I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT!

I FOUND THE SOURCE OF THESE CANDIDS AFTER 4 MONTHS OF SEARCHING. I'M SO PROUD! And I was right about it being Japan and the fact that it was early-stage, pre-Karac Zeppelin! I've never been so happy about film. I want more of these pictures. https://www.facebook.com/Thatsthway.Ledzeppelin?hc_location=stream

Hiroshima Memorial Park, 1971

 

 

 



Therefore, this picture was the same day, as I suspected!

Remarrying

 

I'm divorcing Jimmy Page and marrying Mark Slaughter [of Slaughter], guys. That is all. I'll have a new post for this blog soon. Please enjoy my husband in the meantime as much as I do.

4000 Views!

 

Thanks everyone! I'm making progress so fast that you all deserve two rare pics! That blonde in the second one is wife Charlotte Martin, French model. Jimmy stayed loyal to her for a whole year after marriage-- then broke fidelity with Miss Pam[ela Des Barres] and 14 year old Lori Maddox in 1972, plus tons of No-namzies.

 

Anyway, enjoy! 5000 views next! The next picture's a doozy ;)

I Found More Pictures From... Whenever

If anyone remembers, I posted the 1st and 3rd pictures as a surplus a while ago, saying I hope I find more from the reel. Well, I found the middle one! I'm putting a puzzle together guys, forgive me. Like Jimmy, I'm half Scorpio and thereby an unlicensed detective by nature. If anyone wants to contribute on my unnecessary quest for the glue between these pictures, as well as more photos from the same day, feel free to give it up! I'm curious.

 

I'm not sure on the details of these pictures (where, when, what) but I'm going to say this was circa '72-'73 (or else 1976 when Jimmy was seriously unhealthy from his "liquid diet", as he IS very scrawny in these pics) when the guys were in Japan, where I assume they are because of the style of roofs. If I am, in fact, correct, then that would make the next picture from the same day, since Jim's wearing the same sports coat and that man's Japanese...

 



 

 

Big Yellow Taxi

"We're producing Swan Song next year round January," Jimmy explained as Richard navigated through traffic in his search for the hotel. "We're putting the offices in Rockefeller Plaza in New York, so we'll be going over for a few parties some time."

"The States?" I cheered. "Can I please go! Daphne said there's so much there, especially for photography. Oh, please!?"

"Did I ever tell you about the first time I ever met-- or, really, saw-- Keith Moon?" Robert asked no one in particular, ignoring the groupie in his lap that I tried to avoid looking at. Robert had been the only one to bring a groupie and I was grateful. Nobody knew about Rob's encounter with Moonman, and even though Bon seemed thoroughly uninterested, Robert continued, "Back with the Band of Joy--"

"Oy, the Band-o de Joy-o," Bonzo growled, raising his bourbon bottle and pouring a bit on the carpeted floor symbolically.

"-- we were getting our first gig together outside the Speakeasy, in London you know, and some git in a posh Rolls Royce pulls up to the cross and some old lady was half across when he shouts, 'You'll have to move faster than that, madam!' She nearly had a heart attack! Turns out to be Keith. He had bollocks!"

Robert, the groupie and I were the only ones to laugh. Jimmy staring blankly out a window, his hand on my knee and his crimped hair frizzing; Jonesy playing something out in his head that was seeming to trouble him; and Bonzo entirely drunk and angry-- La Bete ("The Beast") as they had dubbed him. The groupie muttered something about Robert being "so funny! Ha ha ha!" and attractive. I rolled my eyes.

"I met Joni Mitchell," I busted out. Jimmy turned toward me so fast I was sure he had whiplash, and even Bonzo seemed to sober up. Everyone's attention was on me and I had a feeling I struck some nerve, good or bad, and I'd have to find out which carefully. "She's... nice."

"Beautiful legs on that one, there is!" Bonzo bursted out. "I'd love too--"

"Her voice is magnificent!" John Paul supplied. "Oh Lord, what I'd give to be equivalent."

"Don't it always seem to go," Robert began, serenading the car lovingly, "that you don't know what you've got til it's gone..."

"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot!" the rest of the limo sang along.

"Shoo, bop bop bop bop!" I concluded confidently.

"There you go," Robert grinned, clapping at me and chuckling.

"No, but I photographed her for Melody Maker in 1970. I've been living off that bread for 3 years; good for it, that was. Joni's a sweetheart, real beautiful, brilliant voice. Real outspoken-- she has my respect."

