"The only other thing that got loaded was something from a university that was done for a bit of a laugh, and it actually sounded too much of a laugh to actually wanna ever put that out and be measured up by it, because that was something that had a quite a few mistakes on it. We were playing numbers when we had just sorta recorded them and maybe played it for the first time and it was a lot to remember in the set. Consequently you’re gonna come unstuck a little bit. And it’s just something that will never see the light of day. That’s all there is. There’s just one other performance. Everything else is now out that we had live-wise." Okay, he's talking about Southampton for the most part, but what is the "One other performance"?

Nitpicking Page 6/11/1977 MSG, NY (Long Live Led Zeppelin Remaster) Hopefully this is even better than the previous night. There's about ten versions of this available so I just went with this one, which is a remaster of a four source mix. All the sources vary in quality but they're all fairly listenable, though either too bright or too murky in places. TSRTS- Good energy on the intro and decent verses. First solo- Page's fingers sound nimble. Plant sounds a little rough on the return, maybe he overdid it the night before? Second solo- Not bad. "A". Sick Again- Solid intro and the verses sound good. Plant has smoothed out some. First solo- Straining very slightly, but otherwise well played. Outro solo- Spastic and unstructured, but it always is. "A". NFBM- The slow tempo makes this sound extra heavy. Harmonica solo- a little uninspired. Guitar solo- 6:32-6:38, very sloppy. Again at 6:50. Some decent bends, but overall not a good solo. Plant sounds good but Bonham doesn't show off much. "B". IMTOD- Slow paced and heavy. Excellent drum fill at 1:43. 2:18, Bonham's kick drum echoes for miles. First solo- The mix is very muddy here, but the phrasing sounds rather dreadful to my ears. Second solo- A little more inspired. Bonham and Plant sound lively on the outro, which features some You Shook Me. "B+". SIBLY- Decent intro, but the run at 1:50 is extremely sloppy. Plant's vocals are rather unconvincing and lacking real emotion as he spurts out every verse as fast as he can. Solo- Page bursts into a frantic run, but then slows down and gets some solid leads down. Far from the best solo. The mood is here for the song, but the performance isn't. "B". No Quarter- Much better sound quality now. Solid first quarter. Jones gets a good routine going for his solo. The "Silent film" section is actually quite intriguing. 11:07, Page and Bonzo come roaring in for an excellent boogie jam, with Jones letting loose with some superb key work. Page is low in the mix, but he also gets in some good old-school rock riffs. 17:01, Page's sloppy intro to the solo is a sign of bad things to come. Bear with me. 17:54, Inarticulate slop. 19:08-19:25, the bedroom jammer returns. 21:15, he barely stays together on this phrase. 22:37, Page attempts to liven things up with a series of improv riffs, but they just don't work well. 24:50, the "Yallah" riff. Page sounds a little better through here, but not good enough to rescue this solo. The return sounds great as Page unleashes some nice wah riffs and Bonham fires off the snare-machine gun. Page brought this otherwise good performance way down. "B". Ten Years Gone- Good intro and first verses. First solo- Page's opening runs just don't flow well. He fudges the riff at 3:18. Plant's vocals aren't as inspired here. Second solo- Once again, Page fails to get any decent phrasing down. Third solo- A step up, but also lacking. Fourth solo- Decent. 7:59, the guitar signal gets crossed with Plant's vocal effect. A listenable version, but I wouldn't recommend it. "B". Acoustic Set- Very good sound. Battle Of Evermore- The Plant/Jones vocal duel actually sounds quite good here. GTC sounds good, but is frequently interrupted by the tapers. BronYaur Stomp sounds lively but Page fudges the guitar breakdown a little. WS/BMS sounds energetic. "B+". Kashmir- Extremely epic version but the sound goes south near the end. "A". Achilles Last Stand- Poor sound. Good first half. First solo- Takes a while to get going, but he ends with a nice fluid run at 4:31. Second solo- sounds good as far as I can tell. The source may sound terrible, but Bonham's explosiveness can still be felt. He's drumming his ass off. Third solo- Sounds ok. Really too murky to judge, but I'll go "A". Stairway To Heaven- 1:20-1:31, this stretch sounds especially magical to me. The verses progress nicely to an excellent build up. Solo- Murky, but sounds decent at the start. 7:37, very nice fluid run. Another one at 10:00. Last four bars are played well. Despite some good noodling, this solo made me quite drowsy. "B+". Heartbreaker (Partial)- Sounding good. Solo- A little lackluster. Not sure what Page attempts at 3:44-4:00, but it sounds pretty rough. He gets some interesting arpeggiated chords in before the tape fades out. Final Assessment- The show starts off promising but the band fail to get back on the level of the previous night, especially Page. Highlights are a solid Sick Again, a refreshing Battle Of Evermore, an adventurous White Summer, and an epic Kashmir. No Quarter is excellent if you ignore the solo.

