TBL LED ZEP ’75 SNAPSHOT/TBL ARCHIVE SPECIAL – SEVEN NIGHTS WITH ZEP IN ’77/DL DIARY UPDATE
TBL Led Zep 1975 Snapshot:
With the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s activities in 1975 upon us -I will be celebrating this era with a series of TBL Led Zep 1975 Snapshots – these will take the form of postings covering specific gigs and events from the era, with particular spotlight on the period January to May 1975. They will run periodically on the TBL Facebook pages and on the TBL website.
This is designed to track the progress of the year as it unfolded. I will also be listening to the relevant bootleg of the chosen gig on the day to add a perspective of how it sounds 40 years on.
TBL Led Zep 1975 Snapshot: Number Three & Four
TBL Led Zep 1975 Snapshot Three:
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29 1975
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
THE COLISEUM
Set: Rock And Roll/Sick Again/Over The Hills And Far Away/In My Time Of Dying/The Song Remains the Same/The Rain Song/Kashmir/No Quarter/Trampled Underfoot/Moby Dick/How Many More Times/Stairway To Heaven/Whole Lotta Love – Black Dog/Communication Breakdown.
Something of lacklustre performance. The strain was showing with Jimmy, John Paul and Bonzo having risen very early and flown coast to coast (against the time changes) from Los Angeles to reach Greensboro in time. Robert, who flew in from Chicago, would probably have benefited from another day in bed. The show is now condensed even further by the removal of ‘The Wanton Song’ from the set list. Levee has also been dropped.
Chris Charlesworth remembers the aftermath: “About five hundred fans attempted to storm the rear of the building, throwing broken bottles, stones and pieces of scaffolding. Three of the group’s five limousines were severely damaged, and the drivers of the other two – which were parked inside the building – wanted to take their cars away. Peter Grant wasn’t having that… oh no! He actually offered to buy them on the spot for cash, but after a ‘discussion’ the drivers had no alternative but to let him have them.
“The group and entourage had to make a very quick getaway within seconds of the final encore. Grant took the wheel of the first limo with the band and Richard Cole inside, and everybody else piled into the second. With a Police escort, sirens blazing, at speeds of up to 70 mph in a heavily built-up area, Grant led the way, driving through red lights and on the wrong side of the road.
“It was incredible to be involved in scenes like that… Peter was just unflappable. When we got to the plane he got out and kicked the car really hard. ‘Fucking useless pile of junk!’ he shouted. ‘Way off tune… my old Bently goes twice as fast!’ We all just stood there laughing… totally exhilerated by it all. Then we flew back to New York and the band checked in the Plaza. It was a very tiring day. Unforgettable!”
Snapshot Listen – how it sounded today:
I have this recording on the Footstomping Graffiti double CD (No label). Noisy but fairly clear audience tape.
Lacklustre at times but still some inspired moments. Robert is clearly struggling which is evident in his between song patter -his voice is straining even when talking. Jimmy takes a while to get in the swing but is well on it by No Quarter which now running at 16 minutes and heading for greatness (Jimmy’s finger is cool” says Plant defiantly at one point). The new material goes down well with Trampled particularly vibrant. At 18 minutes, Moby Dick provides a rest for Page and Plant (”John Bonham Moby Dick – Mr Physical Graffiti!” How Many More Times has a few elements of Dazed creeping in. Stairway again proves it’s worth and is something of a saving grace. Whole Lotta Love/Black Dog and Communication Breakdown ( the latter with Jimmy thrashing the hell out of the wah wah pedal) provide a valiant encore finale…and valiant is a good description overall for another challenging performance, given the physical drawbacks they were experiencing.
TBL Led Zep 1975 Snapshot Four:
FRIDAY JANUARY 31 1975
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
OLYMPIA STADIUM
Set: Rock And Roll/Sick Again/Over The Hills And Far Away/In My Time Of Dying/The Song Remains The Same/The Rain Song/Kashmir/No Quarter/Trampled Underfoot/Moby Dick/How Many More Times (inc. The Hunter – The Lemon Song)/Stairway To Heaven/Whole Lotta Love – Black Dog.
