Nope! Not me. In my mind and to my ears there is no way that is a soundcheck from 1972. I'm satisfied after looking and listening to all the clues that the soundcheck is from Chicago 1973.

The shitstorm that'll happen in L.A. if the Lakers get knocked out by OKC will be NOTHING compared to the Sturm und Drang that'll happen in Miami if the Heat lose to the Pacers. Rick, I had no idea you were an age-ist, haha.

Status Quo?!? In 2012!?! Why...who...what the fuck...do they wheel them out in wheelchairs or something? What possible reason is there for Status Quo to still exist in 2012? It beggars belief.

Anyone that gets the Muslims upset is okay by me. 'Atta girl Lady GaGa!

Beer vs. BJH? You made the right choice. Thank Saint Iggy for punk rock coming along and showing all those creaky, hoary, bearded tossers for the aimless and bland noodlers they were.

Goodbye Kerry Wood! We hardly knew ye. Kerry Wood is expected to announce his retirement today. He's only 34, but being a Cub, that's 68 in human years.

Well, it's been ages since I've checked this thread...seems there's a lot of unhappiness I've missed. I'll try to touch all the bases. FOOL IN THE RAIN: My first thoughts immediately went to poor little Leo...so young to get the pox. I'm relieved to read in your follow-up posts that the little grommet is doing better. Must be the Aussie toughness in him. And did I read this right: BD doing chores? Has the world flipped its axis?!? ALLY: I sort of knew you had back troubles but I had no idea the extent of the hip and back pain you've been suffering, my man. I feel bad for you having to go through this, and henceforth will spare you any of my sarcastic and caustic remarks. Hope the medical experts find you relief soon. MAJOR MAJOR: The man so deaf you have to call his name twice. As you can see, you'll still get a dose of my sarcasm...but being a Brit, I know you can take it. But egads my lad...mum-in-law squatting while the wifey's away?!? Sounds like a plot to have her spy on you to make sure you don't have a bird or two in the bush as well as the hand. Try some arsenic in her soup. That'll get rid of the old git, hehe. Tongue firmly in cheek, of course. JANGLES: More mommy troubles. Since my mother has been out of my life since I was 5, and my two subsequent stepmothers are also absent(one by choice, the other by suicide), that is one problem I am blessedly free from. But you have my sympathy, Jangles. I don't know how old you are, but if you're under 18, just try to survive until you graduate and then you'll be free. Good luck to you all...may your unhappiness be short-lived.

Damn! Donna Summer and now Chuck Brown!?! I can't pretend that Chuck Brown pierced my consciousness back then the way Donna Summer did, but when I finally did catch up with Chuck Brown, I was blown away. R.I.P. Godfather of Go-Go!

Sure, Barclay James Harvest were known in the U.S.A. Known as a sleeping aid...or for people that felt Poco, James Taylor and Carole King were too loud and raucous.

Is this what I have to look forward to these days: all the touchstones and icons of my youth dropping like flies? I'm still melancholy from the passing of Junior Seau and MCA. Now the Disco Queen herself is gone. Admittedly most disco was disposable dreck. But there were a few acts(Chic, KC & the Sunshine Band) that I actually liked, and Donna Summer was definitely one of the best. Especially when she hooked up with Giorgio Moroder and did tracks like "Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love", which was all over the place in the summer of 1977. One of the reasons I was so receptive to that song was that, by then, I was into Krautrock and I could recognize "I Feel Love" as "motorik" adapted for the dance floor. Listen to Neu!'s "Hallogallo" and see if you don't hear the similarities. Joe Jackson would also adapt motorik in his 1982 tune "Stepping Out" and the whole thing would come full circle in the 90s with the Krautrock enthusiasts Stereolab/Nurse With Wound collaborations. But back to Donna Summer. I bought every album of hers from 1975's "Love to Love You Baby" to 1979's "Bad Girls"...that's 8 in all, counting the "Thank God It's Friday" soundtrack. Lots of good memories reside in those grooves. Even got a chance to check her out in concert a couple of times. Now she's gone. It boggles my mind that, for all our technological advances and brain-power, we seem to be no more closer to ending cancer than we were 50 years ago.

Whoop-de-fucking-do.

