Re: Zeppelin poll for all (How I got into Zep & how they & FBO changed my life)

[PajLvr@xxxxxxx]

Let me start with a little back ground. Everyone on my mothers side were  
self taught musicians, (really back then, I suppose most people were self  
taught)  and they played in honkytonks and bars. It was all country and  
western 
swing type of music, gospel was def. thrown in here and there, but done  in 
their 
own way. I think the main instruments were guitar, mandolin, fiddle,  piano 
and voice. My grandmothers brother played with Bob Wills off and on, when  he 
was "local" (The Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa)  and  this led to my  grandmother 
meeting Billy Jack Wills (one of Bob Wills bros.) and they married.  Billy Jack 
actually wrote "Faded Love" for and about my grandmother..just a  little 
historic fact/trivia for you. (yes Bob is credited with it, and always  will 
be..but that's a whole other story..lol)

As a kid I heard all this  type of music and  was bombarded with it,  and 
taught to sing and  harmonize, and when we'd all got together that's what we 
did...play and sing.  

I don't think I even knew there was OTHER music until I was in about the  8th 
grade. If I heard other music, it was because my father always made sure I  
had a transistor radio. 

I spent a great amount of time with my father,  fishing, hunting, and just 
out riding around in the country.  This is the  only time I really got to hear 
other music. I remember hearing ELVIS and that  was it...I LOVED rock n roll. 
(early Elvis that is) I just wouldn't shut up over  this Elvis guy. I talked 
about him all the time. Then one day, my grandmother  ups and gives me a chit 
load of his records. (who knew grandma was a closet  Elvis fan!!!!) So my mom 
bought me one of those little portable record players  and I would sit in my 
room and listen to those records over and over..and  eventually mom started 
letting me BUY records. However the purchases were always  "censored" ..as in I 
would pick something out, and she would say yes or no to  it. SOME MUSIC was 
just 
OF THE DEVIL and not allowed in the house.

I  never knew there was this other music of the late 60's, and 70's variety 
until I  was in Jr. High. Kids just didn't really talk about music much here. 
Jr. High  tho...that's when everyone was really getting into "modern" music and 
kids were  coming to school with OZZY shirts and I remember Iron Maiden, 
Judas Priest, and  a ton of others. I was promptly clued in, around 9th grade I 
believe, what radio  station was THE station everyone was listening to.  As a 
graduation present  I wanted a stereo. (here jr. high ended in the 9th grade, 
and you "graduated" to  high school, which is 10th-12th) So we went and picked 
out the stereo I wanted  and I started listening to this "station" I dont 
recall hearing Led  Zeppelin.

It was in the 10th grade tho...good ole public school education  ya know, 
where a friend talked me into skipping after lunch and we went to the  local 
lake 
and I smoke pot for the first time and he put in the Zep IV cassette.  I FELL 
IN LOVE, then and there with Led Zeppelin. I KNEW this music wasn't  allowed 
in my house, so my friend copied that tape for me and I played it  secretly 
and kept it hid. However for years, the songs on Zep IV were the ONLY  songs I 
knew by this group. I still bought records, but my mom still went with  me (how 
embarrassing!) and I mainly bought 45's...was all my allowance could  afford. 
Albums were bought for me as presents. First one being M.J.  "Thriller"..lol

Since Zep didn't really put out singles (of course I  didn't know that back 
then! I didn't even know what they looked like)...I never  really knew they had 
ALBUMS, and by this time..ALL the albums were out and Zep  were disbanded. I 
just didn't KNOW THIS. SO I went thru high school with Zep  IV...ONLY. The 
lady next door gave me her grandsons old acoustic guitar, and my  boyfriend at 
the time played guitar, so he showed me the opening to Stairway  (BUT OF 
COURSE..lol). I played piano (against my will..lol) and I left the  guitar 
sitting 
under the porch one day and it was stolen. I didn't think much  about it 
tho...just a little bummed was all. THAT CHANGED in  college!!!!!

I discovered LZ ll, in my husbands record collection, and I  was heading off 
to college,  and so I had Zep IV cassette and his Zep ll  album. I made 
friends with the local music/cd sho owner, because I was always in  looking for 
Zep. 
Well,  HE WAS A LED HEAD and he gave me my first TWO  BOOTLEGS...on 
cassette..it was "FOR BADGEHOLDERS ONLY" and "In Thru the  Backdoor".  I was 
mesmerized, and I wanted to play guitar like THAT.  

