I wish Robert and Jimmy hadn't been so disrespectful to JPJ for the entire decade of the 90s, and frankly I wish the band members were more appreciative of each other today. From the outside, it just seems like they really don't care for each other, and that Bonzo was the only one each of them mutually liked and fully appreciated as an artist. I think that has a lot to do with the lack of collaborative work of any sort in the past 18 years. Watching all of the awkward tension between the three of them during the 2012 interviews after the release of Celebration Day was sad. In reading this thread, I have to absolutely disagree on the bashing of You Shook Me. I love that track. The vocals are ridiculously powerful, and the three part solo (organ to harmonica to guitar (With ridiculous drum fills from Bonzo) ) are incredible. I love the tone of JImmy's guitar in that solo. It is one of my favorite all-time tracks. Keep in mind, that album was recorded in 30 total hours, a mere three months after their first rehearsal, when Jimmy was 24, JPJ was 22, and Robert and Bonzo were just 20 years old. Mindboggling how good they were at such a young age.

I was not at either, and have only the good fortune of watching the recordings. The first instinct is to say Knebworth, because with all due respect to Jason, who was great at O2, he wasn't John Bonham. That being said, I think the O2 solved something that became progressively more of a problem from 1973 to '75 to '77 to '79, and to '80, and that was they were very inconsistent live during that entire era. Robert's voice routinely cracked in almost every show (including Knebworth); at theO2, he seemed much more aware of what he could and couldn't do as a vocalist and the set improved as a result. And Jimmy, although not as technically adept at 63 as he was at 35 (who is), was much sharper and crisp in many regards, and I think we all know now why that was the case. JPJ was rock-solid in both shows, but it was almost as if he even got better on both bass and keyboard as he was so tight across all of the O2 set. Two other variables that helped the O2 show, at least those of us like me who only know it from the recordings. One, the technology of audio recording and the equipment itself (JPJ's keyboard setup) were notably better due to natural advancements in technologies, and thus the mix and released version is on a different level from Knebworth. Secondly, and this is only a personal opinion, I think the overall performance was helped by a more concise version of the extended songs (Dazed and Confused, No Quarter, Stairway). Those songs, particularly the first two, while great platforms for improvisation and expanded musical experimentation, I think played well to a wider audience in their shorter and closer to the "original" format. At the end, all a matter of preference I suppose, but with just the exception of missing Bonzo, which is massive, I tend to prefer the O2 performance otherwise.

It wasn't that unusual for RP and JP to do a project without JPJ. It started as a one-off, and even explored new angles of creativity that may or may have not worked with JPJ. That being said, to name the album "No Quarter", and to routinely play that song on the 2nd tour, just seemed lame to me. Maybe they should have played Moby Dick too and given Michael Lee the stage. I just thought it was in very poor taste, and I still do. Oh, and by the way, the music wasn't near as good without him either, it wasn't just "doing him a favor" to include him.

All I know is I never cared for the way either of them handled that era with JPJ, of which I felt Robert was clearly the driving force behind.

Here my thoughts I shared on my Facebook page and my Led Zeppelin friends... This weekend, the 56th Annual Grammy Awards will award performers, musicians and songwriters in dozens of diverse categories. One of these categories is Best Rock Performance, and among the nominees this year is Led Zeppelin. That’s right, Led Zeppelin. No, this isn’t 1975... but if it was, you would know that no rock band dominated the 1970s like Led Zeppelin. Not the Rolling Stones, not The Who, not The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac or any other collection of musicians of any style. Perhaps the first band ever to feature the musicians (Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham) on a level playing field with the lead vocalist (Robert Plant), in the genre of rock music, Led Zeppelin owned the decade. They sold more albums and more concert tickets than any band around, and not just by a little bit. Over the span of this decade alone, they put eight albums on the charts, each of which went to #1 on the charts in the US, UK or both. Tours in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977 continued to set new attendance records year by year. Sadly, the ride for Led Zeppelin seemingly ended prematurely in 1980 with the death of drummer John Bonham. That is until 2007. After 27 years and several ill-fated joint appearances, including Live Aid, Led Zeppelin came together for one final time. Unlike the Stones or the Who, this band has chosen not to tour endlessly to line their pockets. Also unlike the Stones or many of their contemporaries, when they did reunite, it was just the three original members, joined by John Bonham’s son Jason, who assumed the drum kit in honor of his father. They were not accompanied by a bunch of poorly hidden backup musicians who “really” played the songs. To be clear, this 16 song set, performed in honor of, and for the benefit of, the charitable foundation of Ahmet Ertegun, former head of Atlantic Records, was crisp, tightly rehearsed, and everything the fans could ever dream of in a ROCK PERFORMANCE. Although over 20 million people (yes, 20 million) applied online for tickets, only 16,000 lucky fans were fortunate enough to witness the show in person in London’s O2 Arena. Starting with their first song off their first album “Good Times, Bad Times”, building through “Stairway to Heaven”, climaxing with an epic performance of “Kashmir” (the song actually nominated for this performance-based award), and concluding with the classic “Rock and Roll”, this set proved it has truly been a long, long, lonely time without Led Zeppelin in our musical daily diary. Since that great night, the band has returned to their respective corners, and it is more likely than ever this will be the last time we ever see Led Zeppelin perform in public. Recipients of the Kennedy Center Honor from President Obama in 2012, they also released the cinematic and audio version of the concert that inspired this nomination in 2012. With no slight intended to any of the other nominees, many of whom are more properly nominated and likely to win a Grammy in another Rock category, whether this is 1975, 2007 or 2014, this HAS to be the night and year for Led Zeppelin to reclaim their rightful place as the best rock band ever. Just in case you missed it, in one short minute at the link below, you can get a glimpse back at how magnificent this performance truly was. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbusDxLekPQ

My biggest complaint about ITTOD is the production. In The Evening, as structured, is a great song, but loses a lot due to a vocal track that is garbled and difficult to follow. This circumstance is repeated elsewhere on the album, most notably on Carouselambra. There are tracks I love on the album, which include songs others seem to hate. I love All My Love, Fool In The Rain, and Hot Dog. I really like In the Evening and I'm Gonna Crawl. I'm not a big fan of South Band Suarez or Carouselambra, mainly because of the vocals. I will always wonder where they would have gone next, but they were definitely growing further apart on their musical tastes, and the extension of their solo careers to this date reinforces how much their tastes diverged.

