Doh! I hope you have plenty of red ink on hand!

I've seen both the eels and Mark E solo several times, but they've never knocked me out the way they have the critics. All I hear are rave reviews but my reaction has always been "eh, they're okay". Maybe I'm missing the E gene.

You spelled omissive with two 'm's.

Yeth, I accepteth the challenge, too. Now, what I'd like you to do, bouillon, is correct one of my 1973 concert review posts over in the Master Forum. You can start with "Strider goes to Bonzo's Birthday Party". That should keep you busy and amused for some time. If it doesn't have you pulling your hair out in frustration before the end.

You'll have to go for me Wolfman, as I can't make it to NY. But I did go to their induction in the Rock Walk of Fame...their handprints are right below the Yardbirds. That's right, Jimmy has two sets of handprints, along with Jeff Beck and Clapton. Jimmy was inducted solo in 1993 and then they did the Yardbirds in 1998. Back to JA...the bloom is back off IMO now that Eric Avery has left again. I was fortunate to catch them 3 times in the brief time Avery came back, but now that they're on their, what, 13th bassist, and Perry's voice is fading, I'm not into it as much anymore. Def worth checking out for free, tho, if you've never seen them. But what they are now is far from what they were from 1986-1991.

True Steve...but we all know how faulty a lot of people's memories of the 60's and 70's can be, don't we? I remember reading someone's memoirs and coming across a story about how they saw Zeppelin on their 1976 tour.

My guess is 1973 or 1975.

Having just given the new March 17, 1975 Seattle soundboard a whirl or two (which I posted about on that thread), I've been inspired to give some other 75 soundboards a fresh spin...namely the St. Louis(Godfatherecords "Rock Saint Louie Roll") and Baton Rouge(EVSD's "Rampaging Cajun") shows. I'm starting with the St. Louis show first. Let you know my thoughts later.

So it has even reached the land Down Under? When will this scourge end...who can stop this menace?

The release date may say 2011, but it's the same Jimmy, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Nicky Hopkins and whoever else was there jamming back in the 60's that's been repackaged and re-released more times than I can count. Not to mention that it was never meant to be released to begin with. The theft of these tapes and subsequent release was the source of Clapton's unwarranted anger at Jimmy for years. He thought Jimmy was responsible for the release. Oh, and as a guy, I don't get bent out of shape if the girls want to talk about Jimmy in ways other than what chord is he playing on this tune...and to be fair, Melanie did preface her comments with a "girly questions" warning. So let's stop with the "sweetie" diminutives. Led Zeppelin isn't just for guys. In fact, one of the reasons they were above all their rivals was their ability to draw the fairer sex in ways and numbers the other bands couldn't dream of. And it particularly bothers me when some on the board try to demean or belittle the women here, as if the guys only have something worthy to say. For me, a woman's views on Zeppelin are just as valid and interesting as any guy's...and if that includes a brief excursion into the scent of Jimmy Page? Well, better that than another looney chat about supposed backwards-masking or devil-worship, which has been blown up all out of proportion.

Naturally...because who has ever lied down before? Oh yeah, only EVERYBODY IN THE WHOLE FRIGGIN WORLD!!! Seriously, that's the best you kids can come up with? Ooooh, let's lie down...that'll freak people out. Wild! No wonder people fear for the future if this is what passes for a new and crazy trend. Excuse me, I'm about to plank in my bed and read the paper.

Often attributed to Mark Twain, but never actually substantiated. Others that have been rumoured to have said the above quote are: Oscar Wilde, Jack London and Gertrude Stein. Meanwhile, I give to you the greatest gift the Weekly World News gave the world...BAT BOY! Who didn't love Bat Boy? Whose day wasn't brighten when standing in the supermarket check-out line by the crazy adventures of Bat Boy blared on the cover of the Weekly World News? Here are a few classics...

TypeO...what the fuck?!? Surely that's a temporary tattoo, right? Where do you work that would allow an employee to have a tatt on their forehead where clients/customers could see? That is definitely NOT corporate attire, hahaha.

Wednesday 4pm in L.A...PST.

Cool...but to keep things streamlined and less cluttered around here, you should've posted this on the FOR BADGEHOLDERS ONLY Thread just below.

The CLICK of Destiny!

Naw, Melanie...too risky.

Why does it still say III then?

Sorry Brad, Texas is broke, too...they're $27 billion in the hole, I believe. Meanwhile, I planned my whole weekend around avoiding Will & Kate. It's not that I have anything against the Royal Couple...they're a cute pair and seem nice and pleasant people. It's more that I don't like the crowd of looky-loos they attract and the traffic that entails. I hope they had fun in the sun while they were here, and I hope they weren't stuck eating at touristy places...someone should treat them to a real Carnitas taco, or an honest-to-goodness LA Danger-dog. Or a Langer's hot pastrami sandwich...I recommend the #12.

