YASS King. 77-04-28 is for me a top-fiver show. They really pulled it together after the SB-recorded but unfortunately pretty mediocre prior night there at Richfield Coliseum. Except the 27th Trampled fucking rules. Even so, the 28th is arguably better. ALB

Southampton 73/01/22 is way up there. If interested check out the "The Stereo Project" version of this show. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

I'm sorry, I now have no reason to doubt that you are correct about the tape edit in Stairway; I'd thought it was just some creativity with the rhythm, but the last time I listened I heard what I thought could be a tape cut. As I said, I have no reason to doubt that you're right. ALB

No that is a good source. I don't know what the source is that I have. Will check that out, thanks. ALB

Re: 7-24-79, you're right about the piano, it's really nice. For me, problem is that it's such a treble-y recording. For that reason, I couldn't even give the whole thing a listen. Maybe your version is more balanced sonically.

Along with 09-23-71 Tokyo, yes. Vancouver's initially didn't hit me, but its grown on me and now I recognize the truth of it. ALB

Just on the Stairway solo - on the boot I have (which is a combination of three sources), I've not heard any cut in the song, and to me the solo is actually remarkably free of ANY "flubbed notes" or mistakes. I consider it a top 3 Stairway solo. I've long said this is my fave show ever, so. Just FWIW. ALB

I'm not an expert, but 1996-02-17 - Century Hall, Nagoya, JP is STELLAR. The very popular '98 New Orleans show is for me unfortunately ruined by sound quality. Swishy drums. ALB

Re: whether Paris Theatre is a true boot- you made a solid case, and I now tend to agree with you. My basis for not considering it so was just that much of the show has been officially released. But the unofficial, complete and remastered show (and it is complete, to my knowledge also), with a different, superior mix, really is a very different thing. And I'd like to have it counted as a boot, so that it could take its rightful place as one of their very best shows ever, I think. Re: edited releases, I also totally agree. I mean, a few vocal overdubs on the TSRTS album are one thing, but HTWWW is so extensively falsified that I would have trouble listening to it even if I thought the performances were as good as Page's hype for it suggested he thinks they are, which they really aren't in my opinion. Incidentally, did you know that Plant actually hit the Lady at the 6/25 Forum show, which of course, Page did NOT choose to put on that "live" album? Hilarious. Instead we get Plant not hitting it on 6/27, and my most-hated Plant ad-lib ever: "when all is one and one is all, Yeah that's what it IS!". I haven't yet heard that '70 Montreux you mentioned and will listen to it. Cheers, ALB

Re: 4/1/71 Paris Theatre - YES. I recently did a ranking of the boots I've yet heard, and put an asterisk next to this one, as it's not a true bootleg, but if it were, it would be in my top 5 ever shows. Sounds like you already have one of the releases that's sourced from a Japan FM broadcast that has a better stereo mix than the original? Plant is amazing. It's evident that the whole band made a point of just nailing this show due to its importance, being broadcast on BBC. Stairway is one of my all-time favorites. So is Immigrant Song and SIBLY (maybe Plant's best ever performance on it; also Bonzo does a very cool off-beat rhythm thing leading into one of the verses that the band nails). Will listen to this one again soon. ALB

Have just started listening to this show and will listen to the sample, thanks. ALAIHY is slayin'. Early days re: this show but so far, sound quality-wise, it's even better than 4/27, I think. I wouldn't be surprised either if Percy is even better than three days later. ALB

Ah, I was confounding Osaka for Tokyo there. So that was nonsense.