I bet the Meters would be very high on the ballot for all of the surviving members of Zep and their affinity for, and connection to, the Big Easy.

My sentimental vote is for The Meters.

I enjoy listening to JPJ sing BOE just because it opens the door a bit more on the least featured member of the band. I certainly acknowledge it is not a great vocal performance, but I like to see/hear him and Robert working together, as aside from their partnership on ITTOD, it seems like they had the least chemistry and connection of any two members in the band.

The show last night in Atlanta was awesome. Loved it so, will post a review later tonight.

I couldn't stand the thought of missing it.. so I just bought tickets for next Friday in Atlanta. See you soon, Percy!!

If there is a better place on this planet to see a concert than Red Rocks, I sure don't know what it is. I saw Robert play there on July 4, 1988 on the Now and Zen tour, and it was a great, great night. I only wish I still lived there and could have attended last night. Thanks to the individual that posted the reviews and photos.

Has anybody heard these? I recently picked up a used version of Now and Zen, and was pleasantly surprised to see it had 3 extra bonus live tracks on the end, including live versions of Ship of Fools, which is one of my all-time favorite Plant tunes, and Tall Cool One. When I listened to them, I was puzzled/confused as to why they had chose those tracks. The Ship of Fools was very ragged vocally, in my opinion, on a song that is beautiful because of the classic tone and smoothness of his voice on that song, and Tall Cool One had a very notable mistake on the first verse that he even acknowledged as he sang it. Just a bit strange to feature those tracks on any sort of formal release.

I reworked my list.... but could only cut the list to 12. Just too many good artists out there... The Yardbirds - Little Games PJ Proby - Three Week Hero Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin Robert Plant - Pictures at Eleven Jimmy Page - Deathwish II Soundtrack The Honeydrippers - Volume One The Firm - The Firm John Paul Jones - Scream for Help Robert Plant & Jimmy Page - Walking Into Clarksdale The Black Crowes & Jimmy Page - Live at the Greek Alison Krauss & Robert Plant - Raising Sand Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti The Beatles - Abbey Road The Neville Brothers - Live From Planet Earth ZZ Top - Deguello Bob Marley - Legend U2 - War The Who - Quadrophenia The Sundays - Blind Publlic Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet Mozart - Piano Concerto #21

Awesome, Kimbersays... hope we can get Robert back to Florida some time soon.

Zepette, we ARE the young Led Zep fans.

Why would the cops come on this board? Come on. Obviously that post was intended for the stoners who scored the access. I have spent way too much time thinking about what i would do, and where i would go to try and gain a view...

The universal language...

Picked up the vinyl for May 24, 1975 @ Earl's Court today. In this digital age, nothing beats the thrill of walking into a Used Record shop you have never visited and walking out with something new to enjoy.

as noted above, the official published version (at least in the LZ Songbook) of the song says "blow".

Walter.. a little closer to our home, I have always been so intrigued by the Orlando Sports Stadium, the only Orlando venue ever to host LZ, I think in 1970 also. I live about 3 miles from where it was.. and used to drive by it all the time in the late 80s and early 90s. It looked like a true dive, and considering they played there in August, I bet it was about 150 degrees inside. Did you ever see any shows there? I still feel moved by the site knowing my musical heros tore it up there one night.. before it became a .. subdivision.

I have watched videos and listened to John Bonham most of the day. As great as Robert, Jimmy, and JPJ all are, I really think it was Bonzo's drumming that was by relative comparison, so much better than anything else in comparison to the bands of their era, or any other. How many other bands do you find yourself routinely stopping to focus on specifically the drumming.. and yet, with Led Zeppelin, there are very few songs where the drums aren't just there to hold the rhythm, they are literally defining the sound of the song. Aside from the amazing versions of Moby Dick I have relived today, can you imagine Dazed and Confused, Good Times Bad Times, Whole Lotta Love, Heartbreaker, Rock and Roll, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, When The Levee Breaks, Kashmir, The Song Remains The Same, Achilles Last Stand, Nobody's Fault But MIne, Fool In the Rain, or dozens of other tracks without his drumming? Even less obvious choices like Your Time is Gonna Come, You Shook Me, Ramble On, Bring It On Home, Out On the Tiles, Bron Yr-Aur Stomp, Stairway to Heaven, Dancing Days, D'Yer Maker, Black Country Woman, Ten Years Gone, Hots on For Nowhere, and All of My Love are made so much more unique, imaginative and impactful with John's drumbeat. One of my favorite Bonham memories was the first time I listened to Swan Song. It sounded OK when it started, but I was mildly skeptical about whether this was a legit "lost" LZ song. This skepticism increased when the bass came in, for to me, it sounded a bit unlike a typical Jones bass line, mainly in tone. However, when Bonzo kicked on drums, I got chills and a really warm feeling all at once, like he had come back to play just one more song for us. His music means more to me than I can say. Happy Birthday John Henry Bonham, you are so very sorely missed around the entire world.

How would that differ from any other Journey tour? It scars my corneas a bit to even see them mentioned on this forum.

Ha I thought maybe it was a Kardashian.