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1977 Tour


ms_zeppelin94

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The real creative "LIVE" band Zeppelin was died after 72 I think. And it was because Jimmy couldn't or for the most part wouldn't play with the same authority that he had in the early day's of the band.

I'd say the band peaked in 1973 (especially March). As said by numerous people in different threads, the long jam sections for Dazed and Whole Lotta Love hit their peaks by the NA Tour and there was really nothing left do with them afterward. It had taken them numerous tours and five straight years of stretching themselves and the sections to craft what they were by the New York shows in 1973. I think that's why alot of people have some disdain for the 1975 versions of Dazed. It was rather bloated and felt mediocre compared with versions from 1972-73. It's all preference though. I consider No Quarter the best during the 73 tour while others think some of the 75 and especially 77 versions really highlight what the song's potention was intended for.

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I'd say the band peaked in 1973 (especially March). As said by numerous people in different threads, the long jam sections for Dazed and Whole Lotta Love hit their peaks by the NA Tour and there was really nothing left do with them afterward. It had taken them numerous tours and five straight years of stretching themselves and the sections to craft what they were by the New York shows in 1973. I think that's why alot of people have some disdain for the 1975 versions of Dazed. It was rather bloated and felt mediocre compared with versions from 1972-73. It's all preference though. I consider No Quarter the best during the 73 tour while others think some of the 75 and especially 77 versions really highlight what the song's potention was intended for.

At the time, I wasn't a big fan of the 75 Dazed or the super long extended versions of No Quarter either. Listening to them on a recording is one thing but the actual live experience was another thing all together. I felt by 75 and certainlt 77 they had enough strong material that Dazed didn't need to be included at all.

Shorter versions of No Quarter and the inclusions of say The Rover, For Your Life, Custard Pie, In The Light would have worked much better IMHO. That's just me though :peace:

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At the time, I wasn't a big fan of the 75 Dazed or the super long extended versions of No Quarter either. Listening to them on a recording is one thing but the actual live experience was another thing all together. I felt by 75 and certainlt 77 they had enough strong material that Dazed didn't need to be included at all.

Shorter versions of No Quarter and the inclusions of say The Rover, For Your Life, Custard Pie, In The Light would have worked much better IMHO. That's just me though :peace:

That would have been interesting if they did that.
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Here's another four words: For Badge Holders Only.

Best "No Quarter" ever.

Yes, Page was a mess in 1977. And Plant was no longer singing like he did in 1971.

But, for what they were still capable of, the LA shows were the best.

Plant actually started singing better by 77 than he was most of 75. The band just wasn't up to the level they were at in 75.

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It was probably the worst tour for the band on personal level, with Plant's son dying and the incident at Oakland.

I don't know. They had some bs drama going on several other times and I think they were just about to tour in 75 when they were forced to cancel because of the car accident.

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The 1977 Tour was, with the exception of a few incredible shows, a complete disaster.

What was hoped to be a "lightning, thunder, and hammer of the Gods" tour de force turned into a nightmare of mis-haps and bad vibes and in the end - an ultimate tragedy.

Yes, there were record breaking shows, Pontiac Silverdome comes to mind. Great shows, Badge holders L.A., Destroyer shows - Cleveland, Dallas, Minneapolis.

But for every great show there were disasters around every corner. Chicago, Oakland, Seattle, Tampa, etc.

Jimmy was fried, Robert was in poor voice more often than not, Bonzo was a loose cannon waiting for someone to pull his chain, Jonesy was well - Jonesy. Zep security were boardering on criminals let loose. Thugs. Peter Grant was out of control - even for him!

And those loooonngg solos! Moby Dick - 30 minutes plus, No Quarter - 30 minutes plus. Dazed - 40 minutes plus...you get the picture. Not good!

Fights, riots, lightning storms, drugs, freaks, promoters, firecrackers like ammunition, sickness, and finally - death. Yes, death. Zeppelin ended with Robert's son Karac passing. There was a shadow of Zeppelin later and it took Bonzo's passing to write the final chapter in 1980.

