Nitpicking Page 2/8/75 Philadelphia ( The Spectrum)

[gibsonfan159]

You're gonna need your "bootleg ears" for most of this one. Sounds like the tapers were standing outside the venue for a while. But while still in search of a solid Page performance from 75, I needed to give this one a nitpick. Thanks to user Pluribus for the suggestion.

Rock And Roll- No flubs, fluid and powerful solo.

Sick Again- Energetic start. First solo- Pretty much flawless. Fluid pull-offs and pitch perfect bends. Outro solo- The phrasing is a little frantic, but his fingers are still very nimble. Hell, he's playing this like it's the Dazed workout section. Bonham misses the ending.

OTHAFA- Flawless intro. Plant is sounding decent now. Solo- Starts off very solid. Nothing spectacular, but still good. 3:24-3:32, what a run! It finishes up with excellent riffing. The tempo now seems to be a bit faster lol. Jimmy is feeling good so far tonight.

In My Time Of Dying- The audio clears up a little. Solid guitar work. Solo 1- He seems to lose his flow a little at first, but still plays on point. Solo 2- Better phrasing on this one, but still a different approach for what he would play for other shows. Energetic outro with Bonzo beating the shit out of his drums. A soundboard for this would be amazing.

TSRTS- Up tempo and exciting. Plant sounds excellent now. Solo- Audio drops a little, but sounds perfectly fluid. Something happens at 4:19, maybe a dropped pick as you can hear Page stop for just a second and then come back in fine.

The Rain Song- A solid performance.

Kashmir- Excellent phrasing with the arabic scales. A solid version.

No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones, he doesn't really seem to go anywhere with the organ solo. Page comes in with nice funky chording. Solid phrasing and fluidity, he's stealing the show here. 8:54-9:02, this is the Page fluidity we should've heard for the whole tour. He had it in him, but couldn't access it for most of post 73 for some reason. 10:10-11:25, Page absolutely leaves the earth. Unfortunately, it sounds like Jones failed to transition to the appropriate rhythm, so the awesome solo sounds almost out of place. THE best No Quarter solo I've heard for 75 and one of the best period, in my opinion. Outro solo- Here he goes again. Jesus, those bends. He's playing like he's got something to prove again. This is undoubtedly some of the best playing I've heard from post 73.

Trampled Underfoot- Another speedy take off. Solo- An off start, but he jumps on track quickly and starts shredding. Fingers get a little sticky at 3:40, but good lord listen to that pick hand. Sounds like "Eruption" for a second lol. He switches phrasing up and ends nicely, straining ever so slightly but not very noticeably. 6:10 and on, listen to those little accented notes. Page ate his Wheaties this morning.

Moby Dick- An excellent version, I must say. Not much dragging at all. 

Dazed And Confused- I'm expecting big things for this based on what I've heard so far. He's sticking to the basic formula throughout the first part. A solid first lead section, with Bonzo and Jones laying down a hectic groove. 5:32/San Francisco, other than a string slightly out of tune, this is absolutely stunning. Very beautiful and delicate. Imagine hearing this on a multitrack. 7:55, the transition to the bow section takes forever, roadie must've been playing with it backstage. A little mundane, but a good bow solo. 14:53 and on, a good solid workout section. Nothing amazing, but very fluid. 21:16/Mars, Bringer Of War- Nailed it. Even brings the bow back out for the outro. Overall, nothing spectacular, but a very solid version that could easily be an official release with very little editing.

Stairway To Heaven- Tapers are still trying to figure out what happened to their buddy lol. Plant sounds fantastic for this and very inspired. Solo- He gets a good flow going but it seems to lack some emotion and is slightly erratic, but not really in a bad way. 8:18, excellent double note bends. 9:01, a slight flub. A great solo with good phrasing. A soundboard might really bring it alive.

Whole Lotta Love (Partial)- The guitar drops in the mix and is barely audible. Sounds like the taper went out for a smoke.

