Mmmm, I have been playing for more than 30 years, some of those years professionally and I have played Hot Dog live and I tell you this...good luck. It is a tough song to play, the beginning and exiting riff is a bitch to nail, and if you don't do the pull off's just right forget it. In the studio version I hear one minor mistake in the intro riff and none in the outtro. In the live versions I have heard (both Copenhagen, 1st Kneb, and Vienna 80') he does a good job with it. The solo changes but except for a couple of minor flubs with the Knebworth version nails it. Now when I say nails it I am being subjective because the studio solo is a brilliant mess, just amazing and I remember an interview in 79' with Jimmy about the newly released ITTOD talking about Hot Dog. He specifically says the way the song is played and the solo in particular was done on purpose to give it a "frenzied, rockabilly feel." Maybe he was covering for his mistakes, maybe not but I have indeed disected this song and I feel it was executed perfectly and brilliantly. If I were in the studio as co-engineer I would have said, "fucking brilliant Jimmy, that sounded just like a train ready to fall off the tracks, two wheels in the air, two on the track and the car at a 45 degree angle on a curve yet barely sticking...brilliant!" To each his own I guess.

Welcome, and excellent post almost right out of the gate. As a player for 30+ years I could not agree more.

I saw The Eagles once, in 94' for the Hell Freezes Over Tour where they charged $75 a ticket at a time every other big name was charging $25. IMO they ruined the live show industry by pulling this shit. They are however a great studio band, live they are boring as all hell, they really are the anti-Zeppelin live. Where Zeppelin expanded and changed their songs live, the Eagles played every song EXACTLY like the album (except for Hotel California post-94 acoustic), and except for Joe Walsh everyone else seemed made out of cardboard. They are excellent and very talented musicians without doubt, unfortunately they (Glenn Fry & Don Henley) even exceed Gene Simmons in regards to greed and egomania. And lets face it, the Eagles were, and always have been exclusively Glenn Fry & Don Henley as they have both admitted to in interview after interview, the rest of the band are just easily replaceable hired hands lucky to be making scale and licking Glenn's hairy ass.

^ Spot on

Whats up buddy... Nope, not my grapes, I was on a tour of wine country in Napa Valley California and happened upon this amazing, beautiful vineyard. The place was a damn castle, no shit, and the grounds surrounding appeared to go on for miles. Many folk have their weddings there as it looks like something out of a medieval storybook. Ps. I never tried any Canadian wine except for a winery in BC which produces Eiswein. First time I had it and shit was expensive, and way, way too goddamned sweet. Tasted like rotted, formented apricot. Blech!

In Phoenix right now so 75 and sunny with intermittent high clouds and a steady breeze. Call me weird but I prefer the 30 degrees or, minus 1 c and snowing in Montreal right now, I love the cold weather, must be the skier in me. Oh comment je mlle belle Pointe Claire...

I certainly hope they don't do things in Chelsea like they do in the States. Over here (USA) you grease a few blokes on the city council and you can build yourself a Neverland Ranch any damn place you want. If I were Jimmy, I would hedge my bet so to speak. Inform the city council he intends to donate a large sum of money for some public building restoration project or something, have the press pick it up and get the news out there. That way greased palms or not, the Chelsea city council would have some "splainin to do" as to a: why they approved such an obtrusive and obnoxious project; and b: why would the city council go against a long term resident deeply involved and invested in the community for the sake of some newcomer trying to desecrate the architecture and historical value of the area.

^That be me in wine country, Castello di Amoroso in Napa...what a gorgeous place.

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Damn right, I will be going to the Montreal gig in June and the Phoenix gig in July...my dream would be if they were to perform The Necromancer. I be loving that song.

Regarding STH and Bach's Bourree, the similarities are thus: Page took the root note from each arpeggio progression, changed they key, and formed the first arpeggio progression to STH and went from there. This is where he gets the "poor mans Bourree" from. So, essentially it is a very simplistic for of Bourree but in a different key. Believe me, Bourree is hard as fuck to play on a six string as the music was made for a 13 course baroque lute with 24 strings. So, if you YouTube Bourree on guitar, you will most likely see some Chinese dude playing all four movements of the piece as his right hand is moving all over the neck with his fingers in almost impossible positions, added to that the plucking with the right. It is a beastly piece to play much less master on guitar. However if you can play Bourree, all four movements, Steve Vai will magically appear and wash your balls out of respect. BTW, I will shoot myself in the dick before I buy any Zep song with Randy California's name on the credits. Fuck Taurus.

I dig T-Rex and I like this song, however it sounds a little too similar to Bang a Gong to me as far as the arrangement goes.

I wonder if Jimmy will be standing in his yard one morning, see Williams and yell, "get off my lawn you punk!!!"

^ Guess he was not much of a "Winner" after all

GOD DAMN! That woman could SING!!!! I love Etta James, great singer. Unfortunately Dark Lord is correct, she could be quite tempestuous and a regular diva.

^ Wow Planted, I did not know you tap dance. So much talent, beauty, wit, and compassion in one person. How lucky we are to know you.

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I agree, good post. What I was going for with my silly, noodling comment is his Stairway solo from Berlin 1980...just joking. I figure you are correct though, Page may have wanter to do a longer solo but there may have been time constraints or maybe he was afraid of flubbing it, who knows. I do believe had they toured or at least did a run of select cities the set would be very different. Once Page got in his groove, look out, he would have been improvising and such. I still think back to the 98' tour and I feel he did some of his best playing on that tour. In fact I would hazard to say this was Page's peak in live performing, his controlled emotion, expectation, accuracy, and fluidity seemed in perfect synch. What say you.... Whoops, to stay on thread I have to agree with Bluecongo, Badgeholders is now my at moment favorite.

Copenhagen, second show July 24th, 1979

Um, I guess you have never seen the YouTube video of the RAH ARMS show from 83'. The STH solo he did in Celebration Day was flawless and pretty close to the original studio version so I consider this particular solo good. I prefer the longer, improv solos of course but I would rather a shorter, more fluid solo than a 10 min noodling exercise leaving everyone shaking their heads.

Instant classic from da hood!!!

Awful is subjective, some feel Bing Crosby & Glenn Miller are awful. Personally I love the oldies, but I also love the tongue in cheek approach of King Diamond and others. It's not that I love those crazy tunes, I just love the humor in them and in all honesty King Diamond is possibly one of the smartest, most articulate, and funniest guys around.

Oye Vay!!!

Any my absolute favorite...