Yes! Exactly that.

Just saw them in Vegas. They were much better than I thought they would be, now at age 72 for Hayward and Lodge. Hayward especially. He sang wonderfully, hitting all the notes on his greatest songs. I never thought of him as a guitar player much, but seeing him live in a stripped down format his riffs and leads came to the fore. He NAILED them all while singing his heart out. Many of the songs were better than the overproduced originals. Nights in White Satin came through as just a fantastic acoustic guitar song with a flute solo. The original is so busy and overproduced. Ride My See Saw ROCKED, much more than the original. Even the 80s hits sounded great without all the horrid 80s production that practically ruined them as songs back then: Wildest Dreams, I Know You're Out there Somewhere, and The Voice - I never thought about what great songs they are because the original production was so cheesy 80s pop. But it was the rockers that rocked. I'm Just a Singer was so powerful, Story in Your Eyes was focused on a strong electric guitar - with an extended guitar jam at the end, and Question was over the top with powerful 12 string strumming and that voice. My goodness - most songwriters and singers would give anything to ever write one chorus as good as the first part of the slow section ("It's not the way that you...") - well Hayward topped that by writing a second part to the middle section ("I'm looking for someone. . ."), even more wonderful than the first. And he sang it so beautifully all these years later. The crowd was delirious. Question got a bigger ovation than even Nights. When I go back and listen again to their albums I realize that Hayward was one of the great singers of his day. Sadly, I never saw the Moodys in their prime. They stopped touring in 1974 before my first concert, and their 1978 album that came out when I was in college was so bad that I lost interest.

That is fantastic ! If anyone ever says they didn't have it in 1977 play them this. WOW.

I was just listening to the studio version the other day. What a fantastic, ground-breaking track. Thanks for the link to the NPR story. The studio version of the song is wonderful. That drum beat at the opening and throughout! (Gene Krupa didn't write it but he sure swings.) The dissonances with the horns. All really forward looking. Did you ever hear the original studio version by Louis Prima who wrote the song? It is quite different but still great.

When I listen to this version I sometimes think that the ambience of the recording adds to the overall effect. To start with the audience goes over the top as soon as the song begins. You can really get a sense of the crowd and their reaction. And there is something indefinable about the sound of the recording during the guitar solo. I am not sure it would be so transcendent sounding if it were a crystal clear recording.

June 22, 1977 - It is completely over the top. It winds up toward the ending then Page blasts off into outer space again, and adds some figures I have not heard in any other version.

Toronto Sept 1971 - one of the all time great versions and recordings of this song.

Ah, Chopin. So much amazing music. So many different ideas and approaches. Fantastic !

Yes the Stones had some great lyrics, but you are underestimating Plant given the songs you chose for this comparison. I think Plant wrote some great lyrics in a hard rock context. Celebration Day Misty Mountain Hop For Your Life The Rover Sick Again Royal Orleans - a great story song by the way Hots on for Nowhere Night Flight

I know Page has said the studio material is all done, but it would be so great if he could work the same magic on this gem that he worked on Sugar Mama. Remember how rough the old Sugar Mama bootleg sounded? It would also be great to get a release of the original Swan Song.

one of my all time favorites. The performance and the sound are just staggering.

Dec 26 Interesting review of first ever US Zeppelin concert on JimmyPage.com today. I was going to paste it here but then thought maybe I should not. You can't read the original article on Jimmy's site but if you click the article they have retyped it so it is easy to read.

Sam, Thank you so much !! "A kind of stamp" indeed !

Musically and lyrically there is a great range of material and styles. Plant's vocals are very different across songs. I am glad Zeppelin did an album like this with some upbeat and fun songs again after Presence. I think Presence is amazing but Out Door was a welcome relief. It harkens back to Houses with its great variety of styles and approaches. The great thing about Zep is that all their albums are very different.

Sam Do you have the TIME Magazine original review of LZ III? I have been searching for it. I remember reading it in around 1974 when I was looking at back issues of TIME in the school library for a project (not about Zeppelin - the project was about the violence in Northern Ireland). I recall it was good review. At one point they said that Since I've Been Loving You was very soulful or something to that effect. Maybe something like "it has more soul than a revival meeting"? Thanks

I searched for a thread on Pat's Delight and could not find one. When I listen to the intro riff it sounds like a Cream type riff from that era. Not an exact riff, but the same type of construction and feel. But what really struck me lately is how much it sounds like an inspiration for early Rush a few years later. Again, not an exact riff, but a style and feel. Does anyone know if Page had a specific "inspiration" for this riff? Moby Dick was a great riff but I wish they had played this a few more times after 1969.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on how it is a one dimensional album.

As Rush fans know the band just released a 40th anniversary Farewell to Kings set which includes this remastered and expanded 1978 show originally released on Different Stages in 1998. Some added tracks and great remastering. Merry Christmas from Rush Ok, it turns out YouTube does not allow the embedding of the video, but here is the URL, or just search in YouTube if you have not yet purchased the new Farewell to Kings release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WCmZa712aM

One of the great concert openings ever (besides Zeppelin). Marc Ford and Rich Robinson rip in, then "WEEELLLLLLLLLLLL. . . . We are the Black Crowes!!" and then all hell breaks loose. Hard to believe it was almost 25 years ago. I remember seeing this live on MTV like it was yesterday. This MTV set showed me that the Crowes were really something special. I knew they were great from the first two albums but this was the first time I saw or heard them live. I finally got to see them live on the Amorica tour and then many times since. One of the truly great rock bands ever.

I was very skeptical at first because of the hype. Then I got the full CD From the Fires (double EP really) with 8 tracks. Yes, Safari Song and Highway Tune are both muscular and catchy. Great riffs. And yes he can belt it out like no one in a long time. And yes, Black Smoke Rising is a good rock song. Flower Power is a nod to acoustic music and is more Black Crowes than Zeppelin. In fact overall these guys owe a lot to the Crowes. Great sounding guitar solo on Safari Song - has a Wanton Song sound. They can all certainly play. For me they are the most exciting new guitar based band since the Black Crowes broke out in 1990. The one track that really struck me as their best songwriting effort is Edge of Darkness. Lyrically and musically that one shows a lot of future promise. It also owes a great debt to the Black Crowes. This song would have fit nicely on The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. I am really looking forward to see what else they can come up with.

In addition to the great choices listed above, Custard Pie. Speaking of intros, when we first saw the film TSRTS in 1976 my brother said Celebration Day should have been in the film and it should have started off in the dark and have the lights blast when the drums and bass come in. I must say that still sounds a good idea to this day. In fact, Celebration Day would have made a great show opener.