Black Dog- Plant is sounding very hoarse now, but there's still a lot of energy. 1:45, 1:51, Page is throwing some nice accents in there. The solo- That Van Halen right hand appears again at 3:51. Straining a little on the big bends, but still managing. His phrasing moves along nicely and never sounds forced (like so many other versions). A solid version and solo.

Heartbreaker- Bonham's drums sound like a giant robot walking down a hallway. The solo- The taper says "We need to stand up for this" lol. You're damn right. Sounding good, but he sounds a little lost. 4:47, the speedy part- articulation is fairly good, a little sloppy, but his phrasing seems to have taken a dive. He sounds like he doesn't know what he wants to do. 5:47, his fingers aren't quite as nimble here, but he's moving along okay. 7:32, he flubs the chords. Not a bad version at all for 75.

Final assessment- This is definitely the hottest Page I've heard so far in 75 and is easily comparable to previous years. It's a shame the audio is lackluster and Plant's voice isn't 100%, but let's hope for a soundboard anyway. After doing 2/6 (Good) and 2/8 (Great), I think I'll go straight to 2/10 to see if the momentum kept going in Maryland.

Edited April 8, 2018 by gibsonfan159
Spelling

[IpMan]

2 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said:

You're gonna need your "bootleg ears" for most of this one. Sounds like the tapers were standing outside the venue for a while. But while still in search of a solid Page performance from 75, I needed to give this one a nitpick. Thanks to user Pluribus for the suggestion.

Rock And Roll- No flubs, fluid and powerful solo.

Sick Again- Energetic start. First solo- Pretty much flawless. Fluid pull-offs and pitch perfect bends. Outro solo- The phrasing is a little frantic, but his fingers are still very nimble. Hell, he's playing this like it's the Dazed workout section. Bonham misses the ending.

OTHAFA- Flawless intro. Plant is sounding decent now. Solo- Starts off very solid. Nothing spectacular, but still good. 3:24-3:32, what a run! It finishes up with excellent riffing. The tempo now seems to be a bit faster lol. Jimmy is feeling good so far tonight.

In My Time Of Dying- The audio clears up a little. Solid guitar work. Solo 1- He seems to lose his flow a little at first, but still plays on point. Solo 2- Better phrasing on this one, but still a different approach for what he would play for other shows. Energetic outro with Bonzo beating the shit out of his drums. A soundboard for this would be amazing.

TSRTS- Up tempo and exciting. Plant sounds excellent now. Solo- Audio drops a little, but sounds perfectly fluid. Something happens at 4:19, maybe a dropped pick as you can hear Page stop for just a second and then come back in fine.

The Rain Song- A solid performance.

Kashmir- Excellent phrasing with the arabic scales. A solid version.

No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones, he doesn't really seem to go anywhere with the organ solo. Page comes in with nice funky chording. Solid phrasing and fluidity, he's stealing the show here. 8:54-9:02, this is the Page fluidity we should've heard for the whole tour. He had it in him, but couldn't access it for most of post 73 for some reason. 10:10-11:25, Page absolutely leaves the earth. Unfortunately, it sounds like Jones failed to transition to the appropriate rhythm, so the awesome solo sounds almost out of place. THE best No Quarter solo I've heard for 75 and one of the best period, in my opinion. Outro solo- Here he goes again. Jesus, those bends. He's playing like he's got something to prove again. This is undoubtedly some of the best playing I've heard from post 73.

Trampled Underfoot- Another speedy take off. Solo- An off start, but he jumps on track quickly and starts shredding. Fingers get a little sticky at 3:40, but good lord listen to that pick hand. Sounds like "Eruption" for a second lol. He switches phrasing up and ends nicely, straining ever so slightly but not very noticeably. 6:10 and on, listen to those little accented notes. Page ate his Wheaties this morning.

Moby Dick- An excellent version, I must say. Not much dragging at all. 

