If a shirt is see through, what is the point in wearing it?

People love their symbols which is what the British Monarchy has become. Not to sound trite but just look at the popularity of Downton Abbey, The Kings Speech, The Queen, etc. Even the most scathing of appraisals of the royals (The Queen) still has them coming out smelling like roses. The Brits would rather give up tea-time & crumpets before they turn from the royals. The monarchy is an institution and to be fair, do provide an example to the people for service to the UK & abroad. The males are even required to do military service and typically on the front lines during combat. Like anything else, there is good and bad, nothing is perfect. Plus, they own 1/4 of Europe through their holdings, they are going nowhere.

I do know that Carouselambra was to be incorporated in the NA 80' setlist.

Well that depends. If Page was truly suffering with back pain and what kept him going on tour was the perceived camaraderie and shared vision, only to find out the two main guys in the band did not share that vision. Well, maybe Jimmy figured the pain is too great to force himself out there for two guys who really did not care one way or the other. However, if Chris Robinson simply wanted to finish the tour and then reevaluate, then yes, Jimmy would come off as rather insincere. Through everything which has been reported about the Robinson Bros. I would have to go with the former, rather than the latter excuse but at this point it is all conjecture.

I believe I have seen pictures of the exact spot at the Giant's Causeway the shoot was done. The actual, unaltered picture is close, but not exact insofar as the rock formations. Pretty impressive what the design team did. There are indeed two nude adults in the albums inner gate sleeve: a naked man holding a naked woman in in what appears to be an act of sacrifice in front of an altar and bright light. I do not believe they were models but rather drawn images. Taking the children on the front cover scrambling up, in conjunction with the two adults in the inner sleeve I would think the concept was the children represent the beginning and middle of the journey, beautiful, innocent, idealistic; then the adults ,its conclusion, as in the end we all must make sacrifices.

Regarding Robert, two things: He wants to be in 100% control, just like at the O2; second, he wants to play Zep tunes the way HE wants to play Zep tunes. Robert is hell bent on not being viewed as a money grabbing touring jukebox. He is embarrassed by his early Zep wailing and preening and wants to be remembered not as the Viking warrior singing about Tolkien but as a "serious" musician. That is the issue with Robert. That and I don't think he trusts Jimmy to remain sober on the road. Robert runs a tight ship on the road and the last thing he wants is an "incident" this late in the game to seal his reputational fate so to speak. Jimmy needs to realize the old girlfriend has left him for good and he needs to move on. You cannot re-create what happened in the 70's, however he can write a new chapter but that decision is up to Jimmy. Whatever either do I wish them the best. We got the O2 which no one ever thought would happen. We got lucky with that and we should be happy.

Old age is a bitch!

Rub-a-dub-dub some of that on your Frank & Beans and wait for the fun to begin!!!

but seriously, if Jimmy only wants to work with Robert then he should just say so and leave it at that. His stating, "new music next year" since the early 2000's is simply insincere. Now on to a live release. I hate to say this but unless Jimmy takes this seriously it is not going to happen, at least in his lifetime. Once Jimmy shuffles off his mortal coil the likelihood of a live release will improve 10 fold. Still no guarantee as Robert and JPJ would have a say. The best hope is if someone Jimmy respects tells him to get off his arse and release some live stuff. Short of that, we are on Jimmy's time and that could be a long wait. What really makes me wonder is neither Robert nor JPJ have released live albums of their solo work, audio or video. This is puzzling to me as both have put on so many fantastic shows. No official live Plant, no official live Jones, no official live Page & Plant, no official live Coverdale / Page. I simply do not understand why this is. Especially an official live Page & Plant when those shows, especially late 95' - 98' were just amazing.

I have been listening to several of the songs from July 24th Oakland recently on YouTube and the show sounds pretty good to me so far. Then again I have only listen to six songs but they were evenly dispersed throughout the set. What are other opinions of the July 23rd & 24th 77' Oakland gigs?

Can you say if the additional 15 seconds makes any difference? Is that the only difference between that and the album version?

