I have two versions of the 2-12-75 MSG show: Godfather's "That's Alright New York" and Red Devil's "Madison Square Graffiti", both of which I think sound better than "Flying Circus". Comparing the 2-12 to the 2-14 "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" show is tough...both have excellent sound and some songs are better on one than the other...I think Rock n Roll and OTHAFA are better on St. Valentine's Day while Kashmir and Heartbreaker get the nod at the 2-12 show. No Quarter is great both nights, but you can start to hear the change in the arrangement at the 2-14 show. I also prefer the 2-14 Whole Lotta Love as the funky Crunge interlude and theramin battle makes its 1975 debut...the 2-12 WLL feels naked without it. And yes, the addition of SIBLY to the setlist on 2-14 helps as well. Maybe because I haven't heard the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" show as much, I give it a slight nod above "That's Alright New York"...because the show is new to me it still sounds fresh, whereas I have had a boot of the 2-12 MSG show in one form or another for years.

What a great story and what a keepsake you now have! But I gotta ask...what beer was he drinking? English Ale? Irish Stout? Hope it wasn't some crap american bud light or coors.

I've only seen photos of Jimmy wearing the SS outfit from the Chicago 77 show and on the Starship. There's also photos of Jimmy on the Starship wearing lighter-brown jodphurs and a bomber jacket but no SS cap. And, sorry, but I've got to clarify something. People talk about the 73 cosmic pants or the 75 black dragon suit as if that was his standard outfit for those tours. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Let's start with the 1973 US tour. For most of the tour, Jimmy's outfit rotated among these choices: 1) plain white suit with dress shirt or t-shirt underneath; 2) brocaded jacket with blue jeans(he wore the exact same thing in 1972 at the LA Forum...only difference was that in 1972 he wore white sneakers and in 1973 he had changed to his iconic slip on dress shoes); and 3) some type of zippered windbreaker jacket with the white suit pants or blue jeans. From all the evidence, it appears that he wore the "cosmic outfit"(not to be confused with the black dragon suit) only at the end of the tour in New York. And while he wore the pants at all three shows, it seems that he wore two different tops during the 3 nights in NY...the brocaded top and the spangly jacket with the silver lapels. This suggests that Jimmy, knowing that they were going to film the NY shows, wanted something a little more visually spectacular to wear, and whether it was his lady friend Coco in LA or some other person handy with needle and thread, the outfit apparently wasn't ready until New York. Oh, and the 1973 Euro tour seems to either feature the white suit or top with blue jeans combo mentioned above...definitely no cosmic outfit in Europe that year. Now as to the 1975 US tour, let me just cut to the chase right off the bat: the iconic black dragon suit did not make its appearance at all on this tour! For one night in LA, Jimmy wore the black dragon pants, and THAT WAS IT! For the top he wore the same brocaded top he wore in 1973(as seen in the movie TSRTS). All the other dates of the 1975 US tour primarily featured jeans and t-shirt combos; the 1973 cosmic outfit; the white suit pants with any manner of various colourful button-down shirts; a new black brocaded jacket that he paired with either the white pants or the cosmic pants. The ONLY 1975 shows that Jimmy wore the complete black dragon outfit were the Earl's Court gigs...which coincidentally were being multi-tracked and were being filmed(or at least video-taped), which again suggests that Jimmy felt something visually striking was needed for these homecoming shows. And when you compare how cool he looked at Earl's Court with the somewhat pedestrian look of the early 1975 shows, Chicago i.e., it seems Jimmy didn't really put a lot of forethought into what he was going to wear on tour. Even in 1977, where he mostly alternated between the white poppy suit and the black dragon suit, if you look carefully, the white suit started out pretty unadorned...especially the pants. It wasn't until about the midway point of the tour that the suit was completely embroidered. As for the black dragon suit, all you need to know about Jimmy's dramatic weight loss between the 1975 and 77 tours is the fact that he now needed to wear a belt with the pants to keep them from sliding off his hips...and he also now wore a black t-shirt underneath. Oh, and one last thing...that suit in the Victoria and Albert Museum? I have yet to see ANY photo where Jimmy is wearing that outfit. I am not saying it wasn't made for him, just that I doubt it was worn on stage.