Dazed And Confused- I'm expecting big things for this based on what I've heard so far. He's sticking to the basic formula throughout the first part. A solid first lead section, with Bonzo and Jones laying down a hectic groove. 5:32/San Francisco, other than a string slightly out of tune, this is absolutely stunning. Very beautiful and delicate. Imagine hearing this on a multitrack. 7:55, the transition to the bow section takes forever, roadie must've been playing with it backstage. A little mundane, but a good bow solo. 14:53 and on, a good solid workout section. Nothing amazing, but very fluid. 21:16/Mars, Bringer Of War- Nailed it. Even brings the bow back out for the outro. Overall, nothing spectacular, but a very solid version that could easily be an official release with very little editing.

Stairway To Heaven- Tapers are still trying to figure out what happened to their buddy lol. Plant sounds fantastic for this and very inspired. Solo- He gets a good flow going but it seems to lack some emotion and is slightly erratic, but not really in a bad way. 8:18, excellent double note bends. 9:01, a slight flub. A great solo with good phrasing. A soundboard might really bring it alive.

Whole Lotta Love (Partial)- The guitar drops in the mix and is barely audible. Sounds like the taper went out for a smoke.

Black Dog- Plant is sounding very hoarse now, but there's still a lot of energy. 1:45, 1:51, Page is throwing some nice accents in there. The solo- That Van Halen right hand appears again at 3:51. Straining a little on the big bends, but still managing. His phrasing moves along nicely and never sounds forced (like so many other versions). A solid version and solo.

Heartbreaker- Bonham's drums sound like a giant robot walking down a hallway. The solo- The taper says "We need to stand up for this" lol. You're damn right. Sounding good, but he sounds a little lost. 4:47, the speedy part- articulation is fairly good, a little sloppy, but his phrasing seems to have taken a dive. He sounds like he doesn't know what he wants to do. 5:47, his fingers aren't quite as nimble here, but he's moving along okay. 7:32, he flubs the chords. Not a bad version at all for 75.

Final assessment- This is definitely the hottest Page I've heard so far in 75 and is easily comparable to previous years. It's a shame the audio is lackluster and Plant's voice isn't 100%, but let's hope for a soundboard anyway. After doing 2/6 (Good) and 2/8 (Great), I think I'll go straight to 2/10 to see if the momentum kept going in Maryland.

Good job Gibson, nice, honest assessment, much appreciated. It appears during most of the 75' shows that his right hand starts feeling the pain by the end of the show, they go off and Page drinks half a bottle of Jack, comes back for the encores and that is when you can start to notice his playing dropping off. He does this quite often on this tour, starts out strong, moving along well, showing some strain by the end, and then the encores show the booze. 

In 75' I blame the Jack in the end of the show for most of Jimmy's issues.

[gibsonfan159]

41 minutes ago, IpMan said:

. It appears during most of the 75' shows that his right hand starts feeling the pain by the end of the show,

Except 3/21, where he struggles more at the beginning. The 2/28 show is the tell all though, where the first half is superb, but when they come back after Moby Dick Page is basically flat on his face.

[JohnOsbourne]

I don't think you need to bother with Landover (2-10-75), the soundboard has exposed this show as a dud, the rather poor audience tape (enjoyable because of the wintry vibe it imparted) covered up a lot of flaws.

[IpMan]

1 hour ago, JohnOsbourne said:

I don't think you need to bother with Landover (2-10-75), the soundboard has exposed this show as a dud, the rather poor audience tape (enjoyable because of the wintry vibe it imparted) covered up a lot of flaws.

Yes, not exactly a highlight of the 75' tour. Not horrible or even bad, just...blah IMO.

[Bonzo_fan]

3 hours ago, JohnOsbourne said:

I don't think you need to bother with Landover (2-10-75), the soundboard has exposed this show as a dud, the rather poor audience tape (enjoyable because of the wintry vibe it imparted) covered up a lot of flaws.

 

1 hour ago, IpMan said:

Yes, not exactly a highlight of the 75' tour. Not horrible or even bad, just...blah IMO.

