Whoa! Brother, I am late to your "Stereo Project" work, but now I hear what I've been missing. Each show you've done your stuff on is now in Top Position for me, based on a couple hours' of listening,. Can't wait for the luxury of time (after this fucking Covid nightmare) to delve into a deeper exploration of your work. Thanks again---Josh

We're older day by day. You feel it too? And the world's in chaos. So what's the point of vicious arguing on a site dedicated to a band we all love? It's bullshit. Someone has a legit criticism about screwing up some hoarder's pending maybe-releases? Take it PM. To keep it public is just grand-standing. Nobody in this singular genius band grandstanded. One of the many things that set them apart for the ages. My take, anyway.

Whoa, that sounds superb. Would love a link to stave off the endless cold, grey days of Pittsburgh. Eye thank ewe!

I agree. Then again, as someone noted, that's probably how Page wanted it. For sure, seeing Jones solo was my chance to truly enjoy ALL of his bass! As for Lesh--his sound is SO phenomenal in that Cornell '77 show. Especially Scarlet>Fire and the very next tune, Estimated Prophet. Then again, that whole show is so well recorded, like most from '77 spring. I also reckon Phil had a lot more overall audio input in the Dead than JPJ had in Zeppelin.

Ha-ha! Great story, man. I'm sure there are plenty of these "Zeppelinaires" out there. Main point is, this guy appreciated your passion for the music and was cool about spreading the wealth. I had to laugh about his wife's attitude, though. Hell, BOTH of my wives knew Zep was my passion and my hobby, and yet neither one failed to give me a hard time about it. Then again, neither one ever accused me of making "good money," which was possibly an accurate take.

I've known a couple of Zep fanatics with endless money who truly got off on the goal of collecting each and every high-end box set from Japan, and the more "Extremely Limited," the better. Why? Just because! Bragging rights, I guess. "I've got THE best collection in NYC now." Etc. They didn't have to spend time looking--their sources just sent them what they knew these cats wanted soon as they possibly could. This was a great thing, in the days before downloading, if you knew guys like this because you could ask them nicely to burn you copies of their silvers and they probably would, if they were in the mood! Even now, I assume high-end collectors who don't care about money get off on this. According to EV, there are 100 of these fuckers? Sounds about right.

Strider: Great, compelling writing about a monumental concert and, as you point out, a significant show for the burgeoning boot industry. If it's true that the Fairport Troub pro-tapes from that jam session were stored at Universal, well, that just compounds that tragedy, because we already know too many specifics about what's been confirmed destroyed. That loss is going to hurt for decades to come, music-wise... As far as Blueberry Hill recordings, I can't say I've enjoyed any version of the show in the last 35 years as much as Nite Owl's recent matrix, but I'd like to get ahold of a "first edition" Blimp or Rubber Dubber vinyl, just for the historical beauty of it. I'm sure there's one available somewhere--and I'm sure I can't afford it right now. Finally, very poignant indeed if Janis and Bonzo partied at Barney's on Sept. 4, '70---she died just a few blocks away exactly one month later.

Jaan Uhelsiki, a superb writer and editor at CREEM in the '70s, had this to say about Page and her interview with him: "Jimmy stipulated that I must first ask the publicist my question and then she relay the question to him--even though we all spoke the same language, and I was sitting a mere six feet from him. This went on for about an hour, and was so odd, and rather humiliating..." I still have that issue of Creem ('77, I think), and she rescued that nonsense and turned it into a truly insightful piece. I don't begrudge Page his attitude towards media, but he just doesn't like to talk.

Steve: Really sounds amazing! Thanks for the great work and I would truly appreciate a link.

I have to say, this snippet is some kinda revelation for me : these songs sound great--excellent fully dimensional SDB, like the best of the '75s, and also great Plant/Bonzo/Jones. And Jimmy holds his despite his digital fuck-up (far as I can tell , but I'm not a guitarist so I never know what's missing) IMO, Plant sounds healthier than during many a '73 American show, and everyone else seems primed and excited to be back. I can't remember the time-line but I guess by the third show Plant's voice was flued-into-oblivion? Goddamn shame, coupled with Jimmy's injury. Anyway, I NEED TO HEAR THE REST OF THIS SDB!

Thanks---this should be an interesting listen. I agree with those who say the studio version trumps any 79/80 live. But there are a couple I think are great, including Copenhagen 7/24. At the end of the day, I think "Evening" could have been one of THE classic Zeppelin tunes--- from writing and recording to live-- if Page and Bonham had been at the tops of their games instead of basically at the bottom.

