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Are we in the Zeppelin end game?


Boleskinner

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Not to be depressing, but are we in the Zeppelin end-game?

Page is virtually retired and has released the vast bulk of the archive material (well, what he deems useable anyway).

Plant is coming up for 70.

JPJs is in his 70s.

Another reunion is highly unlikely.

What's the best we can hope for now ?

I think most of the excitement will now come from soundboard releases.

For me, the holy grail would be some pro video footage we have not seen before or a soundboard of a great performance (77 LA run for instance).

 

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The short answer is yes, it's over and done. The three surviving members will never perform together again and Jimmy has already confirmed their most recent remasters campaign (with companion discs) was their last studio releases. The door is still open for one more live release (cd and/or dvd) but it seems they went with a remastered BBC Sessions release instead of something else from the archives (like Earls Court 1975). If the past is any indication, this would mean nothing new for at least another two years.  

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1 hour ago, SteveAJones said:

The short answer is yes, it's over and done. The three surviving members will never perform together again and Jimmy has already confirmed their most recent remasters campaign (with companion discs) was their last studio releases. The door is still open for one more live release (cd and/or dvd) but it seems they went with a remastered BBC Sessions release instead of something else from the archives (like Earls Court 1975). If the past is any indication, this would mean nothing new for at least another two years.  

I have to agree with you there.

The 50th anniversary of their formation is coming up next year, so hopefully we might get some surprise releases then.

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Sadly, ^this seems a good prediction. (although I'd be immensly happy with any official release)

I will continue to hold out hope for a full Earls Court release, and a "Final" live release that spans the 11 years. A "final word" that closes the vaults for good - as Jimmy will put it at that time.

I will also hold onto hope for Page and Jones to do something.

Edited by rm2551
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Yeah Steve is pretty much right. I am a hardcore fan(duh, many others here are). For me though I ceased to be excited

simply by the live/companion disc output. If others find this stuff world-turning and amazing, that's great. I still find

Jimmy's inaction puzzling. He played real well with Roy Harper in 2011, so the arthritis/hand problems thing is 

very murky. As others and Steve has said, no 50 date hockey arena tour waiting, no project and no tour. And in those

live chats/interviews from 2-3 yrs ago, Jimmy's body language and dancing eyes showed much vitality, hardly some

ailing and fading old man. Shame.

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10 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

Jimmy has already confirmed their most recent remasters campaign (with companion discs) was their last studio releases

I read those same interviews, and when asked if this (namely, the last batch of remasters) was it, Jimmy replied that as far as the studio material goes, yes it was... that doesn't rule out a future live release, and Jimmy didn't explicitly do so, thus I'm still hoping that an Earl's Court live album is forthcoming sometime in future.  Maybe it's a forlorn hope, but I'll keep the faith nonetheless...

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Jimmy has been asked several times in recent years about future live releases. His answers have been all over the place. It seems as though part of him feels it's unnecessary since so much of it has leaked out on bootleg. There is also the question of what he has as opposed to what was stolen from his home. For me, just because something is out on bootleg shouldn't be a reason to not officially release it because if he has a first generation master, it's going to sound better than any bootleg.....especially once it has been manipulated and tweaked in a studio.

I know some people like having complete shows, but for me, I would like to get, for instance, the best of the 1980 tour in Europe so that we could get the best takes of each song so that the engineering crew doesn't have to do a bunch of edits.

Edited by ThreeSticks
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11 hours ago, Boleskinner said:

The 50th anniversary of their formation is coming up next year, so hopefully we might get some surprise releases then.

Release How The West Was Won on vinyl for the anniversary and the long version of All Of My Love for Record Store Day and I'd be happy as hell

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48 minutes ago, corduroyg said:

complete earls court on bluray!

There won't ever be an Earl's Court Blu ray... it was shot on videotape, which doesn't have the resolution for an HD upgrade, so don't hold your breath on that one.  I think we'll either get an Earl's Court live album and/or a vinyl release of HTWWW... or both if we're REALLY lucky.

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There will always be a anniversary of such an occasion, So that is a ideal time for things. Not sure what i can say, Oh that will be done and for when though. I just want anything official. I will be there with bells on, Lightning quick. Just want anything.

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3 hours ago, craigled said:

There will always be a anniversary of such an occasion, So that is a ideal time for things. Not sure what i can say, Oh that will be done and for when though. I just want anything official. I will be there with bells on, Lightning quick. Just want anything.

Here's hoping Page has one last hurrah up his sleeve for the 50th anniversary. A bumper archive live release would be sweet.

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6 hours ago, The Old Hermit said:

I read those same interviews, and when asked if this (namely, the last batch of remasters) was it, Jimmy replied that as far as the studio material goes, yes it was... that doesn't rule out a future live release, and Jimmy didn't explicitly do so.

Ok, then...that's exactly what I said.

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3 hours ago, craigled said:

There will always be a anniversary of such an occasion, So that is a ideal time for things. Not sure what i can say, Oh that will be done and for when though. I just want anything official. I will be there with bells on, Lightning quick. Just want anything.

The only anniversary-inspired release that comes to mind is that Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Stairway to Heaven single in 1991. There was allegedly some work done on the 1979 Knebworth video footage for a 25th (IIRC) anniverary release but nothing came of that. My point is their track record for anniversary-inspired stuff is almost zero. The 50th Anniversary will generate press coverage and perhaps some official merchandise, but I'm not holding my breath for it generating another official release (although Earls Court 1975 would be welcomed).   

