I know it is not that close but some parts of this remind me of parts of Jones' piano solos in NQ during LA 1977. I remember thinking when I first got the LA 77 shows all those years ago that Jones had Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and Prokofiev swirling in his head on the stage at the Forum.

A great one ! He was so revolutionary in his time.

composed 1939

For me this is one of Zeppelin's finest instrumental explorations ever. Sublime. All 3 of the gents on point and very creative, working together to create something very special.

Back to NQ 1975. I don't know if this is controversial, but this thread got me to go back to the LA Forum 1975 NQ jams - they have been my favorites for many years. I think those jams represent some of the finest ensemble improvisation the band ever did. Ever. Very creative. To me it is some of Page's most interesting playing - he is inventing a new style and taking to another level. And of course Jones and Bonham are superb. I understand that they could have shortened NQ and added more songs but these types of improvisations and explorations are what make live Zeppelin so special. For years when I got a 1975 show I would focus on NQ because of the variations every night. I am glad we have these long versions to explore.

I do hear some influences from Rachmaninoff, but there are alot of times that Jones' playing is in a much more percussive and propulsive style (without pedal) reminiscent of Prokofiev.

Not really to my ears. Wakeman was mostly flash and there was alot of ELP that was flash. The reason I really like the 75 NQ is that Zep really improvised and created new music every night. You never knew what would happen. And it was not just the keyboards going wild. All three of them were improvising together. It was one of the things that made Zep special. I don't recall Yes or ELP really doing that type of thing. As much as I enjoy the 73 and early 75 NQ, I think the grand piano brought a whole new element to the proceedings. Jones went through many moods and styles, yes including Romantic music but also jazz.

Such a cool intro to this one.

I don't see this at all. I think that in some ways Page is better in the 73 US tour. Many times in the Europe shows you can hear him working out ideas that would eventually gel more completely and flow better in the US. Particularly in Dazed. When I first got the European tour tapes I went to the first jam in Dazed to compare it to MSG. What I found every time was a kernal of the ideas that the band fully realized by the end of the tour. Same with the rest of Dazed. And Europe did not have No Quarter which was just superb in the States, some of Jimmy's most creative and fluid playing ever. As for Stairway I think MSG 73 was the peak solo ever. The WLL Boogie Mama jams - no decline in Page's playing there either.

"We'd like to thank you for New York being New York. Great. We'll see you in a couple of years maybe."

To me the only decline in 1973 was Plant's voice, but he adjusted and it was still effective for the most part. I think 1973 has some of Page's best work ever. No decline for Jones or Bonham to my ears. I would not trade away the 1975 shows for anything. Yes they were a different band. The new material was fantastic live: Kashmir, Dying Time, Trampled, even Sick Again was a powerhouse. The new funky section of WLL was fresh. No Quarter became an experimental jazz/avant garde jam where they created new music on the spot each night - well worth it. What really amazes me is how good Plant sounded after he got warmed up in those shows after a few songs. His voice was different but still great, and it really fit the newer material.

Two of the best acoustic flatpickers

Blackmore gets in a nice solo at 3:28 followed by Jon Lord, then a much too short second guitar break at 6:17. Blackmore's clean tone against the subdued background is a delight.

Great version - thanks for posting. That is the show I attended. One of the comments in YouTube is that the crowd was bonkers. The crowd was totally bonkers indeed.

We did this classic at my bluegrass jam this week. Well, we didn't do it quite like this, but we had fun. Bela Fleck is amazing on banjo of course, but check out the guitar break starting at 0:39. Most bluegrassers don't like electric bass but I think it adds punch and drive. This has shades of I Know You Rider and I could imagine the Grateful Dead doing a great job with it.

How the East Was Won. Dig Bonham's intro "Louder ! Louder ! Zeppelin ! Zeppelin !" Another little nugget in this show is the guitar licks Page plays during the drum intro to Rock and Roll. I wish he had kept that for more shows. It fits perfectly yet throws you off because you are expecting just drums there.

YES ! Even if we could just get Celebration Day from that show in the quality of How the East Was Won. Another one - Celebration Day Orlando 71 in the same quality as the beginning of that show.

Yes indeed. For me that track pretty much defines 1977. It is the first live version I ever heard and what struck me at first was all the killer guitar. Only knowing the studio track I was not expecting so much guitar. A very different style for Jimmy compared to other live material and so cool. The other thing that struck me was Plant - he is so magnificent in this version. In particular, 13:48- 13:55 in the clip below. (Also 14:40-14:45) And of course Jones and Bonham are beyond compare .

I trust it was a great show. I have seen the Rangers 10 times, but most recently way back in 2012. I started seeing them when they had just released their first CD. So the first show I saw they still had the original fiddle player. He was okay but nothing like the "new" guy, Nicky. One time at a festival they were doing "Bluegrass Blues" and Woody broke a string. He just kept right on singing while he reached into his pocket, got a string, and changed it. So there was no acoustic guitar for a bit but he did not miss a word.

This is one of the more straight bluegrass originals by Billy Strings and it cooks. All the instrumental breaks are good and Billy kills it starting at 2:30

I love that quote "the kids in the band". Says something about the times. Page was 31 and Jones was 29. I also get a kick out of the reference to "the Led" but maybe that is just a misquote or a typo.