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Cinematic Blunders: The Song Remains The Same


SteveAJones

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Hi Tom kid,

You might just have saved me from an embarrasing moment there, i did a cut and past job from your thread, i just hope nobody saw the join, most people are asleep now so i might have just gotten away with it dont you think? ;)

Then again!!!!!!!!!!!!! :slapface:

Retards, Danny

Hi beatbo, nice of you to drop in, hows it going mate?

hey, danny! miss ya, man!

forgot to mention that i have prolly bought the home version of this film 20 times...

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Love it and always have, just the way it is! :beer:

btw, were Robert's blouses in 73 any more revealing than the leather vests in 70? :blink:

I love it to, already stated that earlier.

Robert's chest was a little more revealing in the blouses, but the man could leather...from my female perspective his chest was magnificent...along with a few other parts of his body. :thumbsup:

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Robert's rotten teeth were so English,

What kind of a dopey statement is that supposed to be?

If I'd said that in America Peter Grant fitted right in with all the other fatties over there I'm sure it wouldn't go down well.

Talk about idiotic stereotyping. :rolleyes:

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I'm sorry, I have to disagree. I think TSRTS is great! Love how they show Bonzo and his cars, also the mafia scene in the beginning. Its bad ass :)

Cinematic blunders

Getting through The Song Remains the Same

By MATT ASHARE | December 4, 2007

The Portland Phoenix

Led Zeppelin have rarely missed a promotional opportunity, and the occasion of their current reunion — one that brings Robert Plant and Jimmy Page back together with bassist John Paul Jones for the first time since their 1995 Hall of Fame induction — is no exception. With the December 10 London show set up to honor Atlantic co-founder Ahmet Ertegun fast approaching, Zep have reissued both the 1973 concert film The Song Remains the Same as a two-disc DVD (with a newly remastered soundtrack) and a brand new two-disc greatest-hits collection, Mothership, that also comes in a deluxe three-disc version with a 20-track DVD of live performances taken from the 2003 DVD set Led Zeppelin.

Unfortunately, The Song Remains the Same remains, after 25 years, one of the worst concert films ever. Or perhaps I should say it's one of the more unfortunate advertisements for a rock band ever released as cinema, even if it has been responsible over the years for countless custom van paint jobs of wizards wielding mysterious lights at the top of a hill. That's not to suggest that the film doesn't have its redeeming moments: the performances of "Rock and Roll," "Black Dog," "Misty Mountain Hop," and even the title track go a long way toward conveying the special power of Zeppelin's fusion of American blues and British folk. And until the 2003 live set was released, The Song Remains the Same was one of the very few live documents of Zeppelin running through their classic repertoire. But by 1973, the year The Song Remains the Same was recorded on an American tour (mostly at Madison Square Garden, though the DVD provides no specific information), Zeppelin were a behemoth of a band — the very epitome of the sort of excess that punk-rockers would rise up against just a few years later. As Robert Plant remarks in an interview about the film that's part of the bonus disc, "If we're going to be self-indulgent, we might as well try to expend that indulgence a bit."

Or does he say "expand that indulgence a bit"? It's hard to tell. But by '73, it was no longer enough for Plant, Page, Jones, and drummer John Bonham to get up on stage and play. Everything had to be bigger and better than the last time around. (It says something about where the band's collective head was at that they've included on the bonus disc a news clip from Tampa, where, yes, they finally sold more tickets to a rock show than the Beatles.) It was the era of an arms race in rock and roll, where every huge band would try to outdo every other huge band in terms of volume, light show, and costumery, almost all of which is absolutely unforgivable in The Song Remains the Same. I mean, who dressed John Paul Jones, and why didn't somebody put a stop to it? Plant's chest-baring outfit and Page's black-magic suit aren't particularly egregious, but Jones is wearing a frock that looks as if it belonged in Middle-earth. The show itself was all about Led Zeppelin overpowering the crowd with flashy displays of skill and volume. Thus the 23-minute version of "Dazed and Confused," replete with all of Page's sonic tricks, including the violin bow he'd been using since the band's inception in '68. ("Dazed and Confused" was, after all, a song he brought over from the Yardbirds when he formed Zeppelin.)

