Excellent death/grind metal. Underrated band.

All me. Guitars are live, everything else is programmed.

I read that was a poem he wrote for Maureen and Page really had to push him to use it in a song.

Much appreciated, guys. I miss having time to record.

Poster material

I consider the first two albums to mostly be an advertisement for their performance capabilities, to draw people to their shows. I consider III, IV, HOTH, and PG to be the band actually writing music in their comfort zone, true to their own creative sense with no intention to make a "radio" track. That's artistic integrity. I also think Zep gets credit for spawning alternative rock with the third album. Friends, Celebration Day, OOTT, Tangerine- these songs are neither here nor there. It's hard rock, folk, country, world music all in one. Fast forward to 90s rock and tell me the song writing wasn't similar.

Ouch, right in the feels.

Looking forward to this. Absolute legend. https://www.npr.org/2019/02/28/696718029/first-listen-townes-van-zandt-sky-blue?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=nprmusic&utm_term=music&utm_content=20190228

What part of the south you live? Georgia? Alabama?

Not only panned over, but very low with a bland tone that doesn't carry the songs like previous albums. Add too many effects on the vocals on some tracks, and it just sounds muddy to my ears. Tea For One is a dreadful listen, and it's not necessarily because of the tempo. The tone is off-putting and sounds grey. Imagine the punch some songs would have with a brighter "HOTH" mix (but..but..that wasn't their intention!) Just my preference I suppose. I appreciate you typing such an in depth reply, but you'll notice I said "by fans". Commercial appeal is another issue, but I believe this album could've been mixed to stand even with any other album of theirs. A controversial opinion I suppose.

You've never watched an Ingmar Bergman or Kurosawa film before, have you? Whether one considers it good or bad is one thing, but I really don't get the Oscar nod. Films like this were a dime a dozen in the 90s indie phase. Also in the 50s and 70s art movement eras, many of which were much more entertaining. They had no chance of winning anything then, now all of a sudden low budget and abstract is the thing. But I'm personally glad to see the shift to cinema that is more poignant and meaningful. The plot isn't what's important in this film. It's the objective view of the moment in time in this character's life. It's a social commentary on being servant class in a society that is in political upheaval.

Maybe so. But there's a reason this release is regarded as the least appealing by most fans, and I really don't think the music is the core issue. The overall sound of the guitar mix is bland and uncolorful. It just doesn't have that fresh sound they usually achieved.

Which is exactly why this one ended up in the bargain bin. It has an oddball mix that is relatively unappealing. I really don't think the music is the problem.

The bass and drums, sure. But that muddy, lifeless guitar panned over in the corner is anything but impressive. And my point is that this would've been considered a better album if the mix had some life to it. Too much echo and reverb in places makes the album less vibrant and unappealing, and flattens the character of the songs. Page and the engineers dropped the ball on this one.

A thread for the metal heads to share some of their most influential albums. Trying to avoid the common masterpieces (Black Album, Ozzy, etc), my list is more about non-mainstream albums that took me to the next level in some way. 1. Morbid Angel- Formulas Fatal To The Flesh. In my early teens I was still hung up on classic rock and the common heavies like Metallica and Megadeth, but was definitely yearning for a stronger drug. I'd heard the term "death metal" tossed around all through school, but never actually indulged in it myself. I'd heard some Cannibal Corpse but found it overdone and uninteresting. I bought this album based strictly on the album cover and band name, but was mentally rearranged after a few listens. The muscle, the power, the confidence, and next-level musicianship was like nothing I'd heard before. This was like going from smoking some weed on the weekends to mainlining coke and heroin. The guitars were Eddie Van Halen on steroids. The drums were....well, I found God in Pete's merciless, flawless beats. The lyrics pumped enough adrenaline through me to tackle a fucking grizzly. I know the Vincent era is the defining sound of the band to some, but this album has no equal as far as I'm concerned. The first four tracks alone still make me feel invincible. 2. Samael- Ceremony Of Opposites. I'd first heard these guys on a sampler I received from their label, and I immediately found the next level of heaviness I'd been yearning for after becoming accustomed to the likes of Metallica and Megadeth. "Black Trip" was the guitar muscle I'd been missing. "Into The Pentagram" was just devastatingly heavy. From start to finish, the guitar riffs are merciless and relentless, sharp as a razor. The drums were in your face and dynamic. And above all, there was a strong sense of melody. The later albums were ok, but this one really hit home with me. 3. Iced Earth- Something Wicked This Way Comes. I'd heard the tracks "Burning Times" and "My Own Saviour" and quickly realized this is a band I identified with. Barlowe's impeccable, powerful vocals combined with those riffs was an awakening to a level of metal musicality I had been subconsciously looking for. It was classic metal that wasn't cheesy. It was the perfect combo of power and melody. Songs like "Melancholy", "Watching Over Me", and "Blessed Are You" had me in a metal euphoria for months and I was a fan instantly. 4. Blind Guardian- Nightfall In Middle Earth. The closest I ever got to power metal was the classics- Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, until I stumbled upon this gem. Though this was lacking in my usual fix for gigantic riffs and aggression, it made up for it with blazing guitar solos and melody that couldn't be matched. It was like a metal Shakespeare play. Just as Morbid Angel's "Formulas" opened my eyes to Death Metal, this album broadened my horizons on the other side of the spectrum. Powerful, emotional vocals, layered guitar, and an endless flow of melody and intricate song structure. And Tolkien. "Into The Storm", "Nightfall", "The Curse Of Feanor", and "Blood Tears" were jaw-dropping. 5. Nile- In Their Darkened Shrines. I'd gotten Nile's first album "Amongst The Catacombs" on a whim when reading the description "Egyptian Death Metal". I was looking for something to satisfy the need for extra-heaviness that Morbid Angel had created and that was intriguing enough to get me interested, but I just didn't dig it. The atmosphere was there but the album sounded terrible to my ears, over fuzzy guitars and a dull sound. Now this time around they hooked me. "Sarcophagus" and "Unas, Slayer Of The Gods" was the exact, adrenaline pumping sound I was looking for. The guitar crunch was unbelievable and the drums were absolutely insane. Going from full speed onslaught to extremely slow chugging riffs and impossible solos for 6-8 minutes was hard to wrap my mind around, and to be honest it took me a few listens to fully take on what was happening. Then it's like a door opened up and I just "got it". Still one of the absolute heaviest albums I've ever heard.

Just listened to the album again and "What if" just keeps rattling around my brain the whole time. The music is there and the musicianship is definitely there (Jones are Bonham are ridiculous). The problem is undoubtedly how it's presented. It's presented with an unbalanced and over-compressed mix (mainly the rhythm guitars and vocals) which just gives a bad impression of the music overall. Hell, Candy Store Rock is an awesome track which could easily be improved by centering the guitar more and cutting the reverb on the vocals in half. The vocal recordings also, just sound lo-fi even for 1976. Almost like he's singing into a plastic cup. Bass and drums? No problem here. They sound fantastic and are some of the duo's finest moments. Whoever pushed Page's guitar way over to the right channel and killed the top end needs to be sued. I know this horse has been beaten back to life, but I'd love to just have the multitracks for this album so I could liven up this trainwreck of a mix. Why the "Remaster" didn't address this blows my mind.

Plant has to hold some kind of record for number of groups. Here's my new band, same as the old band.

No way, that shits too expensive.

I took a step today that I told myself years ago I'd never take.

Contrary to my initial assumption, it appeared to me like a private hoarder gave EV one song as a ransom wager (Which EV released), then gave another one (which EV released), then gave a bunch more after they convinced EV of what they had (which EV released). Whether or not that was the entirety of what they had to sell is anyone's guess. What boggles my mind abut EV is that they never, ever give origin info. They don't package the releases with a liner note saying "We found this at an estate sale" or "Someone contacted us about this reel they found in their attic". They just throw it out there like it's nothing really. That makes me much more assured that they have one or two sources that they buy from (old Showco employees), or already have the bulk of material. Let's be honest, a fresh soundboard release of a Led Zeppelin show is a really big fucking deal. Yet they handle it like they're throwing candy out at a Christmas parade.

I don't know, that whole thing played out very weird. Wouldn't surprise me if they add one more song and release another version.

I'm still under the belief that EV bought a huge collection from someone years ago and are spacing out the releases. The likelihood of them finding someone who has a reel to reel tape (sound board) hidden away in this age would be inconceivable. It's not like they've got ads in local papers with their phone number.

One of the greatest live performances ever. I just wish they did a full show.