Nitpicking Page 5/18/1975 (The Earl's Court Tapes Vol. 1) Not a great recording, but definitely a step up from the previous night. Rock And Roll- Pretty good start, though Plant sounds rough. Solo- Very solid with Bonham throwing in a unique drum fill. "B+". Sick Again- Good energy. First solo- fluid perfection. No complaints. Outro solo- Good start; but those bends at 4:45 sound very strained. Pretty good, "A". OTHAFA- Decent intro, but Plant sounds very shaky going into the chorus. Solo- 3:31-3:39, exceptional run reminiscent of 73. Again at 4:00-4:20. Page is ripping this apart. Flub at 5:32. Not bad, but Plant really brings this down a notch. "B+". IMTOD- Good intro. First solo- Page takes off with some good slide phrasing. Second solo- A little repetitive in spots, but not bad. Plant doesn't sound good on the cheeses part. Bonham does some amazing fills after the 9:00 mark. Pretty solid version despite Plant being subpar. "B+". TSRTS- Bonham comes in with a lot of energy for the intro. First solo- Page has a little trouble starting, but then sounds great with good articulation. Outro solo- The guitar drops out almost entirely for a few seconds, but sounds like he was playing good. If Plant's vocals weren't so crackly all the way through it would be a great version. "A" for 75. The Rain Song- Good start. Mellotron is a little flat compared to the guitar tuning. The rock section comes in like it's supposed to- blowing the doors off the place and Bonham knocking down the walls. Too bad Plant isn't sounding great. Good version, "A". Kashmir- Plant is having a really hard time staying in key. A heavy, stomping rhythm throughout. Page's lead work on the outro is sloppy. "B". No Quarter- Amazingly clear intro. You can hear the "swishing" from the chorus effect. Nitpicking Jones- 6:27-7:16, some of the most elegant, perfectly structured piano phrasing I've heard from Jones. Then Bonzo comes in for an excellent, dreamy jam section. I think Page even holds off a little longer than usual to let it flow. Solo- Page is playing very relaxed which works well for this. Good, smooth runs. 14:39-15:04, perfect phrasing and articulation. 15:42-16:25, Stevie Ray Vaughn level of bends and phrasing here, sans the beefy guitar tone. That bend at 16:16 gets me rigid. He merges the ending theme with some creepy chorded arppegios. Perfection. It seems wrong to bring the verses back after that. Decent outro solo, though the intensity is lacking after the previous solo. Page may not have had the frenetic energy he did in 72/73, but his fingers and brain are just as nimble. "A++" considering Jones really nailed it too. Tangerine- Guitar is in tune (albeit twangy) and the harmony sounds better this time. Solo- Very loud and shrill, not great phrasing. Plant sounding much better. No bottom end makes this song sound slightly thin live. "B+". GTC- This performance has a much better flow than the previous night's. Plant strains a little on the bridge. 4:14, that mandolin. "A". That's The Way- Not gonna lie, this song bores me to death. Good mandolin playing throughout and Plant sounding good. "A". Bronyaur Stomp- Solid version. Page's breakdown gets a little mundane and he disappears from the recording almost entirely at 4:52. "B+". Trampled Underfoot- Recording gets a little murkier. Solo- Page gets some decent licks in, but the phrasing could have been a lot better. He kind of gets lost at the end. "B+". Moby Dick- This one failed to hold my attention. It's alright I suppose. Dazed And Confused- Powerful, menacing first part. First workout- Page goes wild at first and then tapers down. Woodstock- Takes a while to get going, but sounds pretty good. Plant always sings the verses like he's making them up on the spot. Bow section takes a while to get going. Not bad, not great. Second workout- Page's phrasing is alright, but his runs are just a tad sticky, like at 22:15. This one just isn't flowing as well as the previous night, though it's certainly not bad. Mars- Very basic. Climax sounds good with Bonham raisning the energy level. Page gets some nice fluid runs in at the very end. This is a very solid version with everyone sounding good, it's just very straightforward. "A". Stairway To Heaven- Superb sound at first but gets a little muddy as it goes on. Excellent verses. Solo- Good energetic start with Page in shred mode. 7:20, speedy right hand. A very lively solo that's almost too energetic, but I'm not complaining. Plant is a little scratchy on the final verse. "A". WLL- Very thin sound. Funk/theremin section is again nothing special. Black Dog- 1:42, my ear drums are crying. Solo- Starts off good, but he loses it some at the end with some bad articulation. Good flurry of notes from Page on the finale. "B+". Final assessment- Another good showing by Page, though I don't know if this show outweighs the previous night. Both are pretty good showings for 75. No Quarter is a must listen. Great Going To California and a very solid Dazed.