To say that The Song Remains the Same drags a bit in places would be too kind to films that actually do drag. And that's just the first 10 minutes. After the gangsters have slain the werewolf (you really must see the film to appreciate just how absurd the little story lines are), Plant and his wife have enjoyed watching their children play in the nude, and Bonham has tooled around in one of his classic cars, it's a big relief to see the band finally stepping off their plane in the States, on their way to the gig. The problem is that the gig keeps getting interrupted by these fantasy sequences, each of which is supposed to reflect something essential about the character of a bandmember — sort of like the animal costumes suggested in This Is Spinal Tap. So we get a rescue mission back to Middle-earth, where a maiden waits in distress, except it turns out that John Paul Jones is the hideous monster and he's just headed home to spend a little time with his wife and kids, or something like that. And there's Plant on horseback with his raven, riding to a castle to dispatch some bad guy with a sword, and Page climbing that hill toward the wizened white wizard, and more of Bonham zipping around with his cars and motorcycles — all interspersed among the actual performances, so that one minute you're watching Page play a ripping solo and then next he's off on some mountaintop.

But it's Peter Grant, the band's notorious manager, who steals the show. He has a nice little row backstage with someone from the facility who appears to have allowed illegal merchandisers into the building. The towering legendarily fearsome, Grant is pissed, and by the scene's end, you're pretty sure that you don't ever want to make this guy mad at you. (Fear not: he died in 1995.) Later, he's more in control as he reports the theft of almost $200,000 of Zeppelin's money from a strongbox at their hotel. No indication is ever given as to whether the missing 200 grand was ever recovered by New York's finest.

The new edition of the film does include a couple of extra performances "Celebration Day," "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Misty Mountain Hop," and "The Ocean," all from that same '73 tour. But the best live Zeppelin is the stuff they recorded long before they had any plans to make a movie, and most of the best of it can be found on the bonus disc that comes with Mothership. Here you get much rawer footage of a younger, less self-conscious Zeppelin powering through the blooze funk of "We're Gonna Groove," "I Can't Quit You Babe," and a much more spontaneous "Dazed and Confused." By the time they get to a furious and fast "Communication Breakdown," they sound almost like a punk band, and it's a relief to hear a live "Stairway to Heaven" without all of the ad-libs Plant plants in The Song Remains the Same. This is a lean, mean, explosive Zeppelin, wearing sensible clothes and not trying so much to "expend" or "expand" their indulgence. It's one very good reason not to spend your money on the version of Mothership that doesn't come with the DVD. Or, better yet, go on a hunt for that five-hour, two-DVD 2003 Led Zeppelin set.

http://thephoenix.co...ge=2#TOPCONTENT

...custom van paint jobs of wizards wielding mysterious lights at the top of a hill...

hysterical.gif

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What kind of a dopey statement is that supposed to be?

If I'd said that in America Peter Grant fitted right in with all the other fatties over there I'm sure it wouldn't go down well.

Talk about idiotic stereotyping. :rolleyes:

Hey, I resemble that remark! :lol:

Damn Wisconsin beer and cheese and bratwurst all bloody day long! :beer:

AND I've been in the dentist's chair five times in the last seven days. Damn Welsh/English genes.

Doubly fucked I tell ya!! :slapface:

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Re:teeth You have to remember that those guys grew up in post war England, alot of things we take for granted now just were not available. The US exported boatloads of jam(lol and spam) to England after the war, long shelf life, high in calories and full of sugar(exactly what a population rebuilding a country needs)

I've always loved the TSRTS, it was a ritual at the midnight movies when I was a teenager

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I've always loved the TSRTS, it was a ritual at the midnight movies when I was a teenager

Me too. I'm still astounded by watching this band live and that makes me very happy. TSRTS i watch maybe once per year and it's still a huge rush.

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Considering the film was also patched together at Shepparton Studios in England to fill in the bits it's still hardly brilliant. I mean how weird. Build the same stage, wear the same clothes and mime to a soundtrack. Edit bits in??

