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

[goodstudent]

Hello! Will you review 2/28 Baton Rouge show?

[gibsonfan159]

2 hours ago, goodstudent said:

Hello! Will you review 2/28 Baton Rouge show?

It's on the list

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 3/4/1975 Dallas, TX (Zapruder- Wendy)

Rock And Roll- Bonzo can be heard complaining about no sound coming from the snare drum before starting. Plant sounding much better than the previous show. Solo- Very sticky off the bat but the phrasing is decent. A little too loose overall. Last verses sound good and Bonham sounds like he's feeling lively again tonight. "B+".

Sick Again- Solid opening and verses. Solo- 1:46, sticky. 2:01, straining a bit. Outro solo- decent start. 4:30, fingers getting stuck. 4:40-4:48, fingers definitely stuck. Yikes. The solos bring this otherwise good version down. "B".

OTHAFA- Good intro. Plant sounding good on the opening verses. 1:29, flubbed notes and Page's fingers are sounding lethargic. Solo- the usual phrasing to start. 4:16-4:28, a little sticky. Some bends sound forced but otherwise it's not terrible. Solid ending (though Plant's final whoo is rough). It's a listenable version but nothing to brag about. "B+".

IMTOD- Decent start but there's some energy missing. 3:22, sloppy slide work. First solo- the lifeless tone certainly doesn't help. Overall not too bad. Second solo- 6:24, Bonzo stealing the show through here. Decent playing from Jim. 9:30, some loose slide playing. Solid ending. "A-".

TSRTS- Harsh tone from the twelve string. Solid intro. 2:17-2:21, sloppy chording. First solo- just a tad loose but overall good playing. Plant cracks on Calcutta. Outro solo- Page's fingers are moving quite well considering the fast tempo. Plant straining some on the final verses. A decent version. "A-".

The Rain Song- Solid throughout. Rock Section- Good. "A".

Kashmir- The mellotron sounding terribly off key on the start and no bass in the feed. 8:34, Jones' bass pedals finally make it to the mix. 9:14, sloppy noodling from Page. A fairly solid performance, but the technical problems really kill this version. "B".

No Quarter- Decent intro. Jones barely starts to solo until... 4:30, tape cut takes us into the end of the guitar solo. Jones returns with some nice keyboard work. The last verses are okay with some decent wah noodling from Page. 10:19, sloppy chording. Impossible to rate without the solo. 

Trampled Underfoot- Good start. Jones gets a solid solo in. Guitar solo- 3:33-3:45, ouch. Phrasing is beyond erratic. 4:23, very sticky. 4:34, Page improvises an ascending phrase and has no idea where to go with it. 5:33, better groove here but back to stickiness soon afterwards. Awful solo by Jim. 6:50, not even the wah effect can hide this flub. Good ending. "C+".

Dazed- Solid intro and verses. First workout- the phrasing is a bit lazy as Jim plays some mediocre runs. 8:27, string out of tune as he begins Woodstock. 12:27, some weird bow sounds. Second workout- decent start. 21:57, sloppy. 25:30, fingers stuck. 26:33, a little sticky. Mars- not bad. Climax is good and the return comes back nicely. Not the greatest playing by Jimmy but it's not terrible. The ending guitar noodling is decent as the song comes to a close. "B+".

Stairway- solid verses throughout. 5:14, bad guitar chording. 5:28, an odd moment where both Page and Bonham pause briefly. Solo- good start. 6:29, this phrase doesn't fit well. 6:45, another awkward phrase. 7:30, sticky. 8:14, forcing this a little. 8:20, an excellent sounding run. Keeping a steady flow going but absolutely nothing impressive. Page barely gets the final phrase down. Plant sounding dreadful on the climax. "B" at most.

WLL- 0:16, chord flub. The Crunge- forget the bridge, Jim can't find the chords.  Theremin section is done adequately. "B".

Black Dog- 0:50, a little sloppy. 2:25, Bonzo and Jim not syncing up well. Plant gets a surprisingly good pre solo scream in. Solo- 4:03, a speedy albeit slightly sloppy run. 4:38, some good emotion in these somewhat sticky runs. I expected worse, not a bad solo at all. But it can't really save this one overall. "B+".

Heartbreaker- 0:19, Bonzo drops out for a beat. 1:04, Page struggling with the riff. The soundboard doesn't help, but I don't think you could invent a worse guitar tone. Solo- 2:57, stereo pan out of nowhere. Page gets a good rockabilly routine in. The smear runs are decent. 5:58, Page playing loosely. 7:03, strange phrasing. 7:25, very sticky. A decent solo overall. 7:53, Plant's vocals completely fall flat. A little too loose. "B".

