Robert Plant Gives Out Marketing Advice Today's Players Should Heed From an Interview in 1975

This is a repost from early last year that I felt today's players should listen to. Little did Robert know how revolutionary his words would be, especially in the modern era of recorded music and being an independent musician and business person in today's music industry. It's a short video guys and you should listen closely
to it.

Robert Plant talks about why full albums are the true mark of a band, and that singles don't hold any weight. As well that real fans were buying albums in Europe in 1975 and in North America we were buying singles that Atlantic Records put out. Your band could turn around that marketing and use singles to market a band. But a true sign is it's creativity and original work in a full album, not  singles.

I think every band out there should watch this short interview with Plant and gain some insight on how to market like a true band. As well I'm doing some research on some old Jimmy Page interviews, and I'll have some gold nuggets on how Page used his recording studio wizardry in the age of Analog to his band's and other band's benefit.

Mark G

Led Zeppelin's " Achilles Last Stand" from 79' Knebworth Fest---True Hard Rock You Should Learn

This tune is one not a lot of musicians or fans really see as their best material. It's more innovative than Zeppelin's most popular material, and one musicians need to learn how to do. If it was up to me, It would definitely be on my set list. The improvization and textural feel of Page,Plant, Bonham and Jones,  remind me some what of Frank Zappa's old material in the mid 70's.

Robert Plant Gives Out Great Advice On Album Marketing Today's Players Should Heed

Robert Plant talks about why full albums are the true mark of a band, and that singles don't hold any weight. As well that real fans were buying albums in Europe in 1975 and in North America we were buying singles that Atlantic Records put out. Your band could turn around that marketing and use singles to market a band. But a true sign is it's creativity and original work in a full album, not  singles.

I think every band out there should watch this short interview with Plant and gain some insight on how to market like a true band. As well I'm doing some research on some old Jimmy Page interviews, and I'll have some gold nuggets on how Page used his recording studio wizardry in the age of Analog to his band's and other band's benefit.

Mark G

Learn This great Zeppelin Tune That Will keep your blues/rock dreams alive

Want to learn one of the great blues rock songs from the early 70's?
This is another song that should be part of your jam list to learn.

A friend of mine who worships Zeppelin will laugh I put this up.
He used to drive me nuts with how much he played Zeppelin,but we
had some fuckin' killer parties where I never knew where I'd
end up back in the early 80's.

All that aside,Jimmy and company know how to play and compose
Blues/Rock that just blows you away with how simple it is,yet
their playing challenges what they are capable of.

It should challenge you too.If your band decides to learn and
play "Since I've Been Loving You",learn to do it your way.
Note the changes at the 5:40 mark which shows great improvisation
skills and playing for the note,not just the song it's self.

So start learning this great song and blow away your band members
and people you jam with in town.

Mark G

Led Zeppelin--"Dazed And Confused" March 17,1969

This version of Zeppelin's Dazed and Confused was done in an intimate setting in Denmark. Looks to be either a club,coffee house or a university. Not sure.


Very small stage, but a well done version with Page on the bow doing a bit of classical shit to boot. In black and white as well. That's 40 years ago lads!

Enjoy

Peace and Success to all players,

Mark

Robert Plant--John Bonham Interview 1970

English Media does this interview with Plant and Bonham. You have to watch the whole video to understand the complex division between where singers and musicians were decades before Zeppelin, and what real fans of them thought.

English media back 39 years in 1970 was a little naive yet very visionary minded in where they saw music headed. Maybe they should have been "The Heads Of The Day" doing drugs, instead of me or "The Led Zeppelin" as the media in this video call Zeppelin.


A very interesting and short video with Plant and Bonham.

Peace to all,

Mark

Bass Playing--Why You should Downstroke--

Left to right--John Paul Jones and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin





By Mark Grove


I know you'll email me and be pissed off at this article.

By Mark Grove


I've been still getting some nasty emails saying that bass axeman pick on the upstroke, not down. Well, I still don't think you should up stroke. Now my in box has just been filled to the brim again.

Yeah,yeah, so I'm a prick.

Think about it, even if you're a veteran axeman you should still use down strokes as the mainstay of your bass picking, plucking, and plectrum slappin' technique.

Not as much energy is used up for down strokes, and it's more effective if you're trying to cut through lead guitar and drums.


Even beginner Bass man should use down strokes as the staple of their playing so they get used to to note and chord tone when playing. This way they aren't playing in the wrong key. Its also important to have your bass strings tuned properly, and your amp set up so it won't be muddy or have too much crunch and obliterate the lead guitar and drums.


Even Jason Newsted says to start off by using downstrokes. Hows that for a testimonial. Yes, he actually said that in an article written by Jason in Bass Guitar if I'm correct. If I'm not tell me, and get pissed at me. I think I can handle the truth.

Downstrokes on bass can also give you the ability to variate your chord and note playing in a way that will take your playing to a new level. It just takes practice to get to that level of accomplished playing with downstrokes.

So start using down strokes to take your playing into the stratosphere, or get the crowd you're playing to, going, "I dig this down strokin bottom feeding bass axeman".

Enjoy this tip,

Peace to all players,

Mark