I agree. I've never been much of a fan but this seems like the setup for the inevitable "reunion" tour that will undoubtably happen a few years down the road.

Are the Castle remasters the Deluxe editions of the albums like the one of the first record depicted below? Just curious because my collection of Sabbath on CD is also in dire need of being expanded. BTW, whatever your decision, be sure to check the used/new section at Amazon for some pretty good deals.

Where has anyone been rude? And, just because someone may only have a few posts (or even be posting in the "Newbie" section of the board) doesn't necessarily mean they're new to Led Zeppelin. Personally, I don't think a lack of cursing in Led Zeppelin's lyrics means they're the "Gods of lyricism" so I'm going to say so, whether the poster is new to Led Zeppelin or not.

Why does the world need a Jimmy Page impersonator when Page himself is still alive?

"Gods of lyricism"? Seriously, just because you can't find a bunch of curse words in the lyrics of their music? A lack of cursing doesn't make them "Gods of lyricism" any more than it makes someone like Richard Pryor or Lenny Bruce less innovative as comedians because of their use of curse words. It's how they used them that made them groundbreaking. Zeppelin aren't exactly mentioned amongst the ranks of Dylan and Townes Van Zandt when it comes to their lyrics to start with, they're more known for their music.

I'm a big fan of Jimmie Dale Gilmore's. I can't find a YouTube clip of it but 10,000 Maniacs and David Byrne do a pretty fucking cool cover of his song "Dallas". Thanks for the heads up, I'm not a huge fan but I have liked a few songs of his I've heard here and there.

On the pig tip...

Can't say I hear it. Probably because Vedder has such a distinctive voice himself.

We've definitely had our fair share of nutjobs who visit this board but this doesn't speak too highly of the members of this board in general. Yes, it's wise to show some restraint and good judgement when meeting people from an online community for the first time face-to-face but it seems Deborah J has done just that before so it's not like it's something that's totally foreign to her. I've taken part in pre-concert meetups with fellow fans from other boards/lists before myself, all of which were preceded by getting to know those people online as well as possible first. As everyone knows, a great deal of the fan community from this board has also "friended" up on Facebook where it's much harder for people with something to hide to do so. It's still not 100% safe, nor is just walking down the street in this day and age.

He is. So, it doesn't matter if it's Jason? I could be Helena Bonham Carter? Tracy? Deborah? All you need to do is read any of the hundreds of interviews Plant has done regarding why he is choosing to go it alone rather than resurrecting Led Zeppelin and you'll find your answers there.

I think he means artists that are still releasing new music, touring, etc. but aren't treading any new ground musically. For the planets to realign properly in the manner of the original Led Zeppelin would be nigh near impossible so no matter what they do it's never going to live up to people's expectations. Without John Bonham there's simply no moving forward as the entity known as "Led Zeppelin". In that respect it's probably best to let sleeping dogs lie.

First of all, "bluegrass" and "country" aren't interchangeable terms as they're very different musical styles. Secondly, citing episodes of CMT's Crossroads where rock acts have appeared with country artists doesn't back up what you were saying at all, which was completely off the mark to start with because you got bluegrass confused with country music. If it was on The Mighty Rearranger CD then what does that have to do with the Raising Sand and Band of Joy records, both of which weren't released until after The Mighty Rearranger? So, what you're trying to say is, a person that's known primarily as a rock singer, wasn't taking a risk by releasing an album with an artist that's mostly known for her background in Appalachian music? Most of the points you're trying to get across sound like you have no knowledge of what you're talking about. You don't know the difference between country and bluegrass, you equate a few rock bands taping episodes of CMT's Crossroads with them "crossing over" (you do know the mixture of the two is the purpose of the show, right?) and you evidently believe that Plant recording with Krauss wasn't taking a big risk. As for the rest of your "quotes", you might want to do some actual research on those first before spouting a bunch of unfounded nonsense. Plant says a lot of things in jest which you seem to have misconstrued as fact (this in regards to his age). As for working up new material with Page, Jones and Jason Bonham, I'm not sure that I've ever heard him comment on that before.

