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Nitpicking Page (The quest for the best performance of 1975)


gibsonfan159

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I'm gonna keep all future 1975 nitpicks under this thread as not to clog up the forum.

Nitpicking Page 2/12/75 Madison Square Garden (Four Blocks In The Snow)

This one has a reputation as one of the best shows of 1975. Of course this is a straight soundboard source, so I really need to imagine how it would sound live to judge fairly. I've listened to it a few times before but have never nitpicked it, so here we go. (Here's a remaster I did of the show that doesn't sound so dry- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKfR9NOkf_U&list=PLtkfyvuP52RcQVJt6vNVOF6SsyDo-lf6L&index=1

Rock And Roll- A good solid start, Plant doesn't sound half bad. The solo, very reminiscent of the soundtrack version, except a little different at the end. Very nice start.

 

Sick Again- First solo, good start. Hangs up a little at 1:49. 1:58, strains a bit. Outro solo, good fluidity but gets a little repetitive. A very pale comparison to 2/8, but not as bad as 3/21.

OTHAFA- No flubs at the start. The solo, good noodling on the lower notes. The SB mix makes some of the bends sound strained, but I imagine they sounded more impressive live. Decent phrasing and improv throughout. 6:45, flubs the chords a bit. Not a bad version, though Plant started sounding flat.

IMTOD- Solid playing, slow and heavy. One of my favorite versions actually. Solo 1, good flow with nothing forced. Pretty much perfect. Solo 2, same here. A solid slide routine. Page doesn't tend to improvise with the slide as much, but maybe that's a good thing. 10:22, listen to Percy! I guess that's as high as he could get in 1975 lol. A superb version, with Jones and Bonham also playing well.

TSRTS- A muddy mix on this. The guitar on the first verses seems a little lackluster. The solo seems a bit strained at times, but I'm sure the SB mix accents that. The outro solo at 4:48 has Page's fingers tiring just a little. This version may not have been perfect, but it still had lots of energy.

The Rain Song- 3:12, attack of the shitty mellotron (Or whatever he was using here). It drags a little up until the rock part, then seems to get back on track. Page's playing is fine though. 7:26, throw that damn mellotron out a hotel window. Beautiful ending otherwise.

Kashmir- A very good version. 3:30, the mellotron acts up but it actually sounds intentional.

No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones, he's putting down a very nice groove. Not really showing off, but playing what needs to be played. In comes JP. Not really nailing the flow on the funky part, but still maintaining the groove. Some decent fluidity on 9:05-9:12. He's playing very relaxed and without the fire he usually has for this. Sticky fingers at 10:03. 10:33-10:48, phrasing nightmare. Could this be the show where he really starts to lose his phrasing ability? 11:03-11:10, a nice fluid run. 12:37, some good bends. Bonzo and Jones are sounding excellent through this. 14:03, the jam seems to drift into an open field with Jimmy not sure what to do, but it almost mimics a Pink Floyd sound. The song comes back on track nicely. Outro solo, some solid playing accented by the wah pedal. It's obvious though that he's not in shred mode like 2/8. He's relying more on the powerful bends rather than lightning runs. It works alright for now.

Trampled Underfoot- I'm sure Jones is doing some technical stuff for his solo on this song, but I've never found it very interesting. Luckily Page comes in soon. He's playing with some fire and nailing the bends. 4:22-4:27, these slow release bends usually sound terrible, but my god does he nail this one. 5:22, I love when he invents new rock riffs during a solo. Not the most articulate Page, but his phrasing was something else here. My only complaint is the incessant bass pedal through the whole thing.

Moby Dick. 0.18, guitar flub. 0:42, flub. Damn Jimmy, you OK? Bonzo is, he's killing it. It's nice to hear this on a good soundboard where you can hear all those little snare rolls he's doing between the big hits. 18:58, guitar flub lol. Maybe he's out of tune?