Final assessment- Just not a very inspiring performance on the whole. Plant's vocals oddly seemed to get worse as the show went on. Page struggled the whole way through. When he wasn't sloppy, his phrasing was lazy and erratic. Bonham and Jones both appeared to have some technical issues. IMTOD might be the only highlight and it's nothing special. 

[goodstudent]

1 hour ago, gibsonfan159 said:

Nitpicking Page 3/4/1975 Dallas, TX (Zapruder- Wendy)

Rock And Roll- Bonzo can be heard complaining about no sound coming from the snare drum before starting. Plant sounding much better than the previous show. Solo- Very sticky off the bat but the phrasing is decent. A little too loose overall. Last verses sound good and Bonham sounds like he's feeling lively again tonight. "B+".

Sick Again- Solid opening and verses. Solo- 1:46, sticky. 2:01, straining a bit. Outro solo- decent start. 4:30, fingers getting stuck. 4:40-4:48, fingers definitely stuck. Yikes. The solos bring this otherwise good version down. "B".

OTHAFA- Good intro. Plant sounding good on the opening verses. 1:29, flubbed notes and Page's fingers are sounding lethargic. Solo- the usual phrasing to start. 4:16-4:28, a little sticky. Some bends sound forced but otherwise it's not terrible. Solid ending (though Plant's final whoo is rough). It's a listenable version but nothing to brag about. "B+".

IMTOD- Decent start but there's some energy missing. 3:22, sloppy slide work. First solo- the lifeless tone certainly doesn't help. Overall not too bad. Second solo- 6:24, Bonzo stealing the show through here. Decent playing from Jim. 9:30, some loose slide playing. Solid ending. "A-".

TSRTS- Harsh tone from the twelve string. Solid intro. 2:17-2:21, sloppy chording. First solo- just a tad loose but overall good playing. Plant cracks on Calcutta. Outro solo- Page's fingers are moving quite well considering the fast tempo. Plant straining some on the final verses. A decent version. "A-".

The Rain Song- Solid throughout. Rock Section- Good. "A".

Kashmir- The mellotron sounding terribly off key on the start and no bass in the feed. 8:34, Jones' bass pedals finally make it to the mix. 9:14, sloppy noodling from Page. A fairly solid performance, but the technical problems really kill this version. "B".

No Quarter- Decent intro. Jones barely starts to solo until... 4:30, tape cut takes us into the end of the guitar solo. Jones returns with some nice keyboard work. The last verses are okay with some decent wah noodling from Page. 10:19, sloppy chording. Impossible to rate without the solo. 

Trampled Underfoot- Good start. Jones gets a solid solo in. Guitar solo- 3:33-3:45, ouch. Phrasing is beyond erratic. 4:23, very sticky. 4:34, Page improvises an ascending phrase and has no idea where to go with it. 5:33, better groove here but back to stickiness soon afterwards. Awful solo by Jim. 6:50, not even the wah effect can hide this flub. Good ending. "C+".

Dazed- Solid intro and verses. First workout- the phrasing is a bit lazy as Jim plays some mediocre runs. 8:27, string out of tune as he begins Woodstock. 12:27, some weird bow sounds. Second workout- decent start. 21:57, sloppy. 25:30, fingers stuck. 26:33, a little sticky. Mars- not bad. Climax is good and the return comes back nicely. Not the greatest playing by Jimmy but it's not terrible. The ending guitar noodling is decent as the song comes to a close. "B+".

Stairway- solid verses throughout. 5:14, bad guitar chording. 5:28, an odd moment where both Page and Bonham pause briefly. Solo- good start. 6:29, this phrase doesn't fit well. 6:45, another awkward phrase. 7:30, sticky. 8:14, forcing this a little. 8:20, an excellent sounding run. Keeping a steady flow going but absolutely nothing impressive. Page barely gets the final phrase down. Plant sounding dreadful on the climax. "B" at most.

WLL- 0:16, chord flub. The Crunge- forget the bridge, Jim can't find the chords.  Theremin section is done adequately. "B".

Black Dog- 0:50, a little sloppy. 2:25, Bonzo and Jim not syncing up well. Plant gets a surprisingly good pre solo scream in. Solo- 4:03, a speedy albeit slightly sloppy run. 4:38, some good emotion in these somewhat sticky runs. I expected worse, not a bad solo at all. But it can't really save this one overall. "B+".