"She hasn't-- er, she didn't say anything about me, did she?" Jimmy asked, straight faced. "I'm sure she wouldn't--"

"Jimmy loves her, see," Bonzo announced, clapping Jim on the shoulder. "She turned him down in LA few months back. Sorry little thing's loved her since."

The limo pulled to the side of the road and the police escorts left. Before Bonzo could open the door, it swung open and G peered in. "Alright, Babies, tenth floor. Jimmy and... you [me], Suite 260. The curtains are closed and yer candles are in there. Robert and John, 262, Bonny and Cole in 265. STAY OFF the fourteenth floor. Bonzo, no color tellies out the window, no motorcycles in the pool, no bloody Beast nonsense between you and Cole, aye? Aye. They don' make me put down 10,000 for security like America does now, yah cunt. Come ed, then."

As we climbed out, Robert muttered to his groupie, "Lets go to the fourteenth floor!"

"Absolutely not," G snapped. "It's occupied, if you must know. Just stay off."



Jimmy's suite was beautifully ominous. Onyx black candles burnt passionately on every available shelf, giving room its only light as the curtains were drawn, leaving the room twice as dark as usual. There was a color tv on a stand in front of a couch and one King's bed. A dark energy filled the room and I found myself on edge.

I flopped on the bed and asked Jimmy if he was going to turn on the light. He laid down beside me, propped up on his elbows, and replied quietly, "No. You wouldn't want to do anything, would you?"

I turned to him, but resisted temptation, no matter how great the offer was. "Like talk?" I ebbed, and he knew my answer was a no.

"I have some-- I have some smack, do you want to do that? Or we could 'ride the snake.' Ricardo has some mescaline."

"I... don't do that, sorry." When Jimmy seemed uninterested, I added, "At least not today. I want to find out what's on the fourteenth floor. It's pretty noisy, even all the way down here."

"Come on," Jimmy urged, standing and placing his hands on my knees, "lets just stay in, you and me. Bon's going to do so much heroin that we'll find out whose up there eleven-de-seven-de times when he raps on our door the eleven-de-seventh time to remind us."

I laughed and listened to the racket four flats up. "Is that Jumping Jack Flash?" I asked, hearing the melody of some live music. "The Rolling Stones? No..."

Jimmy leaned forward and set his chin on my bellybutton. "Bianca can't know," he smirked. "Nor Charlotte." I nodded and he stood straight. "Come here."

I sat up and wrapped my arms around Jimmy's neck, chortling like an idiot. "If elephants have trunks," he murmured, "do little elephants have briefcases?" I laughed away from him and he brought my chin back with a hooked finger.

He kissed me again, only more intensely and paused. "I'm sorry about Syd and Ricardo."

"It's fine," I whispered, looking into his cool eyes. It surprisingly was fine, and I was actually excited thinking about the hysterics of it all.

"Merry Christmas," he grinned before pushing me down and climbing on top of me.

Oh Well

Somehow in my mind I expected my first kiss with Jim to be something of a spectacular event, something with swans in the background and the sound of wind chimes and flowing water enveloping us, when in reality it was at a second-hand antiquary with the oh-so romantic sound of a highway in the near distance. I knew I shouldn't complain, considering I had done something most every woman in the crowd here at Dudley wanted to do, but I hoped that our next kiss would be more... romantic. Ha! I thought. I don't even know if we'll have another kiss! Let alone a romantic one!

I stood side stage as bands like Ten Years After, Fleetwood Mac, the now receding Vanilla Fudge, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young set up backstage. I was told by Peter that I could go back and converse with all of them after the festival was through, but my anticipation to meet Stephen Stills and Stevie Nicks was unbearable. Crowds of still-proud hippies were congregating before the stage and I looked into the eyes of some of the dazed faces. Feminists, hippies, psychedelia trenders, bluesers, troubadours, groupies, once-military men, and the exhausted stood about patiently, all melting together for one thing. I assumed this was what Woodstock was like, just in 50 times less the magnitude squeezed in one acre. The first sweet smell of marijuana wafted my way and I sighed before slinking backstage.

I saw John McVie flash past me toward the rest of Fleetwood Mac and restrained myself. In the distance, beyond Ten Years After, stood my boys, in a circle, next to Peter going over their numbers. Half of Pink Floyd were deep in conversation with Neil Young and my heart sped up. Everyone was here. I pardoned myself through the groups and stood closely behind Jimmy, trying to make sense of what Peter and John Paul were saying.