“Good evening! It’s our great pleasure to be just about back!” Plant’s opening comment sums up the gig quite accurately. The band were slowly returning to form.
”Tonight we intend to cover the spectrum of a lot of the varying music that we’ve been doing for the last seven years. As we go though this spectrum we want to include some of the new stuff from Physical Graffiti, the LP that comes out soon” (love Robert’s use of the word LP – so quaint).
Plant explains the problem with Jimmy’s finger and joked that… “The bone on his wedding ring finger is bust and that’s a real drag because if he was to get married now, he couldn’t get a ring on”. Bonzo was introduced tonight, as he would be many times on the tour, as “Mr Ultraviolence!”, a reference to the Clockwork Orange style suits that both he and his assistant Mick Hinton wore throughout the tour. This is preceded by Plant’s claim that John is ”The man who made Led Zeppelin a legend.”
Snapshot Listen – how it sounded today:
From the double CD Just About Back – a slightly muffled audience tape but good for the time. The title deriving from Plant’s opening comments ”It’s our great pleasure to be just about back”. Just about back they are with the similar problems from Greensboro in evidence. This though is an altogether livelier showing – Page is particularly inventive on Over The Hills and despite the vocal range shortcomings, Plant attacks In My Time Of Dying and Kashmir with much verve. How Many More Times has it’s final delivery and it’s a solid free flowing performance. All roads would now lead back to the Garden as New York was the next stop off – and when it came to New York, well they were all no doubt aware that they had a reputation to maintain…
DL
Summary: I’m with TBL contributor Andy Crofts view that the January 1975 Zep shows, though far from perfect, offer some quirky unusual set lists and performances. Here’s what Andy said in his piece on the tour in TBL 36- plus his ten notable moments listing from this period:
In my opinion Led Zeppelin’s January 1975 performances have had a lot if unfair bad press. Musically the band are fine, and they show us the kind of gig the band had in mind before the reality of touring the US in 1975 got the better of them. If they are rusty, they are also working hard, to put on a professional show each night. To my ear, these shows ‘cut the crap’ in the same way that they band would do – and stick to – in 1980. It makes for a refreshing listen and a fine contrast to the grandstanding that begins to take over once they reach Madison Square Garden in February….of which more next time.
Meanwhile, my advice is that you search out some of these January 1975 performances and prepare to be surprised that far from being overly sick again…Led Zeppelin were often on a very favourable night flight…
Ten Notable Moments from January 1975:
Here are ten notable performances from January 1975 that demonstrate the band striving to give it their all after a lengthy period away from the stage……and despite some physical restrictions.
January 12thh (Brussels): When The Levee Breaks.
Ok, it doesn’t quite work, but this is by far the best chance to hear this song live.
January 12th (Brussels): The Song Remains The Same
The drums are off at the beginning, but it soon settles down into a fast-paced and well-controlled version.
January 12th (Brussels): The Wanton Song
Another rare one. It’s a shame they dropped it. This version is strongly played and sung, and the solo – while varying from the album version – gets better the more I listen.
January 22nd (Chicago): How Many More Times
Probably the best version of this for 1975, and certainly the best sounding. Jimmy and Robert work together well here, just like the old days, a fact acknowledged by Robert at the end.
January 22nd (Chicago): Stairway To Heaven
The recording has a few glitches, but this is a fine version, with Plant making a big effort and a scorching guitar solo.
January 22nd (Chicago): Communication Breakdown
They didn’t play this much after January, replacing it with the more complex Heartbreaker. This is a strong, fun version with a funky Crunge-like middle section.
January 24th (Cleveland): No Quarter
I’ve picked this one because I really like the guitar solo; inventive and in places quite Floyd-like. The shorter versions of this song always pack more punch for me.
January 29th (Greesnboro): Whole Lotta Love/Black Dog
I couldn’t resist one from Greensboro. Whole Lotta Love is still a mere intro, but Black Dog is well sung, and Jimmy’s guitar is spot on.