Dazed and Confused- I have to say, this song suffers badly without Plant's higher register. It just doesn't have the same impact. Maybe that's why they dropped it after 75. Page is playing very well through the opening. Not a bad opening solo, good phrasing and no strains. This San Fran section sounds really good, maybe the best I've heard. Bow solo, 11:50, that's officially the creepiest sound I've ever heard. It sounds like Plant is dying lol. This is a horror film done with sound. If there's any evidence the guys made a pact with satan, it's this bow section. Workout time- 18:03, sticky fingers. 18:10, some straining. 18:17-18:40, not good. Bad phrasing and articulation. 18:42, he finally gives up to rest his hand. Or brain. He comes back in and it's the same thing. 18:42-18:49 induces cringe. I'm thinking the Jack Daniels has kicked in? 22:30, he gets back in gear a little, with the speedy right hand showing up. The articulation is still a little rough. 22:38, very cool riffing. 24:25, officially out of ideas. He does manage to go into the Mars section flawlessly. 26:30, a very cool improv riff despite his sporadic playing. The song comes to an end like nothing bad ever happened lol. It's a shame because with the good opening, awesome San Fran section, and haunting bow section, this could have really been a classic.

Stairway- "Sometimes all of our tharts.." Plant is singing with extra enthusiasm. Anyone know what he says at 5:58? The solo- a good start but Page seems to lose his direction quickly and starts repeating the same licks and pausing frequently. This has nothing to do with an injured finger, he's clearly inebriated and unable to focus. It's not a terrible solo, but compared to others it's a huge step down. To a nitpicker, it's an embarrasment. Plant sounds good though.

Whole Lotta Love (Partial)- Plant is feeling good tonight. Opening riff sounds awesome and Plant is giving the crowd their money's worth.

Black Dog- For all his flawed lead playing, Page is hammering down these riffs like a pro. Maybe it's muscle memory VS. improv ability (While drunk)? The solo- Other than a little bit of turkey gobbling, it's really not bad at all. He does the bends adequately and doesn't venture too far from the norm. 5:20 is a perfect speedy run to end it.

Heartbreaker- I already dread nitpicking this solo. Let's see how goes it. Thundering intro. Solo- It's a standard "Heartbreaker" amount of sloppy. 6:07, nice change up. 7:10-8:48 somehow Page gets out of his mental fog and nails down a solid, fluid series of licks to end the song. 8:54, that drum fill must be mentioned.

Final assessment- A good show overall. Plant, Jones, and Bonzo are relatively flawless. Page starts out alright, but sure enough after Moby Dick, his lead playing takes a noticeable dive. There's a pattern I've noticed with him starting a lead run, ending with a bend, and then he pauses like he doesn't know where to go from there. To mend this mental problem he starts repeating a line a few times as if to give himself time to figure out where he's going next. Until a soundboard of 2/8 surfaces I can't make an absolutist judgement, but Page is nowhere near the level here he was for that show or Montreal. As bad as 3/21? Maybe on par, but I'd have to listen to them side by side.

 

 

Edited by gibsonfan159
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28 minutes ago, gibsonfan159 said:

I'm gonna keep all future 1975 nitpicks under this thread as not to clog up the forum.

Nitpicking Page 2/12/75 Madison Square Garden (Four Blocks In The Snow)

This one has a reputation as one of the best shows of 1975. Of course this is a straight soundboard source, so I really need to imagine how it would sound live to judge fairly. I've listened to it a few times before but have never nitpicked it, so here we go. (Here's a remaster I did of the show that doesn't sound so dry- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKfR9NOkf_U&list=PLtkfyvuP52RcQVJt6vNVOF6SsyDo-lf6L&index=1

Rock And Roll- A good solid start, Plant doesn't sound half bad. The solo, very reminiscent of the soundtrack version, except a little different at the end. Very nice start.

 

Sick Again- First solo, good start. Hangs up a little at 1:49. 1:58, strains a bit. Outro solo, good fluidity but gets a little repetitive. A very pale comparison to 2/8, but not as bad as 3/21.

OTHAFA- No flubs at the start. The solo, good noodling on the lower notes. The SB mix makes some of the bends sound strained, but I imagine they sounded more impressive live. Decent phrasing and improv throughout. 6:45, flubs the chords a bit. Not a bad version, though Plant started sounding flat.