But for all intent and purpose 1977 was the End. The Light was passing into Shadow.

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^Dude I agree with you except they didn't play Dazed *at all* in '77...maybe you were thinking of Jimmy's wanking guitar/noise solo?

I agree though and have said before, the overall vibe of the tour, the feel, even coming through the recordings, is not good. There are some excellent shows (Dallas was certainly not one of them...the beginning of the tour was awful with the band severely underrehearsed), but the Cleveland, Pontiac, Maryland, NYC, and LA shows were all very good, some even great.

One other thing no one mentions is that Robert was taking loads of painkillers because of the pain his recovered foot/leg was giving him after those 3 hour shows...

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This tour gets bashed postmortem more than any other, with people judging it on maybe good, maybe not, quality bootlegs. The reviews were pretty favorable if I recall and for the people that saw them it was three hours of in your face Rock n Roll. Even on their worst nights they were so much more superior than anything else that was out there. It wasn't Punk, It wasn't Disco, people were starved for these shows, and came away happy.

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This tour gets bashed postmortem more than any other, with people judging it on maybe good, maybe not, quality bootlegs. The reviews were pretty favorable if I recall and for the people that saw them it was three hours of in your face Rock n Roll. Even on their worst nights they were so much more superior than anything else that was out there. It wasn't Punk, It wasn't Disco, people were starved for these shows, and came away happy.

Hey, I personally really overall enjoy the 1977 tour...the setlist was awesome and the shows that *were* good were VERY good...but overall there's no denying it was the weakest tour from an overall musical/performance quality/vibe of the tour of Zeppelin's peak period.

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The 1977 Tour was, with the exception of a few incredible shows, a complete disaster.

What was hoped to be a "lightning, thunder, and hammer of the Gods" tour de force turned into a nightmare of mis-haps and bad vibes and in the end - an ultimate tragedy.

Yes, there were record breaking shows, Pontiac Silverdome comes to mind. Great shows, Badge holders L.A., Destroyer shows - Cleveland, Dallas, Minneapolis.

But for every great show there were disasters around every corner. Chicago, Oakland, Seattle, Tampa, etc.

Jimmy was fried, Robert was in poor voice more often than not, Bonzo was a loose cannon waiting for someone to pull his chain, Jonesy was well - Jonesy. Zep security were boardering on criminals let loose. Thugs. Peter Grant was out of control - even for him!

And those loooonngg solos! Moby Dick - 30 minutes plus, No Quarter - 30 minutes plus. Dazed - 40 minutes plus...you get the picture. Not good!

Fights, riots, lightning storms, drugs, freaks, promoters, firecrackers like ammunition, sickness, and finally - death. Yes, death. Zeppelin ended with Robert's son Karac passing. There was a shadow of Zeppelin later and it took Bonzo's passing to write the final chapter in 1980.

But for all intent and purpose 1977 was the End. The Light was passing into Shadow.

Sorry to be disrespectful but I think this is way-over-the-top melodrama. Zeppelin were on fire at Knebworth and as positive as they had ever been just prior to Bonzo's death. This post reads well in the Hammer-of-the-Gods school of Zeppelin history, but for the most part it's fantasy.

"Fights, riots, lightning storms, drugs, freaks, promoters, firecrackers like ammunition, sickness, and finally - death. Yes, death. Zeppelin ended with Robert's son Karac passing."

And important to note that Karac's death, as tragic as it was, had NOTHING to do with the 1977 tour or any of its supposed excesses. The way people paint it as some kind of climax to all of the craziness is tasteless IMO, just like those who blame Jimmy's interest in the occult. Karac died because of happenings in the UK, not because of what Zeppelin were up to in the US.

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^I agree that Karac's death was a brutal and awful blow that had absolutely nothing to do with the band, but I still see it as a super tragic and unnecessary end to a tour that was dark from the start.

I wouldn't say they were "on fire" at Knebworth...the first show was damn good but the second was not so good...and Robert had ZERO interest in Zeppelin in 1979-80 so I don't know how you can say things were as healthy in the band as they'd been in a while...

