Those appear close Evster, except they have some silver thing on the black strip that Jimmy's shoes don't have. And yes, I DO remember that nude photo of the Unknown Comic with just the paper bags over his two heads.

Had some time and an idea came to me that I don't think I've seen anyone do before, so what the hell... There have been plenty of topics about what was Zeppelin's high point for touring; some like 1972, others 1973, a scant few say 1975 or 1977 was Zeppelin's live peak, but most seem to think 1971 was their best year for concerts. What I aim to do in this post is compile a "Greatest Year" by listing what I think were Led Zeppelin's best months in their touring history, taking into account the number, quality and historical importance of the shows in that given month. Some months, like July and November, were easy, but some, like March, May, and June, proved very difficult to narrow down to one. In the end it just comes down to one's subjective opinion. Which is why I encourage everyone not only to comment on mine, but make and submit their own list. No duplicating months allowed, it has to be a year made up of each of the twelve months. Otherwise people would just list multiple "March's", ie. March '70, March '73, March '75. Ok, I'll start it off with my "Year": January 1969: 17 total concerts...First US tour(continued from Dec. 1968)...includes important stands at the Whisky in LA, Fillmore West in SF, Detroit's Grande Ballroom, Boston Tea Party and the Fillmore East in NY...the great raw, savage Zeppelin, with Jimmy playing the "Dragon" Telecaster and Rickenbacker Transonic amps...my favourite thing to listen to from these shows are the "As Long As I Have You/Fresh Garbage" medleys...wished they would have kept it in the set longer...January 1973 was another good Jan., but in the end it just has to be 1969. February 1972: 6 concerts...1972 Australian/New Zealand tour...not a lot of shows but what the month lacks in quantity it makes up in quality...barnstorming gigs from this tour and also the end of Jimmy's beard, as he shaves it sometime between the Feb. 20 Melbourne show and the Feb. 25 Auckland, New Zealand gig. March 1973: 13 concerts...1973 European tour...I can already hear the howls of disgust: What about March 75? March 70? And of course, March 71, the "Back to the Clubs" tour?...hey, I am with you, those are all fantastic months in Zeppelin's touring history and one reason why march was a bitch to pick...but every time I listen to those Euro 73 shows I am plain knocked out by how "EN FUEGO!" the band sounds, and this, THIS right here, March 1973 is the PEAK of Jimmy's fast and fluid guitar playing..."Dazed and Confused" was never better after this tour...the interplay between Bonzo and Jimmy also reaches demonic intensity on this tour. Hamburg...Munich...Vienna...Offenburg...it's hard to pick an absolute favourite from this tour. April 1970: 15 concerts + 1 BBC TV date...1970 North American tour...from a tough month to choose to a pretty easy one...only April 1969 gives any competition(April 77? Please!)...but 1970 has better setlists. May 1975: 5 concerts...The Earl's Court gigs...another tough one to choose...May 1969 and May 1973 both had far more concerts(20 & 16 respectively) and historic moments(that May 1973 being the month when the world finally took notice of how big Zeppelin had become when they broke the Beatles' attendance record)...but in the end, I chose May 75 for it being the only month on my list that has such late-period concert epics as "No Quarter" and "Kashmir"...and unlike the 1975 US tour, Earl's Court 75 reintroduced the "acoustic set'...and finally, more than any gigs in May 1969(just an extension of their many 1969 tours, with no real changes to the setlists) or May 1973(some, like Bonzo's Birthday at the LA Forum, great, others not so), the 1975 Earl's Court shows have such an iconic status in the band's history that makes them impossible to ignore. June 1972: 17 concerts...1972 North American tour...aha, you might have thought I would pick June 1977...but "Listen to this, Eddie" and "Badgeholders" aside, June 1972 offers more consistently incendiary playing than June 1977...and June 1972 also holds a soft spot for me as it is when I first saw Led Zeppelin in concert(of course, June 77 is also memorable for me as it was the last time I would see Zeppelin)...1972 would be the last US tour to feature those wild and crazy "Whole Lotta Love" marathon medleys...and feature Plant singing "Over the Hills and Far Away" using the original vocal melody as on the album...oh, and say goodbye to longtime one-two punch set-openers "Immigrant Song"/"Heartbreaker" after this tour. July 1969: 13 concerts...Their 1969 Summer tour, with lots of outdoor festival type shows...not a lot to choose from this month...only other "July" with a substantial amount of shows was July 1973, which was not nearly as good as March 73, or even May 73...so I am going with July 69 as this was when Zeppelin started to play in front of larger and larger crowds, thanks to the Summer Festivals they played, as the impact of the band and its first album deepened and grew ever wider. August 1971: 12 concerts...1971 Montreux and North American tour...Pretty much self-explanatory...it's 1971! That says it all right there as 1971 was a touring peak for the band, as they just got better and better as the year progressed...any other August pales in comparison...yes, even August 70 and August 69...by August 1971 they had integrated the upcoming Led Zeppelin IV songs seemlessly into the set...this would be the first time Swiss and American audiences would be hearing "Stairway" and "Black Dog" and "Going to California"...another high point of these shows is the explosive "Celebration Day" with Jones and Bonzo playing a vastly more propulsive and wild rhythm pattern in 1971 than they did any other time. September 1971: 17 concerts...1971 North American and Japanese tours...the peak of 1971 continues...only September 1970 comes close...and if it was just the North American tour then I might have gone with Sept. 70, as that month has the only two occasions of "Out on the Tiles" being played(9.4.70 and 9.19.70) along with some other cool bits...BUT when you add in the LANDMARK first tour of Japan, then Sept. 1971 becomes a NO-BRAINER choice...you simply can't live without these shows...hell, just look at all the great boots that have come from this month of shows!!! October 1972: 8 concerts...1972 Japan and Montreux...another great tour of Japan followed by the band's seemingly annual jaunt to Montreux, Switzerland...apparently Claude Nobs knows how to throw a party...this month features the debut of the linkage of "Misty Mountain Hop" to "SIBLY", which I always thought was a marvelous, dramatic transition...also, this tour introduces "The Song Remains the Same" and "Rain Song", played back-to-back, just as they would be on the album, "Houses of the Holy", which was still months away from being released...it is this tour that damaged Plant's voice and his concert vocals were never really the same afterwards. November 1971: 13 concerts...UK tour...did I mention 1971 was a great year for the band?...this month marks one of my favourite periods in the evolution of "Dazed and Confused" as they improv on the "Theme from Shaft" during the solo and really get funky...wicked fun!...this tour also includes the iconic "Electric Magic" shows at Wembley's Empire Pool. December 1972: 12 concerts...UK tour...another year, another year-ending tour of the UK...the Winter 72/73 tour being the last real "proper tour" Led Zeppelin would do in the UK as Earl's Court 75 and Knebworth 79 were just shows in one location...the band continues working in the Houses of the Holy tunes that they didn't do in the US earlier that summer of 72...songs like "The Song Remains the Same" and "Rain Song"...you can see the frame-work of the standard 1973 setlist forming...one touch I wished they would have kept for the 73 US tour was the "Dancing Days" and "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" combo. And so there you have it...my take on Zep's best months that make up their "best year".

