While Jason Bonham (who replaced his deceased father John as Led Zeppelin's drummer for their reunion show last December) spoke to a radio station in Detroit 94.7 WCSX, he revealed that he has been working on new material with guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones. Bonham also revealed that the material could be the makings of what would ultimately be a new Led Zeppelin album (which hopefully means more touring!).
Music website NME.com broke the story and quoted Bonham on the radio show as stating, "I've been working with Jimmy and John Paul and trying [out] some new material. I don't know what it will be, but it will be something." He continued, "[The] possibility of doing something [like an album] is on the cards. I really felt it was on the cards from the moment we walked offstage at the O2." (Arena where the reunion took place in December)
It was also revealed that lead singer Robert Plant has been absent from these sessions so far, but one can assume this is due to his current tour with Allison Krauss in support of their recent album, "Raising Sand." (Which made my obscure list of duets)
I am a bit torn about this as this is a direction I didn't think the surviving members of Led Zeppelin would take. Don't get me wrong, if it takes a new album to get them out on tour, I'm all for it. However, part of their mystique and legendary status is due to the fact that they had roughly a ten year run and that was it. Recording a new album without their original drummer would make them no different than the cash cow incarnations of the recent Rolling Stones and The Who lineups who tour for millions of dollars but remain shells of their former selves. I would have expected them to just do a worldwide stadium tour like the recently reunited Police and leave it at that.
On the other hand, Jimmy Page hasn't recorded anything in some years and his production skills in the studio is part of what made the Zeppelin records so great. Plant's voice is different than what it once was, understandably, so it could make for an interesting album, maybe with more of the bluesy nostalgia that was on their first few records. Bonham is as worthy and justifiable of a replacement as they will find for his father, so this could be the makings of one of 2008's biggest stories in music.
Here is a link to NME's original article that broke the story:
http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/39271
The newest incarnation of the band with Jason Bonham backstage in December:
L to R: John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, Jason Bonham, Jimmy Page.
Editor's Note: This is the second time in as many weeks that I've beaten Rolling Stone magazine to the punch with a huge breaking music story (but who's keeping count?)
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