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^I agree that Karac's death was a brutal and awful blow that had absolutely nothing to do with the band, but I still see it as a super tragic and unnecessary end to a tour that was dark from the start.

I wouldn't say they were "on fire" at Knebworth...the first show was damn good but the second was not so good...and Robert had ZERO interest in Zeppelin in 1979-80 so I don't know how you can say things were as healthy in the band as they'd been in a while...

That's absolutely untrue. I don't know where you get that idea.

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This tour gets bashed postmortem more than any other, with people judging it on maybe good, maybe not, quality bootlegs. The reviews were pretty favorable if I recall and for the people that saw them it was three hours of in your face Rock n Roll. Even on their worst nights they were so much more superior than anything else that was out there. It wasn't Punk, It wasn't Disco, people were starved for these shows, and came away happy.

AMEN!!!

You have summed it up great!

As I always say to the 77 bashers, I guess you just had to have been there :D

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With all the talk of the 1977 tour I feel compelled to add my two cents, for what it's worth. I've long felt the '77 tour could have been dubbed the: What Was And What Could Have Been tour... certainly there were some great moments, as a few of you have pointed out. I recall getting Destroyer in a black box... this was a VINYL bootleg and being mesmerized by Jimmy on Ten Years Gone. When I first listened to "Eddie" I was completely blown away by Bonzo, particularly Song Remains and Nobody's Fault.

However, if you look at the entire tour as a whole, and not just a few specific songs or shows, I fell that, overall, it left us... the fans... wanting more. As has been mentioned previously the overly long versions of No Quarter, Moby Dick/Over The Top and Jimmy's guitar solo... does anybody recall the guy in LA on 21 June screaming out... "We've had the guitar lesson..." all of these could have/should have been cut down with selections like For Your Life, Candy Store Rock, Tea For One, The Rover, In The Light and When The Levee Breaks added. And if they had done something like that there's a good chance the tour would be even more revered than it already is. Picture a set-list like this:

Led-Zeppelin 1977 Tour (What Could Have Been)

Song Remains The Same

The Rover

Sick Again

Nobody's Fault But Mine

In My Time Of Dying

Tea For One

In The Light

Ten Years Gone

Battle Of Evermore

Going To California

Black Country Woman

Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

Candy Store Rock

For Your Life

Trampled Underfoot

Over The Hills & Far Away

Stairway To Heaven

Encore: Kashmir/Rock & Roll

Encore II: When The Levee Breaks/Whole Lotta Love

That changes the show quite drastically, probably keeps it at around 3 hours and gets both In My Time Of Dying and Over The Hills in, two songs they rotated. It eliminates all the excessive soloing and introduces some great tracks never played, or rarely played, by the band.

I also wish the acoustic set had been more subtle. I get that they were playing in huge halls/stadiums, but Plant really plays up to the crowd during those acoustic songs and I feel the songs suffered because of it. Particularly Going To California. In 1998 Robert returned to a more melancholy way of singing this, proof that it can be done in huge arenas.

The 1977 Tour had some great moments... but in the long run they weren't enough to sway my opinion on the tour as a whole. The tour shirt, with the Swan Song logo, is classic... but the set list leaves me wondering... what was... and what could have been...

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With all the talk of the 1977 tour I feel compelled to add my two cents, for what it's worth. I've long felt the '77 tour could have been dubbed the: What Was And What Could Have Been tour... certainly there were some great moments, as a few of you have pointed out. I recall getting Destroyer in a black box... this was a VINYL bootleg and being mesmerized by Jimmy on Ten Years Gone. When I first listened to "Eddie" I was completely blown away by Bonzo, particularly Song Remains and Nobody's Fault.

