Whole Lotta Love For Led Zeppelin @ HiFi Lounge on March 8th!

[HiFi Lounge]

Whole Lotta Love For Led Zeppelin @ HiFi Lounge on March 8th!

Hi Everyone,

From the start I should come clean and admit that I am not the biggest Led Zeppelin fan but after the success of our Bruce Springsteen day last year one of my customers suggested why not do something similar for Led Zeppelin as he is a big fan, obviously I am well aware that in rock terms they don’t come much bigger than Led Zeppelin so I thought why not, who knows by the end of the day I may have seen the light and been converted to all things Led Zeppelin

What is going to make this day even more special is the attendance of Dave Lewis, author of many books about the band, and editor and publisher of the long running Led Zeppelin magazine Tight But Loose (www.tightbutloose.co.uk). Dave will be on hand to chat about his chronicling of the band’s work and to deliver a specially prepared presentation - “Celebrating 70 Years of Jimmy Page”. Coinciding with Jimmy’s 70th birthday year, playing selections from all stages of Jimmy’s career from his formative and extensive session playing in the 60s through the Yardbirds and Zeppelin eras and beyond. All played on some of the finest audio equipment available today.

I would ask if you are thinking of coming along to please just send me a quick e-mail to paul@hifilounge.co.uk as everyone I speak to seems to be quite keen to come along to this open day so it may get a little cosy, it will just be nice to have a rough idea on numbers, thanks.

In our main demo room We will be running our Naim system which comprises of the NAC 252 Pre-amplifier, NAP 300 Power Amplifier, SuperCap, NDS Streamer with 555PS Power Supply along with the Rega RP8 turntable all played through the awesome PMC MB2i speakers. We will also have our new JVC X500 projector running showing concert footage of Led Zeppelin gigs, so plenty to keep everyone entertained. In other rooms we will also be having Led Zeppelin music playing through various systems.

If you have any Led Zeppelin material you’d like to bring along please feel free, I’m sure Dave will be bringing plenty along but anything else will be welcome.

We will be starting around 9am with presentations throughout the day, Dave will be putting together a timetable over the next few days so as soon as I have that I will publish it on the page so please check back soon.

We will also have refreshments throughout the day so please feel free to come along and help us celebrate all things Led Zeppelin at HiFi Lounge which promises to be a whole lotta fun.

Thanks,

Paul.

 

[RichardG]

It's going to be immense!

I'd better wear my rubber pants for easy wipe down during the day...

 

[Tarzan]

Great idea and good luck with the day! :rockin:

 

[bonzo]

I am probably the biggest Zeppelin fan I know but am in India that weekend - damn - trust he will play music from How the West Was Won, their double DVD, and the Page & Plant No Quarter, though the DVDs don't easily sound good on a hifi system - boxes to some extent, but definitely not on electrostats. There is a lot of excellent footage on youtube of their bootlegs but the SQ is poor. So would have been good to see what hifi matches

 

[HiFi Lounge]

Hi Guys,,

With less than 2 weeks to go to our Led Zeppelin day I met with Dave Lewis of 'Tight But Loose' yesterday to go through how we are going to run the event, we have both been getting some great feedback and we are sure it will be a great event, our only concerns are that we haven’t got loads of space and with people coming from all over Europe it could get a little bit cosy, but that is fine as hopefully if the weather is good we can open up the gardens and people can mingle outside and swap Led Zeppelin stories.

We will be running, CD, Vinyl, DVD and Blu Ray throughout the day so there will be plenty to keep everyone entertained, as I mentioned before I’m not the biggest Led Zeppelin fan but Dave spun some vinyl yesterday and it sounded amazing so I can see march 8th being quite a turning point for me

Anyway please find Dave’s timetable below, he’s certainly going to be a busy boy, I’ll just be on hand to make sure all the kit behaves itself and to enjoy the music, so hope to see as many people as possible to help us celebrate and enjoy all things Led Zeppelin.

LED ZEPPELIN TBL/HI FI LOUNGE DAY TIME TABLE

May subject to change.

10 am to 12 noon:

Welcome/Introduction

Audio Playback – The official albums on vinyl

DVD playback - The Zep Wow Factor 1 –rare and essential footage (this will be an hourly segment of amazing footage from all era’s of Zep history)

12 to 1pm:

Audio Playback - Jimmy Page at 70 –an aural history –DL presentation

Vote for your fave Zep track: Launch of voting to determine top ten Zep tracks – hand out forms for attendees to fill in

DVD Playback: The Zep wow factor 2 – rare and essential footage

1pm to 2pm:

Audio Playback – Just how good was John Bonham? –DL presentation

Plus Led Zeppelin on bootleg – an aural history 1 –DL presentation

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 3 – rare and essential footage

2pm to 3pm:

Led Zeppelin Quiz – DL hosts

Audio Playback - The Led Zeppelin II album multi tracks…be amazed

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 4 –rare and essential footage

3pm to 4pm

Audio Playback - Led Zeppelin on bootleg – and aural history 2

The forthcoming re-issues –what’s in store?