January 31st (Detroit): Over The Hills And Far Away
Any version of this from 1975 is on the money, to be honest. I like this one for the solo; Jimmy isn’t flawless but he is energetic and inventive.
January 31st (Detroit): The Rain Song
A beautifully clear version, well played and sung.
Sources: these are the underground titles used as sources – note there are a fair few variations and differing versions of these dates on CD.
January 12th (Brussels) : Belgian Triple
January 22nd (Chicago): Windy City Tapes Vol.3
January 24th (Cleveland): Ultravilence
January 29th (Greesnboro):. A Quick Getaway
January 31st (Detroit): Tune Up
Compiled by Andy Crofts – extract from TBL 36 which you can order here:
TBL Led Zep ’75 Snapshot – To be continued…
…………………
Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti UK Playback Amazon Prize Draw:
The opportunity for two competition prize draw winners to attend a Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti UK Playback event –
Details at this link:
……………………………………..
Chris Charlesworth Just Backdated blog:
A couple of Zep related blog updates via Chris Charlesworth’s excellent Just Backdated blog…
http://justbackdated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/led-zeppelin-my-first-ever-interview.html
http://justbackdated.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/led-zeppelin-whole-lotta-cash.html
………………………………………
Five Glorious Nights -Led Zeppelin at Earls Court May 1975:
Further to my announcement of the Five Glorious Nights – Led Zeppelin at Earls Court 1975 photo book – a sign up site where you can register interest and log your email for further news of ordering should be live next week.
Check it out at :
More details on this forthcoming book as it unfolds.
……………………
BP Fallon album:
The ex Zep publicist and all round vibemaster has a new album out ‘BP Fallon Live In Texas’ on Feb 17th via Vibrosonic Records in association with San Antonio label Saustex . The album is dedicated to the late Ian McClagan “I didn’t know it was being recorded” says BP Fallon about the new live album. “That’s maybe why it has such a great vibe”.
Ordering details at:
http://www.bpfallon.com/2015/01/new-bp-fallon-album-bp-fallon-live-in-texas-released-feb-17th/
…………………………
TBL Archive Special:
Seven nights with Led Zep in 1977
Led Zeppelin (on film) at the Granada Bedford January 1977.
The young DL gazes adoringly at the poster outside the Granada Cinema Bedford January 1977 – no prizes for guessing where this poster ended up – you got it – on my bedroom wall!
38 years ago this week I was about to commence a seven night stint in the company of Led Zeppelin….or to be more specific their film The Song Remains The Same.
The newly released celluloid masterpiece was on general release and doing the rounds nationally and cue fanfare…had rolled into my home town of Bedford.
Yes Led Zeppelin alive on film in the quaint market town of Bedford for seven nights only and I needed to be there every night. Simple as that.
Now this event in the life of this then 20 year old Zep fanatic was big news. I’d already seen the film six times before Christmas, the first three nights in London including the premiere plus screenings in Cambridge.
Now I had the luxury of walking from my home in Dents Road to Bedford High Street every night for seven days to view it at the local Granada cinema. This long since knocked down theatre was a grand old building that alongside its cinema presentations was a stop off for the many pop group package shows of the 1960s. It played host to The Beatles twice and Jimi Hendrix. In April 1964 the seven year old DL witnessed his first ever gig there featuring The Dave Clark Five.
The whole week was a total blast as various friends and relations joined my then girlfriend and me in seeing just what all this Zeppelin film fuss was about. My good friends (and past Earls Court and future Knebworth companions) Tom Locke and Dec came along on the opening Sunday where we stayed for the 4pm and 7pm shows. Luckily there was no Wallbangers football match that day to get in the way.
No Monday morning feeling that week either. Absolutely not. A day in the WH Smith shop selling the records and tapes of choice to the Bedford public and then the nightly prospect of 137 minutes of Zep up on the big screen. It was pure heaven. Bedford Earls Court/Knebworth crew member Phil Harris was with us on the Tuesday night and another Bedford Zep fan and Wallbanger player Nick Crawley came along as well. Dec was back on Wednesday and again on the Friday where we sat through the afternoon and evening screenings.
