I would agree with most of this, Robert’s voice 68-71 was otherworldly. However, I do feel and appreciate his 73 voice warts and all. There are certain songs that I prefer his 73 voice on. Rain song specifically, some of the NQ performances are just amazing. I would also note that his 75 voice when healthy was and has some of my favorite performances. His IMTOD at Earls Court may be one of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard. It is interesting, my daughter is a singer/classical as well as pop, rock, blues etc. when she watches that performance he is singing from gut! It isn’t a throat performance. I would also say that his 77 voice on many songs were spectacular. Since I’ve been living you was incredible and for me took that song to another level. 79 for Kashmir, Achilles, and a few others at the Copenhagen shows were as good as it gets for me. I would like to say that 68-71 Plant, the power, the rawness of his voice was unlike anything anyone had ever heard. It was just breathtaking. Having said that, I can appreciate the vulnerability, the courage, the phrasing, delivery that he demonstrated and developed over the years. I personally think while he may have lost some of that raw power and damaged his voice, he absolutely in my opinion became a better singer overall. I don’t think 68-71 Plant could have performed IMTOD, Kashmir, Wanton, Custard, In the light, Ten Years, In the evening, All of my love, and maybe my favorite song ever I’m going to Crawl. I really want to say that I don’t have a favorite Zeppelin song. But I’m going to Crawl to book end their career is about as good as it gets. And I can’t begin to imagine Robert in 68,69,70,71 getting close to that performance, or the performances that I listed above. 71 Plant on TUF in my dumb opinion would not have sounded the same as it did in 75. I do dig and appreciate your topic here. It is awesome, great to go back and listen and get into that time period. Thank you NQ75

Hey man, I know I’ve responded to this thread, but damn, just reread the 7/27 post. That shit is on point. Robert is crushing it! Jimmy is straight possessed, JPJ is just doing his thing and is the consummate professional without boasting or bragging. John is absolutely killing it. The three frontmen are without a doubt pushing and just creating something that no band had ever achieved. Really what I wanted to say, and also second what a few others have said, your description is spot on. I have to say, I prefer this voice from Robert, the tone and ferocious playing from the three musicians is simply unmatched/unbelievable. 1975-NQ, what an amazing illustration and description you have given! Dope!

I would also suggest that people read and google “ why does no one talk about who Clapton stole from”. You will be able to read many blues musicians who are far less than kind and have many opinions on the subject. Again, I love Eric. He has some cool music. It is not necessarily my taste, I would never diminish or disrespect his achievements and all that he has created. I am simply bringing that up because it is easy and has been easy to say that Zeppelin lifted music. I believe some people missed the point. I believe that Jimmy particularly like to pay respect, and would take a very small sample to say thank you, and then create something completely original and something that had nothing to do with who and what he was paying homage too. Just my thoughts.