Ha, it appeared at the top of the tracklist for some reason and I forgot about it. Heartbreaker (6/10/1977)- Lively intro with the band sounding determined. Solo- Page gets some muscular runs going for a good solo section. Plant sounds excellent on the return and lacks just a hair of hitting the original vocal range. "A".

There would more than likely already be some press leaks and promotions happening by now for any of those dates. There would be eyewitness accounts of Page being in a studio working on production. I hope I'm wrong, but there's been nothing but extremely vague hints by Page who said it could happen over the next few years, if he lives.

I think Stallone and Arnold actually have no problem returning for sellout money.

I can't believe there wasn't a green edition out of the four colors. I've always thought that was the definitive color for the band.

If you say so. AC/DC didn't announce their retirement when Bon died.

Is there an "AC/DC by AC/DC" book? You're sidestepping my point.

That's my point, Bonham's family isn't the band. "By Led Zeppelin" sounds gimmicky. But I suppose that works better than "Led Zeppelin, As Presented By The Surviving Members And Close Family".

My political opinion for the day.

My local retailer has it listed for $70 versus $43 on Amazon. I think I'll skip on the poster. Does anyone else not like the "Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin" title? I mean, Led Zeppelin isn't a band anymore and Bonzo didn't have anything to do with it. But I realize that it's used to advertise it as "official".

And the cover of "The Final Acclaim". Which looks to be taken a split second later. If this is what they're using to promote the book, I'm starting to feel pessimistic. But I'll still buy it.

Well, he was a Californian playing in a southern rock band. He was also physically ill even back then.

Sounds familiar

I'm with you.

I'd have to disagree. The drum and bass build up that Page slowly creeps his way into with the chorded riffs is a vital part of the live representation. I think it's necessary to set the mood and it just sounds unnatural without it, like a CD skipping. Then you have the actual introductory phrase that's always played (even on the studio version) that gets cut. Without that the solo is never properly introduced. I can understand that this was never actually meant to be a live album, but a soundtrack. But then you have the bonus songs, so that whole statement goes out the window.

I tried both. It's not a lot better.

