story of the Holiday 2007 issue of Guitar World magazine. Also available as a special collector's issue, it will feature two separate covers – one with a blue background and the other with a white background.

The Guitar World covers, each bearing a new photo of Page holding a guitar, promise Page's "most in-depth interview ever" as well as features on "the historic reunion tour," "his new custom Les Paul guitar," and "On the Road with Zep in '73."

Both shots of Page for Guitar World were taken by photographer Ross Halfin.

All will be revealed: Led Zeppelin releases Mothership

When the four symbols representing Led Zeppelin appeared on the front page of Led Zeppelin's Web site earlier this year accompanied by what appeared to be a date, some folks wondered what Nov. 13 would hold in store.

Well, it did involve stores.

These people were suffering from a temporary case of amnesia. There was speculation that the band was going to announce a reunion concert on that date! The anticipation built throughout August and September. What was going to happen?

All along, Nov. 13 turned out to be the scheduled release date for the two-CD compilation Mothership in the United States. It was also the date eventually picked for the group's first download availability on iTunes.

That date is now here, and The Mothership Has Landed on schedule. Now in the hands of fans is the fulfillment of the first phase of that promise -- with cellophane bearing a sticker that reads, "The Very Best of Led Zeppelin Remastered on 2 CDs."

Phase two, a reissue of The Song Remains the Same on DVD and its soundtrack on CD, is only one week away.

For now, let's enjoy this Mothership release. The compilation provides a few new things to pick at.

One piece of this are liner notes written by David Fricke, an editor at Rolling Stone magazine. Odd choice, you might think, given the history of bad blood between that magazine and Led Zeppelin. Well, Fricke's tenure with the magazine has been mostly during the years that the group was reconsidered to be a major contribution to the group and "The Heaviest Band of All Time" if you believe their 2006 cover, shown at right. Fricke admits briefly in his liner notes, with regard to "the band's harshest critics," "there were armies of them at the time."

Though much of Fricke's commentary focuses only on the songs included in the set, he does some justice in capturing some of the band's earliest days. He also gives attention to the reason Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980. Perhaps it is fitting that his writing ends nearly as abruptly after this revelation as did the existence of Led Zeppelin after John Bonham's unexpected death.

The remastering of the songs was recently performed by John Davis at Alchemy Mastering in London. I'm already detecting a few rare moments I had never heard before.

• In "Dazed and Confused" between 2:17 and 2:18, Plant is singing in his high vocal range faintly in the background. [Update: Wrong. This is also audible on previous releases.]


• In "Rock and Roll" between 2:51 and 2:55, there are some previously unheard piano notes from guest Ian "Stu" Stewart. [Also wrong. This, too, is also audible on previous releases.]


• In "Black Dog" between 3:49 and 4:17, Plant sings throughout Page's guitar solo. [Wrong again! I'd just always missed this.]

These are things that, unless I'm mistaken, must have been muted in previously issued mixes of these songs. [Not muted, but let's agree that they're more easily noticed in the current mix.]

I've also heard some things during the fadeouts of the two opening songs – "Good Times Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown" – that don't recall ever hearing before. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think we're listening to additional seconds recorded before these recordings end. [I haven't yet checked to see if I was right about these. Feel free to comment!]

There are probably many other subtle differences between the recordinsg on this release and those issued on previous sets. All will be revealed, and I hope some people reading this will be able to comment on anything else they notice.

The art direction and design are new, by Shepard Fairey. Some fans have complained about the simplistic cover art, the prevalent red-on-black color scheme, and the recycling of that blimp motif – which even Shepard himself is employing on another concurrent project, shown on the magazine cover at right.

But it would be hard commenting on the design without mentioning the Super Jewel Box in which the two-CD set is contained. I guess I haven't bought any Robbie Williams or Gwen Stefani CDs lately, but I don't feel very embarrassed admitting that. Had I bought some of their material this year, I might have noticed the packaging, which is supposed to be a lot better than older CD jewel cases.

