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Nitpicking Page 5/25/1977 Landover (Double Shot- EVSD)

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I was originally going to end 1977 with 5/30, arguably the best Landover show, but I decided to give them all a proper listen considering I've neglected to do so before. I'm using the soundboard that's available on the "LongLive" site for this one, which I believe is an EVSD version.

TSRTS- Good energy and high spirits on the intro. Percy sounds ok on the verses. First solo- Good until 3:31, where he loses the flow a bit. 4:32, some off-notes. Outro solo- Pretty bad. Soundboard exposure aside, his articulation is a mess here as his brain outruns his fingers. "B".

Sick Again- Intro is very sticky. 0:53, minor flub. Plant singing with good attitude on the verses. First solo- Not bad at all, with a nice expressive ending. Outro solo- 5:35, sloppy. 5:49, just can't get these runs down and he almost fudges the ending. Everything in the middle was good, but still a "B".

NFBM- Opening notes are off a bit and Plant comes in early. Harmonica solo- 2:53, "OW!" One of the better solos from Plant. Oh Jimmy- A little sticky but very expressive. The energy level was good here although it's masked by the murky audio. "B+". A better solo from Page would've put this higher.

IMTOD- Good raunchy tone on the soundboard. Solid beginning. First solo- Good start, but the repetition at 4:39 hurts it some. Second solo- Despite some sloppy phrasing, this one has some attitude. A good ending and decent performance overall puts this in the "B+" range. 

SIBLY- Exceptional intro with excellent phrasing, only the final series of runs are a little sticky. 3:15, awesome response from Jimmy. Solo- Page blasts off with aggresive, slightly inarticulate phrasing. Very good solo on par with the LA versions. A dramatic, well played ending keeps this at an "A". (The audience version naturally has a much stronger impact).

No Quarter- 1:05, Page flubs the opening notes. 4:10, sounds like a change in audio source. Jones- A very entertaining piano routine with lots of different phrases. 6:40-6:57, some exceptional phrases here. 8:29, the boogie section comes in with Page's overdrive boosted to ear-damage level. Luckily it dies out quickly and Jones introduces the solo section wonderfully. Solo- Amateur hour, One of the greatest rock rhythm sections in the world laying down a beat for your solo and this is your answer. I know that's harsh, but it's pretty ridiculous for a band of this caliber. Plant sounds excellent on the return and Page gets some decent wah licks in. One of the better Jones solos, but this performance is severely marred by Page. "B". 

Ten Years Gone- (1:12, "We dedicate this to John Bindon, who's got the biggest plonker in the world"). Good intro. First solo- A tad rough, but fairly solid. Second solo- This one has more bite and sounds excellent. Third solo- Page comes alive again for some exceptional leads. Fourth solo- Borders on erratic, but the delay creates a nice effect. 9:21-9:39, either Page chords this wrong or an uncontrolled effect kicks in and alters the tuning. Jones tunes his three-necked turkey after the song ends. Despite excellent solos this still sits at a "B+".

Acoustic Set: BOE- A solid version. Jones sang well, though Plant seemed to have too much fun with the vocal effects. Page's guitar is absent. GTC- The guitar finally comes up in the mix. Robert sounds slightly bored, though the other two sound fantastic. Whoever accompanies him at the end sounds phenomenal (Jones?). BCW- Short and sweet. BYAS- Good beginning. 2:14, a source switch. WS- Rough on the edges, but one of the more entertaining versions I've heard. BMS- He seems to give up on this after he struggles with the chording. Overall, a "B+". 

Kashmir- A muffled soundboard does this little justice. Even so, this version sounds as epic as ever. "A".

Achilles Last Stand- Excellent start. First solo (3:38)- Not the most technical, but Page gets some very solid phrases in. Second solo (6:44)- Decent, not great. Third solo (8:12)- Average. Certainly an adventurous, energetic version, but something seemed to be missing. "B+" at best.

Stairway To Heaven- 1:03, out of tune mellotron. There's a certain energy missing on the verses. Solo- Page comes out sticky, but phrasing well. 7:00, this part always brings out some nice runs from Page. The final measures are played well and lead to a nice climax. This falls between the not bad/not great territory. "Barely a "B+".

WLL (Partial)

Rock And Roll- Some energy left still. Solo- Page attacks the strings very aggressively, almost frustratingly so. Pretty good "B+".

