Led Zeppelin Over Europe 1980

[phredzeppelin63]

I Would have loved to see them drop since I've been loving you and added tea for one cause I thought it was a better song. would have also loved to see them throw in a version of in the light,and who knows? maybe had bonzo lived,maybe they would have!? Carouselambra would have really been hard to pull off,so I doubt they would ever do it from start to finish,maybe they could have done it as part of a medley of different songs like page and plant did in 1995.

[phredzeppelin63]

Page - steady enough in the beginning. Best night was perhaps Vienna, showing fluency even in White Summer (an exception is the Boogie Chillin within WLL, a train wreak). First night in Mannheim is a low point, struggles throughout. Berlin is also not in the hall of fame.

I Think page was probably at full addiction to smack and coke then,and Bonham collapsed like 10 mns into one show in Germany after eating something like 20 banannas. in my view,page and Bonham both needed rehab,but nobody had the balls( including peter grant) to sit them down and tell them that. plant and jones may have tried drugs,but they were able to fight their demons better than page and Bonham could.

[Nutrocker]

Having listened to the entire 1980 tour over the past two months or so I figured I would briefly list my findings:

<snip>

Excellent observations, Listen...you pretty much nailed it.

I Think page was probably at full addiction to smack and coke then,and Bonham collapsed like 10 mns into one show in Germany after eating something like 20 banannas. in my view,page and Bonham both needed rehab,but nobody had the balls( including peter grant) to sit them down and tell them that. plant and jones may have tried drugs,but they were able to fight their demons better than page and Bonham could.

Trouble was, by that point Peter Grant was as much of an addict -if not more so- than Page or Bonham, and had enough trouble keeping his own problems at bay to even attempt to help sort theirs out. Consider that, when John Bonham died and the band called it a day, Peter didn't take the opportunity and clean up his own act- if anything he got even worse into the drugs, literally barricading himself inside his house (bedroom, to be specific) and taking coke and smack all day as though he were the rock manager version of Brian Wilson or something. Robert Plant of course cleaned up his act after Karac died in '77, and family man John Paul Jones, though he indulged as much as the next guy actually believed in moderation. Page, Bonham and Grant didn't. As related in the new Barney Hoskyns Zeppelin biography, Peter Grant's initial post-Zeppelin story isn't a pretty sight, though an inspirational one once he did get straightened out (hell, he even lost all that weight!)

The "27 bananas" story is as much a load of bollocks (IMO) as Page's supposed "gastroentritis" during the aborted 9/4/77 Chicago show. As Listen To This explained in his summary above, Bonham had been partying hard in the days before the Nuremburg 27/6/80 gig, and it obviously caught up to him come showtime. But I suppose claiming yer drummer's ailment came from eating a shitload of bananas makes for a better (and more humourous) story than simply saying that he was too fucking hungover and/or strung out on the night to perform.

Had the tour actually made it to the States, I wouldn't be surprised if there would have been more Nuremburg and Chicago type incidents during some of the gigs.

[ListenToThis]

Everyone seemingly labels Zurich, Frankfurt or sometimes Munich as the best show of this tour. After continued (okay obsessive, it is Zeppelin) listening I believe the winner is Zurich.

Munich shines from a technical standpoint - they are keen to impress Simon and enjoy being in the city, but limited risks are taken resulting in a somewhat linear showing.

Frankfurt is perhaps a little bit like a party, and the band plays very well. "Money" is cool and the WLL is particularly impressive. ALS is of course quite strong and they were never going to perform poorly in front of Ahmet.

Zurich however represents to me the band having a good time and giving it their all. Earlier in this thread I noted that Jimmy was not playing as well as he did in Vienna but his performance is still well ahead of where he would be later in the week in Mannheim. Bonham's hesitation at the beginning of Jimmy's solo in NFBM is brilliant. The extended version of ITE features excellent interaction between Bonham and Jimmy during the outro. TUF is aggressive and fluid. ALS, while Bonham takes a somewhat more linear approach, is amazing - he is like a metronome, playing an extremely tight beat while throwing in short but aggressive deviations, and the machine gun snare fill at the very end is perfect - to me the best version of '80 (better than Frankfurt) and one of the top five performances of the song ever. Kashmir is a mixed bag of course - yes they get lost in the coda but Bonham and company make up for it at the end. Stairway is another top version for Over Europe and the elongated Heartbreaker displays the passion and energy of past days.