However, if you look at the entire tour as a whole, and not just a few specific songs or shows, I fell that, overall, it left us... the fans... wanting more. As has been mentioned previously the overly long versions of No Quarter, Moby Dick/Over The Top and Jimmy's guitar solo... does anybody recall the guy in LA on 21 June screaming out... "We've had the guitar lesson..." all of these could have/should have been cut down with selections like For Your Life, Candy Store Rock, Tea For One, The Rover, In The Light and When The Levee Breaks added. And if they had done something like that there's a good chance the tour would be even more revered than it already is. Picture a set-list like this:

Led-Zeppelin 1977 Tour (What Could Have Been)

Song Remains The Same

The Rover

Sick Again

Nobody's Fault But Mine

In My Time Of Dying

Tea For One

In The Light

Ten Years Gone

Battle Of Evermore

Going To California

Black Country Woman

Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

Candy Store Rock

For Your Life

Trampled Underfoot

Over The Hills & Far Away

Stairway To Heaven

Encore: Kashmir/Rock & Roll

Encore II: When The Levee Breaks/Whole Lotta Love

That changes the show quite drastically, probably keeps it at around 3 hours and gets both In My Time Of Dying and Over The Hills in, two songs they rotated. It eliminates all the excessive soloing and introduces some great tracks never played, or rarely played, by the band.

I also wish the acoustic set had been more subtle. I get that they were playing in huge halls/stadiums, but Plant really plays up to the crowd during those acoustic songs and I feel the songs suffered because of it. Particularly Going To California. In 1998 Robert returned to a more melancholy way of singing this, proof that it can be done in huge arenas.

The 1977 Tour had some great moments... but in the long run they weren't enough to sway my opinion on the tour as a whole. The tour shirt, with the Swan Song logo, is classic... but the set list leaves me wondering... what was... and what could have been...

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^I agree that Karac's death was a brutal and awful blow that had absolutely nothing to do with the band, but I still see it as a super tragic and unnecessary end to a tour that was dark from the start.

I wouldn't say they were "on fire" at Knebworth...the first show was damn good but the second was not so good...and Robert had ZERO interest in Zeppelin in 1979-80 so I don't know how you can say things were as healthy in the band as they'd been in a while...

You're absolutely correct - Robert had little or no interest continuing with Zeppelin after losing Karac but thanks to Jonesy and Bonzo he thought it over and gave a a half-hearted try again.

He and Jimmy's relationship was torn apart by then but Robert did decide to try and mend broken fences.

Actually, the seeds of Robert's solo career began right after Knebworth.

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AMEN!!!

You have summed it up great!

As I always say to the 77 bashers, I guess you just had to have been there :D

I WAS there - many times. I'm just being honest in my review of '77. They were still better than most even on their worst night - that's true. However there is no escaping the fact that '77 wasn't pretty in lots of respects.

It's just fact. No Zep bashing.

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With all the talk of the 1977 tour I feel compelled to add my two cents, for what it's worth. I've long felt the '77 tour could have been dubbed the: What Was And What Could Have Been tour... certainly there were some great moments, as a few of you have pointed out. I recall getting Destroyer in a black box... this was a VINYL bootleg and being mesmerized by Jimmy on Ten Years Gone. When I first listened to "Eddie" I was completely blown away by Bonzo, particularly Song Remains and Nobody's Fault.

However, if you look at the entire tour as a whole, and not just a few specific songs or shows, I fell that, overall, it left us... the fans... wanting more. As has been mentioned previously the overly long versions of No Quarter, Moby Dick/Over The Top and Jimmy's guitar solo... does anybody recall the guy in LA on 21 June screaming out... "We've had the guitar lesson..." all of these could have/should have been cut down with selections like For Your Life, Candy Store Rock, Tea For One, The Rover, In The Light and When The Levee Breaks added. And if they had done something like that there's a good chance the tour would be even more revered than it already is. Picture a set-list like this:

Led-Zeppelin 1977 Tour (What Could Have Been)

Song Remains The Same

The Rover

Sick Again

Nobody's Fault But Mine

In My Time Of Dying

Tea For One

In The Light

Ten Years Gone

Battle Of Evermore

Going To California

Black Country Woman

Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

Candy Store Rock

For Your Life

Trampled Underfoot

Over The Hills & Far Away

Stairway To Heaven

Encore: Kashmir/Rock & Roll

Encore II: When The Levee Breaks/Whole Lotta Love

That changes the show quite drastically, probably keeps it at around 3 hours and gets both In My Time Of Dying and Over The Hills in, two songs they rotated. It eliminates all the excessive soloing and introduces some great tracks never played, or rarely played, by the band.