Nice of you to say so. It was.🙂

I was considering posting the following as a new topic, but it didn't seem like the kind of thing that's welcome, as opposed to more year- or show-specific discussions, but I just made this list and thought it might generate (or outright provoke) some interesting discussion. The rankings are a product of both the performance and sound quality. THE 30 SHOWS I'VE HEARD, WORST TO BEST 30. - 77/05/21, Houston, TX ("How The Time Flies"). A soundboard even, and a good Achilles. But I now find the "metallic" quality of the sound grating. 29. - 77/05/22, Ft. Worth, TX ("Hideout"). Good Kashmir and IMTOD. But watch out for the ear-splitting feedback at the end of "Sick Again" (seriously). 28. - 77/06/27, The Forum ("Sunset"). Not bad. Just the weakest of the run (I've yet to hear 6/26). 27. - 71/11/24, Free Trade Hall, Manchester ([pernod rev. 3]). A really good show from a really bad tape. Plant's in great voice. 26. - 71/09/11, War Memorial Hall, Rochester, NY. Similar to Manchester, but incomplete. Plant's just a bit worse; doesn't hit Stairway here. Somehow I ranked it one spot higher. Maybe the tape is a little better. I think that's why. 25. - 73/05/13, Mobile Municipal Auditorium, AL. A decent sounding board. Plant is in pretty rough shape. I like the laid-back jazzy No Quarter courtesy of Jonesy's keys. 24. - 71/08/31, Orlando Civic Auditorium ("Florida Sunshine"). Good Black Dog. Not a particularly great show. Plant only half-hits Stairway (hits it in full voice initially and then it cracks during the note). 23. - 71/08/21, The Forum ([dadgad remaster]). Good audience recording. Sloppy show. Several glaring flubs. 22. - 71/09/29, Festival Hall, Osaka. Soundboard (mostly). Rock and Roll swings. Plant is straining. They play "Friends" which is cool. I don't like this show. 21. - 77/06/23, The Forum - For Badgeholders Only. A well-played show apart from, yes, a full 45 second-long trainwreck during Kashmir. The sound quality is good. 20. - 77/06/21, The Forum - Listen to This, Eddie ("Mike the Mike"). As someone previously said, this show peaks with the first song, which granted is arguably the best "Song Remains" ever due to Bonzo, and Jimmy pulling it together and playing some great, fluid lines. I also think the "Nobody's Fault" is very good here, and seems underappreciated. 19. - 79/07/24, Copenhagen Warm-ups, 2nd Night. A pretty tight show with some great playing from Jimmy. Love hearing "In The Evening". The sound is rather treble-y unfortunately. 18. - 73/07/17, Seattle Center Coliseum ([SBD-AUD matrix version]). An excellent DaC and a pretty good "Over The Hills", MMH and The Ocean. Bonzo is good and Plant is alright. 17. - 72/02/27, Sydney Showground [Dogs of Doom 2021]. A really well-played show and Plant is at least one whole level above where he would be just a few months later in the states, to my knowledge. (Incidentally, I recently learned from @goldenretreiver157 that Plant DID hit the "lady" on Stairway on the 6/25 Long Beach performance that Jimmy DIDN'T choose for HTWWW, which is hilarious.) Sound quality-wise, it's really not a bad listen, just somewhat "distant." I rather like this show actually. 16. - 71/03/05, Ulster Hall, Belfast (Wendy Records version). I'd advise getting the WENDY version as my prior "remastered" version has some ear-splitting feedback on Stairway. Aside from the show that I've ranked #2, this is about as peak Plant as it gets. They'd just finished IV and are tearing through these new songs perhaps a tad faster than otherwise. I have no problem listening to this tape. 15. - 75/05/24, Earl's Court @ZepHead315 Remaster. Great sound quality and a fantastic "Trampled." I'm not terribly familiar with '75 generally but this is a really good show for the boys. 14. - 77/06/25, The Forum - Badgeholders Annual Meeting. A great show with one of the greatest Kashmir's ever. Sound quality is maybe a tad below 6/23 but still good. 13. - 70/03/21, Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC ("Pure Blues"). Plant's actually in a relative valley here: he's a step below where he was a year ago, and and a step and a half below where he would be in September. Still, he's great on SIBLY, to the extent that it probably makes it a contender for top 10 ever. Partial soundboard and the sound quality is excellent. 12. - 70/09/04, The Forum - Ultimate Blueberry Hill (Nite Owl 2019 matrix). This is a great show that suffers from being in the same month as a much, much greater show. The sound quality is great though. A nice listen. 