Zurich vs. Frankfurt is a fun debate. But to me Zurich is the winner.

[blindwillie127]

The "27 bananas" story is as much a load of bollocks (IMO) as Page's supposed "gastroentritis" during the aborted 9/4/77 Chicago show. As Listen To This explained in his summary above, Bonham had been partying hard in the days before the Nuremburg 27/6/80 gig, and it obviously caught up to him come showtime. But I suppose claiming yer drummer's ailment came from eating a shitload of bananas makes for a better (and more humourous) story than simply saying that he was too fucking hungover and/or strung out on the night to perform.

Agreed. I could understand doing too many lines, or too many pills, or too many drinks, or too many women (not really),

but "too many bananas"? They must have got a chuckle out of that one.

[LooneyBadgeholder]

As far as my idea for a good set list for 80, I'm first assuming that Page's playing is much improved from Europe. I'm also assuming that the 1978 outtake Fire was finished and incorporated into their next album whenever that would come out.

1. Wearing & Tearing

2. Nobody's Fault But Mine

3. Black Dog

4. Bring It On Home OR When The Levee Breaks

5. Out On The Tiles (yeah that's right)

6. Carouselambra

7. Song Remains The Same

8. Trampled Underfoot

9. Tea For One

10. Fire (if they finished it. If only....)

11. In The Evening

12. Achilles Last Stand

13. Stairway (only to please the people)

14. Kashmir

Encore

1. Whole Lotta Love/Rock And Roll

2. Communication Breakdown/The Ocean

Maybe a Darlene boogie jam? Anybody?

[Jimmywalnutz]

Recently, I immersed myself in to this tour. Europe 1980 ( hereto referred to as E 80). I spent about a month listening to nothing but E 80 shows and another two weeks listening to at least one show a day from the jaunt. This was with the exception of Zurich and Frankfurt, 6/29 & 6/30/80 are easily two of the best shows and consequently the most popular. My initial plan was to dig through the lesser known or less popular shows from E 80 and compile four discs worth of the heaviest performances with hope of getting them re mastered . However, Mr. Winston's Omega Series covered most everything from E 80 in amazing fashion.

The end project turned out to be a compiling of  what I thought  was the best of E 80 in a playlist as if it were one show. Including all the songs played more than once during E 80. I did NOT use The Winston Remasters for this. I wanted it to an " as was". I used the sources I had. It should be noted I had the tapes for completest purposes and rarely and in a couple of cases never even listened to them in entirely . I had always listened to either Zurich or Frankfurt and sometimes Rotterdam on the rare occasion I wasn't listening to earlier tours.  After 6 weeks I became VERY familiar with the other shows from E 80. This was strictly an audio study.

Having said that , we know that Zep 1980 was at it's weakest. Plant had suffered immeasurable loss and the bands inner circle reacted dubiously to say the least. This included two band members . The band had very weak management due to Peter Grant and (Dick) Cole being in the throes of addiction. Jimmy Page was perhaps the sickest of all and his playing had suffered greatly. Bonzo had his demons and while he was still functioning at a high level his prowess on the drum kit wasn't nearly as great as it was previously. JPJ was perhaps the only band member still close his creative peak and was still as stellar as ever. E 80 is hardly a tour by Zep standards. It was more a warm up for a much larger planned American Tour . The band was to support ITTOD, an album that Jimmy had minimal creative involvement . It was Robert and JPJ's album with Jimmy taking on a pseudo session guitarists role.

