Those are some pretty valuable cents. During the early Taylor years, Mick was pretty much a backup for Keith, who had always been the lead guitarist. But by the time they got to the early 70's, they pretty much switched roles. By 1972, Mick was ripping the place apart with his amazing lead work. Keef still got in a few leads of course, but it was Taylor that would just leave you in a trance onstage. Now with that said, some songs still featured Keith on lead. "Bitch" is a prime example of Mick's chainsaw rhythm, with Keith playing some unusually tasty lead. Basketweaving is for old ladies. Mick T. and Keith had it right. Damn.

You got a good 'un, man.

True! Like I said though, I really do like the band in general. I'm a big fan of most 90's bands anyway. It was the first and only decent era of imaginative artists since the demise of the original Zep. Today's stuff in general is crap.

Very nice. I just got the expanded CD for Christmas last year. Very tasty guitar. Still listening to the O2 show at the moment. It seems to sound better every time I play it.

Good band, great songs. Awful vocalist. Sorry, Nirvana fans. I like them too, I have the Unplugged set as well as a couple other cd's. So I am somewhat of a fan. But any time Kurt tries to stretch his voice, he sounds like he's strangling. Ironically, the singer was sitting behind the drum kit all along. (runs like hell from the upcoming flames!)

The music shop I had around as a kid put them in bins labeled "underground". I have a few, such as ''For Badgeholders Only", that originally cost me about $8.00, new. Except for splitting No Quarter over two sides, it's still the clearest recording of the 6-23-77 show. Then of course there was stuff like "Plant Waves" that sounded like shit but still got played to death. My favorite in terms of overall packaging and pressing quality has to be "Persistence", with the Presence cover parody. Great record.

That's not gonna happen. Peter is too busy being dead. Seriously, those old vinyl boots are worth a fortune. But I'm not parting with mine.

SNOW.

Say what you will. But without Mick Taylor, the Stones simply never get to where they got at the time. Put Taylor and Keith together, and you have true guitar magic. As good as it gets, Jimmy Page notwithstanding. And even that was close back in 1972-73 when the Stones played live.

Again, no knock directly intended towards Paul on my behalf. But Kiss was a marketing venture, not a creative force. As far as them writing their own songs? I believe their producer Bob Ezrin penned most of the "hits". If I'm mistaken then I apologize. Pure schlock n' roll. But if that's what some people dig, that's cool too.

Even though Paul made some nice comments, the poor guy is still associated with the biggest joke in rock & roll history. So it was bound to come out somewhere. I enjoyed his thoughts on Zep personally.

I'll give you a run for your money, bud.

I HATE Kiss. With a passion unrivaled by anyone. But what Paul had to say made a lot of sense. He might play for a comic-book band, but he seems to at least be aware of what decent music is. Give him a break.

THANK YOU, as Robert would say.

I agree 100%!

Good choice! Let It Bleed is a masterpiece of an album.

I hate to sound like a smartass, but... Much of Midnight Moonlight- in fact, ALL of it musically- started off as "Swan Song", from the Physical Graffiti sessions. Jimmy just tacked on the acoustic guitar parts along with "White Summer" as an intro to Kashmir from 1977 on. I have the original "Swan Song" segments. I love the Firm's arrangement of the song, in fact it's my favorite Firm song. But you just have to hear the Zep demos. It would have been mind blowing, to put it mildly.

Nice comeback. At least Jagger hasn't died by being overstuffed with his own shit. And yeah, if you have to explain the Stones' worthiness, they'e not gonna get it anyway. Best off to just ignore the bullshit. No, they aren't what they used to be. But in their prime they were one of the top two bands in existence.

I've used that song to great effect in a lot of situations.

Yeah, I'll be crankin' up the Keef all day myself. Well, after I finish my Zep Seattle 1977 DVD I just got, that is...

I've been waiting for this opening... The Stones arguably had their creative peak during the Jones era, songwriting-wise. Again, I say ARGUABLY. But the Mick Taylor era was by FAR their best period musically. Taylor added a slick but powerful counterpoint to Keith's MONSTER riffs. Back in those days it was a two guitar band. Taylor could play licks with speed and grace. He is my favorite lead guitarist, right behind Jimmy. I saw the Stones in 1972, with Taylor on board. Holy SHIT, the band was smokin'! Saw them again three years later, with Woody. Oh, the band was still great then, Keith had to step up to fill the void somewhat. But it was never the same. Woody is the reason the Stones got through a lot of shit, I'll have to credit him for that. Genuinely great guy, Woody. But as a guitarist? Ehhh. This "ancient form of weaving" Keef describes is two rhythm guitarists pounding out a riff. That works fine for some songs, but the Stones were far better off with Taylor's phenomenal leads. Speaking of guitar interplay-here's some thoughts. "Bitch". "Can't You Hear Me Knocking". "All Down The Line". "Midnight Rambler" & "Gimme Shelter" live from the 1972-73 tours. Now THAT'S weaving, baby.

The biggest reason The Firm failed is twofold. The mundane, boring 80's thudding of Chris Slade, and Rodgers' pop-inspired songwriting. Jimmy played like a man posessed though, and Tony Franklin was a decent bassist. And Rodgers' vocals were fine. I like The Firm overall though. For all those who say Jimmy has been "phoning it in" since the demise of Zep, I say you're mistaken. The guitarwork with The Firm and Coverversion/Page is excellent, particularly the latter.

I like 'em classy.

Nice pics, everyone. As for me, if anyone actually wants to see my ugly mug, it's on my profile.