Oh c'mon people, not even a little giggle? Or maybe everyone has forgotten the Unknown Comic?

WOOHOO! Less than a week to go and, even though I saw it back in June at the LA Film Fest, I can't wait to see it again...this time without the distraction of Jimmy Page being in the audience, haha! Got my ticket for the midnight screening Thursday at the Arclight in Hollywood. I especially want to see that part where....NO! I am not going to spoil it for those who haven't seen it...this is the kind of movie where it is BEST not knowing in advance what you are going to see, so that the element of surprise and joy is all the more sweet! Try not to watch the trailer or go on youtube...go into this fresh and not knowing a thing...it will be all the more fun to watch that way for you!

The new issue of Q is out and seeing Jimmy Page and the head line "The Last Days" on the cover I thought, finally, an in-depth article on the final tour, Euro 1980! Alas, after picking it up and finding the article, what we get is a look back at Knebworth; not bad, but not what was implied by the cover tag. The picture of Page on the cover is even from the Euro 80 tour, not Knebworth, implying that it would be about that last tour. Then, get this...I go online to post the cover here, and for some reason they have Kasabian on the cover; I guess Jimmy Page is on the cover of the US edition and Kasabian the UK/Euro editions. Q magazine link The new Record Collector magazine also has an anniversary article about the Knebworth shows...look for it at your newstand/Barnes & Nobles/Borders. Led Zeppelin at Knebworth

Hoky smokes! 30 years gone already?!? Well, the thing I remember most about that August 4, 1979 is being depressed that I didn't win the tickets to Knebworth that LA radio station KMET 94.7 FM was giving away to any lucky callers. So I listened to the radio that weekend on pins and needles, just hoping to hear any reports come in from Knebworth and more news about the upcoming album, "In Through the Out Door". I didn't actually get to see or hear any of the Knebworth footage until 1989 when I purchased a VHS copy of the August 11th show...let's just say I was slightly disappointed, especially since I had for years counted the 3-record set "Copenhagen Warm-ups" of the July 24, 1979 gig, bought at an Austin, TX record store in 1981, among my favourite Zeppelin bootlegs. How could they sound so good in Copenhagen and so lousy at Knebworth? My interest in acquiring any more Knebworth boots waned after getting that video. But then, in 2003, when the DVD came out, I was fascinated by how great the Knebworth stuff was...and that is when I saw that it was mostly taken from the August 4th performance. That's when I started looking out for the August 4th Knebworth on DVD...and found one on the Boogie Mama label entitled "The First Night". This definitely was an improvement over the August 11 VHS I suffered with all those years. In fact, I traded my Aug. 11 Knebworth video in, since I knew I would never want to watch it again. Now that we can see how good the band actually was(ok, they weren't in 1970-73 peak form), I am again bummed I didn't win those Knebby tix. Just like I didn't win the O2 reunion lotto. But hey, to all those that were at Knebworth 30 years ago, whether the 4th or 11th or both, I'll raise a glass to you and say "Congratulations and Happy Anniversary! Cheers!

Yeah, she was a nutter all right...one of many in those strange daze of the late-60's-70's: The Manson Family, the Zodiac Killer, Boston Strangler, Son of Sam, the SLA-Patty Hearst debacle, the list of goes on-and-on. Squeaky was one of those who carved a swastika in her forehead during the Manson trial. I guess because she failed in her attempt is the only reason why she isn't locked up for life...can't believe she won't be monitored in some way, though. Somebody(FBI, police) will be keeping tabs on her, especially to see if she tries to contact crazy Charlie.

You ain't lying, ninelives! I used to say that the 1970 Bath Festival was my personal Holy Grail of Zeppelin, but lately I have come to desire to hear the Fairport/Zeppelin Troubadour jam more than anything...I would chop off my arm to hear it!

That sig(well the old "Robert Plant/Charles Darwin"one anyway, as you can see I've changed it) was something I found in a book or magazine and wrote down in one of my old journals...unfortunately, there's a spill stain and I can't quite make out the source I wrote down...the quote itself is accurate and dates from around 1969 or 1970.

Can't believe no one has mentioned this yet considering the topic, so I will... Setember 4, 1970: Led Zeppelin is playing the LA Forum(technically it is in Inglewood, but everyone got used to saying the LA Forum), and Fairport Convention are doing a 4-night stand at the Troubadour, a small club on Santa Monica Blvd. and Doheny in West Hollywood. After Zeppelin finishes their concert, soon to be immortalized in the "Live on Blueberry Hill" bootleg, they head to the Troubadour(I imagine the limo driver heading up La Brea Ave., which leads from Inglewood to Hollywood, perhaps stopping for some chili dogs at Pink's along the way, then turning left on Santa Monica Blvd.) to watch the rest of the Fairport gig. After some between set discussion, Zeppelin join Fairport for a jam of rock oldies and trad folk...supposedly going on for as long as 3 hours! Since Fairport was recording the Troubadour shows for a live album("House Full"), the tapes were rolling for the jam, but NOTHING from this has seen the light of day, to my knowledge at least. Anyway, after the show, the everybody heads over to Barney's Beanery and Bonham gets into a drinking contest with Janis Joplin. No clue as to who won, haha.

Ok Eddie, I just found some info about your "Another Trip 1973" boot. According to this website the soundcheck songs are from May 4, 1973 @ Atlanta Braves Stadium and the rest from "Rock and Roll' to "Rain Song" are from the July 29, 1973 MSG New York show.

Ooooooh, I don't know...I think I would choose just about any Zep from 1970-72 over 1973. But it sounds as if you picked a good one...can't tell from the art work what show it's from(other than the soundcheck ones of course, which I have on the Johnny Kidd & the Pirates cd) and it is a cd I have never come across. So I wouldn't be able to ascertain the origins until I heard them. Are they soundboards or audience?

