ninelives Posted March 22, 2009 Share Posted March 22, 2009 The 1977 gets criticized unfairly because of the disastrous 3rd leg (Tempe, Seattle, Oakland). During the 1st 2 legs there were far more good shows than bad ones. Of course you can point to 1 bad show in Chicago or a cancellation in Tampa, or if you're Nirvana you can make up stories about a riot in Boston that didn't happen or performances of Dazed and Confused that don't exist. It is unfair because every band has a couple of less than stellar shows on a tour. It happens but it doesn't mean the whole tour was a disaster as a result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritz96 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 The Led Zeppelin "DVD" release sums it all up - no real footage of the '77 shows included. Not for lack of film of the shows, just that Zep knew '77 was mostly crap. Just try and watch the Seattle films....lackluster and going thru the motions. Really?? Name one 77 show besides Seattle that Zeppelin had available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Really?? Name one 77 show besides Seattle that Zeppelin had available. ledzeppelin.com/video/l-6-23-77-w-keith-moon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom kid Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 ^ That's hardly a pro shot video worthy of dvd release though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levee Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 It is unfair because every band has a couple of less than stellar shows on a tour. It happens but it doesn't mean the whole tour was a disaster as a result. Thank You. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom kid Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Jimmy could have Pontiac locked away, you never know. I for one hope that the footage from that show sees the light of day in the not to distant future (that is if it does in fact exist.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninelives Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Jimmy could have Pontiac locked away, you never know. I for one hope that the footage from that show sees the light of day in the not to distant future (that is if it does in fact exist.) Seems to me all the footage he had available that was able to be used, was put on the dvd released a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IluvJimmyPage Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 This tour gets bashed postmortem more than any other, with people judging it on maybe good, maybe not, quality bootlegs. The reviews were pretty favorable if I recall and for the people that saw them it was three hours of in your face Rock n Roll. Even on their worst nights they were so much more superior than anything else that was out there. It wasn't Punk, It wasn't Disco, people were starved for these shows, and came away happy. This is so very true, and speaking from being in the 18th row at Madison Square Garden on the first night, they totally were 'rockin down the house' that night!! Still one of the best concerts that I have ever been to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 This is so very true, and speaking from being in the 18th row at Madison Square Garden on the first night, they totally were 'rockin down the house' that night!! Still one of the best concerts that I have ever been to! Clearly , venues and the state of Jimmy have plenty to do with peoples opinions of this tour. I wish I'd seen them in an arena with a healthy Jimmy as opposed to a stadium. My opinion may have been different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 ^ That's hardly a pro shot video worthy of dvd release though... It may lack a slick production but it has plenty of heart, and none of that over-choreographed look that can tarnish an otherwise polished venture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibh23 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 It may lack a slick production but it has plenty of heart, and none of that over-choreographed look that can tarnish an otherwise polished venture. Mehhh, it's simply the video with the less additional material available, no multitrack, who knows what audio was recorded that night, by itself at source bad quality and last of all a weak performance. The 77' tour IMO was rather cold, but when it got hot, it got boiling hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Mehhh, it's simply the video with the less additional material available, no multitrack, who knows what audio was recorded that night, by itself at source bad quality and last of all a weak performance. The 77' tour IMO was rather cold, but when it got hot, it got boiling hot. It was a strong performance that night as I recall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) The majority of merchandise (tees, posters, etc.) has "US Tour 77" on it. Why? What was so important about the 77 tour? Thanx for any info!! First of all, are you referring to ACTUAL ORIGINAL TOUR MERCHANDISE or to the phony made-up stuff that Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters and other retailers are selling these days? I crack up every time I see people wearing these fake Zep, Stones and Pink Floyd "tour" shirts. But basically, the reason why you will see more merchandise from the '77 tour is the fact that the band didn't really start to merchandise themselves until then...and it was also the most recent and longest of the major US tours they did over their career. It was no more or less IMPORTANT than their 1969 or 1973(pick a year) US tours...it was just the most recent. Fans who bought a shirt in 1977 have had less time to lose it or ruin it changing the oil in their car than fans who bought shirts in 1973. I can't recall seeing much in the way of concert t-shirts and stuff at the '72 shows. Hell, from 1969 to 1972 the band used the same group picture on their concert announcements in the LA Times, so you could see the band didn't really put much effort into the selling of merchandise...I mean, they couldn't even be bothered to change the promo picture used in their ads. Things