I think "Tight but loose" was referencing the guitar strings.

I agree. They certainly flubbed every song at some point in 77, but they also had some great performances of them all. Only one L.A. performance was truly sub par in my opinion, the rest were pretty good.

It's awesome you bought all those, but what do you think of the overall design of Zep shirts? I gotta be honest, Zep have some of the gawdiest shirt designs of any rock band imo. I wanna represent the band too, but most of their shirts are just poorly done. It's like they try to throw everything on them at once. Maybe I just want a shirt with the Hermit on it, or the old man with sticks. I don't want the Hermit, old man, symbols, and lyrics to stairway all on one shirt.

Nitpicking Page 5/17/1975 (The Earl's Court Tapes Vol. 1) Bootleg ears required. Distant and echo heavy. I'm gonna blow through this one rather quickly considering the bad audio makes it hard to nitpick. Rock And Roll- 1:27, Page disappears and Plant sounds terrible. Solo- Page's guitar is cutting in and out. Solo sounds good though, if you can hear it. "B". Sick Again- Decent start. Solo- Page lays down a decent solo. Outro solo- Really not bad. Page plays with some ferocity on this outro and seems to be pretty coherent. "A". OTHAFA- Solid intro with Plant sounding a little better. Solo- Hard to make out details, but sounds alright with decent phrasing and he really comes alive toward the end. Pretty solid version, "A". IMTOD- Good beginning. First solo- Murky, but sounds alright. Second solo- He's doing some unusual stuff here, like he's just slowly sliding up and down the neck. "B+". TSRTS- Good energy on the intro. First solo- Articulation doesn't sound great. Outro solo- A little smoother. Not bad, "B+". The Rain Song- Plant doesn't sound so hot here, but the other three sound fantastic. The rock section comes in a little soft. "B+". Kashmir- The recording is clearer now. 0:48, Plant squeak. Powerful outro, though Plant is straining a little. 8:45, "That's what I've been waiting for". "B+". No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones, Not bad, but his solo drags a bit. He gets a nice melody going right before Bonham comes in. Page comes in with some smooth runs. He isn't perfect, but he's playing with gusto and knocking the phrasing out of the park. Parts sound very Pink Floyd-ish. 15:00-15:07, Bonham hammers down some cool fills. A nice wind down before returning to the verses. 21:17-21:37, Page does some wicked stuff on this outro. Seriously badass playing here. I think it's fair to say, especially for 75, that this is an "A+" performance. Page was unreal for the most part. Tangerine- Guitar is noticeably out of tune. The chorus comes in and the harmony sounds really off. Solo- Page gets a solid slide routine down and the harmony on the chorus sounds much better this time. 2:25, Plant almost sounds like his old self for a second. Outro- ending is a little wonky. Not bad, "B+". GTC- Page's bottom string (E tuned to D) sounds a little flat. Plant sings unenthusiastically. "B". That's The Way- A very good version with Plant sounding great for the most part. "A". Bronyaur Stomp- Audio gets more distant. Good breakdown section from Page. A rollicking version with Plant belting out good vocals. "A". Trampled Underfoot- Good energy. Solo- Page comes alive with some frantic playing. Excellent bends and articulation sounds good. Strong performance, "A+". Moby Dick- Bonham gets off to a thundering start. 8:30, he actually sounds like a drag car getting ready to take off here. A good, dynamic version that's exciting for non-drummers as well. "A". Dazed And Confused- The first workout section has some good playing but goes by fast. Woodstock- Strong, confident intro. It wouldn't be an understatement to say Page is on a 73 level here. He's playing smoothly with good phrasing. Mars- Page disappears after the second measure, but comes back in soon without really affecting it. His playing here is really impressive. This version is no joke and if you close your eyes, you'll swear it's Europe 1973. "A+". Stairway To Heaven- Some weird notes at 1:29. Flub at 2:55. Solo- 7:15 and beyond is great. I hear no flubs or dead spots, but it seems a little too straight forward though it has a great finish. A soundboard might really bring it alive. The earlier flubs make it a "B+". WLL- The funk and theremin sections aren't bad, but they go by pretty unnoticeable. "B+". Black Dog- Lots of energy. Solo- Page starts out nice but starts to lose his way a bit as it goes on. Still a very solid version. "A". Final assessment- I had only skimmed through this one before (because of the audio quality) but I'm pleasantly surprised. Even though the crowd is extremely unenthusiastic, the band still puts down a solid performance with Page playing great for the most part. No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot, and Dazed are the highlights.