What a SHOCK! Something smells very fishy if you ask me. This is a sad day for those of us in Los Angeles...this city is near impossible to police and William Bratton did as great a job as anyone has in my lifetime; he was miles above and beyond those ass-clowns Ed Davis and Daryl Gates from the 70's-90's. Here's the report just in: Police chief Bratton shocks LA with resignation By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AP POLITICAL WRITER LOS ANGELES -- Police Chief William Bratton stunned the city Wednesday, saying he will step down after a seven-year tenure when crime rates plummeted to 1950s levels and once-contentious relations between officers and diverse communities improved. Only a month ago, Bratton said he was shopping for a new home in Los Angeles. Now he intends to join a global security firm based in Virginia. "For me personally and professionally it is the right time," Bratton, 61, told a standing-room only City Hall news conference. When Bratton took over in 2002, the Los Angeles Police Department was still struggling to recover from a corruption scandal and the notorious 1991 videotaped beating of Rodney King. "It was a troubled organization in what was arguably a very troubled city," he said. Bratton will leave at the end of October widely credited with ushering in an era of safer streets and eased relations between police and the people they protect. Among other improvements, he cited city efforts to deter terrorism. But he hoped his legacy would be improved race relations. "I believe we have turned a corner in that issue, in that this is a city that is proud of its racial diversity, it is a city where people work together. It is my belief that the Los Angeles Police Department has played a significant role in bringing that about," he said. Bratton's decision came just weeks after a judge released the department from eight years of oversight by the U.S. Department of Justice, which had alleged a long pattern of abuse. Bratton plans to join Altegrity Inc., headquartered in Falls Church, Va., to bring professional policing to emerging nations. He said part of the lure was a larger paycheck as he approached retirement and the opportunity to work with a friend, Michael Cherkasky, who heads the company. Cherkasky was the lead monitor overseeing the LAPD under the federal consent decree until it was terminated last month. Bratton also worked for him as a consultant before joining the department. Bratton saw no conflict in going to work for Cherkasky. His exit set off speculation about a successor as well as tributes to his leadership. "I'm in mourning today," said John Mack, a high-profile African-American member of the civilian Police Commission who in his past role as leader of the Los Angeles Urban League was a frequent critic of the department. Mack stood at Bratton's side at the news conference, along with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "The people of Los Angeles are safer than they've been in half a lifetime," said City Council President Eric Garcetti, crediting Bratton for reforms and for knocking down the crime rate to levels not seen in decades. Media reports often mentioned Bratton as a likely candidate for top jobs at the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. But he gave no hint he was leaving California. When Bratton placed his four-bedroom Los Angeles home on the market last month, he told the Los Angeles Times he and wife Rikki Klieman planned to buy another residence in the area. Bratton was picked to lead the LAPD after heading police forces in New York City and Boston. He will leave Los Angeles two years into his second and final five-year term. Los Angeles police chiefs once enjoyed unlimited appointments, but changes driven by the King beating and resulting 1992 riot led to term limits. One goal of the Bratton administration was to make the force more closely resemble the diverse city. The 10,000-officer force is now 42 percent Hispanic, 37 percent Caucasian, 12 percent black and 7 percent Asian, according to Gerald Chaleff, the civilian administrator in charge of the department's reform office. African-American commentator and community activist Earl Ofari Hutchinson said Bratton's departure will be a "tremendous blow" to the city. "Bratton did more than any other chief in recent times to really push the envelope on reform, minority recruitment, community policing, resolving tensions in Los Angeles between minority communities and the Police Department," Hutchinson said. Even the city police union praised Bratton while acknowledging some disagreements. "He successfully used his visibility to strengthen partnerships between LAPD and the residents it serves," Police Protective League President Paul M. Weber said in a statement. A statement issued by Ramona Ripston, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, called Bratton's departure a great loss but said not enough was done to end what the group called a high rate of stops, frisks and arrests of blacks and Hispanics, compared to whites. "That's a very troubling trend," she said. Bratton's tenure in New York was marked by a rivalry of egos with then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, friction that led to his departure. But he and Villaraigosa call each other friends. The mayor said Bratton turned the department into a partner with the community, "not an adversary." Andre Birotte, the department's inspector general, who oversees internal investigations, said he was surprised and disappointed by Bratton's departure. "He has made a lot of changes in the department and his reputation for transparency will be one of the hallmarks of his tenure," Birotte said. --- Associated Press Writers Thomas Watkins and John Antczak contributed to this report.

The truth about Jimmy's black/white slip-on loafers, haha. It turns out at least two other people who wore those shoes...was Jimmy REALLY the "Unknown Comic" in his spare time? :D Here's a better look... The Unknown Comic on Norm Crosby's Comedy Show

I am going to this concert tomorrow(Wednesday 8.5) night at the Hollywood Bowl: Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Still Ahead

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! It FINALLY came to me what it is...and when I tell you the answer you will see why I was embarrassed, as it should have been obvious to me. It's from the song "Cat's Squirrel" on Cream's "Fresh Cream" album and also played by Jethro Tull. Gaaaaa, how could I have forgotten that! Anyway, mystery solved.