Heartbreaker- 0:19, Bonzo drops out for a beat. 1:04, Page struggling with the riff. The soundboard doesn't help, but I don't think you could invent a worse guitar tone. Solo- 2:57, stereo pan out of nowhere. Page gets a good rockabilly routine in. The smear runs are decent. 5:58, Page playing loosely. 7:03, strange phrasing. 7:25, very sticky. A decent solo overall. 7:53, Plant's vocals completely fall flat. A little too loose. "B".

Final assessment- Just not a very inspiring performance on the whole. Plant's vocals oddly seemed to get worse as the show went on. Page struggled the whole way through. When he wasn't sloppy, his phrasing was lazy and erratic. Bonham and Jones both appeared to have some technical issues. IMTOD might be the only highlight and it's nothing special. 

Next night should be better, especially Grame remaster version. Thanks for the review!

[Christopher Lees]

3 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said:

OTHAFA- Good intro. Plant sounding good on the opening verses. 1:29, flubbed notes and Page's fingers are sounding lethargic. Solo- the usual phrasing to start. 4:16-4:28, a little sticky. Some bends sound forced but otherwise it's not terrible. Solid ending (though Plant's final whoo is rough). It's a listenable version but nothing to brag about. "B+".

I agree that the show is sluggish on the whole, but I think Page's solo in OTHAFA is excellent. Smoking. Love the descending g-string lick in the solo. Really effective on this show.

[RJR]

Love this part: "The Crunge- forget the bridge, Jim can't find the chords."  Had me rolling!!!

Please keep doing these reviews.  I really enjoy reading them, and it makes me go back and listen to shows or songs that I haven't heard in some time.  I usually don't give much attention to this 3/4 show, but I gave it another shot.  Even a so-so Zeppelin show is still entertaining 

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 3/5/1975 Dallas, TX (Grame Remaster)

Rock And Roll- Plant not sounding too awfully bad. Decent verses. Solo- sloppy playing overall but the phrasing is good. 2:24, some sloppy chords to end the solo. Fairly average for the opener, nothing impressive. "B".

Sick Again- Good intro and verses, Rob sounds warmed up already. First solo- some looseness but pretty solid overall. Second half verses sound good. Outro solo- nimble fingers throughout. Not bad. "A".

OTHAFA- Solid intro from Pagey. Plant sounding strong on the opening chorus. Solo- the low octave noodling is phrased nicely. 4:19, straining a bit. Not exactly shred mode, but Page dabbles and experiments with some effective phrasing. A surprisingly solid version overall. "A". 

IMTOD- Fairly good start and verses. First solo- pretty loose but the flow is good. Sounds like a drunk Duane Allman. Second solo- 6:34, much better feel on this one as he gets in the zone. The energy picks up nicely for the last bit. "A-"

TSRTS- Decent intro. 1:27, chord flub. First solo- lacking some technical precision but fairly good. Second solo- 4:27, slightly choppy chording. Not bad. Plant slurring some notes on the return.  "B+".

Rain Song- 0:56, slight vocal squeak. Solid verses. Nice instrumental balance on the recording. 3:14, Jones sounding a little odd with the bass pedals. Rock section- not bad. Page's outro is good and Plant gets a decent scream in to end it. A very relaxed version. "B+".

Kashmir- Solid start. 1:20. very slight flub. Mostly solid throughout. 8:07-8:10, Jimmy a little loose here on the outro. Decent performance but this recording lacks some punch. "A-".

No Quarter- The usual solid start. Jones- an intriguing start to his routine with some elegantly played piano phrases. 6:47-8:00, Jones in the zone for some of the best phrases I've heard by him. 11:40, amazing groove here with Bonzo. Solo- Page playing patiently to start. 15:25, phrasing is pretty loose and choppy. 15:55, better. 17:40, playing with more passion and fluidity. 19:46, very nice wah enhanced bends. A mediocre start improves greatly and saves us from disappointment from Page. The return is good and Jim does well with the outro licks. Minus the first half of Page's solo (which is really only sporadic phrasing), this one is really up there. A top five Jones routine. "A".

Trampled Underfoot- Very up tempo and Robert has some trouble keeping up in places. Jones has a short but good routine. Solo- Page enters sounding just a bit sticky but his phrasing is nice. 3:57, sloppy run. Really not too bad, but some stickiness keeps this around a "B+".