IMTOD- Solid playing, slow and heavy. One of my favorite versions actually. Solo 1, good flow with nothing forced. Pretty much perfect. Solo 2, same here. A solid slide routine. Page doesn't tend to improvise with the slide as much, but maybe that's a good thing. 10:22, listen to Percy! I guess that's as high as he could get in 1975 lol. A superb version, with Jones and Bonham also playing well.

TSRTS- A muddy mix on this. The guitar on the first verses seems a little lackluster. The solo seems a bit strained at times, but I'm sure the SB mix accents that. The outro solo at 4:48 has Page's fingers tiring just a little. This version may not have been perfect, but it still had lots of energy.

The Rain Song- 3:12, attack of the shitty mellotron (Or whatever he was using here). It drags a little up until the rock part, then seems to get back on track. Page's playing is fine though. 7:26, throw that damn mellotron out a hotel window. Beautiful ending otherwise.

Kashmir- A very good version. 3:30, the mellotron acts up but it actually sounds intentional.

No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones, he's putting down a very nice groove. Not really showing off, but playing what needs to be played. In comes JP. Not really nailing the flow on the funky part, but still maintaining the groove. Some decent fluidity on 9:05-9:12. He's playing very relaxed and without the fire he usually has for this. Sticky fingers at 10:03. 10:33-10:48, phrasing nightmare. Could this be the show where he really starts to lose his phrasing ability? 11:03-11:10, a nice fluid run. 12:37, some good bends. Bonzo and Jones are sounding excellent through this. 14:03, the jam seems to drift into an open field with Jimmy not sure what to do, but it almost mimics a Pink Floyd sound. The song comes back on track nicely. Outro solo, some solid playing accented by the wah pedal. It's obvious though that he's not in shred mode like 2/8. He's relying more on the powerful bends rather than lightning runs. It works alright for now.

Trampled Underfoot- I'm sure Jones is doing some technical stuff for his solo on this song, but I've never found it very interesting. Luckily Page comes in soon. He's playing with some fire and nailing the bends. 4:22-4:27, these slow release bends usually sound terrible, but my god does he nail this one. 5:22, I love when he invents new rock riffs during a solo. Not the most articulate Page, but his phrasing was something else here. My only complaint is the incessant bass pedal through the whole thing.

Moby Dick. 0.18, guitar flub. 0:42, flub. Damn Jimmy, you OK? Bonzo is, he's killing it. It's nice to hear this on a good soundboard where you can hear all those little snare rolls he's doing between the big hits. 18:58, guitar flub lol. Maybe he's out of tune?

Dazed and Confused- I have to say, this song suffers badly without Plant's higher register. It just doesn't have the same impact. Maybe that's why they dropped it after 75. Page is playing very well through the opening. Not a bad opening solo, good phrasing and no strains. This San Fran section sounds really good, maybe the best I've heard. Bow solo, 11:50, that's officially the creepiest sound I've ever heard. It sounds like Plant is dying lol. This is a horror film done with sound. If there's any evidence the guys made a pact with satan, it's this bow section. Workout time- 18:03, sticky fingers. 18:10, some straining. 18:17-18:40, not good. Bad phrasing and articulation. 18:42, he finally gives up to rest his hand. Or brain. He comes back in and it's the same thing. 18:42-18:49 induces cringe. I'm thinking the Jack Daniels has kicked in? 22:30, he gets back in gear a little, with the speedy right hand showing up. The articulation is still a little rough. 22:38, very cool riffing. 24:25, officially out of ideas. He does manage to go into the Mars section flawlessly. 26:30, a very cool improv riff despite his sporadic playing. The song comes to an end like nothing bad ever happened lol. It's a shame because with the good opening, awesome San Fran section, and haunting bow section, this could have really been a classic.

Stairway- "Sometimes all of our tharts.." Plant is singing with extra enthusiasm. Anyone know what he says at 5:58? The solo- a good start but Page seems to lose his direction quickly and starts repeating the same licks and pausing frequently. This has nothing to do with an injured finger, he's clearly inebriated and unable to focus. It's not a terrible solo, but compared to others it's a huge step down. To a nitpicker, it's an embarrasment. Plant sounds good though.