Nitpicking Page 6/10/1977 Madison Square Garden, NY (The Garden Tapes- Empress Valley) Skipping 6/8 because of the bad source, though it sounds like a decent show. The EV release is the most listenable version of this good audience source unless there's a Winston I don't know about. The sound clarity starts a little muddy and clears up some a few numbers in, but remains distant. TSRTS- Booming intro and good verses. Rob doesn't sound half bad. First solo- Hard to make out, but sounds spot on. Second solo- Sounds tight as ever. Page is seemingly in sound mind so far. "A". Sick Again- 0:05, half time. This intro is lethal. Unfortunately someone bumps the recorder mic at 0:33. First solo- Maybe not the most fluid, but it's phrased and played well. 4:41, sounds like Bonham is putting in some extra snare roll on this part. Second solo- A few hang-ups, but nothing too detrimental as far as I can make out. "A". NFBM- Robert sounds good. Harmonica solo is decent. Guitar solo- Page opens up with a surprising flurry of fluid notes, then gets some good bends in. A little sloppy at 5:12, but he wisely moves on to another phrase. Bonham is on point. "B+". OTHAFA- Good intro except for the major firecracker explosion. Page goes missing at 1:30, exposing how dreadful Jones' bass sounds on this. Solo- Good noodling at the start, slowly ascending to the sky with a nice stretch of runs and bent notes. This almost sounds like it's going the way of the 6/22 solo, but Page jumps back into the return riff, leaving us wanting more. Good exit. "A", despite Page dropping out for a few seconds. SIBLY- A song that always sounds better on an audience recording. Solid open. Page does some wicked palm mutes at 2:50 and 3:00. Solo- Opens with a good scream from Plant and a blazing run from Page. Incredible phrasing and emotion. Excellent refrain at 4:34. Quick hammer-ons at 4:40 are perfect. 5:05, this slow released bend sounds wonderful. 5:17, he ends with a nice little speedy lick. Nimble fingers be damned, this rivals any 72/73 version in my opinion. Possibly the best I've heard from 77 so far. "A+". No Quarter- Good first quarter. Nitpicking Jones- A little too spastic and unstructured. Page joins for a good jam at 10:00. Solo- Slow start but gets a good bend at 13:56, then eases off again. 14:38-15:18, a good aggressive series of noodling. 17:20, haven't heard this lick since August of 73. 17:51, yes sir. 19:37, impressive staccato chording. 20:00, intriguing chording here. The return is good and Page goes wild again on the wah-soaked outro. Great showing by Page, but Jones failed to impress with his part. "B+". Ten Years Gone- Solid intro. First solo- Some bends sound slightly forced, otherwise very good. Second solo (4:38)- Some solid pedal-steel bends at the start and finishes with some good phrases. Plant comes back in for some fantastic vocals. Solo three (6:22)- More pedal-steel bends. 6:50-6:54, absolutely love how he ends that phrase on the rooted fifth. Solo four- The delay effect sounds pretty good. The epic journey comes sliding home for a perfect finish. Definitive performance? "A+" anyway. Acoustic Section- Really hard to beat the clear soundboard from the 7th, but this set sounds very solid performance wise. I don't know if the tape is running fast or not on GTC, but Plant hits some high notes that sound unnatural for 77 (2:17). An excellent vocal at 1:44. BCW/BronYaur Stomp has the crowd jumping in their seats and once again Plant is singing in a higher range. Kashmir- A driving, mid-paced version with Plant giving his all. "A". Achilles Last Stand- Fast paced with Bonham and Jones sounding like a machine. First solo- Well phrased and articulate for the most part, though some of the final runs sound strained. Second solo- Hard to make out, but sounds ok. Sounded like a great, energetic version, but the boomy recording makes it a tough listen. I'll go "B+". Stairway To Heaven- The vocals drop pretty low in the mix, but everything sounds good. Solo- Page's fingers sound quite nimble on some runs but his phrasing isn't as smooth as usual. 7:44, Bonham makes an excellent choice to bring the rhythm to a halt and allow Page to create some tension and build-up. The final four bar section of the solo is one of the best I've heard, with the final pull-offs screaming like a banshee. Excellent climax. "A". WLL (Partial) Rock And Roll- A inferior source kicks in on the solo. Solo- Sounds good but has an unorthodox ending phrase. "B+". Final Assessment- Very hard to judge based on the distant recording, but this sounds on par to any L.A. show and better in a lot of areas. That's not to say that a soundboard wouldn't expose a different side to the ears, but this has definitely made its way to the top of my SB wishlist. SIBLY and Ten Years Gone are the highlights.

Should we start to worry? Any new live material for the anniversary would surely warrant some massive hype and promotion by now. They're barely even promoting the official photobook, so it's not looking likely this year.

Surprised in a positive way. After the first few numbers I thought for sure it was gonna be a cringefest, but they straightened out half way through for some solid numbers. I have a tendency to lose focus on Kashmir considering it's so damn repetitive, but I guess that knocks it down to a "B". Gonna knock out this NY set and maybe do a best of.

