TBL ARCHIVE SPECIAL  – THE LED ZEPPELIN 2003 DVD AND HOW THE WEST WAS WON RELEASES –  15 YEARS GONE:

It’s now some 15 years ago that Jimmy Page unlocked the Led Zeppelin film archive to present the five hour double DVD set simply titled DVD. Also released simultaneously was the triple live album How The West Was Won.

Looking back, it was in incredibly exciting outpouring of material.

On the TBL website at the time, we asked for fans to feedback on their initial response to hearing the DVD and How The West Was Won album. Some of them are reproduced below – reading through them again captures the pure excitement that these releases generated back in 2003. It had me searching out the DVD again this week to marvel at…it still looks brilliant…

DVD/HOW THE WEST WAS WON FEEDBACK WATCH:

Here’s how the month of June 2003 shaped up for me…

A Celebration. A Revelation. A Sensation…

Led Zeppelin bring it on home.. What a couple of months…

A very hectic couple of months what with all the highs of the press playbacks -.organising the TBL ticket competition for the premeires (boy I put some hours in to get that one on track), attending the London premier (another memorable occasion in their presence)…not to mention starting a new job at the Virgin megastore in Milton Keynes and trying to fit work in on Celebration 2 in between it all.

Finally it was time to see it all in the comfort of my own living room. Saturday May 24 – always a special date in my calander…Mr Foy and family descended on Totnes Towers and we enjoyed the first playback in glorious 5.1 surround..(I’d purchased the Pioneer DVD set up on the Thursday – despite Janet’s ”where an earth are we going to put all that speaker wire!” outburst!).

In The Evening and Achilles were the immediate stand outs that early summer afternoon..

Moments to saviour: Plant walking up to the mic to hollar the opening lines of the former…Page’s arm flicking out the feedback on the latter. Knebworth relived. A few pints in the Fox and in the evening (as it were) Mr Tom Locke lifelong TBL crew member came over to view I’d warned the neighbours it was going to be loud. So 28 years to the very day that we’d both sat in Block AA row B in Earls Court …here we were watching a virtual re run of the some of our greatest times of our lives.It was an incredible experience to see and hear Led Zeppelin at Earls Court in such sonic splendour. Going To California- pure intensity. In My Time – pure bottleneck banshee. Stairway -pure emotion..

Next day was work and for me that meant late on the Sunday racking out the DVD and live album to ensure maximum impact on May 26 for customers of the Virgin Megastore Milton Keynes. Seeing all those copies of the DVD and album stacking up reminded me of other great retail Zep associations I’ve enjoyed over the years..ripping open boxes and being faced with the stunning covers of Physical Graffiti, Presence, In Through, Remasters etc. etc. The phenomenal sales experienced in stores across the world confirmed my long held belief that this was going to be a monster monster seller.

Over the next few days… well it was a case of non stop Zep Talk. I did two local radio interviews to plug the revamped A Celebration (and of course the DVD and live album) for Humberside and Stoke (accompanied on the journey by the trusty CD walkman blaring out How The West Was Won).

Then a meeting in Leicester to interview Priory drummer Andy Edwards for the next TBL (and would you know it we met outside HMV where the huge screens were playing the Earls Court segment; “This is bizarre”‘ said Andy ”I’ve played nearly a hundred gigs with that guy on the screen!”)…another interview for Radio Newcastle… more memorable playbacks to familyand friends continued unabated throughout the month. To cap it all they even made it on the Six O Clock News! A Celebration?..it really has been and a revelation… and a sensation.

The best Zep related period since Over Europe and Knebworth without question. Their inspiration is infinite and the DVD and live set is the conclusive long awaited proof. I feel proud to call myself a fan…. Dave Lewis – June 2003

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This might go on a bit but here goes.In 1979 I spent a night outside a shop in Bournemouth called setchfields waiting to get my hands on the holly grail(a ticket to a blind date with ZEPP) and it was with the same excitement and anticipation that I arrived at HMV in the same town an hour before it opened(on account of the fact I could,nt sleep) this morning

I had arranged for some friends to come round for a barbie this afternoon watch the mighty Wolves and then the DVD, I also said I would,nt have any sneak previews but as soon as I had it in my hands at 9.30 am I knew that was never gonna happen.Having always been a 1975 fan I went straight to the Earls court segment,2 minuets later I had tears streaming down my face I could not believe what I was seeing and hearing this is F****** awesome

I then preceded to flick through the Knebworth set in utter disbelief, my video of said gig never looked like this

I haven’t felt this happy since 4/8/79.

 Derek

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So, here I am, 46 years old, a sober, middle aged middle class guy who thought that his memory just played tricks – or until today.

I’d just thought it was my long lost innocence coupled to a naive teenage obsessions that had kept my one experience of a Led Zep gig (Coventry Locarno, December ’72) so high in my ‘best things in my life’ poll. But seeing the Albert Hall gig (twice now and its till only lunchtime!) has blown me away.