11. - 73/03/21, Musikhalle, Hamburg ("It's Complete" [dadgad remaster]). A rockin' Black Dog, a great DaC, AND a great Stairway. The latter two are mostly soundboards. Bonzo is HOT. As is Pagey. 10. - 71/09/14, Berkeley Community Theatre, CA ("Going To California" [dadgad 24-bit remaster]). A great-sounding audience recording. A very good show. Plant is good, not great. 09. - 69/04/27, Live at Fillmore West (CA) [Nite Owl 2019 matrix]. JPJ and Bonzo are bringin' the heat, and Jimmy's command of the blues is probably higher here than at any other time period. His guitar tone is nasty and so is his playing. Plant is strong. 08. - 71/11/20, Empire Pool, Wembley, LD ("Electric Magic" [2020 Graf Zeppelin release]). Merely decent (but importantly, sonically-consistent) audience recording, but THIS SHOW IS FIRE. Percy's back hittin the highs with ease. All-time greats of SIBLY, Rock and Roll, DaC, and maybe a Top 5 Stairway solo EVER. Plant hits "lady" because this show is fire. Also includes the cleanest, best "Tangerine" I've yet heard. 07. - 69/11/07, Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco [2021 Dogs of Doom]. THUMPING sound and a roaring performance all-around. The best White Summer / Black Mountain Side on tape. Heartbreaker slays. So does DaC and HMMT. Again, the sound of this audience recording absolute rules, especially with the hard work of DoD.🙏 06. - 71/05/03, K.B.-Hallen, Copenhagen, DK ("Stick Out!"). If you want to hear Plant nearest his peak playing songs from IV in decent fidelity, this is the show. Black Dog is a Top 5 ever. SIBLY also a Top 5 due to everyone, especially Plant. Stairway is awesome. CB is awesome. An essential bootleg. 05. 77/06/22, The Forum - Thirty Years Gone. I think their best of these shows, and one I never tire of hearing. Probably my favorite Achilles ever. John Bonham. Only known time on Stairway that Pagey skips the extra four bars and goes straight to the solo as on the album. 04. 77/04/28, Richfield Coliseum, OH (2019 JEMS/Winston remaster of "Rocco C. master tape"). In my opinion Bonzo's best-ever show post-'71. This show is nothing like the previous night. Miles ahead. A Top 5 Ten Years Gone (perhaps the very best), and the sickest transition from White Summer / Black Mountain Side to Kashmir ever, itself a version rivalling or exceeding 77/06/25, in my book. Bonzo's comping during Jimmy's Stairway solo is perfection. An all-time great Rock and Roll. Near to the end, Bonzo mid-measure just blows through several bars with a syncopated 6/8 snare roll. The best. The ambience of this show is unique. The recording might be called only "above-average" (conservatively), but crank it and it rocks as hard as anything. As a bonus, even "Over The Top" and Jimmy's "solo" are rather compelling, seriously! 03. 73/01/22, Southampton University @SteveZ98's "The Stereo Project". I'm comin in hot on this one as I've just listened to it once, for the first time today, but it IS THAT GOOD. Performance-wise, it blows away any other '73 boot aside from 3/21 Hamburg, and the sound is all killer no filler. For my money, THE BEST "Over The Hills" EVER and all-time greats of "Song Remains" and "The Rain Song". Page's Stairway solo is badgeholder-level. 02. 70/09/19, MSG Evening ("One More For The Road"). Simply the greatest Led Zeppelin show we have on tape. Plant's best show. Pretty much all of their best shows. Bonham still has those insane kick-drum chops. Everything rules. 01. 71/09/23, Budokan Hall, Tokyo @ZepHead315 remaster "Tobacco Road". This gets the nod because it includes material from IV. Plant is still in EXCELLENT voice. A good audience recording from a few different tapers. The best WLL ever. A Top 3 Stairway, with maybe Page's best solo on a bootleg. It's flawless. Plant nails it and sings the whole thing beautifully. The best Immigrant Song ever. Thunderous. Along with #2, a virtually perfect show that I never tire of hearing. * If the newest, remastered version of the complete 71/04/01 Paris Cinema Theatre, LD show (most of which is on some form or another of "BBC Sessions") were a true bootleg, it would be in my top 5. Also, 73/03/24 Offenburg is a very good/great show I just can't listen to due to the left channel fluttering issue (and the mono version of it is just not good). Thanks for indulging me. ALB

Um, through Dancing Days this show frankly blows away anything I've yet heard vis a vis '73 bootlegs. Maybe doesn't blow away 3/21 Hamburg but this sound quality is excellent!