Episode 21: Guitarmageddon
The fuse was lit in 1966. Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Keith Moon came together to record a proto-metal classic. After the session an offhand quip from Keith Moon sticks with Jimmy Page.
Then we meet The G; the imposing Peter Grant. Led Zeppelin’s fearsome tough-guy manager was a key reason why Zep dominated the rock landscape in the early 70s.
Well away from Swinging London, in the grimy industrial town of Birmingham, Black Sabbath comes together. We’ll also take a look at one of the greatest Jam Bands ever, Deep Purple.
Then on to probably the single saddest story in all of Rock History, the final days of Jimi Hendrix.
Jimi towers over all of it, the late, lamented godfather of Heavy Rock--Rock that centers around the guitar and celebrates blazing virtuosity on that instrument.
Gone but not forgotten: the Guitarmageddon explosion has reverberated way beyond the Seventies--all the way up to the present day.
Far more than any other movement or genre within Rock music...Metal, Heavy Rock, Jam Rock, pick your label...it’s got legs. It changes and grows, continues to reinvent itself, and it sticks around.
Still with us, still going strong, still powered by fans.
Voice Actors
Jemma Sconce as Sophia DeBoick
Bryan Reesman as Gauntlet.com
Tony MIchaelides as Martin Power
Jerry Danielsen as Oxford Dictionary
Courtney Anderson as Gregg Tate
Peter Ferioli as Stephen Hyden
Mistress Carrie as Consequence of Sound
Charles Cross as Charles Cross
Rich Price as David Fricke
Dave Sloan as Jon Landau
Songs
Beck, Bogert, Appice: “Black Cat Moan,” from Beck, Bogert, Appice, 1973
Jeff Beck: “Beck’s Bolero,” from Truth, 1968
Led Zeppelin: “Good Times, Bad Times,” from Led Zeppelin, 1968
Dr. Hook: “The Cover of Rolling Stone,” from Sloppy Seconds, 1972
Gene Vincent: “Lotta Lovin,” single released 1957
The Nashville Teens: “Tobacco Road,” single released 1964
The Yardbirds: “Over Under Sideways Down,” from Roger the Engineer, 1966
Cream: “Crossroads,” from Fresh Cream, 1966
Vanilla Fudge: “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” from Vanilla Fudge, 1967
Vangelis: “Jerusalem,” from the Chariots of Fire soundtrack, 1981
Black Sabbath: “N.I.B.,” from Black Sabbath, 1970
The Beatles: “You Can’t Do That,” from A Hard Day’s Night, 1965
Django Reinhardt: “Django’s Tiger,” single released 1944
Black Sabbath: “Black Sabbath,” from Black Sabbath. 1970
Black Sabbath: “War Pigs,” from Paranoid, 1970
Black Sabbath: “Sweetleaf,” from Master of Reality, 1971
Jesus Christ Superstar, “Superstar,” from Jesus Christ Superstar, 1971
Jesus Christ Superstar, “Simon Zealotes,” from Jesus Christ Superstar, 1971
Jesus Christ Superstar, “What’s the Buzz,” from Jesus Christ Superstar, 1971
Deep Purple, “The Mule,” from Fireball, 1971
Deep Purple, “Highway Star,” from Made In Japan, 1972
Deep Purple, “Child in Time,” from Deep Purple In Rock, 1970
Deep Purple, “Smoke on the Water,” from Machine Head, 1972
Deep Purple, “Woman From Tokyo,” from Who Do We Think We Are,” 1973
Steppenwolf, “Born To Be Wild,” from Steppenwolf, 1968
Yardbirds, “Dazed and Confused,” from Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page, 1968
Joan Baez, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” from Joan Baez in Concert, 1962
Howlin’ Wolf, “Killin’ Floor,” single released 1964
Led Zeppelin, “The Lemon Song,” from Led Zeppelin II, 1969
Muddy Waters, “You Need Love,” single released 1962
Led Zeppelin, “Whole Lotta Love,” from Led Zeppellin II, released 1969
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Third Stone From The Sun,” from Are You Experienced, 1967
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return),” from Electric Ladyland, 1968
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Burning Of The Midnight Lamp,” from Electric Ladyland, 1968
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be),” from Electric Ladyland, 1968
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Dolly Dagger,” from Rainbow Bridge, 1971
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “If 6 Was 9,” from Axis: Bold As Love, 1967
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “The Wind Cries Mary,” from Are You Experienced, 1967
Brian Eno: “Baby’s On Fire,” from Here Come The Warm Jets, 1974
Derek and the Dominoes: “Layla,” from Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs, 1970
Books
Mark Blake: Bring it on Home: Peter Grant, Led Zeppelin and Beyond: the Story of Rock’s Greatest Manager, 2019
Jerry Bloom: The Road of Golden Dust: The Deep Purple Story, 2015
Charles Cross: Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix, 2005
Tony Iommi: Iron Man, 2011
Martin Power: No Quarter: The Three Lives of Jimmy Page, 2016
Martin Power: Hot Wired Guitar: The Life of Jeff Beck, 2014
Greg Tate: Everything But The Burden: What White People Are Taking From Black Culture, 2003
Online Resources
Stephen Hyden, The Winner’s History of Rock N Roll
Lars Ulrich inducts Deep Purple
Films, Documentaries, and Videos
The Song Remains The Same, released 1977
Jimi Hendrix at the Isle of Wight, retrieved from YouTube