Dec was also with me a year later when we made two bus rides in driving snow to see the film at Western Favell in Northampton. Now that’s what I call comradeship!
On the Thursday my late Mum and late sister came along to find out just exactly what it was that so inspired the junior one of the family. A lovely touch. This week of weeks ended on the Saturday and not even a family marriage could get in the way. My cousin was getting married that day but we still managed to sneak out of the reception for two hours to attend the final showing (viewing number nine for the week!) By then the manager of the Granada had seen our many visits and gave us free tickets. We even made the local press putting the record straight about some errors in the local review.
An incredible week looking back and it set the year up a treat. I did actually go down with glandular fever not long afterwards which is another story for another day. What we all wanted was to see of course was Led Zeppelin back onstage –the nearest I got to them was the hour I spent at Heathrow Airport on May 17 as they flew out for the second leg of the US tour.
It was to be another two years before the glory of Knebworth.
In between all that I went on to see The Song Remains film around 30 times in UK cinemas from 1976 to 1979. It was the next best thing during their enforced absence. These excursions to see the film included the aforementioned bus ride out with Dec to Western Favell shopping centre near Northampton on a snowy January night in 1978 and a late night showing in Luton when it followed a porn film – I kid you not! I also saw it a fair few times at a small cinema near Wardour Street in London called The Essential. This was an art house cinema that regularly aired rock films of the day.
The arrival of the video age of course would soon make it much easier to view. However it was never quite as rewarding or exciting as those seven trips I made into Bedford St Peters Street during that week way back in 1977. It was like having the band live down the road available at will for a nightly fix. Seven nights in 1977…what a week that was…
Dave Lewis, January 29th 2015.
…………………
DL Diary Update:
TBL designer Mick Lowe and myself have commenced lay out and design on the first pages of the next TBL magazine issue 39 – there’s a mighty long way to go yet as much of the text is work in progress (it’s due out in May) but we are up and running and as can be seen, the year 1975 will figure prominently…
In between the above and more planning and preparation for TBL projects ahead, there’s been a bit of vinyl purchasing. Here come the girls: Last Friday I picked up a trio of 1960s era female vocalist showcases – namely albums by Clodagh Rodgers, Sandie Shaw and Lulu acquired at the Vinyl Barn The Lulu album from 1969 has arrangements by one John Paul Jones… you gotta have it!
Last Sunday the good lady Janet and I had a splendid day visiting our Sam in London …as luck would have it we were in the vicinity of the excellent Rough Trade West store just off Portobello Road and while the ladies tucked into cheese cake nearby, vinyl was investigated…acquisitions included a couple of very nice Warner /Reprise and RSO label 1970s sampler compilations for a £1 apiece and a crop of Dave Edmunds and Pretty Things singles on Swan Song for 50p each -result!
Good to see Spurs make it through to the final of the Capital One Cup with the 3-2 win at Sheffield United. This sets up a Wembley date with Chelsea on March 1st.
On Wednesday I watched the truly excellent Churchill The Nation’s Farewell – a documentary with Jeremy Paxman reflecting on the passing and funeral of Sir Winston Churchill which took place 50 years ago this week. Very moving it was too – I have albums in my collection of Winston Churchill Speeches and the broadcasts of the iconic BBC commentator Richard Dimbleby including his narration of the funeral for the BBC. I also watched a couple of other documentaries on Churchill – his leadership on those dark war years was as we all know so inspirational – watching these programmes has given me a greater understanding of why he was so revered by so many of our parents generation and afforded such a send off 50 years ago.
On Friday I am attending the funeral of my good friend Alan Stutz’ Dad who has sadly passed away – Alan was one of the first to buy TBL issue number one way back. Alan’s Dad served in the second battalion of the Scots Guards just after the second world war in Malaya. Another of the Churchill generation has passed on and I’ll be thinking about that tomorrow afternoon…
February beckons and I’ll refer to the usual mantra as follows:
‘’January is a 31 day hangover but February brings lambs, daffodils and the air fills with a magical quickening that tells you spring is on the way. February is short so whatever you’re trying to stretch, whether it’s your salary, your calorie intake or your booze units, February’s unique compactness helps you spread it just that little bit thicker. A good enough reason to raise a glass”.