From Spinner.com: R.E.M. Pay Tribute to Buster Keaton in 'Mine Smell Like Honey' Video -- Premiere R.E.M. are not just Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, they're also are one of the most successful video acts of all time, with clips like 'Everybody Hurts,' 'Nightswimming' and 'Losing My Religion' earning them the MTV Video Vangaurd Lifetime Achievement Award. As bassist Mike Mills tells Spinner, videos have always been important to the group. "We figured if you were going to do them, you might as well do them well," Mills says. "We're also lucky in that Michael [stipe] has a great visual sensitivity. He's really good with anything in the visual art world, so we started out ahead of the game." Their latest visual opus is no exception. Directed by Dominic DeJoseph, the clip for 'Mine Smell Like Honey,' the lead single from the forthcoming 'Collapse Into Now' album, is an homage to one of the film industry's all-time greats. "With this one, it's a reference to the old Buster Keaton silent film kind of days of pratfalls and just watching people look like they're getting hurt when they're really not," Mills says. Where did the concept come from? "There's a lot going on in that song," he says. "It's got a lot of propulsion and moving forward and so I think the idea of movement is what contributed to that video being like it is." While the new album has fans extremely excited, R.E.M recently announced they wouldn't tour in support of the record. "We've made an album that we really love and I think it can sink or swim on its own, so I think we probably won't be doing any shows at all," Mills says. "We don't have any planned at this point." "We're doing a bunch of videos for this record and they'll be non-standard; they won't be like the videos you used to see on MTV," he adds. "We had dinner with several of the guys who are making videos for this record and they were excited about it. I don't want to be the spokesman for their ideas; I'd rather wait for their videos to come out and let you see what they were thinking. But I know they're all talented guys and we're going to have fun with it." Click here to watch the video.

I was tipped off to this band from a friend that's also been responsible for turning me onto the Model Rockets, Nada Surf and the Thermals. If so inclined, you can check out their new record as well thanks to NPR's First Listen. They're playing here on March 13th with The Love Language. I'm sure that'll be a packed show but I hope to attend. The Love Language are selling out around here nearly everywhere they play and the place they're playing (the Local 506 in Chapel Hill) is a tiny club.

I still need to snatch that up. The last time I saw it, it had been marked down to $9.99.

I'm referring to their respective solo careers in response to Hoyland's thoughts about Plant and Jones' most recent solo works not being "Zeppelin-ish" enough for him. Which is exactly the point I'm making. Of course their music outside the confines of Led Zeppelin is going to contain some hints of Zeppelin to varying degrees but apparently what Hoyland prefers is that their music sound more like the aspects of Zeppelin that he is familiar with. The band was very well known for covering a vast amount of musical ground so why should we expect any less of it's surviving members? The Zeppelin musical blueprint provides many jumping off points, all of which are still being explored by Page, Plant and Jones.

Not sure if you clicked on the thumbnail of the photo so it would enlarge but it definitely looks like a female in that view.

Everyone is doing it? And bluegrass is the "safe/comfortable" thing to do? By all means please list all of the artists that are doing it (shouldn't be too hard for you to do since "everyone" is doing it) and if you're able to do that, how about their chart positions as well since it's the "safe/comfortable" thing to do. Just how one dimensional do you hope this Page solo record to be? The first press report I recall reading about this solo record said Page had hoped to incorporate a different instrument on each track. He never once alluded to what musical style he was going to employ. Once it comes out, of course it will sound "Zeppelin-ish", how could it not, considering he was the guitarist and composer for Led Zeppelin. And what if it were to be bluegrass-tinged, or hint at other musical styles that are also apparently outside of your realm of comprehension, would that make it any less of a Page solo record because it didn't include sounds that are familiar to you? The current Band of Joy's only link to the past is in name only. The majority of music on his latest record wasn't even around during the time of the original Band of Joy. Two of the cuts ("Monkey" and "Silver Rider") are from a band called Low that formed in 1993. The opening song, "Angel Dance" is from a Los Lobos album that was released in 1990. The Richard and Linda Thompson song "House of Cards" came out in 1984. That's only a handful, I could name more. As for this "terrible thing called Led Zeppelin" that supposedly interfered with the original Band of Joy, I've never heard him refer to that happening, ever. I also have to wonder if you even heard this album because I'm curious as to where you got the impression that it's "bluegrass" because it's not. There's lot of musical elements at work on it, including Middle Eastern, folk and rock. Sound familiar? It not, it should because a band called Led Zeppelin also employed those styles (and more) in their work. Want "Zeppelin-ish", put on your Led Zeppelin records. Want something that's bold, brash, exciting and experimental? Pull your head out of the past and quit expecting the surviving members of Led Zeppelin to tread familiar ground only because it's what sounds safe to your ears.