changed a little for the 1973 tour as they finally hired some outsiders to help with publicity...this is when BP Fallon and Danny Goldberg joined the Zeppelin circus. This is when you started seeing Zep getting more notice in the mainstream press, and you started seeing more Zep t-shirts and baubles and books on the band, etc. But still, compared to today the tour shirts of 1973 and '75 were very primitive basic affairs. By 1977 however, Led Zeppelin, and the rock world at large, was starting to see how much fan demand(and fan money) there was for band merchandise; especially after seeing how KISS marketed themselves exhaustively. That's when you started to see an increase in the quality and quantity of merchandise available at concerts. So if you consider the fact that the 1977 tour was played to more people than their earlier tours and the fact that more effort was put into making merchandise available and the very important scientific fact that a shirt from 1977 is already over 30 years old, which makes it even more improbable that t-shirts from 1975, '73 and earlier are even still in one piece seeing as how they are going on 40 years old...add it all up and it makes sense that if any Zeppelin merch from those 70's tours has survived it is going to be the most recent one. Hence the dominance of the '77 tour in the stuff that you see these days. Now, to address the recent posts: Enough with this malarkey about the 77 tour being the 'doom and gloom' tour. Things happened, sure, but most had nothing to do with the band themselves; ie. ticket riots or Karac's passing. Lots of fan disturbance went on in 1975, too...and earlier tours also had their share(Milan 1971 ring a bell?). If anything, I thought the vibe of the band was much lighter than the 75 tour...Plant was in hilarious "Plantation" form at all the 77 shows I saw. The return of the acoustic set helped to bring a fun atmosphere to the concerts. I saw four guys who were having the time of their lives playing for 3 and 1/2 hours or more for the fans. I didn't see any reluctance to being there by anyone. After being inactive on the road for 2 years because of Plant's injury, I saw a band that was relieved and overjoyed to see their singer was back and could withstand the rigors of the road and were enthusiastic about being able to be a working touring band again. As for the poster who said Plant's voice was in terrible shape...what are you talking about? Because after the vocal problems and surgery he had in 1973, the Plant I saw in 1977 was in the strongest voice he'd been since at least 1972. I'm sorry if I've rambled on too long, but it irks me when people who weren't even there pass judgement on the 1977 tour, mainly it seems from either dodgy info they read about in the Richard Cole and Stephen Davis books, or inferior bootlegs...hell, even the best bootlegs ie. Mike Millard's tapes can't show you 100% what it was like to be at the concert. The loudness, the aura of the band, the physicality...it sounds trite, but you really had to be there. Edited March 23, 2009 by Strider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knebby Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 ^Thanks Strider, nice post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 You're welcome...and thank you for the compliment, Knebby. Coming from you, that's an honour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knebby Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) You're welcome...and thank you for the compliment, Knebby. Coming from you, that's an honour. ( Not as daft or up my own arse as some would like to think I am ) Edited March 23, 2009 by Knebby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k5ymo Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 First of all, are you referring to ACTUAL ORIGINAL TOUR MERCHANDISE or to the phony made-up stuff that Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters and other retailers are selling these days? I crack up every time I see people wearing these fake Zep, Stones and Pink Floyd "tour" shirts. But basically, the reason why you will see more merchandise from the '77 tour is the fact that the band didn't really start to merchandise themselves until then...and it was also the most recent and longest of the major US tours they did over their career. It was no more or less IMPORTANT than their 1969 or 1973(pick a year) US tours...it was just the most recent. Fans who bought a shirt in 1977 have had less time to lose it or ruin it changing the oil in their car than fans who bought shirts in 1973. I can't recall seeing much in the way of concert t-shirts and stuff at the '72 shows. Hell, from 1969 to 1972 the band used the same group picture on their concert announcements in the LA Times, so you could see the band didn't really put much effort into the selling of merchandise...I mean, they couldn't even be bothered to change the promo picture used in their ads. Things changed a little for the 1973 tour as they finally hired some outsiders to help with publicity...this is when BP Fallon and Danny Goldberg joined the Zeppelin circus. This is when you started seeing Zep getting more notice in the mainstream press, and you started seeing more Zep t-shirts and baubles and books on the band, etc. But still, compared to today the tour shirts of 1973 and '75 were very primitive basic affairs. By 1977 however, Led Zeppelin, and the rock world at large, was starting to see how much fan demand(and fan money) there was for band merchandise; especially after seeing how KISS marketed themselves exhaustively. That's when you started to see an increase in the quality and quantity of merchandise available at concerts. So if you consider the fact that the 1977 tour was played to more people than their earlier tours and the fact that more effort was put into making merchandise available and the very important scientific fact that a shirt from 1977 is already over 30 years old, which makes it even more improbable that t-shirts from 1975, '73 and earlier are even still in one piece seeing as how they are going on 40 years old...add it all up and it makes