Dazed- The usual start. First workout- Page's fingers sounding stiff. The Woodstock intro reveals a string to be out of tune but it's still a nice rendition. 7:25, Plant squeak. The bow section pushes ten minutes. Second workout- 20:19, something happens as Page drops out and Jones picks up on bass to fill the void. 21:07, Page still struggling. 22:00, inarticulate. 25:24, sloppy. 26:05, Jim pushing it here but not impressing. Mars- Page struggling a bit with the chords. At last we hit the climax and Jimbo even flubs a few chords here. The outro jam flows a bit better. Not a good one. "C+".

Stairway- Verses sounding excellent. Solo- good start but a strange phrase at 6:45. 8:00-8:40, fantastic set of alternating phrases. Jim pulls together quite well for the remainder of the solo. Plant struggles on the climax. Not perfect but anything would sound good after that Dazed. "B+".

WLL- Some twangy chords to get started. The Crunge- a serious attempt at the song this time around. 1:08, Page not quite nailing the chords or timing. The theremin freakout is pretty run of the mill. "B+".

Black Dog- Verses sounding good. Solo- some choppy phrasing to start but not bad. 4:20, fingers stuck in strings. 4:55, sloppy. The remainder is played embarassingly as Page's fingers stop working. "B".

Final Assessment- A solid overall performance is marred by some low points. Plant is mostly good except for the Stairway finale. Page isn't perfect but is fairly coherent and controlled for 1975. He seems to have issues with his guitars throughout. Highlight is a solid No Quarter, with an impressive piano section from Jones. Dazed should be avoided.

[Bonzo_fan]

On 7/14/2021 at 8:49 PM, gibsonfan159 said:

Nitpicking Page 3/5/1975 Dallas, TX (Grame Remaster)

Rock And Roll- Plant not sounding too awfully bad. Decent verses. Solo- sloppy playing overall but the phrasing is good. 2:24, some sloppy chords to end the solo. Fairly average for the opener, nothing impressive. "B".

Sick Again- Good intro and verses, Rob sounds warmed up already. First solo- some looseness but pretty solid overall. Second half verses sound good. Outro solo- nimble fingers throughout. Not bad. "A".

OTHAFA- Solid intro from Pagey. Plant sounding strong on the opening chorus. Solo- the low octave noodling is phrased nicely. 4:19, straining a bit. Not exactly shred mode, but Page dabbles and experiments with some effective phrasing. A surprisingly solid version overall. "A". 

IMTOD- Fairly good start and verses. First solo- pretty loose but the flow is good. Sounds like a drunk Duane Allman. Second solo- 6:34, much better feel on this one as he gets in the zone. The energy picks up nicely for the last bit. "A-"

TSRTS- Decent intro. 1:27, chord flub. First solo- lacking some technical precision but fairly good. Second solo- 4:27, slightly choppy chording. Not bad. Plant slurring some notes on the return.  "B+".

Rain Song- 0:56, slight vocal squeak. Solid verses. Nice instrumental balance on the recording. 3:14, Jones sounding a little odd with the bass pedals. Rock section- not bad. Page's outro is good and Plant gets a decent scream in to end it. A very relaxed version. "B+".

Kashmir- Solid start. 1:20. very slight flub. Mostly solid throughout. 8:07-8:10, Jimmy a little loose here on the outro. Decent performance but this recording lacks some punch. "A-".

No Quarter- The usual solid start. Jones- an intriguing start to his routine with some elegantly played piano phrases. 6:47-8:00, Jones in the zone for some of the best phrases I've heard by him. 11:40, amazing groove here with Bonzo. Solo- Page playing patiently to start. 15:25, phrasing is pretty loose and choppy. 15:55, better. 17:40, playing with more passion and fluidity. 19:46, very nice wah enhanced bends. A mediocre start improves greatly and saves us from disappointment from Page. The return is good and Jim does well with the outro licks. Minus the first half of Page's solo (which is really only sporadic phrasing), this one is really up there. A top five Jones routine. "A".

Trampled Underfoot- Very up tempo and Robert has some trouble keeping up in places. Jones has a short but good routine. Solo- Page enters sounding just a bit sticky but his phrasing is nice. 3:57, sloppy run. Really not too bad, but some stickiness keeps this around a "B+".

Dazed- The usual start. First workout- Page's fingers sounding stiff. The Woodstock intro reveals a string to be out of tune but it's still a nice rendition. 7:25, Plant squeak. The bow section pushes ten minutes. Second workout- 20:19, something happens as Page drops out and Jones picks up on bass to fill the void. 21:07, Page still struggling. 22:00, inarticulate. 25:24, sloppy. 26:05, Jim pushing it here but not impressing. Mars- Page struggling a bit with the chords. At last we hit the climax and Jimbo even flubs a few chords here. The outro jam flows a bit better. Not a good one. "C+".