Okay...I was hoping for a Packers-Jets Super Bowl...but Packers-Steelers will do fine, and probably make for an even better game. And you can't match the HISTORY both teams bring to the game; sorry Jets and Bears, you're just not in their league. With the exception of 1985, most of the Bears history is pre-Super Bowl era.. Confession...I am a Raider fan. Yes, it has been a dreary time since 2002, but things seem to be looking up finally. Anyway, I am also a USC Trojan, so with Troy Polamalu already having two rings, I wanted Clay Mathews and Mark Sanchez to have a chance to get one. Plus, the Steelers have 6 Super Bowls to the Raiders 3, and I can't have them getting too far out in front of everyone else...I think Dallas and the 49'ers are tied for 2nd with 5 each. So, now that it is Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh, I am gonna go against my usual "cheer for the AFL/AFC" rule and pull for Clay Mathews(can you believe this guy was a WALK-ON at USC?!?) and the Packers. But if Pittsburgh wins...well, I've met Troy Polamalu and you couldn't imagine a more down-to-earth, soft-spoken guy; completely the opposite of his on-field play...so I will be happy for a fellow Trojan if he gets a third Super Bowl title. The TV ratings for this game should be astronomical...and that's not even counting all the people that will be packing bars across the country to watch this game.

Thanks Knebby While I am a rationalist, and I realize death comes to us all, and it seems so arbitrary that one death should move us more than others...well, that's just the way it goes, particularly with artists. Yes, I suppose the shootings in Arizona should have upset me more. But.... And while Don Kirschner and Captian Beefheart were legends in the musical world, the fact remains that they were both getting up there in years and for the most part had left their musical interests behind. But Trish was only 42, and Broadcast was a still-functioning band...so the sadness comes from not only losing her, but also all the music we will never hear that she would have created in the future. That is why the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Duane Allman, John Bonham and Ian Curtis crushed me more than the passing of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, George Harrison and Don Van Vliet. Anyway, life rolls on...and right now I am concerned with a musician friend of mine who just had a heart attack...so no time to dwell on things you can't control. But I am bummed that so few people seem to have heard about Broadcast. Seriously, they made some pretty nifty records. If you, in any way, like bands such as Stereolab, Portishead, or The United States of America, Broadcast is right up your alley. I suggest starting with the cd's "The Noise Made by People" and "HaHa Sound".

One of the ALL-TIME GREATS! along with Mahalia Jackson, Bessie Smith, Billie and Ella. If you saw the great French movie "Amelie", they used part of this clip in the film. There is an absolutely ESSENTIAL UK label Proper 4-disc box set of Sister Rosetta Tharpe that you must get if you don't have one already ....it's called "Original Soul Sister". Love the Proper Box sets...4 discs, a separate booklet with cool photos and liner notes and recording information...and all for around $20-$25. Some of my favourite Proper Boxes: Stan Kenton...Anita O'Day...Sons of the Pioneers...Hank Williams...Les Paul & Mary Ford...John Coltrane...Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. And, of course, the Sister Rosetta Tharpe one.

HALLELUJAH! Percy is finally hitting the West Coast with his Band of Joy...I was beginning to wonder...errr, not really, as there is NO EFFIN' WAY the Golden God would pass up playing Los Angeles. April 23: Greek Theatre, LA April 25: Santa Barbara Bowl Will definitely be at the Greek show, maybe even try to make the Santa Barbara one, too...unless he adds a second Greek date. When the Raising Sand tour rolled through in 2008, they played 2 shows at the Greek...I guess the fact only one date at the Greek went on sale speaks to the muted public reaction the new record has garnered. Which is a shame, as I enjoy it as much, if not more than the Raising Sand record. Anyway, as for the Band of Joy concerts, in the immortal words of Bart Scott: "CAN'T WAIT!"