January has dragged on like it does – and while it’s been good to get various TBL initiatives under way in the past few weeks, this month, like past January’s has been somewhat inconclusive. It’s that early stage in the year when many plans are in place but ultimate delivery lies somewhat ahead -and that can be a daunting prospect. February should hopefully bring further clarity to a few of the on-going projects here – and of course there’s the not inconsiderable matter of the reissue of an album titled Physical Graffiti…of which many more words will be expressed about in the coming weeks…
Meanwhile below are a couple of blasts from a little bit further back in their glorious past…
Dave Lewis – January 29th 2015.
YouTube clips:
The Song Remains The Same:
Since I’ve Been Loving You:
Have a great weekend…
Until next time…Keep listening, keep reading…
Dave Lewis/Gary Foy – January 29th, 2015.
if you are reading this and have yet to link with the Tight But Loose Facebook page be sure to request/add us.
The TBL Facebook is another key part of the TBL set up with updated stories/additional pics etc to keep you on top of the world of TBL.
To view additional photos and TBL info be sure to hook up with the Tight But Loose Facebook page (add us as a friend)
at http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1611296783
Also follow Dave Lewis/TBL on Twitter – LedzeppelinTBL
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
‘What might be coming to Zeppelin fans at the last remasters party?’ by Ken Winovich 1-30-15
In a little less than four weeks when Led Zeppelin graces all of us fans with their seminal remastered double masterpiece in ‘Physical Graffiti’ and you’ve listened to half of it by then, Zeppelin fans will have crossed over into the latter half of the band’s original discography remasters (minus the movie soundtrack which at the moment is not included) during their 12-year reign. Fans will have by then begun to think and prepare for the last remasters party which like the very first, should include ‘Presence’, ‘In Through The Out Door’ and ‘Coda’. A triple! A word of caution. Having followed the band closely since their fourth album, when Jimmy Page smiles and tells you ‘there will be surprises’, you can bet on it! And as I had some time to contemplate what those surprises might entail, I decided to give it more thought than I wanted. And that’s only because waiting for the new remastered ‘Physical Graffiti’ is just utter torture. Especially when you know the first remastered notes of John Paul Jones’s Moog synthesizer on ‘In The Light’ will completely floor you! So realistically, what can we hard core Zeppelin fans expect next? I can tell you this. The ‘Coda’ companion disc will be the one! I figured I better think this over now because I am going to be tied up all of spring and early summer with ‘Physical Graffiti’. We know the remastered ‘Presence’ companion disc will have two unreleased tracks on it. Considering that album had seven tracks on it, the companion disc will probably contain “Achilles Last Stand”, “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” which takes care of four songs for that companion disc so far. To put the long “Tea For One” on there with two new songs, “Achilles” and “Nobody’s Fault” just doesn’t seem possible. So we’re probably looking at “For Your Life”, the shorter “Royal Orleans” and “Candy Store Rock” since it was on Box Set #1 from the 90’s. Having said all of that, there’s not likely to be any ‘Presence’ tracks on ‘Coda’s companion disc. So that’s out of the way. Lay the Live Soundtrack album aside and that leaves “In Through The Out Door’. ‘Coda’ had (8) eight tracks on it. Two of which were live. So we probably can expect a companion disc of eight songs for the ‘Coda’ Deluxe Box Set. Since hard core Zep fans would really like “No Quarter” from Earls Court 75′ to be on there, that eats up precsious unreleased acetate real estate so that is not likely to happen with this final party. We know one of the unreleased tracks will be ‘Lost In Space’ from the ‘Physical Graffiti’ era as it did not show up on the ‘Physical Graffiti’ remastered set and we learned from Robert Plant that John Paul Jones had promised to buy Robert a new car and one other item to ensure this unreleased track with Jones singing vocals on it would be passed over with his and Robert’s vote topping Jimmy’s but I believe Robert wants the track released. ‘Coda’ also had one track from each album excluding “IV” and “Houses”. So that means we could expect to see “Saint Tristan’s Sword” from the Zep ‘IV’ era simply because on the original ‘Coda’, a Zep ‘IV’ track was left out. Same goes for ‘Houses Of The Holy’. As for Zep ‘III’, the acoustic track “Swan Song” in official release would be nice (this was done in Page’s post-Zep band ‘The Firm’ and had inspired lyrics added by Paul Rodgers and was re-titled “Midnight Moonlight”). That song would be three to 3.5 minutes long at best and would be a welcomed addition as it was originally intended to be released at some point during Zeppelin’s tenure. So if released, that might mean the ‘Coda’ companion disc might include (9) nine unreleased tracks. The reason the first Zeppelin album had the Paris Olympia show was because there was not a whole lot of material left from that recording era. That would not however rule out ‘Sugar Mama’ which we learned from the back of the Zep ‘I’ Deluxe Box Set book is a Zeppelin ‘I’ era track. So there’s your Zep ‘I’ outtake. From the Zep ‘II’ era, we learned they recorded ‘Sunshine Woman’ for the BBC and since it did not make it’s way onto the BBC Sessions 2CD release and there’s our Zep ‘II’ era track. Not that we need one since “La La” has already come out. Which brings us to ‘Houses Of The Holy’. I think you can see where I am going with all this if you have Dave Lewis’s ‘A Celebration’ book and jump to the “Unreleased Material” section at the end of each album’s review track by track. Since ‘Houses Of The Holy’ tracks of “Black Country Woman”, “Houses Of The Holy”, and “Walters Walk” were already released, that leaves only one track left! “Slush”! I don’t know about you but if Zeppelin titled a track ‘Slush’, then what comes to mind first as far as how it’s going to sound? Pretty darn good! That leaves us at ‘In Through The Out Door’. We know of two songs that have had us hard core Zep fans salivating for decades and they are “The Hook” and “Fire”. The only other possibility would be “Sloppy Drunk”. It’s highly unlikely Zep would include a track or two from the Chicago 73′ sound check as they would not own the publishing rights. Nor am I likely to see the tracks I really was hoping for from the Zep ‘I’ era in “Chest Fever” which was a track written by “The Band” as well as Elmer Gantry’s “Flames” from the ‘Underground Velvet Opera’ album and Janis Joplin’s version of “My Baby”. So there you have it! Now seeings as I didn’t see certain things I expected to see on ‘IV’ and ‘Houses Of The Holy’, it’s possible I am off base with 2 or 3 songs in this final list. If these 2 or 3 songs are pretty good, who cares? And I’m not banking on “Autumn Lake” as one of the surprises as it belongs on a Page/Plant Deluxe Box Set because it was played on a Hurdy Gurdy. So it’s looking like this 2014-2015 party (it’s actually only a year) is going to end with a fine finishing kick! If we do see a live track on the ‘Coda’ companion disc, it might be a fiery version of ‘Heartbreaker’ but the BBC Sessions release covered that so I think not.
Seeings how Page already released the Los Angeles Forum 72′ and Long Beach 72′ live recordings and already cleaned out the solid track vaults with “Travelling Riverside Blues”, “Baby Come On Home”, “Hey Hey What Can I Do”, “Bonzo’s Montreux”, “We’re Gonna Groove” and “White Summer/Black Mountain Side” live, what other live track would you possibly put out there? We have plenty of “Dazed & Confused’s” although I wouldn’t mind seeing a second one on a ‘Song Remains The Same’ movie soundtrack companion disc. If the band did release a ‘Song Remains The Same’ Deluxe Box Set, it will have the “Thank You” encore from the last night even if Page has to use a bootleg copy. Throw in a different live take of “Over The Hills And Far Away”, “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, “The Song Remains The Same/Rain Song” and things are shaping up nicely on that companion disc. And if the band decided against another “Dazed And Confused” Madison Square Garden version, substitute that with a killer “Heartbreaker” and “Whole Lotta Love” with killer theramin solo and you have a nice movie soundtrack companion disc. Another 73′ tour news report or extra robbery footage on a file would be a plus. But I wouldn’t rule out a live track on that ‘Coda’ companion disc. I just think it’s unlikely as the band has one last opportunity to really empty the vaults of worthy material. I will be real surprised if it has two live tracks. And to put “No Quarter” live from Earls Court edited down onto the ‘Coda’ companion disc would be a crime. So I see one very big surprise. A real shocker in a song we don’t have on bootleg! If we get two…what a way to end this one year party! The issue is will the ‘Coda’ companion disc go back to earlier in Zep’s career for song selections from ‘I’, ‘II’, ‘III’ or ‘IV’ in order to fill that disc up? Since we found at least one track from each of those eras, that leaves….you guessed it….. 1 or 2 from the ‘In Through The Out Door’ album. I’m betting on “Fire” and one other as in “The Hook”!