I can appreciate your thoughts/opinions. Duane, Eric, Jeff, Jimmy, and Jimi are all absolutely out of this world amazing guitarist. Who we like all comes down to personal preference really. I have always felt that Jimmy and Zeppelin have always taken way to much shit in terms of what was supposedly lifted/borrowed. You can listen to several songs that Jeff was inspired from, and made into his own. Which Mr. Beck was a 1 of a kind amazing, gifted, hardworking, brilliant guitarist. Eric, also was inspired by many of the older/Blues generation and borrowed and created from there. Same for Jimi and Duane. I have a couple of things to say, Jimmy does not get nearly the credit he should be given in a few areas. Certainly as a producer, writer, and the over all sound and imagery that he wanted to and did convey with his band. As a result of creating these huge part atmospheres in the middle and late 1970’s and maybe being the highest guy in the room and building Jimmy had a few off nights. I have listened to as many bootleg recordings and officially live releases of Jeff and Eric, and Jimi as I believe are available, and I think something that doesn’t get talked about is how much Jimmy tried to stretch, and how far out he went to create something. I can’t think of anyone other guitarist or musician who was on the edge, pushing, and trying to innovate on a nightly basis as Mr. Page. I have read on other forums, people opinions of him in his later years with Zeppelin and his sticky fingers, or whatever it is. There is not another guitarist who tried what he was trying, no one wrote and created the absolute killers that Pagey created. His list is monumental. Certainly Eric, Hendrix, Duane, and Beck created some absolute masterpieces. Jimmy was doing it on the riff, the solo, the rhythm, and was all by himself on stage trying to complete his guitar army as a one man show.He did not have a rhythm/ back up guitarist. He did happen to have maybe the greatest musician in all of music in JPJ. That was a real bonus to say the least. Let’s not forget that at the Arms concerts others were playing their hits, Jimmy was playing Chopin. He was constantly pushing the envelope, constantly challenging himself. If we just look at those concerts alone they are incredible. When he was jamming with Eric, and Jeff on their songs, specifically Eric, he was absolutely crushing those riffs, and when it was his turn to solo, from my perspective he destroys and sounds different/very different than the others that he was playing with. I do have to admit that his style, his vulnerability, his ability and music touches me more than those others. If we are simply going off of what his body of work is compared to all of the others, I would argue that it isn’t even close. And that is not to take away from anyone else. I have lots of live Hendrix, Clapton, and have some early 70’s to mid 70’s Beck. They would all have nights that were less than stellar. My thoughts are that Jimmy was creating and developing as a studio, and live guitarist in the 60’s through the late 70’s that was simply beyond his contemporaries. Others can feel differently. That’s okay. I would say let’s look at all the monsters that Page created and stack them up commercially, and see where they all land. People can say Hendrix was the best, and I’m totally okay with it. He was out of this world. Beck perhaps had gotten better with practice and age. And he was amazing and such a loss. I would also say that Jimmy from 96-2001 was on fire, and in my opinion while he may have lost some speed, his imagination, his creativity, confidence and an was staggering/blistering. I’m sad that it ended with he and Plant when it did. It’s one of those what could have been. Lastly, Jimmy as a riff master, writer, arranger, producer, studio, and live musician was and is easily summed up by the people he played with, his fans, and honestly his achievements/accomplishments/ accolades. In my opinion he is the most celebrated, and imitated guitarist on the planet. His electric work, his acoustic acumen is just beyond reproach. These are just a fan, maybe a struggling guitarist opinion. But I would turn Jimmy onto anyone that was looking to find out who and what a guitar is supposed to sound like, and be played live. His brilliant live moments in my humble meaningless opinion, as well as his stunning studio work is beyond comparison. However, I can see people saying the same thing about Hendrix. I know I said lastly, but Santana has a great quote about Hendrix, and what Jimmy did to the electric guitar after he took over. I encourage others to find it. It’s amazing. You couldn’t have been a studio musician in those days unless you were balls on. You had to produce then and there. Also, other than 94-96 Jimmy was all by himself and did not have someone to lean on and have to help fill space. It was just Page. Hendrix was alone as well, however, he passed way to soon and his body of work is just not as big. Our beloved James Patrick Page was crushing out on the tiles, while others were trampled underfoot. I know that last part is corny.