Firstly, the shere quality of picture and sound is a real tribute to Jimmy’s professionalism and perfectionism as a produce. Secondly,…well, what can one possibly say – but it was an absolutely phenomenal performance for such a young band. Only 4 guys? It’s always been the most powerful image and memory for me that three instrumentalists and a singer, using next to no electronic effects, could produce such an orchestrally magnificent performance of electric blues rock and acoustic folk/blues.

A reunion tour might be plausible, but to be honest, what could better this permanent record of THE truly great band?

Dr Simon Croom

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Finally the day is upon us – Bank Holiday Monday – The Kid (6 year old) still has school so I volunteer freely for the early start.

Straight across to the shopping mall nearby. Yes… good old Woolies has the stuff on the rack. Sales assistant stifles a laugh at an enthaused 44 year old with 2 special new toys. Home…I cant lie – to view & listen means that the grass has to be cut first – well it is a Bank Holiday! Grass done .. quickly!.. her indoors has stirred and goes shopping (she’s not a fan). Yamaha DTS amp fired up and …blimey the sound stuns me!! A fantasic job on the main events – drums awesome and loads of rear speaker activity- i would urge all fans to hear it on full 5.1 or DTS surround – super job Jimmy

Now back to reality – DVD i cant fault at all – content lives up to all expectation …and hype! …. packaging is good -;I like the 2 individual booklets and the general concept of the whole package…….However… the How The West CD whilst content wise;its a fantastic job;- great performances spliced to make a great ‘show’ I kinda felt underwelmed with the packaging; – this should have been the ‘official’ live release warranting a typical Zep ‘fancy wrap’ – smacks of cheap and cheerful. I’ve just bought Blighty – poor CDs but great packaging – perhaps a lesson should have been learned from the Japanese bootleg industry with regard to ‘wrapping the goods’. Anyway – i will NOT end on a negative note – i’m still taking it all in – i will submit a top 10 entry when can finally decide but there is a lot of fantastic material to get to

grips with. Its bloody good to look everywhere and see ads for Zepp and articles all over the magazines. The Kid is getting a good education believe me

 Paul Beattie

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I think the artwork for the DVD cover is really nice, but I do not personally like the CD Cover very much.

For such a classic show, I think the CD cover could have been better. This is only my personal opinion, but it would be interesting to hear other Fans opinions on this.

When I first watched the DVD, it was immediately obvious that the visual quality seemed far better than that seen at the recent Birmingham screening that I attended. The Colours seemed more vivid, and clearer.

I found the RAH material especially far more enjoyable on DVD, but feel that the Earls Court and Knebworth was the most amazing Zeppelin footage I have seen.

The 5.1 Surround Sound also sounded absolutely fantastic coming from every corner of the room.

I just hope that one day we get to see official releases of these complete shows in the same quality.

My only minor criticism would be some of the parts that were cut, which would have been nice to have had in the same quality (eg Denmark fades slightly early, Paris 1969 Rehearsal omitted, Australia 1972 Edited). It was nice to see the complete performance of ‘Dazed’ from Supershow though without the familiar edit.

Overall, I am ecstatic with the content of both the DVD and CD, and they will be played regularly for the forseeable future!.

Ian Avey

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I was initially disappointed that there was no booklet in the CD, but that feeling gave way soon enough. I have my fair share of Zeppelin bootlegs (although nothing from 72), and the band’s performance blew me away. Led Zeppelin has never sounded so amazing to me. I found myself skipping around a lot, being so impatient to hear the arrangement’s of different songs that I would jump to the next before the finish. When I finally did listen to the disc all the way through I was even more impressed.

As everyone has stated, I was blown away by Bonham’s playing throughout the album. But also I was very impressed with Jimmy’s solos, they sounded more inspired than other recordings I have heard of him. For all the credit heaped on Bonzo, Jimmy really deserves some accolades too for his contributions and innovations. I think this release will prove that.

Ted McCoy

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On the release day I bought it on the way to work;then had to wait through a shift of nine hours, an hour bus trip home and a walk of the dog before I saw it. I sat through the whole thing until the dawn chorus and drank a load of beer and constantly had to pull my jaw off

the floor. I’m still spending every spare moment watching it or thinking about it, unhealthy as that might be

The outstanding moment is the start. They walk on stage and Bonzo does that little roll, Robert Plant puts his fag out and says

“Good Evening” and then they begin. You feel relieved about the picture quality and the sound quality, you think it looks like it was filmed yesterday and then you’re there in the middle of it for five hours plus. From that high at thestart it never lets you down.

My only gripe is the MSG footage with the “hole-filling” to plug the gaps. Having seen TSRTS to death you can place where it all comes from. But its worth it for The Ocean and Misty Mountain Hop.

I’m thirty-six and never saw them live. I knew some who did and reverred them as special. A friend lent me an album in late 1981 and through reading and listening I got to learn about the Albert Hall film and the

Earl’s Court/Knebworth video -I’ve dreamed of seeing it for twenty years

plus (not able to afford to buy it on bootleg, but starting to get tempted to break the bank). And now this.