Thanks for yer wisdom. Not surprised to hear this because I've really enjoyed the exceptional work Graf Zeppelin has been doing for some years now. (I say this as a huge fan off Winston and EAP.)

Like others have said, these are incredible photos, and they bring these shows I've been listening to for years to life in a whole new way! Pretty damn amazing, man. It really is like finding buried treasure to be able to see them after all this time. And yeah, the quality of the shots themselves is pro-level to be sure. I could easily see some of these on a legit live album cover if Jimmy ever decided to have a go at these shows. We're lucky to have your shots. Thanks.

"He did do things after 73 that were beyond anything he had done before. He did match, and in a lot of cases outdo, the energy level of a lot of shows. But there's a certain element of Page's mentality that ceased to exist after the 1973 tour. He was able to access a level of ingenuity and power over the fretboard that let him play with full confidence, where even his mistakes seemed like a racecar driver almost losing it on a tight turn. He was able to play with a flow that was awe-inspiring for listeners and musicians alike. He was able to convey an attitude into the strings that almost seemed like he had to hold back to keep it from outshining the other members or committing overkill. At any time he chose he could let his fingers fly on a lightning fast, articulate run, whereas later on this sort of thing only happened on his better nights. Maybe he just switched drugs, who knows. But the totality that was the 1973 Jimmy Page was never seen or heard again, at least as far as I've heard. " I'm gonna say that your paragraph above is the overall BEST take on '73 Page I've ever read, going back 30 years now. You touch on details and articulate specifics I've not seen written about before. And now I realize that this is what I've been hoping to read. Because to me, the '73 Europe shows are an "other-dimension" listening experience, largely because of Page. But since I don't know music and playing the way you do, my ability to articulate that "other-dimension," even to myself, has never been there. (Does this shit make any sense?) Look, I think the 2nd leg of the upcoming American tour was largely amazing, and I think they all busted their balls with genius playing and a whole lotta sweat to make the winter '73 U.K. tour an enduring triumph despite Plant's absurd fuckin' flu/throat disaster (sorry, but Plant not protecting his body and throat at that time was arrogant, IMO. He let his mates down.) But Zep Europe '73 was one of the TRUE heights in rock history, and I thank you for writing the words that help me understand why.

Seattle 1973. I'm "revisiting" this show after mostly passing it by it for a couple decades. Fact is, when I got the "V 1/2" Dynamite Studios silvers back 25 years ago (at least), I found the soundboard to be so damn dry and dusty that I wasn't getting any "vibes" from it, as Robert would say. And at the same time I was probably totally cranking "Three Days After" 73/06-03 L.A.from Silver Rarities which despite the significant tape damage was, and still is, one of my favorite '73 recordings. Anyway, the Winston Remaster of Seattle '73 is my new go-to and it's great. I hear the Graf Zeppelin version is amazing too, so I hope to find it. Anyone have suggestions for other versions? Thanks.

I'm enjoying the discussions coming up because of blackmikito's royal-orleans post. Learning a lot from all of it. Just goes to show, there's always more to discover. Always. The post itself is just awesome: gotta be the most informative, comprehensive and thoughtfully written in-depth Zep info I've read in many a moon. I guess I almost felt compelled to say this. With all the bullshit flying everywhere these days, about everything under the goddam sun, it just feels RIGHT to see a solid and passionate take on good ol' rock and roll, which is one of the few things keeping me and mine sane in this madhouse of a world.

but good to Yeah you got that right. I dig your perspective and the way you put it down , so keep it going. When I sift through all the takes I can read about Zeppelin, or any other bands I care about, 98 percent of it is ego-driven, self-serving bullshit written by people who don't know how to write about music. They just like to hear themselves talk. You're the rare cat what knows his stuff and understands what a reader wants to read. Not saying I agree with you 100%, but good to have a perspective worth respecting.

Thanks for this list. I've got about half that are on it and I like them all (or I wouldn't still have them). And now I've got a bunch more to seek out. Anyone on this forum who's responsible for any of these gets a huge fuckin' "Eye Thank Yew" from me, because all the ones I've heard are truly excellent additions to, or improvements on, the releases and sources you're working from--and you've got skills I sure don't have. Someone asked, "Winston or Nite Owl?" I think the Winstons I have are great (especially the '80 soundboards), but Nite Owl's matrix magic is on a totally new level. I'm old enough to have seen Zep live, which means I'm too old to compare remasterings, unless someone would pay me to, because I just don't think I've got enough time left. (I'm not entirely joking.) Luckily I don't have to compare. I just appreciate the excellent work I'm able to download, and I'm still amazed at what is available now, compared to when I bought my first vinyl Zep boot in '78, or when those first, sometimes really lame, CD's started coming out circa '90..