sense that if any Zeppelin merch from those 70's tours has survived it is going to be the most recent one. Hence the dominance of the '77 tour in the stuff that you see these days. Now, to address the recent posts: Enough with this malarkey about the 77 tour being the 'doom and gloom' tour. Things happened, sure, but most had nothing to do with the band themselves; ie. ticket riots or Karac's passing. Lots of fan disturbance went on in 1975, too...and earlier tours also had their share(Milan 1971 ring a bell?). If anything, I thought the vibe of the band was much lighter than the 75 tour...Plant was in hilarious "Plantation" form at all the 77 shows I saw. The return of the acoustic set helped to bring a fun atmosphere to the concerts. I saw four guys who were having the time of their lives playing for 3 and 1/2 hours or more for the fans. I didn't see any reluctance to being there by anyone. After being inactive on the road for 2 years because of Plant's injury, I saw a band that was relieved and overjoyed to see their singer was back and could withstand the rigors of the road and were enthusiastic about being able to be a working touring band again. As for the poster who said Plant's voice was in terrible shape...what are you talking about? Because after the vocal problems and surgery he had in 1973, the Plant I saw in 1977 was in the strongest voice he'd been since at least 1972. I'm sorry if I've rambled on too long, but it irks me when people who weren't even there pass judgement on the 1977 tour, mainly it seems from either dodgy info they read about in the Richard Cole and Stephen Davis books, or inferior bootlegs...hell, even the best bootlegs ie. Mike Millard's tapes can't show you 100% what it was like to be at the concert. The loudness, the aura of the band, the physicality...it sounds trite, but you really had to be there. I'm with Knebby on this one...nice, informative post from someone who lived the Zeppelin days. Me, I lived the days too, but never saw the band. I do love a good boot now and then though. Keep us all informed mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpat Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 First of all, are you referring to ACTUAL ORIGINAL TOUR MERCHANDISE or to the phony made-up stuff that Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters and other retailers are selling these days? I crack up every time I see people wearing these fake Zep, Stones and Pink Floyd "tour" shirts. I think that is to what the original poster is referring, at least that's what I think in my limited ability as a cosmic mind reader... As an aside, I saw one of the coolest ever tees sold outside (that is, pirated or bootleg, or unlicensed by the band) after the Zep '77 Tour ... it had glitter, and cool images of the band members, blimps, yada yada. It might have been an illegal shirt, but whoever created it, sure put some artistic effort into it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedZep4Ever Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 First of all, are you referring to ACTUAL ORIGINAL TOUR MERCHANDISE or to the phony made-up stuff that Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters and other retailers are selling these days? I crack up every time I see people wearing these fake Zep, Stones and Pink Floyd "tour" shirts. Good point! When I see someone wearing one of the reproduction black 1977 tour T-shirts, I go up to them and say "I have one exactly like that at home, but mine came from one of the 1977 shows." 1977 Veteran; April 20, Cincinnati, Ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I've got one of those reproduction shirts, my brother gave it to me for Christmas, and I wear it quite happily as a nod to my favorite band. I've got an O2 shirt too, that came from the O2, but I don't go up to people I see wearing those shirts and say "bet you got yours online, neener neener." If I say anything I say, "hey, a fellow Zep fan!" Life's too short to get elitist about shirts, IMHO. 1970 Veteran; Bath Festival. No festival shirts. (Or if there were, I couldn't afford one.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibh23 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 It was a strong performance that night as I recall. I thought we where talking about the Seattle Kingdome show, not the Pontiac Silverdome show, which after I personally heard it, it's about perfect, LA Forum quality show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom kid Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Mehhh, it's simply the video with the less additional material available, no multitrack, who knows what audio was recorded that night, by itself at source bad quality and last of all a weak performance. The 77' tour IMO was rather cold, but when it got hot, it got boiling hot. While I agree with your first points, the 23 of June 1977 was in no way a weak perfomance, one of the best shows of '77. Get your hands on the boot 'For Badeholders Only" and listen. Then tell me it's a weak performance. A lot of people refer to that version of No Quarter as the best the band ever performed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom kid Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Seems to me all the footage he had available that was able to be used, was put on the dvd released a few years ago. Yeah probably, but maybe he's got something up his sleeve. In reply to Eternal Light on the 23-6-77 LA footage, while it is good footage and great to watch for fans like us it is only 8mm footage shot from a hand held camera, there's no way it would be released on dvd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom kid Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 ^ A lot of Graffiti was played on the '75 tour, Kashmir included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EzyEric Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 The earlier tours though absolutely great and fantastic, didnt have material from Graffitti like Kashmir. See 1975 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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