Yea the extent of my knowledge on that is really limited to his house of blues webcast and his zooma album. Anything specific?

Hi, I'm a guitarist and just traded a fairly low end guitar with my friend for some frankenstein project he's doing in return for a sweet-looking f-style mandolin. To be honest, I'm not a massive fan of what the instrument is usually used to play, it's not really my kind of thing i really just got it to learn Jones' solos from the bootlegs for fun and to help train my ear when i get bored/frustrated with whatever I'm doing on guitar. I'm fairly well versed in bootlegs but am wondering what his best mandolin solos specifically are. I realise this basically limits to Going to California and That's the Way since it was jimmy who played on Evermore. Best I can think of is Going to California from 29th september 1971. Thats probably where I'm going to start at least. I guess I'm basically asking what the best versions of Going to California and That's the Way are Jones-wise. I'd also prefer them to be on at least listenable quality since I am trying to actually play what I'm hearing but by no means does it have to be top quality. Thanks

Corrections “How Many More Times” - The fuller version from the 10th of October 1969 easily goes up there with those listed, possibly at the top. I need to emphasise though that whilst this is the one on the Deluxe Edition, the official release is only 11 minutes of an otherwise 22 or-so minute performance. The bootleg is in professional quality so it’s well worth having the full version. “Heartbreaker” - I would more closely consider the Berkeley performance mentioned. I also didn’t include the 21st of June 1977 “Eddie” performance which should be up there. Top 3 would be Berkeley, Montreux and Long Beach 1975. Really annoyed I didn’t put 16th March 1973 in Vienna as well. “Living Loving Maid” - Robert Plant did perform it on his “Manic Nirvana” tour, kindly pointed out by @Inthelateafternoon. 19th September 1990 is the better of only a few I could find. “Since I’ve Been Loving You” - I’ve realised it’s not really Jimmy's fault on the later ones. It is still a factor, he doesn’t play it as well as he used to, but Plant’s newer style just does not suit this song at all. I know I had a massive list already, but this song deserves it - I’ll add a few later ones just to not neglect it as there are a good few that are still good of course – 30th May 1977 in Landover, 23rd June 1977 is probably better. 7th June 1977 at MSG. 14th February 1975 in Uniondale is great. I’ll add 17th July 1973 as a TSRTS alternative. 25th November 1971 in Leicester should have been brought up. Jimmy’s soloing in those later ones is still great. I wouldn't consider any of the 1980 ones, they're all bad and should have been replaced by "I'm Gonna Crawl" by this point. “That’s the Way” – I’d change my pick from Earls Court, which is still a top contender, to either of the Osaka nights in 1971. They are both absolutely beautiful, I think the less than perfect quality of the bootleg adds a tone that suits this song. Earls Court is still amazing though “Tangerine” – The first ever performance on 24th September 1971 should have been brought up, it’s close if not completely on the level of Osaka. I prefer the earlier ones, and in general the acoustic over the electric. But for the electric versions, I may have mistyped as the 24th is better than 25th. “Going to California” - Would like to reiterate that I’d probably end up putting the Osaka one I was talking about above Earls Court. My Earls Court choice is purely based off personal bias. The Osaka one is better - but do still check out the EC one too 😊 “Over The Hills and Far Away” - Add 21st March 1975, one of the better ‘75 ones and up there with the best guitar-wise. “The Crunge” - Whilst I still prefer the 1972 ones where Page is more confident in the time changes and Plant is less strained by not singing at all, I’d have to add the 11th of March 1975 in Long Beach along with the one listed for ‘75 versions. It exists in great quality from multiple sources and is pretty good. “No Quarter” - “Badgeholders” really should have been mentioned, it’s better than many that were listed. 25th March 1975 in LA is also more than worthy of a mention here. “In My Time of Dying” - Still believe the 22nd one is best, but for most people it’s not going to be in good enough quality so I’ll emphasise that the 25th from 3 days later would be a close second and is much more listenable. The 1977 ones are more sinister sounding, so I prefer them – also the song is blues based meaning it was easier for Page to play in his ‘77 state so it was much more consistent than songs like “White Summer” and many others which weren’t done as well in general. Also can’t believe I forgot to mention many from ‘75 (these could all be top spots) - 4th March in Texas, 27th March in LA and 16th February in St Louis “Trampled Underfoot” - Add 14th February 1975. I think when listening to the ‘77 versions on their own they sound too slow and only in the context of the rest of the gig does it make sense to slow it down. It’s been a while since I listened to a whole show start to finish, I’ve mostly been cherry picking recently so I’m preferring the ‘75 and ‘80 versions. “Destroyer” and “Destroyer II” both have decent ‘77 ones. “In the Light” - The version from 2000 I’m referring to on closer inspection seems to be from 10th July 2000 at Jones Beach Theatre. The only information in writing I could find about this and the version of “Misty Mountain Hop” which were released on the Japan edition was that they were from 2000. I’m now dead certain it’s 10th July. “Achilles Last Stand” - I feel presence is overall all things considered the worst release, and when writing this had slightly forgotten how good this song is, so I’d like to add a few alternatives to the poor-quality option I gave. 28th April 1977 in Cleveland is great, available on “Destroyer II, especially the soloing - still in slightly rough quality but a lot better than 22nd June. The day after the 22nd on “For Badgeholders Only” is great as well. “Nobody's Fault but Mine” - I’ll add a few others as this song was more dependable than many others, I can’t think of too many which majorly flopped as easily as I can “Kashmir” and “Ten Years Gone”. 22nd May in Fort Worth, “For Badgeholders Only”, for a fully filmed version there's 17th July in Seattle, and from 1980 I’d even say 30th June and even 7th July Berlin. The ‘07 gig I think I should have also mentioned, that’s great too. “As Long As I Have You” - 27th April is still my favourite, but the 14th February 1969 Miami performance as well as the Winterland Ballroom one are both extremely worthy alternatives. “For Your Love” was also missing from the non-album section. A Yardbirds cover from the early days, I’d say either 5th January 1969 at the Whiskey A Go Go!! or five days later on the 10th of January 1969 in San Fransisco. Not to be confused with “For Your Life”

Yes you’re right, Plant did in fact play “Living Loving Maid” on his “Manic Nirvana” tour. The best quality recording I have found thus far is 19th September 1990 at the Seattle Center Coliseum. His solo career roughly from here onwards is miles better than his 80s stuff 😂

Oh I'll need to look that up - I'm much more familiar with his newer stuff, his 80s music isn't really my cup of tea so I haven't given it much attention. Cheers

I recently wrote a much better one with way less mistakes and better choices lmao here's the link:

The Song Remains the Same – 5 min The Rover/Sick Again – 5 min (Celebration Day lost its power live after 1971 for me) In My Time of Dying – 10 min (Medley inc. The Lemon Song) Since I’ve Been Loving You (inc. Tea for One) - 12 min Moby Dick – 10 min Nobody's Fault but Mine – 6 min The Rain Song – 8 min Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (Pedal Steel Rehearsal) - 8 min Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp – 10 min (Medley inc. Dancing Days) That’s The Way –5 min Going to California – 9 min (Close to Osaka version) Bron-Yr-Aur – 3 min In The Light – 9 min No Quarter – 20 min Ten Years Gone – 9 min Achilles Last Stand – 9 min White Summer – 5 min straight into Kashmir – 9 min - Encore - Whole Lotta Love (inc. The Crunge) – 15 min Stairway To Heaven – 10 min Black Dog (Bring It on Home intro)– 5 min Organ Solo – 3 min Thank You – 6 min Equates to about 3 hours and 10 mins

Glad you liked it

Ah thanks I forgot about that. They also played it at Whiskey a Go Go right? Think that's where I know if from. I'll add it. Yes the Miami "As Long as I Have You" was definitely a second pick, just ahead of the Winterland Ballroom performance, I forget what date that was. The 24th at Fillmore I really like as I can hear how different it was only days apart. Might add those dates as its been a while since I heard this track and forgot how different they each are, they're all worth listening to

Glad you enjoyed it How did it fare against yours?