Final Assessment- Another show where Page was either/or. The highlights are the three blues experimentations- NFBM, IMTOD, and SIBLY. All done with vigor. Also a nice White Summer and Kashmir. Not a bad show by any means, though Page certainly hit some low points. 

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17 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said:

Amateur hour, One of the greatest rock rhythm sections in the world laying down a beat for your solo and this is your answer. I know that's harsh, but it's pretty ridiculous for a band of this caliber.

I dunno why but that cracked me up 😆

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nitpicking Page 5/26/1977 Landover (Bringing Down The House- Eelgrass/EVSD)

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Part two in Landover. I'm using the rather dry soundboard available on the LongLive site, though I highly recommend acquiring Sue Dounim's excellent remaster. The guitar is slightly muffled, but the other three sound good.

TSRTS- Apart from a minor flub on the opening notes, the intro is very good. Plant sounding alright on the verses. First solo- Inspired, but lacking some fluidity. 5:12-5:14, someone hits some off key notes. Outro solo- He hits the notes, but they sound very forced. Good energy and not a bad version overall, but sits at a "B".

Sick Again- Decent intro, though Page is clearly still a little sluggish. First solo- Jimmy wakes up and lays down some good phrases. Outro solo- More erratic and sloppy than usual, akin to some bad 75 versions. Another "B", due only to Page's looseness.

NFBM- The guitar effect is cranked a little high on the intro. 0:53, Page ad libs a nice riff.  Harmonica- very solid solo. Guitar solo- Excellent bends and phrasing off the bat. 5:25, sounds like he starts the ending phrase early or late, but it works out alright. A loosely played version, but overall fairly good. "B+".

IMTOD- 1:01, a single off note at the end of a massive drum fill. First solo- 4:36, either a slight tape cut or Page and Bonzo lose each other for just a second. Apart from that, a well played solo. Second solo- Sounds excellent, though it's almost overshadowed by Bonham. 9:27-9:32, awesomeness. A raucous, lively version with above par solos. A couple small flubs keep this at a "B+", but certainly one of my new favorites.

SIBLY- Intro opens nicely but Page gets off track a little and plays too loose. Plant comes in with gusto, sounding better than any 73 or 75 show. Solo- Very sloppy take off. The slow part is decent, but then it's back to the frustrated sounding run. 7:49-8:06, some excellent vocal conviction from Plant. Too bad Page couldn't match him. A loose Page keeps this at a "B", though Plant does a fantastic job.

No Quarter- Good beginning. Nitpicking Jones- 5:20-6:26, some of the most stunning phrases I've heard by Jones. Simply beautiful. However, it does not transition well into the boogie jam as Bonzo interrupts the mood. Page's guitar is boosted to ear split levels, naturally. The jam overall isn't bad, but Page gets left behind at 8:32 as Jones and Bonham seem to be more in sync with each other. Solo- Page gets some steady phrasing going. 13:39 is different and quite nice. Page followed the lead of the rhythm more instead of shooting for the moon, and it pays off as the solo section flows quite well. Then 16:22 rolls around and it's a little messy. 17:22, Jones brings it all back down with more amazing key work. Some decent wah work from Page near the end and Plant screams passionately about the dogs of doom. 1977 seems to follow a repetitive sequence for this song; Jones usually gets an average to amazing routine in, the boogie jam (and Nutrocker) is usually awkward and out of character with screeching guitar, Page's solo ranges from tiring to just average, then the return is played excellently with Page nailing the wah riffs. Somehow Page went from dominating this track in 73 to barely hanging on in 75 and 77. Jones' musical maturity shines on this performance as he ascended above the normal rock band status quo and touched something higher than the other three could reach. Unfortunately, the other three brought it back down to rock band level. Overall, a "B+".

Ten Years Gone- Good beginning. First solo (3:46)- Though the beginning and end are very sticky, 4:05-4:24 is very good. Second solo (5:53)- Pretty solid. Third solo (7:32)- Some nice picking. Fourth solo (8:22)- The delay sounds harsh on the boot, but the playing is decent. The outro is played passionately and is without doubt one of the best ever, with a very unique riff at 9:33. This isn't a perfect performance, but it's up there as far as character goes. "B+". (Some cool rockabilly/bluegrass riffs by Page and Jones near the end).