Well, although I went to 5 of the 6 LA Forum shows in '77, I don't know if I would classify myself as a 77 guru. All I can tell you is that unlike '75, where the song was a stand-alone and Jimmy used his Les Paul sunburst, in '77 it was appended to White Summer/Black Mountain Side and Jimmy used the Danelectro.

Here's some more cool Broadcast clips to listen to... The Accidentals

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! I just get released from being in the hospital for over a month(blood clot in my leg), and the first thing I hear is that the singer from one of my favourite bands from the past 10 years, Trish Keenan of Broadcast, passed away today. I should be ecstatic to be out of the hospital yet all I can feel is epic sadness. I was fortunate to catch them live the very few times they played in town. If you haven't fallen under Broadcast's spell, you probably won't care about this news, but I gotta hope that I am not the only Broadcast fan on this board. Here's the pitchfork article...scroll down to check out some of their songs via youtube clips; Come On Let's Go and Before We Begin being two good ones to start with. RIP TRISH KEENAN

Damn, still no West Coast dates! C'mon Percy, how long you gonna keep your old stomping grounds Los Angeles waiting?!? The northeast in winter...BRRRRRRR! They should be touring the west at that time and save the northeast for the spring when it gets warmer.

THIS IS THE WEEK! I can just FEEL it...and I'm putting money down. Buffalo will win their first game tomorrow! Detroit on the road? With Shaun Hill starting at QB? It's a lock, lol! Get ready to celebrate tomorrow all you Buffalo fans!

Not to worry Zepheads...my vote just pushed Jimmy to number 1 above that Muse twerp! NME has been sucking Muse's dick for some time...hell, they're just another one of those bands like Coldplay, Travis, the Doves and many more that came along in Radiohead's wake...and none of them can hold a candle to Radiohead! Jonny Greenwood, Thom Yorke and Ed O'Brien are ALL better guitarists than the Muse dude...what a joke.