Nitpicking Page 6/7/1977 Madison Square Garden (Treading The Boards- A Group Project) Another series of shows I've never really listened to- MSG 77. I'm excited to dissect these and hope I find some gems. This version is an improvement on the uneven and dry EV release. TSRTS- Good energy on the intro. Small chord flub at 1:30. Plant sounds excellent. First solo- Some sticky fingers. Second solo- Not too bad. "B+". Sick Again- Solid intro. Good verses. First solo- 2:38-3:00, embarrasing. Outro solo- 5:05, bad articulation. 5:20-5:27, sloppy. The energy is there, but Page's fingers aren't. "B". NFBM- Solid first half. Harmonica solo- Plant rips out a good solo here. Guitar solo- Not a bad start. 5:22, he shoots for the stars but barely leaves the ground. Considering this track is usually played tight rhythmically, I have to judge by four things- Plant's voice, the harmonica solo, the guitar solo, and Bonham's enthusiasm. I'll go "B+". IMTOD- Good intro. First solo- almost decent, but Page never really gets on track for this. Second solo- decent start but 6:15 gets sloppy. "You Shook Me" verse sounds good. Lots of energy but the solos really bring it down. "B". SIBLY- A little laid back, but otherwise very nice intro. Plant gets an excellent opening note in. Solo- Not bad at all. A good audience recording would probably make a better impression. "B+". No Quarter- Jones' opening notes have a slight glockenspiel tone. 2:58, Plant belts out a good extended note. Nitpicking Jones- He puts together an impressive routine off the bat. 6:35-7:30, the "soul" section is especially good. Guitar solo- It's certainly a journey, not an articulate or fluid one though. He never really goes off the track or anything, but there's absolutely nothing worth pointing out. I actually think the groove Bonzo and Jones are locked into is more noteworthy. 23:49, Percy comes alive and Bonham responds. 24:38, Bonham does some killer fills from here on. Everyone shines here except Page, who brings it down to a "B". Ten Years Gone- Plant sounds great. First solo- Pretty damn good. Could've used some more enrgy, but not bad. Second solo- Some decent licks with good phrasing. Third solo- Guitar drops in the mix, but sounds good. 8:40, winds down perfectly. Gotta go "A". Acoustic Set- "A+" overall, with excellent sound and enthusiasm. GTC rivals the studio version. Honestly makes up for the bum tracks thus far. Kashmir- Guitar up in the mix. Plant still sounding great. Very solid throughout, with Plant giving his all on the outro. "A". Moby Dick- 12 minutes of snare rolls is more than I can tolerate. No dynamics here, sounds like a warm-up routine. Guitar Solo- Yep. Achilles Last Stand- Very solid first half. First solo- Not too bad, but a little sticky. Second solo (7:53)- Haunting. Bonham was solid as a rock on this one. "A". Stairway To Heaven- Well paced and Plant is singing with drive. The guitar is distorting the tape a little. Great verses. Solo- 6:37-6:45, a little sloppy. The soft part sounds good, but some of Bonham's fills throw the vibe off. 8:20, sloppy. Page flubs the final build-up lick. Plant delivers on an excellent climax. The mood for the solo was there, but Page was just a little too subdued and sticky-fingered. "B+". WLL- Very fuzzy guitar tone. Plant comes in like he's looking for a fight. I love the aggressive attitude on this. "A+" for what there is of it. Rock And Roll- The fuzzy tone doesn't sound as good on this, though Plant is still energetic. First solo- Played and phrased well, though the muffled tone doesn't help it. Second solo- Has more of a Chuck Berry feel and played well. Not bad, "A". Final Assessment- First, Plant sounds as good post-72 as ever and sings with vigor. Page never really gets above average for 77. His ability to chord perfectly but fall apart on solos will always boggle my mind. Bonham is lively and Jones is flawless. Highlights are a very solid Ten Years Gone, an amazing "must hear" acoustic set, an epic Kashmir, a driving Achilles, and an excellent one-two punch encore. I'm rather surprised by this show, though I'd recommend ignoring everything prior to Ten Years Gone, but that's me.