Although I posted a list recently, it was written haphazardly over one night as I couldn’t sleep. There were many mistakes and missing songs. This is a much more revised playlist that I have put a lot more thought and time into (several weeks) so I think it is more than deserving of its own discussion. This is partly aimed at people who haven’t looked into bootlegs and don’t know where to start like me a couple of years ago, so I try to stick to decent quality where I can; also, partly for bootleg experts just for conversations sake between fans If you’re new to boots though, know that most of these aren't in perfect quality like the official releases (some are pretty flawless soundboards though), by “decent” I mean listenable to me as someone who doesn’t have the best “Bootleg ears”. 17th April 1970 I think is as rough as it goes on this list by far. I also acknowledge every time I say “best” or “worst” that it’s just my opinion. I wanted this to be as comprehensive and complete as possible, including as many songs as possible so I count Page and Plant, The Black Crowes and Robert Plant and his solo bands etc. They are fantastic performances (despite the “purity” issues some have. And I agree, the 1998 tour would’ve been a perfect time to get Jones and Junior on board). They also fill in gaps where Zeppelin didn’t perform some songs, or some just not very well. I try to give Zeppelin alternatives to those where I can. Several of these have quite a few dates listed as the song maybe changed a lot and wanted to give examples of the best ones from each era. - Led Zeppelin - “Good Times Bad Times” - 4th September 1970 - - For the rest of the list, I don’t count songs played under the context of another song (in a medley) unless there's no other option however this song was barely performed on its own and it was much better as part of a medley. This version is from the “Communication Breakdown” medley in 1970 on the “Blueberry Hill” bootleg. For the full song, “Celebration Day” from 2007 is also a worthy choice. “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” - 28th June 2014 - - Robert Plant at Glastonbury 2014. This is one of those songs that I think Robert Plant and whomever he’s with (Sensational Space Shifters, Band of Joy, Alison Kraus etc) do a better rendition than any Led Zeppelin did together. I’ve never been much of a fan of the electric versions played on the Telecaster in 1969, the only one that comes to mind is Denmarks Radio. Plant’s vocals are amazing I’m just not a fan of the telecaster tone and if it had to be electric, would take a cleaner, mellower Les Paul over it, so I’m picking Glasto’ 2014 -10th December 1998 - Page and Plants final ever gig exactly 9 years before the “Celebration Day” gig. One of Page’s best solos ever. “You Shook Me” - 26th January 1969 - - Boston Tea Party, great Organ solo. Again, I don’t have great “Bootleg Ears” so this sounds kinda choppy to me but it’s not too bad and the performance I think is well worth it. The best “Train Kept a Rollin’” is performed on this set as well for me. For a much cleaner quality recording and still amazing performance: -27th June 1969. “Dazed and Confused” - 29th September 1971 - - This is a whole discussion in and of itself. The one I listen to the most is probably the “Song Remains the Same” version purely for the “San Fransisco” part, the quality and tone, but any European ‘73 version is a good time. For the best “Woodstock” section, I recommend May 24th at Earls Court. There are too many and they vary too much so I’m giving a few from a range of years: -25th March 1969 (Supershow) -9th January 1970, Royal Albert Hall -4th September 1970, LA (Blueberry Hill) -16th March 1973, Vienna -22nd March 1973, Essen -27th July 1973 – The version on “The Song Remains the Same” comes entirely from that night but it’s been cut in over 10 places, listen to the full version. -12th March 1975, Long Beach -21st March 1975, Seattle -24th May 1975, Earls Court (Best “Woodstock” section) “Your Time is Gonna Come” - 18th October 1999 - - The only performance by Led Zeppelin was part of a medley of “Whole Lotta Love” on 24th September 1971 during the Japan 1971 tour. It’s quite obvious they are inexperienced in performing the track, as jones resorts to playing the “Ramble On” bass line instead. A fuller and better version is found on Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes “Live at The Greek”. Basically the only option but still great. “White Summer/Black Mountain Side” - 14th April 1970 - - Sounds slightly rough to begin with, trust me you get used to this one as the audience settles down and it sounds clearer. The 1970 versions are much better at having that trance effect which was the whole point of the song. I’d like to add as well that although the 9th of January 1970 at Royal Albert Hall is an extremely popular choice, I think it is vastly, vastly overrated. I just don’t like the distorted, fuzzy tone on it and the performance beyond that is leagues behind many others. My guess is that it's not one of their highly regarded tracks (although I love it) so people don’t listen to many versions compared to something like “Since I’ve Been Loving You” so just default to saying RAH, but maybe that’s just me. From 1975 onwards he noodles aimlessly a lot more and by 1980 its sad to listen to him struggle through it. I don’t recommend any 1980 version – he even gets a firecracker thrown at him. - 27th June 1969 - - Although this is from the Playhouse Theatre 1969, this is NOT the one on BBC Sessions although it is in almost flawless quality. -8th April 1970, Raleigh -23rd April 1970, Jimmy Page on The Julie Felix Show -21st May 1977, Houston “Communication Breakdown” - 4th September 1970 - - The “Blueberry Hill” performance for that Bass solo, the “For What It’s Worth” jam and the “Good Times Bad Times”.  I would like to see the one recorded alongside the rest of “How the West Was Won” as well as the other missing numbers that should have been on the 2018 remaster; “Thank You”, “Tangerine”, some of the “Whole Lotta Love” medley and maybe even the “Louie Louie” cover. “I Can’t Quit You Babe” - 9th January 1970 at Royal Albert Hall - - The version on “Coda” is in my opinion far superior to the one which appears on this album, and that’s basically a remix of the RAH recording. Listen to the full version though, not the cut one on “Coda.” “How Many More Times” - 17th April 1970 - - This performance I think is the best but to me the quality of the recording isn’t great. Peter Grant also had a gun pulled on him backstage at this show. Whilst maybe not their finest track, this and “Dazed and Confused” are the foundations for the longer jams that would follow on other songs like “Whole Lotta Love”, “No Quarter”, “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" and “Heartbreaker”. -17th March 1969, Denmarks Radio -9th January 1970, Royal Albert Hall -7th March 1970, Montreux - Led Zeppelin II - “Whole Lotta Love” - 29th September 1971 - - Other than the Japan 1971 gigs, I honestly believe some of the mid-later versions are better than the earlier ones in both performance and recording quality. The versions done on the European 1973 tour are all great, and the 1975 ones where longer versions of “The Crunge” were incorporated I think are also worthy of a few top spots. If you want longer medleys, any from the five Japan 1971 dates (bar the 27th) are all over or near half an hour and are all probably at the top in terms of performance. -January 9th, 1970, Royal Albert Hall -7th March 1970, Montreux -17th April 1970, Memphis -14th September 1971 -28th September 1971, Osaka  -25th June 1972, L.A. -16th March 1973, Seattle -July 27th and 29th mix (The Song Remains the Same) -17th March 1975, Seattle  -25th May 1975, Earls Court -4th August 1979, Knebworth -30th June 1980, Frankfurt   -7th July 1980, Berlin - This is the last song from their last performance. The band is in nowhere near top form, but towards the end, Jones starts ripping it on bass. “What is and What Should Never Be” - 9th January 1970, Royal Albert Hall - - This is particularly impressive. June 25th, 1972 (How the West Was Won) is also good enough but I prefer RAH. Like many other songs here, it didn’t vary too much and was kinda played as is, making vocals, tone and sound quality important factors here. “The Lemon Song/Killing Floor” - 27th April 1969 - - “Killing Floor” at the Fillmore West. Great version, slightly dodgy quality however worth it for a look at an early version of the song done by an early Zeppelin.  “Thank You” - 4th January 1971 - - One of Jimmy’s finest solos. This in my opinion is one of the best live songs the band performed. I’d go as far as saying I'm not even much of a fan of the studio release, but the live ones far outdo it and are always up there in my playlists. The organ solo which introduces it is also a factor in my choices. Here’s a few others I think anyone could easily prefer over my choice: -7th March 1970, Montreux -4th September 1970, L.A. - 31st August 1971, Orlando -29th September 1971, Osaka -19th June 1972, Seattle -22nd January 1973, Southampton -29th July 1973, MSG - The final night of the MSG run, curiously not included in “The Song Remains the Same” is also great, this was also the final performance of the song. -16th May 1995 “Heartbreaker” - 7th March 1970, Montreux - - Their performance of this song at the Royal Albert Hall in January 1970 is phenomenal but unfortunately the tape cuts off very dramatically during the track, so I cannot give it my vote. The version captured on “How the West Was Won” is also brilliant as is 29th September at Osaka. I'm a fan of the simple intro played by Bonham on 1973 performances. There are so many options for this that I’m adding more: -9th September 1971 in Hampton -14th September 1971 at Berkeley -29th September 1971, Osaka -29th July 1973, Madison Square Garden -12th March 1975, Long Beach -25th May 1975 - The final song they played in Earls Court.  -21st June 1977, LA -29th June 1980, Zurich “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)” - Page hated this song, so it was never performed sadly. It was one of the first songs I learned by ear when learning to play at first, so it has a special place for me and is almost synonymous with “Heartbreaker”. “Ramble On” - 9th February 2011 - - Robert Plant with Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller on "Artists Den". It has countless performances with Page and Plant, but I’ll take the “Celebration Day” version from 2007 over those. If you’re a Led Zeppelin purist and only want performances by the whole band where possible then 2007 is your only option as they only played bits of it here and there, but over that and the Page and Plant ones I’d take this one from Artists Den. Plants singing is phenomenal and his older, more controlled voice suits it. This is longer with an impressive Mandola solo by Darrell Scott.  “Moby Dick” / “Pat’s Delight” / “Over the Top” - 9th January 1970, Royal Albert Hall - - 20 minutes shorter than the later versions and still as impressive. I personally feel the 30-minute-plus versions from ‘75 and ‘77 was too much, and I'm a fan of longer jams. “Bring it on Home” - 25th June 1972 - - (How the West Was Won) [The final performance]. This is a great final performance for this track. Both the Royal Albert Hall and Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes (Not performed on “Live at the Greek”) are very good, particularly the Crowes versions where 3 guitars make the song a much better live experience. - Led Zeppelin III - “Immigrant Song” - 9th September 1970 - - One of their best shows ever. 29th September 1971 at Osaka yet again also very good, it deserves a mention just for that phenomenal Wah-Wah solo. Of course, “How the West Was Won” is really good as well. “Friends” - 29th September 1971, Osaka - - The only one by the full band. I prefer this over subsequent Page and Plant or Plant + whatever band came after. “Celebration Day” - 4th September 1971, Toronto - - This is an amazing version. Before I heard bootlegs, I was only aware of the album cut and the “Song Remains the Same” version and was not a fan of either. However, this version in good quality far outdoes both of those. The version from a few weeks later, 29th September in Osaka I think is ever so slightly better for ever so slightly lower quality so do the trade if you want, but in both Robert’s full vocal range is heard and there is a great jam at the end. As a rule of thumb, the 1971 versions are far better and far more energetic than the 1973 versions for this one.  “Since I’ve Been Loving You” - 23rd September 1971 - - People very often say for A LOT of their songs that the later versions do not compare to earlier ones and I mostly tend to disagree with that statement, however I really think it applies here. This song in my opinion is where Jimmy’s playing can really decline in later shows. I suppose because of how emotional and raw it is. He can get by on most other songs even on his bad nights, but this song is where I really think it takes his all to perform. For that reason, I don’t really like any of the later versions that I’ve heard, including ‘Badgeholders’ and ‘Eddie’ and especially the 1980 versions. I’m open to suggestions of course as I’ve not heard anywhere near all boots, but the later ones just don’t match the earlier ones. There is part of me that just wants to say the “Song Remains the Same” version as that was what got me hooked onto this band. Spotify said it was my most listened track in 2020 and that I had heard it nearly 1000 times that year, so like 3 times a day for a year. It made me quite reluctant to listen to boots of this song, however, having explored the world of bootlegs since then I’ll give a few which I think are among the best:  -21st March 1970, Vancouver - One of the best-sounding bootlegs especially for the early era, this one isn’t mentioned enough. The vocal work is phenomenal. Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t do any crazy wailing or anything but the raw emotion he conveys never mind the fact that Jones’ organs almost outshine Page here plus the pristine quality. -4th September 1970 in LA (Blueberry Hill). Great Vocals and Playing -31st August 1971 in Orlando  -23rd September 1971 in Tokyo (This is my favourite) -29th September 1971 in Osaka  -27th June 1972 in Long Beach (How the West Was Won) -24th March 1973, Offenburg -27th July and 29th 1973 mix (The Song Remains the Same) -14th February 1975 in New York -If you like the 1977 ones, I’d have to say 23rd June with 21st June as a close second.  -27th January 1996, Rio de Janeiro - Of the Page and Plant ones I know of this is the best “Out On the Tiles” - 19th September 1970 - - “Bring It on Home” made a far better Black Dog introduction than this. “Gallows Pole” - 25th August 1994 (Page and Plant “No Quarter” Unledded Album) - - They did play it a few times in the very early 70s and it was also covered as part of a medley at the end of “Trampled Underfoot” in 1975, namely at Earls Court. Band of Joy had a great rendition of it on Artists Den but over all of them for both performance and quality would be the Unledded album.  “Tangerine” - 28th September 1971 - - Again, I would have liked one from either the 25th or 27th June to have appeared on “How the West Was Won” along with the rest of the gigs. If this, “Thank You” and at least “Communication Breakdown” were included, it would have been one of the most complete live albums ever. -25th June 1972, L.A. -25th May 1975, Earls Court -Countless Page and Plant performances -9th February 2011, Artists Den “That’s The Way” - 25th May 1975 - - The acoustic sets from Earls Court are amazing and I much prefer them to the “How the West Was Won” versions. I don’t much care about the fact that it’s edited but the reasons I prefer the acoustics from here rather than on “HTWWW” apply more to “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” and “Going to California”.  “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" - 27th June 1977 - - I have a few. I generally prefer the later ones here as I feel from ‘75 onwards it sounded like he had developed the song more, even before the jam sections in ‘77 he adds little variations here and there in ‘75 whereas in 1972 it was kinda performed more or less as was on the album. Here are a few: -25th May 1975 - The sound from Earl’s Court is amazing as it is from the 25th, although I think the 24th also has a very good and slightly different performance of it. The official video on YouTube seems to be using audio from the 25th and at least some video from the 24th. Both are great. Earls Court has a much more soulful solo in the middle. -27th June 1977 – Includes “Dancing Days” in the Medley, great quality for an acoustic set 17th July 1977 (Filmed) - This whole concert from Seattle was actually filmed in its entirety and features some great versions of a few songs although overall the gig isn’t great, it’s ok. This version is pretty amazing though. . “Hats off To (Roy) Harper” - Was never performed by any of them. I don’t understand the hate for this song. I mean it's not great, but people actually hate it I don’t think it's that bad. - Led Zeppelin IV - “Black Dog” - 9th September 1971 - - The most aggressive version. Or one of them. The version of the ORIGINAL cut of “The Song Remains the Same” I also hold in extremely high regard. The remasters and the version that exists on Spotify have been butchered completely. I think in terms of the remasters cutting things out, this song is the worst for it as the newer one on Spotify is missing half of the song. For vocals alone, any March 1971 version will forever be at the top for Plant. I don't much rate later versions as I think the solo must be harder for him to nail so I prefer the earlier ones with the better playing and the better vocals. -28th September 1971, Osaka -25th November 1971, Leicester -19th February 1972, Adelaide -24th July 1979, Copenhagen -4th August 1979, Knebworth “Rock and Roll” - 23rd June 1977 - - This kinda has to take the cake as you got Bonham on drums and Keith Moon alongside him. There are quite a few others though that are great listed below: -3rd May 1971, Copenhagen -27th February 1972, Sydney -27th June 1972, Long Beach (How the West Was Won) -27th July 1973, (The Song Remains the Same) -23rd May 1975, Earls Court (This and Seattle are the only ones from ‘75 that are good) -21st June 1980, Rotterdam -7th July 1980, Berlin “The Battle of Evermore” - 25th August 1994 - - (Page and Plant “No Quarter” Unledded Album). As much as I love John Paul Jones, his vocals on the 1977 versions render them far inferior to basically any Page and Plant version. I saw a video of him singing on Instagram in recent years and he’s actually really good at singing, but he really wasn’t in 1977 apparently. The backing vocalist taking the place of Sandy Denny on this version, Najma Akhtar, is absolutely phenomenal. “Stairway to Heaven” - 14th September 1971- - The 1971 versions have way more passion in them. A lot of people seem to dismiss later ones based on technical ability which in my opinion wasn’t the problem, this song specifically had Plant fully believing the lyrics in 1971 and it shows, whilst Jimmy just happened to be at his peak. There are more grand-sounding ones from 1973 onwards, here are my top contenders: -1st April 1971, Paris Theatre -4th September 1971, Toronto - One of the earlier performances. The song actually hadn’t even been released yet, so you can hear the audience go into the song without all the fanfare -23rd September 1971, Tokyo -29th September 1971, Osaka – Of course. -July 27th/28th/29th 1973 mix (The Song Remains the Same) -May 1975, Earls Court (Official YouTube Channel) [Edited] -23rd July 1977, LA - Best later performance -8th December 1983, New York (Arms Concert). Jimmy Page performed it as an instrumental and whilst he is clearly not of the cleanest mind and struggling, you even see him drool all over the double neck, I think the emotions he was experiencing playing the song again without Bonham or Zeppelin - basically on his own comes through and makes for a pretty decent performance and worth a listen. -29th October 1988 - (Outrider Tour) -10th December 2007, London (Celebration Day) [The Final Performance] -2nd December 2012, Washington. Heart, Jason Bonham, an orchestra and two choirs plus more at the Kennedy Centre Honours right in front of Led Zeppelin.  “Misty Mountain Hop” - 3rd May 1971 - - The first ever performance of the song, they get completely lost more than once and it is very, very obvious when it happens, however, it is literally the only version I know of where Plant sings it at all close to the album. I also quite like hearing them get a bit lost and come back, it makes them a bit more relatable, and it isn’t too bad. They don’t play any completely wrong notes they just end up with Jones and Page playing different parts and you can imagine Bonham staring at them. This gig also features the first ever “Gallows Pole”. -July 27th/28th 1973, “Song Remains the Same”. -30th June 1990, Knebworth. “Four Sticks” - 3rd May 1971 - - This show in Copenhagen I think is the only performance by Bonham, it’s at least the first one if there were more. There are amazing ones by Michael Lee with Page and Plant, however, this is Bonham's song. “Going to California” - 25th May 1975 - - I am extremely biased here as I listened to this at the perfect time and almost no version can top it, the version from Earls Court on the official YouTube channel. Like “Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp”, it seems to definitely be audio from the 25th but the edited video appears to at least use some of the 24th, although it’s sometimes difficult to tell as they are only a day apart and have the same stage lighting. However, if you’re going to ask me what version, nostalgia and emotions aside, I think is musically the best, I’m 100% voting for: -29th September 1971 which is phenomenal and much longer. It isn’t in as pristine condition as the Earls Court recording (although still pretty good), but the length and musical passages that are captured in that recording make it probably the top spot for most people and again, personal bias aside, is probably the best version at least on listenable tape. From my knowledge, I cannot think of any gig that comes close to those two dates for this song to me, including “How the West Was Won”. “When The Levee Breaks” - Neither of the live versions in 1975 (there are two or three) are very good. If I had to choose between them, 20th January 1975 is the better one. And whilst Page and Plant did perform it (on a quarry), I have yet to find any performance of the song, live or not, by anyone, that even comes close to that which was cut on the album. So just stick to that would be my advice. For half-decent ones at least, John Paul Jones has played it on a Lap Steel Guitar during the House of Blues webcast in 2000, and on bass for “Playing for Change” in 2021 featuring many others, including Derek Trucks - Houses of The Holy - “The Song Remains the Same” - 21st June 1977 - - The whole of the “Listen to This Eddie” bootleg Bonham is on fire, as are the others, however, this is commonly dubbed "The Bonham Concert". His earth-shattering intro on this is almost reason enough to call it the best. “The Rain Song” - 28th July 1973 - - “The Song Remains the Same”. Sound quality is imperative on this due to the electric yet acoustic feel of the song. After May 1975, the seamless segue from “The Song Remains the Same” into this song with Robert’s cry in between was never performed again as they got separated. They both made the set lists most of the time but were separated and never performed together again unfortunately.  -29th July 1973 – Day after the one that was used on the album -24th May 1975, Earls Court -23rd July 1979, Copenhagen -4th August 1979, Knebworth -29th June 1980, Zurich -25th August 1994 – In a similar fashion to “Thank You” at MSG, performed seemingly at the same gig as the Page and Plant “No Quarter” Album, however, it is not included. -17th February 1996, Nagoya “Over The Hills and Far Away” - Depends on if you’re after Plant’s best singing or Page’s solo. Plant hits the higher notes with no problem on basically any 1972 version, “How the West Was Won” will do (I’ve read “The Garden Tapes” so I know of the edits - it doesn’t matter to me) - however I quite like the 1977 versions as Page has figured out what to do with the solo. Anything after Osaka 1972 is when the vocal change starts to happen. As with most other songs, the vocals are at their worst in 1975 by far, however as the vocals go bad the solos get better. The main issue to me is the melody. It's not just that his voice goes and he can't sing higher pitches, it’s the fact he didn’t just sing it in a lower octave (which I would’ve been fine with) – he changes the whole melody for some unknown reason, and it’s shit if I'm being honest. -19TH June 1972, San Bernardino -25th June 1972, LA (How the West Was Won) -16th March 1973, Vienna (From here onwards, Robert doesn’t sing the high parts of the song) -21st March 1973, Hamburg – Great solos from Jimmy in the German 1973 shows. -12th February 1975, Madison Square Garden (Worst vocals out of these choices by far, great solo) -24th March 1975, L.A. -21st June 1977, L.A. -23rd June 1977, L.A. -27th June 1977, L.A. -4th August 1979, Knebworth “The Crunge” - 19th March 1975 - - Not played on its own but quite often during medleys. It’s included in the medleys in 1972, where it was performed as an instrumental in “Dazed and Confused” and can be heard on “How the West Was Won”, and in longer 1975 versions during “Whole Lotta Love” but usually have Robert sounding strained by the end of the show, and Page sounds unsure of the time changes and often misses cues. The instrumental ‘72 versions are usually better but shorter. From 1975, I’d say March 19th in Vancouver as its one of the only ones I’ve heard that isn't completely screwed. For 1972, either June 22nd in San Bernardino or “How the West Was Won” 3 days later.  “D’yer Mak’er” - Was never performed; there are rumours of a 1973 performance, but it isn't in circulation if it did happen. Some mistake a reggae-ish jam from 25th May 1975 to be D’yer Mak’er, however, it is not this song specifically. “Dancing Days” - 19th June 1972 - - They played it twice during this concert. They just decided to give it another crack at the end. The second one I prefer. The version on “How the West Was Won” has a good mix and due to lack of improvisation and this performance being good anyway, this version might be better for some just for quality. Due to lack of variations, I prefer to hear it in the “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” medley I mentioned earlier. “No Quarter” - 21st March 1975 - - My favourite track personally. Like “Dazed and Confused”, this is a whole separate discussion and is highly subjective. Personally, the best version for Jones is 21st March 1975 in Seattle (near perfect soundboard). This date is also one of Jimmy’s highlights from 1975 although his solo is a bit choppy to begin with, but he gets there eventually. As this is one of those songs that changed every time, here’s others from different stages: -15th July 1973, Buffalo -17th July 1973, Seattle -28th February 1975, Baton Rouge -18th May 1975, Earls Court -11th June 1977, New York -21st June 1977, L.A. -24th July 1979, Copenhagen -4th August 1979, Knebworth -25th June 1995, Glastonbury - (Exactly 23 years after “How the West Was Won”). Acoustic and middle eastern. This is amazing and not spoken about enough. -13th July 2000, John Paul Jones “House of Blues” webcast. -10th December 2007, London “The Ocean” - 25th June 1972 - - You can’t go wrong with any as they don’t vary much or even at all, except of course for whether Robert remembers the lyrics. I see no reason to hunt out a lower quality bootleg over one of the official ones for this. The audience at the first of two shows used to make “How the West Was Won” were treated to one of the best if not very best and longest set of encores they ever played which, again, SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED as bonus tracks in the 2018 remaster, even if it had to be lower quality. Unfortunately, the second show two days later didn’t have the same encores. - Physical Graffiti - “Custard Pie” - 18th October 1999 - - Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes “Live at The Greek”. Again, not much choice. This is better in my opinion than the Page and Plant versions. Jimmy had really picked up momentum by this point. His playing by 1995 had improved greatly over the 80s, but by the later Page and Plant tours, he really reached his early days’ levels in my eyes. He kept it going in his shows with the Crowes, even beyond "Live at the Greek". Some of the very best live solos he’s ever played, he played in that late Page and Plant/Black Crowes era. It doesn’t necessarily apply to this song; I'm just saying checkout the 1998 tour as well as some of the Crowes’ gigs. “The Rover” - There is a sound check for an unknown 1973 show where they played this song. Although not fully developed, it is the only complete version the band played. They played the opening in 1977 only as an intro for “Sick Again”. The video for the sound check has been uploaded by “Led Zeppelin Rarities”. “In My Time of Dying” - 22nd June 1977 - - This show, jammed in-between two of the best bootlegs (the day after “Listen to This Eddie” and the day before “For Badgeholders Only”) is overlooked far too often due to its lower quality. This version is almost 15 minutes and includes a lengthy improvisation section which covers “The Lemon Song”. Here are a few others if you need better quality that are also amazing: -28th February 1975, Baton Rouge -19th March 1975, Vancouver -27th April 1977, Cleveland -21st May 1977, Texas -7th June 1977, Madison Square Garden -25th June 1977 – 3 days after the above-mentioned gig, this is the final performance until 2007 -10th December 2007, London “Houses of the Holy” - 9th February 2011 - - Robert Plant and Band of Joy live on Artists Den. The band never performed the song and barely after they broke up. Regardless, this is an amazing version. Check out this band. “Trampled Under Foot” - June 30th, 1980 - - Probably the most consistent song of the 1980 “Tour over Europe”, if that says anything. This and many ‘75 versions, particularly 16th February 1975 from St Louis and 25th May at Earl’s Court. -16th February 1975, St Louis -21st March 1975, Seattle -24th May 1975, Earls Court -25th May 1975, Earls Court -28th April 1977, Cleveland -25th June 1977, LA -20th July 1977, Tempe -29th June 1980, Zurich -7th July 1980, Berlin -10th December 2007, London “Kashmir” - 10th December 2007 - - “Celebration Day” honestly gets my vote. The ageing of Plants’ voice really lends itself to this song. And such a grand ending. I feel this is much better than most versions they performed pre-1980. - 21st June 1977, L.A. -4th August 1979, Knebworth -25th August 1994 “In The Light” - Sometime in 2000 - - Literally the only option is a bonus track on the Japanese release of “Live at The Greek”. The album was recorded on 18th-19th October 1999, however “In the Light” and “Misty Mountain Hop” were recorded sometime in 2000 and released as bonus tracks in Japan. A very underrated song. As a side note, Mike Kerr, singer of Royal Blood, lists Zeppelin as a heavy influence. I can hear his singing style most clearly and directly in this song. “Bron-Yr-Aur" - 9th September 1970 - - This is one of the first songs that got me into Zeppelin. The studio release is far more atmospheric due to quality and effects; however, this live version is from what I’ve heard the best sounding caught on tape. It wasn’t performed much, pretty much only in 1970 and not too often even at that. He does add an interesting harmonic section very briefly and some chord changes here and there. As stated before, I’m not a fan of acoustics in bootlegs but this sounds ok to me.  “Down By the Seaside” - 19th May 1995 - - It was often performed as part of a medley within “Calling to You” by Page and Plant, however in its entirety it was never performed, neither by the band nor any of its members to my knowledge. Here they play like 3 or 4 bars of it before a crescendo into “Break on Through” by The Doors, followed by a snippet of “Dazed and Confused”. On 28th September 1971 at Osaka, they cover a classic “Down by the Riverside” however it is unrelated.  “Ten Years Gone” - 23rd June 1977 - - Some people really don’t like the 1977 versions, and I do agree that 4th August 1979 at Knebworth is better for the overall song, however I find Jimmy's solo slightly off-putting. Although the 4th is the better of the two Knebworth shows, Jimmy’s playing still wasn’t great and leagues behind the Copenhagen shows only 2-3 weeks prior. It is fully filmed, however, so you do get to see John Paul Jones on his triple neck guitar playing rhythm which looks sick. I find it badass they were so big they had a triple neck guitar playing rhythm. -21st June 1977, LA – Or any LA 1977 version -24th July 1979, Copenhagen 4th August 1979, Knebworth -10th July 2000, Jones Beach Theatre “Night Flight” - 6th November 1998 - - Page and Plant played it a few times during their UK 1998 Tour. This version from the Wembley Arena and the one from the University of London are both great and are among the only options for this song. “The Wanton Song” - 12th January 1975, Brussels - - I personally prefer the Page and Plant versions where they blast the “Immigrant Song” intro then 10 seconds in just switch into “The Wanton Song”. I think both Jimmy and Robert were in far better form by the mid-90s than they were in 1975, but if you want Bonham and Jones, this is the best.  “Boogie With Stu” - Wasn’t performed by any of them. “Stu” is Ian Stewart of The Rolling Stones for anyone who doesn’t know. They were using the Stones’ recording equipment at Headley Grange. “Black Country Woman” - 19th June 1972 - - This is the only full live performance. Robert Plant also performed it on his “Now and Zen” promotional tour in 1988. The best of these versions in my opinion would be the pro-shot version from April 1988. This is obviously better quality than the June 1972 boot and was also filmed professionally. It is on the “Mark Zep” YouTube channel. He has also done it a few times post- “Celebration Day” with Band of Joy.  “Sick Again” - 21st June 1977 - - An underrated song, but the lyrics just don't sit with me. It's really kinda weird, even for Plant's zep standards. - Presence - “Achilles Last Stand” - 22nd June 1977 - - Insane drumming. 4th August 1979 is also pretty good, in way better quality and is filmed so some will prefer that. I would’ve much preferred this over “For Your Life” in 2007. Although it is really nice to throw in a rarity, doing it on your last ever gig and in place of a far superior song I think was sort of dumb. There aren’t many insane singing heights as the song itself was recorded in one of Plant’s worst periods and although Jimmy’s playing had dropped slightly over the ‘98-2000 era, he pulled off far more difficult songs that night. Jones is as usual set in stone and Jason was more than capable. “For Your Life” - 10th December 2007 - - London (Celebration Day). The only option for this is “Celebration Day”. Like I’ve said, an interesting choice for their final show. I’ve always wondered why. I would’ve been fine with nothing from presence at the 2007 gig if I’m honest, however I suppose it was meant to sum their career up and feature every era. Even then though, I would take even “Tea for One” and especially “Achilles Last Stand” over this even if they had to drop the keys. It would’ve fitted much more as a “White Summer” replacement in 1977 or at least in the 1980 tour than it did in their send-off show. “Royal Orleans” - Was never performed by any of them, thank God. This, "Candy Store Rock", “Hots on For Nowhere” and "South Bound Suarez" are in my opinion the worst songs released by the band and don't understand how people can rank "The Crunge" and "Sick Again" as the worst instead of these.  “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” - 27th April 1977 - - The famous “Destroyer” bootleg. This song again doesn’t vary as much so you have a lot of similar options. This is great quality, from a pretty well-regarded bootleg and is better than the Knebworth versions. -10th December 2007, London is also noteworthy “Candy Store Rock” - 7th July 2001 - - Page and Plant performed it at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2001 and I believe this is the only time it was performed. “Hots on For Nowhere” - 10th July 2000 - - Page and The Black Crowes played it during their Summer 2000 tour. There is a pro-shot of them at the Jones Beach Theatre uploaded by Mark Zep on YouTube. “Tea For One” - 13th February 1996 - - Whilst never performed live by the band, Page and Plant performed it in the 90s and this version from Tokyo in 1996 is another example of how much Jimmy had improved and recovered since the 80s and even late Zeppelin. Joe Bonamassa has also done great covers of it. - In Through the out Door - “In The Evening” - 4th August 1979, Knebworth - - Love the introduction to it. They kept the pattern of amazing album openers even until the very end, this song is the best on this album. Had “Fire (Say You’re Gonna Leave Me)” been released, that wouldn’t be the case in my opinion, that song absolutely slaps; alas it wasn’t. I say Knebworth out of the Zeppelin versions, but I prefer the Page and Plant ones. Here are a few others: -24th July 1979, Copenhagen -24th June 1980, Hannover -29th June 1980, Zurich -1st April 1995, Detroit -19th May 1995, Oakland -17th February 1996, Nagoya “South Bound Suarez” - Was never performed by any of them that I know of. There’s an unreleased track recorded during sessions for “In Through the out Door” called “Fire (Say You’re Gonna Leave Me)”. It has some progressive rock elements and sounds kinda like Yes, but I think it’s infinitely better than this and “Hot Dog”.  You could replace “Hot Dog” with “Fire (Say You’re Gonna Leave Me)”and use “Ozone Baby” or “Wearing and Tearing” instead of “South Bound Suarez” and I think I would've liked this album much more. I’m hoping one day for an official release of “Fire” cos its actually good - a pipe dream maybe. “Fool in The Rain” - 5th October 2005 - - Robert Plant with Pearl Jam is your only option. They played it during a Hurricane Katrina benefit. A great performance and worth the wait. If I'm being honest though, I like this track purely for the drums; I don’t much care for the riff or the singing if I'm honest. There are no alternatives for this. “Hot Dog” - 24th July 1979 - - I actually can’t believe they did this live but there you go - Copenhagen 1979. “Carouselambra” - 17th February 1996 - - It was performed briefly within “In the Evening” by Page and Plant on occasion, but never in its entirety or with synths although it did sound good. I think this song is vastly underrated and I’m not even a fan of “In Through the out Door”. I understand they were trying to embrace newer music like they always do, and I think this is where it works, far better than most of the album. I sometimes prefer “The Epic (Rough Mix)” from the album’s deluxe edition as the vocals and guitars are more pronounced. It was probably going to be on the set lists for the 1980 American Tour apparently which I would’ve really liked to see, but we all know what happened there… “All My Love” - June 30th, 1980 - - Cheesy synths and the 80s pop style have prevented me from properly liking this song, but I find it hard to criticise it too much considering its meaning and the reason it was written. I do align more with Page and Bonham’s position though, feeling it was out of character as he “could imagine people doing the wave and all of that… that is not us”. I would’ve been more on board if Jones had a more atmospheric keys solo, but his “Dream Machine” brassy trumpet solo is definitely not his finest hour. I do like Plant’s singing on this performance though. I don’t hate the song, it’s a good song, just not my kinda thing and I understand it did quite well at the time. “I’m Gonna Crawl” - This was never performed live. Another underrated song. Page’s best solo on the album; Plant gives an emotional performance, a highlight since “Houses of the Holy”. “Since I’ve Been Loving You” and “Tea for One” are both in C Minor Aeolian and so were performed together in 1977; it’s possible this would have replaced that lengthy jam in future tours as I think it’s a decent enough song, though not quite as good, and they were veering away from longer jams. The 1980 tour didn’t feature long “Dazed and Confused” and “No Quarter” renditions and they may have wanted to include more tracks from the new album. - Coda - “We’re Gonna Groove” - 9th January 1970 at Royal Albert Hall - - Legendary. “Poor Tom” - A rehearsal from 1970 shows an incomplete version of the song being hummed essentially, I don’t think it was performed beyond that.  “Walters Walk” - The song is based on improvisation during “Dazed and Confused”, this is the closest to a live version of this you’ll get. You can hear it on “How the West Was Won” and many other performances.  “Ozone Baby” - Was never performed “Darlene” - Was never performed.  “Bonzo’s Montreux” - 17th July 1977 - - I believe he played it in “Moby Dick” in 1977, although this is the only one I’m aware of and as much as I love Bonham and his solos, I do not think listening to half an hour of “Moby Dick” is worth it so I honestly couldn’t tell you which one is better if there’s more. “Wearing and Tearing” - 30th June 1990 - - Page and Plant performed it at their reunion at Knebworth in 1990. It is to my knowledge the only option. - Extra Tracks from the Led Zeppelin Box Sets 1/2 and CODA (Deluxe Edition) -  “Hey, Hey What Can I Do” - 1st April 1995 - - There are multiple Page and Plant versions of this (any of them will probably do, they’re very similar) but I much prefer the Album cut over any performance I’ve heard. This one however is the best of the live ones I know of.  “Baby Come on Home” - Was never performed. “Sugar Mama” - Was never performed. “St Tristan’s Sword” - 29th September,1971 - - Was played during the medley of “Dazed and Confused” along with “Pennies from Heaven”. This was also listed as one of the best if not absolute best “Dazed and Confused” performances. - Non-Album/Covers - “Train Kept a Rollin” - January 26th, 1969. Some 1980 versions aren’t bad too. “As Long as I Have You” - 27th April 1969 “C’mon Everybody” - January 9th, 1970, Royal Albert Hall “Long Tall Sally” - 28th June 1970 “Louie Louie” - 25th June 1972 (The same concert as “How the West Was Won” however this was cut). “Burn Like a Candle” Bootleg. The 2018 remaster of the album should’ve included this and the versions of “Thank You” and “Communication Breakdown” from those nights that are still in the vaults somewhere. “Weekend” - 21st August 1971 “Money (That’s What I Want)” - 30th June 1980 “Blueberry Hill” - At Blueberry Hill (4th September 1970) “It’ll Be Me” - 22nd May 1977 - - They only did it twice. This is much better quality than the other one and even features Mick Ralphs himself. “I Gotta Move” - 16th March 1969 - - Soundboard in Excellent Quality. “Mystery Train” - 19th June 1977 - - An Elvis Cover. “Please Please Me” - 28th September 1971 “From Me to You” - 28th September 1971 “Georgia (On My Mind)” - 26th May 1973 - - It was improvised once in 1973 when Jimmy had his guitar restrung after a string snapped. It’s caught in pristine quality as well. Robert Plant does a good cover of it on 18TH January 1985. “Happy Birthday” - 31st May 1973 “High-Heeled Sneakers” -28th September 1971 “I Can’t Be Satisfied” - Sometime in ‘77. “Sittin' and Thinkin'” - 27th April 1969 at the Fillmore. “Stand By Me” - 9th October 1972 “The Girl Can’t Help It” - 19th September 1970 “Twenty Flight Rock” - 19th September 1970 (Second Show) “Walk Don’t Run” - 22nd August 1971 “We Shall Overcome” - 28th September 1971 “When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)” - 19th June 1972 I think it’s quite surprising as someone who had to stick to official releases for a while how many songs they actually played when you count bootlegs and solo careers. There are only a handful of tracks from the catalogue that weren’t covered in some way; and of the ones left, only “Living Loving Maid”, a full version of “Carouselambra” with Jones and “I’m Gonna Crawl” I think I’d like to see; the others from “Presence”, the remainder of “In Through the out Door” and the few left from “Coda” I can live without. What began as a fun post made on a late night when I couldn’t sleep has now become a sort of passion project spanning over a month. It’s been quite fun going through bootlegs again and even discovering a few top spots I wasn’t aware of. Feel free to let me know of any alternatives to these you think are the best live performances

