Hardback 160 pages, 185 Illustrations, colour.
When Led Zeppelin came to Denmark in the late 60s, the locals barely knew what hit them. Photographer Jorgen Angel was there. Here, he talks to Dave Lewis about his new book, one that captures the band at their most thrillingly raw and explosively potent.Danish born Jorgen Angel has the distinction of being the first photographer to capture the fledgling Led Zeppelin live onstage. He was at a school gymnasium in Gladsaxe on the afternoon of 7 September 1968 to see Messrs Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham (then billed as the New Yardbirds) perform their first gig together. It began a long association with the band that has now been profiled in a one book: Led Zeppelin Denmark 1968 1970.The book collates Angel s subsequent Led Zep photographic experiences with and adds new members and it is not as good.I d been lucky enough to take photos of The Yardbirds at Holte Hallen in April 1967. However, the moment they hit the stage I was not disappointed at all in fact, I was very impressed with their energy and the vitality and the whole sound. It was loud but very clear and I was right in front of this very first performance of this new line-up. Despite it being their debut show, Robert was pretty confident: I think it helped that he had his old mate John Bonham with him. When you look at the other photos of that show, he was really acting out the role of the lead singer. They did some old Yardbirds numbers and new material. They were still getting to know each other as they had only had a couple of rehearsals. There were about 1,200 kids in there and they went on to play another show in the evening. This was not unusual as the promoters in Denmark would book a band for as many dates as they could. They did, in fact, perform a rehearsal in the early afternoon. A few of the volunteers were getting things ready and Jimmy asked if they could come in and rehearse. So they played to around 15 people. Unfortunately, I was not there yet and missed that. I was very close to the stage and had the freedom to shoot from where I liked. I was therefore able to take photos at the side of the stage and, as you can see in this photo, I was right next to John Bonham. At the time I was only just turned 17 and the only camera I had to use was my mother s holiday camera. It was an old-fashioned camera where you check the photo in one screen and shoot in the other. I could adjust some focusing but I didn t have any sort of telescopic lens. I walked in front of John Paul Jones to get right in the middle of the stage and was standing maybe six feet from Bonzo. I was incredibly close to the action - In those days you could do that quite easily. In 2001 I did a limited-edition lithograph of photos of the first show and when I sent a copy to Jimmy, he wrote backsaying, Jorgen, thanks for being there . There s no doubt Jimmy was pleased that I When Led Zeppelin came to Denmark in the late 60s, the locals barely knew what hit them. Photographer Jorgen Angel was there. Here, he talks to Dave Lewis about his new book, one that captures the band at their most thrillingly raw and explosively potent. was there to capture that historic gig and over the years I have contributed photos to his books. --Record Collector May 2019
A new book, led Zeppelin: Denmark 1968-1970, documents Led Zep s early years, including their first ever gig as The New Yardbirds in Copenhagen in 1968. Teenage photographer Jørgen Angel was there at the very beginning of the band s live journey and ended up befriending them, capturing them on and off stage whenever they passed through his home city in Denmark. There's plenty of unseen photography of their landmark fi rst two years here, with an accompanying narrative from music historian Søren Vangsgaard. --Guitarist Magazine Jun 2019
Any photographer worth their salt will tell you that being in the right place at the right time is an essential part of getting a great shot. For Jørgen Angel, the place was the Teen Club in Gladsaxe, Denmark and the date was 7 September 1968. Fans of Led Zeppelin will know the date and the venue well it was the first time that Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham played together live, fulfilling an existing contractual obligation to tour Scandinavia left over from Page s Yardbirds days. When Page and co rolled into town, Angel was an aspiring photographer who had become the Teen Club s in-house snapper and made a point of shooting the many bands that came through the Gladsaxe. I d been looking forward to hearing The Yardbirds again, but when I arrived I saw a handwritten poster stating The New Yardbirds ! he recalls. Then I knew something was wrong. Imagine that you had bought tickets to The Beatles and then The New Beatles turned up instead! Only one of the original members was left in the band three completely unknown musicians. But when The New Yardbirds came on the stage and started playing, I was happily surprised by their energy. I was so captivated that I used a roll-and-a-half of film on them and that was expensive for a school boy! But what Angel saw that night clearly made an impression and the young photographer decided that this new band would be worth documenting further and so that s what he did. Through the photography collected in a brand-new book, Led Zeppelin, Denmark 1968-70, Angel charts the journey of the band from that first concert to becoming the biggest act in the world.But Angel s book does more than showcase the rise of one of the greatest rock bands in history, it also documents the evolving guitar choices of the band s founder, Jimmy Page. By the time Page formed Led Zeppelin in the late summer of 1968, he d already been through quite a few guitars. As a schoolboy, he d started with the inevitable Höfner, then moved onto a Futurama, which he played with Neil Christian & The Crusaders. He recalled flirtations with a Strat and a 6120 along the way and found himself a Harmony Sovereign acoustic.For his job as a busy session guitarist on the 60s London circuit, he acquired a Les Paul Custom and a Danelectro 3021. Next, it was The Yardbirds, at first on bass playing the band s Epiphone Rivoli, then switching to guitar. It must have seemed like he d really arrived. Little did he know what was in store... --
https://guitar.com/features/artist-rigs/the-inside-story-of-jimmy-pages-led-zeppelin-guitars/
About the Author
Legendary Danish rock photographer noted for early photographs of Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin
