I've definitely heard that term used to describe kids in the 60s. But back to the point, the Who's music was a little too far on the pop side before Tommy. At least that's my opinion.

I have to disagree with that one. I'm not much into their stuff pre Tommy as it's too teeny bopperish, but I won't deny the giant leap they made into rock genius with Tommy, Quadrophenia, and Who's Next.

I believe you're talking about that very early, undeveloped run through. However, the final guitar tracks were most likely put down at HG because he recorded them the exact same way he did Black Dog's, plugging straight into the board. The tone and recording is virtually identical. But, to get back to the topic, I think NQ is the only track that wasn't on IV that could fit. I would've made it the opener for side two.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the base tracks for NQ were recorded for the fourth album at Headley Grange. The final mix was postponed and the song was shelved for a later time. Had they chosen, it could've been on IV.

True I never actually made note of this in the analysation. I think with all the jumping around I did I just never noticed he made that change specifically at the start of the US tour. Which do I prefer personally? The delay effect does sound rather unnatural, but it fills the gap better than the trill phrase of the original, which he couldn't really recreate well live, and I think that's why he started doing it that way. The studio version had an overdub that connected the solo back to the verse. I think for the US tour he realized the gap sounded weird so instead he stomped a delay pedal to make the phrase play a bit longer.

Why no No Quarter? Edit: this is of course considering they had completed the mixing for it in time for the album's release.

He did to country what Metallica did to metal, making it a worldwide, mainstream genre.

Off topic a little, but who the hell has bought an Elvis album since the 1970s? The Beatles, Eagles, Zep, and Stones are rock bands that still get played regularly so their popularity carries over to other generations. Elvis? Yes, the man is a legend, but that music is mostly lost in the era. So how do his album sales add up since, say, 1980?

Nitpicking Page 5/13/1973 Mobile, AL (DADGAD) One of my all time favorite boots, but let's see how it holds up under a microscope. A decent sounding (by 73 standards) remastered soundboard, but missing the encores. Rock And Roll- Plant sounding squeaky to start things off. Jonesy up in the mix. Solo- Page nails the phrasing for a solid set of runs. A less energetic but more heavy version. "B+" considering Rob's weak vocals. Celebration Day- Booming start. 1:16, Plant slurs some lyrics. First solo- solid. 1:55, Plant comes in late with the lyrics. Outro solo- decent but nothing mind blowing. 2:54, some unusual palm muted picking. Plant also brings this down a little. "B+". Black Dog- Plant sounding better for a solid set of verses. Solo- phrasing is very on point but Page sounds a little reluctant to go full shred. "B+". OTHAFA- 0:24, some loose chording. Plant squeaky on the choruses. 1:51, chord flub. 2:33, it honestly sounds like Jones plays a phrase out of key here. Solo- 3:00, excellent set of pulloffs, 3:08, a blazing run. 3:19, Page does some very unique techniques here as it sounds like he's tapping the strings with the pick. 3:33, some menacing lower register string bends that fit perfectly. 5:00, a passionate vocal from Plant. 5:23, the way these notes are played sound great. An amazing solo over a flawed performance overall. "B". MMH- Good verses. Solo- Page nails down the usual phrasing. A heavy version similar to Euro 73. "A". SIBLY- Intro just a little sloppy compared to other 73 versions. 0:26, a nice run. Other than the opening set of runs this was an excellent start by Page. Verses- Plant is sounding solid now. 3:23, Page plays some bends that match the vocals perfectly. Solo- good phrasing. 4:31, excellent dynamics. Shredding throughout. Phrasing couldn't be better but it's almost too energetic for this song. But that's 1973 Page. 6:26, Page's background arpeggios sound perfectly haunting through here. 8:10, those ending trills. The loose intro aside, I think this is a superb (but energetic) version. "A". (Robert states "Something we will play as long as we are in existence.") No Quarter- This is unique in being one of only two available versions that are lacking the wah pedal on the main riff. Solid intro. Jones' routine flows nicely. Solo- Page is speedy fingered off the bat. 6:32, a textbook "73" style fluid run. 8:26, more excellent arpeggiated riffs by Page. The wah pedal comes in on the return. For such an early version this was a very solid run through. "A+". TSRTS- Solid start. Plant sounds a little off on the opening lyric as the tempo slows almost too much. First solo- Page on a roll with some fluent phrasing and picking. Second solo- full of character and more superb phrasing. "B+". The Rain Song- A solid first half but a little uneven sounding. It's neither too relaxed or too fast but something sounds off. Maybe the sbd is to blame. Rock section- comes in with tremendous energy as Bonham provides some killer fills. The 'Mello is a little overbearing on this one to be honest. It's akin to a mosquito buzzing around your ear. Page nails the outro for a decent version. "B+". Dazed- Good start as Robert sounds solid. First workout- very impressive jam showing the incredible instrumental chemistry between these three. San Francisco- goes quickly but is played nicely. The transition to the bow section is one of the best I've ever heard. Wow. Bow section- effectively haunting. Second workout- 16:15-16:30, Page lets loose with a blazing set of runs. 17:40-17:50, some nice speedy descending, then ascending phrases played right on the edge of sloppy. 18:35-19:08, this is peak Page and why he stands out so much in 1973. The phenomenal phrasing combined with an impeccable sense of groove that set him apart from the rest. 19:36-19:50, Page gets very experimental on this part as he plays some improvised riffs. 20:47, pretty sure Bonham almost drops a stick here. 22:27, Bonham throwing in some extra snare play. Mars- as good as it gets. 23:28, the guitar feeds back in artistic fashion. Perfect transition to the climax. 25:50-26:30, Page's phrasing on this outro solo is unreal. I'd easily put this on the same level as any European version. "A++". Stairway- 0:41, bad note by Jonesy. Verses played well but there's a certain mood missing from this one. Solo- 8:21, nice drum fill to kick it off. Very relaxed phrasing by Page. 7:32-7:50, as usual this slower part features some excellent noodling. Jimbo knocks the last phrases out of the park but the solo overall felt unenthusiastic. Not a terrible version but it lacks replay value. "B". (Stay tuned for Plant's humorous intro for Bonham and Moby Dick.) Moby Dick- Bonzo is relentless on this as he doesn't let up until seven minutes in. Even the hand drumming is exciting and dynamic. A short and sweet version that won't put you to sleep. "A". Final Assessment- This performance overall is very uneven and features both flubs and amazing peaks. A good example is OTHAFA, which is played loosely but features arguably one of Page's most dynamically phrased solos. Plant doesn't sound too bad for this part of the tour and gets warmed up after a while. Page takes a while to warm up as well but once he does he's as hot as he's ever been. SIBLY, No Quarter, TSRTS, and Dazed features some of his best playing. Bonham is exciting and Jones is his usually solid self. There is however a lack of energy throughout the set, with Stairway starting to sound tired at this point. The encores could certainly tell a different story though if we had them.

Now, let's all hop over to the Stones forum and ask this question again.

100% stage presence and personality though. I've always thought Mick Jagger has one of the worst singing voices ever. No range or depth at all.

They did bounce back well with the Black And Blue album, which I think was their last album that was good overall.

I think the Stones got too big for their britches in the early 70s and started to burn out quite a bit. Drugs and the lifestyle started to take a toll on them creatively after Exile. The same happened to Zep after 77.

I agree with all of this. Page was "sloppier" throughout 1975 well beyond his injury. He was a user, no way around it. I've also noticed that Page (who's admitted it himself) learned to play with a different technique after his injury. He rarely used his ring finger for solos. As far as tone, I think Page rebelled against the current emphasis on beefing up overdrive to an EVH level, and went in an opposite direction and dialed back the gain to impress people with a cleaner tone.

Excellent post Strider.

Watts' drum recording sounds so damn good on this. The others? Meh.

For sure. I wouldn't recommend 4/27 to anyone. I think it's only popular because it was so widely available in the early boot days. Maybe Strider can attest to that.

RAH. I didn't realize Zep could sound so heavy live.

It's Tom Hanks. If he read the phone book it would get good reviews.

Nitpicking Page Oklahoma City 4/3/1977 (Fucking T.Y.- Tattytura) I've gotten a few requests for this one so here we go. A boomy and slightly distant audience source. TSRTS- Solid start and Plant sounds good. First solo is hard to make out but sounds ok behind the screeching P.A. Bonham seems to be lively tonight. Hard to judge. but I'll go "B+". Sick Again- Hard to tell if it's the recording or the equipment, but Page's guitar seems to cut in/out on the intro. First solo- starts good but gets sloppy around 2:38. 3:25, wrong chords by Page. Outro solo- Page comes in erratically. 5:30, sounds extremely forced. "B" at best. NFBM- Intro is a little sluggish and not as tight as it should be. 1:47, slight chord flub by Page. Same goes for the verses. Harmonica- sound quality drops but the harmonica is up front. Nothing amazing, just ok. Solo- Page starts off with a good couple phrases but jumps to some very strained bends, followed by some speedy fingered and somewhat sloppy phrases. 7:10, Plant ends the song with some squeaky vocals. "B". IMTOD- A very solid start. 4:12, a little sloppy. First solo- phrasing is fairly on point from the start. 5:35, Page and Bonzo play off each other for a unique phrase. 5:54, a hang up as it sounds like Page forgets how to transition back to the verse. Second solo- Page holds it together a little better this time though it's very erratic. A heavy, energetic version, but very, very sloppy. I couldn't go above "B". SIBLY- A decent intro from Page played fairly well until :48, where he loses focus a little. Verses aren't bad at all. Solo- extremely erratic off the bat and trying to cram too much in. 4:25, some straining. 4:53, some missed notes. 5:18, confusion as Robert comes back in as Page seemingly wanted to stretch it out. A rusty sounding performance. "B". No Quarter- Good start as Jones' piano segment really stands out, flowing well with awesome phrasing. The blues boogie comes in well-timed, but no Page just yet. 7:57, a slight tape cut on my version. Jones' playing is seamless right up until Page finally comes in. 10:07, not good. 10:18, sloppy. 10:54, something happens as Page drops out and Jones covers his spot. 11:55, Page comes back in with some speedy phrases and sounding more confident. 13:20-13:30, Jimmy goes all out in a relatively messy fashion. 15:31, some more excellent phrasing by Jones before bringing it back. Page finishes up with some decent wah licks. Really hard to weigh the excellent showing from Jones against the near disaster of Page, as Jones is an "A" while Page gets a "C+". I'll meet it halfway and go "B". Ten Years Gone- Solid intro by Page. 2:14, sloppy chording. 