Whole Lotta Love (Partial)- Plant is feeling good tonight. Opening riff sounds awesome and Plant is giving the crowd their money's worth.

Black Dog- For all his flawed lead playing, Page is hammering down these riffs like a pro. Maybe it's muscle memory VS. improv ability (While drunk)? The solo- Other than a little bit of turkey gobbling, it's really not bad at all. He does the bends adequately and doesn't venture too far from the norm. 5:20 is a perfect speedy run to end it.

Heartbreaker- I already dread nitpicking this solo. Let's see how goes it. Thundering intro. Solo- It's a standard "Heartbreaker" amount of sloppy. 6:07, nice change up. 7:10-8:48 somehow Page gets out of his mental fog and nails down a solid, fluid series of licks to end the song. 8:54, that drum fill must be mentioned.

Final assessment- A good show overall. Plant, Jones, and Bonzo are relatively flawless. Page starts out alright, but sure enough after Moby Dick, his lead playing takes a noticeable dive. There's a pattern I've noticed with him starting a lead run, ending with a bend, and then he pauses like he doesn't know where to go from there. To mend this mental problem he starts repeating a line a few times as if to give himself time to figure out where he's going next. Until a soundboard of 2/8 surfaces I can't make an absolutist judgement, but Page is nowhere near the level here he was for that show or Montreal. As bad as 3/21? Maybe on par, but I'd have to listen to them side by side.

 

 

Don't you have the matrix?

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2 minutes ago, gibsonfan159 said:

I do not. Do you think Page plays better on it?

The matrix is definitely worth hearing--one of the best boots out there sound quality-wise.  I'm a drummer, so I don't find that I notice as many faults in his playing as you do, but I've never noticed any glaring issues this show that I can remember.  Dazed does have some rough spots in the workout section, as you say, but I consider that sort of par for the course in '75.

I have Godfather's That's Alright New York.  I'm sure I've seen it in full on YouTube before, but I can't seem to find it, so here it is on Black Beauty:

http://starship.jpn.ph/zeppelin/beauty/disp/boot.jsp?R_idx=1117

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16 minutes ago, Bonzo_fan said:

The matrix is definitely worth hearing--one of the best boots out there sound quality-wise.  I'm a drummer, so I don't find that I notice as many faults in his playing as you do, but I've never noticed any glaring issues this show that I can remember.  Dazed does have some rough spots in the workout section, as you say, but I consider that sort of par for the course in '75.

I have Godfather's That's Alright New York.  I'm sure I've seen it in full on YouTube before, but I can't seem to find it, so here it is on Black Beauty:

http://starship.jpn.ph/zeppelin/beauty/disp/boot.jsp?R_idx=1117

I found the Flying Circus FLAC. Will take a listen and see if the flubs stand out as much.

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I'd like to see what your thoughts are on the 3/12 Long Beach show. That's one of my personal favorites of '75 (then again so is Seattle 3/21 lol). Just make sure that if/when you review it, you do the David E. 3 source mix. Up until recently, most of that show was only available in a rather poor, overloaded audience recording, but a new(ish) source popped up a while back that is very listenable. PM me if you need a download link.

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7 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

I'd like to see what your thoughts are on the 3/12 Long Beach show. That's one of my personal favorites of '75 (then again so is Seattle 3/21 lol). Just make sure that if/when you review it, you do the David E. 3 source mix. Up until recently, most of that show was only available in a rather poor, overloaded audience recording, but a new(ish) source popped up a while back that is very listenable. PM me if you need a download link.

I'm gonna work my way towards that one and will use those sources. Doing 2/13 as we speak.

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20 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

I'd like to see what your thoughts are on the 3/12 Long Beach show. That's one of my personal favorites of '75 (then again so is Seattle 3/21 lol). Just make sure that if/when you review it, you do the David E. 3 source mix. Up until recently, most of that show was only available in a rather poor, overloaded audience recording, but a new(ish) source popped up a while back that is very listenable. PM me if you need a download link.

