^^^Nice...now you can Cool Your Boots! Hehehe. Another day of sunshine here has me happy.

NO, danelectro, don't STOP! People need to be a little less thin-skinned around here, in my opinion. As long as there's no personal attacks on other posters or gratuitous slurs against members of the band or their family, I believe everything about Led Zeppelin's MUSIC should be open for discussion; their records, the concerts, the cultural imprint they had. Whether your view is positive or positive, you shouldn't have to worry about expressing it. I don't believe in sacred cows, whether we're talking about Bach, Beatles or Led Zeppelin. Nothing is so sacred that it can't do without a little taking the piss, now and then. So please danelectro, don't stifle yourself because a few sensitive fanboys get their feathers ruffled over the slightest criticism of Led Zeppelin...no matter how innocuous. Actually, Led Zeppelin was a "gateway" band for me, too...even more than the Beatles and the Stones. The Beatles turned me on to Buddy Holly and Ravi Shankar, and the Rolling Stones made me appreciate Chuck Berry and Robert Johnson. But more than them, more than Cream and Hendrix, it was Led Zeppelin, through their music and interviews, that led me to more artists and genres than almost every other band put together. Of the major bands, only the Beatles had as great a variety of music as Zeppelin. Here is just a partial list of music I was inspired to seek out due to a song credit on a Zeppelin record or a song they covered in concert or a band they mentioned in an interview. Willie Dixon, Howling Wolf, Otis Rush, Sonny Boy Williamson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Joan Baez, Bert Jansch, Davy Graham, Richard Thompson, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Pentangle, Incredible String Band, Rory Gallagher, Peter Green, Moby Grape, Kalaidescope, Spirit, Scotty Moore, Ricky Nelson, Eddie Cochran, Morrocan Trance music and pretty much all of North African music and beyond, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Fela Kuti, Little Feat, The Pretty Things, Bad Company, Free, Maggie Bell, Stone the Crows, Dave Edmunds, Richie Valens, Memphis Minnie, The Isley Brothers, Gustav Holst, Paganini, Léon Theremin, Clara Rockmore, Lothar and the Hand People...the list goes on and on. And that's not counting more recent bands or music I discovered post-Zeppelin. It was because of my love of Jimmy's idea of a guitar army that led me to seek out shoegaze bands like The Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine. It was the way Led Zeppelin weaved all these seemingly disparate strains of music and genres into a cohesive whole, and the focus they put on the drums and the primacy of the beat that made me more receptive to rap, hip-hop, house and techno music than I would have been otherwise. A lot of the live WLL theremin breaks sound like early rave music to me. Just the mere mention from someone that Jane's Addiction channeled Led Zeppelin better than any other band around inspired me to seek them out in 1986. And it was because I heard this guy used a bow on his guitar ala Jimmy that I discovered the amazing Sigur Rós back in 2000. To me, Led Zeppelin is not retro...their music lives and breathes in me and they simultaneously have roots that extend deep into the past and branches that extend far into the future, constantly sending me on a search, a quest for other new music. Not many other bands can do that...send me back and forward in time. That's why even though I take sabbaticals from Zeppelin every now and then, in the end, it's Led Zeppelin that remains my #1...even above the Beatles, though I recognize that the Beatles matter more historically. Led Zeppelin is not only my gateway, they are my Rosetta Stone, my home and hearth.

Good for you Margie! I've done that a few times in the past. I'll contact you tomorrow as I'm having breakfast in Pasadena in the morning. But if I don't reach you, have fun...and be careful. Pasadena is crawling with cops checking for DUIs and people looking to party on New Year's Eve and save a space to watch the Rose Parade. The Grandstands have been up along Colorado Blvd. for some time, making it difficult to navigate certain parts of the sidewalk and the team colours of the Wisconsin Badgers and Oregon Ducks are everywhere.

It's interesting to catch up with this thread now and then...some great stories, especially yours, Rock Historian, Deborah J, and Ally. I appreciate the fact that you took the effort to write in depth about your experience. danelectro: I have a question...you say you aren't hooked, and it's hard to tell from your post but it seems you only heard Zeppelin from the radio. So maybe the reason you never got hooked is that you only know Led Zeppelin from the few songs they play over and over again on the radio instead of immersing yourself in an album?

Sweet! That's quite a haul you got slave! You damn Aussies...always so far ahead of everyone else, hehe. It's still Christmas Eve here in Los Angeles...it's barely midnight and I'm still cooking and wrapping.