Hi Steve - Fantastic sound. Could I please have a link?

It took many hours and many a beer :)

I do love the Kashmir caught on June 21st and it would be a second, I just love the tone and plants voice in 2007. I also think Jones’ keys came across much better on this track than others from the album. I think his tone was slightly too shallow sounding on No Quarter from that show, but jimmy’s solo makes up for it. Pretty much any LA version from ‘77 is at least good for NQ. There is a great merge on YouTube of two of them that’s pretty seamless. I will check out those celebration day performances. I do admit I don’t know much about the song so will check these out :)

Ah I wasn’t born early enough. I came very close to meeting plant recently. Annoyingly so. It was all over the news that he’d popped up in a bar near me, I walked straight past that bar not only that night but at the time he was reportedly there. I walked straight past him :(((

Thanks! Sounded great. Definitely gonna add that to the playlist. Cheers!

Yes 😂 sorry was listening to Hendrix not too long ago

Was not aware of night flight. I should have been, I’m very fond of Page and Plant in ‘98 as page really picked up momentum by that point. Will look it up. Yea I’ve been made aware of hots on and fool in the rain, cheers will definitely give them a listen. Apparently candy store rock was also performed by Page and Plant at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2001

Will check out hots on for nowhere, open to see what it sounds like live. The Page and Plant ones for tangerine are great, there is just something about that Earl’s Court one. Maybe it just gets an aura of sorts as it was the only one of its time, and you get to see page with the double neck which ig is a cheat. The Denmark TV of HMMT is legendary and I’ve probably watched it through hundreds of times. I would edit the list and put it as 2nd. I believe August 8th 1971 was Orlando, and it is one of the best Boots out there. Thank You on it is a masterpiece, it usually was in the early period. Some of his best guitar playing took place during that song, right up until the end of it being performed.