Call out to zephead again my friend. I would love a link

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On 10.4.2018 at 5:21 AM, gibsonfan159 said:

Stairway- "Sometimes all of our tharts.." Plant is singing with extra enthusiasm. Anyone know what he says at 5:58? The solo- a good start but Page seems to lose his direction quickly and starts repeating the same licks and pausing frequently. This has nothing to do with an injured finger, he's clearly inebriated and unable to focus. It's not a terrible solo, but compared to others it's a huge step down. To a nitpicker, it's an embarrasment. Plant sounds good though.

Well, from a singers perspective, Plant's part after the solo is an abolute embarrasment.:o

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Regarding all of the LOL's at gibsonfan's response to my matrix question, I was only asking because he said "this is a straight soundboard source," not because I thought it makes Page's playing demonstrably better :lol:

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3 hours ago, Bonzo_fan said:

Regarding all of the LOL's at gibsonfan's response to my matrix question, I was only asking because he said "this is a straight soundboard source," not because I thought it makes Page's playing demonstrably better :lol:

Alltough I am not the biggest fan of 75, I really dig gibsonfan`s enjoyable & detailed analysis. Four Blocks In The Snow is one of the few 75 concerts I appreciate. Neither the SB nor the matrix will do me any good. Haha, I prefer the TCOLZ audience version, because it makes not only Page`s sound but the whole thing "demonstrably better".

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4 hours ago, Bonzo_fan said:

Regarding all of the LOL's at gibsonfan's response to my matrix question, I was only asking because he said "this is a straight soundboard source," not because I thought it makes Page's playing demonstrably better :lol:

I know, but I can't resist being a smartass. Thanks for letting me know about the matrix.

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Nitpicking Page 2/13/1975 Uniondale (Throwing The Wild Seeds)

After a mediocre show the previous night, let's move on to Uniondale, NY and see if he gets back on track to match the level of playing from 2/8 Pittsburgh. Another soundboard, I'm not aware of any audience sources.

Rock And Roll- Good solid solo. No mishaps. "A".

Sick Again- Flub at 0:16. First solo- He starts off pretty good but loses the flow a little at 1:53. Pushes through ok. Outro solo- Keeps a good steady flow with no mishaps. Other than Plant sounding a little hoarse, this is a solid version. "B+".

OTHAFA- A string ever so slightly out of tune. Very slow tempo. Those little full neck finger slides Jimmy does between chords sound freaking awesome. 2:12, a Plant yodel. The solo- The 2:52 run sounds out of key but it still works somehow. The low octave noodling has a decent flow. 3:42, he bites off more than he can chew with that speedy run. Recovers with a good one at 3:57-4:07. 4:30, the solo should have ended here. It's not terrible after this, but Page really had no good noodling left from here on. 4:54, fingers stuck in strings. 5:16, turkey gobbling. An "alright" version. "C+".

IMTOD- Slow and heavy like the previous night's. Accurate slide work. First solo- Excellent flow on this one. Perfect phrasing. Second solo- Not as good, but still really good. And listen to Jones in the background. 7:30-7:52, Bonzo finally comes alive. "Oh my cheeses". A very good version, one of the best in my opinion. The only problem I have is how reserved Bonham is up until the last half. "A+".

TSRTS- Good energy and Page sounds good through the opening. In case the soundboard wasn't twangy enough, here's a twelve string. 2:20, Plant yodel. I had to listen to this one about ten times because it's freaking hilarious. Solo- Very accurate with nimble fingers. 3:36, a missed chord but that really is nitpicking. Second solo- Page gets a second wind and takes off like a madman. Excellent. Very good version apart from Plant channeling Yoko Ono. "A".

The Rain Song- The mellotron is accenting the music like a real orchestra for once. (Side note, I recently read that a mellotron plays prerecorded sound samples and doesn't actually produce the sounds. It's like pressing "Play" on a cassette deck. Quite an interesting instrument.) Good playing throughout. Rock section- very passionate and well performed. Plant does a great job on this one. Great version. "A".

Kashmir- This version seems slightly unenthusiastic for some reason. Maybe it's the sound quality of the boot, or because Plant sounds half asleep. 4:30, mellotron mishap that sounds quite good. A "B" version.