It's yet another great night for Bonham though...

[Jimmy's Dragon Suit]

I enjoyed your analysis and always appreciated this show as an underrated gem but I listen to this show as fan of live Zep so some of the minor Page flubs never bothered me as he is still recovering from a smashed finger. I have to listen to this one again. I think you should nitpick Chicago 1/21/75 or New York 2/12/75 which in my opinion are in the top 10 for best shows of the US 75 tour... even with an injured James Patrick Page.

[bluecongo]

Just skip Landover, Page was wasted.

 

2/12/75 is one of my fave shows I'm curious to hear how anal you are about it

[Bonzo_fan]

1 hour ago, Jimmy's Dragon Suit said:

I enjoyed your analysis and always appreciated this show as an underrated gem but I listen to this show as fan of live Zep so some of the minor Page flubs never bothered me as he is still recovering from a smashed finger. I have to listen to this one again. I think you should nitpick Chicago 1/21/75 or New York 2/12/75 which in my opinion are in the top 10 for best shows of the US 75 tour... even with an injured James Patrick Page.

You've heard all of 1/21/75??  Do you mean 1/22?

[Jimmy's Dragon Suit]

2 hours ago, Bonzo_fan said:

You've heard all of 1/21/75??  Do you mean 1/22?

Actually I think I meant 1/20... the show with "When the Levee Breaks."

[gibsonfan159]

4 hours ago, bluecongo said:

Just skip Landover, Page was wasted.

 

2/12/75 is one of my fave shows I'm curious to hear how anal you are about it

So mote be it.

[hummingbird69]

4 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said:

So mote be it.

Only listened to No Quarter, Moby and Dazed but I think you get a good look at how hard page tries to overcome problems and deliver. No Quarter is pretty good no major incidents but Listen To Dazed most notably the end. Dazed is pretty good from the start and through to the last section but this is where he has trouble. Page has major probs hitting a certain note but he keeps trying and keeps redoing it until he cannot do anymore. At the very end he sounds isolated from the rest of the band plays the last part pretty much by himself in hopes of redemption and for my money,  the effort he makes to deliver a good ending is monumental and finally comes through with a decent recovery and I have no problems listening to it for enjoyment and not just as a curiosity.

 

[Bonzo_fan]

10 hours ago, Jimmy's Dragon Suit said:

Actually I think I meant 1/20... the show with "When the Levee Breaks."

Ah yes, that would be 1/20.

[paplbojo]

I'm trying to listen to No Quarter from this night after reading your review. I need to develop bootleg ears because geez I just can't tell what's going on. Hopefully one day we get a better source for this show. 

[gibsonfan159]

7 minutes ago, paplbojo said:

I'm trying to listen to No Quarter from this night after reading your review. I need to develop bootleg ears because geez I just can't tell what's going on. Hopefully one day we get a better source for this show. 

That would be a dream. Unfortunately, Page's superb playing on No Quarter doesn't have a good impact because the rest of the band doesn't really match his playing.

[paplbojo]

Wow

You know what I don't need bootleg ears for...to hear how frickin fire this Trampled Underfoot is. 

[ZepHead315]

Your review inspired me to check out this show. Holy cow where did that performance come from?! Page is on freaking fire! Hell, even Plant sounds strong here. Even Dazed (which I expected to be like most 75 versions: long and meandering) was fiery and powerful. For those who haven't checked out this show, I can't recommend it enough. Sure the March shows may be more epic and the Earls Court shows may have a bigger vibe, but in terms of the band being tight and focused, it really doesn't get much better than this for '75. This is a truly underappreciated show.

[Anthony Bicos]

This was my very first Rock Concert a week after my 17th birthday.  Drove with like 8 high school pals packed into a Plymouth station wagon, including our school’s main LSD “provider” 😳.  Needless to say - we got our money’s worth 🥁.  Couldn’t get out of our excellent mid riser seats until a half hour after it was over!  Floored me 🎶