This was not a research project but these factors greatly influenced the E 80 tour and the "Magick" was all but dead . It would appear and vanish just as quickly. Also gone were the excesses of 77, no three hour shows,  and songs were played and the shows moved on. Trampled and WLL where the vehicles for any sort of jamming or extended playing. No solo features either.

It may sound as if I am painting a grim picture but I had a GREAT time discovering and rediscovering this most obscure material of the Live Zep cannon. I found so much quality material it's almost like I have a new boot !  Zep was not dead but we will never know what might have been. And it ends there .

The reason for my choices will be briefly explained with excerpts from my notes. If no choice was made for a particular track it will be explained within the listing below as well. E 80 started in Dortmund 6/17/80 and ended on 7/7/80. Mannheim was the only stop the band played two shows. They never played more than two consecutive shows.

 

BEST OF THE E80 TOUR MINUS 2, ONE FANS OPINION

1. TRAIN KEPT A ROLLING- BREMEN 6/23/80- I love this choice for an opener. The Bremen version is real raw and dirty. It's not he tightest version from the tour but very raucous with a little punk flavor. I haven't heard the song played this way before.

2. NOBODY'S FAULT BUT MINE- DORTMUND 6/17/80- It's obvious rehearsals for E80 were taken seriously . This first night out the band fires on all cylinders on this one. The guitar is raw and jimmy delivers when Robert calls. Bonzo and JPJ are locked in and Plant's vocal is one of the best all tour. Munich was a very close second Jimmy delivers his best solo for this track on that night.

3. BLACK DOG-MANNHEIM 7/3/80- Just fabulous ! Bonzo plays the very complicated drum track with real conviction. Jimmy tears up the solo and Plant even hits some high notes. A remarkable performance that can hold it's own to just about anything post from 75 on. Again, Munich is close but no cigar. Page and Bonzo are on fire but Robert's vocal isn't up to par.

4. IN THE EVENING- COLOGNE- 6/18/80- The second night of the tour and everything was perfect. The song has a good deal of "effects" and they blend perfectly this night with inspired efforts by the whole band. Jimmy delivers one of his best solos all tour and not just for this track. A truly magnificent solo. Again it's evident the band did plenty of rehearsing. I would call this a definitive version.

5. RAIN SONG- I didn't hear anything in all the  E80 shows that moved me at all. Not all bad performances but no "wow factor".

6. HOT DOG- In Dortmund Jimmy tries to play the album solo or at least the main layer of it. I really think he forgot how to play it in any semblance of ITTOD. It's too bad because I love the song and the album has the best version.

7. ALL MY LOVE- BRUSSELS 6/20/80- Just beautiful. Plant has so many inspired AML vocal performances on the tour. This may not be the best but it's still great. However,  this is the sole night that Jimmy nails his guitar parts. JPJ 's key solo is great and may be his best of E 80. This would certainly be the definitive version even if Zurich and Frankfurt where part of this study.

8. ACHILLES LAST STAND- BRUSSELS 6/20/80- An extremely powerful rendition that stands up against any other version of this song from any year. Jimmy was definitely on this night. JPJ is wicked on the bass and it sounds as if  Bonzo is misses a couple of beats  but no matter he is laying down the thunder. A "throwback" performance for sure. 

9. WHITE SUMMER- I'm not condoning the firecracker incident in Vienna. Assholes and fireworks seem to hand in hand. However, it was during this song. All through the tour when this song comes up it's painful and I think of The Julie Felix Show rendition in '69. (It can be found on the Another White Summer 4/69 disc as a bonus track). The Black Mountain Side portion is constantly flubbed too.

10. KASHMIR- COLOGNE- 6/18/80- Everything seemed to be going well this night. The band and the "orchestra" are working in perfect sync. On bunch of the E 80 shows Bonzo doesn't nail his drum lines but on this one he does and in powerful fashion. Robert delivers an inspired vocal and Jimmy and Bonzo are locked with the "orchestra". A very power climax and as wild as Bonzo is playing it doesn't seem that he missed a beat. JPJ is stellar and would end up delivering the most consistent performances of any other band member during the entire tour.

11. STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN- BERLIN 7/7/80- Throughout E 80 Robert is indifferent to Stairway  with a handful exceptions. He just didn't want to sing the song. On this final night he manages to deliver an inspired vocal. Vienna is a close second the band seems to pick it up a bit after the "firecracker incident". However, Berlin was special, I love the extended guitar build up and Jimmy plays well . But, nostalgia wins the day. It's a real solid version and great by E 80 standards. It was the LAST ONE played in concert with Bonzo. As I mentioned it's just special.

12. TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT- ROTTERDAM 6/21/80- All of the pistons are pumping here. It's a very tight and heavy offering. Jimmy and JPJ lock in to Bonzo's relentless thunderclaps . It's new arrangement but as powerful a number  to be found on this tour. The Zeppelin is flying high and the jam section is just tremendous. What a performance.

13. HEARTBREAKER- ROTTERDAM 6/21/80- The heaviest piece of music played the entire tour. The "Magick" appears. Jimmy's solo just gets more intense with each stanza. JPJ and Bonzo are laying the thunderous groundwork for perhaps the most mind blowing Heartbreaker ever. That's a bold statement but  I cannot emphasize the power and precision found here. It's must have material for any Zep fan.

14. ROCK AND ROLL- ROTTERDAM 6/21/80-  Again Rotterdam produces another gem. I don't know if its intentional but the verse where Roberts sing and Bonzo plays without any guitars sounds great . Jimmy is clearly having a great night and it gets contagious. The second half of the show Zep raises the E 80 bar. Bremen features a thrashy powerful R n R  but Rotterdam wins out.  All through the tour you can hear the audience requesting Rock and Roll and when they get it I would think it's a disappointment .

15. COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN- MANNHEIM 7/3/80- On E 80 Mannheim had two nights and 7/3 is the better by far. CB is my favorite encore and I usually favor the shorter more explosive version. That's exactly what we here short , powerful and goodnight. It's not played in the "rave up " fashion but it cooks. JPJ 's bass lines are very prominent and in my minds eyes I can see Bonzo going wild. This night the song is played full bore and very tight. Jimmy is a little loose but I think he's playing giving it all he can to keep up with the band. Bremen, again bears mention it's very aggressive and it might be my tape (old Tarantura) but it has a very raw and punkish tone to it.

16. SINCE I'BEEN LOVING YOU- The song shouldn't have been played in 77 nor here on E 80. Listening to performances on the aforementioned tours can make one forget just how incredible the post album up to 71-72 renditions are. To me it's not the same song.

17. WHOLE LOTTA LOVE- BERLIN-7/7/80- Best for last here ! For years I never made it to the end of this show and man , I was missing out. This WLL is the most unique and heavy versions of the song. EVER. The band obviously re worked it and debuted it this night. Short on vocals but plenty of vocal adornments while Jimmy and JPJ just have a balls out jam. We know that Jimmy is a master in this vein but JPJ takes the lead. I haven't heard him play such a heavy bass since the 69 shows. It's just relentless and the more he puts in Jimmy gets stronger. It sounds so fresh too but is somewhat reminiscent of Jack Bruce and Clapton on the live Crossroads jam. But make no mistake it's not your Daddy's WLL. This is Heavy Metal. No blues influence . Robert is largely left out (on purpose) and Bonzo is just keeping time in explosive fashion. Best song I discovered and is still in heavy rotation. It's very deceptive because most of the show is somewhat subdued.

Just a few more closing comments. As far as shows go Frankfurt and Zurich are still the best E 80 has to offer. I think Frankfurt would beat Zurich in a comparison. Kashmir in Zurich is FUBAR and Trampled is distant third with Rotterdam ahead of it.

The Frankfurt show, SIBLY gets  a boost from JPJ on the keys and overall the core songs are just a notch above Zurich. Both shows are classics but if I had to pick it would be Frankfurt.