Acoustic Set: BOE- The vocals (and their cheesy effects) overwhelm the recording and kill the atmosphere of the song, though it's played well. GTC- 1:34, excellent vocals. Despite the instruments being subdued, this is a great performance with Plant in high spirits. Dancing Days- An impromptu jam that should've gone longer. BCW- Again, Plant is lively and the soundboard does this little justice. BYAS- The source switches to a distant audience recording until the breakdown. Lively and well performed with a good solo section from Page. WS/BMS- A decent performance played a little loosely. Overall, a "B+" acoustic set.

Kashmir- Dry as hell and mellotron heavy. Sounds solid though. "A".

Achilles Last Stand- A royal flub on the intro as Bonzo comes in early. Luckily they stay on track. 1:16, everyone just stops for a sec. First solo- Good start. 4:20, some repetitiveness. Not bad. Second solo (6:49)- Loose, but not bad. Third solo- The delay doesn't come through but it sounds well phrased. I don't know what to think of this version. It's highly erratic, messy, but energetic and intriguing. The soundboard does no favors, but I'd honestly call it a "B".

Stairway To Heaven- Plant sounds drained and the tempo moves uncharacteristically on the intro. However, the second phase of the song makes use of the tempo and sounds desperate and exciting, almost like a new arrangement for it. 4:43, nice little riff by Jones. Solo- Page gets loose off the bat, doing some unusual phrases. The slower part has some good rhythm by Jones. 8:07, a little sticky. The final measures are good and the climax achieves maximum epicness. Definitely a Jeckyll and Hyde performance, both intriguing and sloppy. I'll go "B+", though the first half just might outshine the second on this one.

WLL (Partial)- A hint at Communication Breakdown and a short WLL.

Rock And Roll- Sloppy. Solo- Rough start, but he pulls down a decent, raunchy solo. Bonham gets some killer snare rolls in on the ending. (The end of the audience source has the audience booing something and the Eagles' "Victim Of Love" playing). "B".


Final Assessment- A perfect example of loosely played but highly entertaining. Page managed to tread a fine line between great and trainwreck, staying fairly solid through most of the songs. Going To California is the true standout and it's a shame the instrument levels are so low as this is a great performance with Robert really shining. This show had a unique, unorthodox feel about it. Almost like the four members decided to shine in their own way.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nitpicking Page 5/28/1977 Landover (Powhatan Confederacy- EVSD)

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Using the the EVSD soundboard for this one. It's muffled one minute and harsh the next, so I suggest using an equalizer to balance the sound to your own liking.  

TSRTS- A good start and Plant sounds alright. First solo- A little loose, but not bad. Outro solo- Again some stickiness, but he holds it together. A very solid "B+".

Sick Again- 0:22, hang up. 0:46, slight flub. Very sluggish intro. First solo- Page's fingers loosen up and he gets some very nimble runs in for an excellent solo. Outro solo- A decent series of short, speedy licks. Not bad. The sloppy intro hurts this a lot, but everything is solid. "B+".

NFBM- Good beginning. Harmonica- Plant gets some decent phrases down. Oh Jimmy- Some bad articulation at 5:12, but otherwise a well played, passionate solo. Plant's vocal delivery was good and the rhythm section was tight. I'd call this a lower tier "A".

IMTOD- Played a litter faster than normal (assuming this boot runs correctly) and a very heavy guitar tone. First solo- Energetic and phrased fairly well. Second solo- Also energetic, played fairly well, and accented nicely by Bonham's explosiveness in the background. This thing really starts to groove toward the end. A very solid version. "A+".

SIBLY- A good intro with one sloppy bit at 1:18. The guitar is cutting through on the mix now. Solo- Played loosely but passionately with no real flubs. 6:40-6:42, Jones and Jimmy get some notes crossed and make carnival music. A solid ending. "B+".

No Quarter- Solid intro. Nitpicking Jones- He gets some solid piano noodling down, but the whole thing honestly sounds like a warm-up routine. The boogie jam comes in and for once Page gets on board with some solid phrases that actually match the rhythm. Well done, though it ends a bit awkwardly. Jones hops into a short but well played soul motif before launching the solo. Solo- 12:59, where'd that come from? A nice 73-ish run. The rest is a little loose, but phrased well and played with vigor. 17:15-17:29 is an excellent stretch. Definitely a better Page here than most other versions. Jones brings it back around nicely and the last quarter is solid. This one seems to lack some energy, but I imagine the audience source sounds much livelier. I usually criticize Page mercilessly on this song in 77, but I was pleasantly surprised here. A solid version with no real flubs, though Jones could've done more. I'd love to hear Jones' playing from 5/26 spliced into this version.  "A". (At 24:16 Jones makes a quip, but I can't make out what he says. Anyone know?)