30 years ago today my world crumbled. It was a bright sunny Southern California morning and I had just arrived at school when the rumours started swirling about Bonham dying. At first we all felt like it had to be a hoax...no way could the Hammer of the Gods be dead! I had just started saving up money for the impending Led Zeppelin tour that was sure to come LA's way in 1981, and I intended to take my little brothers to their first concert when Zeppelin next played Los Angeles. Right after my first class, around 9am PST, confirmation came via the radio that yes, indeed, John Henry Bonham had shuffled of this mortal coil. I felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under me...the rest of the day was spent under a fog of sadness and despair. As soon as I got home I immediately holed up in my room and turned my stereo to KMET 94.7 FM, THE premiere rock and roll station in Los Angeles during the '70's. I didn't come out for dinner or anything...just spent the night alone as Mary "the Burner" Turner and then Jim Ladd spent their entire shows paying tribute to Bonzo. There were interviews, press statements, memorials and testimonials from fans and other musicians alike...along with wall-to-wall Zeppelin music. I wanted it to be some horrible nightmare...that I would wake up and find out it wasn't true, that Bonzo was still alive and that Zeppelin was still in flight. One of the things I do remember occuring at school that day after we had official confirmation of Bonham's passing, was immediately the prospects of Led Zeppelin carrying on was discussed by all of us rockers. Names of Bonzo's possible replacement were bandied about: Cozy Powell, Carmine Apice, Alan White, Carl Palmer, Neil Peart...and with each name mentioned, it seemed sillier and sillier until I was hit with the sudden realization that THIS WAS IT! There was NO replacing Bonham, which meant that unlike the Who and the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Robert and John Paul would honour their fallen comrad and call it a day. It hit me with the force and clarity of Bonham's right foot: LED ZEPPELIN WAS OVER! No more albums, no more tours...my little brothers would not get to experience what I, and millions of others lucky to have been born earlier did: the incandescent thrill and power of Led Zeppelin in concert. The next day back at school, I made plans with friends to go see that night's(it was a Friday) midnight screening of "The Song Remains the Same" at the local theatre. First we hit the usual post-game party at the river, drank some beer and smoked some pot...so that by the time we made it to the theatre, we were thoroughly baked. I remember the line to the movie being humongous...it was even longer than the line to see "Rocky Horror", which also played Friday and Saturday at midnight at this theatre. Eventually they had to cut off the line because it was sold out...we got there just in time. Just to give you a taste of what screenings of "The Song Remains the Same" were like back then, the theatre would set up big stacks of JBL speakers on both sides of the screen to go along with the Altec Lansings already wired around the theatre and they would crank the sound as LOUD as humanly possible. This was years before THX and DTS Digital and all the surround sound stuff you have now...but it was quite effective. During Jimmy's bow solo the sound would ricochet around the threatre...when you were stoned it was mind-blowing. And trust me, that night EVERYONE was either drunk or stoned; frequently both. Even before the movie started, the room was filling up with the haze of marijuana and/or hash smoke...and every so often you would hear the clink or clank of beer bottles/cans hitting the floor. Of course, for that night's screening everyone was there to pay respects to Bonham, and accordingly, whenever Bonham showed up on screen the theatre would explode in applause...and "Moby Dick" got the loudest and longest ovation I've ever heard it receive in the more than 80 times I've seen it in theatres. I was in tears myself for most of the film...I still couldn't believe he was dead and that I would never get to see the band in concert again. Then I thought about his family...the part where little Jason shows up during "Moby Dick" was heart-breaking. So sad. I thought about going again Saturday night...but I just didn't think I could handle it emotionally. You can laugh...but Led Zeppelin was my LIFE back then! It was the one thing that kept me sane with all the craziness that was going on with my family and school, etc. There were many other bands I liked but there was only ONE LED ZEPPELIN; they were my life-line. 30 years ago today, I was decimated by the death of Bonzo and my optimism for the coming decade took a turn for the worse; suddenly the 80's looked bleak and dreary. R.I.P. JOHN HENRY BONHAM

Not used to talking about sports on this board, but I'm in a football state of mind as I can't wait for the college and pro seasons to start. After the NBA and NHL seasons end, it's a sports desert until football begins. As a long-suffering Raider fan, I am wondering if Jason Campbell is really that much an upgrade over JaMarcus Russell(man, I bet Al would like to have THAT pick back...but then he'd probably waste it again anyway, like he did picking Heywood-Bey) and it would be nice if the Raiders could reach .500 for a change. But who am I kidding, for all the great things Al Davis has done in the past for the Raiders and for football in general, the past is past, and more and more it appears the guy is senile and has plain lost it and until the Raiders stage a coup, or until Davis dies, the team will remain mired in mediocrity. Hard to believe it was only as recent as 2001-2002 when things looked so much brighter...three straight playoff seasons culminating in a Super Bowl appearance. Then, our center disappears for the Super Bowl, we get clobbered and it's been a disaster ever since. Other teams I am curious about: New England...is this really the end of the Belichick-Brady era? Can Brady make it thru the season without getting hurt? Wither Wes Walker? And what about that defense? NY Jets: Was last year for real, or did they just sneak up on everybody? Will Rex Ryan's style start to get on the players' nerves? Seattle: With all the former Trojans on the team, you could call them the USC-hawks, which means they could be my alternate team to cheer for should the Raiders go in the dumps again. Now that he's got the player control he wanted, we will see if Pete can really coach in the NFL or if he should have stayed at USC. The good news is that the AFC West is a weak division.