Nitpicking Page 3/24/1973 Offenburg (A Little Bit Warm- Eddie Edwards Remaster) Another legendary show from the European leg. The main audience source is very good with a huge soundscape and the missing parts are filled in by a subpar source. Plant is a little low in the mix, and his vocal range is noticeably lower compared to the Stoke show. Rock And Roll- Plant sounds ok for 73. Verses sound great. Solo- Almost an exact replica of the soundtrack version from four months later. Very solid. "A". OTHAFA- Small flub at 0:04, and Page gets a little hesitant. Otherwise great intro. Plant opens with the original verse, but it's barely audible. 1:47, a nice pinch harmonic. Solo- Good noodling on the start. 3:05-3:14, excellent run. Unfortunately, he doesn't extend this and returns to the verses. Plant sounds rough on the return. Good ending. "B+". Black Dog- Muscular riffs matched by a somewhat reserved Plant. Solo- Plant gets a good yell in on the launch. 73 Page at it's best example. Good fluidity, good phrasing, good articulation. There's a slight hang up at 4:51, but nothing too noticeable. "A". MMH- 0:10, does he say "This is a felony"? Plant is lower in the mix now. Solid solo. Personally, this song only works with Plant's higher register, but it's a solid version nonetheless. "A". SIBLY- Blazing intro played perfectly. Maybe the best I've heard from the "Intro" versions. 1:21, that SRV bend. Moody verses, with Plant still sounding reserved. Solo- Page teases with a series of false start runs, then shredding a longer one. 4:45, a unique phrase that sounds great. Ending phrases are phenomenal. One of the better solos I've heard and don't let Bonzo's powerhouse drumming go unnoticed. Plant sounds tired on the return, but maybe it suits the song. 6:57, shred mode. Had Plant's vocals been stronger this could've been the definitive version for 73. Still an "A+". BronYaur Stomp- Now the guitar is low in the mix. Good energy and Plant sounds good. Breakdown- Page abandons the usual flat-picking section and teases "That's The Way". Plant seems to get confused on the last verses. "B". TSRTS- I wasn't prepared for how fast this takes off. Reminds me of the 5/25 Earl's Court version. 1:14, Page nailing these riffs through here. Verses are good. First solo- Page opens up with a barrage of articulate notes and phrases. 3:12, listen to the man's fingers. Perfection. Second solo- This dude is on another level here. Maybe a coke induced level, but another level. "A+". The Rain Song- Good start. Mellotron is treading that thin line of "Batteries dying in a walkman". I love JPJ to death, but I think the live version of this would've been better without the 'Tron. A good bottom layer of bass guitar would've sounded much better. Rock section- The sound starts fluctuating and kills the vibe, but sounds ok. "B+". Dazed And Confused- The sound fluctuations continue on the first part, but it's still very listenable. Good, basic intro. First workout- Page lets loose with some almost rockabilly phrases (5:31-5:44), then jumps into more suited runs. Weird sounding chord at 6:22. San Fran- Page gets very experimental with this, throwing in a multitude of phrases that all sound good. Bow section is pretty straight-forward. Second workout- Second source kicks in while Page gets some solid runs in. He's fluid throughout though. 23:23, a mix up on the Mars section and Page follows Bonzo into the climax. Good wah riffs on the finale. "B+". Stairway To Heaven- Pretty solid verses, but the echo-ish mix doesn't help it. The tempo also drags a bit too much. Solo- Very relaxed intro, but builds nicely. 8:24, that's...shred guitar? Definitely one of the most technical phrases I've heard Page play. Overall, the solo is solid and well phrased but doesn't hit that hard for some reason. 9:31, slight flub. "B+". WLL- Good beginning verses. The funk section never really gets together and Page dives into the theremin. "Everybody Needs Somebody" sounds good and leads into the solo, which is played perfectly. "Boogie Chillun" comes in like a freight train. Page gets an excellent solo going but doesn't quite hit on the level of some other shows. "Baby I Don't Care" sounds very punk and is played perfectly. Let's Have A Party- Page does some top notch pedal-steel bends on a very raunchy solo. I Can't Quit You- 18:55, leaves the earth. Excellent soloing throughout, this is Page's real showcase song for bluesy leads. 22:43-23:31, take a seat child. 24:06, Page is feeling the groove. Some of the heaviest blues ever. Good return for the ending. A good "A" performance, but had some loose ends. Heartbreaker- Excellent first verses though Plant is quite low in the mix. Solo- A very un-sloppy start as Page plays the acapella part smoothly. Some nostalgia as he brings in "Bouree". He gets a flawless set of runs going as the others join back in. Excellent solo. The return is solid and rounds this out to a top notch "A". Final Assessment- A must listen show, although there is a lack of energy from the crowd. Highlights are a rock solid Rock And Roll, one of the best versions of SIBLY, a phenomenal TSRTS, and a very strong encore set of WLL and Heartbreaker. Plant sounds average and Page is nearly flawless throughout, just like most of these early 73 shows. A soundboard would be great. Shows like this (and most of 1973) make me wonder how they performed like this every other night for months at a time. The burn-out factor had to be extremely high. 75 and 77 had longer sets, but there was a looseness about their live performances during those years. 1973 is when they were still playing like they had something to prove. The more I listen to this European leg the more I want Page to release a multitrack from it.

Awesome soundtrack.