"...And if that happens we...?" Peter quizzed.

"Get the Hell out of here," John Paul replied. "The Hell's Angels are here, not the Rolling Stone's, but they're security. Jim, what number first?"

"The Ocean?" he suggested, glancing for looks of approval around the circle. "Then we can do In My Time... Then maybe we'll cut right to Stairway, then Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog, Lemon Song, and we can end with Rock 'n Roll, and encore Since I've Been Loving You."

"What about my Dick?" Bon asked and it took me a moment to fully understand that he meant Moby Dick.

"After Lemon Song," Jimmy replied, carefree.

"I like it," Bonzo gurgled, obviously just as shit-faced as he had been on the way to Dudley. "Lets blow this shit. Cannons!" Then Bonzo did something I had never hear him do before, something that only seemed to frighten me and the other bands; he let out a ferocious, bass-deep bear roar, loud enough to make every band preforming look at him.

"Why are we fucking headlining for other bands?"  Robert complained. "I thought we were over this in '71? We've already kicked Vanilla Fudge to the curb, and we've already out-played Ten Years and Fleetwood. What's the point? This'll drag  us down."

Peter pulled Robert close by the collar of his jacket and growled something so low that I couldn't make it out. Jimmy turned to me while G read Rob the riot act and smiled at me. "Wish us luck!" He made a funny face and placed his hands on my shoulders before leaving for his guitar.

"Good luck!" I called after him. Someone near him saw me and turned to Jimmy, presumably asking who I was. When they both looked at me and grinned, I blushed and turned back to the group.

The lights darkened and the people out front began to cheer. I shuddered and followed Peter and Richard to the lounge where we could only sit and wait until things got hectic. Vanilla Fudge were first and I sat it out. When Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, and CSN&Y preformed, I watched avidly. I met all whom I wanted to meet as they came off, right up to Dave Gilmore. When Zeppelin went out, the crowd went wild. By this time, groupies collected backstage and I found myself not only hating them, but awe of them. They were stunning and lucky.

Seeing Zep in their element was striking. They were lost in their work and the songs were better. Bonzo was free to break out and extenuate anything; John Paul seemed out of touch; Robert had ascended into some other world, his eyes clamped shut and his hand raise effeminately; and Jimmy could hardly take the time to look up. The drugs were too heavy in his system-- their systems-- and he held his head and knees as if they were 100 kilos and he might collapse under the weight at any moment. It was sickly and I found myself almost in tears studying him.

After some time, when the concert had ended and the roadies and groupies had done their jobs, G engaged me desperately.

"Ricardo says we have ter git to an Inn tonight," he announced in hysterics, "we'll never make it. When we get ter the hotel, ring Henderson Collige and tell them ladies we ain't going ter be back until the 30th."

"Why are we going to be gone so long?" I asked. I had assumed we were only going north for the concert, but why would they need to be away seven days?

Peter stood, stupefied, eyeing me. "Din' they tell you? We're going up ter Boleskine, Jim's 'ome in Scotlin. We've got a- a-" he glanced both ways, "- movie ter do. Releasing next year, knock wood. Then we got ter go over some paperwork for the new label we're makin'-- 'Slut and Slag,' Rob wants ter call it, but Jim likes 'Swan Son--' Hey! You supposed ter be back here?" He disappeared toward someone behind me and I digested.

I'd be gone for a boring half-fortnight!

Merry pretend Christmas Eve! :)

Boleskine House

To help you all better understand where the gents are going in the next chapter, here's a little background on Jimmy's Boleskine House, purchased by him circa 1969 for the sole reason that Aleister Crowley-- the proclaimed father of modern black magick and magus (head magician) of the O.T.O (Order of the Temple of the East or "Ordo Templi Orientis") for his time in the early 20th century-- once owned and invoked  in it. So please take reference to this lovely [cited] Wikipedia article on Jimmy's house if need be; and I know Wikipedia isn't 100%, but I already know enough about this house from Mick Wall's When Giants Walked the Earth to guarantee that this all is right and it doesn't even skim the surface.

From Walls book, it is said that Boleskine House was very cold, haunted, a prone to leaks. Also, a black dog used to hang around, a kind old dog from which the Zep song draws its name, until circa 1971 when it died. From Wikipedia:

Also a Must-Share

I Just Had to Share This...