Crikey, here's some more news I missed during my year away from this board. Well, a year too late, here's to the happy couple: CONGRATULATIONS Scarlet and Tom! It's always weird when you hear about family news of the Zeppelin members, since during the band's heyday you never heard a peep about them in the media. I don't think I knew what Robert's, John's and Bonzo's families looked like until "The Song Remains the Same" movie was released. Occasionally there might have been a mention, usually in one of Lisa Robinson's columns, of one of Jimmy's girls: Pamela, Lori or Charlotte, but I didn't know he had a daughter named Scarlet until around the time of Knebworth. Apart from the sad news of Karac's death, their really wasn't much reportage of the comings and goings of the Zeppelin members family in the national media. They were too busy, I guess, following Mick & Bianca, John & Yoko, Paul & Linda, David & Angie. But then, that's probably the way the band liked it, and probably for the best. Compared to other celebrity children, their kids seemed to have grown up to be happy, functioning adults. Anyway, back to the topic...here's to a long and happy marriage! Scarlet was a beautiful bride of course!

Seeing this thread made me extremely happy for some reason...maybe because it portends some new music from Mr. Page or maybe just because Jimmy looks like he's having a good time and he's looking pretty good for 66. Had to chuckle at one of the photos where it looks like Jimmy left the barn door open. Just to show how out of the loop I've been, I had no idea he was divorced from Jimena until reading about it just now! WTF?!? When did this happen? Is Casa Jimmy still operating or is that over with?

Really?!? I can win tickets to Led Zeppelin's MSG evening concert of Sept. 19, 1970? SWEET! Or get a drunken blowjob from your girlfriend during Moby Dick.

So I picked up the new Mojo this morning and finally had a chance to read the Plant article...and as usual am flabbergasted at how people try so HARD to find fault in any little thing Plant says, as if they have no sense of humour at all. It sometimes seems as if Jahfin, Ninelives, and Knebby are the only sane ones left when it comes to discussing Robert Plant. Much to ponder in the article(WOW! He's covering not only LOW, but LOS LOBOS, too!), but for now the thing that stuck with me all day was this bit in the track-by-track preview of the new album: Harms Swift Way "A bittersweet treatise from a man on the brink('The world's still blue, my word is true, I feel I'm turning hollow'), the last song written by Townes Van Zandt, the legendary Texan also covered by Plant on Raising Sand. Plant: 'Another reason why I shouldn't write another song. There's such a wearisome thing about it.'" from Robert Plant article written by Keith Cameron in Sept. 2010 issue of Mojo music magazine. Of course, the trolls will probably read even that as a slur against Jimmy Page. I have come to the conclusion that you either get Percy's sense of humour or you don't...and much of the criticism directed towards him on this board and others usually isn't worth dignifying with a response. Hell, the more people misread and/or misinterpret his remarks, intentions, whatever, the more I hope he never does another reunion; it would serve you cretins right.

Naw Oracle, it isn't Otis Day and the Knights...it's THIS Otis, Otis Taylor: Otis Taylor "Trance Blues" And I probably shouldn't be revealing this, but the discs I get aren't downloaded copies, they are the original label silver discs with the art work and packaging and crazy "english-as-a-second-language" liner notes; usually by some guy named Paul deLuxe. In the past several months, I've bought the Godfatherecords upgrade of the Feb. 12, 1975 MSG concert, "That's Alright New York"; "L'Olympia" from 10/10/69; "Drag Queen of New Orleans" 5/14/73; "Adelaide Revival" 2/19/72; and "American Return" 3/11/75. From Empress Valley, I've acquired "Jimmy's Birthday Party" a 4-cd set of the 1/9/70 RAH show; "Praying Silently for Jimi" a 4-cd set of both the afternoon and evening shows of 9/19/70 at MSG, NY; "Snow Jobs" 3/19/75; "St. Louis Blues" 2/16/75; "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" 2/14/75; "Rampaging Cajun" 2/28/75; "Blues Brothers" 1/22/75. I've also picked up "Riot House" 12/22/72 from Wendy and "Pollution Alert" 9/14/71 from Beezlebub, which has one of the more interesting logos I've seen. I also have about 30 or 40 Zeppelin concerts stored on archive discs in flac format that i got in a trade, but I just have never gotten around to converting them to cds.