In The Light is also one of my all time favourites. I believe Plant himself agrees as well

Ah. Cheers I’ll check it out. I don’t know much about Candy, Hots on and Royal Orleans I’m not too much a fan but I’ll check out the live ones to see if they change my mind 👍

These are in my opinion the best performances of these songs while also accounting for somewhat decent sound quality. I am well aware there are better versions of some songs here that exist on far less enjoyable bootlegs to my ear. However, I am more than interested to here alternatives - I just thought this is fun to make. I have also included all of the Non-Album/Covers they did that I know of, but I can’t guarantee I got them all. (Not including those that were played within the context of another song) I should probably say, there are many songs on this list that either Zeppelin just didn’t perform with Bonham (Between ‘69 - ‘80) or were done far better by one of the members in their solo endeavours. So I count things like Page and Plant, Band of Joy and the Sensational Space Shifters in this list as, although not including Jones, they are fantastic performances. They have to be songs done by Led Zeppelin however, so songs by Coverdale/Page, The Firm, any of Robert Plant or Jones’ Solo careers and the Outrider Album are not included. I would provide links but there are so many here and quite often these videos get taken down for various reasons, but simply googling the band and the date will bring up the gig. There’s often time stamps. Led Zeppelin Good Times Bad Times - The version from the “Communication Breakdown” medley in 1970 on the Blueberry Hill bootleg. For the full song, “Celebration Day” from 2007 is also a worthy choice and sends chills down my spine purely as it opens their return to the stage. Babe I’m Gonna Leave you - Robert Plant at Glastonbury 2014. A brilliant version, and In My Opinion better than the electric ones from ‘69 You Shook Me - January 26th 1969. Great Organ solo. Dazed and Confused - Sept 29 at Osaka. This could be a whole discussion in and of itself. Every version has the same first 5 minutes, then a different 25 minute follow up. The one I listen to the most is probably the TSRTS version purely for the “San Fransisco” part, but any European ‘73 version is killer. For the best “Woodstock” section, I recommend May 24th at Earls Court. Your Time is Gonna Come - Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes “Live at The Greek” - Basically the only option but still great. Black Mountain Side - Take your pick between Royal Albert Hall and The Julie Felix Show. Most of the later ones in my opinion, especially from 1980 are downright sad to listen to. Good for hearing the surprise burst into “Kashmir” however. Communication Breakdown - Personally, the aforementioned “Blueberry Hill” performance. That Bass solo. The “For What It’s Worth” Jam. I Can’t Quit You Babe - Royal Albert Hall. The version on CODA is in my opinion far superior to the one which appears on this album and that’s Basically a remix of the RAH recording. Listen to the full version though, not the cut one on CODA. How Many More Times - Again, Royal Albert Hall. The Paris Theatre version is also a highlight. Some of the ‘73 versions (The final ones) are pretty damn good. Led Zeppelin II Whole Lotta Love - Sept 29th ‘71 at Osaka. The sound quality drops for part of it, I think the Good Times Bad Times part of the medley, however when you’re listening to a 30 minute song, 5 or so minutes of that isn’t too bad. GTBT was also in the “Communication Breakdown” Medley. Also an interesting, by no means best version, would be Belgium 1980. This is their last song from their last performance. The band is in nowhere near top form, but towards the end Jones starts ripping it on bass. An interesting and perhaps in some way fitting end for the Zep!! What is and What Should Never Be - January 9th 1970, Royal Albert Hall. The Lemon Song/Killing Floor - “Killing Floor” at the Fillmore West ‘69. Great Version. Thank You - BBC sessions. One of Jimmy’s finest solos. The final night of MSG, curiously not included on TSRTS is also killer as is Monterey 1970. I recommend all of these. Heartbreaker - Monterey 1970. The version captured on “How The West Was Won” is also killer as is Sept 29th at Osaka. Living Loving Maid - Page hated this song, so it was never performed sadly. Ramble On - Robert Plant along with Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller on YouTube. It has countless performances with Page and Plant, but I’ll take the “Celebration Day” Version from 2007 over those. Moby Dick/Pats Delight - Royal Albert Hall. 20 minutes shorter than the later versions, still packs as much punch. Bring it on home - 6/25/72 (The final performance).. Led Zeppelin III Immigrant Song - How The West Was Won. A powerful performance. Friends - Osaka. The only one. I prefer this over subsequent Page and Plant or Plant + whatever band came after. Celebration Day - Sept 4th ‘71. Don’t know much about the song, don’t listen to it too much. TSRTS is good enough for me. Since I’ve Been Loving You - Whilst Jimmy’s playing in my opinion gets too fast during the version on TSRTS, I’d maybe still say that one. It still captures so much emotion. The one on “BBC Sessions” has an amazing performance from Plant. Orlando ‘71 and “Blueberry Hill” are both great. Any earlier version where page is at his cleanest. Out On The Tiles - 9/19/70. Gallows Pole - The version on Page and Plants “No Quarter” Album. It was also covered as part of a medley at the end of Trampled Underfoot” in 1975, namely at Earls Court. Tangerine - May 25th ‘75 at Earls Court. Basically the only one but great at that. That’s The Way - Earls Court. Not sure if the “Official” video on YouTube is edited or spliced. I don’t much care, this version is my favourite. The acoustic sets from Earls Court are amazing and I much prefer them to the How The West Was Won versions. Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp - Earls Court. Again, possibly spliced. There are many ‘77 versions which are amazing and much longer, performed as a medley, however I’ve never felt that acoustic guitars come across well at all in bootlegs. If there is one, please let me know I’d love to hear it. The sound here is amazing with an amazing, soulful solo in the middle. Not much more to ask for. Led Zeppelin IV Black Dog - Sept 9 1971. The most Aggressive version. Or one of them. Also Sept 28th at Osaka. The version on the ORIGINAL cut of “The Song Remains The Same” I also hold in extremely high regard. The remasters and the version that exists on Spotify has been butchered completely. Rock and Roll - March 5th 1971 The Battle of Evermore - Page and Plants “No Quarter” Album. As much as I love JPJ, his vocals on the ‘77 versions render these far inferior to Basically any Page and Plant version. I don’t remember her name, but the backing vocalist taking the place of Sandy Denny on this version is phenomenal. Stairway to Heaven - Many. June 23rd ‘77 is pretty good. Countless from ‘71 when Plant really believed the lyrics. Overall, MSG ‘73 is about as legendary enough as it needs to be. Misty Mountain Hop - March 5th ‘71. Literally the only version I know of where Plant sings it at all close to the album. TSRTS is good enough though. Four Sticks - May 3rd ‘71. This show in Copenhagen I think is the only performance by Bonham. Or one of really not many. There are amazing ones my Michael Lee with Page and Plant, however this is a Bonham song. Going to California - I am extremely Biased here as I listened to this at the perfect time in my life and it has stuck with me. Almost no version can top it. The version from Earls Court uploaded on the official YouTube channel. God knows what date it was but the video has been floating around for years, presumably from the DVD but idk. Absolutely perfect. Sept 29 ‘71 at Osaka is also phenomenal and much longer. When The Levee Breaks - Neither of the live versions in ‘75 (There are two) are very good. And whilst Page and Plant did perform it at least once, I have yet to find any performance of the song, live or not, by anyone, that even comes close to that which was cut on the album. So just stick to that would be my advice. Houses of The Holy The Song Remains The Same - June 21 ‘77 (The “Bonham Concert”). The Whole of the “Listen To This Eddie” bootleg Bonham is on fire. His earth shattering intro on this is thunderous. The Rain Song - “The Song Remains The Same” (MSG ‘73). There is also an equally amazing version which was, in a similar fashion to “Thank You” at MSG, performed seemingly at the same gig as some of the Page and Plant “No Quarter” Album, however it is not included. It is Basically an acoustic version of the MSG with an orchestra instead of a Mellotron. Over The Hills and Far Away - Depends on if you are after Plants best singing or Page. Plant hits the high notes no problem on Basically any ‘72 version, HTWWW will do, however Page has a much more extended solo on the later ‘77 ones with plant singing at a lower pitch. June 27th ‘77 has a good version for Page. The Crunge - March 3rd ‘75. One of few. D’yer Mak’er - Was never performed despite rumours of a 1973 performance. Some mistake a reggae-ish jam from May 25th 1975 to be D’yer Mak’er, however it is not this song specifically. Dancing Days - June 19th 1972. They played it twice during this concert. They just decided to give it another crack at the end. The second one I prefer. No Quarter - My favourite Zep Track Personally. Similarly to “Dazed and Confused”, this is a whole separate discussion and is highly subjective. Personally, the best