Ten Years Gone- 0:31, slight flub. First solo (2:48)- Perfection! Second solo (4:54)- Another one played flawlessly. 6:01, Page ends on the wrong note, but it matches Plant and almost sounds intentional. Third solo (6:23)- Phrasing was off a little, but not bad at all. Fourth solo (7:15)- Delay effect sounds perfect as Page plays another flawless four bars. The outro solo is good with excellent accents by Bonzo. Despite a couple flubbed notes, Page was solid as a rock on this. Plant sounded a little subdued on the first half but not bad overall. I'm calling this an "A" even with the small errors.

Acoustic Set: BOE- Superb sound with all instruments and vocals coming through nicely. Very energetic version. GTC- 0:48, Plant comes in early. Played a little too loosely and Plant sounds unsure of himself. BCW- Short and sweet. BYAS- Intro is a little sloppy. A switch to an audience source halfway through. The breakdown sounds decent, but it's heavy on the staccato strumming. WS/BMS- Fairly solid, loose in places and lacking some energy. "B" acoustic set, though Evermore was quite nice.

Kashmir- Another solid performance of this track. The later half comes alive and is much more energetic with Plant belting out some nice lines. "A".

Achilles Last Stand- Solid beginning. First solo (3:35)- A little off track at 3:43. 3:55, nice run. Some slight straining and looseness, but not bad. 5:20, Page a little sloppy on this part. Second solo (6:42)- Passionate and played fairly well. Third solo (8:10)- Played well. Sounds harsh on the soundboard, but probably great on an audience version. Page's phaser comes in heavy on the outro. The energy was there for this one, but Page wasn't as solid as usual. Hope he didn't indulge during the break. "B+".

Stairway To Heaven- Page is hitting some slight accidental notes on the intro and at 0:44 he gets crossed up a bit. The pace is very relaxed but not lazy. The first half is solid and Jones plays some excellent phrases on the Rhodes. Solo- 6:10-7:33 is nothing short of stunning, with Page playing a steady flow of articulate notes with exceptional phrasing for 77. Unfortunately, it goes downhill. 7:52 starts a superb legato style phrase, but he fudges the tail end badly. 8:17 is a blazing run. 8:41, bad chording, but he gets it the next time around. The final four are played decently with Page playing the last one on a lower octave (broken string?). The climax hits pretty hard and the song winds down nicely. I really despise these "too good to be true" versions where there is ample potential for something monumental but a few silly flubs put a brown stain on it. The rhythm was excellent, Plant was good, and Page nailed 95% of it. But there's that damned 5% where he tripped up. "B+".

WLL- 0:11, Page and Jones get out of sync. 

Rock And Roll- Jones' bass is twanging like a 12 ft rubber band. Why not bring out the Fender Jazz at least for this one? Solo- Some unorthodox licks and fairly good solo. An adequate encore. "B+".

Final Assessment- I'll admit I was rather surprised by this one, which makes me glad I've taken the time to do these reviews. Even though I may piss a few readers off with my over analyzing, at least I'm finding some hidden gems for myself that I've overlooked. I'd always gone with the 5/30 show for Maryland and never gave this one a chance, but it isn't half bad once Page gets warmed up. And it looks like Page broke out the black dragon suit for this one. Highlights are IMTOD, No Quarter, Ten Years Gone, and The Battle Of Evermore. And these highlights are some of the best I've heard from 1977. Stairway is a heart breaker though, with a failed attempt at perfection. 

Edited by gibsonfan159
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I'll admit that your positive review of this show might just be the most shocking thing I've seen in these nitpicking threads! :lol:

This is literally my least favorite Led Zeppelin show. To my ears they are absolutely dragging ass. Bonzo's slow, Page is slow, and this might just be the worst sounding soundboard for a Zeppelin show I've ever heard. Dry as a bone, flat, and absolutely lifeless. Although I will say that I sampled the audience recording of this show for Kashmir and was shocked at how much better the performance sounded (in spite of it being distant and a bit muffled). Maybe the soundboard runs a tad slow? Or maybe it's just the flat and dry sound that turns me off. Either way, I'm very surprised by your review.