Finally, after the kitchen cools down a bit and ‘Physical Graffiti’ has by then been dropped into our laps followed by the last three from the final party, that then raises the final dilemma of more live material as in ‘How The West Was Won’ Volumes II, III & IV. For us hard core fans to never see an Earls Court 2 DVD set, a Knebworth 2 DVD set and a Seattle 77′ 2 DVD set would be a travesty. If the band unanimously agree that one of them has to go such as ‘Seattle 77’, then what about those closed circuit TV arena shows like Landover? If the band could get a good 1975 live show and a good 1977 live show released with Knebworth 1979 thrown in for good measure, that leaves 1971 and 1980 as the only stones left un-turned. Enter Page’s chronological live album which by the way should be titled ‘Tight But Loose’ as that’s where and when Page came up with the words. Jimmy, just make sure you get some 1971 and 1980 tracks on there and you won’t have any complaints or rumblings from me. If the band decided one of these three DVD shows has to go and that its not possible to release officially, that’s acceptable. But to only get one of these three or none at all would mean a lousy ending to my Zeppelin finale. Because how many more years do each of us hard core Zep fans have left to enjoy the best music on the planet when a majority of us got into the band in the early to mid (19)70’s? I don’t know about you but I’m not necessarily planning on buying any Atlantic rush job milk-it-for-all-it’s-worth releases after the band members have passed on because I myself will be right behind them! If I live long and I get to buy a few Atlantic/Warner rush jobs, I’ll consider it a plus. As for me and my ears, we’ll take going out with a bang in Zeppelin/Page-approved style! With my Tight But Loose subscription about to start and all the back issues I can get…and three more Dave Lewis books in ‘Feather In The Wind’, ‘Then As It Was’ and ‘From A Whisper To A Scream’….plus with his new one about the Earls Court gigs ready for release and with me finally getting the ‘Trampled Underfoot’ book and cleaning up all other loose ends, all that’s left is Strawman’s live GEAR book. Coupled alongside with Page’s new book and the Deluxe Box Sets, what a finale! I’ve got plenty of material to dissect over the next ten to twenty years! So Jimmy, Robert and John Paul…..if I could be so lucky to get a couple more ‘How The West Was Won’ DVD sets and a) ‘Song Remains The Same’ Deluxe Box Set OR b) that chronological live ‘Tight But Loose’ release which should include a couple 1971 and 1980 live tracks OR c) a really killer live show, I would consider myself to have been one lucky and satisfied Led Zep rock fan who chose the best band in the world as his favorite and who’s favorite band in turn set him up with the finest official releases he could ever have asked for! And the bootlegs and books just top it all off! With Robert claiming this may have been his last, anything from messrs Page and Jones would be a plus as I’m not necessarily expecting anything. We know a reunion tour is out the window. Yet if the band agreed to yet just one more one-off gig….a quick one…..twenty minutes long…..ONE LAST TIME….as in the 50th Anniversary of the Super Bowl, Wow! What Zep fan could realistically possibly ask for more? What a ride! What a fabulous ride! Many thanks to all the fans for sharing their thoughts, their passions and their Zep musical desires! It’s gonna take at least a whole decade at a minimum to digest all of this new stuff! But as in the past…..that’s the glory of it all! Zeppelin always deliver!
Leave your response!