Stairway- Verses sounding excellent. Solo- good start but a strange phrase at 6:45. 8:00-8:40, fantastic set of alternating phrases. Jim pulls together quite well for the remainder of the solo. Plant struggles on the climax. Not perfect but anything would sound good after that Dazed. "B+".

WLL- Some twangy chords to get started. The Crunge- a serious attempt at the song this time around. 1:08, Page not quite nailing the chords or timing. The theremin freakout is pretty run of the mill. "B+".

Black Dog- Verses sounding good. Solo- some choppy phrasing to start but not bad. 4:20, fingers stuck in strings. 4:55, sloppy. The remainder is played embarassingly as Page's fingers stop working. "B".

Final Assessment- A solid overall performance is marred by some low points. Plant is mostly good except for the Stairway finale. Page isn't perfect but is fairly coherent and controlled for 1975. He seems to have issues with his guitars throughout. Highlight is a solid No Quarter, with an impressive piano section from Jones. Dazed should be avoided.

I would only add that Jones has some particularly fantastic bass playing, especially on OTHAFA -- that return!

[goodstudent]

On 7/15/2021 at 3:49 AM, gibsonfan159 said:

Nitpicking Page 3/5/1975 Dallas, TX (Grame Remaster)

Rock And Roll- Plant not sounding too awfully bad. Decent verses. Solo- sloppy playing overall but the phrasing is good. 2:24, some sloppy chords to end the solo. Fairly average for the opener, nothing impressive. "B".

Sick Again- Good intro and verses, Rob sounds warmed up already. First solo- some looseness but pretty solid overall. Second half verses sound good. Outro solo- nimble fingers throughout. Not bad. "A".

OTHAFA- Solid intro from Pagey. Plant sounding strong on the opening chorus. Solo- the low octave noodling is phrased nicely. 4:19, straining a bit. Not exactly shred mode, but Page dabbles and experiments with some effective phrasing. A surprisingly solid version overall. "A". 

IMTOD- Fairly good start and verses. First solo- pretty loose but the flow is good. Sounds like a drunk Duane Allman. Second solo- 6:34, much better feel on this one as he gets in the zone. The energy picks up nicely for the last bit. "A-"

TSRTS- Decent intro. 1:27, chord flub. First solo- lacking some technical precision but fairly good. Second solo- 4:27, slightly choppy chording. Not bad. Plant slurring some notes on the return.  "B+".

Rain Song- 0:56, slight vocal squeak. Solid verses. Nice instrumental balance on the recording. 3:14, Jones sounding a little odd with the bass pedals. Rock section- not bad. Page's outro is good and Plant gets a decent scream in to end it. A very relaxed version. "B+".

Kashmir- Solid start. 1:20. very slight flub. Mostly solid throughout. 8:07-8:10, Jimmy a little loose here on the outro. Decent performance but this recording lacks some punch. "A-".

No Quarter- The usual solid start. Jones- an intriguing start to his routine with some elegantly played piano phrases. 6:47-8:00, Jones in the zone for some of the best phrases I've heard by him. 11:40, amazing groove here with Bonzo. Solo- Page playing patiently to start. 15:25, phrasing is pretty loose and choppy. 15:55, better. 17:40, playing with more passion and fluidity. 19:46, very nice wah enhanced bends. A mediocre start improves greatly and saves us from disappointment from Page. The return is good and Jim does well with the outro licks. Minus the first half of Page's solo (which is really only sporadic phrasing), this one is really up there. A top five Jones routine. "A".

Trampled Underfoot- Very up tempo and Robert has some trouble keeping up in places. Jones has a short but good routine. Solo- Page enters sounding just a bit sticky but his phrasing is nice. 3:57, sloppy run. Really not too bad, but some stickiness keeps this around a "B+".

Dazed- The usual start. First workout- Page's fingers sounding stiff. The Woodstock intro reveals a string to be out of tune but it's still a nice rendition. 7:25, Plant squeak. The bow section pushes ten minutes. Second workout- 20:19, something happens as Page drops out and Jones picks up on bass to fill the void. 21:07, Page still struggling. 22:00, inarticulate. 25:24, sloppy. 26:05, Jim pushing it here but not impressing. Mars- Page struggling a bit with the chords. At last we hit the climax and Jimbo even flubs a few chords here. The outro jam flows a bit better. Not a good one. "C+".