I or IV. I has a picture of people essentially being burned alive. How punk is that? And how humble is it to name your band after a joke and then make the album cover reflect that joke? Surely such a marketing strategy would doom a band. And it's a b&w picture at a time when psychedelic overload was the norm. IV perfectly reflects the music on the album itself. Old, traditional lifestyle in the shadow of the modern era. Old blues and folk music played by a hard rock band. Zep were the perfect marriage between the old and the new and both the album and it's cover reflect exactly that. You couldn't pay every advertising exec in the world to come up with something more perfectly balanced and representative. Then you've got a giant "F you" by not printing anything on the jacket but the song titles. I don't know how anyone could not choose IV. I mean, I know naked kids are appealing and all..

I think you misunderstand the thread concept. Items you can't convince yourself to buy. Let me know when you get this one.

Then I'm doing a service by advertising it. Nothing will stop people from hitting the buy button. But let's be real; $800 for a long box CD? That's an interesting proposition.

Here's a piece of cardboard for $44.

What a deal.

Not even free shipping. If they were $15 I'd buy them just for the novelty.

Wow, I've never seen any of these before. Looks like a funeral booklet.

While browsing through eBay for Zep stuff you'll find a lot of off-beat items.Thought I'd make a thread about some of the more strange or downright ridiculous ones we come across. Or items that are cool, but you just can't convince yourself to buy.

Check out this view.

I thought the 25th (and 22nd) captured the daunting, "desert" vibe more. The 21st just lacks that mood to me, though it's a great performance. You're right, something weird happens there. I don't think it's a cut though because Jones seems to stay on track while Jimmy is off. Or at least the guitar and keyboards are out of sync for a second. If it was a cut they would at least still be in sync. As far as the solos, I can't argue. Both are monumental performances. I liked the rhythm Bonham throws in at 9:36 on the 25th.