I hope this DVD puts the re-union demands to bed because, as they said when Bonzo died, you can’t have it without him. Part of the magic is the dignity with which the remaining members have resisted temptations to flog it to death on the road like most of their contemporaries. I’d rather they made new music and only played the old stuff as an aside when they felt like it.

I’ve got my DVD and I’m happy as a pig in shit. It’s back to when I was young and telling everyone I knew they were the best

band ever – I’m doing it all over again

David Seare

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Well, I waited until Friday night to watch the DVD. I went down to Tower records on Mercer St. in Seattle at 4 PM. I walked around looking for the DVD. I picked up a copy (on sale for and headed to the check out line. The young kid at the counter (maybe 20-22) said “wow, were sure selling a lot of these, they must be pretty good.” I said my generation has been waiting for decades for this. He said “no wonder! Said they were selling one DVD or CD about every 5 minutes!! I told him I saw Zeppelin in Seattle in 1977 (I’m 42.) He looked confused like “that was a long time ago! At that point a couple other people asked me for my memories of that show. I gave them as I remembered. Didn’t get the feeling these kids knew much about Zeppelin. Anyway, I got home and decided I wanted to watch this alone; feeling like

I need the memories and time to take it all in without others around.

I have a 52” windscreen with a decent Surround Sound System. I relaxed and listened to some blues while sipping on a few Crown Royals. After relaxed and ready around 9 I cranked it up. I didn’t know what to expect, and I wasn’t disappointed!

WOW WOW WOW. This just blew me away. The sound came through MUCH louder than expected. Were gonna groove was a fuckin killer opener for this DVD! I mean I wanted loud, but I was startled!

Overall, I just enjoyed every moment. I watched the entire DVD and after Robert said “thanks for the 11 years” I felt like crying! Wow. What a DVD.

This is going to be a monster seller and will put those critics to rest for good! Well, worth the price!!

Mike W

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Many of us reading this have dedicated entire bookcases stocked to the rafters with various and sundry illicit recordings of all sizes and shapes (and video for that matter) in the hopes capturing something remotely close to the gem we all knew would spring forth if Jimmy was to tackle this project and do it right. Did we after so long a wait ever doubt that the ‘ol wizard himself did not understand what held us under his spell, that he could not deliver?? Well folks , he nailed it to perfection. No point in even going into the CD which we all know in the first 7 songs alone is head and shoulders better than anything any band could deliver, any day, any era…..and there’s still 2/3 of the show to go! Go ahead and try to make me a liar. With due respect to ‘Trane’s nickname, they are The Undisputed Heavyweight Champions.

As to the DVD, I’m going to comment on just 3 songs from the Knebworth set and that’s enough. I sat in front of my TV, drinking it all in, and I literally choked up at the sheer majesty of it all. I’m a grown man of 36 for crissakes, I’m not supposed to get choked up by watching some band’s DVD! Well, Led Zeppelin does that, they move ya. We are still enthralled for a reason. In this one segment, given the best treatment we could expect from Jimmy and his team, we have before us the closest recreation of parts of that show short of being there. Folks, is this the sight and sound of a band trying to “recapture” the glory days???

This is a lumbering dinosaur??? Yeah, some dinosaur. How’s about a teeth-gnashing lean and mean velociraptor laying waste to all in its path? Go ahead, take a look again and bear witness to the supreme power and glory that is Rock and Roll, Achilles, or Kashmir. Zeppelin have the ability to enter the very fibre of your being, to elicit the highest highs and the lowest lows of the emotional spectrum….to, “take you there”. This IS sweet evidence. Go ahead and gloat, beat your chest, and show ‘em if there are any doubters left. Show them why that even today, 23 damn years after they last tread the boards, no one even comes close. Show ’em why we carry the torch just a little hgher than the other several million who also rate this bunch. This is the type of stuff that plays to 300,000 just as easily as it does 3,000 and Knebworth is the proof. No band ever could envelop a crowd with the ir sheer ability to transport and connect with it’s audience. It does that because they were simply huge. Their music, their skill (my god…Bonzo), and their stage presence is just HUGE. This is the power of Led Zeppelin Live and is the perfect yin to the perfect yang that are the studio works. Folks, if this is the sound and visual dynamic of a band that in the words of their own lead singer were trying to get their legs back, then god help the bands who had to contend with this beast in their alleged prime (ample proof thusly provided on the DVD’s remainder)! To paraphraise Jonsey’s words, this DVD doesn’t do anything to prove Zeppelin were the top of the heap, we already knew that. It just simply demonstrates how far ahead they were to whomever was supposedly number 2.