No doubt. Though I must admit to vaping marijuana oil (occasionally) when I go to a friends house or to events out of sheer convenience otherwise, I smoke bud. As I am a super-lightweight by just about any definition, I doubt my three second pull off a vape pen, once in a given evening (told ya I was a lightweight), is going to result in any damage. Then again I only buy at my dispensary. So far every incident of death via vaping is a result of using cartridges purchased off the street illegally. However, I also believe the long-term affects of vaping will indeed prove disastrous as not only can it cause lung damage, but now they are finding is hardens arteries and may lead to stroke if one vapes habitually. I figure in the end it will be just like anything else, if you use in moderation, no likely problems. It's when people vape on a daily, chronic basis (weed or nicotine) that problems may arise.

Thought Rick Danko looked like Dermott Mulroney.

Loved how the senior agent was so pissed he was ready to explode. Old Charlie hit him with some truth he could not handle. Really got into his head.

Did folks in the UK get as up about the subject matter of Derek as the US? I loved Derek (and After Life), Gervais is not afraid to tackle tough subjects with wit, humor, warmth, and truth. That is what I love about the man.

Amen to that, I say give evolution a chance

It really does not get better than that. You Sir are a true gentleman, one of the few of a dying breed of people who place principals and honor above personal gain. I must say you have made my day. I feel like Diogenes having finally succeeded.

My source for instrumentation is a couple of Guitar World interviews with Page and a book called: Led Zeppelin, All the Songs. The book really breaks down all the instruments, effects, production etc. of every recorded song. Pretty interesting stuff.

I love those sticks Money, money, money...I am so bloody rich.

What do you mean? I was at that show, Queen opened for Zep and Elvis & Freddie joined Robert and the band for the encores. Best show EVER!!! Treat me like a fool, treat me mean and cruel but...love...me Oh, and Robert was singing at 1971 levels, almost forgot that part.

Jones wrote all of the symphonic notation for the track and conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the recording of the track. Bonham uses an Eventide Phaser on his drums which were recorded in the same hall in Hedley Grange as WTLB with two mic's positioned above his kit. Jones played mellotron, bass, and an unnamed synthesizer as well on Kashmir. Page played the main riff on his #1 GLP & his Fender XII so the riff is actually doubled. Then in several sections he also uses his Danelectro as well and possibly even a Danelectro sitar but the sitar is unconfirmed. Though Kashmir SOUNDS simple, it is actually extremely complex and a complete bitch to play live with even the best musicians mostly due to the different time signatures. The band utilizes, (once again) two different time signature simultaneously, 4/4 & 2/4 for drums and vocals and the guitar in 3/8 with the guitar synching up with the drums on the eight note only. That was bad enough but the song is broken down into four main sections each different (some subtle, some obvious) with complex changes just to loop back on itself. This is why the band would occasionally get lost in the song or changes get missed when played live. Kashmir is quite a masterpiece. A typical prog rock song, which Kashmir surely is, is overtly complex and bloated but the boys take the complex and make it sound simple and accessible. Brilliant!

It's all good, we each have our own preferences. No worries.

I guess you are very particular as Plant sounded great for most of 77' - 80'. He was no longer sounding like his dick was caught in a coffee grinder (thank god) as he did 68'-72' but if that is what you like, more power to ya. Sure, Plant had better range in the pre-73' days but even by his own admission he was doing less actual signing and just going for the histrionics. After his throat surgery and post-75' he sounded better IMO than he did in the early days but then again, I never went for that screaming banshee shit unless a particular passage in a tune really required it. It's all subjective

How about his best performance post-1973??? I would say 6-13-77.

Too bad the media is either biased or simply so focused on sensationalism that they fail to tell the whole story or even the true story regarding the whole "vaping causes lung damage" scare. Turns out vaping can indeed cause serious lung damage, when you purchase it illegally from some shady bastard on the street. The news keeps leaving that part out. People who have experienced lung damage thus far are due to (predominantly) vaping from illegal, re-filled used cartridges filled with chemicals; vaping non-stop with the enthusiasm of Marilyn Chambers sucking a dick; or, because they already have lung issues such as asthma. Let's try some real basic common sense: Don't buy vape cartridges (nicotine or weed) from Pookie on the corner, don't suck on the damn thing like it's your last smoke before you die, and don't vape (or smoke) at all if you have pre-existing lung issues. Once again we (thinking humans), will likely deal with some form of prohibition due to the actions of the average moron. The common stupidity of the masses is truly distressing.