I agree on all fronts. I've always found that Dazed comes into its own over the course of these five shows, actually. The two Tokyo versions are well played, but underwhelming compared to later years; Hiroshima's is very good, and; both Osaka versions are spectacular, with the 9/29 version being able to go toe-to-toe with the best of '72 and '73 IMO.

This week Europe '73 took its turn under my microscope on the podcast -- links are below. I ranked each version of each song and then calculated each show's average score per song. I've attached a scatter plot I made using said scores. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/rock-talk-with-dr-cropper/id1518703647#episodeGuid=Buzzsprout-8306529 Spotify: Buzzsprout (no subscription needed): https://www.buzzsprout.com/1119254/8306529 March 21 -- Hamburg March 24 -- Offenburg March 22 -- Essen April 1 -- Paris March 16 -- Vienna March 26 -- Lyon March 19 -- Berlin April 2 -- Paris March 17 -- Munich March 27 -- Nancy March 6 -- Stockholm March 14 -- Nuremberg

Presence was released 45 years ago today! In celebration of this, I covered it on this week's episode of my podcast: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/rock-talk-with-dr-cropper/id1518703647?i=1000515127316 Spotify: Buzzsprout for those without access to either of the above: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1119254/8242575

This makes sense. I have plenty of shows I favour do to sentimental value, such as 3/27/75. When I first got into boots I thought longer = better, so naturally 3/27 became my holy grail lol. It's still a personal favourite even though I know it's not a Top 50 show technically-speaking. I love those relaxed last night vibes.

I find that the whole of the 18th never exceeds the sum of its parts (Page and Bonham being so energetic, Page so fluid) the same way the West Coast versions (and May 25 for that matter) do. I found the 23rd a bit sluggish at times, despite Page's great soloing. Again, a bit surprised by the degree of praise for March 25. Very interesting; thanks!

I initially ranked them by leg as I went along and then merged them at the end. I almost kept them separate, but decided to give it a go. I prefer the grand piano versions as well, and definitely favoured them when I merged the lists. Again, I'm a bit surprised by March 25 ranking at the top for so many of you. I find it very unique and interesting, but not quite focused enough to be #1. March 27 I like a lot better, but Page not being as fluid as he is on my "Mt. Rushmore" versions kept it at #5. March 21 is amazing indeed. Jones is on fire throughout -- my favourite solo of his, providing great interest throughout the jam, and of course the avante-garde playing in a different key towards the end. I actually think March 21 is his best show ever. His bass lines are so creative and aggressive throughout as well.

It's a very interesting version, but I have to rank it sixth of the jazzy versions. Kind of surprised to see it basically a consensus #1 in the comments here. Completely agree as far as West Coast > Earls Court.

It's not really the looseness of the 25th that kept me from putting it higher -- I love the version from the 27th, after all. It just feels a bit less focused, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I view it more in the "curiosity" category, along with 3/14 San Diego, than the all-time great category. It's certainly interesting and unique with Jones teasing so many of the grooves he'd used over the course of the preceding month and switching back to the Rhodes halfway through the jam. That's interesting you feel that way about March 5 -- I actually found it to be one of the best of the month for group chemistry/being a real team effort. One of Jones' best piano solos too IMO, and he returns to the motif he began his solo with when he switches back to the Rhodes at the very end of the jam -- love attention to detail like that! March 4 does sound like an interesting version, but it's so substantially cut I have a hard time ranking it ahead of the complete versions. I agree that Fort Worth is the best of the Texas shows and a top 10 show of '75, and yes, very improvisational and probably Bonham's best night of the year. I think March 5 is much closer to Fort Worth than it is to March 4 though. For NQ it was really close between 3/3 and 3/5 as you can see. I gave 3/5 the edge for how awesome Jones' piano solo was. Glad you feel the same way about March 27. To me Page retains a great sense of plot throughout that solo, and the minute or so surrounding the motif from the studio version gives me chills every time. It also has one of Jones' best and most focused solos, and the greatest of all the Jones-Bonham grooves IMO. Completely agree. Even though the May 18 version has some really technically great playing, the whole just doesn't seem to become greater than the sum of its parts in the same way to me. Yeah, it is. Tight and powerful little version. I mentioned in the episode that Baton Rouge and Fort Worth both have climaxes to the jam somewhat similar to that of June 21, 1977.

Agreed. It hardly, if ever, sounded awful. 1975 was the sweet spot for it in my opinion as well.

Sounds good! That will be quite a task -- it took me over three hours to listen to the LA and Earls Court versions all in one go this week ahead of their anniversaries 😅 Looking forward to seeing yours

@JohnOsbourne Interesting to see March 25 at the top of your list! It's an interesting version for sure, but I've never found it as tight as the four you have below it, which of course are my top four. I'm surprised you have March 5 so low, especially beneath March 4 when most of its midsection is missing. I was actually kind of shocked at how good the March 5 version is when I put it under the microscope for this episode -- one of Jones' best solos IMO.