Chris Serratella

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The concert footage is absolutely superb, the sound quality is unbelievable; especially like the Earl’s Court material and the Albert Hall set.The amount of features, extras and ‘goodies’ is also excellent; you can spend hours going through these; the only thing perhaps missing is interviews with the band today to reflect on the release;

However, now the down points:- Although I thought that the cover art was good in both cases, the liner notes and photography was a major let down! I feel that the music has been compromised by a lack of detail in notes. For example, we have very little text to set all the clips, concerts, etc in context.I am also a big Deep Purple fan and rejoice in the sheer attention to detail their archive releases get with input from the DPAS – the Led Zep stuff looks like it has been rushed…

Karl Simpson

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The DVD is simply a dream come true. I am stunned, mesmerized, blown away, proud, awed and humbled all at the same time. I can now say that I have almost seen a Led Zeppelin concert. Bootlegs do not compare.

Thank you Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, Dick Carruthers, Kevin Shirley, Bill Curbishley and especially John Henry Bonham (the undisputed star of the show).

Upon viewing DVD Disc 1, I love all of the menus as well as the actual Royal Albert Hall footage. It is so great to see Clive Coulson unloading the equipment off the plane in Iceland, and to see Jimmy greeted with a bouquet of flowers. I also loved Richard Cole running alongside the limousine like a Secret Service agent! Robert takes the time to shake a young boy’s hand getting out. Nice. I just wish that Robert’s

interview segment could have been included. I like seeing Jeff Beck backstage at the Royal Albert Hall, and the boys getting ready, along with that shot of Jonesy on the organ.

The Royal Albert Hall footage is absolutely stunning. This really is a Holy Grail. Like many, my central channel experiences crackling noises set in Dolby 5.1 from “Dazed” ’til the end, but it is pristine when set to DTS. I’m fine with that! Is that Henry “The Horse” Smith sitting behind Bonzo’s drum kit!?! I even love seeing/recognizing the roadies!

Speaking of Bonzo.that first unaccompanied drum roll hits you like a ton of bricks, and it makes you realize what type of sonic/visual treat is in store. Bonzo drops a stick & picks up a spare without missing a beat. There are so many great moments in this footage: Robert’s earnest delivery, everybody facing Bonzo before dynamic changes, Jimmy & Jonesy smiling & interacting during “How Many More Times,” Jimmy’s Black Beauty up close, seeing the youthful audience just eating it up.I could go on & on.

It’s great to finally have a crystal clear version of Danish TV on DVD, as well as Supershow & Tous En Scene. Although I love the “Communication Breakdown” mime from Swedish TV, I just wish it could have been a lower gen. It just doesn’t look like it’s from a master tape. It’s still great to watch on a big television screen!

The menus on DVD 2 are even more interesting. So many surprises. I love it all: the Iceland “Dazed” footage, the backstage at MSG, the boys crossing the street in 1970, the vault/editing footage, the home movie footage and day footage of the crowd at Knebworth, the assorted Starship clips, the 1977 gift from Jimmy, and especially the “Heartbreaker” credits montage. There is so much cool stuff there: Bonzo dancing in a hotel lobby, the fire dancer lighting the gong at MSG, the extras from Earls Court, and, most intriguing, two brief clips of another pro-shot ’73

show (maybe the Pittsburgh screen test?). Finally, it warms my heart to see all of the home movie footage used to such great effect throughout the entire disc. Thanks to the original filmers who avoided Peter Grant’s watchful eye.

What a way to start off DVD disc 2: Vibrant color footage from Australia! It adds a new dimension to the old black and white footage of “Rock and Roll” we see later. Using “Immigrant Song” from the live CD was a great decision. The editing is dynamic and it really is a good bridge between the early years and the superstar years. What stage presence!

On to New York. I can say without hesitation that “The Ocean” is my favorite clip on the entire DVD. Jimmy looks & plays like the guitar shaman he is, and Bonzo just blows it all out. I like the other MSG clips, but it’s a bit frustrating to see visuals not matched up to the soundtrack. I know that they did the best they could with what they had, but it’s hard to watch “Since I’ve Been Loving You” and know that they are using clips of Page from “Whole Lotta Love/Boogie Chillun”, for instance.

Enough complaining. The Earls Court footage is so crystal clear! Jonesy finally gets his due as Led Zeppelin’s secret weapon. The Earls Court segment shows him as a master of mandolin, stand up bass, fretless bass, clavinet and electric piano. Personally, this was the most anticipated part of the DVD, and it does not disappoint. Everything I love about Earls Court is represented: the Light & Shade of this incredible band.

Like just about everybody who wasn’t actually at that meadow north of London, I am most blown away by Knebworth. It warms my heart to finally see for myself how magical it really was. Robert is in great voice, and is in fine command of what’s going on behind him. We see a more mature band that is still proving how potent their chemistry is. They all shine here. My two favorites are “Achilles Last Stand” and a “Whole Lotta Love” with that awesome Knebworth riff. They still had it!

The interview footage is a nice counterpoint to all the frenzy of the live performances. They picked good bits; of course, I wish they were more complete! The 2 promos look great on DVD, but I wish the 1997 “Whole Lotta Love” video could be on there. I am a collector; therefore, I am a completist.I cannot help it!