After the final Landover show, do you plan on moving on to 1979? If so, I'm definitely looking forward to your reviews of the Copenhagen warm ups in particular!

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46 minutes ago, ZepHead315 said:

To my ears they are absolutely dragging ass. Bonzo's slow, Page is slow, and this might just be the worst sounding soundboard for a Zeppelin show I've ever heard.

Most of my compliments on this show were based around Page nailing down some solid leads. For once, he doesn't sound like a handicapped monkey on No Quarter, but like you said, the other two are just along for the ride. I thought IMTOD had some good energy. This board indeed sounds terrible and I imagine the audience version leaves a better impression. But even with a lack of energy, there were some good performances. The acoustic section was definitely dragging in my opinion after the first track.

1979 up next, after 5/30.

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1 hour ago, ZepHead315 said:

Have fun arguing that one out! :D

I'd at least applaud you for having an opinion that probably no one else in this forum has lol.

Jokes aside, go back and listen to IMTOD from this show. It's a very high energy version with a coherent Page. Too bad the entire show isn't on this level. But yeah, on the whole I wouldn't rate 5/28 very high.

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15 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said:

Jokes aside, go back and listen to IMTOD from this show. It's a very high energy version with a coherent Page. Too bad the entire show isn't on this level. But yeah, on the whole I wouldn't rate 5/28 very high.

I just listened to it again last night and was pleasantly surprised. You're right. It's as if they got a shot of adrenaline or something. I still wouldn't rate it as an A+ personally. There are better versions from this tour imho (ex. 6/22 and 6/25). But then again, I always felt IMTOD was one of those songs that they almost always pulled off well, as long as Bonzo didn't throw Jimmy off lol. A shame they couldn't keep up that pace for the rest of the show. 

Btw, for 5/30, make sure you do the Liriodendron remaster. The sound on that is almost good enough for an official release.

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Nitpicking Page 5/30/1977 Landover (Liriodendron Remaster)

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The final night in Maryland. I'm using the Liriodendron remaster who, apart from Winston, does the best job at getting superb sound from lifeless audio. One thing that sets this soundboard apart is the slight presence of crowd noise. This gives it a more appealing "live" aspect. Probably my last musical dissection from 1977 unless someone requests another one. 

TSRTS- Solid start. Plant sounds a little better than on 5/28, but he's still not tops for 1977. First solo- Nimble fingers take off and Page nails this one down , throwing in some nice pull-offs at the end. 3:42, this stretched out motif sounds perfectly surreal. Second solo- Good start, but 4:59 has him straining just a bit- barely even noticeable. Good energy and performance all around,  top tier "A".

The Rover (Intro)- Jesus, those drum fills. 0:21, minor guitar choke. Page is just a tad sticky here. 0:45, this missed chord will always be the identifier for this bootleg for me.

Sick Again- Solid start though Plant still sounds a little hoarse. First solo- Nimble fingers and excellent phrasing, one of the best I've heard. Outro solo- 4:31, it's rare to hear Page play a speedy run like this with such articulation. He pulls the erratic bits together for a well phrased solo. A good stomping tempo and a solid performance. The sticky Rover intro keeps this at an "A", though the solos make me wanna go higher.

NFBM- Solid first half. Harmonica- Not bad, but he drops out at the end. 3:38, Plant forgets the lyrics. 4:12, sings the wrong line here. Guitar solo- Some speedy runs with good articulation, though a couple bends sound strained. Very good solo. 5:32, a rare Jones flub confuses the band a bit (He did the same thing on 5/28 but it was less noticeable). Overall, barely a "B" considering the mishaps.

IMTOD- Seriously mean guitar tone and plenty of attitude. First solo- He kicks it off in an unorthodox fashion. Though his playing is solid, the phrasing gets a little repetitive. Not bad. Second solo- He loosens up some this time and is accented nicely by Bonham at 6:19. 7:35, another rare Jones flub as he starts to play the wrong line. 9:41, cool guitar work. This could've done with some more monster drum fills, but it's quite impressive just as it is. A strong "B+". (11:30, why does Plant have an American accent here?)

