John Paul Jones (not Dead…)

[HammondDave]

Came across this fabulous video of Zep’s Stairway to Heaven during their prime.  Love JPJ’s incredible Mellotron lines during this.  Not one wobbling note!  He was truly the best musician on stage. His arsenal included the Mellotron M400, Clavinet D6, Rhodes, and Maestro Phase Shifter…. Enjoy.  
 

 

[Baldwin Funster]

Whew! I thought this was gonna be another RIP thread.

[wd8dky]

Thank you for that! It took me back to a wonderful time in our lives (wife and I). 

[HammondDave]

11 hours ago, wd8dky said:

Thank you for that! It took me back to a wonderful time in our lives (wife and I). 

Yes, I saw Zep live during their first North America tour in the very early 70's. Awesome show. I always thought that like John Entwhistle, John Paul Jones was incredibly under-appreciated as a musician and was overshadowed by their flashy colleagues.  

[Baldwin Funster]

It should be the new etiquette to title threads about aging persons of notability as "name here is not dead", or IND.

 

JPJ played mandolin for a number of gigs with dave rawlings and gillian welch. Talk about getting around.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

As someone who doubles on keys and bass, JPJ has been one of my musical heroes since I was 13 or 14. I truly believe he was Led Zeppelin's secret weapon (there was nothing secretive about the other three). His keyboard contributions are always so thoughtful and deliberate... and boy, he can lay down that Motown stuff on the bass.

 

I also blame him for my obsession with bass pedals and otherwise trying cover more parts than I should at the same time onstage. But he had a way of doing it that was solid, unobtrusive, and elegant. I'm still working on that part.

 

I also enjoyed getting to witness a more modern take on his Zeppelin bassist-doubling-on-keys-and-other-weird-string-instruments role when he, Dave Grohl, and Josh Homme teamed up for Them Crooked Vultures in 2009. I was always bummed they only made the one album, but they're all busy guys.

[Polychrest]

JPJ is certainly alive and well and still making good music:

 

 

[MAJUSCULE]

I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t immediately acknowledge that JPJ is the heart and soul and best musician of Zeppelin.

[SamuelBLupowitz]

 

Here's JPJ grooving his butt off at the 2007 Zep reunion at the O2. Some great shots of him working the bass pedals (in some very stylish footwear!). This is one of my favorite Led Zeppelin jams; I have covered it in a LOT of bands. That clavinet part is so much fun.

[HammondDave]

16 hours ago, Polychrest said:

JPJ is certainly alive and well and still making good music:

 

This video is amazing!

[HammondDave]

and then you have this...  For those who struggle to play the M400, you will appreciate this.

 

 

[SamuelBLupowitz]

1 hour ago, HammondDave said:

and then you have this...  For those who struggle to play the M400, you will appreciate this.

 

 

Thanks for sharing, I don't think I've ever actually seen a live performance of Kashmir from when he still used the Mellotron. By the Knebworth shows in 1979, he had the big Yamaha Dream Machine synth. Much like Rick Wakeman, he loathed the Mellotron for its unreliability and ditched it the first chance he got. Boy, the keys are mixed criminally low for most of this performance, though; makes the tune a little flaccid. I guess all you need to know about how important to the band John Paul Jones was is to mix him out!