In closing, I just want to write that Jimmy Page is my favorite rock musician of all time, and that these projects make me more in awe of the man than ever. Thanks to him for finally giving the fans what they want. I wish I had time to review “How the West Was Won.” In a nutshell.stunning and extremely satisfying. What a great time to be a fan of this band.

Tommy Gamard

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Was lucky enough to have my first view of the DVD in a detached house in rural Norfolk with few/no close by neighbours. Why so lucky? My colleague’s son had rigged up his state-of-the-art four foot Mission speakers to the

TV, complete with all manner of extra sound boxes, to give the loudest and most chilling 3+ hours of surround-sound viewing imaginable.

I’m now 29 years old, a Zepp-head for the last 14, so never saw them as a 4-piece, but last night was as close to sitting in a third row seat for ‘an evening with Zeppelin’ as I’m ever likely to get. At one point during the RAH 1970 set I turned to my friend on my right and said “can you just imagine being in the audience right now? – I’d be doing my absolute nut!!”

This footage HAS to be seen on DVD for the best effect, as without the amazing sound it just cannot be the same. Most of us always thought they were the best, but this release takes us all to a new level and really drives it home that they truly are they best live band of all time.

You just run out of superlatives and none really do justice.

Many people regard the Beatles as being No.1, but for complete, pure dynamite, live-on-stage musical cohesion between four musicians, producing a sound that rocks you to your core, they are way out on their own. This

DVD is the ultimate rubber stamp, leaving its mark – “The No.1 Greatest Band in the World – Confirmed”.

Let the good times roll, again and again…

Greg Purling

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I wandered through a deserted Preston city centre at 9am this morning and I was first in to HMV – it felt like I had gone back thirty years to those days when a new Zeppelin album was released and I rushed off to the record store with my mates to be the first to grab the thing off the shelf. I`ve only had time to watch the first DVD and it has truly lived up to expectations — GOD they were a hot band!

I hadn’t expected it to be as good as this – and an excellent job seems to have been done with all the production and restoration. This really brings it all back – it really does ! !

Steve Wilde

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A stunning 2DVD set, it’s not really worth going into detail much – the quality of the material speaks for itself.

Two minor niggles are:-

Why is the MSG footage letterboxed (within a 4:3 frame) and not available as anamorphic 16:9 like TSRTS DVD is? The increased resolution of 16:9 Anamorphic would have made this section amazing.

The other is that the DVD defaults to 2.0 as opposed to 5.1 audio. It has to be manually selected.

These niggles are nothing really as the quality of both picture and the sound are really astonishing. Speaking of image quality I was suprised how well the EC footage has held up, in fact better than the Knebworth footage. Did you notice there are many colour flaws in the Knebworth footage? Try pausing it on a PC DVD player and looking for the coloured bands across.

Anyway, a superb DVD and well overdue. I love the menu footage and my favorite so far today is the Immigrant Song footage with it’s chaotic high-speed editing!. They should release that as a single, it sounds so powerful on my DTS amp.

Jim Sloane

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Can’t say exactly where in Connecticut I bought the DVD and new CD package, as they sold it to me on Saturday (three days before the “official” release date). They were selling like hotcakes around dinnertime and the store had a laptop playing one of the ‘extras,’ : a Dazed and Confused TV performance. I got the last “How The West Was Won’ from the place. No doubt they’ll be reordering…

Here goes:

After watching and listening for a couple of days, I’m much more impressed with the DVDs. The sound, particularly using the surround sound option, is really impressive. I always liked the look and sound of the 1978-80 band (more on that in my CD comments), so the Knebworth footage is a particular fave. We MTV viewers were teased back in ’90 when they aired Kashmir and Ten Years Gone from Knebworth and

since then have wondered “Why haven’t they put that concert film out?” Bonham’s drums and JPJ’s eight-string bass sound phenomenal on my stereo. I really wish they’d included such selections as “Ten Years Gone” and “Hot Dog” from Knebworth.

Knowing that Earl’s Court footage was nearly all close-ups, I was wary of what it could look like. To my surprise, the close-ups are good and the band sounds great.

Madison Square Garden in ’73/Song Remains the Same outtakes? My mind is boggled by the repeated statements that these are outtakes from the SRTS movie when it seems to have the same Black Dog as the movie and Since I’ve Been Loving You is also included (Is

this just another version from the same three nights they filmed the movie?). I AM glad they included The Ocean as I’ve never seen that one live and Misty Mountain Hop.

The band is in good form in the Albert Hall performance. I’ve heard so much bootleg audio from this period, that it’s cool to see it performed. Page and Plant hadn’t fully blossomed into the stage showmen they’d later become but musically, everyone’s playing well.

The “extras” are also worth watching. Though I’ve had bootleg versions of two of the TV performances for a long time, the DVD versions & sound are far superior. One other performance (Tous En Scene) is particularly amusing for the lack of audience reaction. Everyone is simply sitting and staring at the sonic assault before them, a far cry from what the band had seen in the states.