No, it's not, nor was it ever meant to be. For a band that was so musically diverse and willing to experiment so many of their fans seem to want to hold them to what they consider a higher standard, namely their work with Zeppelin. What those fans seem to so conveniently forget is that very musical diversity that made Led Zeppelin so great and set them apart from all of their peers at the time. I don't want Page, Plant or Jones to be Zep clones or to be held to some artificial standard that their new music must somehow sound "Zeppelin-ish" to only have it be deemed unacceptable by those fans that seem to have forgotten what Zeppelin was all about to start with, and that was constantly breaking new ground. What if he goes the Chet Atkins route and turns out an album of country-jazz tinged instrumentals, will folks like you still be crying out for him to somehow recreate something that sounds "Zeppelin-ish" (re: whatever is comfortable and safe) to your ears? Personally, I'd rather hear something bold, new and refreshing rather than a retread of the past.

Not necessarily true. I'm not exactly sure how it works but there's lots of musical performances from Letterman's show that are still up on YouTube, even ones from very recent weeks (such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LLqFF89UtU. The powers that be at the labels and corporations just need to go ahead and accept outlets like YouTube as part of the musical/entertainment landscape because having your song/video posted on there is only going to help promote your artists and make it easier for their fans to "share" their music. When I saw the Black Crowes this past summer they (meaning the Black Crowes themselves) had very strict rules in place against taping and filming, mainly because the Crowes sell their shows online after the fact but as long as fans have cellphones they are never going to put a stop to it. By the time I got home from the show that night, their nearly 10 minute encore of the Velvet Underground's was already online.

Thanks, I never knew anything about this DVD until just now. I remember reading about Graham's San Francisco office going up in flames at the hands of an arsonist back in '85 so anything that's left is a real treasure. That said, $75 for the DVD is a bit steep, especially just for 5 songs (2 from Skynyrd, 3 from Frampton albiet "Freebird" clocks in at just over 12 minutes and "Do You Feel Like We Do" goes on for nearly 25).

No matter what Plant does it's going to be "Zeppelin-ish" because he was the vocalist in that band. Stylistically they covered lots of ground, all Plant is doing is continuing that journey of musical discovery. It may not be to everyone's liking and that's quite alright, he's following his heart. If he were to follow his wallet and rejoin Zep you'd just have another band that's reunited only for the money. Even if there were new material just imagine the scrutiny it would fall under, especially given the comparisons here. It's somewhat inevitable that any of the band members' solo efforts are going to be compared to their past work in Zeppelin but that's hardly being fair to them or their artistry. Least anyone forget; country, folk and rockabilly were also musical stones Zeppelin didn't leave unturned either. That's in addition to their ventures into blues, reggae, Middle Eastern and other forms of "world" music before it even had a name. John Paul Jones has been very active in bluegrass in recent years (even more so than Plant) but for some reason he's been exempt from the same sort of scrutiny for his musical direction that Plant has fallen under. To me, whatever each of them do, it's a continuation of their love for a very wide variety of musical styles which even pre-dates their formation as Led Zeppelin. Page has worked with everyone from P. Diddy to Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. I may not care for the musical styles of either of those artists but I applaud Page for continuing to explore and for not being afraid to take a risk. The fans of all Zeppelin did originally don't always have to follow. The same applies to Plant's current musical adventures. As a fan of country, bluegrass, folk, rockabilly, etc. I'm thrilled to be along for the ride.