Stairway- Verses sounding excellent. Solo- good start but a strange phrase at 6:45. 8:00-8:40, fantastic set of alternating phrases. Jim pulls together quite well for the remainder of the solo. Plant struggles on the climax. Not perfect but anything would sound good after that Dazed. "B+".

WLL- Some twangy chords to get started. The Crunge- a serious attempt at the song this time around. 1:08, Page not quite nailing the chords or timing. The theremin freakout is pretty run of the mill. "B+".

Black Dog- Verses sounding good. Solo- some choppy phrasing to start but not bad. 4:20, fingers stuck in strings. 4:55, sloppy. The remainder is played embarassingly as Page's fingers stop working. "B".

Final Assessment- A solid overall performance is marred by some low points. Plant is mostly good except for the Stairway finale. Page isn't perfect but is fairly coherent and controlled for 1975. He seems to have issues with his guitars throughout. Highlight is a solid No Quarter, with an impressive piano section from Jones. Dazed should be avoided.

Very interesting review, thank you! So what`s left from soundboards - Baton Rouge, St. Louis, second San Diego and first Long Beach.

Any hints which one could be next reviewed?)

Edited July 21, 2021 by goodstudent

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 2/28/1975 Baton Rouge, LA (Grame Remaster)

An excellent remastered soundboard. 

Rock And Roll- Energetic start with the bass overloading the recording a bit and Plant sounding hoarse. Solo- Bonham all over the place as Page takes off. Jim lays down a very solid set of runs. A decent start for 1975. "A-".

Sick Again- Strong start. 0:49, something happens as everything besides the vocals fades out of the recording for a few seconds. Solo- some nimble licks that sound fairly coherent. 2:27, slight chord flub by Jim. 3:20, the tempo is blindingly fast. Outro solo- good noodling to end a driving version. "A-".

OTHAFA- Excellent intro. Page's guitar tone sounding crunchier than usual on the verses. Solo- good noodling to start. 3:51, getting into a nice groove. 4:10, pretty sloppy run. Page exits the solo perfectly. Plant still raspy on the return. Solid outro. The tempo on this ran almost too fast.  "B+". 

IMTOD- Robert sounding more warmed up. 3:58, some slight voice cracks. First solo- excellent fluidity and phrasing. Speedy tempo, energy off the charts. Second solo- solid playing. Bonham gets some lively fills in. 9:36, Jim plays an insane sounding slide phrase before ending this top tier version. "A++".

TSRTS- Again with an up-tempo. 2:12, Jimmy's arpeggiated chording played perfectly. First solo- perfect start. 2:56, just a tad loose here. Outro solo- 4:34, maybe the fastest I've heard Jim play through this. 4:42, he doesn't quite nail this set of pulloffs to end, but it almost sounds intentional. Damn close to being flawless. "A-".

Rain Song- 1:47, the mellotron not quite fitting the melody here. Otherwise flawless playing. Rock section sounds good with a throat wrenching scream from Plant. Solid ending. "A-".

Kashmir- A powerful version played well overall, though Plant does have a few noticeable weak spots. "A-".

No Quarter- Solid start. 2:45, slight voice crack. Jones' routine starts off casually but he soon finds an excellent groove. Solo- Page plays steadily and phrases coherently, not shooting for the moon but playing smart. 10:07, almost unnoticeable flub. He switches on the wah pedal and gets a little looser, but still staying on the path. Jones returns with an excellent set of piano runs before jumping back to the original theme. Page's outro wah licks are more passionate as this rock solid version comes to a close. Not a mind blowing performance, but played near flawlessly. "A".

Trampled Underfoot- 0:21, Bonzo extends this fill slightly, causing Robert to hesitate and mumble the lyrics. Jones' breakdown is played fantastically. Solo- Page comes in and fumbles the phrasing a bit before launching some aggressive runs, phrasing nicely though loosely. 4:44, sounding terribly off time with these rhythmic licks. 4:56, extremely sloppy mess of a run. He finishes the routine with some more aggressive, loose runs. Not his best here. His outro riffing is more solid to end on a good note. Some rushed vocals and low spots on the solo keep this at a "B", but it's quite listenable.

Dazed- Jim tunes up and Robert tells the story of the first time they played together before starting. Usual solid start. First workout- Page starts with some speedy low notes and continues further up the neck with decent noodling. 7:33, a little loose. 7:45, again. Woodstock is played decently. The transition to the bow section isn't exactly smooth. 10:44, excellent fills by Bonham. Bow section is just over eight minutes. Second workout- 19:10-19:30, not good. 20:22, Page pushing it but his sticky fingers aren't obeying. After the call and response with Plant he comes back with some more nimble playing. 24:40, really dragging this phrase out. 25:54, a tad sloppy. Mars- done nicely. 27:32, hard to tell if he's playing chords here or ripping the strings off. The outro jam drags on a bit but is played well to end it. Not a terrible version but definitely has some low points. "B".

Stairway- Beautiful start with an inspired mood. 2:16, chord flub. 4:50, sounds like a small flub by Jones. Solo- Jimmy gets started on a seamless flow of runs, underplaying just a bit but keeping it interesting. 6:40, loose. 8:10, an excellent descending run ends roughly. 9:49, pretty sticky here. Honestly a good solo apart from some overused phrases. Plant returns sounding very hoarse. 11:18, case in point. Shamefully there's enough flubs to hold this one back a bit, but the solo is quite good. "B".

WLL- 0:06, Page gets out of key for a second. Decent verses despite Plant's voice barely hanging on. The theremin jam seemingly goes on forever. No rating.

Black Dog- Some voice cracks to start. 1:52, choppy chording. Verses are just decent. Solo- a hint of wah pedal on the start which cuts back out. 4:01, sometimes a repeated phrase works. This one doesn't. 4:17, fingers stuck in strings. 4:34, terrible bending. 4:44-4:54, throws the guitar down some stairs. 5:04, off key. 5:12, sticky to say the least. 6:04, fudging the last chords to sum it up. Now among certain Zep circles, this solo is known as the granddaddy of drunken slopfests. An excellent start to this show certainly ends on a bad note. "C".

Final Assessment- The first half of this one holds up with the best of 1975, considering of course a raspy Rob and the fact that it's a soundboard. There's tremendous energy throughout and Page is coherent on most tracks. Unfortunately on the last few numbers when he does fall, he falls pretty hard. Highlight is a blazing IMTOD with maybe his best slide phrasing. The Black Dog solo will continue to hold it's place as a running joke. 

[rm2551]

The crowd roar at the very start of Rock And Roll deserves a mention.

[gibsonfan159]

*moving this review into the 1975 thread*

Nitpicking Page 2/6/1975 Montreal

Considering I was so critical of Page's playing on 3/21, I only consider it fair to analyze his playing on a 75 show that I've previously thought was great, Montreal 2/6/75, just to see if I was correct in saying he did have some performances where he played like his old self or if he was truly subpar altogether in 75. Of course this is a B-grade audience recording, so it's a little hard to judge the sound accurately, but I think I can still hear a bum note nevertheless. 

Rock And Roll- Very reminiscent of the version from TSRTS soundtrack. No problem with the solo at all as he flies right through it.

 

Sick Again- A tight start. The first solo- A fluid stringent of pull-offs with no strained notes, rare for this song. Second solo- Nimble fingers here as he slides right through with no flubs. So far so good.

 

OTHAFA- Absolutely perfect intro, again a rarity for this song. The solo- Page either breaks a string at the beginning or realizes he needs to swap guitars for some reason, but the first part is absent. Then he comes in at 3:02. He does his usual first run on the lower register, then moves up an octave at 3:12. 3:45-4:06 is some good phrasing. 4:14-4:23 is the type of speed and articulation that Page had in 73 that he seemed to lose as the 75 tour went on. Makes me realize that his injured finger didn't really hamper his playing, but rather the medications he took for pain. 4:40-5:05 is another good variation of phrasing. You'll notice he's not straining to do high speed triplet pulloffs and repetitive bends like he does later on for this song. It's as if his finger may be hurting, but his mind is still where it needs to be. A slight flub at 6:42.

 

IMTOD- Great start, Plant is warmed up and sounding good. 3:27, Page drops his pick or something, but jumps back in. Solo 1- Not a great one, it's a little lackluster and doesn't flow well. Solo 2- A little more pep this time, but still not great. 7:22-7:32, he's hitting a little off key with the slide, but not too bad. 7:52, another bum note with the slide. Maybe he's out of tune? 8:48, yep, his guitar is out of tune as is apparent when he strums the open chord. 9:43, he notices the guitar is out of tune and stops the chord short to keep it from ringing out. All in all, one of the worst IMTOD's I've heard. Maybe not his fault though.

 

TSRTS- The twelve string is coming through very twangy, so it's hard to judge from the start. 1:40 and on, they seem to be dragging a little, like they don't wanna be playing this. Solo 1- They pick up some and Page gets a good solid solo down. 3:13, damn Rob, what happened? Voice took a dive. 3:56, the tapers panning actually accents this a little lol. Solo 2- Page is playing fine, but it still sounds very uninspired. Plant sounding like shit at the end.

