After I do the last one I'll go through and make a "best of" in which I usually listen to each track again and compare them. That way I'll know if I was mistaken in my judgement or not. Sometimes if I'm not feeling it that day I tend to miss the general presence of a song. But strangely, I really liked the TUF on that one, a song I usually never have a good feel for.

That Dazed, to me at least, sounded like they were really tired of doing it. Add the fact that Page really wasn't "on" for this one like he was some others, his second solo lacked energy. He was much more fluid on the first two. I guess that's opinion though. I really wanna do 7/17/77 to see if it's as bad as I remember. I downloaded the SB/Audience matrix.

Why do I live here?

Nitpicking Page 5/24/1975 (The Earl's Court Tapes Vol IV) I'm using a remaster of the Watch Tower boot Zephead315 sent me (which sounds great). It has the same time stamps as the EC Tapes boot. Rock And Roll- Plant sounding pretty rough. Good energy though. Solo- I think "raunchy" is a good way to describe Page's lead playing that is sloppy in a good way. A little rough on the ending, but still a fairly good solo. "B+". Sick Again- Good energetic vibe and Plant has warmed up quickly. First solo- Struggling pretty badly. 2:58, Jimmy's barely hanging on here. Outro solo- 4:25 starts a good, articulate run, which is immediately followed by some struggles. 4:55 goes off the track a little. Page brings this down to a "B". OTHAFA- Cholera, sleeping sickness, Plant always has to cover for Jimmy lol. Perfect intro. 1:32, funny Plant yodel. 1:53, easy Robert. Solo- Phrasing is a little off at the start then finally tightens up some. 4:08, decent run. 4:55, turkey gobbling supreme. Not too bad, but probably the worst solo of the run so far. I really hate how Page always ends the song with that awkward finger slide."B". IMTOD- Smokin' intro. 3:45, Page disappears. Reappears at 4:11. First solo- Excellent phrasing on this one with smooth transitions. Second solo- A little more basic, but not bad. Jimmy's rhythm work wasn't perfect, but still a great version. "A". TSRTS- Good, speedy intro. The way it should be. First solo- Starts off good but loses some articulation on the fingerpicked part. A little smoother with a great finish on the pull offs. "B+". The Rain Song- Everything sounding great on this, with the mello sitting just right in the mix. Rock section- "Now listen!" Very good emotion from Plant. Superb version, "A+". Kashmir- Great first half. 6:30, flub. Good exit. "A". No Quarter- 2:20, "The snow fulls hawrd". Nitpicking Jones- A little slow moving, but hauntingly beautiful. Solo- Page gets a good groove going. He's not doing anything mindblowing, but he's playing very solid all the way through. A good jam section from the three. 19:39, Page does an excellent descending run here that is drowned out by Rob's ad libs. An extremely rock solid version, though I wouldn't pit it against 5/18. "A". Tangerine- Finally some bass coming through. Solo- Nailed it. The best so far. Perfect ending. "A+". GTC- Audio switches to audience recording. 1:54, Plant tests his limit. Sounds like a 71 version. Very nice. "A". That's The Way- Mandolin comes through nicely and Plant is lively, telling a story with the lyrics. Excellent mando on the outro with Plant nailing the last note. Plus a jab at Neil Young. "A+". Bronyaur Stomp- Guitar is low in the mix. "There's no companion for a blue-eyed merle". Deducting points for lyrical flub. Good version overall. "A". Trampled Underfoot- 2:58, Plant squeak. Solo- Jones is inaudible. Page comes in with some fiery riffs. He's keeping a good flow and not forcing anything. Plant throws in some nice Gallows Pole phrases. Very nice, "A". Moby Dick- Not quite as dynamic as some others. Dazed And Confused- First workout- Page doesn't get a great flow going and it sounds a little forced. Woodstock- Some good noodling before going into the main motif. 10:25, these wah riffs sound a little too erratic. Bow section- A little boring. Second workout- Phrasing is pretty straightforward. 20:44, not great articulation. 22:53, unique riff. 26:06, Page has used that descending run at least fifteen times now. Mars- Doesn't have much impact. 26:53, flub. 27:49, Page builds up to the climax then misses it. Page's finale noodling is decent. Not a terrible version, but arguably subpar. Plant sounds lazy and Bonham is half asleep. "B". Stairway To Heaven- Good first half. Solo- Page starts out more subtly on this one instead of overdoing it. 8:27, nice run. 8:53, hiccup. A few hesitant licks, but a very good solo. 10:20, Plant yodel. A fairly good version, "B+". WLL- Good energy. Page throws in some good funk riffs. Theremin- Plant comes alive with a good vocal duel as Jones shreds his bass. "Love Light" at the end. I suppose this is "A+" for an experimental track. Black Dog- The tempo seems to be dragging some, which doesn't sound good for an encore. Solo- Pretty rough articulation though Page is playing with some fire and the phrasing is good. Unique ending with Bonzo being dramatic. "A". Final assessment- Page's technicality has slowly declined as these shows have went on, but he's still better than most of 75. A perfect Rain Song, Solid Kashmir, haunting No Quarter, lively acoustic section, solid Trampled Underfoot, and textbook Stairway are the highlights. Not a bad show at all. Throw that Dazed out the window though.