You've gotta LOVE what Indiana is doing to Miami! I'm shocked to say the least...even with Bosh hurt, I thought Miami had the talent to blow by Indiana. To be honest, though, I didn't really watch Indiana play this year, so was fairly clueless about their team. San Antonio is doing what I thought they would. No surprise so far. Popovich kept his stars rested all season and now they are primed and fresh for the playoffs. Clippers chances are slim. As are the Lakers chances if they lose Friday night. Can you imagine the turmoil in Las Vegas if the Eastern Conference Finals turns out to be Boston-Indiana?

No...which is what I was warning people before the deal was made. The proof in the pudding is how St. Louis hasn't missed a beat since Pujols left.

Hahaha, whenever I see this thread I think, "Oh no, that little scamp Bob Dylan's in trouble again!"

I'm not panicking yet...in case you're wondering, Rick. All Oklahoma did is what they're supposed to do...win at home. Yes, haha, that is the slim thread of hope I cling to...my belief that a playoff series doesn't truly begin until the home team loses. Oklahoma held serve on their court and now it is the Lakers turn to do the same.

If you go to the Meet and Greet section of the forum, unlike Bono, you'll find what you're looking for.

About time the Angels fired Mickey Hatcher...one of the worst "Hitting Coaches" in history. Scoscia stuck with him far too long.

Kenog, you seem to be having trouble with the "Quote" button. I finally had a chance to watch this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame show on HBO the other night and I wonder if others here had the same thought I did during the show: Where was Jimmy? Particularly during the Freddy King and Donovan segments. It was Jimmy Page who partly was responsible for leading me to Freddy King in the early 70s when he name-checked him in a Led Zeppelin article I read back then. And we all know his connection to Donovan. It seemed like a missed opportunity on Jimmy's part to get out and play. It's not just this HOF thing...Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Ronnie Wood, Keef, and countless others seem willing and able to play various blues festivals or tribute concerts or jam with a friend's band. Except for Jimmy. Which, depending how you feel about some of these festivals, may be a good thing. But I find it strange, for instance, that Jimmy has never appeared at Eric Clapton's Crossroads festival.

Last time I checked, the Olympics were an INTERNATIONAL event...but what do I know, I'm just a silly American who drives on the wrong side of the road. Apparently since us Colonists told King George to sod off, the English and Americans are destined to forever bicker like cranky siblings into eternity. But I want to thank KB, ekb, Ally, Jangles and anyone else who got the point and guided this thread back on the right track. Someone...ally, I think it was...brought up Franz Klammer's gold medal run in the 1976 Olympics. THAT was the exact moment the wish to learn how to ski was implented in my head. Not that I wasn't aware of skiing before...I knew about Jean-Claude Killy and there was that epic wipe-out that ABC used to represent the "agony of defeat" in its opening credits to "The Wide World of Sports" every weekend...but Klammer's blazing run down that course was riveting stuff to this 14-year-old kid growing up in the sun-drenched beaches of Orange County. Two other Olympic events that fascinate me, and remain among my favourites to watch, are gymnastics and diving. Watching the athletes twist and turn and flip their lithe bodies in a myriad of ways keeps me spellbound. How do they do that? How does the mind keep itself oriented and know how to tell which muscle to flex and which nerve to twitch in the proper sequence to allow the rapid revolutions the body must propel itself through in these sports. And all the while never losing its sense of balance and gravity. Amazing...simply amazing to me to watch for both the beautiful aesthetics and the science, the wonder of it all. I particularly like the moment in diving when the diver enters the water. The way the body, ramrod straight, plunges in the water like a bullet shot from a gun is beautiful to me, with all the bubbles the body's entrance into the water creates adding to the ethereal effect. Even though I am not passionate about cricket or baseball, the way a pitcher or bowler hurls their sports respective spheres is a continual fascination to me, and a further illustration to me of "what a piece of work is man". And the advantages of having been blessed with opposable thumbs. In fact, the showdown between pitcher and batter is one of those instances of mind-body synchronization that I find more compelling than the inner workings of a computer...and are probably just as intricate. Figuring an average speed of around 90 miles per hour of a baseball pitch(some pitches are up to 100 m.p.h., some as low as 80 or 70 m.p.h.), the batter generally has less than a second to see the pitch, figure out where the pitch is headed and decide whether to swing or not, and if yes, then set his body in motion. All in the blink of an eye. Not to mention watching out for a ball aimed at his head. As for the pitcher, the different grips and the mechanics of arm delivery, the torquing of the elbow involved to throw a baseball with such velocity and varying trajectory and spin is also a marvel of the body at work. It's no wonder that the physics of sport is a growing field of practice for scientists. I have a feeling the singular nature and endurance of Mariano Rivera's "cutter" will be studied a long time.