They're coming fast and furious these days...I've seen 10 new films since my last post about "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy". A quick write-up...and I'll mention "yes" or "no" if I feel the film is worth spending money to see in a theatre. Earlier tonight I saw David Fincher's American remake of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". While not as bad as other American remakes of foreign films, it's still pretty superfluous. I read the books, then saw the original Swedish film trilogy. Rooney Mara's performance as Lisbeth Salander is the only aspect of the new film that is comparable, maybe even better, to the Swedish original starring Noomi Rapace. But there's changes to the story that hurt the film, and the movie just won't shut up...Trent Reznor's score never stops and you get sick of all the constant noise after awhile. Not worth the money you'll spend on tickets to see in a theatre...wait for cable or Netflix if you must. Better yet, see the original. Oh, the "Immigrant Song" remake is played over the opening credits. "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" Yes. Saw this on the IMAX screen so we could also see the opening prologue to the new "Dark Knight Rises" movie(more about this later). A nice, little popcorn movie with plenty of whiz-bang action and ludicrous stunts...some actually done by Tom Cruise himself. Mindless fun, it probably would've fit in better in the summer, but if you're looking for a movie where you can check your brain at the door and escape the Christmas shopping crowds, MI 4 will fit the bill. Simon Pegg provides comic relief. And the Durbai skyscraper sequence provides the vertigo. "The Descendents" No. When did Alexander Payne start watching Lifetime movies? Cause that's what this snooze fest feels like...all weepy and earnest and icky nice. Such a disappointment coming from the guy who made "Sideways" and "Election". "Carnage" No. Adapted from the play God of Carnage, this is nothing more than two couples bickering ala "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", another play adapted into a film. The problem is that neither the story or the characters in "Carnage" are as fun or interesting as "...Virginia Woolf?". Sure, the cast (Jodie Foster & John C. Reilly as couple #1, and Kate Winslet & Christoph Waltz as couple #2) is great, and they do a good job with what little they have to work with. But Jodie Foster is such a caricature of the uptight, politically correct, liberal do-gooder, and Reilly such a milquetoast simp, that you hate them almost from the getgo, especially Jodie Foster, who practically starts at shrieking harpie and moves up in intensity from there. Whether that is the fault of the script or Roman Polanski's direction, I don't know. But it deals a crippling death blow to the film. The other couple aren't much better, but at least they aren't as shrill...Winslet isn't given much to do anyway, other than throw up...which she does with gusto. Christoph Waltz steals the movie, in my opinion. He is the sole reason to see this film, but even so, just as this movie has echos of other films, so too does Christoph Waltz's constantly on the phone character echo another previous character: Tony Roberts in both the play and film "Play It Again, Sam". And as good as Waltz is, is it worth spending money hiring a sitter, buying tickets, popcorn and parking to see it? No. "Young Adult" YES! When I first saw the trailer to this months ago, I groaned. It looked too similar to Cameron Diaz in "Bad Teacher", that not even the presence of Patton Oswalt had me enthusiastic about seeing this. But friends who had seen early screenings all raved about it, and it is from the partnership of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody, so I gave it a shot this past weekend. Boy, am I glad I did! This is everything "Bad Teacher" was attempting to be, and more...much more. I'm not even going to ruin it by saying anything more...just go and see it and laugh your ass off and be amazed at Charlize Theron's performance. Too bad she already starred in a movie called "Monster", as that would've been a perfect title for this one, too. I also love how the film adheres to Larry David's famous dictate for "Seinfeld": "No life lessons." But I'm revealing too much already...just go!!! That's all for now...I'll deal with the schlock like "New Year's Day" and "War Horse" another time.

Are you talking about the Feb. 12 show, entitled "That's Alright New York"? If so, you're right...the sound quality is ASTOUNDING! Way better than the Red Devil or Empress Valley releases of the same soundboard tape. The same can be said of Godfatherecords release of the 1975 St. Louis tape...their "Rock Saint Louis Roll" sounds incredible compared to Empress Valley's "St. Louis Blues". I'm no expert but the Godfather releases SOUND like they've been mixed in a professional recording studio. I mean, they almost sound better than "The Song Remains the Same" soundtrack. Anybody else notice this?

I'm on the go today so no time for indepth post, but if you're looking for a great, adult movie to see this weekend, you can't go wrong with "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"! I saw "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" last night and it is a crackerjack of a film. Don't be put off by those who say it is confusing...only those who have never read an honest book or are half-wits would have trouble following the plot. Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy...anybody that knows their movies should be salivating at the thought of seeing all these actors in the same film. GO SEE IT! A perfect film to take your honey out to on a Friday or Saturday night. Or if you have family in town for the holidays, take your dad or an uncle who loves spy stories. For those of a more experimental and freakier nature, I also recommend checking out Pedro Almadovar's latest, "The Skin I Live In", with Antonio Banderas. Not as great as Almadovar's best, but still good and interesting...and just a little creepy and kinky, too. The plot involves a forced sex-change and issues of gender. Not for the squeamish. I'll be back with more about "Tinker, Tailor...", and some other films another time. I'm seeing "Young Adult" and "Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol" today.