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What would excite me most from them would be Knebworth.  I think it's a much stronger performance than Earls Court and has a lot less songs in common with HTWWW.  Other than that, we're still getting a rather steady flow of bootlegs.  Maybe maybe maybe someone closer to the band is holding onto higher-quality tapes of a few soundboards, but I doubt it.

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On 26/02/2017 at 0:05 PM, ArmsofAtlas1977 said:

What would excite me most from them would be Knebworth.  I think it's a much stronger performance than Earls Court and has a lot less songs in common with HTWWW.  Other than that, we're still getting a rather steady flow of bootlegs.  Maybe maybe maybe someone closer to the band is holding onto higher-quality tapes of a few soundboards, but I doubt it.

First night at Knebworth was pretty damn good.

Not Zeppelin's style, but I imagine there must be rehearsal footage filmed at Bray Studios and at the site which could be released as well.

I doubt the TV International company just rocked up on the day and filmed without a lot of planning, as the footage was originally planned to be released in a TV special.

Whether that footage still exists or not is another matter.

Just another potential pro-shot video to add to the list of Zeppelin folklore...

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  • 2 years later...
On 2/26/2017 at 4:05 AM, ArmsofAtlas1977 said:

What would excite me most from them would be Knebworth.  I think it's a much stronger performance than Earls Court and has a lot less songs in common with HTWWW.  Other than that, we're still getting a rather steady flow of bootlegs.  Maybe maybe maybe someone closer to the band is holding onto higher-quality tapes of a few soundboards, but I doubt it.

I think if this was ever going to see the light it would have been released to coincide with the 40th anniversary. So as it hasn’t I think it’s fair to say Zeppelin are done ..☹️

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8 hours ago, Paganini said:

I think if this was ever going to see the light it would have been released to coincide with the 40th anniversary. So as it hasn’t I think it’s fair to say Zeppelin are done ..☹️

I was just thinking ( again ) about how many threads of hopeful, speculation exist on this forum and what a grand disappointment this 50th has been. No surprise though. In fact, it's par for the course. What really sucks is how the boot companies have sucked so bad on this milestone as well. Sept 28 soundboard is at least one we know is still awaiting the light of day after the Black Dog teaser. I'm sure there are other board tapes, no action this 50th though. Quiet skies for the ZEPPELIN. 

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10 hours ago, porgie66 said:

I was just thinking ( again ) about how many threads of hopeful, speculation exist on this forum and what a grand disappointment this 50th has been. No surprise though. In fact, it's par for the course. What really sucks is how the boot companies have sucked so bad on this milestone as well. Sept 28 soundboard is at least one we know is still awaiting the light of day after the Black Dog teaser. I'm sure there are other board tapes, no action this 50th though. Quiet skies for the ZEPPELIN. 

I think peoples expectations have been far too high, anniversary the 50th maybe, milestone it is not. Screw the bootleggers anyway, all they do is rip people off with thir over expensive artwork.

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On 2/24/2017 at 7:54 PM, SteveAJones said:

The only anniversary-inspired release that comes to mind is that Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Stairway to Heaven single in 1991. There was allegedly some work done on the 1979 Knebworth video footage for a 25th (IIRC) anniverary release but nothing came of that. My point is their track record for anniversary-inspired stuff is almost zero. The 50th Anniversary will generate press coverage and perhaps some official merchandise, but I'm not holding my breath for it generating another official release (although Earls Court 1975 would be welcomed).   

Press coverage and official merchandise.. At least someone here can predict the future.

 

But SERIOUSLY! Why not a f***ing superb audio release of the killer Royal Albert Hall 1970 show!? Yes, we already essentially have it on bootlegs, but I would really enjoy having an official copy of it... Perhaps on Jimmy's upcoming birthday, the 50th anniversary of the RAH show. At least something after the huge disappointment that the remastered TSRTS and HTWWW turned out to be, still can't really figure out what the purpose of those were.

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Even to call a Zep "Endgame" , Plant and Jones seem to have a completely blasé attitude towards a 50th anniversary or

various audio or video for the 50th. I would bet that Jones and Plant haven't even listened or cared much by what Jimmy

has released in the last ten years or more. Does anyone really believe that Robert showed up in the studio when Jimmy was doing the companions thing, telling Jimmy, Oh, could you make the voice louder on that section ?? Plant and Jones

probably don't even know or care what was on the companions or whatever.

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  • 1 month later...

It's like that long lost girlfriend, all the memories, but it's long over.

What they did was captured on tape, thankfully.  It cannot be replicated.  Once Bonham was gone, even if they found a suitable replacement, that spirit was gone.  Had been gone for some time, even as they still created great music.  After so long, so many rides, too many life experiences, it was never going to be the same.  You can hear a clear difference in the passion even in the songs early compared to later.  It gets tiring and you only have so much mojo then it becomes a fun job, but still a job.

Sadly (or maybe fortunately), for me at least; the best we have now is watching reaction videos on youtube of a new generation hearing it for the first time.  I like watching their reactions, their confusion, their shock that such inspiring music exists.  Once in awhile I'll listen to some old live boots and hear something I haven't heard before, but it's clearly all been done.  Since I cannot rehear the music again for the first time, it's fun to see others do so.

What would be the ultimate gift from the grave would be if Page did as he said he would and releases a tell all book, "the truth" if you will about the band and their experiences.  I'd pay top dollar for that book, and I know millions of other would as well.

Edited by Canadianzepper
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