When Pagey re mastered it i thought that he would take out the real bad continuity bits, JPJ clothes, guitar not matching the audio that sort of thing. But alas they are still there. He remastered the sound - thats all

I would have thought that the filming could have taken place say mid tour or earlier in 1971/1972 when the band really were shit hot. It didn't make sense to film the last 3 dates of a long tour where the band do look knackered and also it shows in the rather subdued performances.

But I recall as a spotty long hair sneaking in to watch it in Manchester in 197 whatever, it was the best thing since Lebanese Gold.

The highlights for me are in no particular order:

Rock and Roll

The opening bit to The Song Remains The Same showing the crowd and stage

Rain Song ( Audio only)

Dazed & Confuses after bow solo

Whole lotta love (theramin bit)the rest of course is fake (except the end bit)

So there you are really.Albert Hall 1970, Earls Court 25th show and the 4th Knebworth show (cos I was there) are far better statements of on stage Zep.

Unless of course Jimmys got more - doubt it

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Considering the film was also patched together at Shepparton Studios in England to fill in the bits it's still hardly brilliant. I mean how weird. Build the same stage, wear the same clothes and mime to a soundtrack. Edit bits in??

When Pagey re mastered it i thought that he would take out the real bad continuity bits, JPJ clothes, guitar not matching the audio that sort of thing. But alas they are still there. He remastered the sound - thats all

I would have thought that the filming could have taken place say mid tour or earlier in 1971/1972 when the band really were shit hot. It didn't make sense to film the last 3 dates of a long tour where the band do look knackered and also it shows in the rather subdued performances.

But I recall as a spotty long hair sneaking in to watch it in Manchester in 197 whatever, it was the best thing since Lebanese Gold.

The highlights for me are in no particular order:

Rock and Roll

The opening bit to The Song Remains The Same showing the crowd and stage

Rain Song ( Audio only)

Dazed & Confuses after bow solo

Whole lotta love (theramin bit)the rest of course is fake (except the end bit)

So there you are really.Albert Hall 1970, Earls Court 25th show and the 4th Knebworth show (cos I was there) are far better statements of on stage Zep.

Unless of course Jimmys got more - doubt it

I agree with all that you have posted here. I'd like to add that band has never been particulary enamoured with the movie & it mainly came out because Plant's accident prevented them from touring. If the 3 surviving members of Zep were to gather in a room tomorrow to discuss another reunion & Plant agreed to do it, all one would have to do is put TSRTS on the a TV screen & he'd instantly change his mind & run out of the room. The movie represents everything Plant hates about the Zep myth & the best that Page can say about the movie is that it represnts the band at the end of a tour. Not exactly high praise.

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I agree with all that you have posted here. I'd like to add that band has never been particulary enamoured with the movie & it mainly came out because Plant's accident prevented them from touring. If the 3 surviving members of Zep were to gather in a room tomorrow to discuss another reunion & Plant agreed to do it, all one would have to do is put TSRTS on the a TV screen & he'd instantly change his mind & run out of the room. The movie represents everything Plant hates about the Zep myth & the best that Page can say about the movie is that it represnts the band at the end of a tour. Not exactly high praise.

Let's be realistic though. I know Plant hates that whole glam image of Zeppelin with the excess and the private planes, but it was Plant who stood there, with his crotch in clear view, making flamboyant gestures and movements with his hands. Plant got the most camera time.

It was always one of the drawbacks of the film. Don't get me wrong, the footage on a HD tv looks amazing, and jimmy page was the coolest thing to me. I'm 18 years old and when I first saw a Zeppelin video, it was STH live. I gave it a break and then saw SIBLY, and I just had to surrender and say "jimmy page, you have converted me into a led Zeppelin fanatic!" And that's why it holds a special place with me.