Lots of great thoughts on this topic. There are, as many have said, many reasons his voice changed from, and after 68-72. While certainly viruses have nothing to do with temperature or wet hair, getting on and off temp controlled plains walking into freezing temps in some middle America arena will absolutely affect your voice and performance. Also doing several shows a night in the first 2 years and singing your guts/lungs out had to have had some effect. The thing for me which I partly agree with you on his voice after 72 and sometimes even do prefer, is his phrasing, technique, choice of delivery.He got better in my opinion on a lot of songs that I don’t think he would have been able to do the same way. For example all of PG that were not left over songs from early albums. I don’t think Trampled would have sounded as good with 68-72 voice, as well as Kashmir, Custard, TYG, In the Light etc. and some performances in 75 when he was healthy and the entire band were on are simply amazing and 77 has some of my favorite Plant versions. By the way, I appreciate all of the members in the band equally and my “ Plant 77 “ name is not very thoughtful. Born in 77 and just put Plant in front. If we think of Rock Singers of that era, no one had near the range with the exception of maybe Freddy. He was almost operatic in his performance and had an amazing voice. However, the songs do not compare, lyrically or instrumentally in my opinion. Paul Rogers certainly has an amazing Rock voice, but his range is not even close to Robert’s in that time. He wasn’t singing songs with the variety of Zeppelins catalog for sure. We also need to be amazed that the guy has a voice at all anymore. A simple google search of the amount of shows this man has played is pretty staggering. And the songs that he sings even at 73 years young is pretty insane. Not everyone on here will feel the same, but I’m blown away none the less. Getting back to it, looking at PG, Presence, ITTOD and his solo works there are absolutely versions that I prefer. Even the 73 shows, his gritty-ness for lack of a better word. It was not necessarily full on blow your head off power, but there was a dirtier, perhaps sexier, sometimes squeaky vulnerability about his voice that I prefer. I enjoy any singer that is on the edge, where when they try and hit a specific note and it is not perfect, I love those performances. From the 2003 LZ DVD the IMTOD is maybe my favorite live performance of any song by them all time. From the very start, his confidence, playfulness, down to the Voice on Steroids moment at the end when he and Jimmy are pushing each other to the brink. If I were to play for someone who wasn’t a Zeppelin fan or had not heard any live songs this would be my first pick. I must say when I listen to As along as I have you from the 27th of April that is just a mind blowing performance by all of them. I also believe the city that they were in would also somehow and sometimes help create that magic that we all get to enjoy. LA, NY, SF New Orleans and many other amazing places in the US and throughout the countries that they played maybe helped get them all up for a show. Not always about the big cities we all. When I first started to dive deep into the Bootleg world in the early 90’s I did find myself listening to the early shows more, as I have aged and maybe just coming to appreciate the later shows although there are not as many, he still rocked the shit out of it from 73-1980. I know that this was very long winded, and maybe even sounds a bit like an apologetic rant of his change. But that guy was the only person for the job, and no one could have come close to making Zeppelin sound like they did through their years together. Off topic, that is why I respect them as much as I do, you could not have gone on without any one of them. They were all bursting with talent and all of them were the exact fit for that band and they were all in my opinion the best at their craft. If Jonesy would have left after 73 as very nearly did happen they would have had to pack it in then as well. I have been without power for 7 days now in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and started with Album 1 and worked my way through Coda. I have moved onto my earliest bootlegs and with the passing of Jeff Beck and my own thoughts on my mortality we are beyond lucky to have had the 12 years that they gave us. Impossible to even think about music without their contributions. Head and shoulders above everyone.

Rest in Peace Mr. Jeff Beck. I usually am not effected and don’t get all that sad when celebrities pass away. Jeff’s passing has had a different effect on me. The man was so talented, a total character, brilliant at his craft, obviously very close to a few of the members of our favorite band. I honestly feel very sad for his family and his many friends in the industry including James Patrick Page. Godbless you Jeff, I feel fortunate to have seen him perform, and the music industry lost a Giant. His music and his being will be remembered, and sorely missed. Man, what a fucking blow!

Trump doesn’t have any convictions yet. But plenty of people in his administration have several, as well as the right wing party that screams that the left are the party of criminals. Funny thing is, poorest states, all red. Worst crime, all red. Most reliant on welfare, all red. Keep talking about the Clintons, if there are any reliable truths and anyone can show proof other than a blow job, I would say throw the book at them. And rotten from the head down. That may be the dumbest shit I’ve ever read. Keep kissing your cousin. Your uncle/dad and mother/aunt are relying on you to keep the family lineage going.