How apropos is it that the website that pulled Plant's quotes from the Mojo interview is called "spinner", and henceforth people are spinning his comments every which way. Either reading comprehension is WAY down or there are some people who will try to twist Robert's words in any way they can to criticise him. Having just read the Mojo article it is OBVIOUS that when he says the O2 reunion was "too heavy", he was referring to the emotions of the event NOT the music itself. And I did not detect one slur against Jimmy Page or John Paul Jones or Jason in the whole article...so give it a rest people. Look, in the whole 30 years since John Bonham's passing, the times that the remaining members reunited for a gig were usually when people least expected it. Not that I have any particular insight to Percy's psyche, but I tend to think that the more people bother him about a reunion tour, the more determined he is to resist the idea. Conversely, if everyone, fans and media, would just shut up about the Led Zeppelin reunion for a year or 2 and let him go on with his current projects without going "yeah, that's great but when are you gonna reunite with Jimmy and the gang?", then perhaps maybe he might sit back one day and reflect how much fun he had at the O2 reunion and think that now that no one was expecting it, this would be the perfect time to reassemble the boys for another go. But since nobody ever gives him room to breathe without pushing the Zeppelin reunion in his face and reading imaginary slights into his comments, I don't blame the guy one bit for not signing on for the three-ring circus such a tour would undoubtably be.

Okay before you all collapse in fits of laughter, let me explain. You see when the Raising Sand tour hit the Greek Theatre here in LA back in 2008, I gave Alison Krauss a gift for her and Robert, which was an old vinyl Don Gibson album. Included was a 'thank you' card in which among other things, I suggested possible artists they could cover for their next collaboration. LOW, one of my favourite bands from the past 20 years(along with Portishead, Radiohead, Bjork, Broadcast, Stereolab, Black Crowes), was one of them. Now I just heard that there are not just one, but TWO Low covers on the new Robert Plant album!!! So I am just curious as to whether my note inspired Plant to check Low out, or if he already knew about them. Maybe Knebby or someone with Plant access can find out. If you doubt my veracity, you can e-mail or pm me and I can give you the exact album title and my real name that I signed the card with. Of course, it may be that after giving it to Alison, my gift never reached Robert in all the post-concert hullabaloo. Still, I wonder.... Anyway, the cool thing is that whether from me, or on his own, Percy knows about Low, and I can't help but smile at that bit of news. The new Mojo with Plant on the cover is due to arrive any day now...can't wait to read about the new album.

Well I can't wait until he hits Los Angeles...I assume it will be at the Greek, just like the Raising Sand tour, or perhaps the Wiltern, which is a bit more intimate. I've always liked Patty Griffin so am looking forward to hearing how their voices mesh.

You might want to give a citation next time you quote from an article, Michael Page, just to clarify where and when these quotes took place. It will also save legal action being taken against this board, too. And if you need any further evidence the depths to which Aerosmith has fallen just look at how Joe Perry is referred to as the "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" hitmaker"...not "Walk This Way", not "Sick As A Dog", "Back in the Saddle", "Sweet Emotion" or any number of great rockers BUT a cheesy movie song, fer chrissakes. Joe must have thrown up when he read that.

Well, if you remember when Jimmy was putting together the Zeppelin dvd back in 2003, he asked people to send in whatever stuff they had, no questions asked. That's how Mike Millard's audio of the 6-21-77 SRTS and the video of Birmingham and NY 1977 ended up on the dvd. Since all this new video has been popping up through the official Led Zeppelin channel, my guess is that someone (maybe our Sam himself) has been going through all the bootleg stuff that was sent to Jimmy, and slowly finding the best parts and cleaning them up enough to post on Led Zeppelin's Youtube channel