But for you younger fans like me, (and older too) I don't know if I'm the only person, but I try to get my friends to dig Zeppelin and I show them clips, and they say "man that guy screams like a girl" or "is that dude gay or somthing." Of course we all know plant isn't, but it's that flamboyance and attitude that really personified the excessive lifestyle that would later escalate out of control. And I never understood why. Put in disc 1 the of zeppin live DVD, then watch TSRTS. I'm not even talking about soundwise, just the attitude of the band and of Plant was drastically different. The gritty soulful plant became the flamboyant rock god, and while they still sounded great, I wished he would have stayed like he was when he first started.

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I agree with all that you have posted here. I'd like to add that band has never been particulary enamoured with the movie & it mainly came out because Plant's accident prevented them from touring. If the 3 surviving members of Zep were to gather in a room tomorrow to discuss another reunion & Plant agreed to do it, all one would have to do is put TSRTS on the a TV screen & he'd instantly change his mind & run out of the room. The movie represents everything Plant hates about the Zep myth & the best that Page can say about the movie is that it represnts the band at the end of a tour. Not exactly high praise.

Let's be realistic though. I know Plant hates that whole glam image of Zeppelin with the excess and the private planes, but it was Plant who stood there, with his crotch in clear view, making flamboyant gestures and movements with his hands. Plant got the most camera time.

It was always one of the drawbacks of the film. Don't get me wrong, the footage on a HD tv looks amazing, and jimmy page was the coolest thing to me. I'm 18 years old and when I first saw a Zeppelin video, it was STH live. I gave it a break and then saw SIBLY, and I just had to surrender and say "jimmy page, you have converted me into a led Zeppelin fanatic!" And that's why it holds a special place with me.

But for you younger fans like me, (and older too) I don't know if I'm the only person, but I try to get my friends to dig Zeppelin and I show them clips, and they say "man that guy screams like a girl" or "is that dude gay or somthing." Of course we all know plant isn't, but it's that flamboyance and attitude that really personified the excessive lifestyle that would later escalate out of control. And I never understood why. Put in disc 1 the of zeppin live DVD, then watch TSRTS. I'm not even talking about soundwise, just the attitude of the band and of Plant was drastically different. The gritty soulful plant became the flamboyant rock god, and while they still sounded great, I wished he would have stayed like he was when he first started.

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Who can only think Robert "screams like girl" doesn't get the greatness of Led Zeppelin in any way, and who defines Robert's flamboyance as "gay" probably have zero idea of the hippie era and all the glams in the 70s. :rolleyes:

Led Zeppelin is now in the history, take it and love it, you can't have them otherwise.

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I'm pretty sure its "In between last time we came and this time we've managed to get an album out called Houses of The Holy." Still, not really much of a difference to what you wrote haha.

I thought I read somewhere that the original statement was: "In between last time we came and this time we've managed to get an album out with a proper title...Shurrup (Shut Up) called Houses of The Holy", or something close to that. In production, they cut the "with a proper title...Shurrup". I've never heard the soundclip though.

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I LOVE Led Zeppelin, but I can't stand the fantasy sequences of TSRTS. I felt embarrassed at the time as I first watched the film, I still feel bad for the boys till this day. I'm glad none of them ever considered an acting career. :blink:

Yes, I'm also a stupid critic. One that LOVES Led Zeppelin though. ;)

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Cinematic blunders

Getting through The Song Remains the Same

By MATT ASHARE | December 4, 2007

The Portland Phoenix

Led Zeppelin have rarely missed a promotional opportunity, and the occasion of their current reunion — one that brings Robert Plant and Jimmy Page back together with bassist John Paul Jones for the first time since their 1995 Hall of Fame induction — is no exception. With the December 10 London show set up to honor Atlantic co-founder Ahmet Ertegun fast approaching, Zep have reissued both the 1973 concert film The Song Remains the Same as a two-disc DVD (with a newly remastered soundtrack) and a brand new two-disc greatest-hits collection, Mothership, that also comes in a deluxe three-disc version with a 20-track DVD of live performances taken from the 2003 DVD set Led Zeppelin.