Which one...Swan Lake? Nutcracker Suite? I love the ballet. Have fun with your mum! Virginia: So happy to hear you've shaken that cold. It's difficult enough navigating the Christmas season without having to do it while sick. Glad you're feeling better! Fool: Say hello and Merry Christmas to little Leo and BD for me! What made ME happy today was watching a wedge of geese flying south for the winter this morning at 7:30am. I don't know why...but it made me smile.

My latest movie round-up... Monday night, even though it was raining, I went to see a couple of old 70s films by the German director Wim Wenders("Paris, Texas"; "Wings of Desire"): "The American Friend" starring Dennis Hopper, and "Alice in the Cities". "The American Friend" is actually based on one of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley books, "Ripley's Game", with Dennis Hopper playing Tom Ripley. Another of her Ripley books, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" has been made into a film at least twice; the first time in 1960 with the title "Purple Noon", with the exquisite Alain Delon as Mr. Ripley, and the later American version, with Matt Damon as Ripley(not as good). It's quite an interesting take on the Highsmith book, and Bruno Ganz and Dennis Hopper are excellent, as usual. What I really enjoyed was seeing all the shots of Hamburg, and other locations in Germany and Europe that they used. Since the film was shot in 1976, it is closer to the Europe, and in particular Germany, that I remember from being there in the early-80s. Today, post-Berlin Wall, Germany is much more modernized and globalized with all the American crap like McDonalds and Pizza Hut and Starbucks, etc., so I don't get the same sense of the Germany I remember from modern German films that I do with films from the 70s and 80s. The second film of the night, "Alice in the Cities" (Alice in den Städten) was amazing...truly a delight. Unlike "My American Friend", I had never seen "Alice" before, so didn't know what to expect. All I knew was that it was a road film of sorts, about a man traveling around Germany trying to help a girl(Alice) find her grandmother. The girl who plays Alice is wonderful...Yella Rottländer is her name. It reminded me of Tatum O' Neal's performance in "Paper Moon", in that both play 9-year old girls, both are kind of spunky, but adorable, too. And they don't grate on you or become annoying in the way some child actors do today. Plus, both movies are filmed in black-and-white and are "road movies", with lots of travelling across country...and both came out in the early-70s. A very charming film. And, as usual with Wim Wenders, both films feature the wonderful cinemathography of Robby Müller. Now, onto the more recent films I have seen the past week; films that will be in the discussion about the next Academy Awards. First up, "The Iron Lady". I realize I haven't seen everything yet...there are heaps of films to come between now and the end of the year, which is the deadline to qualify for the Oscars. Many films I have yet to see feature actresses who are usually good: Tilda Swinton, Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Michelle Williams. But after seeing Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady", I think it's a lock that she will win Best Actress. As usual, she is that good. In fact, she doesn't merely "act"...she performs alchemy. Right from the opening scene, you are knocked for a loop...DO NOT be late for this movie as you don't want to miss the first scene. As a bio-pic, "The Iron Lady" is better, in my opinion, than "J. Edgar", which isn't bad but does have some flaws. For one thing, the makeup is better in "The Iron Lady"...less distracting than the aging techniques used in "J. Edgar". I found the cast to be more uniformly excellent, as well. Great British stalwarts like Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, and Anthony Head. I also found the script to be a bit better in "The Iron Lady" than in "J. Edgar". It does focus more on the woman and less on the politics, which may be why certain liberal critics don't like the film. But it doesn't completely shy away from politics. In this it shares a quality with "J. Edgar", another movie about a polarizing figure of the 20th century...they don't beat you over the head with politics and they don't take sides. They let you decide for yourself. Of course, having only spent a grand total of 3 months or so in the UK in my lifetime, I am not in a position to judge whether Thatcherism was good in the long run or not...I'll leave that for the Brits to decide. What truly shocked me about this film was that it came from the director of "Mamma Mia!", one of the schlockiest films ever, and a complete misuse of the talents of Meryl Streep and Colin Firth. If you would have told me Phyllida Lloyd was capable of a film the quality of "The Iron Lady", I would have replied "What are you smoking?" Remember...don't be late. If your spouse or friend is running