Of the lesser known shows, in no order the three best are Cologne, Rotterdam and Brussels. Bremen is a mixed bag but has many high points. Dortmund starts off strong but peter's out. I liked the WLL/HB and feel it should have been played and reworked.

Hannover 6/24/80 is Zep at it's worst . Robert is grumpy, Jimmy is lost in space and the entire band struggles to keep it together but fails. At one point Jimmy continues soloing while the band just stopped playing . One bumble after another. White Summer should have been yanked after Jimmy's atrocious and sad offering. I stopped short of a full on trashing. He was very sick but very bad too.

Vienna doesn't have a soundboard and of the two sources I have both  are weak and flat for an audience recording. The band did turn it on after White Summer but prior to the firework incident they were going nowhere fast.

Munich is the other show without a soundboard and while the show is good the tapers just don't shut up! They even sing along , first time I ever heard a show with "tapers" in front of the mix.

I have plenty of more notes left but so much for brevity. E 80 will remain the weakest tour but there is a ton of great listening . I burned a copy of my list and it's like a "lost show" for me. I love it.

I did not read this thread but a handful of initial posts. Now, 3 years later I will read it and see if the song indeed remains the same.   

     

[Nutrocker]

23 hours ago, Jimmywalnutz said:

Munich is the other show without a soundboard and while the show is good the tapers just don't shut up! They even sing along , first time I ever heard a show with "tapers" in front of the mix.

 

     

Then you never want to hear an "Artie" recording (a New York taper who taped Zeppelin in '71, '75 and '77). Artie and his buddies don't shut the fuck up at all, editorializing and giving a stoned running commentary throughout the performance. Annoying as fuck.

[KellyGirl]

Led Zeppelin in the decade of the 1980s.  A lot of "whatifs" coming people.

A bit of me wonders IF Bonzo had survived and IF Plant had stayed with the band, I wonder if
adding another pair of hands on the road would have been worth something to think about?
It was at that point musically where Jones would have been pretty much a walking talking
keyboard machine.  I wonder if help on bass would have been something to think about it.
The 70s you could get away with the 4 man unit. The 80s came with all the keyboard/synthesizer
stuff.


Oh God I also have this nightmare vision of Zep in the 1980s all wearing keytars like it's Led
Zeppelin meets Devo. Bonzo and a keytar, Plant, Jimmy..haha seriously though, the extra
hands for a live shows at that point would not have hurt. I wouldn't call that person an actual
member, more less a road musician helping out with the band Led Zeppelin.  Zep could do a
live show with 10 other musicians. It's still only the 4 who are the real deal.

Sorry I took this off topic. Back to the bands final tour in Europe 1980

[IpMan]

18 hours ago, Nutrocker said:

Then you never want to hear an "Artie" recording (a New York taper who taped Zeppelin in '71, '75 and '77). Artie and his buddies don't shut the fuck up at all, editorializing and giving a stoned running commentary throughout the performance. Annoying as fuck.

Kida like MST3K meets Zeppelin? 

[IpMan]

2 hours ago, KellyGirl said:

Led Zeppelin in the decade of the 1980s.  A lot of "whatifs" coming people.

A bit of me wonders IF Bonzo had survived and IF Plant had stayed with the band, I wonder if
adding another pair of hands on the road would have been worth something to think about?
It was at that point musically where Jones would have been pretty much a walking talking
keyboard machine.  I wonder if help on bass would have been something to think about it.
The 70s you could get away with the 4 man unit. The 80s came with all the keyboard/synthesizer
stuff.


Oh God I also have this nightmare vision of Zep in the 1980s all wearing keytars like it's Led
Zeppelin meets Devo. Bonzo and a keytar, Plant, Jimmy..haha seriously though, the extra
hands for a live shows at that point would not have hurt. I wouldn't call that person an actual
member, more less a road musician helping out with the band Led Zeppelin.  Zep could do a
live show with 10 other musicians. It's still only the 4 who are the real deal.

Sorry I took this off topic. Back to the bands final tour in Europe 1980

Robert did get the obligatory mullet so a whip and plastic suit would not have been out of the question.