Unfortunately, The Song Remains the Same remains, after 25 years, one of the worst concert films ever. Or perhaps I should say it's one of the more unfortunate advertisements for a rock band ever released as cinema, even if it has been responsible over the years for countless custom van paint jobs of wizards wielding mysterious lights at the top of a hill. That's not to suggest that the film doesn't have its redeeming moments: the performances of "Rock and Roll," "Black Dog," "Misty Mountain Hop," and even the title track go a long way toward conveying the special power of Zeppelin's fusion of American blues and British folk. And until the 2003 live set was released, The Song Remains the Same was one of the very few live documents of Zeppelin running through their classic repertoire. But by 1973, the year The Song Remains the Same was recorded on an American tour (mostly at Madison Square Garden, though the DVD provides no specific information), Zeppelin were a behemoth of a band — the very epitome of the sort of excess that punk-rockers would rise up against just a few years later. As Robert Plant remarks in an interview about the film that's part of the bonus disc, "If we're going to be self-indulgent, we might as well try to expend that indulgence a bit."

Or does he say "expand that indulgence a bit"? It's hard to tell. But by '73, it was no longer enough for Plant, Page, Jones, and drummer John Bonham to get up on stage and play. Everything had to be bigger and better than the last time around. (It says something about where the band's collective head was at that they've included on the bonus disc a news clip from Tampa, where, yes, they finally sold more tickets to a rock show than the Beatles.) It was the era of an arms race in rock and roll, where every huge band would try to outdo every other huge band in terms of volume, light show, and costumery, almost all of which is absolutely unforgivable in The Song Remains the Same. I mean, who dressed John Paul Jones, and why didn't somebody put a stop to it? Plant's chest-baring outfit and Page's black-magic suit aren't particularly egregious, but Jones is wearing a frock that looks as if it belonged in Middle-earth. The show itself was all about Led Zeppelin overpowering the crowd with flashy displays of skill and volume. Thus the 23-minute version of "Dazed and Confused," replete with all of Page's sonic tricks, including the violin bow he'd been using since the band's inception in '68. ("Dazed and Confused" was, after all, a song he brought over from the Yardbirds when he formed Zeppelin.)

To say that The Song Remains the Same drags a bit in places would be too kind to films that actually do drag. And that's just the first 10 minutes. After the gangsters have slain the werewolf (you really must see the film to appreciate just how absurd the little story lines are), Plant and his wife have enjoyed watching their children play in the nude, and Bonham has tooled around in one of his classic cars, it's a big relief to see the band finally stepping off their plane in the States, on their way to the gig. The problem is that the gig keeps getting interrupted by these fantasy sequences, each of which is supposed to reflect something essential about the character of a bandmember — sort of like the animal costumes suggested in This Is Spinal Tap. So we get a rescue mission back to Middle-earth, where a maiden waits in distress, except it turns out that John Paul Jones is the hideous monster and he's just headed home to spend a little time with his wife and kids, or something like that. And there's Plant on horseback with his raven, riding to a castle to dispatch some bad guy with a sword, and Page climbing that hill toward the wizened white wizard, and more of Bonham zipping around with his cars and motorcycles — all interspersed among the actual performances, so that one minute you're watching Page play a ripping solo and then next he's off on some mountaintop.

But it's Peter Grant, the band's notorious manager, who steals the show. He has a nice little row backstage with someone from the facility who appears to have allowed illegal merchandisers into the building. The towering legendarily fearsome, Grant is pissed, and by the scene's end, you're pretty sure that you don't ever want to make this guy mad at you. (Fear not: he died in 1995.) Later, he's more in control as he reports the theft of almost $200,000 of Zeppelin's money from a strongbox at their hotel. No indication is ever given as to whether the missing 200 grand was ever recovered by New York's finest.

