Led Zeppelin BBC Broadcast 1971

Well "Hello" World's !!

I hope you are all warm & happy this morning - it's turned from being a really hot week, into what it should be at this time of year in England..... cold & overcast  !!  Never mind - I'm not going any place today - just stay in the house & keep 'warm'.

B has just gone into town - mainly to buy some food for over the weekend - but, also to go to the gym & maybe buy some petrol.  If you live overseas, you might have seen the 'panic buying' of fuel over the last couple of days, on your TV.  It has been totally crazy - it really has !!

One of illustrious Government called for people to keep their fuel tanks topped up & to store petrol.  "Why ?"
Well, there is a small chance some truck drivers will go on strike & cause a shortage at the fill in stations.  So - idiots around the country have been queueing up & causing a shortage !!

There is no strike - but, all around the country, people have been going crazy - just in case they run out of fuel - it's been total madness, just because somebody has said the 'wrong' thing.

One woman, in Yorkshire, has been badly burnt - because she followed his advice - when she was pouring petrol from one container, into another.... in her kitchen, next to a lit gas cooker !!

Would these people jump off a high bridge if a Government 'spokesperson' said they would enjoy the view as they fell to their death ?!  Anyhoo - enough of my moaning.... but, if B can not get any fuel today, just because of the mad idiots going crazy - well, I won't be going to the hospital on Monday - because we will run out of petrol trying to get there !!  We will see how she gets on !!

I mentioned B is going to the gym - bit by bit, she is getting over her recent 'bug'.  She and J spent quite a bit of time in the garden yesterday, doing this, that & the other.... so, she must be feeling better !!  ME joined them for a little while, when she got home...... not to help, but just to sit in the Sun really !!

As for J - he is here keeping an eye on me.  ME is at work (7am-2pm) & will be staying the night at her boyfriends later.  I think she'll be home first - tho' I've lost track of what she is doing really !!

As for me - I'm doing "Ok".... I had to go back to my local Dr yesterday, which I hadn't meant to do.  I have had a problem with some of the stitches (as mentioned before - I hate the blooming things) and now it has put me on some more pills to try & ease the problem !!  Hopefully - if we get to the hospital on Monday, the Consultant can help.... we will see !!

I can report tho' - the implant is starting to work !!

"Yipppppeeeeeee !!".  It's not completely back to normal, but - for me - any improvement is worth a cheer !!  Even it's taken 3 surgeries, in total, over 18 months to get this far..... it's all good folks !!

Today marks the end of my second complete year writing my 'blog'.  I thank you all for reading.  Including a new reader who logged in earlier from a little country in Europe.  I can't tell exactly where you are - but I'm thinking Latvia ????  If I'm wrong, I'm sorry - but it's hard to work out, from my little map thingy.  Anyhoo - where ever you are, when you read these words, I thank you !!

As I type, the music of the moment is Kate Bush's '50 Words For Snow' Cd.  It's a lot better than I thought it would be & worth a place in the collection !!  Check it out, if you can - but don't expect it to be anything like her early albums.... for me, it's much better !!

I don't have any Led Zeppelin shows from today - but, as I won't be writing tomorrow - April 1st - I have decided to skip a day & write about one of the most bootlegged shows that Zeppelin ever did..... the 1971 BBC in concert recording..... the tracks are:

CD 1

1) Introduction
2) Immigrant Song
3) Heartbreaker
4) Since I've Been Loving You
5) Black Dog
6) Dazed & Confused
7) Stairway To Heaven

CD 2

1) Going To California
2) That's The Way
3) What Is & What Should Never Be
4) Whole Lotta Love
5) Thank You
6) Communication Breakdown

As a 'boy' (Hee-hee) I recorded this show - as it was broadcast... first on Sunday April 4th 1971 & then later the same week, on the Wednesday evening.  The first broadcast went over the hour time spot set for the show & gave the impression it was being broadcast 'live' - which it wasn't of course....... having been recorded 4 days earlier !!

I've been told that (the first show) was only an hour long - but, my old spool tape of the show - proves otherwise.  I get that a lot - something - (mostly recordings) - don't exist, or didn't happen !! But, I find there are a few collectors who (wrongly) think, that - just because they don't have a copy, or have not heard a copy - some tapes don't exist !!  Boy - are they ever wrong !!

This is probably the most released bootleg tape of the band - due to it's easy access broadcast, on the BBC.  I don't normally name 'bootlegs' - but... there are soooooo many of them !!  On Lp - 'Stairway To Heaven' - 'BBC Broadcast' - 'Ballcrusher'. to name three - all (probably) taken from 'BBC Transcription Discs' & edited to fit on 12 inches of vinyl.

On the bootleg' Cd front - well, 'Classics Of Air Vol. 1' & Classic Off Air Vol. 2' are two of the earliest I heard of..... but, look out for some class frauds !!  One I always laugh at is 'Live From LA 1972 - With John Lennon' !!  I kid you not - it exists folks.  Someone decided that John Peel - who introduced the show - sounded enough like Lennon to use it as a selling point !!  Others - such as - 'Live USA' & 'Whole Lotta Love' use the BBC tapes, with other soundboard recordings to claim concert dates that simply didn't happen.

I have one in front of me... It starts with 'Communication Breakdown' - from the BBC & then goes on thru' other tracks ('Kashmir' & 'Achilles Last Stand') to make up a 70+ minute Cd.......  it's all music & in some cases, very cleverly done, but....... don't get cheated out of your money !!

As I always say - don't buy bootlegs.... a great selection of this BBC 1971 show is available officially on 'BBC Sessions' that came out in 1997 - buy that instead - it's not the whole show & some of the tracks are edited down - but, it's available & worth your money !!  I'm playing the 'BBC Sessions' Cd now - Kate Bush ran out.... it's worth buying.........

Ok - enough of Led Zeppelin for today !!

This weekend is our 'General Conference' weekend & I'll watch some of that 'live' as it's broadcast & then record the later broadcast, as it will finish well after my bed time !!  With 3 different 'boxes' & 2 'satellite'  dishes, I sometimes get my mind all fuddled, trying to work out which broadcast is on which channel !!  I think I have it sorted now - if not, I'll record something completely unexpected & wonder what the heck I did wrong !!  It doesn't start for several hours yet - so, I have time to get myself together !!

I think, last year, two of the Elders came & watch the early broadcast with us..... they are great lads & need feeding from time to time.  Not having been well enough to go to Church these past weeks, I'm not 100% sure who the Elders are now.  the last time we went, one of them was due to go home.  We will see the next time we go - maybe next weekend.

So - that's my plans for tonight - this afternoon... well, as normal, I don't actually have any thing major to do.  I might watch some TV - I'll certainly play some more music... & maybe have a sleep..... that sounds like a plan to me !!

Until next time - thank you for reading !!

Bye Bye