Producer Kevin Shirley revealed details about secretly recording Jimmy Page’s performances with The Black Crowes. The revelation came in a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock.
“When they came to the States to play live, I approached Pete about recording it. Jimmy’s not interested at all. In actual fact, maybe we can do something, but it has to be under the radar,” Shirley explained.
“So at that point, I hired the mobile truck, because it wasn’t as easy to record live then as it is now. I [secured] the Le Mobile truck, which we parked underneath trees, far away from everything and we [also] put stuff around it,” he continued. “We got a feed from the desk and Jimmy didn’t know about the recording.”
“I mixed it live in the truck, straight to CD,” Shirley said. “I went backstage after the first night and said, ‘I recorded the show, by the way. Here are the tapes if you want to do anything with them. If not, we’ll scrap them entirely.’ I gave them the CD and we kind of left it at that.”
“I recorded the two shows [at the Greek] and left them with the guys,” he added. “The manager of Zeppelin and Jimmy Page was Bill Curbishley at the time,” he continues. “So Bill and Pete had the [recordings] and they found an outlet to release the product through a startup internet company, Musicmaker. They got a nice advance.”
These secret recordings became a significant part of rock history. They marked a unique collaboration between Led Zeppelin’s guitarist and The Black Crowes.
Music Radar documented the performances at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in 1999. The shows showcased a remarkable fusion of Led Zeppelin classics with The Black Crowes’ distinctive style.
The collaboration has gained fresh attention through an expanded reissue of ‘Live at the Greek.’ AXS TV reported that the new release contains 16 previously unreleased tracks. It includes a rare soundcheck version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘The Lemon Song.’
Musicmaker released the original ‘Live at the Greek’ album in 2000. The recording has become a cherished document of this unexpected musical partnership.
The expanded collection preserves these historical performances. It also gives fans access to previously unheard material from these memorable shows.