No Quarter- The description on the website gave this a rave review, let's see how it holds up. So. Much. Bass Pedal. Nitpicking Jones- Very solemn and meditative, not exactly showing off, but it works. 4:39-4:44, an arabic sounding run. 6:24, a unique little funk rhythm. Enter Pagey- A good build up, shows some fludity at 8:08. Again at 9:06. Good phrasing so far. 10:22, this run is very fluid but he's done it three times now. 12:03, starts sounding a little desperate but saves it with a good run at 12:13. 13:22, he's playing solid through here but that's it. Kinda got the jamming in my bedroom thing going. But, he's staying within his reach and not straining. Outro solo- A little more fire here with a massive finish. 18:13, Jones tries to end but Jimmy keeps going. Very solid playing throughout, but there's no doubt that Jimmy has lit up the fretboard more than this on other performances. A "B+" version.

Trampled Underfoot- Solo has a decent start, but starts losing flow at 4:34. Articulation problems at 4:51. 5:15, we've walked in on Page jamming in his bedroom. 5:34 is a good riff, but he can't take it anywhere. 6:55, someone is hitting wrong notes here but I can't tell if it's Page or Jones. Plant sounds quite excellent through this one and probably steals the show. "B".

Moby Dick- Maybe it's the tone of the soundboard but this one isn't quite as exciting.

Dazed and Confused- First solo, he gets a good flow going with good phrasing. He channels Freebird at 4:53. The lead in to San Fran is really good. 9:00, I love this sinister riff Jones is putting down. 9:32, Robert is overdoing the "Whoo"s. Bow solo- pretty good, just a little drawn out. Workout section- 21:22-21:34, alright Jimmy, keep it up! Some good phrasing. 22:02, rockabilly jam out of nowhere. 22:14-22:26, not an articulate run but still pretty impressive with a good ending. His phrasing is on point even if his fluidity isn't 100%. 23:27-23:41, excellent run with decent articulation. 23:47, hand cramps up. 23:57, just stop doing this riff dude. Luckily, he winds this down before it goes south. 26:05, Plant has some fun with the call and response section. Last solo, he again gets a good flow going. Very fluid at 27:23. 28:16, we go rockabilly again. 28:32, sounds like "Royal Orleans". 29:27-29:36, articulation sounds great on a good fluid run. Mars section is played devastatingly heavy. 31:32, prog funk section with Jones coming alive. 32:28, perfect entrance into the finale. Outro solo, 34:53, some more Freebird riffs. Some very nice string bends. 38:24, it starts feeling a little too drawn out, but as good as it's been so far it's fair game. Might as well carry this one to the heavens. 39:18, a riff from "Night Flight". 40:17, a slight flub. Strong finish. I'm glad I started doing these nitpicks now because I never realized how awesome this version was before, probably because I usually skipped a lot of the 75 versions of Dazed. Easily one of my favorites now. A very solid "A". An "A+" had the bow section been a little more drastic.

Stairway To Heaven- Plant's voice sounds good, but he sounds absolutely exhausted. The solo- Good smooth start. 8:21, very slight flub. His flow slows down some after the 10:00 mark. 10:14-10:32, the same riff. 11:20, Page starts that run off time and even fools Bonzo lol. An average solo, certainly not great. Barely good from a guitarist's view. I think the Jack has kicked in a little bit. Plant also sounds very tired and is forcing himself to sing this. "C+".

Whole Lotta Love- Poor Plant is barely hanging on. 1:14, Page flubs. Not a good funk section either.

Black Dog- Drags just a little. The solo- Good start with a decent run at 4:05-4:27. Fairly nimble fingers for this late in the show. Slight flub at 5:33. Much better playing than I suspected. "B+".

Communication Breakdown- Kicks in at full speed. Plant sounds alright. 0:48, Ron obviously didn't run through the chord changes before taking the stage. His tone on his solo is amazing though as he blazes right through. 3:10, awesome groove. Too bad they didn't stretch that out. I ain't gonna lie, Wood does a better job with the "groove jamming" than Page. Video footage of this would be amazing to see. "A+". How could it not be?

Final assessment- Except for a couple of tracks, this show blows 2/12 out of the water for the most part. Definitely a must listen for 1975. On to 2/14.