I've already had 4 different people forward that petition to me. How many laws does that make? Lessee, we already have Megan's Law, Jessica's Law...is there a Jon Benet Ramsey Law?

US vs. Brazil, quarterfinals of Woman's World Cup. Don't often watch soccer, but I've gotta support the women. Go USA! That Marta on the Brazil team is a helluva player, tho. Meanwhile, my phone is about to die...I thought I had charged it last night as I was sleeping, but I guess the cord wasn't plugged in. Edited three hours later... USA! USA! USA! What a THRILLING win by the US women over Brazil on penalty kicks, after the US tied it at 2-2, with mere seconds left in extra-time. Some curious calls by the ref, but I'm used to that when the US plays in international events. Next up is France in the semis...it's Japan vs. Sweden in the other semi. I had a flashback, too, watching the match. I've skateboarded the plaza where the ESPN crew was set up today.

Hi KB, Apparently you got so distraught at my statement that you neglected to read the rest of my post, where I pay tribute to the OG's of rock in the 50's. Or you're so much older than me, that your eyesight isn't what it used to be. My point was that in the immediate period before the Beatles, rock was stagnant. Let's take roll call, shall we? Elvis Presley: in the Army and upon his release concentrates on making dodgy movies. Little Richard: found religion, joins bible school and renounces rock n roll. Chuck Berry: in jail for transporting girl across the state line; exactly how "the man" screwed the legendary boxer and first black champion, Jack Johnson. Jerry Lee Lewis: in discrace for marrying his 13-yr old cousin. Buddy Holly: dead...along with Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. Eddie Cochran: dead...in a car crash with Gene Vincent, who is severely injured, and would never regain his career momentum. Yeah, rock and roll is in GREAT shape by 1961. There were only two labels that could say they had the ears of young people: Motown and Stax. And even then, because of racism, their reach was limited in certain regions. Plus, their musical focus wasn't on vocal guitar groups. The same with Stax. If you played guitar, chances are you played in a surf rock band. Again, these were mostly instrumental groups. The Beach Boys wouldn't have their first hit until 1963, long after the Beatles had got going. THAT is the state the world of rock n roll was in as the Beatles got going. So as much as everyone may be sick of hearing about the Beatles and how great they were, they really did usher in a sea-change in music and popular culture. Take the Beatles out of the equation, and who knows how the rest of the 60's would turn out. Anyway, back to Klosterman...I found some more of his Led Zeppelin essays, and will try and post later. Right now my phone is dying.

Prince ROCKED the LA Forum the whole month of May! He's still got IT! And his guitar-tone is to die for. I suppose if I'd given my list more thought, I could've squeezed more bands in like Brad did. I suppose there was a time in the late-70's, when Zeppelin was on haitus, that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were my favourite. And there were a few months in 1984-85 when I thought Iron Maiden was the best band of that time. But I wanted to keep my list clear and easy to follow.

Okay, I can see I'm gonna have to nip a few things in the bud before this thread gets derailed. First off, I am NOT paraphrasing Chuck Klosterman. Everything in bold black are his actual words taken from his book, "Killing Yourself to Live"...I forgot to put quotation marks surrounding the entire passage. It's too late now as the edit button is gone. Second, and most important, for the purposes of the article and the discussion, the Beatles are a ROCK band...and always have been and will always be, and this annoying attempt by the younger generation to classify them as a pop boy-band along the lines of the Jonas Bros. and other teen pop idols of today is ludicrous. The Beatles had their records burned, they were considered a danger to the establishment and a menace to be squished like a bug. Before the Beatles, rock n roll was in the hands of poseurs like Pat Boone and Fabian. The naysayers of the 50's who said rock n roll was just a passing fad looked like they would be right. A guitar-playing rock n roll group could hardly get arrested in the early 60's...record labels weren't signing guitar groups. They were considered on the way out. So everybody that came after, from the Byrds to the Rolling Stones, from the Who to Led Zeppelin, owes a debt of gratitude to the Beatles for paving the way and opening the floodgates of rock and youth culture. What began with Elvis and Chuck Berry et al in the 50's would now grow exponentially farther than anyone dreamed with the Beatles. Rock and roll was definitely here to stay. And by sheer talent and force of personality, the Beatles were able to win over the Establishment...much as Dylan and the Stones did later. Which brings me to another matter...when Chuck Klosterman writes that Zeppelin is third after the Beatles and the Stones in the rock heirarchy, he means among the official gatekeepers of rock history and the casual fan. Obviously most people on a Zeppelin board are gonna think Zep is #1. But do you really think Rolling Stone magazine, or anyone writing a book on rock and roll history is going to put Led Zeppelin ahead of the Beatles and the Stones? And because of the fact that they came first, and the sheer size of the baby-boomer generation, people will always consider the Beatles and Stones linked in rock history...they are the yin-and-yang of rock culture, and there's nothing you can do to change that.