[bluecongo]

I've been doing a lot of 80 tour listening as well.   Here is my more or less show rankings

 

1. Frankfurt

2. Zurich

3. Rotterdam

4. Munich

5. Brussels

6. Mannheim 7/3

7. Dortmund

8. Cologne 

9. Vienna

10. Bremen 

11. Hannover

12. Berlin

13. Mannheim 7/2

14. Nuremberg 

 

[Aspergius]

I prefer the soundboards to hearing the audience's running commentary.

[Jimmywalnutz]

Yep, No Artie for me. Sampled a Listen to this Artie and very early on I deleted him and never looked back.

Munich drives me nuts because it's well balanced and clear. I pray for a SBD to surface.

I really in my heart of hearts believe Zep wouldnt have lasted beyond the planned tour and last album they where "under contract" to make. The tragedy, addictions, changing landscape of hard rock. The fact they were indeed not God's nor wizards.

As far as more personal added that would likely have been a disaster. If Jimmy and Bonzo got cleaned up I think the bands best chance at staying relevant would have been in the Proggresive Genre. Forget heavy metal, Maiden was so so great even with Di 'Anno the early boots are incredible . So powerful and tight, Zep could never best them . 

Rush was atop the progressive seen and another incredibly tight unit.

They could have tried to recruit Rick Wakeman as a member and built on the more progressive numbers from ITTOD it may have worked.

Or we can just accept circumstances and continue playing our albums and boots as they trickle out, buy Robert's new albums and add the few good songs per, into our mixed files. And the next time you play (favorite boot) and marvel at how incredible a band Led Zeppelin was. A hundred Dazed and Confused, No Quarter, WLL's , Heartbreakers

each with a magickal nuance that the song never remains the same.

Tonight I will drift off to my NEWEST boot, The Return Of Destroyer 4/28/77.....who knew ? Not me.

Although I often wonder what the follow up to ITTOD would have been like  . Perhaps Light And Shade.  Ass kickers influenced by the fresh  sober minds of Jimmy and Bonzo and some deeper stuf by the reflective Plant and innovative JpJ

[The Old Hermit]

16 hours ago, KellyGirl said:

Sorry I took this off topic. Back to the bands final tour in Europe 1980

Don't apologize, Kelly, you've no need to and I always enjoy your posts... keep 'em coming.

Zeppelin in the 1980's is always an intriguing 'what if' but I'm sort of glad they ended when they did, even if that end was forced on them by tragedy.  Both Percy and Jonesy would have embraced the new sounds emerging at that time, and undoubtedly incorporated them into LZ... this is not necessarily a bad thing in itself, as they had proved before their mastery of exploring new sounds, but both Jimmy and Bonzo wanted a more hard rock album next, so there may have been creative tension, but then again, maybe not.  And considering how both Percy's and Jimmy's subsequent 1980s output sound production-wise, I'm further relieved the mighty Zep never went there. although they came pretty close with ITTOD,  but that was more necessity than intent because of the poor acoustics at Polar Studios.

Besides, as I've stated before, I don't think they were ever going to get to that next album; the chances of either Bonzo or Jimmy surviving two legs of a North American tour and a potential U.K. tour in summer 1981 (as was tentatively planned) were pretty low at that point... Bonzo didn't even survive to a second day of rehearsal, much less make it onto the road, does one really think he would have lasted a full further year, with at least three months of that year being separated from his beloved family?

Over Europe was symptomatic of a band on it's last legs but not aware of it at the time, I like it a lot more than I did, but there was something missing on that tour, an elemental, alchemical magick that had been greatly diminished in the wake of events in '77, things were never the same; the open-shirted, bare-chested bravdo and swagger was gone, as were the long and improvisational onstage jams, replaced instead with smart casual clothing and a tighter, less indulgent set.  Not necessarily a bad thing in the case of the latter (although those jams were what made Zeppelin the transcendent live act they were in their 1968-75 prime), but something was clearly different from before, they were a changed band and there was no going back to the way things were.