slow, put a boot in their arse. Next up, "The Artist". This film is garnering plaudits by the boatload. Besides being awarded at Cannes earlier this year, it has in the past week or two been named Best Picture of the year by the New York Film Critics and the Washington, DC critics, among others. This is a black-and-white silent film about the period when Hollywood switched from silents to talkies...much like the plot of "Singing in the Rain". These are the kinds of movies-about-movies that film geeks(like me) go gaga over. Also, in this day of over-the-top CGI and bombastic sound and special effects, it is refreshing to see a film that has an elegance of craft and doesn't leave you with a headache. But while I admire the charm and chutzpah of making a movie like this today, is it the Best Picture of the year? I don't think so. Some of the plot elements are cheesy, and whether it was by design or not, the acting comes across as hoaky and uneven. Malcom McDowell and John Goodman are the only recognizable names, but are scarcely used. The two leads are cute, but still, something seemed off to me...the film just didn't click for me. It didn't give me that goosebumps-on-flesh feeling you get when you are watching a truly great film like "Wings of Desire" or "Godfather" or "Casablanca". And I know the guy who was the gaffer on "The Artist"...he's married to a friend, and his father worked on movies in the silent era, too. If anyone should love this film, it's me...I liked it, but I can't say that I "loved" it. It'll be nominated for Best Picture, for sure. Whether it will win, I think that's a stretch. There will be a sizable segment of the Academy that will embrace this film, but whether the mainstream members of the Academy will be willing to award Best Picture to a silent, B & W movie is another thing altogether. It's hard enough to get studios to make a B & W movie, let alone a silent one...unless your name is Woody Allen or Marty Scorsese. By the way, in film lingo a "gaffer" is the head electrician and in charge of lighting the set. Which reminds me of one pleasure of "The Artist"...seeing all the local Los Angeles locations they used, from Hancock Park to the Orpheum Theatre to the Eagle Rock Power Station. I still recommend you see "The Artist...preferably with someone who won't mind sitting through a silent movie(there is a film score, including liberal doses of the Scene d'amour music from "Vertigo"). The last new film I saw this past week was British artist and director Steve McQueen's "Shame", which has been given the NC-17 rating (no one under 17 allowed) in the U.S. I don't know what the UK rating is or will be. I don't know how you feel about McQueen's art installations(I have an artist friend who loathes him), but I think most people's first exposure to McQueen was probably his first feature film, "Hunger", which was about the 1981 Irish hunger strike, and starred Michael Fassbender. Fassbender is in "Shame", too, and he is quite the Irish hunk, and there is full frontal. In fact, you might subtitle this movie "Fassbender Frees His Willy", which is probably the main reason the film got the dreaded NC-17 rating here. In the US, it's all right to see an actress bare all, or any manner of blood and violence...but show a man's cock and people lose their minds. That said, and granted the performances of both Fassbender and Carey Mulligan are good, but their characters are such ciphers that it leaves you feeling the film is just an excuse to wallow in nihilism, sex and self-pity. The director and actors have been quoted as saying the film is about addiction not sex per se, but the characters are so poorly written(the script is the weakest part of the film), that you really never care about what's going on. The sex scenes(and there are many, including solo masturbation and group sex...so be warned, although it's not too explicit) and the rest are lit and shot in such a way that it is a film that looks and sounds good(thanks to a nicely understated score). But at the end, it all just seems so empty...like what was the point? I really like Fassbender and Mulligan, and wanted to like the movie more than I did. Who knows...maybe I'm being too harsh...maybe if I see it again, it won't annoy me as much. One thing I did like(other than the score and the cinematography) was the end...the way the last scene was played was very effective. If you do see it, make sure you see it alone, or at least choose who you see it with very carefully. Still on my "to-do" list: "A Dangerous Method" about Carl Jung and Freud; "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" based on the Le Carré novel; "Young Adult"; "In Darkness"; "Sleeping Beauty"; "The Descendents"; "Carnage", Roman Polanski's film adaptation of the play "God of Carnage"; "My Week with Marilyn" starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe; and "We Need to Talk About Kevin", with Tilda Swinton as the mother of a son who is involved in a school shooting.