I also wish the acoustic set had been more subtle. I get that they were playing in huge halls/stadiums, but Plant really plays up to the crowd during those acoustic songs and I feel the songs suffered because of it. Particularly Going To California. In 1998 Robert returned to a more melancholy way of singing this, proof that it can be done in huge arenas.

The 1977 Tour had some great moments... but in the long run they weren't enough to sway my opinion on the tour as a whole. The tour shirt, with the Swan Song logo, is classic... but the set list leaves me wondering... what was... and what could have been...

Shit!It's the breweries fault.

I have to agree to a point with your post DD.Extended solos to me, have sometimes carried on a bit (bands in general) past their lifespan.

I'm all for showcasing an individual's talent.Kind of like conversation.Why take twenty minutes to say what can be said concisely said in say,ten minutes.

It's a Catch 22.

I think it's somewhat different with Led Zeppelin.

Extreme talent.We could have witnessed 10-12 live hours easily.

Though, with your revised setlist,hell yes,I would have loved to hear additional songs at the expense of shortened solos,if... the concert had to be performed within an allotted time frame.

To this day, I wonder why Led Zeppelin played Rock And Roll as their only encore in Birmingham,then left the stage.

The arena though,was quite satisfied.

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You're absolutely correct - Robert had little or no interest continuing with Zeppelin after losing Karac but thanks to Jonesy and Bonzo he thought it over and gave a a half-hearted try again.

He and Jimmy's relationship was torn apart by then but Robert did decide to try and mend broken fences.

Actually, the seeds of Robert's solo career began right after Knebworth.

.....Your analysis are pretty logical....After '77 I do remember Zep having "difficult" time, there were these unfortunate events, Jimmy's health, and Plant's personal tragedy to begin with, and the times were changing too, with new Punk movement on the rise....I think all of these events combined contributed to Zep's challenges, but I must say both Robert and Jimmy have managed to stay very Respectful colleagues and friends...really best as can be expected "under the circumstances" to date....

As for '77 no matter how you judge it, it was the height of 70's...those who were at Zep concerts, are certainly very luck to witness history in the making...yes, '77 for sure a classic year on its' own.

:D

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Sorry to be disrespectful but I think this is way-over-the-top melodrama. Zeppelin were on fire at Knebworth and as positive as they had ever been just prior to Bonzo's death. This post reads well in the Hammer-of-the-Gods school of Zeppelin history, but for the most part it's fantasy.

"Fights, riots, lightning storms, drugs, freaks, promoters, firecrackers like ammunition, sickness, and finally - death. Yes, death. Zeppelin ended with Robert's son Karac passing."

And important to note that Karac's death, as tragic as it was, had NOTHING to do with the 1977 tour or any of its supposed excesses. The way people paint it as some kind of climax to all of the craziness is tasteless IMO, just like those who blame Jimmy's interest in the occult. Karac died because of happenings in the UK, not because of what Zeppelin were up to in the US.

For the most part it's fantasy? Really Kneb? As a very knowledgeable Zep fan I'm surprised to hear that from you.

Was the Tampa '77 riot due to t-storms and cancellation of the concert not fact?

The famous Boston riots to get tickets - windows smashed, people hurt, cars lit on fire...fantasy?

Jimmy almost losing his fingers due to a firecracker thrown and bouncing off Bonzo's kit - not real?

Jimmy passing out in Chicago during the show- imaginary?

Bonzo and Grant helping to bash a Bill Ghram bodyguard's face to jello - fake?

Cocaine, pain-killers, smack, Lori Maddox - etc - all made up I guess.

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