'Last Time I Saw Her': Robert Plant song review of the day (No. 2 of 10)

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

Today's song is "Last Time I Saw Her." I chose to review this song right away because I thought there might be people who thought Dreamland was an album of all covers. Well, it's not. This track shows the creativity of Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation.

Plant deserves a lot of credit for his performance on this one. His voice may have changed a lot throughout his career, and his voice gets a lot of criticism for being breathy these days. Still, Plant never fails to conjure up vocal energy when it's needed. And this track is one of those times when he comes through with flying colors.

His performance in the upbeat verses of this track reminds me of the Presence track, "Hots on For Nowhere." He sounds like he's having some fun on this track, and with a great band behind him, how could he not be? The rhythm section lays down a funky, syncopated backbeat to support the song. Crazy effects from guitar and synthesizer show why this five-piece backing band might be called "the Strange Sensation" in the first place. Some of Plant's energy throughout the song could be attributed to the inspiring noises behind him.

When Porl Thompson spoke with Lemon Squeezings last month, he described his own guitar sound on the album as "over loud" and "uncontrolled." Well, that's only half of it! Does anybody remember laughter? Squeaks, growls, trills and howls are just some of the describable noises throughout the track. Then there are the indescribable ones, too; I won't even get started on them.

Plant himself gets into the groove with his own repeated words and phrases and improvised hollers. The song fades out with a battling exchange between guitar and keyboards. (I turned up the volume so I could hear the last sounds before they fades away completely; I won't spoil it for you which one wins.)

"You can probably hear the great future for this band lurking on the fade-outs of the tracks," Plant said recently. No kidding! But there's a lot to be heard within this dynamic four-and-three-quarter-minute track, and every second counts in Dreamland.

'Morning Dew': Robert Plant song review of the day (No. 1 of 10)

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

Some Led Zeppelin fans are reluctant to listen to any solo material. But this quote above from Page in 1969 speculated that each member of Led Zeppelin's solo albums would be great. But Led Zeppelin no longer exists as a music-making force, and so that might be a good reason for fans to check out what does exist and decide for themselves whether it's great. Ever onward ...

Earlier this year, I provided a song-by-song analysis of John Paul Jones' new album, The Thunderthief. But I reviewed all nine songs in one e-mail, and several readers complained that the e-mail was too long. So what I'll do with Plant's new album is review one song each day.

Today's song is "Morning Dew," the first single from the upcoming album, Dreamland. It may already be familiar to some of you through radio play. One "Led Zeppelin History" reader tells me that Polish public radio is playing it! The single will be released commercially at the beginning of next week.

Plant's studio arrangement is totally new, and his live versions this year reflect it. A previous version played by Plant and the Strange Sensation on tour in 2001 was in a lower key, C; now, the arrangement is in E, placing restrictions on Plant's voice. His vocal range is higher in this version but really doesn't exceed one octave. Given the limited range and the lack of volume on the verses, there's not much room for Robert to show off throughout the song. He keeps the arrangement laid back.

In last year's shows, John Baggot's electric piano drove the song. But after the first verse of the studio version, the song is mostly driven by Justin Adams on guitar. An extended break between the second and third verses yields a chorus of female backup singers lending their "Oooh." At this point, Clive Deamer switches from percussion to drums. Also emerging are a string section and a groaning electric guitar courtesy of Porl Thompson. The song achieves a musical climax during the break but still manages to stay relatively somber.

After the minute-long break, Deamer accentuates every beat with a light tap of the snare drum. He keeps this up during the final verses as Thompson weaves in and out of each vocal line with some supplementary guitar.

Tim Rose's version from the 1960s was basically composed of three different verses, but he repeated them so often that he was already beginning his eighth stanza by the time the song faded out at 3:39. Plant's adaptation, with only three verses, is actually just a few seconds shorter than that. The time is made up with a decrease in tempo and with the addition of the break between the second and final verses.

Plant's voice on this track is not meant to be showy. The strength of "Morning Dew" lies in the group's arrangement and performance and the meaning of the lyrics. Plant told the BBC this month, "It addresses so many more things than just the current condition in India and Pakistan. It just talks in the simplest and most word free aspect of projecting reason through music. It talks about our blindness. We control so many things so poorly. We make amazing advances in one area of our culture, life and society and we make such huge gaffes built on such aimless crap on the other side." Not bad for three-and-a-half minutes!