Not just right now, but all weekend long whenever I had time, I was listening to the Shepperton Rehearsal of Dec. 5, 2007, via the Godfatherecords release "The Show of the Century Rehearsals", which I just picked up last week. A multi-track tape(secretly released by Jimmy perhaps?) with stunning sound...NO QUARTER and SIBLY are incredible to listen to. The wide cineramic soundscape that Jimmy's guitar achieves here reminds one anew of the dangers of allowing only bootlegs to inform one's opinion of the state of Jimmy's guitar sound and playing on any particular tour. Yes, bootlegs can offer a partial idea, but even the best Mike Millard tape doesn't give you anything close to how loud and enveloping Jimmy's guitar was in concert; how the sound of his guitar resonated within the concert hall and attacked or caressed you from all angles. I was also struck by how CLOSE to the studio version's tone Jimmy sounded on IMTOD...enough to make me wish he had used that guitar for IMTOD instead of the Danelectro. You do have to keep in mind this is a rehearsal, so Jimmy holds back or truncates some of the solos, and Robert definitely holds back, saving his voice for the actual gig. But they seemed to be pretty loose and having fun by this time, mere days before the show. Some of the downtunings don't bother me as much as I would have thought, but I still don't like the choice of Ramble On as the second song. Something like Celebration Day would have been better. With the lower tuning, Ramble On sounds sluggish and muddy. Not a fan of Black Dog here, either...in fact, after the stunning start with Good Times Bad Times(you can REALLY HEAR Jason Bonham's backing vocals here!), the set doesn't pick up again for me until IMTOD. And once again, is it me or is there something wrong with Jimmy's double-neck, particularly the 12-string part? From 1971 to 1975, the 12-string sounded bright with ringing bell-tones. Since 1977, however, it has sounded muddy, dirty. Did Jimmy change the wiring or is that guitar's tones susceptible to changing the older it gets? The mess-ups in D & C and Kashmir aren't that bad, but there does seem to be a spark missing in Whole Lotta Love...it never takes off. Listening to this rehearsal does whet the appetite for an actual release of the O2 show; either on DVD or CD. I have a boot dvd but it's just not the same as an official release would be. The packaging of this Godfathdrecords release is great as usual...a trifold with great photos(I posted photos of it on the What's your latest purchase? thread in Other Music), but as usual, the one flaw are the liner notes by Paul deLuxe. This guy needs to be replaced(I'm offering my services!), for he writes the most inane gibberish. I don't know if it his fault, or maybe the translator's fault, but most of the time his writings are incomprehensible, with spelling and syntax horrors galore. But the important thing is the music contained on these 2 discs. Oh, and unlike some of the other releases(Tarantura, Empress Valley), all the songs are complete and in impeccable sound quality. No mp4 or lossy formats here.

^^^They did a good job with "Nowhere Boy". It's up there with that movie about Stu and Astrid...can't recall the name but Stephen Dorff and the girl who played Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks is in it...as far as non-documentary films about the Beatles go, those are two of the best.

My latest haul from the local flea market:

"The Outlaw Josey Wales" is full of great lines and is in my list of Top 5 Clint Eastwood movies to watch. Laura Lee: Kansas was all golden and smelled like sunshine. Josey Wales: Yeah, well, I always heard there were three kinds of suns in Kansas, sunshine, sunflowers, and sons-of-bitches. Josey Wales: When I get to likin' someone, they ain't around long. Lone Watie: I notice when you get to dislikin' someone they ain't around for long neither. Lone Watie: We thought about it for a long time, "Endeavor to persevere." And when we had thought about it long enough, we declared war on the Union. Lone Watie: I didn't surrender, but they took my horse and made him surrender. They have him pulling a wagon up in Kansas I bet. Ten Bears: These things you say we will have, we already have. Josey Wales: That's true. I ain't promising you nothing extra. I'm just giving you life and you're giving me life. And I'm saying that men can live together without butchering one another. Ten Bears: It's sad that governments are chiefed by the double tongues. There is iron in your words of death for all Comanche to see, and so there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life. Senator: The war's over. Our side won the war. Now we must busy ourselves winning the peace. And Fletcher, there's an old saying: To the victors belong the spoils. Fletcher: There's another old saying, Senator: Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining. Bounty hunter #1: You're wanted, Wales. Josey Wales: Reckon I'm right popular. You a bounty hunter? Bounty hunter #1: A man's got to do something for a living these days. Josey Wales: Dyin' ain't much of a living, boy.

Hmmmm, I saw this when it came out in the theatres but it's been a few years, so I'll have to refresh my memory before I can comment on the ending. I just remember liking it...always have liked Charlotte Rampling and the girl, Ludivine Sagnier, wow, hubba-hubba! If you thought "Swimming Pool" was weird, you should check out another of director François Ozon's films, "Water Drops on Burning Rocks".

^^^SWEET! Hell, just to hear them in 1969 would have been enough for me...no wonder you're "dazed".

I'm so happy to hear that they missed you...us badgeholders got to stick together. Here's some video that has appeared so far. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/video-shows-transformer-explode-winds-damage.html