"Listen To This, Eddie", or LTTE for short, is the title given to the tape(and subsequent vinyl and cd releases) of the Led Zeppelin concert June 21, 1977 at the Los Angeles Forum recorded by the legendary taper Mike Millard(google him or see the tapers section at the Underground Uprising website). The concert was the first of 6 performed at the Forum that week...and I believe Millard taped at least 4 of the shows: June 21, 23, 25 and 27. Millard's tapes are legend because of the sound quality he achieved by using high quality equipment, a Nakamichi tape deck and AKG microphones, that he hid by using a wheelchair to mount his mic's and to gain access to prime seating locations. His tapes are far superior to the usual audience tapes and frequently better(especially in the case of "atmosphere") than many soundboards. Too many soundboards give the impression the concert was held in a vacuum. You can hear a sample of the "Listen to this, Eddie" tape on the Led Zeppelin "DVD" that came out in 2003...go to the video menu section and you will hear the audio of the 6/21/77 "The Song Remains the Same" synched to video from the '77 Birmingham and Madison Square Garden shows. Anyway, the tape has accrued the status of "must-have" over the years not just for the quality of its sound, but also for it being one of the few really great performances from the 1977 tour available. When Mike Millard sent out a copy of the tape to one of his trading buddies, he wrote on the cassette cover the phrase, "Listen to this Eddie". As this copy eventually found its way into bootleggers hands, the phrase became the most common phrase used to title this show. Now, as to who "Eddie" is...over the years many tales have sprung up...that Eddie referred to Eddie Van Halen(because of comments Eddie made referring to how Jimmy couldn't play his solos anymore) or Eddie Kramer(because Kramer refused to multi-track record the 1977 tour because he was upset at the band's drug use) or it was just a guy named "Eddie" that Millard traded with. After careful consideration of the timeline and other facts, I have long come to the conclusion that the Eddie Van Halen theory is bogus...the comments Eddie made slagging Jimmy's playing were published long after the tape had made the rounds and the title "Listen to this Eddie" was in the public consciousness. So it can't be Eddie Van Halen. Eddie Kramer also doesn't fit, because again, it wasn't known that Kramer turned down the offer to record the 77 tour until after the "Listen to this, Eddie" bootlegs appeared. Unless Mike Millard was incredibly well-connected to someone in Led Zeppelin's inner-circle, I just don't see how Mike would have known about the Eddie Kramer situation. That leaves the last, and most rational and plausible theory...that "Eddie" refers to just some random Eddie that Mike traded tapes with...and through the high demand and collectability of the show, "Eddie" achieved mythical status. Since the Eddie Van Halen and Eddie Kramer stories made for "good copy", more people were predisposed to believe them...like the old John Ford movie "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" says, when legend becomes fact, print the legend. Since both Jimmy and Robert have been known to collect a few Zep bootlegs, I am sure they have come across the "Listen to this, Eddie" many many times...and also know the legendary status the show has in the concert-trading and Zeppelin-fan worlds. Which is why Plant has name-checked it at many concerts over the years, in particular the "Mighty Rearranger" tour. For any more info, you'll have to go to SteveAJones...I bow to him when it comes to Zeppelin knowledge. Whoever "Eddie" refers to...that is not important...what is important is that you get a copy of this show; it is easily on the Top 20, if not Top 10 list of Zeppelin shows to have in your collection. Oh...and I was there at that concert. As were some others here on this board, I believe.

Thanks Sharon, Otto and Stargroves(LOVE THAT Avatar name!) for the kind words. One reason I haven't been as forthcoming with my Zeppelin experiences as you might think I would/should be, is that while I have some happy memories of my childhood, most of my childhood was not so happy. And sometimes the good(Zeppelin)times intertwined with the bad times, and I'd rather not go through reliving that stuff again, so I leave it all under lock and key in my head. But as I've gotten older, and also as every new Led Zeppelin book leaves me unsatisfied and wondering if there will ever be a good Zeppelin biography written(sorry but Davis' "Hammer..." and Cole's "Stairway..." don't cut it with me), I have come to realize that this official Zeppelin board provides a unique opportunity for those of us old enough to have experienced the band, it's records and concerts and cultural influence, as it happened from 1968-1980, to enter into the public record an accounting of what Led Zeppelin meant to us fans, so that perhaps those younger fans, and future fans and biographers will have a bigger well of information from which to draw from, especially crucial given the small amount of official press devoted to the band in its heyday, as compared to the Beatles and Stones. When the official record is inadequate, it falls to us fans to fill in the gaps and provide a fuller picture of the effect of Led Zeppelin beyond the usual lazy journalistic reductions of the band's legacy to heavy metal, mud-sharks and drugs. And so, I figured I would start getting my Zep tales down before I got too old to remember them. Not that they are inherently any better than someone else's...or that they require multiple responses of awe and thanks; my ego isn't that large or in need of stroking, even if I am a Leo. But this IS a Led Zeppelin board...and not just any board, but the OFFICIAL site of Led Zeppelin's board, so what better place to accumulate the fan's perspective of Led Zeppelin as a corrective to the often ludicrous wrongheaded attempts to explain the band by the official "media" than here? Now, I have to correct something...actually there's a lot I would love to correct(wished I had proofread my post before posting as it is filled with grammatical errors...the syntax is not quite consistent) but I was in a rush, as I had a date that night and only had an hour or so to write that post between finishing work and going out. Unfortunately, now it is too late to edit. But I have to make note of a factual error: when I listed the two records I received as presents on my birthday as being CCR's "Bayou Country" and Neil Young's "Everybody Says This Is Nowhere", I was only half-right. The Creedence was correct...but upon reflecting I realized I made a mistake about the Neil Young. You see I definitely remember taking "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" over to a girl's house after my birthday and listening to it with her...the reason I remember it so vividly is because it was while listening to that record with that girl that I had my "FIRST KISS". Well, I had no girlfriend the summer of 1969, so obviously it was the following year, which means I got the Neil Young album for my 8th birthday in 1970. The other clue that lead me to think it was later was that I don't think I knew about Neil Young until after my dad bought the CSN & Y album "Deja Vu". So what was the second album other than CCR that I received? After further review, I have narrowed down the possibilities to two: either it was Simon & Garfunkle's "Bookends" or Tommy James and the Shondells "Crimson and Clover". Given the fact that I recall really loving that song "Crimson and Clover", not too mention "Crystal Blue Persuasion", I have a feeling that it was most likely the Tommy James album. How does someone who likes Tommy James and Simon & Garfunkle also get into Led Zeppelin and Velvet Underground? Well, to paraphrase that old philosopher: I am human...I contain multitudes. To wit, I had loads of Alvin & the Chipmonks records, too! LOL! Oh, and Sharon, my memory is good, but as the above shows, it's not perfect. You see, I had a little help in remembering certain things...namely some of my old diaries and writing assignments that I did in school. It seems when I visited some of my relatives this past Christmas and New Year's for the first time in 30 years, I discovered some of them had pictures and stuff that I had assumed lost or destroyed long ago. Among these were some old journals and scrapbooks and homework. A veritable treasure trove of memories. Anyway, I shall be back when I have time with some more of my Zeppelin experiences...I assume the concert ones will be the more interesting to most, so I will make my next one a concert memory.

