Donovan

The Led Zeppelin legend has just returned with a new group, Minibus Pimps, in collaboration with Deathprod, aka Norwegian Helge Sten. Here, from Uncut’s April 2010 issue (Take 155), is a look back at the bassist and multi-instrumentalist’s other jobs… Fans and famous admirers ask Jones about his favourite instruments, bluegrass, working with REM, the Butthole Surfers and Josh Homme, and being “a bloody good choirmaster”. Interview: John Lewis ___________________

OK, I’ve managed to remember 143 albums that came out this year and that I liked. As in previous years, I didn’t see much point in hacking my list down to a Top 100, or Top 50, or whatever. While it’d be a stretch to claim every one is an imperishable classic, I do feel broadly confident recommending them all.

Footage has emerged of Robert Plant, Bonnie Dobson, Bernard Butler and Danny Thompson performing at A Celebration Of Bert Jansch. The tribute concert took place on Sunday, December 3 at London's Royal Festival Hall. Plant, Dobson, Butler and Thompson played Dobson's "Morning Dew".

Not uncharacteristically, I’ve spent the past few days repressing a bunch of unnecessary rage about the publicity afforded the BBC’s Sound Of 2013 poll. Not so much because of the artists selected, but because of the way it effectively presents an ultimatum to new talent: have something resembling success in the next 12 months, or else people will weary of your miserable underachievement and move on to the next batch of hopefuls.

A pretty amazing week of new arrivals kicked off with the arrival of the beautiful thing pictured above; the Third Man/Revenant Paramount Records box set (Volume One, I should note). Lots to talk about there, not least the 800 tracks, and once I’ve had a deeper and more extensive listen I’ll try and blog about it properly.

To get to the Clyde Auditorium - the 3,000-seat venue crouched on the riverbank beside the SECC, which Glaswegians only ever refer to as The Armadillo - you have to traverse a long, wormy, weather-beaten covered walkway that bridges a motorway.

Eric Clapton and Robert Plant are among the artists confirmed for A Celebration of Bert Jansch, a concert to be held at London's Royal Festival Hall on December 3, 2013. The Festival Hall was the venue for Pentangle’s first major performance in 1967 and the group recorded part of their Sweet Child album there in 1968. The original line-up reformed to play at the Royal Festival Hall exactly 40 years later and a Pentangle show there in August 2011 proved to be Jansch’s final performance.

No sooner has one Mark Kozelek album turned up than, ridiculously, another one is announced. www.caldoverderecords.com claims another Sun Kil Moon album is due January 14 next year, also featuring Steve Shelley, Jen Wood, Will Oldham and Owen Ashworth. In even less a shock, it promises that Kozelek “sings about his childhood years and his life today.”

Rod Stewart pulled out of his scheduled performance with his old band, The Faces, at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last night [April 14] after contracting 'flu. It would have been the first time the surviving members have played live in public since Stewart was awarded the Lifetime Achievement honour at the Brit awards in 1993. But in a joint statement with organisers, Stewart said he was "absolutely devastated" to be missing out. Simply Red man Mick Hucknall stood in for Stewart when the Faces play a short set at the ceremony.

News from Phil King on the Jesus And Mary Chain tour in Texas, yesterday, that Ty Segall was due to support them at a show. A pretty cool gig, one would imagine, and a useful prompt to remind me to write something about the latest release from Segall, especially since he’s promising – and it would be rash to disbelieve him, given his fecundity in the past two or three years – another couple of albums in the next few months.