This pic is so casual it kinda makes me uncomfortable. He should at least have some dragon socks on.

Nitpicking Page 5/23/1975 (The Earl's Court Tapes Vol III) Not a great recording, but better than the 17th. Let's hope Page didn't stop by the liqour store during those four days off. Rock And Roll- Plant comes in sounding like he's 90. Solo- Pretty solid. Poor Plant. "B+". Sick Again- Minor flub at 1:17. Solo- Nimble fingers, maybe the best solo of the three I've done so far. Outro solo- Pretty fluid first runs. Strains a little on the bends. Still a solid version, "A". OTHAFA- Good intro. 2:15, Plant squeak. 2:26, flub. Solo- He struggles to get a good flow going, despite some decent runs. All the little parts sound ok, but they just don't fit together well. Good exit. The solo wasn't bad enough to really hurt it, "B+". IMTOD- Guitar drops in the mix at 0:53. First solo- Hard to make out, but he seems to put down some good phrasing. 5:41, Bonham and Page start the next part on different beats. Second solo- He does the weird phrasing again here, not too impressive. 9:18, Bonham almost loses the beat. 9:47, Page and Bonham just aren't on the same page for this one. "B". TSRTS- Good start with Plant sounding good on the verses. First solo- not the best articulation. Outro solo- Much better. "B+". The Rain Song- Very smooth version with a good rock section. "A". Kashmir- 2:14, Plant squeak. Absolutely no energy for this version. 3:35, Plant gets ahead of himself, Bonham tries to go another verse, but Page stays on track. 4:04, maybe the slowest fill I've ever heard by Bonzo. Plant belts out a good scream to lead back into the verse. 5:57, Bonham strangely hits the kick drum three times in a row. I suppose some might like this extremely slow tempo, it sounds like their batteries are dying to me. The mishaps and Plant's squeaky vocals keep this at a "B". No Quarter- Jones is almost inaudible on the intro. Nitpicking Jones- Taking a while to get going. Nice melody at 7:08. 9:52, wonderful octave run. Not too bad, but it pales drastically in comparison to the 18th. Solo- Page fails to get the flow going he had on the 18th, also lacking articulation. He does some neat whammy bar bends at 19:12-19:18. Not a bad performance, but I personally thought it was very bland. "B+". Tangerine- Guitar tuning is iffy. Solo- Sounds ok until the awkward ending where Page has to pause to switch back to the rhythm. Not too bad. "B+". GTC- I enjoy Plantations, but he needs to pipe down on this beautiful intro. No real complaints, a solid version. "A". That's The Way- Excellent version. "A". Bron Y Aur Stomp- Good first half. Page's breakdown section isn't bad, but fails to leave an impression. "B+". Trampled Underfoot- Good energy. Solo- Not bad at all, though the recording is a little murky. 7:59, weird sounding drum fill. "B+". Moby Dick- Maybe it's just me, but this one sounds very spastic and uneven. 11:48, I do like this part though. Dazed And Confused- 4:35, Damn, where'd that come from? 1969? First workout- Fair. Not incredibly articulate or well structured. 7:09, blown eardrums. Woodstock- Sounds pretty good. 9:37, this sounds really good. Page jams a little more before the bow solo. Bow section- Great sound quality through here and very spooky. Second workout- A straightforward beginning, nothing special. 21:55, decent run. 25:24, a little sloppy. Mars- Damn heavy with good accents from Plant. Page's articulation comes alive during the last flurry of notes and Plant scrreams his head off. A solid performance, but Page didn't really do anything above average. Kudos to Plant though. "A". Stairway To Heaven- Good first half. Solo- Like the 18th, Page is trying to throw too much in at once instead of creating a good build up. The beginning almost sounds like the finale and the whole thing sounds kind of emotionless. He's playing pretty good though and I'm certainly not one to tell Jimmy Page how to craft his solos. "A". WLL- Page gets some good funk licks in before the usual theremin section, which is pretty basic. "B". Black Dog- Solid first half. Solo- Not bad, some straining on the bends. Decent for 1975. "A". Final assessment- Page certainly wasn't bad for this one, but not quite on the level he was for the first two shows. The performances remind me of 6/26/77, where all the songs were performed adequately but lacked a certain amount of magic. Sick Again and a solid Black Dog are the standouts.

Page started using a different guitar setup which I believe consisted of the Eventide Harmonizer. Although I think it worked great for some tracks (Achilles and NFBM), I always find it sounds too over-processed. The solo from Fool In The Rain is a prime example. It had a very flat frequency range and sounded almost like a synthesizer. It just wasn't a "Rock and roll" tone. I really wish he'd kept the old Les Paul straight through to a Marshall sound.

I've been trying to stick to the stuff available on the "longliveledzeppelin" site since it's the most convenient way to get the boots. Some of those "FileFactory" links are a bit of a hassle. But I'll definitely get those for my personal listening.

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.

It doesn't get much better than this.

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.