Best Of L.A. 77 TSRTS- 21st. Pure energy. Sick Again- 23rd. The heaviness of this one sets it apart. Plus flawless lead from Page. NFBM- 26th. It's a good, solid version with a well structured solo from Page. Though it's hard to top the energy from the 21st. IMTOD- 25th. I may biased toward the better audio, but this also has the better solos. OTHAFA- This one is tough for me. The solo from the 22nd is certainly phenomenal to a casual listener, but as a guitar player I don't think it's that great. It's a flurry of delay heavy triplets that Page repeats throughout. There's no impressive phrasing or lightning fast runs, plus a noticeably flubbed intro. I'd go with either the energetic 21st with Bonham going crazy or the 26th which is the most solid version. SIBLY- 25th. 21st, 23rd, and 25th are all exceptional versions. 21st has the energy (almost too much for this song). 23rd is near perfect with Plant sounding great. 25th has the best mood and solo. No Quarter- 23rd. It's the overall best version, though I prefer Jones' solo from the 27th. Ten Years Gone- 23rd. 21st is good, but it almost rolls too fast. I think Plant might've been better on other versions, but Page's pedal-steel style licks are perfect here and give it a southern rock feel. Kashmir- 25th. Bonham rocks the shit outta this one. Trampled Underfoot- 25th. This one is menacing with Page playing perfectly. His riffing during Jones's solo is deadly. Achilles Last Stand- 22nd. A couple of flubs, but it doesn't matter. The frantic, nervous pace of this one sums up the mood of the song perfectly. Plus a great series of solos. Stairway To Heaven- 25th. The 23rd has more energy, but the 25th is just performed better overall. Rock And Roll- 21st. A good, energetic version with Bonham sounding lively. Communication Breakdown- 25th. It'll Be Me- 26th. If anyone wants to tackle the acoustic sets and solos, be my guest. That way we can assemble a complete playlist.

I spent so many hours with the headphones on jamming this album.