The new edition of the film does include a couple of extra performances "Celebration Day," "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Misty Mountain Hop," and "The Ocean," all from that same '73 tour. But the best live Zeppelin is the stuff they recorded long before they had any plans to make a movie, and most of the best of it can be found on the bonus disc that comes with Mothership. Here you get much rawer footage of a younger, less self-conscious Zeppelin powering through the blooze funk of "We're Gonna Groove," "I Can't Quit You Babe," and a much more spontaneous "Dazed and Confused." By the time they get to a furious and fast "Communication Breakdown," they sound almost like a punk band, and it's a relief to hear a live "Stairway to Heaven" without all of the ad-libs Plant plants in The Song Remains the Same. This is a lean, mean, explosive Zeppelin, wearing sensible clothes and not trying so much to "expend" or "expand" their indulgence. It's one very good reason not to spend your money on the version of Mothership that doesn't come with the DVD. Or, better yet, go on a hunt for that five-hour, two-DVD 2003 Led Zeppelin set.

http://thephoenix.co...ge=2#TOPCONTENT

...custom van paint jobs of wizards wielding mysterious lights at the top of a hill...

hysterical.gif

Despite some of the dubious elements of this film, like obliterating most of The Rain Song's on stage performance with Robert's sprawling Fantasy sequence (probably to plug in the gaps in footage they procured at MSG), these vulnerabilities pale into insignificance compared to the atrocious quality of the Blu-ray transfer of this film (at least the UK version). It is truly heinous; the digital remastering quality control person on the project must have had a lobotomy!!!

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Let's be realistic though. I know Plant hates that whole glam image of Zeppelin with the excess and the private planes, but it was Plant who stood there, with his crotch in clear view, making flamboyant gestures and movements with his hands. Plant got the most camera time.

It was always one of the drawbacks of the film. Don't get me wrong, the footage on a HD tv looks amazing, and jimmy page was the coolest thing to me. I'm 18 years old and when I first saw a Zeppelin video, it was STH live. I gave it a break and then saw SIBLY, and I just had to surrender and say "jimmy page, you have converted me into a led Zeppelin fanatic!" And that's why it holds a special place with me.

But for you younger fans like me, (and older too) I don't know if I'm the only person, but I try to get my friends to dig Zeppelin and I show them clips, and they say "man that guy screams like a girl" or "is that dude gay or somthing." Of course we all know plant isn't, but it's that flamboyance and attitude that really personified the excessive lifestyle that would later escalate out of control. And I never understood why. Put in disc 1 the of zeppin live DVD, then watch TSRTS. I'm not even talking about soundwise, just the attitude of the band and of Plant was drastically different. The gritty soulful plant became the flamboyant rock god, and while they still sounded great, I wished he would have stayed like he was when he first started.

He's the one who stood there but for once I actually agree with his view on something about Zeppelin. The movie was poorly filmed, his performance was average for him at the time, he looks frickin' ridiculous but not as bad as JPJ, he hates 30 minute jams (as I do), the fantasy sequences are beyond ridicule, & this is what he was visually remembered as for a long time. It's a sore point I can understand. If he only had enough sense to not look even more ridiculous in his late 80's / early 90's video's as well.

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  • 8 years later...

Recently watched the Blu-Ray of this I got for Christmas. I have to say, after twenty years of Zep fandom and going from only hearing the studio albums to downloading every single bootleg and piece of concert footage, I now have a new appreciation for this. Maybe watching it on Blu-Ray on a 55" TV made me realize that I, like many others, have been unappreciative and taken this film for granted. This truly was the best year to film a Zep concert professionally, especially considering what a mediocre year 75 would be. 73 was the perfect balance between set list and performance. Robert's voice isn't as bad as I remembered. He actually sounds pretty good after warming up. Page is in his untouchable phase, improvising phenomenally and putting down some of his most solid playing ever. Arguably the best versions of SIBLY and No Quarter. I never really realized how badass Heartbreaker was for this show. It's a shame it gets interrupted by the robbery footage (Mega rich rock band loses some money, who gives a rat's ass? Jimmy probably spent that much on smack in 77).