SIBLY- 0:32, Bonham doing some weird stuff. Very good intro by Page. Very slow tempo, moving along like cold molasses. Solo- Page rips a good series of runs off the bat. 5:18, a tad sloppy but not much. 5:43-5:49, what an ending. Well phrased solo played with true passion. Good finale with Bonham flexing at the end. Plant's passion for the vocals is usually lacking in 77, but he did alright here. The unorthodox intro is strange, but still an "A".

No Quarter- 2:58, "It's just a dream, people". Excellent start. Nitpicking Jones-  The piano introduction is played exquisitely, with steady paced phrasing that never gets dull. The jam section comes in slowly and Page's boosted guitar signal is kept at a reasonable level as he plays some straight forward licks, carefully restraining himself. Jones brings it back around with nimble fingers and Jimmy accents nicely at 11:18. Solo- Fairly flawless lead playing, keeping a steady flow of notes going without any real flubs while playing nicely off the other two. Not exactly next level, but still a truly exceptional solo from Pagey for 77. If only the reverb came through on the soundboard. 17:35-18:23, fantastic. Outro is solid with some blistering wah licks and screaming doom dogs, subsequently shot down by Bonzo's Tommy gun snare. Definitely a version I've slept on. "A++". (23:33, some excellent Plantations with Robert calling Jones an "Old wanker" for drinking wine behind the amplifiers).

Ten Years Gone- Solid intro. First solo (2:31)- Page plays a little loose, though 3:01 is a nice trill lick and the bends are good throughout. 4:35, I believe this is the first time on the tour Plant sings this line with a shout. Second solo (4:38)- Some excellent licks for the most part but he hangs up a little at the end. Third solo (6:13)- Very nice bends and phrasing, with only a minor flub at 6:33. Fourth solo (7:05)- A little forced, but a superb ending phrase. The outro solo is stiff, but hits hard. Page wasn't perfect on this version but still manages to keep it between the ditches. Plant sings with amazing enthusiasm and Bonham does some exciting fills. "B+".

Acoustic Section; BOE- Exciting and mandolin heavy. Plant and Jones play nicely off each other. GTC- Definitely some reverb coming through on this one. Amazing audio and stunning mando work. 1:43, plane takes off. I think Plant overdoes it a bit, but still a beautiful version. BCW- An average run-through. BYAS- Decent intro. 1:10, tape gap? Breakdown flows nicely (except 4:18 when Bonham jumps the cue). Plant sounds great, but this one seems to be missing something. WS/BMS- Page teases with a slow intro, then takes off like a 1970 version of himself. Very good performance. Overall, a "B+" set.

Kashmir- 2:11, some mellotron issues. 6:01, I love these Bruce Lee vocal accents Plant does. Page gets some decent Arabic shredding down at the end. A heavy, tromping, atmospheric performance. "A".

Achilles Last Stand- Solid takeoff. First solo- Some nice fluidity and flawless phrasing. One of the better solos I've heard. Second solo- 6:33, sounds like Page and Jones get their strings crossed. Excellent playing by Jimmy. Third solo- Delay doesn't come through at all, but this may be a good thing. Very nice. Bonham absolutely going nuts at the end. Apart from a few almost unnoticeable off notes, this is damn near perfection. "A+".

Stairway To Heaven- Flawless first half from what I can tell with a driving tempo and good enthusiasm from Plant. Solo- Solid off the bat. 6:55-7:13, time machine back to MSG 1973. 7:43, unique phrase. 8:00, these guys are so in sync mentally its ridiculous. 8:05, slightly sticky. 8:50, we're approaching perfection. I'm saying to myself "Can he nail the final pull-offs to achieve absolute perfection on this solo and lay down maybe the best version ever?" 9:02, nope lol. No he can't, because that's the law of Pagey. Never achieve perfection and always leave your audience yearning for it. But, it wasn't too bad and the climax hits hard. The wind-down sounds good and I'm still slapping an "A+" on this. Had he nailed the end of the solo, I would've thrown a one time "A+++" on this baby. After listening to this boot dozens of times, I somehow missed this gem. Maybe because I usually skip it.

WLL (Partial)- Thunderous energy and attitude. Rock And Roll- Sounding solid. Solo- 3:10, some strained notes but he quickly gets back on track. The ending has the band almost launching into a new, improvised track. "B+". Robert just can't get the "Maryland" pronunciation down.


Final Assessment- Apart from NFBM, this entire show is very solid and features a surprisingly coherent and fluid Page. The sole highlight for me is No Quarter, which is solid from start to finish, featuring above par performances from all four members. There is a certain amount of energy missing on the acoustic set, but that might be resolved on the audience version. I may just be riding a high from this show (and its superb sound), but I'm gonna say it anyway- this may be the best Page overall in 1977, including L.A. Definitely the most unparalleled performance overall on soundboard. On to the four 1979 shows.

For these 1977 reviews, I'd like to thank user ZepHead315 for providing me with links, sources, and insight. 

Edited by gibsonfan159
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42 minutes ago, gibsonfan159 said:

On to the four 1979 shows.

Looking forward to your reviews of the 79 shows. Esp the Copenhagen ones. I owned a triple vinyl copy of The Copenhagen Warm Ups in the 1980's and could never get past how "thin" the audience recording sounded. I've gone back to both Copenhagen shows numerous times over the years and always seem to come away with the same opinion. I enjoy the performance, but....

Using the audience recordings from the Blueberry Hill show as a standard, the warm ups for Knebworth still sound too light and thin for my ears. I'd love for a new source or soundboard to come out so I could really crank these up.

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Appreciate the shout out mate! If you want me to provide you with releases for the 1979 shows, just let me know. :)

With regard to NFBM, the 2nd half is rather sloppy due to a bottle rocket hitting Plant and catching his shirt on fire. Frankly, I'm surprised he kept his cool. I would have probably been so pissed that I would have refused to continue to perform unless the crowd calmed down lol. Apart from that, this is a great show. It helps that Lirio remastered this soundboard so well that he was able to make it clear and atmospheric, something many of the 77 soundboards are lacking.

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6 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

Appreciate the shout out mate! If you want me to provide you with releases for the 1979 shows, just let me know. :)

With regard to NFBM, the 2nd half is rather sloppy due to a bottle rocket hitting Plant and catching his shirt on fire. Frankly, I'm surprised he kept his cool. I would have probably been so pissed that I would have refused to continue to perform unless the crowd calmed down lol. Apart from that, this is a great show. It helps that Lirio remastered this soundboard so well that he was able to make it clear and atmospheric, something many of the 77 soundboards are lacking.

I’m amazed they didn’t walk off after the rocket incident let alone play such a great gig. This was always a show I really liked but the Lirio remaster takes it somewhere else. 

After years of listening to limited quality cassette tapes I am eternally grateful to all of the talented people who have taken the time to remaster recordings and share their work.

i enjoy reading the nitpicking series, it will be interesting to read an impartial critique of the knebworth gigs compared to my own thoughts (based on audience and soundboard recordings and dvd’s) which are always going to be coloured by my experiences.

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I  remeber  hearing  the  5/28  audience  recording. After  the  show  there  is  a  guy  that  says: "Great  show. I  hope  it  comes  out  one  day."  

This  prooves  that  the  sterile  and  murky  soundboards  sometimes  give  us  the  wrong  opinion  about  a  show.

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Nitpicking Page 7/20/1977 Tempe. Arizona ( Net Source )

tempe77_a_0.jpg.f725138bab78ca7d8852d1a64f4af092.jpgtempe77-a_0.jpg.457e7b585ec6629e1e36f0df32576ea7.jpg1977-07-20-tempe-jp6_0.jpg.af156d375f861a39ec4b55582192d214.jpg

Considered the worst Zep show ever. Let's see how bad it really is. All boots are incomplete as they open with the acoustic set, but are a fairly clear audience source.

Battle Of Evermore- This boot opens with a number of firework explosion and Plant immediately scolds the crowd. A good version with even Jonesy singing on point. "A".

GTC- An adequate version. Nothing too impressive. Another "Boom" at the end. "B+".

Black Country Woman- Rather short but played well. "A".

Bron-Y-Aur Stomp- Good start, good energy. Page's breakdown isn't spectacular but is played fairly well. 6:04, he hints at Dancing Days and Bonzo complies, but he skips it. A good finish for a strong "B+".

Trampled- Booming start. Jones gets in a decent, somewhat repetitive solo. Guitar solo- Page opens with some underwhelming notes, then comes blasting in screaming. It's hard to make out but sounds overall very sloppy. Not a train-wreck, but just not good. 
 6:44, Page sounds off key here. A decent finish for a "B" overall.

Black Mountainside- My version goes for 17 seconds and jumps into Kashmir, obviously in an unplanned fashion as the rest of the band miss the first bar.

Kashmir- The audio gets bad here and there is an annoying audio glitch. Cuts out at 8:15. Apart from the off start, this sits at a "B+". Not too bad.

Achilles- Comes in noticeably slow. By 0:40, it's obvious Bonham is either playing too fast or there's some monitor problems as Page and Plant both sound off time (this is apparently where the pyro guy blasted Jimmy in the face). At 0:50 Bonham is noticeably trying to hesitate to get the timing back on track. It sounds okay until 1:44 where Page misses the cue. 3:30, first solo- pretty sloppy. 4:22, Page jumps into this phrase a bar too early and repeats it next measure. 4:27, Plant follows Jimmy's lead and comes in too early. 6:18, second solo- not bad. 7:31, third solo- sounds pretty average until 8:10 where either Jimmy or JPJ get off key. It almost sounds like the tape speeds up for a sec. A decent finish as Plant makes some quips about the lighting crew. Definitely the worst Achilles ever. "C".   Plant afterwards- ("That was ah, Achilles Last Stand. That explosion at the beginning was ah, not supposed to be there, but anyway. In fact, whoever triggered that off is gonna be castrated shortly. That's what happens when half the crew are asleep, you see? We've been on the road now for about fourteen weeks, and every now and then somebody on the lighting tower sort of twirls to the floor there. Sort of Pirowhettes down and lands on the stage. Can we have a spotlight on the gentlemen on the stageleft? Spotlight up there over them. There's an Englishman there who's in the spotlight who fortunately, see those two Englishmen there? The pride of Chelsea. Wonderful boys. Well this song ah, I guess this song needs ah, well I don't think it needs much of an introduction. It's been very good to us.")

Stairway- A good start. 2:30, Page hesitates a bit. 2:55, some off notes. Solo- Page isn't exactly in shred mode but his phrasing is quite nice. The bit at 8:25 flows well. 9:30, off the tracks a little. 10:05, Bonham plays softer than usual here and I think he's allowing Jimmy to gather his bearings a little. The final measures are played straightforward, but well. I've heard far worse Stairway solos. Some hangups make this a "B".

Final assessment- I don't know how anyone could call this their worst show ever considering it's only the last half of the show. Maybe those who were there saw Page fall on his face during TSRTS, Plant's vocals blow out on Sick Again, or Bonham's sticks fly out of his hands during No Quarter, but apart from an unfortunate Achilles and a lackluster Stairway I just can't call it their worst show. Not even their worst bootleg.

Edited by gibsonfan159
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14 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

Interesting how you didn't mention how awful Plant's voice is at this gig, especially compared to other shows from 77. Even on Going to California, he's singing in a monotone voice. I definitely think it drags down the performance that much more, even more so than Page.

I compared this version to the Seattle gig three days prior and Robert was attempting the higher notes and squawking pretty badly. So it appears he was still having trouble and just not pushing himself at Tempe. He seems to have gotten back on track at the Alamaeda shows (Which I plan on doing). I don't think he sounds that bad though, probably not the worst of 77. I'd love to hear this entire show.

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On 29 November 2019 at 6:54 AM, gibsonfan159 said:

Nitpicking Page 7/20/1977 Tempe. Arizona ( Net Source )

I just can't call it their worst show. Not even their worst bootleg.

What would you call the worst show? 

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On 12/4/2019 at 10:00 PM, PeaceFrogYum said:

Ah, Nuremberg. Site of the Nazi rallies and where Zeppelin's blimp was particularly limp. Bad mojo.

I can probably think of a couple of other 1980 performances worse than Tempe- Hannover for one, simply because Plant has such a shitty attitude on the night. The Mannheim shows are pretty iffy as well (one is definitely worse than the other, I just can't remember which). I'd give Nurmeberg a pass because Bonham "ate 27 bananas" though it's hard to say how good the night would have gone if he'd tried to stick it out- the San Diego show in '77 when he's had "too many rhinestones" is pretty embarassing in places. 

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