Bottom line on the DVD: It’s a must-own for any hard-core Zep fan. It adds credence to the long-standing claims that the band was not in top form in Song Remains the Same. I will be driving my wife crazy for weeks watching these things.

How the West Was won:

There is no doubt in listening that Page and Kevin Shirley put a tremendous effort into restoring these performances. The audio is top notch. The performances are among the better ones I’ve heard from this period too. I only wish that what is being billed as the ultimate live CD set from the band came from more than two performances in 1972. How the West Was Won has some excellent performances, I’m really fond of Bron Yr- Stomp in particular. Maybe I’m jaded but I’ve heard much of the rest of the songs in bootleg form for so long that I’m not blown away by the new CDs. But I will compare the sound quality difference to the official ‘BBC Sessions’ from the bootlegs of the same stuff I had, which is to say it’s a much better listen after Page and Co get their hands on them for mass release. Go buy ’em

JD

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When I arrived in the office this morning I had DVD and HTWWW (thank you Amazon) sitting on my desk and I just can’t wait to give it the full outing on my stereo/DVD at home. In the meantime I am listening to HTWWW on my PC and despite the lack of quality of my PC’s soundcard the thing is mind blowing. I am nearly finished with the whole set but probably keep it on a continuous loop until the day is gone. Highlights amongst the 18 highlights for me are Stairway to Heaven (never sounded better), Rock and Roll (just kicks arse), Dazed and Confused (already loved it on the bootlegs, but this is just wow) and The Ocean (just great from the entire band). The only negative points if you could call them so, are

the lack of a little booklet – would have been nice

1. the two-second gaps – I find them a bit irritating.
2. the title – HTWWW does not do it justice. Should more be like The best album in the world ever….:)

For a Zephead, who never had the chance to see them live this is probably as good as it gets. I will always love and listen to my bootlegs, but finally we Zepheads have an official release which shows the best band in the world at it’s peak.

Thank you Jimmy, Jonesey, Robert for making this possible and I am sure if we all turn it up to full volume even Bonzo can hear it tonight. I am definitely going to do so….

Cant’ wait to get home to see the DVD….

Andreas Stocker

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I went to see the screening at the cinema in Oxford on Sunday night, so I got to hear how it should sound – properly loud! The first bomb strikes of Bonzo’s bass drum were enough to tell me that things were going to be excellent and indeed they were! I’ve got my own copy too, now, and my favourite bits at the moment are; We’re Gonna Groove (Bonham IS Animal from the Muppets!), Misty Mountain Hop & The Ocean (incredibly sharp guitar sound and Plant’s voice sounds great), the Communication Breakdown promo from 1969 (no wonder they didn’t do much telly!), In My Time Of Dying (Page drew a couple of good-natured laughs at the Oxford screening as he appears to be, er, ‘compensating’ for something with his slide work!!) and Whole Lotta Love from Knebworth.

I think the 1970 RAH Moby Dick deserves a special mention – words fail me to describe how awesome a drummer Bonham was, and being that close to him (albeit on screen) while he goes all-out is an amazing experience. How long did each drum kit last, I wonder? I mean, the Who were renowned for trashing their equipment but Bonham seemed hell-bent on destroying his drums just from the force of his playing! An awesome spectacle – there’s just something about seeing him whack that cow bell round on its stand!

Mark Herdman

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I couldn’t sleep much last night, I was looking forward to today so much. I’d been lucky enough to go to the London “DVD” premiere, so I had seen half of it already. However, this made me me even more restless to see the rest!!

At 10.55am today I was standing outside Virgin Megastore in Camden Town, looking through the window at the copies of “DVD” on the shelves. After what seemed like 5 hours (it was actually 5 minutes!), I ran in, bought it, and ran home again in a state of feverish excitement!

Five-and-a-half-hours later, I am trying to sum up what I feel about the footage I’ve just seen. It’s so difficult… a hundred highlights, so many incredible moments… but here goes, after first viewing.

Firstly, “DVD” offers conclusive proof as to why Led Zeppelin can never reform. John Bonham was, is, and always shall be the most inventive and powerful rock drummer of all time. His sticksmanship in “Trampled Underfoot”, to use just one example, is simply breathtaking…

“The Ocean”- from Bonzo’s thunderous “We’ve done four already, but now we’re steady…” onwards, this is essential viewing for anyone not familiar with the legend of Led Zeppelin… the song really motors and swings, and Page looks like a man who knows he’s in the best band in the world playing at the peak of its powers…

“White Summer” – I feel like shoving all those Satriani-worshiping knuckleheads who say Page was overrated in front of the TV and telling them “WATCH THIS AND LEARN!”. Pagey is in blistering form and plays so fluently… the master at work.

“C’mon Everybody” – Maybe a surprising choice as a highlight, but I think it rocks!! What with the current fashion for garage rock bands, it shows that Zeppelin could play punk rock better than most of the bands that came after them and said they were dinosaurs… raw, ragged and brilliant!