And they're not even framed! For that amount, I would expect them to at least be framed. They also don't appear to be that large.

Are you aware that more people watch the World Cup than watch the Super Bowl and World Series combined? That Manchester United is the world's most valuable sports franchise...above the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Yankees? But this is all semantics and besides the point...I didn't start this thread to get into a pissy argument over the relative merits of U.S. football versus English football(soccer). Perhaps I worded it poorly, but my original post has nothing to do with any of the ancillary aspects of sport...not the mega-million dollar salaries nor the extra-curricular activities(some legal, some not) of the athletes and owners. And certainly not the "my dick is bigger than your dick" pointless arguing about soccer vs. football. When I watched that Man City-QPR match the other day, I wasn't thinking about who made more money or which player was cheating on his wife. I was just in thrall with the tableaux of human bodies in motion and the emotion and drama that accumulated throughout the match. Forget about uniforms, teams, contracts, police ledgers, all the bullshit that surrounds the actual playing of a game. Whether it is just kids playing in a park or professionals in a huge stadium, whether college-age kids in the Olympics or a solitary runner along the beach at sunset...it is the nature of the human body in action, whether it be in solitary activity or in direct competition, that makes sport compelling for me. That's what I was trying to say and obviously did a poor job doing it in my first post.

Do you have dyslexia? Not trying to be cruel, but your posts come off a bit barmy. Since you're old enough to have seen Zeppelin in 1971, you're old enough to know that it was the young kids of the U.S. who beat the invincible Russian hockey team in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

I think the day has come when the phrase "guitar player Jimmy Page" can be retired. For playing guitar seems to be the least of his priorities and desire. Look, for all the joy, consulation, succour and pleasure Jimmy's music has provided me throughout my life, I don't begrudge the man for wanting to take it easy now. I even can see the appeal these high-priced books and photo-sets and whatnot would have for someone with the wherewithal to afford them. Silver gelatin prints ARE fucking amazing. The difference between such a print and a book reproduction or a print taken from the internet is striking. What irks me, and where the current Jimmy dishonours the Jimmy of the past is by not at least providing a fan-friendly priced alternative. One of the best Led Zeppelin photo books ever published was Neal Preston's landmark "Portraits" in 1983. They were first offered by mail-order for only $15 for a signed and numbered edition. I got two of them. Each of the photos in that book is frame-worthy. I realize it's easy to blame Ross Halfin for this, but it takes two to tango...Jimmy still has the last word; he has the ability to say yes or no to Halfin's ideas. At least I presume he does...let's hope and pray that Jimmy hasn't yet developed any symptoms of Alzheimer's or Dementia and is becoming more dependent on Mr. Halfin. Note that only one of the photos is by Halfin...the other four are by Preston and other photographers. I assume they are getting a piece of the action, too? Actually, even if I had the dough to get this, I would probably pass as the 5 photos chosen aren't really my favourites...they could have picked better ones I think. Only Neal Preston's is one that I would pay good money for. But yeah, as someone said, Jimmy is starting to come off as a classier version of Gene Simmons. It is hard to reconcile this musically dormant huckster Jimmy with the vibrant, shape-shifting, sexual beacon charismatic Jimmy I saw on stage all those years ago. Either you are making music or you are not. It shouldn't take...when was that interview promising new music? 2008? 2009?...three years to make an album. I hate to keep using Jack White as an example...but I just saw Jack White play an amazing concert two weeks ago with his FOURTH different band in what seems in as many years. Christ, "Icky Thump" was released in 2007, and the White Stripes last official release was the live album "Under the Great White Northern Lights" in 2010. In that time frame Jack White has also given us albums with The Raconteurs, Dead Weather, Wanda Jackson, and countless others. THAT is what a working guitarist/producer does...make and produce music. Not worry about selling memorabilia. So come on Jimmy. Either you are a working musician or you're not...and it's no problem if you don't feel it anymore. Just be honest with us and say "that's all, folks" instead of promising new music in interviews when there is none.

The sentence construction was a little clumsy but yes, I think the writer was referring to his drug use during his days managing Led Zeppelin. Someone should track down that Edgewater Inn manager from Seattle and get his first-person account of being able to trash a hotel room thanks to Peter Grant's largess. Sam Webmaster or Steve A. Jones perhaps?