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4 hours ago, Autumn Moon said:

Alltough I am not the biggest fan of 75, I really dig gibsonfan`s enjoyable & detailed analysis. Four Blocks In The Snow is one of the few 75 concerts I appreciate. Neither the SB nor the matrix will do me any good. Haha, I prefer the TCOLZ audience version, because it makes not only Page`s sound but the whole thing "demonstrably better".

Hmm, I've never tried the straight audience source.  Might have to...

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So I take it your goal is to listen to every '75 performance? Well, all I can say is good luck haha! Personally, I don't know if I'd be able to stand it unless I were to space it out quite a bit. The '75 shows (with the exception of the ones from January and Earls Court) all have a degree of "sameness" to them, with the setlist barely changing at all from night to night and Page and Plant being the only two who vary in terms of performance. And even then, Plant's best gigs for this year are just ones where he'd be considered "passable" to the casual listener. 

I will say I hope you pull through, because I may have to revise my "best of '75" compilation based on your reviews. :)

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1 hour ago, ZepHead315 said:

So I take it your goal is to listen to every '75 performance? Well, all I can say is good luck haha! Personally, I don't know if I'd be able to stand it unless I were to space it out quite a bit. The '75 shows (with the exception of the ones from January and Earls Court) all have a degree of "sameness" to them, with the setlist barely changing at all from night to night and Page and Plant being the only two who vary in terms of performance. And even then, Plant's best gigs for this year are just ones where he'd be considered "passable" to the casual listener. 

I will say I hope you pull through, because I may have to revise my "best of '75" compilation based on your reviews. :)

By my calculations, the '73 North American Tour actually had the most static setlist, with the only pre-encore variation being the occasional addition of songs within "Whole Lotta Love" (i.e. 6/3 LA)--and, I suppose, the occasional omission of songs due to crowd problems (i.e. 7/20 Boston).

The three additions of "Since I've Been Loving You" alone give February & March '75 a setlist-variety edge over NA '73.  Granted, the playing as a collective was probably better/more consistent in '73...

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42 minutes ago, Bonzo_fan said:

By my calculations, the '73 North American Tour actually had the most static setlist, with the only pre-encore variation being the occasional addition of songs within "Whole Lotta Love" (i.e. 6/3 LA)--and, I suppose, the occasional omission of songs due to crowd problems (i.e. 7/20 Boston).

The three additions of "Since I've Been Loving You" alone give February & March '75 a setlist-variety edge over NA '73.  Granted, the playing as a collective was probably better/more consistent in '73...

True, but the '73 setlist feels a lot tighter and seems to fly by much quicker, at least to me. The '75 setlist feels like an update of the '73 setlist, only with (imho) worse pacing. Having a 20-30 Moby Dick followed by a 40 minute Dazed and Confused is just way too excessive. It makes it lose momentum and it's more difficult for me personally to get through. Also, don't forget that the band occasionally skipped songs in the '73 setlist due to crowd issues or health issues. Not to mention novelties like hinting at Georgia on My Mind in Salt Lake City or playing Dazed out of order in Baltimore. ;)

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14 minutes ago, ZepHead315 said:

True, but the '73 setlist feels a lot tighter and seems to fly by much quicker, at least to me. The '75 setlist feels like an update of the '73 setlist, only with (imho) worse pacing. Having a 20-30 Moby Dick followed by a 40 minute Dazed and Confused is just way too excessive. It makes it lose momentum and it's more difficult for me personally to get through. Also, don't forget that the band occasionally skipped songs in the '73 setlist due to crowd issues or health issues. Not to mention novelties like hinting at Georgia on My Mind in Salt Lake City or playing Dazed out of order in Baltimore;)

True.  I've been trying to hear that Baltimore '73 Dazed for years!  Any chance of a PM? ;)

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4 minutes ago, Bonzo_fan said:

True.  I've been trying to hear that Baltimore '73 Dazed for years!  Any chance of a PM? ;)

Sorry man. I wish I could find it. I've done quite a bit of searching but have yet to find the complete show. If anyone can PM me a link to the complete show (hint hint ;)) I'll be sure to pass it along to you! :)

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