As it happened, there no going forward either after the tragic event of September 25th, but the thought of what might have been is always a fun bit of speculation, but I can't quite shake the feeling that the new decade would not have been kind to Zeppelin... and the Over Europe jaunt seems, in hindsight, to have been something of a harbinger of what was to come had they continued.

[IpMan]

I as well doubt the band would have continued on past the second leg of the proposed NA tour of 80'-81' but for different reasons. If, and this is a big if, both Bonzo & Jimmy survived the tour I assume the next step would be to produce a new album in the late spring of 81'. I figure once the album was released Robert would have taken the opportunity now that all contractual commitments had been made to announce his departure from the band for a solo career. I have no doubt in my mind that even under the best case scenario, Zeppelin would have ended by the end of 81' at the very latest.

So, that's it. We were left with the Tour Over Europe but the fact is there was not going to be much more under pretty much any circumstance. That is unless Jimmy could put a zombie spell on Robert which would keep him in the band, short of that, Robert was gone and honestly, good for him. As much as I love Zeppelin both Jimmy & Bonham's behaviors were completely inexcusable and Jimmy in particular. If I were in Robert's shoes I would have done the same thing and never looked back. I am not one to hold a grudge but shit, once bitten, twice shy you know.

[KellyGirl]

On ‎4‎/‎9‎/‎2016 at 8:31 PM, IpMan said:

Robert did get the obligatory mullet so a whip and plastic suit would not have been out of the question.

Ha a mullet hair cut, wow that's some pretty dated hair.  The '80s were not kind in that regard.
Speaking of "Whip It"  I have to say the moment Zeppelin would walk on a stage wearing red
plastic cups for hats ....that  right there would be the deal breaker.  Can't you see it -- a sold
out crowd at the the forum in L A and the band comes out with Tupperware ® or Rubbermaid ®
atop their heads.  Actually Peter Grant is sly, he would've gotten the band an endorsement deal with
one of them.   

 

10 hours ago, The Old Hermit said:

Don't apologize, Kelly, you've no need to and I always enjoy your posts... keep 'em coming.

Well thanks so much! I wish we had a *like* or thumbs up button on here for posts!  

I think you hit the nail on the head when you say the creative differences in the '80s could've
caused friction between the band - Jones and Plant perhaps in one direction,  while Jimmy
and Bonzo in another.  I'm leaning that way based on some of the statements that have came
from the  3  especially Jimmy over years regarding I T T O D.  I also would've hated to see Zep
become some type of has-been act too. (Is that possible?)  And it very easily could have been
TWO  tragedies with this band.  I think they've left a stronger legacy with the way things
ended.

******************************************************************************

And to those who've mentioned White Summer + Black Mountain Side  not fitting on an 80's set
list -- I have to agree with you all.  Think back to the 1980s.  Were acoustic sets live even being
pushed?  I know "Unplugged" however did come back in the 90's though.  These '80 Euro crowds
just seem unappreciative of what Jimmy is trying to do here.  Not blaming the audience though, I
don't think it would have gone over any better had they made their way back to N. America either.  
In '77 on some  nights the acoustic set could somber the mood somewhat too.  

[rm2551]

I have not yet heard all the Tour Over Europe gigs, but from what I have heard, 1980 had the best and worst of them. And I don't mean, highs/lows equal to other years/times, I mean best and worst. You listen to some Heartbreaker, ALS, Trampled Underfoot, it's unmatched. A lot of stuff ranges from great to mediocre, some stuff is bordering on embarrasing (for me, cringeworthy, barely listenable).

All in all, 1980 to me is indespensable. It's a rough ride, definitely not one for the newb or casual fan, but some absolutely monster performances. And like I said, some incredible gems to be found.