Nitpicking Page 6/27/1977 (Mike The Mike, Winston Remaster) Good audience recording with the guitar up front and amazingly clear. If you're listening along and taking note of my time-stamps, the version I'm using for this is the 2006 Winston remaster, with the opening note of TSRTS starting at the 0:17 mark. This set also has a nice 8 song acoustic section. TSRTS- Verses drag a little. First solo- Almost perfect, with the articulation off just a little at the end. 4:22, Page does a four note pull off that sounds awesome. Outro solo- Energy is full speed now. Maybe a little sloppy at 5:02. Plant's voice isn't as strong on this one. "B+". Sick Again- Raunchy intro with lots of attitude. Minor flub at 0:21. Those extra notes at 0:27 sound great. First solo- Very minor sloppiness at 2:38. Played well, but didn't seem to have much passion behind it. Outro solo- 5:00, that bend didn't work at all. 6:00, turkey gobbling. This solo had some nice little runs, but was extremely erratic with no phrasing, worse than this part usually does. "B+". NFBM- Good first half. Harmonica- Very lackluster. I know Plant has the ability to go off on a harmonica, he just seems to always play the most basic stuff on this for some reason. 3:18, awesome drum fill. Solo- 5:09, not great articulation and he fudges the end of this run. The phrasing is very good though and it's a fairly good solo. This is a good, solid version reminiscent of the album version. "B+" OTHAFA- Excellent intro. Page's amp overdrive is through the roof when he turns up for the chorus. Solo- The dissonant beginning has a cool, spacey vibe. 3:28, I'm not really sure what he's doing here. I would say bad articulation, but he could be playing with his teeth or something. 4:32, ok, I think he's using a heavy delay effect that's distorting the sound. This solo was..different, but good. Very psychadelic. 6:55, Page hits the same chord twice here. Plant sings a passionate outro. 7:30, loses his way a bit. 7:48, flub. Apart from the weird solo and outro flubs, I really like this version, especially with the heavy guitar tone. "B+". SIBLY- Powerful intro, with emotional guitar that isn't overdone. 2:06, Page misses that chord a bit. Solo- Page does some unique stuff on this one. Played and phrased very well. 5:32, minor chord flub. This is a very somber version, akin to the earlier versions in 70 and 71. 7:49, Bonzo says screw it, this is the last night here and goes off. Plant credits Page as "James Patrick". Even with a few flubs, "A". No Quarter- 2:22, very nice Plant vocal. I always appreciate when he goes the extra mile for something. Nitpicking Jones- 5:37-7:50, Jones' opening warm-up on the piano is something else here. I'm not kidding, I listened about seven times. Excellent Jones section. Blues jam- Jimmy is hesitant at first, then comes in with that atrocious guitar tone. He does some basic blues routines any amateur could do and that's about it. Then Jones comes back in with expert playing. Page had to be intimidated by his musicianship. Solo- 19:11, small flub. 20:16, a flurry of inarticulate notes that remind me of the "Fool In The Rain" solo. 22:07, starts off with a sweep and does a nice run here. 22:37, this bend was good the first two times but he overdoes it here. 23:17, bad articulation. When Page slows down he sounds good, but every time he speeds up on this solo it's a slopfest. 25:48, a pretty good series of runs. 27:13, awesome "Black Sabbath" style riff. 27:42, another awesome chorded riff. "A+" for Jones, "B+" for the version overall. Ten Years Gone- Good beginning. First solo- Starts out great, then Page gets badly off track at 3:05 and just barely recovers. Second solo- He never gets a good flow going on this one. Third solo- He loosens up a bit, though he's still struggling some at 7:00. The delay section at 7:32 is quite effective and sounds good. Outro solo- Sloppy at 9:06. The lackluster lead playing knocks this down to a "B". Kashmir- Page's chording gets a little messy at times, but it's an overall good performance. There is a noticeable lack of energy though. "B+". Trampled Underfoot- Page comes in a little sluggishly on the intro. Solo- Again Page comes in like he was caught off guard and starts doing some spacey-vibed lead playing instead of shredding like he usually does. However, the spacey, delay heavy phrasing actually works quite well for this. 6:38, he gets some awesome wah runs down. The uniqueness of Page on this makes it interesting although the whole thing doesn't gel well as a whole. Still a solid "A". Achilles Last Stand- The intro lacks the aura it usually has. Page sounds slightly out of it through the chord changes. Bonham and Jones however are very tight. First solo- He's definitely done better, but he puts this together nicely. 5:08-5:14, a little sloppy. 7:17, the delay section isn't bad, but doesn't quite hit right. 8:04, he's really struggling with the syncopation on this. 8:32, that was a pretty cool ending though. Compared to the previous performances, I'd have to knock this down to a "B" considering Page's general sloppiness. Stairway To Heaven- 4:28, "Bonzo, I've got some good news!" Bonzo does some excellent stuff through here. Solo- He changes it up some and the phrasing seems a little off in the beginning. I'll be honest, this is some shitty playing that makes 1975 sound good. 9:33, flub. 10:10, embarrasing. He should've kicked in the delay effect and done another space vibe solo. He was obviously poisoned backstage by Jack Daniels. "C+". WLL- Partial. Rock And Roll- Good energy. Solo- Starts off great, then sounds like he breaks a string at 2:00. Downhill from there. "C+". Final assessment- This show is fairly solid overall, but never really gets above average and definitely has some valleys (Stairway solo). Page isn't entirely on and the band lacks some energy and enthusiasm. I think they were ready to go home. The previous night was better performance wise. Apart from the unique Trampled Underfoot solo and the massive acoustic section, there's not much noteworthy. I have to say I've surprised myself more with this 1977 LA run more than any of the 75 shows I did. Page absolutely did play on a pre-75 level. Maybe not as consistent as pre-75, but the old maestro was still in there in 77 on occasion. And how Mike "The Mic" Millard got such great recordings is amazing. Especially the guitar which is almost soundboard quality. This guy deserved the audio equivalent of the Nobel Peace prize.

Those people who wrote "history" used to murder the scientists because they thought they were witches. See how stupidity and ignorance works?

To be fair, you're the one who replied to my comment about chem trails. I just thought you wanted to debate.

Holy shit, I know you didn't just post a YouTube conspiracy video as a rebuttal lol. Even has sci fi music in the background.

Oh, I was being nice. This is just what happens when you ask too many questions that people can't/won't answer.

But the Illuminati is conservative. "Read my lips, new world order".

Yes, I remember reading that a note couldn't be played more than a couple of seconds. Sounds like a real shitty instrument. It was basically an old sampling machine.