Then there's the cinematic blunder side. When I first saw this as a teen I wasn't bothered the least by the bad direction or effects, because experiencing anything even mildly Zep related put me in a state of pop culture Nirvana. Later on, after realizing these were just musicians being documented in a certain time and place and not Gods on earth, I began to accept the absurdity of the film. Maybe the worst for me is Robert's viking ship hauling ass across the sea with no sails. Of course when he pulls into the beach, you can clearly see and outboard motor and a pathetic attempt to blur out the smoke. The lack of drawing out any kind of script is amazing. The directors obviously just said "Let's just go out and film Robert walking around aimlessly. Zep fans will be happy with that." I know it's 73 and the boys didn't exactly bring in Kubrick, but I've never seen a more feeble attempt to film a medieval fantasy scene. "Let's see; Viking looking guy- check. Maiden in distress- check. Sword? Gotta have a sword- check. Castle- check. Ok, we're ready." I'm honestly surprised they used an actual castle instead of Jimmy's backyard.

The fantasy sequences are more acceptable when you realize there was a mixed up attempt to target the younger fans. I suppose the directors assumed Zep fans were between five and twelve. Sure, Earl's Court 75 is probably the grown-up version of the band, but there's no denying that a certain amount of the magic and swagger is missing after 73. I think we all agree that a straight live footage film without the fantasy elements and terribly dated effects would've solidified Zep's status as the greatest rock band on the planet. We can only dream, but I'm still willing to endure the cringe in order to bask in the privilege of seeing my favorite band play in possibly their greatest year.

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On 11/19/2009 at 1:17 AM, zdr said:

I LOVE TSRTS's music (but I usually skip the non-musical parts <_<)

I looked at the concert footages over and over. I'm always melting seeing Robert hitting his chest on SIBLY ("you don't want me no more"), Jimmy teasing the audience with the guitar on Dazed (when he's shaking his ass, like waving a tail - just before "Do it!" :P ). I love the "chat" between JPJ and Bonzo during Dazed. In fact, I LOVE that Dazed as it entirely! No, I LOVE all the songs from that concert (including Celebration Day, or OTHFA,or The Ocean). Sometime I put the TSRTS DVD when I want to sleep (because I know it by heart, it doesen't bother my sleep, like the TV)

In hindsight, all of the musical performances should have been fully filmed, so that they could be released in addition to the fantasy sequences.

As someone in the band once said... "TSRTS is the most expensive home movie ever made."

On a day to day basis, I have no enjoyment watching the fantasy sequences again.

Unless you assume I'm eating magic mushrooms every day... watching the fantasy sequences every time is not desirable.

Anything that you have to be "under the influence" to enjoy, is not for me.

I'd much rather be able to watch the band performing all of the songs.

Hard Feelings because the band was not able to produce concert films of the 1975 or the 1977 Tours.

But I do understand the love for TSRTS, from those that never had a chance to see the band in person.

As to the review that started this thread, I can't waste my time critiquing a (mere) critic. :goal:

 

 

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Face it...we are stuck with it, for better or worse. When Jimmy promised a remastered version in 2007 and still delivered that incompetent mess of a film instead of a complete Madison Square Garden concert from July 1973, all hopes were dashed.

The first and biggest mistake was hiring the clowns they did to film the shows. Instead of D.A. Pennebaker, the Maylses Brothers, or someone competent, Peter Grant went cheap. Well, you get what you pay for.

All of you complaining about the fantasy sequences...there would have been no need for those sequences if the film crew had properly filmed the three MSG concerts. Three gigs should have been more than enough to get full coverage as well as enough closeups to put together a reasonably good concert film.

Instead it was amateur hour with the Three Stooges at the helm. When the band saw how incomplete the footage was, that is when they had to figure out how to bridge the gaps. The fantasy scenes are what came of that. Additionally, they were talking about filming the Summer 1975 shows. Why they just didn't film the earlier U.S. tour or Earls Court is puzzling.

A properly filmed and multi-tracked Seattle '75 would blow away MSG '73.

It's a big loss for the band's history. 35mm film is so much better than videotape, and you can see that by how much more luminous and beautiful the image is in "The Song Remains the Same" film than in the Earls Court or Knebworth videos.

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8 minutes ago, Strider said:

 When the band saw how incomplete the footage was, that is when they had to figure out how to bridge the gaps. The fantasy scenes are what came of that. 

 

 

Sure about that? I'd always read that the fantasy scenes were planned from the beginning and the studio reshoots two years later were done to fill in the gaps.

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