version for Jones is March 21st ‘75 in Seattle. Page’s solo is a bit choppy to begin with but he gets there eventually. If you want a shorter, more atmospheric version, I’d stick with the one on the ORIGINAL cut of “The Song Remains The Same”. Again, it has been cut up needlessly on recent releases. For a longer version, June 21st 1977 (Listen to This Eddie) is the one. Many of the ‘77 versions are amazing. Be wary though, on this tour they added a blues jam which was quite often a train wreck. The version caught on the warm up Gig in Copenhagen, 1979 for Knebworth is also good and far better than either of the Knebworth Shows. The Ocean - Madison Square Garden in ‘73 is about as good as any other I’ve heard. Physical Graffiti Custard Pie - Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes “Live at The Greek”. Again, not much choice. This is better in my opinion than the Page and Plant versions. The Rover - There is a sound check for an unknown 1973 show where they played this song. Although not fully developed, it is the only complete version the band played. They played the opening in ‘77 only as an intro to “Sick Again”. The video has been uploaded by “Led Zeppelin Rarities”. In My Time of Dying - June 22nd ‘77. The day after “Listen to This Eddie”, this version is almost 15 minutes and includes a lengthy improvisation section which covers “The Lemon Song”. One nitpick I do have however is that Jones switched to an Alembic Bass, which I feel never reached the tone his Fender Jazz Bass got to. For that, any ‘75 North American show will do just fine. This is fire however. Houses of the Holy - Robert Plant and Band of Joy. Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAlknGLym7M&pp=ygUeQmFuZCBvZiBqb3kgaG91c2VzIG9yIGdoZSBob2x5. I think this is around 2010, not sure. The song was never performed by the band and barely after they broke up. Regardless, this is a good listen. Trampled Under Foot - June 30th 1980. Probably the most consistent song of the 1980 “Tour over Europe”, if that says anything. This and many ‘75 versions. Kashmir - Honestly, I’m voting “Celebration Day” 2007. The Aging of Plants voice really lends itself to this song. I feel this is much better than any they performed pre-1980. And such a grand ending. The orchestral version from Page and Plant is also phenomenal, however I prefer the original arrangement. In The Light - Literally the only Option is a bonus track on the Japanese release of “Live at The Greek”. Plant allegedly was extremely enthusiastic about playing this live, however Jones simply could not reproduce the sound on stage. A very underrated song. As a side note, Mike Kerr, singer of Royal Blood, lists Zeppelin as a heavy influence. I can hear his singing style most clearly and directly in this song. Bron-Yr-Aur - Sept 9th ‘70. If you must have a live version. The studio release is far more atmospheric due to quality and effects - this is Basically the only option we have. He does add an interesting harmonic section, very briefly, but other than that I’d stick with the album cut. Down By the Seaside - It was often performed as part of a medley within “Calling To You” by Page and Plant, however in its entirety it was never performed, neither by the band or any of its members to my knowledge. Ten Years Gone - August 4th ‘79 at Knebworth. The aforementioned Copenhagen warmup show is also phenomenal for this song. They are tied. Night Flight - Again, this was never performed live by the band or any of its members. The Wanton Song - January 12th ‘75. I personally prefer the Page and Plant versions where they blast the Immigrant Song intro then 10 seconds in just switch smooth as hell into The Wanton Song. Sick. Boogie With Stu - This was never performed live by the band or any of its members. “Stu” is Ian Stewart of The Rolling Stones for anyone who doesn’t know. They were using the Stones’ recording equipment at Headley Grange. Black Country Woman - June 19th 1972 Sick Again - June 21st ‘77 (Listen to This Eddie) Presence Achilles Last Stand - Knebworth ‘79. I’m not sure which of the two nights is featured on the filmed and presumably edited video on YouTube, I think taken from the Led Zeppelin DVD, but that version is powerful as hell and I’ll take it. For Your Life - To my knowledge, the only option for this is “Celebration Day” 2007. Other than the opening riff, this is not my favourite song. Royal Orleans - This was never performed live by the band or any of its members, thank God. Nobody’s Fault but Mine - Knebworth ‘79. Candy Store Rock - This was never performed live by the band or any of its members. Hots on For Nowhere - This was never performed live by the band or any of its members. Tea For One - February 13th 1996. Whilst never performed live by the band as a whole, Page and Plant performed it in the 90s and this version from Tokyo in ‘96 is killer. Joe Bonamassa has also done great covers of it. In Through The Out Door In The Evening - Knebworth ‘79. Page and Plant’s performance in Detroit, ‘95 also has a great version. South Bound Suarez - This was never performed live by the band or any of its members. Fool in The Rain - This was never performed live by the band or any of its members. Hot Dog - July 24th ‘79. I actually can’t believe they did this live but there you go - Copenhagen ‘79. Carouselambra - Pretty certain it was performed briefly within “In The Evening” by Page and Plant on occasion, however never in its entirety or with synths. I think this song is vastly underrated and I’m not even a fan of “In Through The Out Door”. I do sometimes prefer “The Epic (Rough Mix)” from the deluxe edition of the album as the vocals and guitars are more pronounced. It was probably going to be on the set lists for the 1980 American Tour apparently, but we all know what happened there… All My Love - June 30th ‘80. I’m Gonna Crawl - This was never performed live by the band or any of its members. Another underrated song. Pages best solo on the album. Plant give an emotional performance, a highlight since Houses of the Holy In My Opinion. Since I’ve Been Loving You and Tea For One are both in C Minor, and so were performed together in ‘77 to my memory. It’s possible this would have replaced that lengthy jam in future tours as I think it’s a decent enough song, though not as good, as they were veering away from longer jams. The ‘80 tour did not feature lengthy Dazed and Confused and No Quarter renditions and they may have wanted to include more tracks from the new album. Coda Hey, Hey What Can I Do - There are multiple Page and Plant versions of this but I much prefer the Album cut over any performance I’ve heard. We’re Gonna Groove - Royal Albert Hall. Legendary. Bonzo’s Montreux - I believe he played it in ‘77 versions of Moby Dick - and as much as I love Bonham and his solos, I do not think listening to half an hour of Moby Dick is worth it so I honestly couldn’t tell you which one is better. Wearing and Tearing - Knebworth ‘90. Page and Plant performed it at the reunion at Knebworth in 1990. It is to my knowledge the only option. Non-Album/Covers Train Kept a Rollin - January 26th ‘69. Some 1980 versions aren’t bad too. As Long as I Have You - April 27th 1969 C’mon Everybody - Royal Albert Hall Long Tall Sally - June 28th 1970 Louie Louie - June 25th 1972 (Same concert as “How The West Was Won”, however cut) “Burn Like a Candle” Bootleg. Weekend - August 21st 1971 Money (That’s What I Want) - June 30th 1980 Blueberry Hill - At Blueberry Hill It’ll Be Me - May 22nd 1977. They only did it twice. This is much better quality than the other one and even features Mick Ralphs himself. I Gotta Move - March 16 1969. Soundboard in Excellent Quality. Mystery Train - June 19th 1977. An Elvis Cover. Please Please Me - Sept 28th 1971 From Me to You - Sept 28th 1971 Georgia (On My Mind) - Unknown Date but was improvised once in 1973 when Jimmy had a Guitar Restrung after a string snapped. Happy Birthday - May 31st 1973 High Heeled Sneakers - Sept 28th 1971 I Can’t Be Satisfied - Sometime in ‘77 Sittin and Thinkin - April 27th 1969 at the Fillmore. Stand By Me - October 9th 1972 The Girl Can’t Help it - September 19th 1970 Twenty Flight Rock - September 19th 1970 (Second Show) Walk Don’t Run - August 22 1971 We Shall Overcome - September 28th 1971 When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles With You) - June 19th 1972 Apologies for any mistakes or typos, I’ve been awake for about 30 odd hours at this point.

So my absolute favourite song is No Quarter and am looking for a boot with a mix of quality from both sound and performance. Usually I don’t mind bad quality boots as I’ve conditioned my ears however with the song being so atmospheric I’d like to hear jones as well as I can. The version I am on currently is from Seattle 75 I believe and jones is phenomenal, however page isn’t as fluid as other nights. I love the TSRTS version and his solo on that, but jones’ section is just too short for me particularly as I like the jazzy direction it took later on. I don’t care if it’s the best version ever as I’m well aware that is, like other songs, probably on the worse quality boot unfortunately, I just want a clear version where Jones and Bonham have their jazz jam and page plays smoothly. It doesn’t need to be his most amazing solo, just one of his smoother performances. I don’t really mind if plant is off on it either as it’s really the jam section I’m looking at. I’m not particular on what year it comes from, and it doesn’t need to be one of the longest renditions either just one where jones has a more reasonable section than TSRTS and a smoother page on the most decent quality. Cheers