We should “delve “ into the background of all mass shooters. I did just watch the video of his father and it explains sooo much. That poor bastard didn’t have a chance coming from that family tree. Their tree looks like a totem pole. Which when I think about it, so much of the south, the Midwest has a tree with very few branches. It explains a ton. I recently saw a tweet where a woman from the right is now suggesting that we raise the voting age to 21. I would love to have an IQ test and a history test before people are allowed to vote. Certainly I know that isn’t realistic, but all these crazy bastards who are allowed to vote on either side is a concern. Getting back to the Rightwimg nut job who tweeted that we should raise the voting age to 21, it is interesting to me that certain groups are never about changing their policies or looking at how they can reach people who do not agree with their thoughts and policies. They automatically want to disenfranchise a certain portion of the population. Says a lot about where they are going and what they think of their own party. As a side note, the Republican Party has won the popular vote once since 1988. What does that say about our country. Truly interested in your thoughts.

What would being the biggest landowner in the US, or in the world have to do with anything. I’m not trying to be a jerk/jackass. I’m truly interested in this theory/conspiracy. I have no knowledge of what that would mean, or if it is even true. I know that the right has the conspiracy theory on lock.

Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.

Where are we going wrong? Are your simple minded little feelings getting hurt. Keep being a Rino! Anyone who still thinks that the Orange fella was and is good for this country are the biggest Rino’s of all. I hope to god he wins the primary for your party. He will get trounced like he has in all the recent elections. Also, from a supposedly grown man? “ LOLROTF! AGAIN”! What fucking grown man would reply that way? Well, perhaps a simpleton? You clearly are. I’m tired of reading you and your little F boy Cry me a River Blue balls posts! Always with some stupid shit to say! Never anything that is remotely something that others can possibly get behind, unless you are a Rino groomer. So I say to you, get some true balls, look deep and find some self respect, stop the cult behavior. There is help for you and your kind.

Oh please. I don’t have TDS! And coming from you, who may be an educator I am ashamed and appalled for you. How about this, you seek help. I’m fine. I run a successful business, I have increased our company from 3 people to 19 people and currently I am at the Four Seasons in Maui having a wonderful time. What’s funny is I watched you kiss ass to the woman in the Song Remains The Same Thread. How about this, not one of the band members would agree with your thoughts. “TDS”! You are also laughable. Keep being a Joe Rogan Tool!

Thank you as usual Strider. If I may, can you please tell me when we will get an update to your 72 concert update? If you have already done that and I have missed it I apologize. Thank you in advance. Have a wonderful day.

Here is just one quick search! Eleven allies of and advisers to former president Donald Trump have been convicted or pleaded guilty in recent years to various offenses, with their total sentences nearing 30 years of imprisonment. Former top Trump campaign strategist and White House adviser Stephen K. Bannon is the latest to be headed to prison. After being convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the House Jan. 6 committee, he was sentenced Friday to four months in prisonand a $6,500 fine. Get the full experience.Choose your plan As president, Trump also pardoned Bannon for unrelated felony charges related to whether he and others had defrauded donors to the “We Build the Wall” fundraising campaign before that case could be brought to trial. And many Trump aides have avoided serving their sentences thanks to clemency from Trump — which Trump granted to 7 of the 11 allies — or have had their sentences reduced by pleading guilty and/or cutting deals with investigators.George Nader was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for child sex charges. Nader’s crime was unrelated to Trump, but he was an informal adviser to Trump’s campaign, including being wrapped up in some key episodes in the Russia investigation. He came into that role with a rap sheet that included a 1991 child pornography conviction in the United States and a 2003 conviction in the Czech Republic for soliciting sex from underage boys. Let’s talk about Groomers shall we.