All that with one caveat, Bonzo seemed very reserved throughout (again, I have yet to discover this entire tour). That is the one caveat that while much pleasure I derived listening to the better concerts/songs, there is all too often that underlying "where's Bonzo?" feeling to it. Even a reserved Bonzo is a solid drumming contribution, but it's something missing that is hard to ignore and can leave a sad "what if..." kinda vibe even for the better performances. Not constant, but more than enough to notice.

As for beyond and the alternate endings as some have pondered, I agree with others already well articulated posts here and elsewhere that one way or the other, this was always going to be the end of the arc. It's just so tragic that the end was this. But beyond whatever was the next album, I tend to agree it would have come to a close.

[in_the_evening]

On 4/7/2016 at 2:10 AM, Jimmywalnutz said:

Recently, I immersed myself in to this tour. Europe 1980 ( hereto referred to as E 80). I spent about a month listening to nothing but E 80 shows and another two weeks listening to at least one show a day from the jaunt. This was with the exception of Zurich and Frankfurt, 6/29 & 6/30/80 are easily two of the best shows and consequently the most popular. My initial plan was to dig through the lesser known or less popular shows from E 80 and compile four discs worth of the heaviest performances with hope of getting them re mastered . However, Mr. Winston's Omega Series covered most everything from E 80 in amazing fashion.

{chop} (would be cruel to quote this whole thing)

 

Jimmywalnutz, that was one of the best things I have ever read on the TOE.  Damned fine work man, damned fine.  Agree with a lot of your choices!

[Jimmywalnutz]

Thank You, I think. There isn't too much written about this Tour. ( : 

Right now I'm on a quest for definitive AUD tapes for shows without a SBD. Or shows that the AUD is better than the SBD. It's very time consuming even if you mostly have nothing but. I do plan to add my observations regarding the E 80 set list . I think they could have done a lot better with the set list. Especially if they wanted a heavier show .

With E 80 , Munich 7/5 was a real good AUD show but those chatty tapers killed it.

What's great is after reading the entire thread most of the favorites from E 80 are similar among other members and the thread is three years old.

I am working on a download of my favorites.

Thanks Again.

[chef free]

On 4/11/2016 at 5:22 PM, in_the_evening said:

 

Jimmywalnutz, that was one of the best things I have ever read on the TOE.  Damned fine work man, damned fine.  Agree with a lot of your choices!

I'll second that!  Really it is one of the most interesting things I've ever read on this site, up there with Striders LA '77 review and Sue Donim's obsessive cataloging of concerts.

[Nutrocker]

10 hours ago, Jimmywalnutz said:

Thank You, I think. There isn't too much written about this Tour. ( : 

 

You need Dave Lewis' book on the 1980 tour, Feather In The Wind. It's available through the Tight But Loose website- essential reading for 1980 Tour fans!

[jsj]

nutrocker  I considered getting dave Lewis' book of the 80 tour but was wary and didn't bother. is it any good? I find him to be so enamoured with all things zepp that he's blind to seeing or makin any objective criticism of them at all

[Nutrocker]

On 4/15/2016 at 5:28 AM, jsj said:

nutrocker  I considered getting dave Lewis' book of the 80 tour but was wary and didn't bother. is it any good? I find him to be so enamoured with all things zepp that he's blind to seeing or makin any objective criticism of them at all

Oh no, Dave's book on the '80 tour is extremely objective...shit, he says many of the same things about the tour that we say here  He doesn't pull any punches and hardly comes across as a drooling fanboy at all.  It's definitely worth the read, lots of pictures as well (of course) and a free CD of Dave's "Best Of" for the tour (all soundboard recordings! Probably as close to an official 1980 tour release we'll ever see)

[rm2551]

4 hours ago, Nutrocker said:

Oh no, Dave's book on the '80 tour is extremely objective...shit, he says many of the same things about the tour that we say here  He doesn't pull any punches and hardly comes across as a drooling fanboy at all.  It's definitely worth the read, lots of pictures as well (of course) and a free CD of Dave's "Best Of" for the tour (all soundboard recordings! Probably as close to an official 1980 tour release we'll ever see)

That's good to know. I think I'll invest!

Thanks Nutrocker.