No, I never inferred that. I was simply reiterating my original point, which you missed entirely. And you still are. Why are you arguing over personal preference anyway? I originally said that I consider pre-75 Zep and post-73 Zep as incomparable to each other. "I", meaning me. Not you. And stop trying to pull the "I was there" shit to win an argument over subjective preference. Your fond memories don't change facts. The facts being Robert could no longer sing in the same register. Unless you being there magically made his vocal chords time travel.

Damn, you're right. I've never realized the lyrical complexity and deeply perplexing concept of honky tonk women before.

You also can't say Robert's voice sounded like it did pre-75 just because you're at the show or that Page wasn't on heroin post-73. That's my point.

*Eyeroll* Well, that's just like your opinion, man.

Sorry, I should've stated that was sarcasm.

Just got done listening to Providence, RI- 1973. A very good audience recording and a great show. Page very nimble, although he scrogged the RnR solo lol.

Orrrrr...the director of The Black Cauldron was a huge JPJ fan.

Personally, I don't think anything the band did post-73 can be compared to the band 69-73, mainly because of Rob's voice. Sure, Jimmy had some magical moments like early 75, the Forum shows in 77, and Copenhagen 79, but Plant's voice had already changed to where he no longer sounded like himself. He'd might as well have been a different singer altogether (That's harsh, I know, but his old voice defined the band). He sounded better in 79 mainly because he learned his limits with his voice. I think it took him six years to learn how to sing in a different style. Page was never as fluid or driven with his playing post-73. Sure, he could solo like a mother, but if you pay attention you'll notice he's not constructing the solos as ingeniously as he did in 72 and 73. He's just cramming as many notes as he can into every break without really knowing where he's going with it. It's like he was slightly removed from the music for some reason (Maybe heroin? Lol). Like I said, there are highlights post-73, but to me those are two different bands. It just wasn't the same after Rob lost his high range and Jimmy ended up out of his mind.

The Photographer's Led Zeppelin was $39.99 when it first came out. The Jimmy Page book was what, $200? So this one will be pushing $500 probably. His grandkids must really need some money.

Man, I've been reading "The Garden Tapes" by Eddie Edwards and it's kinda blowing my mind how much editing went on for both the film and soundtrack. It honestly makes me lose some respect for them. Hell, even the Plantations were spliced from different nights. The whole thing is more or less a sham. It's really hard now to say "The version from TSRTS is the best" because....that's not an actual performance.

The C in "Cauldron".

I liked Jones' look on the Danish TV special. He was the coolest, most confident looking member in the band. WTF happened.

Forgive the quotations, I'm on mobile.

Maybe as a whole with that monstrous set list, but I don't think Page was on as well as MSG 73. His soloing on No Quarter, Dazed, and TUF leave a lot to be desired. And whoever tuned his guitar for that Seattle show needed a beatdown. Robert's voice was also noticeably weaker. But yeah, I'd take a pro shot Seattle 75 without fantasy sequences over TSRTS if it was whittled down to about 12 of the best performances. Too much noodling in 75.

Sure about that? I'd always read that the fantasy scenes were planned from the beginning and the studio reshoots two years later were done to fill in the gaps.

I and II (Bluesy) III and IV (Folksy) HOTH and PG (Progressive, classic rock) Presence ITTOD

So are you saying you don't enjoy watching Robert's naked kids piss in a stream?

Recently watched the Blu-Ray of this I got for Christmas. I have to say, after twenty years of Zep fandom and going from only hearing the studio albums to downloading every single bootleg and piece of concert footage, I now have a new appreciation for this. Maybe watching it on Blu-Ray on a 55" TV made me realize that I, like many others, have been unappreciative and taken this film for granted. This truly was the best year to film a Zep concert professionally, especially considering what a mediocre year 75 would be. 73 was the perfect balance between set list and performance. Robert's voice isn't as bad as I remembered. He actually sounds pretty good after warming up. Page is in his untouchable phase, improvising phenomenally and putting down some of his most solid playing ever. Arguably the best versions of SIBLY and No Quarter. I never really realized how badass Heartbreaker was for this show. It's a shame it gets interrupted by the robbery footage (Mega rich rock band loses some money, who gives a rat's ass? Jimmy probably spent that much on smack in 77). Then there's the cinematic blunder side. When I first saw this as a teen I wasn't bothered the least by the bad direction or effects, because experiencing anything even mildly Zep related put me in a state of pop culture Nirvana. Later on, after realizing these were just musicians being documented in a certain time and place and not Gods on earth, I began to accept the absurdity of the film. Maybe the worst for me is Robert's viking ship hauling ass across the sea with no sails. Of course when he pulls into the beach, you can clearly see and outboard motor and a pathetic attempt to blur out the smoke. The lack of drawing out any kind of script is amazing. The directors obviously just said "Let's just go out and film Robert walking around aimlessly. Zep fans will be happy with that." I know it's 73 and the boys didn't exactly bring in Kubrick, but I've never seen a more feeble attempt to film a medieval fantasy scene. "Let's see; Viking looking guy- check. Maiden in distress- check. Sword? Gotta have a sword- check. Castle- check. Ok, we're ready." I'm honestly surprised they used an actual castle instead of Jimmy's backyard. The fantasy sequences are more acceptable when you realize there was a mixed up attempt to target the younger fans. I suppose the directors assumed Zep fans were between five and twelve. Sure, Earl's Court 75 is probably the grown-up version of the band, but there's no denying that a certain amount of the magic and swagger is missing after 73. I think we all agree that a straight live footage film without the fantasy elements and terribly dated effects would've solidified Zep's status as the greatest rock band on the planet. We can only dream, but I'm still willing to endure the cringe in order to bask in the privilege of seeing my favorite band play in possibly their greatest year.

Ok, I listened. Yes, it's their worst song because of those wonky synths. A version minus all synths and clearer vocals would've been truly awesome, like an Achilles part 2. Why won't Jimmy give us that for an alternate version instead of a "rough mix" with the EQ unadjusted?

Not necessarily. Especially not the "one dimensional" comment, which I gave a technical argument against.

I've seen some off the mark opinions before, but I can't agree with any of that. How is ITTOD one dimensional? Less dimensional than some of the others, sure, but not nearly as bad as Presence. ITTOD had some acoustics and plenty of keyboards. It was also more diverse musically, with samba, blues, prog, ballads, and rockabilly. I think it was mixed and produced better than Presence, though that's truly a matter of opinion.

I'm gonna go back and listen to Carouselumbrella again just to make sure I'm justified in calling it the worst Zep song. It's been ten years since I've heard it. I love the old bluesy grit of Hats Off. You can't like delta blues and not like this song. I like Dyer Maker. Catchy riff, powerful vocals, awesome lead work, cool drum fills. You're an asshole if you don't like that stuff. Hot Dog is a fun song. It's supposed to be a humorous nod to country/rockabilly. I can tolerate the Crunge because I can hear what it's supposed to be after hearing it live. It just didn't carry over in the studio well. The Coda tracks are neither here nor there. They're just uncreative and boring.

Oh man, I like this idea. Other than the Stargroves sessions, there's not a lot of visuals of Zep in the studio. I've never seen anything from the Physical Graffiti sessions.

With all due respect, and I love the Stones, but their venture into disco disqualifies them from criticizing anyone. And I'm not talking a mockup disco track like Trampled (which was too up tempo to be disco anyway).