June 1975

How the East Was Won

Learning new songs on the guitar. I finally got Panhandle Rag and Bluegrass Stomp up to speed recently. Next up are Cross the Big Sandy and Forked Deer. I also dusted off some tunes I used to play years ago like Weave and Way, and Alabama Jubilee.

There is another thread on this. I posted a number of replies in that thread. There are so many great lines. At this point I would have to say my favorite lyrics are Celebration Day. It starts out so strong and just keeps going. Her face is cracked from smiling All the fears that she's been hiding And it seems that pretty soon, everybody's gonna know And her voice is sore from shouting Cheering winners who are losing And she wonders if their days are few and soon they'll have to go She hears them talk of new ways To protect the home she lives in Then she wonders what it's all about when they break down the door. Her name is brown or white or black You know her very well, You hear her cries of mercy as the winners toll the bell. Oh, there is a train that leaves the station Heading for your destination But the price you pay to nowhere has increased a dollar more Yes, it has! And if you walk you're gonna get there although it takes a little longer And when you see it in the distance you will wring your hands and moan Hots on for Nowhere is also outstanding. That is another song where the critics panned the chorus (as with Celebration Day) without bothering to consider the verses.

The online poll that is at the beginning of this thread points out that it is by generation, with Zeppelin being the overall winner across all those generations polled. One entry that really suprises me is Thin Lizzy. In my experience in the US in the 70s most people only really knew the one big hit single Boys are Back in Town. I didn't know anyone who listened to them alot, and I think Boys are Back was the only song I heard on the radio. I guess they were much more popular in the UK, which makes sense. One hard rock band I think deserves mention in any list like this is Aerosmith. I would put their first 4 albums up against any rock band except Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin II, early Sept 1971, I was in the 7th grade. A new friend's older brother had it - that is how I first heard it. Up to then I was listening to my older brother's albums - the Beatles, the Stones, Hendrix, Cream, Creedence, CSNY Four Way Street, and the radio. I must have heard WLL on the radio before, but I will never forget the day I listened to the entire second album. It sounded like nothing else I had ever heard. Little did I know at the time they had already released III and were about to release IV. Before that school year was over I had all 4 albums. That means Houses was the first Zep album I got as soon as it came out.

I have the 2 cd set "Progengy: The Best of Seventy-Two". I did not get the full set of 6 complete concerts that Yes released a few years ago. Did anyone here get that complete set of 6 shows? Was it worth it? I know the set lists are the same for all 6 shows.

Something Jones worked on between the 73 tour and PG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comin'_Atcha_(album) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comin'_Atcha_(album)

I went back to this again - it had been while. It is better than I recalled in my earlier post above. It does have some recording dates (specifically the first two albums), some good photos and some interesting press quotes , etc. Not as comprehensive at the Lewis book but a well done hardcover volume. I got it new for around $30. One thing I forgot it had is good details on their various guest appearances on other artists albums. For example, Jones writing, playing, arranging and producing Madelaine Bell, with Mo Jones on backing vocals !

I still can't get over how good the reissue sounds. Yes I agree about the cuts in the 2007/2018 version, but the sound and the mix are just so good here. The other day I was blasting out Moby Dick. It sounds so fantastic. The whole set sounds that great of course, but I was really getting into how great Moby Dick sounds.

I think the key to Zeppelin's appeal in the 70s was their diversity. They had everything and they did everything well. They had hard rocking tracks, folky songs, pretty songs, epic songs, bluesy songs, funk, glam rock stuff and sometimes they mixed it all up. They were never just just a hard rock or blues group,a folky group ,or just a prog group. And when they played proggy things they still had a hard rock edge. They clearly hit the big time when Whole Lotta Love took AM and FM radio by storm. Then Heartbreaker. Black Dog was a huge radio hit, as was Rock and Roll. Stairway did not catch on right away. Houses of the Holy was so different from what came before, a completely different sound and approach. The Ocean, Dancing Days, and D'yer Ma'ker were huge radio hits. Over the Hills was very popular too. No surprises there. Then you have the PG songs that were on the radio. Their popularity was cemented. I heard Houses of the Holy on the radio all the time in 1975 for instance. It was big on FM radio. As to the 1977 set list. TSRTS was a wonderful energetic upbeat song that became very popular due to the 1976 release of the movie and the soundtrack. Sick Again was in fashion because it was so rough and sleazy, and it had really wrapped up the PG album so well. Nobody's Fault was a HUGE success and was wildly popular among the hard rock/album rock set - just listen to the crowd reactions during that song. No Quarter had hit the big time due to the movie and the soundtrack. Everyone loves a great blues like SIBLY. Dying Time was for serious heavy music fans. They lightened the mood with the acoustic set, they played the monster epics (Kashmir and Achilles), and in those days Ten Years Gone was very popular. I do think alot of people who went in 1977 were casual fans who loved Stairway and the other radio songs, and they wanted to be part of the biggest rock event of the year. Zeppelin were mysterious and larger than life. They were not as one dimensional as other big bands of the day. They had everything and they had swagger.

