May 5, 1969

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Mystic Studios - LZ II / Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends Session
Notes

Jimmy Page and John Bonham begin a couple of days of sessions with Screaming Lord Sutch at Hollywood's Mystic Studios. The album "Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends" would also feature Jeff Beck and Noel Redding.

Bonham and Page appear on: "Wailing Sounds", "'Cause I Love You", "Flashing Lights",  "Thumping Beat",  "Union Jack Car" and "Baby, Come Back".

Jimmy Page spoke about the album in a 1970 interview, just after the LP was released:

"Well, I've known Sutch for years and years, and he's been in the business for 12 years and he's never had an album out. Last time we were in L.A. he came to me and said, "I wish you could help me out, I've got a chance to make an album and I've been in the business for 12 years," and he started citing other people who had been in the business for a long time, and even died, as did one particular chap, Johnny Cato, but you wouldn't have heard of him. He was in the business for about 12 years and he got killed in a car crash, I think it was, and he didn't have an album out.

So, Sutch is telling me all this, saying, "Oh dear, I must have an album out, you've got to help me," and I said, "Look, I'll help you if I can."

It was all fixed that I'd go down there and just do a bit, so we went down and played and I just did some backing tracks to numbers like "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Roll Over Beethoven." You've got the picture, right? I didn't do any solos, no solos at all. I did a little bit of wah wah on one track, but I didn't do the solo in the middle, which isn't a wah wah thing. Somebody else put that on.

So, to cut a long story short, he rewrote all the tunes and he put another guitarist on over the top. But, and this is where the criminal side of it comes in, he didn't put "Extra guitar: So and So" or "Lead guitar played by so and so"; he put "Guitar: Jimmy Page," so everybody thought, "Oh, Jimmy Page played that heap of crap," and it became more than an embarrassment. He also wrote me in as producer, which was very nice of him (Jimmy laughs). I wasn't interested in that, I just went down to have a laugh, playing some old rock and roll, a bit of a send-up. The whole joke sort of reversed itself and became ugly."

 

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  • May 5, 1969
    Mystic Studios - LZ II / Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends Session

    May 5, 1969: Jimmy Page and John Bonham begin sessions with Screaming Lord Sutch at Hollywood's Mystic Studios (aka Mirror Sound). (Date for the Lord Sutch session is confirmed as May 5, 1969).  The album "Lord Sutch & Heavy Friends" would also feature Jeff Beck and Noel Redding. Page liked the studio and returned on May 6th to record Moby Dick, as well as recording the backing track for Lemon Song. Bonham and Page appear on: "Wailing Sounds", "'Cause I Love You", "Flashing Lights",  "Thumping Beat",  "Union Jack Car" and "Baby, Come Back".

     

     

    Led Zeppelin records at Mysic Studios

     

    Jimmy Page spoke about the album in a 1970 interview, just after the LP was released:

    "Well, I've known Sutch for years and years, and he's been in the business for 12 years and he's never had an album out. Last time we were in L.A. he came to me and said, "I wish you could help me out, I've got a chance to make an album and I've been in the business for 12 years," and he started citing other people who had been in the business for a long time, and even died, as did one particular chap, Johnny Cato, but you wouldn't have heard of him. He was in the business for about 12 years and he got killed in a car crash, I think it was, and he didn't have an album out.

    So, Sutch is telling me all this, saying, "Oh dear, I must have an album out, you've got to help me," and I said, "Look, I'll help you if I can." It was all fixed that I'd go down there and just do a bit, so we went down and played and I just did some backing tracks to numbers like "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Roll Over Beethoven." You've got the picture, right? I didn't do any solos, no solos at all. I did a little bit of wah wah on one track, but I didn't do the solo in the middle, which isn't a wah wah thing. Somebody else put that on.



    So, to cut a long story short, he rewrote all the tunes and he put another guitarist on over the top. But, and this is where the criminal side of it comes in, he didn't put "Extra guitar: So and So" or "Lead guitar played by so and so"; he put "Guitar: Jimmy Page," so everybody thought, "Oh, Jimmy Page played that heap of crap," and it became more than an embarrassment. He also wrote me in as producer, which was very nice of him (Jimmy laughs). I wasn't interested in that, I just went down to have a laugh, playing some old rock and roll, a bit of a send-up. The whole joke sort of reversed itself and became ugly."

     

    John Bonham recording with Led Zeppelin at Mystic Studios, Hollywood, May 1969

     

    1969-05-05