Well, if I had seen this thread topic the other day I would have posted my tale here...anyway, the song that got me started as a Led Zeppelin fan was "Dazed and Confused", as recounted here: How I discovered Led Zeppelin

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale..." If you'll indulge me, I'd like to share a little memory about a very important day in my life. Exactly 40 years ago today, on July 31, 1969, I bought and had my first listen to Led Zeppelin I. Needless to say, it was a life-changing experience and little Strider became a Zephead for life. Before we get to that momentous day, first a little background. As 1969 dawned and Led Zeppelin was getting ready to unleash their little platter of sound on an unsuspecting world, I was a wee lad of 6, going on 7, who had, thanks to my parents(especially my dad) already become immersed in the various music of the time. Like most kids of that era, I had a little portable mono record player and a small collection of records to play; mostly kids music like Burl Ives, Disney movie and tv soundtracks, various pop singles...harmless stuff. My dad was a classical and jazz music buff who didn't really get into rock n roll until the Beatles and the Rolling Stones came along. He didn't care for the 50's RnR of Elvis, Chuck, Buddy et al. In fact, he didn't really care for the Beatles or Stones either until around 65 or 66. He did love folk and had plenty of Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul & Mary albums. I remember enjoying whatever music I heard my parents played as I think I have always been one of those people that just digs music...I could never understand people who said they didn't care for music...but I didn't really pay any specific attention to what bands they played. I knew of Beatles and Rolling Stones and such but had only the slightest clue about their cultural significance, and could name very few of their songs or albums. I just knew if something sounded good and bouncy I enjoyed dancing and singing along. "Yellow Submarine" was a particular favourite of mine, and "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" was my favourite Dylan song simply because I thought it was a funny silly song with a great beat to jump around to...at that age I had no idea about the different meanings of "stoned". I didn't even know the proper name of the song until later; I always called it "Everybody Must Get Stoned". That all changed on June 1, 1967. On that day, my father came home from work with two albums that he had just bought; albums he seemed particularly keen to play. Those records were: The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" Jimi Hendrix "Are You Experienced" So after dinner, I sat and listened as pop played "Sgt. Pepper's" first, my eyes alight with childish delight and wonder as we looked over the album art and the cutouts and the lyrics(the first rock album with printed lyrics). Then came "Are You Experienced" and I knew right then the electric guitar was my new favourite sound. No need to dwell further on these two records(it should be a seperate topic) but if you are old enough to remember how those records exploded on the scene, then you can probably imagine how it sounded to my 5-year-old ears. From that day in June 1967 on, my relationship with music changed. You could say that is the day I became serious about my love of music. All of a sudden, my parents record collection took on new meaning...hmmmm, I wondered, what other groovy sounds would I be able to find amongst these shiny black discs. That whole summer of '67 I embarked upon an auditory adventure thru the wilds of that stash of records from A to Z. Every day was a treat...sometimes I would pick out an album for its cover, other times because I thought the band name intrigued me(The Zombies? Moby Grape? The Who?). By the beginning of 1969, I had already developed certain likes and preferences. The Beatles and Stones and Hendrix ruled my world, with the Yardbirds and Creedence Clearwater Revival rounding out my Top 5. I was slowly making my way through psychedelia(Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead), Acid rock(Jefferson Airplane, Iron Butterfly), and all the other genres and sub-genres including folk and blues. If I were to list my Top 10 records of that time(pre-1969), the ones I played the most, the list would probably look like this: 1. Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" 1967 2. Jimi Hendrix "Are You Experienced" 1967 3. Rolling Stones "Flowers" 1967 4. Beatles "Revolver" 1966 5. Rolling Stones "Big Hits(High Tide and Green Grass)" 1966 6. Diana Ross & the Supremes "Greatest Hits" 1967 7. Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour" 1967 8. Simon & Garfunkle "Sounds of Silence" 1966 9. Bob Dylan "Blonde on Blonde" 1966 10. The Yardbirds "The Yardbirds Greatest Hits" 1967 I listened to rock and roll radio but not a whole lot...mostly 93 KHJ Boss radio on the AM dial(The Real Don Steele is the DJ I remember most) and when I got a nice stereo(including FM radio) for Christmas '68, I started listening more to the FM rock stations as they played more variety and more underground rock; it was the only place where you could hear songs longer than 5 minutes as AM mostly focused on Top 40. I wasn't reading Rolling Stone or Creem at this time, nor was I reading much of my dad's copy of the L.A. Times other than the Apollo 11 moon mission and the sports section to check on the Lakers(The 1968-69 season is when I discovered basketball; both college and the NBA). So while I had some knowledge of what was going on in the world and in music(maybe even more than most 6 or 7 year olds of the time), I was clueless about any such entity called Led Zeppelin. I knew of the Yardbirds, but because my dad only had a few of the early albums, I only was aware of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck being the band's guitarists. I had no idea that the Yardbirds had broken up or that some new band was forming from the wreckage. While my dad did have some Donovan records, I don't think I noticed Jimmy's name amongst the credits and I don't think I heard Joe Cocker's "With A Little Help From My Friends" until after I had heard Led Zeppelin. Okay...now fast forward to May 5, 1969. It is a monday night and I have just had my heart broken listening to the radio broadcast(the tv broadcast was blacked out in L.A.) of the Los Angeles Lakers loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Championship. Curse that Don Nelson! I just became a fan of the Lakers(and basketball) that year, so I hadn't the psychic pain accrued from years of torment at the hands of the Celtics that old-time Laker fans had, but I hurt just the same. Eyes red and wet from crying, I make myself a glass of Tang, say my goodnights to everyone, and tumble woozily into bed...only I am too distraught to sleep. So I figure a little music should calm me down and I reach over and plug in my headphones and turn on the radio...most likely either KMET 94.7 or KNAC 105.5. The usual suspects of that era are played and then a Yardbird song..."Train Kept A-Rollin'"...afterwhich the dj announces that here's a song from the new band that arose from the ashes of the Yardbirds...HUH!?! My ears pricked up at that; The Yardbirds broke up?!? A new band?!? And then came the song that would change everything for me:"Dazed and Confused" Those opening doom-laden bass notes and the wah-wah guitar harmonics...then that virile powerful voice, with those long vowel sounds and just the right amount of echo...all brought home with the crashing chorus of drums and guitars playing THAT EVIL RIFF! A couple more verses, the vocalist sounding like he's hurt and driven mad by some woman, as his vocals are more than matched by the heavyness of the guitars and drums during the ever-increasing intensity of the choruses; choruses marked by the fact that they're not vocal choruses as usually found in rock songs of that time, but instrumental choruses, with the riff being the hook. Then a sudden shift as the bottom drops out and you feel like your floating, suspended in air as, while the bass and drums rein back and provide a throbbing rhythm, the guitar and voice enter into a pas de deux of spiraling weirdness, the guitars(how is he making THOSE sounds?) and vocals moaning...at times in call-and-response, at other times in tandem...chasing and weaving around in your head. Holy effin shit...what is THIS I am hearing?!? It is at this point that I had completely forgotten about the game; hell, I don't think I was aware of any reality. I was no longer a little boy in Southern California. No, by now I had achieved lift-off into the stratosphere and warm, fuzzy vibrations were coursing throughout my body. I was flying. Which only meant that I was gobsmacked by the instrumental frenzy to follow...the crash of the drums slams me back down to the bed and now the bass and drums are galloping pell-mell and the guitarist is firing a fusillade of notes at me, a blazing cascade of notes strafing my brain and body. There were lots of guitar players who could play fast back then...Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Alvin Lee could all play fast...but at that time of hearing "Dazed and Confused", I couldn't think of anything I had heard that sounded so FAST, so FURIOUS, so TIGHT in my life. It was a sonic revelation! The Beatles had just come out with "Helter Skelter" which gets pretty guitar heavy at the end, but the tempo is still pretty basic; to this point the wildest I had heard the Stones get was maybe "Have You Seen Your Mother Baby?" "Jumping Jack Flash", "Street Fighting Man", "Sympathy for the Devil" were all still pretty tame tempo-wise. Even Jimi Hendrix' "Fire" which is pretty quick doesn't approach the sustained ferocity and speed that the instrumental break of "Dazed and Confused" does. And not just the guitar, but the drums...and just the fact that you could HEAR the drums pounding away in your cranium...oh man, this is the sound I had wanted to hear without my even knowing it! All the instruments could be heard, loudly, but with clarity too. Power...Precision...Passion! I couldn't believe what I was hearing...I kept waiting for the song to spiral out of control, as now the drummer seemed to be playing FASTER...god, are these guys even HUMAN? Or are they of some alien race...able to play harder and faster than mere men? Then, when all hope seems lost and the band seems intent on driving us all over the cliff, a herald of slashing chords and pummeling drums and, wham-bam just like that, the band slams back into the song's main riff as the drummer applies perfectly cadenced cascading drum rolls leading into the final verse. It's a wonder I didn't have whip-lash from it all...before I knew it the song was over as the band goes out in a blaze of power chords, the last sound being the hum of the guitar as it fades. I was spent, yet also exhilarated...I couldn't sleep nor did I want to, as I needed to stay awake so I could find out the name of the band and the song I had just heard. After a few more songs, the dj finally came on to id the previous set..and that is when I remember first hearing the name Led Zeppelin and the song "Dazed and Confused". The dj made some comments about some concerts Zeppelin had recently played in Pasadena. Said don't believe the review in the L.A. Times, the band was mind-blowing. After hearing what I just heard, I thought how could they not be. And so, Led Zeppelin became a band that I intended to investigate...my birthday was coming up and their album joined the list of birthday gifts i desired. I started noticing other Zeppelin songs being played on the radio..."Communication Breakdown" being the most common along with "Dazed and Confused". Fast forward now, to July 29 1969...it's my 7th birthday and I am excited..and everyone is still buzzed from the Moon landing just over a week prior!!! I was a big science and dinosaur geek back then, so watching the whole Apollo 11 mission, from launch to splashdown was unreal! My birthday that year, alas, fell on a weekday, so I had to wait for my dad to get home from work before cake and presents, for which we were going to O'Farrells Ice Cream Parlor, which, if you were a kid, was one of the greatest places on earth. I don't know how wide-spread they were in the U.S., but they were all over Southern California. If it was your birthday, they had a clown and a parade of people come sing to you with one guy playing one of those big bass drums you see at parades or marching bands at football games. The best thing on the menu was the Pig Trough, and I vowed this year that I would finish the whole thing. To my surprise, I did...and on the way out, I had my dad get me one of the giant jaw-breakers they sold in the candy store. My presents that year included a chemistry set, a Hot Wheels set, and two albums, none of which was Led Zeppelin I. They were still good ones, Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bayou Country". Fortunately, I also received from my grandmother $10...don't laugh, $10 was a fortune to a kid in 1969. So at least I knew now I had the money to buy the Led Zeppelin album myself. Unfortunately, my defeat of the Pig's Trough was Pyrrhic, as the next day I felt sick and miserable. So my mom kept me home and I discovered the joys of Neil Young and Crazy Horse and CCR while putting together my Hot Wheels tracks and loops. Finally, the next day dawned...Thursday July 31, 1969...and I felt fit as a fiddle. My mom needed to run some errands, which was perfect as then I could come along and spend my birthday cash! So, after a quick stop at the post office, then the bank, we hit the TG&Y Five and Dime store, but I didn't see any Zeppelin. So after she finished, and I told her they didn't have what I was looking for, she said South Coast Plaza would probably be the best place, as they had a Wallich's Music City, and they had tons of albums. And if not Wallich's, then the Broadway had albums. Even back then, South Coast Plaza was THE shopping place in Orange County. So off we headed to Wallich's Music City at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. As soon as we got there, I asked the guy at the front where I could find the Led Zeppelin album. He asked if that was a rock group and I said yes, so he led me to the rock section and after locating the "L's", there it was staring me in the face...that iconic black-and-white photo of the Hindenburg going down in flames with the orange Led Zeppelin in the upper left-hand corner. I picked it up, encased in shrinkwrap, and flipped it over to look at the back cover...now I could see what the band looked like for the first time; wow, they looked young. And not a beard in the bunch! "Led Zeppelin"(there was no 1, as there hadn't been a 2nd yet) in hand, I looked around the record stacks some more. The Zeppelin was just under $3, so I had enough for two more records. I had heard a couple songs on the radio from the new Velvet Underground album that I liked("Pale Blue Eyes" and "What Goes On") and so I looked for that...and lo and behold, just like the Led Zeppelin, it had no title other than the band's name, "Velvet Underground", even though this was their third album. Then, I just kind of aimlessly wandered...I wanted to make sure my third and last pick was something really good...I pondered Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, The Byrds, Otis Redding...until a striking image caught my eye. It was the art work for the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey", which my dad had taken me to see earlier that year and which I found strange yet also hypnotic, and I recall the music made an impression on me. Plus, with the recent moon landings, I was all caught up in the notion of space travel and sci-fi, so that cinched it, the Soundtrack to "2001" would be my third and final selection. "Led Zeppelin" on Atlantic "Velvet Underground" on MGM "'2001: A Space Odyssey' Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack" on MGM. 3 brand new albums, for less than $10. When I got home, I knew the Led Zeppelin would be the first one I listened to...the only question was do I listen through my regular speakers or my headphones? I decided that since it was still before dinner, I would listen through the speakers, then after dinner, I would listen with my headphones as that way I could listen as loud as I wanted without disturbing the family. As I scurried to my room, I was tingling with anticipation and delight. I carefully took the shrinkwrap off the album and slid the sleeve out. Then I gently eased the vinyl disc out of the sleeve, taking care not to touch the grooves with my fingers. Checking to see which side was side 1, and recognizing the green and red Atlantic record label(mostly from my dad's John Coltrane and Aretha Franklin records), I placed the record on the turntable and, after turning everything on and making sure the treble and bass and volume controls were set, I started the turntable. As I sat down on the floor in the middle of my room, with the album cover in my hands, I watched as the tonearm lifted up and slowly moved over and dropped onto the spinning disc, the needle popping a couple of times as it found its way into the sound groove. And then...DAH DAH..those opening chords of "Good Times Bad Times" start, then that opening catchy high-hat and cowbell pattern... "In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man, Now I've reached that age, I've tried to do all those things the best I can No matter how I try, I find my way into the same old jam" There was just something about the vocals...they sounded different than the vocals you heard on Beatles, Stones, the Who and Hendrix albums...they were definitely a different breed from Bob Dylan's, haha! And the way they echoed at the end of the verse...it just sounded cool. I studied the back cover and committed the names of the band and the instruments they played to memory: from left to right, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones. I noticed another name, Viram Jasani, who was credited as playing tablas on "Black Mountain Side". Back to the song, and by now I was grooving, as when the song went into the chorus of "Good times bad times you know I've had my share" there was such a surge of sound that filled the room. I noticed those little things Bonham was doing with his bass drum that gave the song an extra kick...and of course, after the little bass riff after the first couple verses, Jimmy comes screaming in with that guitar solo that just sends the song soaring(wasn't until much later that I found out it was recorded through a Leslie speaker). The song was over in a flash and I barely had time to take a drink from my coke before the delicate acoustic guitar signaled the beginning of the next song, "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You". Looking at the back cover I noticed that this song was much longer than "Good Times"...in fact, I noticed quite a few songs lasting around the 5 to 6 minute mark. Well, that's just more music to listen to I thought, so good...most albums back then barely crossed the 30-35 minute mark, and as I mentally calculated the song times, it looked like the album would be about 40 minutes long(of course, it proved to be longer as Jimmy purposely had a shorter time listed for "How Many More Times" to fool the radio stations into playing it). "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" continued, and I once again I was knocked out by several things. 