Here’s Jimmy Page, reminiscing about Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion show at the 02. “We wanted to go out there, stand up and be counted,” he said at a press conference held earlier today in London. “To show people who maybe didn’t know Led Zeppelin but had heard a lot about us why we were what we were. And not only that, we had had a really good time that night. We made a lot of people very happy.”
The surviving members of Led Zeppelin have refused to rule out another reunion.
Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones made a rare public appearance today (September 21) to launch their new Celebration Day concert film of their 2007 show at the London's 02 Arena. After a screening of the film at the Odeon West End, the bandmates answered questions from the assembled press.
The new Uncut, as discussed, is in the shops today with The Byrds on the cover, and a free CD of tracks inspired by that band. Woods are included on the comp, and their latest, “Bend Beyond”, is a record I’ve played a lot these past couple of months, but somehow neglected to write much about.
Neil Young has reportedly given up smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol to write his forthcoming memoir, Waging Heavy Peace.
Speaking to the New York Times, Young said, "I did it for 40 years. Now I want to see what it's like to not do it. It's just a different perspective."
Young, aged 66, said he has been sober for about a year.
Bob Dylan is now second favourite to win the Nobel prize for literature this autumn, thanks to a wave of bets on the singer.
Dylan is now 10/1 to win the prestigious award, with Japanese writer Haruki Murakami topping the bookies poll with odds of 7/1, The Guardian reports.
According to a spokesperson for bookmakers Ladbrokes, Dylan has been "backed from 33/1 into 10/1 thanks to some decent £100-plus bets… One of the big bets comes from Norway, the others are UK-based". The average stake on Dylan to bag the Nobel is around £40, they said.
It's now seven years since Damage, the last Blues Explosion album, a hiatus during which Jon Spencer got to indulge his psychotic rockabilly side with three albums with Heavy Trash, and also pursue a few other alternative musical endeavours with the likes of Andre Williams, Solex and Cristina Martinez. It was also a period during which the original punk-blues pioneers saw their influence put to more remunerative use not just by The White Stripes but by The Black Keys as well, as stripped-back roots riffage unaccountably became one of rock's more commercially potent modes.
Yoko Ono is set to give the biennial Lennonono Grant For Peace to five different activists and campaigners, including the partially imprisoned Russian punk collective, Pussy Riot.
As well as Pussy Riot, the award will be presented posthumously to peace activist Rachel Corrie, who died in 2003, and to the late writer Christopher Hitchens. Author John Perkins will also receive the award, as well as a fifth, to-be-announced person.
The Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney, The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne and Iggy Pop will all feature on Ke$ha's new album, Warrior.
The album, which is the follow-up to the eccentric pop singer's 2010 debut LP Animal, will be released on December 3 in the UK and December 4 in the US.
'Warrior' contains a star-studded list of guest writers, producers and collaborators, with the likes of Bonnie McKee, Fun's Nate Ruess, Ben Folds, Greg Kurstin, Ammo, Kojak, Max Martin, Billboard and Will.i.am all set to feature. The album has been overseen by songwriting supreme Dr Luke.
The Beach Boys have said that they hope to record another new album to follow 'That's Why God Made the Radio', which was released earlier this year.
The current line-up of Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks were speaking towards the end of their 50th anniversary tour last night (September 18) at a special evening launching a Beach Boys exhibition at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