Mothership's deluxe edition, which contains a single DVD compiling portions of the band's double-disc video release, comes in a cardboard fold-out packaging scheme.

So forget for a moment that this isn't the first time Led Zeppelin has delivered a best-of compilation. Instead, let's revel in the band that brought you to this site in the first place: "The Heaviest Band of All Time," as Rolling Stone suggested in 2006. Or as Q magazine had proclaimed the previous year, "The Most Important Band in the World ... Today!" However you remember these guys, remember them for the recordings they delivered between 1969 and 1979, again celebrated today, on 11.13.07.

Page explains injury at award ceremony; guitarist named 'living legend'

In for a quick garden?

It was in Jimmy Page's garden that he broke his finger during the last weekend of October, he told reporters.

While attending an award ceremony in London last night, Page explained the bandage on the pinky finger of his left hand.

Page said he tripped on a stone slab and landed on several parts of his body. The damage was minimal but, as luck would have it, concentrated only on his digit.

His comments to the media provided the first insight into the nature of the injury postponing Led Zeppelin's upcoming reunion concert.

Page said the injury was minor, particularly compared to times he has broken fingers in the past. Page assured fans he would be in fine shape for the Led Zeppelin show, which has been rescheduled for Dec. 10.

During a ceremony at the Landmark Hotel, Page earned the title "Living Legend" in the Classic Rock Roll of Honor.

Original reports:

• Independent Television News, including video and audio
• BBC News entertainment reporter Neil Smith
• Virgin Media
• BBC News general report
• New Musical Express
• XFM Online
• Associated Press photo
• Gigwise photos: 1, 2, 3

Led Zeppelin images to permeate London's skyline tonight

Part of a colossal marketing plan is to unfold tonight in London as images related to Led Zeppelin are projected onto some of the city's best-known landmarks.

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Uncut magazine reports online: "Images of the four iconic Led Zeppelin ZoSo symbols will be projected onto buildings with a countdown clock, which will then show a 15” trailer – followed by a different video at each building with audio."

Led Zeppelin reunion concert rescheduled due to broken finger

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has broken one of his fingers, forcing promoters to reschedule the concert that will see his first public musical encounter with both John Paul Jones and Robert Plant in 19 years.

The concert, originally scheduled for Nov. 26, will be postponed exactly two weeks to take place Dec. 10.

If Page can go three weeks without playing guitar, it would allow his finger ample time to recover, an unnamed specialist said in the official press release announcing the rescheduling.

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

The statement said Page sustained the injury over the weekend. News of his fracture was kept silent until the replacement date could be announced.

Ticketmaster is being asked to contact its customers by Nov. 8, informing them of the schedule change and the actions necessary to obtain a refund should they be unable to attend on the new date. They would have until Nov. 14 to apply for a full refund of their purchase.

Any tickets made available as a result of refunds will be offered to ballot winners selected at random from original registrations after Nov. 15.

While the nature of Page's broken finger has not been publicly disclosed, it marks the second time the guitarist has accidentally broken a finger prior to a concert date with Led Zeppelin.

In 1975, while exiting a train on his way to a rehearsal in England, Page broke the ring finger of his left hand. He described it at the time as being "the most important finger for a guitarist ... the one that does all the leverage and most of the work."

Unable to play with that particular finger, he improvised what he called "a three-fingered technique" and went on tour without canceling any dates.

"We almost canceled the tour, but we couldn't, as we'd sold all the tickets, and a postponement would have meant chaos," he told Lisa Robinson in 1975.

Page also joked that he was trying to master this alternate technique "so that whenever there's another accident, which I'm bound to have at the beginning of an important tour, I'll be ready for it."

Over the ensuing 32 years, he may have changed his mind about that. Page may have decided over time that insisting on playing that North American tour in 1975 as planned may not have been the best move for his hand.

An instrumental on John Paul Jones's 1999 solo album Zooma is called "B. Fingers." The first letter stands for "Broken" because, he said, the main riff is "extremely difficult to play."