I know that Hillary had the courage to testify. I thought your slob king was going to go to the hearings and let everyone know what was what! That piece of shit plead the 5th something like 400 times for his tax fraud case. I do remember him saying that only guilty Mafia members plead the 5th. Also, I’ll pull the clip of when Trump said that Hillary was the “ Best Secretary of State ever”! Give me a few minutes and I’ll post that as well. You and Blue balls and Hummer posting all your nonsense! I know that both of you don’t believe a word of it. You can’t! Because none of it is true. Good try though. I’ll start posting facts while you can cry “ Laptop “! Jerkoff!

Goddamn, I just read the rest of your rambling nonsense! All your what-aboutism! Hunter is a man who had a drug problem and had the courage to get help. Bidens other son was a war vet! Trumps fucking brain dead idiots steal from cancer charities! Kushner got 2 billion from the Bone Saw Saudi regime. You are laughable. You and Crying on a blue ball train! Let’s check out these new Tax returns that the Supreme Court just said need to be released. And let’s wait for the Fulton County cards to fall, and I’m looking forward to the Mar-Lago papers that were declassified by the fat slob thinking about it! Worst President in the history! Well he actually falls into third in that category by ever major metric according to all historians! I’ll get to your nonsense posts in a moment Crying Blue Balls. Save it.

Also, why do you give a shit what Hunter had told a hooker?! Trump on the other hand was with a Pornstar and was thoroughly embarrassed and a man went to prison over it. You are a delusional Trumplican! Get out! Seriously, get out while you can. Start backing guys like Adam K and Liz C! Mitt.

Would you like me to post the convictions as well Hummer. Admit it, you are in a cult. It is not too late to get out. It’s not like we will ridicule you. You were conned by a con man. It’s not the party of Reagan anymore. Not even Bush. It’s an old fat slob who is tearing the party apart. I would love to know the difference between these two? I’ll wait. And all your bullshit responses are not proof of anything. I’ll post facts while you post opinions.

Don’t be all mad about true Big D energy. Most Libs and Dems have that. While most Trumplicans are dealing with inferior complexes! Let’s look at that no chin p.o.s. Don JR. that kid couldn’t fight his way out of a wet paper bag. Nor his sloppy, talk tough, never been in a fight, or played sport, bone spur, having orange father. Joe and his son would slap the hell out of his weak father and son combo. By the way, he does not and never had a job in his pops administration. On the other hand Jared, Ivanka, and a few others need to start worrying. Let’s take a look at Admins and their indictments.

Yes Sir. I admire your dedication and your ability to try new things. We should all take a page out of your book.

Nothing at all, right wing media blogs are making stupid stuff up to fit the conspiracy theory narrative. I am having a blast reading all the trumptards talk about 7 times trying to convict and still nothing. Impeached twice, lost popular vote twice, lost the house and the senate, the senate three times. He is getting his comeuppance. Stealing classified docs and saying he can declassify by just thinking about it is hilarious. If I didn’t know better I would say that the Rino trump, the original Rino is trying to destroy the Republican Party. I mean, he did just switch party affiliation back in 2010, his daughter officially in 2018 I believe. The problem is, that Rino is going to ruin it for an actual Republican in Desantis. That’s a guy a lot of Independents like myself could get behind. If Ron would perhaps be a little more moderate, he has an actual chance. If they run that train wreck Trump he absolutely will lose, and then the house and the Senate will go to the Dems. Try reading something that isn’t just force fed from a narrative you want to believe in. Blogs, Breightshit, Faux News, OANN, and NewsMax are not news. That’s like watching RT and expecting to hear something bad about Putin. What happened to all of those who said that Russia would roll right over the Ukraine. And what the hell happened to the party of Reagan who would have never backed Russia over anyone in their own country. I remember when John McCain said that Rand Paul was a Russian asset! He was correct. There are just many more in the new Rino Party.

That is some good stuff Red.

This is amazing. All the music that has appeared from this band in the last year is also pretty spectacular. Thanks to all of you that have had anything to do with it.