1) The power and range of Plant's voice and how effortless it seemed to flow between the lows and highs. Also, I loved the effect, whether accidental or on purpose, of what I would come to call the "ghost vocals" that happens around the 1:41 mark of this song and would make other appearances on other Zeppelin songs. It's when you hear him say "I can hear it calling me". 2) How Bonham seems to want to destroy his drums. I don't think I had ever heard a drummer hit his drums with such animalistic force before...and yet no matter how hard or fast he played, he never lost sight of the groove, he kept a steady beat. 3) The overall "sound" of the band. Led Zeppelin sounded so cinematic, especially compared to most other bands of the time. They had an huge overall panoramic sound, yet you also could pick out each instrument and voice in the sound-spectrum and concentrate on just that instrument if you so desired. It wasn't just the muddied mush that so many other bands who tried to play loud blues-rock ended up sounding like. 4) The drama the band could stir up. At 7 years old, I had no idea about girls and relationships, yet listening to "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You"(and the whole album basically) it was obvious that Plant was worked up about something...and it sure wasn't sports or cars. A fact made even more clear in the next song, "You Shook Me". "You Shook Me" opens with that amazing guitar lick, with that thick, fuzzy, juicy tone, and then follows with Bonham laying down the law with his kick drum. Both drums and guitar hit you hard...as do the bass, harmonica and Plant. Like I said, I had no clue about girls; how to talk to 'em or what to do with 'em. But as I listened to this song, as Plant moaned "You shook me all night looooooooonnnnnnggggg", and Bonzo and Jimmy and Jonesy were making mincemeat of my loins, I think I subconsciously began to understand what the band was about. As I was laying on the floor on my stomach, kicking my legs back and forth, while feeling the music coming from the speakers vibrate through my body, I think it hit me: ooooh, this band is singing about S-E-X! This was no band for little kids...this was for the BIG KIDS and maybe not even them, but for GROWN-UPS. I felt a little guilty, a little sly for having gotten away with buying this album. They didn't let kids see certain movies, surely there were bands that they would restrict, too, I thought. Would my mom burst through the door and demand I take that record back? I knew somehow, whether instinctively or not, that this music was changing me...I would be different somehow than I was before putting on this record. Somehow more knowing, even if what I was suppose to "know" was still a mystery...if that makes any sense. At any rate, girls would suddenly hold a new interest for me. I had heard "You Shook Me" many times before...from my dad's blues albums all the way to the Jeff Beck album. But this was blues of a different sort...it was a sort of souped-up blues of the future. Neither a parody nor slavishly beholden to tradition, it was...well, to me it sounded different, modern. Jeff Beck can complain all he wants, but to me, Zeppelin's version has a completely different impact on the listener than Beck's, to the point where it is like it is a completely different song. As the song drove on through that steady beat, Jones, Plant and Page each took their solo turn, each solo ratcheting up the level of intensity incrementally until I thought the song would burst. And then things really got weird...after Page's solo, he and Plant go into that singular call-and-response thing that about fries my brain. I don't know whether to laugh or be in awe...here's a vocalist I thought, who has no fear, who will go anywhere. He is not just using his voice to "sing", to utter mere words, but he is using his voice as another instrument, to complement the guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. "WOW! Did I just hear what I thought I heard?" was all I could say to myself before the song ends and is immediately followed by those legendary bass notes that begin "Dazed and Confused". No rest for the wicked, I guess...this band doesn't even give you time to catch your breath. Of course, "Dazed and Confused" was the song that introduced me to Led Zeppelin, and in the weeks that followed I had heard it a few more times on the radio, until it was one of my favourite songs of all-time by the time I got the record. As it was then, it still is today...just sheer power and psychedelic pandemonium and a song I never get tired of, and never will. By now, I am up and bouncing around the room, alternating between air-guitaring and air-drumming. Who can blame Plant for those crazy random shouts as the solo section comes to a close...the band sounds like they are having such good fun playing together I don't wonder that the singer gets carried away...I would have, too! You have to remember, most bands in 1969 still had problems getting good sound in the studio...even wealthy bands like the Beatles and Stones could end up having their studio recordings sound dodgy, with weird sounding stereo mixes and such. A band like Cream could play like lions but it would be all for naught as their records sounded distant and tiny, with the drums sounding like they were no more than a cardboard box. You would listen to records on headphones and all the intruments would be crammed into one channel while a tambourine would be isolated in another and the vocals overwhelm everything else. It would make bands sound disjointed. The revelation of Led Zeppelin, was that here was a band that sounded like a BAND. This wasn't Jeff Beck, whose guitar on his first record practically overshadows everybody else on the record. Even on some of the Hendrix records, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding get lost in the mix. Led Zeppelin, on just their first record, already sounded light-years ahead of most, if not all, of everybody else. The bass and drums had a solid presence in the mix, where they should be, holding down the groove and the beat. Each snare hit, each club of the tom-toms, each kick of the bass drum and flick on the cymbal was audible...these were drums as they were MEANT TO SOUND! Drums that sounded like DRUMS, not tupperware. The guitars had a real presence and depth, and there was a variety of tonal colour and effects so you never got bored. Each song had something that made you say "wow, listen to that guitar!" But mostly the thing I noticed, whether I listened to "Led Zeppelin" through speakers or headphones, was that it sounded like the band was in the room with you playing. Or that you were in the studio with the band. In other words, whereas with most records of that era, you always were aware that you were listening to a record(whether because of the shoddy recording or shoddy mix or shoddy playing or all three), with "Led Zeppelin" the music sounded so hot, so fresh, and there was an immediacy and power to the recording that you simply forgot what you were listening to was coming from a needle on a phonograph and instead imagined yourself in the same room with the band. That's another thing about Zeppelin...they left in room detail on their recordings; you could "hear" the sound of the room which gave added depth to their recordings. When "Dazed and Confused" came to its dramatic close and ended side 1, I had to stop and gather myself a bit before flipping to side 2. If side 1 was mostly pure rock power and energy, side 2 showcases a more eclectic sound, as everything from church organ and country-esque rock("Your Time Is Gonna Come") to Indian folk-raga(Black Mountain Side") to proto-punk-metal("Communication Breakdown") to heavy blues("I Can't Quit You Baby") to psychedelic-rock-jazz-blues-free-for-all("How Many More Times") gets a work-out. Again the playing knocks me for a loop(ooooh, there's those weird guitar sounds again during "How Many More Times"! and Hey, this song is way longer than 3:38!) and while listening to side 2, I look again over the back cover, noticing the little Zeppelin graphic at the bottom, and noting the look of confidence in their eyes, especially Jimmy. Again, they look so young, so good looking. Thanks to people like Bob Dylan and the Band and Canned Heat, many bands of this time were growing beards and attempting to appear as wizened old hillbillies. Even some of the Beatles were growing beards. So it was refreshing to see a band that didn't look like your Uncle Burt. A band that was young, skinny and brash...unafraid to rebel against conventional wisdom on how a band should sound and how the "blues" should be played. It is telling that my dad never took a liking to Led Zeppelin when I played it for him...it was too loud, too hard, too this, too that. In a way, that endeared the band even more to me, as Led Zeppelin would be "MY" band...a band I discovered on my own, and not through my dad's record collection. Eventually, he would grudgingly admit to liking some of their later stuff...certain songs from Led Zeppelin III or "Going to California"...but for the most part, when it came to Led Zeppelin(and as I was also to discover, Velvet Underground), I was the only one in my family at that time that liked them. And so...back to that night of July 31, 1969 and by the end of my first listen to that first Led Zeppelin album, I knew I had found a band that I would cherish for life. It would take another year or so, before I would rank them above the Beatles and Stones, but by the time Led Zeppelin III was released in 1970, Led Zeppelin had indeed become my favourite band. They have remained so these nearly 40 years. That's all for now...if this receives a positive response, I might open the memory vault again in the future.

