News

[Ian Avey <avey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Badgeholders,

I thought you might be interested in the following 2 articles, which are
in the December issue of `Mojo`.

1)

Jimmy page and Robert Plant are installed in Abbey Road`s legendary
Studio 2 with producer Steve Albini (knob-twiddler with Nirvana and the
Pixies among others) at work on the successor to 1994`s acclaimed `No
Quarter`.

So far 13 songs are in various stages of development (of which TJI
caught one song title, Burning Up), and the problem now is space.

 "I don`t know what we`re gonna do with them all because they won`t all
fit" says Robert Plant.  "Some of the best CDs are ones that are 55, 50
minutes long.  You don`t want too much stuff, otherwise it becomes a
nightmare.  Kiko by Los Lobos is a brilliant CD, but it just goes on and
on and on.  It`s nice to be able to hear something and get to the end of
it and go, Wow, that`s great, that makes sense - or put it on in the car
and go from start to finish and be excited at the end.  That`s why
something like `Passion Sources` on Real World is really good: you get a
snippet, a snippet and it lasts 45 minutes".


2)

Meanwhile, fellow ex-Zep John Paul Jones is embarked upon his debut solo
album - an all instrumental affair - a mere 33 years after his debut
solo single 'Baja/a foggy day in vietnam` (Pye). "I`ve got fed up with
producing other people for the moment.  I`m putting my energies into my
own stuff" he says.  "The rockier parts of it, of which there are quite
a lot, are similar to the rockier parts of the Diamanda Galas album I
produced - the heavier multi string bass stuff with a live drummer, but
with a lot of keyboards and computers over the top.  Hopefully, it`ll be
out in the spring.  It will be my first proper solo album, one I`ve put
off for 20 years".


3) 

Also planned for next year is a collection of Robert Plant`s pre-
Zeppelin recordings.  Sony have the rights to the three singles from the
mid-`60s : You`d better run b/w Everybody`s gonna say, when a teenaged
Robert fronted the band `Listen`, and two singles, Long time coming b/w
I`ve got a secret, and Our song b/w Laughin`, cryin`, laughin`.

They`re hoping to licence three Band of Joy tracks known to be on
acetate (one careful owner, Planty himself), and a track featuring
Robert singing with Alexis Corner.  Mojo`s Jim Irvin recalls speaking to
Paul Rodgers about the latter.  "I remember playing at the Railway
tavern in Birmingham once, and some really tall geezer got up and jammed
with Alexis," says Rodgers.  "We all went back to the hotel afterwards
and this tall geezer says to me `Ive been offered a job in London,
playing with a guitarist called Jimmy Page. Have you heard of him?`.
I said "Yeah, I`ve heard of him".  He said "Well they want me to go down
there and they`ll pay me 30 a week to join a band called Led Zeppelin.
Do you think I should take the money or take a percentage?".
I said "You take a percentage".  It`s true !.



The issue also contains a 4 page article on the BBC sessions, containing
interviews with RP/JP, and a separate interview with JPJ.

It`s definitely worth buying !.


Ian.



- -- 
Ian Avey
avey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx