We all have that cross to bear at times.

It's up to you younguns to pass along the Book of Zeppelin after us geezers throw off this mortal coil. You Kiwi, Sathington, Sue, ledzepfilm, Stairway, Steal Away Now Baby Rose, redhairedqueen, Lëah, and many more....it will be up to you kids to steer the unenlightened to the gospel of Led Zeppelin. Steer them away from the tabloid media gossip and show them the way to what is truly important...the music and the live concert history. Kiwi, I dig you because despite a gap of thousands of miles and completely different cultural and sexual backgrounds, at heart we are two peas-in-a-pod...perfectly happy to sit and watch Looney Tunes and drink some whiskey and then crank some Led Zeppelin, Queen, blues and 60s garage psych-rock. I also enjoy the Down Under perspective you, along with Jules and Reggie and Whoopie Cat, share with us Northern Hemisphere folk.

USS Arizona

Happy birthday Kiwi! Hope you have a marvelous day and celebrate your birthday in style...perhaps top it off with a nice bourbon? I drink a toast to you, mate! For she's a jolly good fellow...

The way EVSD screwed up the 1977 LA Forum box set, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high.

^^^Nice one, res. Round two of John Lennon...R.I.P. December 8, 1980

In memory of that awful day 35 years ago...

Trust me, the Stones were not "struggling" in 1972. The Rolling Stones tour of 1972 was a blazing success...they could have sold out the Forum or Madison Square Garden for a week if they wanted to. Oh please...I think most people know what I meant. But if you want to get pedantic, Led Zeppelin's first gig may have been in 1968 but their album wasn't released until 1969, so they were still an unknown entity to the average punter. It wasn't until "Whole Lotta Love" was a hit as 1969 was on the cusp of becoming 1970 that Led Zeppelin was LED ZEPPELIN to the mainstream conscious, and by that point, yes, the Beatles were in their final days as an active group.

Hot damn! This has me excited about a new Radiohead album...hopefully out next year. But seriously, Thom, lose the stupid manbun.

Johnnie Walker Red Black or Blue?

New Radiohead songs!

Week 14 Schedule THUR. DEC. 10 TIME (ET) Minnesota at Arizona 8:25 PM SUN. DEC. 13 TIME (ET) Buffalo at Philadelphia 1:00 PM San Francisco at Cleveland 1:00 PM Detroit at St. Louis 1:00 PM New Orleans at Tampa Bay 1:00 PM Tennessee at NY Jets 1:00 PM Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 1:00 PM Seattle at Baltimore 1:00 PM Indianapolis at Jacksonville 1:00 PM San Diego at Kansas City 1:00 PM Washington at Chicago 1:00 PM Atlanta at Carolina 1:00 PM Oakland at Denver 4:05 PM Dallas at Green Bay 4:25 PM New England at Houston 8:30 PM MON. DEC. 14 TIME (ET) NY Giants at Miami 8:30 PM (What a strange matchup...not much history between these teams...not quite like Jets vs. Dolphins, that's for sure)

Wow. Nobody had Dallas. That was a chance to steal a game and gain ground. Of coure, nobody had Philadelphia beating New England, either...not even our resident Patriot-hater Rick. Anyway, tally-ho! jb126 wins the week and gains three games on apantherfrommd. Congratulations jb126! Congratulations also to Reggie29, who had his best week since since Week 1. Week 13 Results jb126: 12-4* Mrs. Walter: 11-5 Reggie29: 11-5 S.A.N.B.R: 11-5 paul carruthers: 10-6 Walter: 10-6 apantherfrommd: 9-7 Strider: 9-7 Bong-Man: 8-8 ebk: 8-8 in_the_evening: 8-8 jabe: 8-8 LedZeppfan77: 7-9 zepscoda: 6-10 Anjin-san: 1-0 Collective total: 129-111 54% Average score: 8.6-7.4 Season Standings After 192 Games 1. apantherfrommd: 123-69****** 2. jb126: 122-70** 3. Bong-Man: 116-76**** 4. ebk: 115-77**** 5. paul carruthers: 114-78* 5. Walter: 114-78* 6. Strider: 107-85* 6. zepscoda: 107-84* 7. jabe: 105-87** 8. Steal Away Now Baby Rose: 104-70* 9. in_the_evening: 100-92* 10. Anjin-san: 99-78** 11. Reggie29: 97-95 11. LedZeppfan77: 97-94 12. Mrs. Walter: 34-26 Collective average: 103.6-78.3 57%

Merry Christmas Walter!!! That was some early Christmas gift Dallas gave you. In a season of woe, the one thing a team and its fans can hang its hat on is beating their hated rival. No matter what ESPN and other Johnny-come-latelys try to tell you, there has always been one true hated rival of the Cowboys and that is the Washington Redskins. To beat the Taters in Washington will be a memory that warms the cold winter nights of Dallas fans in this brutal season.

The Beatles, for all intents and purposes, were no longer a going concern by the time Led Zeppelin took flight, so they were never in a position to feel threatened or competitive with Led Zeppelin. Consequently, I have never read or heard of any disparaging remarks made by a Beatle...and no, that George Harrison remark about "ballads" doesn't count as disparaging. But the Stones, Who, Kinks, etc. were all still trodding the boards when Led Zeppelin came along and upset the apple-cart. There's a flavour of rivalry and bitterness in many of these remarks made over the years by Led Zeppelin's peers. Oh, and it was no surprise that it was a Rolling Stone magazine writer who stirried up the pot in the first place by asking Keef those questions and then inserting himself into the article. Hey Patrick Doyle...nobody gives a rat turd what your feelings on Led Zeppelin are. You were hired to interview Keef about his new album, not share your opinions on Led Zeppelin. I guess Jan Wenner and company are still pissed that time has shown Rolling Stone was on the wrong side of history when it came to Led Zeppelin and that their reviews and stance on Led Zeppelin back in the 1970s makes them look idiotic.

Sorry but I disagree. Even though I am agnostic, there are still some Christmas songs that I find have musical and/or emotional value. Do you really find nothing to like in any of Bach's Christmas music? Technically, Bach's music was composed in service to God/Jesus, so you might say all of Bach's music is Christmas music. What about Vince Guaraldi's lovely jazz score for the "Charlie Brown Christmas Special"? Mel Tormé's "A Christmas Song"? (Take your pick of three exquisite renditions: Mel Tormé, Nat King Cole, or Ella Fitzgerald) Chuck Berry's (or Keith Richards) "Run Rudolph"? Pharoah Sanders "We Three Kings"? I could go on and on...but my point is that there is more to Christmas music than the pablum that is played in retail stores and pop radio.

First of all, it is very nice to see you again imPLANTed! Haven't seen you around these parts in a while. Not quite ready to crank the Christmas music yet...I generally wait until December 12 and the 12 Days of Christmas. Today is Louis Prima's birthday...born 105 years ago. Louis always puts a smile on my face, which is especially helpful for those back-to-work-Monday-blues.

Just avoid Ted 2. Not nearly as funny.

Independence from what...sunshine?

Nobody wants to face Seattle or Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

Okay, I don't really care about the brickbats hurled around by musicians on other musicians...most are said tongue-in-cheek at best, or at worst, just uttered in jealousy or trying to drum up attention. But I know some people here do find that sort of thing of interest. I thought there was a "Keith Richards Slams Led Zep" thread here but I'll be damned if I could find it, so here you go. From Classic Rock magazine: Wednesday December 2, 2015 Jimmy Page Responds to Led Zeppelin Slam by Keith Richards Jimmy Page has responded to recent comments regarding Led Zeppelin made by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. While promoting his latest solo album, “Crosseyed Heart”, Richards was discussing the importance of band chemistry versus image with Rolling Stone magazine when he said, “It's playing together that is the important thing about bands, and so many bands are manufactured. I mean, even Zeppelin was manufactured by Peter Grant.” When the interviewer responded “I was never a big Zeppelin guy,”Richards replied, “Me neither. I love Jimmy Page, but as a band, no, with John Bonham thundering down the highway in an uncontrolled 18-wheeler. He had cornered the market there. Jimmy is a brilliant player. But I always felt there was something a little hollow about it, you know?” Prompted by a second comment that the interviewer wasn’t a fan of Robert Plant’s voice, the guitarist added, “No, I think he's doing better stuff now,” and on the singer’s work with Alison Krauss: "Finally, he's getting his chops!" "Keith can say what he wants. He’s Keith Richards,” Page tells Classic Rock magazine. “I think he’s done some amazing work. I respect his playing. And he has a solo album out. But if I was promoting a new album, would I be more caustic? The answer is no. “I’m not sure what he means by calling Led Zeppelin hollow. I think he’s got his tongue in his cheek. What we did was really cool." Page and Led Zeppelin wrapped up a year-long reissues series of their complete studio album catalog in July with the release of expended versions of 1976’s “Presence”, 1979’s “In Through The Out Door” and 1982’s “Coda.” The guitarist recently performed the Zeppelin classic "Rock and Roll" with an all-star lineup of musicians in Seattle while on hand at the Experience Music Project to receive a Founder’s Award, and is making plans to begin recording a solo album in 2016.

Count me as another who hates the Macca one..it's treacly to the extreme. "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth", "Little Drummer Boy", "Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer" also make my list of Christmas songs I avoid...as well as just about every heavy metal/rap/hip-hop updated abomination. Oh, and KILL THE CHIPMUNKS! Utter ear torture.

Are you on a walkabout, Kiwi? Looks like a nice lake. Do people fish there?

Anjin-san missed his picks. He has never missed getting his picks in before. I hope Kev is okay. I PMed him but no response.