Thanx for the recommendations...yeah, it is the SBD St Louis that I am talking about. As for getting stuff for free over the internet, well, if someone wants to do trades with me, fine...but otherwise I have no way of downloading stuff as I don't have a cd burner, nor do I use i-tunes, i-pod, or any other "i" out there. Besides, I've been collecting boots since I was a kid...it's in my blood, just like going to actual record stores to get my music instead of buying off of itunes or whatever it is kids do today. I like the packaging(admittedly sometimes goofy) that comes with the vinyl and/or cd boots. I like the fact that there is so much Zeppelin, Dylan, Beatles, and Pink Floyd stuff that each band gets its own table, and you just stand and stare at all the goodies, trying to figure out how many you can afford to get that day, and so you turn to the guy(invariably a guy, there are very few females I see at these things) next to you and ask if he's heard this one or that one and pop one in and listen to see what the sound is like. It's the whole communal aspect of it...the same vibe I enjoy from going to record stores, book stores, etc and why I will never shop on the internet; it's so cold and impersonal and it is putting so many mom & pop stores out of business. Yeah, the internet can be a font of information, but when it comes time to buying something I prefer to be able to hold in my hands the object I am purchasing before handing over my cash.

Okay, the swap meet is coming up and I was hoping to get some info. First, regarding the Seatle June 19, 1972 show, there seems to be a consensus that EVSD's "Dancing Again" is the best quality available, but I saw a scan of the art work and noticed that "Dancing Days" is only listed as the encore. Didn't they play Dancing Days twice at this show? If so, does the EVSD not have both or is it just a typo? Secondly, though I have long had the original vinyl boot of "Live on Blueberry Hill", I have never gotten this show on cd. I recently heard that there are NINE...9!!!...different sources for this September 4, 1970 show. So which of the nine sources is the best? Is any one source complete? If anyone can tell me which "Live on Blueberry Hill" is the best, meaning the best sound quality and most complete version available on cd, that'd be great. Anyway, 6.19.72 and 9.4.70 are my first priorities...but depending on how much money I spend on other stuff(I'm looking for some Dylan, Wilco, Radiohead and Velvet Underground stuff, too), I might look for a third Zeppelin show. In that case, if I had to choose between the St. Louis 1975 or the Houston 1977, which one should I get? Oh, and Scorpio's 4-disc set called "Fresh Garbage"...is that the best version of those 1969 San Francisco shows? Thanks for your help.

That damn dog and those stupid taco bell commercials were as annoying as Billy May. Good riddance, hahahahaha.

It is definitely not "Crossroads". And it is not "Rollin' and Tumblin'" either. The search continues. Now about that Lynyrd Skynyrd quote. As previously stated, Skynyrd and Zeppelin never shared a bill. I think what this poster is referring to is the 1976 Knebworth Festival where Lynyrd Skynyrd DID blow the Rolling Stones off the stage.

I see I wasn't the only one who thought Palin's resignation speech was a mess. In case you missed it in Vanity Fair :D Palin's Resignation: The Edited Version