Get the Led Out - Ep2517 wk of 21apr

Carol Miller's 'Get The Led Out' Explores The Incredible History Of The Rock Band Led Zeppelin!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, this is Carol Miller. Welcome to our Get the
Leadout calendar fifty five years ago. On April twenty first,
nineteen seventy, the members of led Zepplin enjoyed their first
planned break at home in England after their successful first year.
In the closing days of led Zeppelin's fifth American tour,
they received teys to the city of Memphis. Robert Plant

(00:20):
showed signs of exhaustion in Phoenix, and he was under
doctor's orders to rest the day that Zeppelin would have
otherwise performed at the Las Vegas Convention Center. After home,
the next place Robert chose to be was quote a
small derelict cottage in south Snowdonia. He'd stayed there before,
but this was Jimmy Page's first experience of the cottage

(00:43):
known as Barnior. On April twenty second, nineteen seventy seven,
entertainment writer Barry Bronson's report from Riverfront Cooline, I see
him in Cincinnati appeared in the Lexington Herald newspaper in Kentucky.

(01:05):
Barry had previously reported on the mad dash for concert
tickets in Lexington when they went on sale ticket outlets. Now,
Barry said the shows reminded everybody that led Zeppelin's music
as quote, what all the fuss is about? Barry mistated
which instrument Jimmy played on Battle of Evermore. It wasn't
a ukulele but a mandolin. Fifty five years ago. On

(01:42):
April twenty third, nineteen seventy, Jimmy Page turned up to
Lime Grove Studios in London. He brought with him a
hard shell guitar case containing a borrowed Gibson Acoustic with
a cherry te sunburst finish. Folk singer Julie Felix, who
was a guitarist and ukulele player in her own right,
had just become a TV star. Hosting the third episode

(02:04):
of her variety show, Julie beamed while introducing her guests,
Badies and Gentlemen Jimmy Page. Jimmy played a five minute
version of White Summer with the same guitar he used
on the first led Zeppelin album. Six months ago, Gibson
sold out their limited run of fifty signed recreations of

(02:24):
this guitar and its case. They had a price tag
of twenty thousand dollars. On April twenty fourth, nineteen sixty nine,
Led Zeppelin returned to the Fillmore West in San Francisco.
They had played a series of shows there in January,
and now they were back on their second US tour.
When they played there the first time, led Zeppelin were
opening for Country Joe and the Fish. Artist Randy Tootin

(02:47):
had designed posters featuring the front of a limousine for
that Zeppelin appearance. This time, led Zeppelin were headlining the show,
and Randy chose to have their poster feature in Avocado
with cartoon eyes. The name led Zeppelin was going to
sell the tickets, not the poster art. On April twenty fifth,

(03:17):
nineteen sixty nine, led Zeppelin's second night in San Francisco
took them from the Fillmore West to a larger venue,
the Winterland Ballroom. They'd play here again the following night,

(03:40):
and then back to the Filmore for one final show.
Promoter Bill Graham saw the benefits of utilizing both venues.
The film More was more intimate, but the Winterland held
twice as many people. By the end of nineteen sixty nine,
led Zeppelin's audience in the San Francisco area had outgrown
even the Winterland. Led Zeppelin started l coliseums when they

(04:01):
came back in nineteen seventy. This is Carol Miller. Thanks
for Getting the Letout. Check back next week for another
Get the Letout Calendar podcast