Man, I really appreciate your efforts here. I respect the takes because you obviously know your music, but more to the point, I've been looking for a good "Tour Over Europe" assessment for so long. I've heard all the '80 shows over the last 30 years--I've got a couple dozen silver CD first-releases stored in my attic (Condor/Toasted, Flying Disc, TDOLZ etc.), which I bought in indie record stores back in the day--hell, those were different times to be sure! But with all the new Zep glories uncovered in recent years, combined with my own crazy life stuff (new kid, new mortgage, etc.) I have never had time to go back and fully assess the '80 tour. You've done that work for me. Eye Thank Yew! I totally get folks' issues with this tour, the health of the band, etc., but I find the best parts of these shows totally fascinating---a look at what this incredible band might have been heading for in the '80s. You've done a great job pointing out the highlights (as well as the lowlights, which for me are summed up by White Summer/BMS July 7 Berlin...the absolute nadir). Rock on, bro.

I'm not taking sides here--life is too damn short. In fact, that's my point: I just don't see the reason for anger and confrontation on LZ.Com. In a time when almost every known Zep tape source, silver CD boot release, or personal-project remaster is available for sampling or downloading as Mp3 or Flac, what's the point of subjective attacks on some other Zep fan's opinion of this label or that one? I mean, of COURSE I get that individuals have personal issues/conflicts and previous histories. That's human fuckin' nature, that's the internet, and yeah that's how I rolled on FBO 20 years ago, Jesus, there were days I'd smoke some absinthe and do a few shots of Black Lebanese and go to town on "Pianoguy" for, like, hours at a time. Because I thought he was full of the ol' bully-bully-bullshit, you see. I never "won" those arguments; how could I have? 'Twas just my subjective opinion, dig. But boy-o, did I get self-righteously pissed! Yeah, but on FBO there were level-headed hipsters like Nech and Jeremy Mixer to step in and tell me to cool it and to remember that not every taper is clean of tapeworms. Even though when "Arizona Smiling" made its silver debut I was more underwhelmed than even I'd hoped to be (nevermind the absence of the heavily-hyped "YTIGC"). But I digress... When I was buying vinyl Zep boots in the '70s at the few hip local indie record stores in my hometown, or via tiny half-inch-by one-inch classified ads in the back pages of Creem or Trouser Press, what have you, I NEEDED to learn what I could about the sound quality of those releases. Same as when, 20 years later, I was ordering the latest Japanese silver cd's from Fisheads or the like ( before streaming and downloading; yes my young friends there was such a time in the intrawebs). But NOW? I think we should all be able to ably take our fill of what is out there--more than EVER BEFORE when it comes to Zep or so many other bands past and present--and decide what to dig for ourselves. Cats like Collectors Music Reviews and a few other great places do an excellent and passionate job of detailing individual silver/vinyl releases for the collector--my God, think of what gsparaco brought to writing about these crucial musical artifacts! I miss him so very much. I download a lot, but I will spend major coin on first-edition Zep titles that matter to me. That's what a serious collector does---throws cash he can't afford to waste of stuff he don't, technically, need. And we all know that the best Zep boot releases trump anything Zep itself has put out in the last 25n years! Shit, some EVSD box-sets are works off friggin' art, right? And I've got a six-year-old daughter who's finally getting around to the danceable-est Zep tunes: DD, HOTH, etc. I've spent thousands on my Zep vinyls and silvers over the last 40 years. Will they be worth a tuppence when my little gal comes of age, o0r when I need to sell them to send her to the college of her choice? Eh, no... But they have already proven their worth to ME times a fuckin'-million. And maybe, two my daughter's daughter, they will mean something too. So lighten up, guys. Take a larger, broader gander at the world today. None of the anger and conflict makes sense. Not anymore. And probably? It never did.

Vienna 3-16-73: BB has the soundboard portion as done up by Nite Owl--"stereo matrix" using multiple sources. Am comparing it to Winston's and others, and so far it sounds top notch. Really like what Nite Owl does.

Thanks for this---really fine work indeed! Last week I threw together the SDB tracks etc. from both nights, but you melded them skillfully, with audio and editing skills, and obvious passion. By the way, I think your WLL take is first rate, but of course there are other ways to cobble those two monsters together! Like everyone, I'd love to see a soundboard of WLL from any Japan '71 night. From my first silver CD boot of 9/29, years and years ago ("Smoke Gets In Yours Eyes"--Mad Dogs) I've been frustrated by the inconsistent sound of the aud. recordings. Anyway, thanks again.