Robert Plant U.K. tour underway; release of Dreamland album precedes U.S. dates

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

Robert Plant's U.K. tour has been underway all month. Reports are that Liam "Skin" Tyson is working well as the new guitarist for the Strange Sensation. On June 6, Plant and his band even filmed an appearance for an upcoming episode of VH1's "Storytellers." There is no information yet as to when this will air, but many reports from those who watched the taping say it will be well worth watching. His tour continues June 28 at England's Glastonbury Festival. In July, he'll start a U.S. tour, including dates opening for the Who.

His latest album, Dreamland, will be out in the United Kingdom on June 24 and in the United States on July 16. For the rest of the world, please check with your local stores.

Beginning in April, selected radio stations received a Dreamland radio promo. It has two songs: "Darkness, Darkness" and "Funny in My Mind (I Believe I'm Fixin' to Die)." The first of these was available in three different lengths. The longest of these is the album version, which clocks in over the seven-minute mark. It can be he heard online at www.robertplant.com (Web content no longer available).

"Morning Dew" is the first proper single available from the album. It's already in rotation on some radio stations. The single will be released commercially this coming week. It seems to include a live version of the non-album track, "A House is Not a Motel" (originally by Love). There will be an enhanced version of the single too, with a "Morning Dew" video and a video interview with Plant. Advance orders for both versions of the single are being taken online.

And to finish off the exciting news, there is now an official online team to help promote Robert Plant's new album. By simply promoting the album, you can win Robert Plant merchandise like a Dreamland advance sampler. To join the online team, visit http://65.45.90.98/events?13852xy128 (Web content no longer available).

Mystery silent footage of Zep concert identified, synched to audio

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

The most recent news from fan site Electric Magic is that some silent footage of a Led Zeppelin performance has just been identified as June 22, 1972, at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, Calif. The silent footage was synched up to a decent monaural audience recording. The songs include "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Heartbreaker," "Black Dog," "Stairway to Heaven," "Dazed and Confused," "The Crunge" and "Whole Lotta Love."

Better yet, the three-and-a-half-minute synched video can be downloaded at Electric Magic (Windows Media required). Point your browser to http://www.led-zeppelin.com/news.html to download. (Update: The footage currently resides at Led Zeppelin's official Web site using this link.)

Tony Franklin recalls The Firm's final concert

This interview originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

Fretless bassist Tony Franklin speaks with Lemon Squeezings about the Firm's final concert on May 28, 1986. (See also his previous interview, a longer one touching on other work with Jimmy Page in The Firm and previously with Page in Roy Harper's band.)

SS: Tell us about the Firm's last concert.

TF: That last show was wild! The audience was electric. I think the show had to be stopped at one point as the audience was pushing forward so hard that people were in danger of getting hurt! They may have been the loudest audience on the tour. At one point I remember somebody throwing a basketball shoe towards me on the stage. It was funny because I was like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. I was transfixed. And before I knew it ... BOOM! it hit me square in the chest and knocked me back a few feet! Still, I didn't miss a beat! Ha ha! Fond, fond memories. And what a great send-off to a great band.

There are always mixed feelings at the end of any tour ... from sadness that the great "adventure" of the last few months is coming to a close ... and relief that's it's over ... with the prospect of going home and having a break from the craziness.

I don't think that any of us in the band thought that this would be our last ever show as The Firm. There was certainly no talk of it ... Maybe some of the guys had an idea that this was the end, but I didn't. It's probably just as well.

Firm bassist Tony Franklin prepares solo album

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

Tony Franklin, who played bass with Jimmy Page and Roy Harper in 1984 and joined the Firm for the next two years, has asked me to share his latest news with you. He writes:

"I'm adding the finishing touches to my album, and am surging to get it completed in the next couple of weeks. I'm very excited about the progress. It's heavy, grooving, good songs, and I'm working with an amazing singer called Scott Kail. Aside from him having a great voice, he and I connect really well. It's rare and special. I'll keep you posted."

Franklin's Web site is www.tonyfranklin.com, and he is involved in a discussion group in his honor.