“That’s The Way”- It’s quite some feat to make Earls Court sound intimate, but Zep managed it on this number. It’s always been in my top 10 Zep tunes, and their performance is superb. I loved the smiles between Page and Plant as they were playing it… they were obviously so in love with what they were doing.

“Trampled Underfoot” – Possibly my absolute highlight so far. What a staggering performance… it sums up everything that is great about Led Zeppelin. Bonham and Jones shifting into gear like a well-oiled machine, Page pushing and pulling the song into new directions with almost telepathic speed, Plant careering over the top… “PUUUSSH!! PUUUSSHH!”

“Rock And Roll” – Whew, slow down lads!! Whether it was Knebworth-nerves, or something else, the band speeds through the song like they were Motorhead! Unbelievable energy… I was literally hanging off the edge of my seat watching it!

“Kashmir” – Whoa!! OK, this footage has been on MTV, so is relatively familiar, but seen in this edit… even more magnificent. Bonzo is so fired up on this… he really is the cornerstone of what makes it possibly THE all-time Zep classic. I loved Pagey’s grin as the audience goes ballistic at the opening riff… “Oh, so you like this one, do you?!!”

“Whole Lotta Love” (Knebworth) – Brilliant idea to include the song twice… it really helps to bookend the band’s career. The Knebworth version proves why Zep will always be the greatest… Pagey includes two new riffs in the song that would have kept most bands going for an album or two!! Robert’s interaction with the crowd was brilliant… I just wish I could have been there!

Well, all in all, I really don’t think “DVD” could have been much improved upon. I would have loved “Over The Hills And Far Away” (onstage footage) and “Ten Years Gone” to have been included, but what is on there is well-nigh perfect. The presentation of the set is top notch, the attention to detail excellent (the menus are beautifully done) and the sound and visuals absolutely magnificent. Jimmy Page and Dick Carruthers should give themselves a pat on the back, as they’ve done the Led Zeppelin legend proud, and then some.

Better sign off now… that PLAY button on the DVD player is begging to be pressed again….

Patrick Crowther

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The DVD has taken over my life. After purchasing it we got home and the DVD was on, the second disk first and I watched it

with increasing astonishment. I got to Knebworth, I was there as a sixteen year old, who’s musical outlook and appriciation of what was possible was changed on that day in a field in Hertfordshire. For me seeing Zeppelin was a religous thing and I don’t mean that in a small way. I talk about it as a defining moment in my development like the first time you fall in love or the birth of your children. That important. Well Knebworth did not disappoint, this is how I remember them, power, light and shade, having fun if a little nervously. But who else could transmit an emotion like that nervousness to 210,000 other souls.

The Earls court stuff is brilliant the contrast between the acoustic stuff and the electric, sensational.

Finally last night got to RAH. what a band, my eldest daughter sat up trying to get what it was about this that had excited me so much. She watched and was amazed by the looseness, something nobody does now, wandering about into and out of songs at will, and how tight they were whilst doing that. The RAH footage is awesome a band who know they are the best in the world and are not afraid to show it.

Overall my conclusions are that while it is a band display Bonzo does the things that make you go “wow” most often. If there was ever an arguement why Zeppelin could never reform this is it. It is a shame that we can never see them again live but nobody today can play that well.

Would anyone really argue after seeing this that Zeppelin were not the greatest rock and roll band in the world ever? I think not. Thank need to go to Jimmy, Robert and JPJ, and in the words of Robert (well almost) thanks for 35 years.

 Oceanbridge

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I actually got both box sets early because a record store in my area is notorious for selling albums/CD whatever before the release date. So I got if Friday and got to watch it all weekend. And it worked out because in the States this weekend was Memorial Day (plus it rained, so I didint want to go out)

Initial reaction: Wow….Look how clear the footage is. Especially RAH and the extra camera angles at Knebworth. Makes my bootleg copies look like a piece of crap. Awesome job on the menus with the clips that play there (LOVE TSRTS, and I believe that’s 6-21-77 if I’m not mistaken)

One gripe: Would have liked to see one clip from 77…..Either Seattle or something, since it’s always been rumored. And I don’t want to hear it was too bad, bla bla. No it wasn’t, just put like 2-3 songs on. If they could use the Bootleg footage, Jimmy could have used that. Other gripe: the first disk is basically all RAH. Now don’t get me wrong, but I would have rather traded half of that show in place of some other never before seen footage. (and there is gotta be more)

Some of the cuts during the NYC 73 are wrong. I wont go into detail, just watch “The Ocean”..Watch Bonzo, lots of wrong shots. But who cares, the footage is A+, and how come Black Dog and SIBLY??? Why not something like “Celebration Day” or something never seen before??