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 5 –rare and essential footage

4pm to 5pm

Audio playback – the rare Led Zeppelin –DL presentation

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 6 –rare and essential footage

5pm – 6pm

Audio Playback – a history of Led Zeppelin cover versions – DL presentation

Plus rare Zep memorabilia - the rare items discussed

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 7 –rare and essential footage

6pm – 7pm

Audio Playback – The best of Led Zeppelin…the results as voted

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 8 –rare and essential footage

See you on March 8th,

Cheers,

Paul.

 

[RichardG]

Looks awesome...cannot wait for this - I'll bring a few bits along.

I look forward to being embarrassed in the quiz!

Welcome to the dark side Paul, resistance is futile

 

[HiFi Lounge]

It will certainly be interesting to see what all the fuss is about ;-)

Joking apart I'm really looking forward to this, you can't be good 'ol rock music blasting out all day.

 

[AdamK]

This looks like a good'un.

Shame its a week after Scalford as I'll not get a pass for 2 weekends in a row.

Hope to see some photos/report after the event.

 

[HiFi Lounge]

Hi All,

Due to the amount of interest we have received for this open day it was decided to revise the timetable a little to hopefully help things move along nicely, I have just checked the weather and it looks like we may be lucky with it being quite warm and dry so hopefully we can open the Gardens for everyone to mingle into to chat all things Led Zeppelin.

Please see Dave’s message below,

Thanks,

Paul.

LED ZEPPELIN HI FI LOUNGE /TBL LED ZEPPELIN DAY - SATURDAY MARCH 8TH,2014.

UPDATE FROM DAVE LEWIS:

Given that we should have a good turnout, I have tailored the timetable to be a little more informal to keep things flowing along. On the day we will be bringing along some great vinyl material, CD’s,surround sound DVD,s blu rays etc.

Upstairs in the demo room we will have playbacks of the official albums on 180 gram vinyl, rare outtake material, multi tracks, and regular DVD segments of rare footage including Earls Court and Knebworth.

The hi fi set up will be linked to mightily impressive PMC speakers. When I visited Paul recently, he gave me a demonstration of Whole Lotta Love – now I’ve heard that track a fair few times over the past 45 years but never in such clarity –it was like being in the control room of Olympic Studios…simply stunning! Be prepared for an incredible listening experience!

The headphones room will be tuned exclusively into a stream of Zep tracks, while downstairs in the reception area, there will be an opportunity to mingle with like-minded fans to the sound of non-stop Zep. Refreshments will also be available.

There will also be various TBL merchandise on offer, including the Knebworth, Over Europe and From A Whisper To A Scream books, recent TBL magazines and TBL T-shirts.

All in all this looks set to be a great day out for Led Zeppelin enthusiasts and hi fi fan alike…

We look forward to seeing all that can make it along.

Dave Lewis -March 3rd, 2104.

Editor – publisher Tight But Loose magazine/website

www.tightbutloose.co.uk

REVISED TIMETABLE:

Subject to change.

10 am to 12 noon:



Welcome/Introduction

Audio Playback – The official albums on 180 gram vinyl

DVD playback - The Zep Wow Factor 1 – rare and essential footage (this will be a segment of amazing footage from all stages of Zep history)

12 to 1pm:

Audio playbacks including Jimmy Page showcase

DVD Playback: The Zep wow factor 2 – rare and essential footage

1pm to 2pm:

Audio Playback including John Bonham showcase

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 3 – rare and essential footage

2pm to 3pm:

Audio Playback - The Led Zeppelin II album multi tracks

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 4 –rare and essential footage

3pm to 4pm:



Audio Playback - Led Zeppelin on bootleg

DVD playback – The Zep wow factor 5 –rare and essential footage

4pm to 5pm:

Audio playback – the rare Led Zeppelin

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 6 –rare and essential footage

5pm – 6pm:

Audio Playback – a history of Led Zeppelin cover versions

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 7 –rare and essential footage

6pm – 7pm:

Audio Playback – more 180 gram vinyl

DVD Playback – The Zep wow factor 8 –rare and essential footage

…………………………..

 

[HiFi Lounge]

We're all ready to Rock Tomorrow!

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick blog to say that we have spent all day getting all the kit set up but we are now ready to rock out tomorrow at our Led Zeppelin day and we can’t wait to meet everyone for what promises to be great fun.

I think it is worth saying that we are expecting this to be our busiest Open Day so far looking at the numbers confirmed but it does look like the weather is going to be on our side so we can open up the doors to the gardens so everyone can take a drink outside for some fresh air and to swap Led Zeppelin stories.

All that is left now is to butter 8 loafs of bread and start making the sandwiches but before sandwiches we will be having coffee and croissants to start the day so look forward to seeing some familiar faces and a lot of new faces by the sound of it, Dunton really won’t know what has hit it tomorrow, it will be like Knebworth 1979 all over again.

Right where is that butter knife, look forward to seeing you tomorrow,

Cheers,

Paul.

 

[HiFi Lounge]

A Big Thanks From HFL to Everyone Who Came To Our Led Zeppelin Day!