I really like the Led Zep by Led Zep book. I understand the critical comments about it on this forum, but I was not expecting much in the text (because they have always been so guarded in their comments) , and what is there is interesting. The photos are fantastic and I like the fact that the band chose them. That tells me something. My favorite photos are the ones where you can see the band and the crowd at the same time. They always give a more complete picture of the scene - the place and time. I think the book is a fitting tribute and a great thing for fans of the band. I am really glad they did it and it is well worth the price. The Roberty book is a big disappointment. The Lewis book is far superior in terms of press clippings and other details about shows. It also has more photos of venues, tickets, ads, flyers and posters. The only thing Roberty has over Lewis is that Roberty has some very limited information about recording dates, but not really day by day, more general like month by month. I was very disappointed in that aspect of the book because it was what I was looking forward to - details on recording sessions. So if you want a detailed tour chronology the Lewis book is much better than Roberty. I always wished for a Zep recording book like the fantastic book about the Beatles recording sessions but Zep did not always record in the same place in a professional studio that had meticulous record keeping. That Beatles recording sessions book is so fascinating and so detailed.

I guess I am an old timer since I am 59. It would take a long time for me to write up how I perceived Zep success throughout the 70s, but there are two moments that stick with me. When Black Dog finally hit the radio the new "cool" kid in town from the city played it during homeroom. Most people did not know what it was and he said come on people this is the new song by the coolest band. Everybody wanted to know what it was. In 1975 right after PG was released there was this moment when I knew Zep had conquered all. We were allowed to play rock music in the lunchroom that year. I think the music teacher set up a turntable and sound system. Anyway, the music was chosen by people like top athletes and cheerleaders. One day I heard Custard Pie blasting . I looked up to see the record had been put on by two of the most "popular" cheerleaders who defined fashion for most of the girls in school. One of them was junior class president. There they were, in their finest platform shoes and bell bottoms rocking out and dancing to Custard Pie.

Fantastic !! I like how they are developing parts of "Lazy" here. I clearly need to get more live Purple. Thanks.

Mr. Butternubs did a good version

Wikipedia says capacity was 1,837 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Ballroom It is so great to see photos of early shows, especially photos that include the audience, before they hit the big time. Smaller venues, small simple stages, and you can tell they are just starting out.

great show and recording, lots of comments about it in various threads, and a quick search shows me there are 4 previous threads about it, two with over 25 comments each. It also deservedly shows up in lots of comments about must have recordings and favorite shows.

found this on YouTube. Great comments from all of them, especially Jones !!

One of my favorite Blue Oyster Cult tracks. Hard hitting anti drug lyrics. Fantastic soloing from Buck Dharma including the outro. I've opened my veins too many times. Poison's in my bloodstream, poison's in my mind. I'm after rebellion, I'll settle for lies.

As fantastic as Made in Japan is, I prefer the playing and sound on the three live bonus tracks on the reissue of the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, from Sept 1969. The bonus disc has only Hush, Wring that Neck, and Child in Time, but they are all superb. I wish there was a full length Purple only concert from that performance but of course it was just an opening before they played the Concerto with the orchestra. If you don't have this double CD seek it out. The whole thing is amazing. This was about 9 months before In Rock was released with Child in Time.

I found this through the miracle of "Recommended for You" on YouTube. I have multiple versions of the show inc the Winston remaster. Today I was on YouTube and this new remaster popped up first in the "Recommended" list. It was just posted on Nov 5. Hats off to Led Zeppelin Rarities!!

First time I heard this on the radio in 1986 I thought now there is a Christmas song. Great live version 20+ years after the original. Michael Sweet is killing it. Check him out at 0:46. I don't like Stryper except for this song.