[Badfinger]

I wish Badfinger had done more all out rockers like "Rock of all Ages".  Killer guitar in that song.

[Best female rock vocalist]

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

[Favorite Lyrics?]

Three way tie for me:

For Your Life

Celebration Day

Hots on for Nowhere

[What live song do you skip or endure?]

For me, In My Time of Dying is essential listening live, all the way through, from both 1975 and 1977.  In 1977 there is a whole different feel with the Alembic bass.  It really brings out what Jones is doing.  It is so cool the way he slides and bends the strings at the same time.

It is also a song that does not suffer much from Robert's 1975 voice.  

What do I skip?  Any White Summer from 1977 or 1980.  And the 1977 "guitar solo". 

[Zeppelin Albums in context]

I thought it would be interesting to see what other rock albums were released the same time as each LZ  album, to get a sense of the music scene and the "competition" at the time.  I wanted to go back and see which album had the best company around its release.

So let's look

I  January 1969 

Beatles White album (Nov 1968),  Goodbye (Cream) Feb 1969

II October 1969

Abbey Road (Sept 1969), In the Court of the Crimson King (Oct 1969), Pink Floyd Umma Gumma (Nov 1969), Rolling Stones Let it Bleed (Dec 1969)

III October 1970

Santana Abraxas (Sept 1970), Pink Floyd -Atom Heart Mother (Oct 1970), Layla - Derek and the Dominoes (Nov 1970)

IV November 1971

Pink Floyd - Meddle , Yes - Fragile (both Nov 1971) - that is one amazing month in rock history right there!  And also Madman Across the Water by Elton

Houses March 1973

Dark Side of the Moon (yikes- the same month at Houses - think about that !!), Aerosmith first album (January 1973)

Graffiti February 1975 

Rush - Fly by Night, Kansas- Song for America (both Feb 1975), Yes -Relayer (Nov 1974), Toys in the Attic - Aerosmith (April 1975)

Presence March 1976

Heart- Dreamboat Annie (Feb 1976),  Rush 2112 (April 1976),  Aerosmith - Rocks ,  Jeff Beck - Wired, and Agents of Fortune - BOC) - all May 1976 (not a bad month on its own)

TSRTS September 1976

Kansas - Leftoverture (Oct 1976)

Out Door August 1979

Talking Heads - Fear of Music (Aug 1979), The Eagles - The Long Run (Sept 1979), Pink Floyd - The Wall (Nov 1979)

My take is that LZ IV (Fragile, Meddle) and Houses (Dark Side of the Moon)  had the strongest company around their release.  What do you think?  What other major albums by other bands am I missing from these months?

LZ I had the White Album and the last Cream album to contend with. and LZ II had Abbey Road among others. 

 

 

[Best Kashmir live version]

Listen to this Eddie 6/21/77.  Plant in particular is magnificent.

[Things You've Heard From The Audience?]

I don't recall the show but in 1975 at one show someone right near the taper said as Sick Again started something about how this must be a new song.  He sounded bored or uninterested.

[How The West Was Won Vs The Song Remains The Same OST]

HTTWWW has more energy.  Just compare the two versions of Rock and Roll.  HTWWW blows away the version from TSRTS.

I leave it to Jimmy - he said in the liner notes that HTWWW was Led Zeppelin at its best.  

Both  albums have great songs that the other one does not, so it would be difficult to choose on that basis.

It was a revelation to me to hear HTWWW when it was released, since I grew up with the original TSRTS and had the entire set memorized.  Of course the remastered and expanded TSRTS is magnificent.