A audio commentary would have been cool by Mr. Page. Also, (again, if it was me producing this) I would have explained in more detail about the tapes needing to be baked and how the Archangel machine worked to restore the footage (like show a un-restored clip next to a cleaned up one)

How the west was won: GREAT Whole lotta love medley. So nice to hear a professionally recorded show over a soundboard or bootleg show. Again, if it was me…..I wouldn’t have used 2 shows from the same year. Could have been done like the DVD with 5-7 songs from each show (from different eras, like one early show, one 73 or 75 show, and maybe a 80 Europe tour show. But thats how I would have done it)

I think this is a monumental release for Zeppelin, and they should have called it “Setting the record straight” to show what a concert was really like. Awesome job by JP and crew.

I can only hope they put out a Directors Cut, with everything from the vaults on it. One can only hope.

Thanks, great site also – I check it everyday!

Jeff Pennsylvania, PA. USA

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So there you have it – the passion and enthusiasm as relayed by TBL fans during that initial period of release all of 15 years ago. Many thanks to Dave Linwood.

After reading all that – like I said, in between watching the World Cup, I am going to be reaching for the DVD and the How the West Was Won to revel in it all again – I won’t be the only one…

 What a truly amazing period that was…

Dave Lewis – June 12, 2018

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Danny Kirwan RIP:

It was very sad to hear the passing of Danny Kirwan aged 68 – he contributed to many of the classic early Fleetwood Mac records – including Albatross, Need Your Love So Bad ,Oh Well and Man Of The World.

Jon Hiseman RIP:

it was also very sad to hear the passing of Jon Hiseman aged 73. Jon was a true drumming legend though his work with Graham Bond, John Mayall and Colosseum. The 1971 Colosseum Live album is a particular fave of mine from that era. A pioneering British Percussionist without doubt.

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Gifticuffs:

The good lady Janet and I popped over to the annual  Bedford Kite Festival last weekend – in the craft tent it was great to see the Gifticuffs stall – I had not seen the owner Simon for some years –possibly the last time was at a Zep event at Knebworth in 2008 – Simon specialises in quality rock related merchandise such as T shirts ,keyrings, cufflinks etc. A rather fetching acoustic guitar T shirt was duly purchased.

Check out his website at http://www.gifticuffs.com/

There’s a host of quality Zep related items on sale

Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters perform Hot Dog: 

Yet another very busy week here and it’s  the usual manta -more work on the Evenings With book, more prep for projects ahead. These past few days, the checking of the Evenings With text has been totally full on intensive and I mean intensive…hopefully it will all be worth it as we get near the finishing line -but for now the quest continues…

In between all that I will be clocking in on the World Cup coverage – and of course England’s opening game on Monday against Tunisia. Here’s hoping Gareth’s boys can get off to a good start.

I’ve been listening to The Rolling Stones since 1964 (the year the good lady Janet was born!). The Stones albums were always on the player around our house. I can vividly remember seeing them on Top of The Pops performing Not Fade Away in a promo film that saw them performing on a hillside. When I got really into music in 1969, for about a year The Rolling Stones were my absolute favourite group. They had to take second place when my passion for Led Zeppelin took on giant proportions from 1970 onwards but they were still right up there for me and I followed their every move. I still do…

Therefore tension is mounting here as we count down the days to seeing The Rolling Stones at Twickenham next Tuesday. The good lady Janet and I are most excited at the prospect of an evening with Mick and the boys. Appropriately enough, there’s been plenty of Stones on the playlist and it had me rounding up some lesser known Stones gems.

It led me to compiling a list of 54 of my fave Rolling Stones tracks – with the emphasis away from the more familiar hits – that’s one track for every year I’ve been listening to the Stones over the past 54 years.

It would be nice to think one or two of these might be in the setlist next Tuesday – but what really counts is that we will be in the presence of sheer rock royalty…

The Rolling Stones: 54 at 54 – The DL Playlist:

Route 66

Tell Me

Mona

Heart Of Stone

You Better Move On

Around And Around

If You Need Me

Under The Boardwalk

Time Is On My Side

One More Try

Out of Time

Under My Thumb

I’m Free

Yesterday’s Papers

Dandelion

Citadel

She’s A Rainbow

2000 Light Years From Home

Child Of The Moon

Factory Girl

Salt Of The Earth

I Don’t Know Why (I Love You)

Live With Me

Monkey Man

Sway

Can You Hear Me Knocking

Moonlight Mile

Rocks Off

Loving Cup

Shine A Light

100 Years Ago

Winter

Coming Down Again

Can You Hear The Music

Through The Lonely Nights

Tine Waits For No One

Till The Next Time We Say Goodbye

If You Really Want To Be My Friend

Hand Of Fate

Memory Motel

Hey Nagrita

Beast Of Burden

Before They Make Me Run

Tops

Waiting On A Friend

One Hit To The Body

Rock And A Hard Place

Continental Drift

Slipping Away

You Got Me Rocking

Plundered My Soul

Doom And Gloom

I Gotta Go

Hoo Doo Blues

The countdown to The Rolling Stones at Twickenham is on….5 days to go and counting…

Dave Lewis – June 14, 2018