3:16, again Page is struggling to nail the chords. First solo- Page is very reluctant to get a flow going, but not bad. Second solo- Much better. Third solo- Page let's loose here and knocks down some energetic phrases. Fourth solo- finds the groove again for some good phrasing. Outro solo- pretty straight forward riffing as it sounds like Page hasn't turned this part into a solo effort quite yet. Overall not bad apart from the couple of chording struggles. "B+". BOE- Some technical issues as it takes a while for the boys to set up. Plant sounding exceptional on this. Not bad at all. "A". GTC- I hear nothing wrong, a superb version. "A". BCW- A standard run through. B+". BYAS- Good start. The breakdown is played energetically and fairly well. Solid version. "A". WS- A sluggish start but the up tempo flows nicely as Page plays with passion. "B+". BMS- 5:09-5:20, sloppy. Matter of fact, this whole BMS is a disaster. "C+". Kashmir- 6:06, wrong chords. Otherwise a decent version. "B+". Achilles- A very unusual, and nearly botched intro. 1:46, sounds like some missed chords. First solo- some dreadful phrasing and Page is almost playing ahead of the beat. Second solo- some better phrasing this time around. Third solo- not bad. Outro is a little loose. Not a disaster but it's obvious they haven't quite got the groove of the song down yet. Page's improvised riffing sometimes sounds awkward and Bonzo's fills are off point. A generous "B". Stairway- Fairly solid first half with Plant sounding good. Solo- Page opens with the signature blazing licks but loses his flow some around 6:30. 7:26, Bonham attempts an odd sounding snare roll. 7:37, some bad articulation. Page gets the final bars down decently before the climax, which hits well. Not a great solo but overall not terrible. "B". Rock And Roll- Blazing tempo. Solo- tremendous energy but the phrasing is all over the place. Monster drum fill at the end. "B+". Trampled Underfoot- Good start. Jones gets a decent but short routine in. Solo- Page teases some slow bends before going insane. He catches a breather then finishes with more frantic phrases drenched with heavy delay. Not the most technical solo but an exciting one for sure. 6:03, a strange sound effect coming through the speakers. Ends abruptly. "B+". Final Assessment- Well, it's only the second show of the year and it sounds like it. A very rusty performance all the way through. The acoustic section did shine as the only part of the set played above average. Page simply sounded out of practice on some of these seasoned songs, and dropping out entirely for whatever reason during No Quarter. Jimmy wasn't the only one to blame here though as Bonzo was also playing in an odd fashion, with a lot of drum fills sounding out of place and off the mark. This show is very similar to 7/23/1979 where they also showed some rust.

Imagine having firecrackers exploding in front of you unexpectedly for a decade. I'd be on heroin too when playing live.

You know, he killed himself as he was facing prison time for "bootlegging" and now people are making money off his name and moonshining has been legalized to an extent. Seems such a shame.

The color out of space- I was looking forward to this one as I've found the Lovecraft stories quite interesting. I'd rate this a 3/5 overall. The concept of the story is undoubtedly spooky- a meteor crashes to earth and just the color emitted from it is an alien life of some sort that takes over people's minds. The direction of the film itself? Not good. The cast do their part and Cage puts in tremendous effort, but there's just not enough detail to give this movie any depth. The dialogue is vague and shallow and although it's a full length film, it doesn't have enough substance to carry it. The creepy effect is there but it feels so shallow and short lived. It's worth a watch though.