Hi Everyone,

Both Wendy and myself just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who came along to our Led Zeppelin day yesterday and what a day it was with a fantastic turnout, who would have thought that Led Zeppelin were so popular

From 9am till 8pm we pretty much rammed to capacity with most of the time standing room only available in the main demo room upstairs where we were playing a variety of vinyl, cd and some extremely rare video footage, at one point I thought we were going to have to lock the doors but I think we just about got away with it and everyone seemed to have a great time.

I’d like to thank Dave Lewis for helping promote it and run the day and also for making it so much fun, there really isn’t nothing he doesn’t know about Led Zeppelin, a real fountain of knowledge and a top bloke, so thanks again Dave, and also a thanks to RichardG who's idea it was in the first place, great idea mate

Have I been converted to all things Led Zeppelin? well after around 12 hours of being blasted constantly with a variety of their music I have to admit to being a bit Led Zepped out at the moment, but there is some of their music that I really liked and even ended up with a favourite Led Zeppelin song, which wasn’t Stairway to Heaven, which it previously had been, that song being ‘Trampled Under Foot’ a really great song and as I understand all the albums are due to be remastered and re-relased this year, so that will make a good time to explore Led Zeppelin further.

So thanks again to everyone who came along for helping make it so much fun and hope to see you at our next Open Day, the PMC and Bryston Annual Owners Club on April 12th.

Cheers,

Paul & Wendy.

 

[RichardG]

Just back down to earth after a superb weekend with Paul & Wendy (definitely the hosts with the mosts!) and about 20 other borderline certifiable fanatics.

Many, many thanks to Paul & Wendy for inviting us into their (frankly awesome) premises and treating us so well - great sounds, great company, great hifi! Luckily Paul had some easy wipe down seats available for things like In My Time of Dying on 200g vinyl and the isolated Levee Breaks drum track at ludicrous volume!

The kit all behaved itself immaculately and was singing throughout - the Bryston / PMC combo upstairs had effortless control and was delivering a truly physical experience. Impossible not to be moved by the power and the glory of the Zep when it's presented like that! Bonzo's Ludwig bass drum was like I've never heard it before - the MB2SE became the dream speaker for quite a few in that room, and there's rumours that someone's working their numbers with a view to placing an order...maybe ;-)

A more modest Prima Luna / PMC Twenty system streamed tunes downstairs in the "chill out" (well a bit quieter at least) room where you could catch your breath and chew the fat with like minded folk. Pound for pound it was superb.

A few LZ fans got their first taste of high end hifi (and the price tags that can come with it ) and maybe at least one Bruce Springsteen fan might venture further into the dark side...

So thanks again to Paul and Wendy for being so awesome all day (11 hours of Zep is enough to test anyone's patience!) and if you missed it, you missed a treat!

 

[Lee Henley]

Sounded like a great day, wished I could have made it myself

 

[cobbler]

I think these themed days are a fantastic idea - really hope they prove successful.

How about a Nick Drake day

 

[Guest]

I think these themed days are a fantastic idea - really hope they prove successful.How about a Nick Drake day

Anyone wanting a Nick Drake Day or Week, for that matter, need look no further than my good self.

Vinyl, box sets, cd, sacd, photo, Pink Moon magazines, books, rare recordings and anecdotes.

I got it.... bad.

And a direct line to the Samaritans

 

[HiFi Lounge]

Thanks for the support Rich, looking on TBL's Facebook page looks like you guys partied hard into the night, I don't know how you got the energy, I was asleep in front of the TV by 9.30 watching the Voice, I was quietly hoping they would cover a Led Zeppelin song though

Had some great feedback from everyone who came, seems like everyone had a good time although one guy was moaning here on Saturday at the height of the morning chaos as he just couldn't get into the main demo room to hear the vinyl due to the number of guys in there but he was the only one and to be honest if he'd have sat in the garden he would have heard it loud and clear at the volumes we were playing at.

As for more themed events, I'm not too sure about Nick Drake at the moment as I'd love to do a band or someone I'm really into, although maybe I've just not discovered Nick Drake yet, so anyway I was thinking of either Radiohead or Bowie, any thoughts?

Cheers,

 

[smegger68]

Rush. I would go to a Rush day. Twice.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the support Rich, looking on TBL's Facebook page looks like you guys partied hard into the night, I don't know how you got the energy, I was asleep in front of the TV by 9.30 watching the Voice, I was quietly hoping they would cover a Led Zeppelin song though Had some great feedback from everyone who came, seems like everyone had a good time although one guy was moaning here on Saturday at the height of the morning chaos as he just couldn't get into the main demo room to hear the vinyl due to the number of guys in there but he was the only one and to be honest if he'd have sat in the garden he would have heard it loud and clear at the volumes we were playing at.

As for more themed events, I'm not too sure about Nick Drake at the moment as I'd love to do a band or someone I'm really into, although maybe I've just not discovered Nick Drake yet, so anyway I was thinking of either Radiohead or Bowie, any thoughts?

Cheers,

Bowie Day.

And do it on a Sunday as some of us work Saturdays.