My husband and I started going to record conventions, and I found  my first 
two VINYL BOOTLEGS...The People Cover Magazine..Live at the Alexandria  Palace 
12/22/72???,  and Live at the Fillmore West, April of 69 I think.  This was 
the very early 90's. My husband also took me guitar shopping and bought  me my 
first acoustic guitar.(the one the neighbor lady gave me doesn't  count!)  I 
found it at an old mom and pop pawn shop in downtown Joplin  Missouri. (after 
MONTHS of shopping)  I could have had anyone I wanted, but  I HAD to have THAT 
EXACT ONE. Without looking..not sure of the "yr" but It's an  early 70's Yamaha 
and I've had a lot of offers on it, but I always say no. I  PAID a WHOPPING 
$20 for it, and another $10 for the case. I believe I got a hell  of a deal!!! 

It wasn't long after, that I bought, err....bought  and traded for...the ONLY 
"Les Paul" in that small town. It's actually an 1991  Epiphone Les Paul 
Standard, but hey it says GIBSON on it...and was fine by me,  the neck was 
slimline 
taper, so it fit my hands really well, plus I was still in  college, so the 
budget wouldn't allow for a REAL Gibson Les Paul. I still have  that Epi and 
little Marshall Amp as well as many many other guitars/amps and  instruments 
and 
weapons of MASS DESTRUCTION..lol

We attended a concert  from Plant's FON tour, 3-4 of the Unledded shows and 
4-5 of the WIC shows. Saw  both  JPJ, and Jason Bonham live and  Met both of 
them, but... It was  WIC Memphis, after the show...I met Jorge Rincon from 
Georgia, who told me about  FBO, but I didn't even have a computer then,  he 
gave 
me his email address  and phone number (we kept in contact via the phone until 
I got online)  and  the address to BRUCES PAGE....so when I got online..I 
could get there ASAP. He  told me this was a great place to hook up with 
traders 
and I could get ALOT of  LIVE ZEP HERE. 

Prior to FBO, all my Live Zep came from record  conventions, adds in the back 
of Goldmine(I never actually obtained anything  thru those adds, I used them 
for INFORMATION as to what's available etc..) , and  that man who ran a 
records/cd shop. All I knew about Zep, was what I heard on  these bootlegs, and 
what 
I read in a couple of very bad books..lol. Then I found  FBO...in fact I 
believe I bought a computer as soon as we returned from the WIC  Memphis show. 
Got 
online and found FBO and been here ever since.

It's  tough being a "newbie" on FBO...up to the time I found my way here, I 
believed  everything I had read about Zeppelin. I didn't KNOW ANY DIFF. So I 
didn't  exactly get off to the greatest start, because well...like a lot of  
newbies  "I"  really was just "DISCOVERING LED ZEPPELIN" so my  knowledge was 
limited compared to what the elders HERE, already  knew.

I thought I KNEW quite abit about them, and quite a few  things I said, was 
quickly corrected! lol, but I wanted to learn MORE, and I  stated I was here to 
learn, and to THIS DAY, I am constantly learning, and it's  all thanks to 
this LIST and the great people on it.

Also, while I'm on  this post...let me add...I started with a studio cassette 
of IV, the vinyl  studio of ll, two bootlegs on cassette and two vinyl boots, 
and I forgot to  mention I DID purchase a couple of  boots on CD, at Starship 
Records and  Tapes in Tulsa, and a few VHS tapes I bought at those record 
conventions (the  quality..can I say..EWWW and OUCH..lol) ..BUT that is ALL, I 
brung with me to  this list. 

NOW...I have literally 100's of live Zep shows, all were  either just GIVEN 
free to me by members of this list, or I traded the blanks for  them, and I 
signed up for EVERY TREE. Hell I even got to run my own DVD  tree...it worked, 
but I won't take that task on again..lol. I give TONS of  thanks to Les, for 
all 
those trees he ran over the years. I got a lot of good  stuff out of those. 
Others have ran trees, I just can't remember who...Les  sticks out, because he 
did it so often!

I LOVE FBO and all the people on  this list and I will never leave it. It's 
great, and I've made a chit load of  like minded friends, and some are even 
"GOOD FRIENDS", as in we talk daily, or  on the phone or have met in person 
etc...it's a great place to be and I  recommend it to people all the time.

The music of Led Zeppelin and this  list, caused me to delve into "other" 
styles of music I might not have EVER even  considered listening too. Because 
of 
Zep..I got into the Blues..real blues. I  even joined a blues band for awhile. 
There is so much more to be said, but you  all know what I'm talking about. 
(there's more than just "blues") I could be  stuck playing piano or guitar with 
some old men in some honky tonk  somewhere..........not that there's anything 
wrong with that..lol.
 
 Zeppelin's music, and FBO def. changed my life.

And  that's not even half of the story! lol
Keep on Zeppin!
-Von