For this week's episode of my podcast, Rock Talk with Dr. Cropper, I ranked every 1975 version of "No Quarter" -- all 38 for which he have at least a partial recording, that is. I covered the 1975 shows in full last year, so I figured I would increase the zoom on my microscope and focus on one particular song to rank as I listened to the shows on their anniversaries this year. In addition to making detailed notes for each version as I went along, I transcribed each of Plant's introductions and recorded the length of each version. I've been working on this since early January, so I'm excited to finally be able to share it with you all! I see a clear separation between the "Mt. Rushmore" of my list and the other 34, and I think you can order those four any way you like based on personal preference. The links are below for those interested 😊 I've also included a bar graph I made documenting the evolution of its length over the course of the year 🤓 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/rock-talk-with-dr-cropper/id1518703647#episodeGuid=Buzzsprout-8206579 Spotify: Buzzsprout for those without access to either of the above: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1119254/8206579 March 21 - Seattle March 20 - Vancouver March 19 - Vancouver March 12 - Long Beach March 27 - Los Angeles March 5 - Dallas March 3 - Fort Worth February 8 - Philadelphia January 31 - Detroit February 28 - Baton Rouge May 25 - London May 18 - London February 13 - Uniondale March 25 - Los Angeles May 17 - London March 17 - Seattle February 6 - Montreal March 14 - San Diego March 11 - Long Beach May 23 - London February 16 - St. Louis January 20 - Chicago February 12 - New York February 14 - Uniondale January 29 - Greensboro January 24 - Cleveland January 12 - Brussels March 10 - San Diego March 24 - Los Angeles May 24 - London February 10 - Landover February 7 - New York February 4 - Uniondale February 3 - New York January 25 - Indianapolis January 22 - Chicago March 4 - Dallas (massive cut in the midsection -- what we have sounds interesting) January 21 - Chicago (only two minutes at the beginning survive)

March 19, 1975 - Vancouver: The first full show I ever listened to and still one of my favourites! A top 3 show of 1975 IMO and perhaps the best sounding soundboard from a year with a lot of them. One of the very best for appreciating what Jones brought to the band when you combine the sound quality with the quality of his performance. I personally think March '75 was his peak, especially the three show run that turns 46 this weekend -- I think 3/21 Seattle is his best show ever. His bass lines were so groovy and creative (and decently aggressive) at this point, not to mention him taking the lead on these phenomenal, jazzy versions of "No Quarter." With the extra time on my hands these days, I've taken to listening to my very favourite '75 shows twice on their anniversaries 😅 I gave 2/8 Philadelphia and 3/12 Long Beach that treatment, which leaves me no choice but to do the same with March 19, 20 & 21!

Awesome news!

Haha well there you go! Glad I could remind you of it. If I remember correctly, Ft. Worth '75 is a great one for Bonzo as well -- the show as a whole is great for him and is underrated due to the tape being so new. I'll be listening next week for the anniversary to confirm 🤘

I actually had not seen him before! That is incredibly impressive. It's one thing to more-or-less nail a song that you know well on your first attempt, but to nail a song you've never heard before, from a genre you never play or listen to at that, is remarkable. Especially one with a fair number of different sections like this -- it's the transitions that get you! Thanks for the ping! 😊🍻

👊👌

For sure. Have you heard 6/25/77? It's probably my favourite "Kashmir" outro for Bonzo. It sure is! Glad you finally got around to such an all-time great show!

Yes, 4/28 is one that I may have been too hard on, both sound quality and performance. I don't think I was listening to the best version of it, no. I'll seek out that version when I listen two months from now. I'm looking forward to re-evaluating my list as I listen to the shows this year another year wiser, though I likely won't record a new episode to announce whatever revisions I make. It certainly is an epic "Kashmir" with Plant in top form, and yes, Bonzo's liberties with "proper time" could cause some "wobble" in more free-form sections like that, but I think that's part of the charm.

Glad you liked it! 9/23 is certainly one of their very best shows -- I would say it, 9/28 & 9/29 are top 10 shows of their career, 9/24 is top 15-20 and 9/27 is top 50 for sure. 9/19/70 Evening is the GOAT as far as I'm concerned. Both Osaka shows are absolutely worth listening to, and it really is hard to separate the two. Thankfully, both are now mostly available in excellent sounding soundboards -- check them out on YouTube! The '77 episode was the last one I recorded without detailed notes, so apologies if it's a bit scattered by comparison!

It's a great show. I ranked it seventh in my episode about the '77 tour back in July. That may have been a slight reach, but I certainly think it's 11th at worst.

Haha it's all good! I once referred to 3/27/75 "Black Dog" as a potential best-ever version 😂 Hope you enjoyed the podcast if you listened to it 😊

Absolutely. I'd say second only to February 8 in Philadelphia.

I agree. The bands who are doing such releases are using soundboards for a lot of them and getting them to sound very professional when they're mastered in a professional studio. I also enjoy watching some of the better reaction videos on YouTube, and some are even reacting to full bootlegs now! There's definitely a market for them if Page would just lower his perfectionism for sound and performance quality slightly.

Exactly. I will say that Peter Grant, as great a manager as he was and as integral as he was to their success in many ways, was short-sighted on the taping issue (and with respect to how few shows they recorded themselves). Take the Grateful Dead by contrast, who recorded many more shows themselves and actively encouraged fans to record as well. There has never been a toxic black market surrounding their tapes like there is with Zeppelin because the supply is virtually unlimited. The vast majority of their shows are available as soundboards or official releases. While Grant's method was probably the smart move financially in the moment, the Dead are now reaping the rewards of their approach decades later with subscription archival live release series, great box sets with corresponding merchandise, etc. Zepp and the Dead are probably the two extremes on this front, and there were lots of bands whose view on the subject fell somewhere in the middle. It is interesting to see the trickle-down effect that these differing approaches seem to have on the general tenor of their respective fan communities.