 

The Rain Song- Plant's voice evens out a little. That damn out of tune mellotron. Page is flowing along nicely, but this is one of those numbers he rarely missed a note on. 4:45, Jones' foot hits the wrong note lol. 5:45, I've never really noticed how "Hendrix" his playing is on this part. Those chorded hammer-ons sound very Little Wing-ish.

 

Kashmir- This is one version where the guitar mix outweighs the keys- perfect for nitpicking Pagey. It sounds a little thin, but still creates the mood nicely. 3:35, those arabic guitar bits sound amazing and should have been on the studio version. 7:15 and on, he's playing those ascending riffs perfectly but the leads are very erratic. 8:08, whatever that was, was fantastic. Not bad at all.

 

No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones, he's creating a very nice mood with the keys. Jones is killing it with this groove. 7:12, the crowd joins in with perfect timing. Page comes in with elegance. 8:54-9:15 reminds me of Gilmour's solo on "Another Brick In The Wall" for some reason. Page's soloing is solid here, but certainly not 73 level. Outro solo- Page comes alive and shows some vigor. The phrasing and articulation is ok, but not above par for 75. 

 

Trampled Underfoot- Normal start. The solo- This was the new song that was really supposed to be a showcase for Page during the solo, but for most versions I've heard it sounds like he's just trying to cram as much improvised material as he can into the solo section. Here, he plays a good solo, but it sounds just exactly like that. There's no structure or buildup, just note cramming.

 

Moby Dick- Yep, sounds like Moby Dick.

 

Dazed And Confused- A very inspired start and the band sounds fresh. Reminds me a little of the Europe 73 versions. First solo section- Not bad, articulation is a little off but not much. San Francisco- Sounds pretty good with Page being very rhythmic with the wah pedal. Plant's voice is good again. Bow section- 8:15, I swear someone says "God hates fiddle." Some people might dismiss Page's bow playing as gimmick, but listening closely will reveal that he truly used this technique in a very artistsic manner, and this version is very haunting and ethereal. Bonham comes in and completes the otherworldy experience. 13:33- the second half, let's see where this goes. It's obvious this audience recording doesn't match up to something like TSRTS soundtrack, so I've gotta listen with that in mind. 16:14, No missed or strained notes so far, but nothing mind blowing either. 8:20, some decent fluidity. 19:22-19:32, again nice fluidity. 19:53, Mars-Bringer Of War section- disaster. I don't think Page was ready. He jumps back on track afterwards, but not sounding great. 21:16, Page jumps into the ending bar, but Jones and Bonzo don't follow til the next bar. 

 

Stairway To Heaven- Perfection through the beginning. All members are sounding great. The solo- Page starts off great, good flow and articulation. 8:13, there's some kind of accidental off notes that come through. 8:36-9:20, man, he's ripping this solo apart. One of the best I've heard. Phrasing and fluidity are there with no strained or forced notes. Absolutely beautiful. Plant's voice is rough again at the climax, but he pushes through.

 

Whole Lotta Love (Partial)- Very rushed intro, as was common through 75. 

 

Black Dog- They're sounding lively for the end of the show. 1:00, a nimble fill that doesn't quite end right. Solo- 3:50-3:56, a little bit of turkey gobbling, but not bad. Those big bends aren't great, but not bad either. 4:28, he jumps into the Heartbreaker part. He keeps a steady flow through to the end. 5:26, some excellent articulation and speed to end it. Not a bad Black Dog solo at all for 75 (God knows he had some bummers).

 

Heartbreaker- The solo- Starts off strong, although twangy. 2:37, sticky fingers on the ascending pull-offs. Afterwards it's the usual series of motifs he uses for this solo, but a little uninspired sounding. 5:08, finally comes alive with a flurry of notes. I'd say the show ends on a mediocre level.

 

My final assessment of Page for this show? I had previously thought this was the best Page of 75. I'm not so sure now after listening in detail. He definitely gets on a high level on certain parts, mainly the beginning, but drops back down in areas as well. He doesn't strain on Sick Again. OTHAFA has good articulation and phrasing. The Stairway solo is great. Does he have the overall musicality and ability of pre-75? I couldn't say he did, but he did great with an injured finger. And a fifth of Jack. I'd certainly rate his playing way above 3/21.

Edited September 8, 2021 by gibsonfan159

[gibsonfan159]

*moving this review to the 1975 thread*

Nitpicking Page 2/8/1975 Philadelphia

You're gonna need your "bootleg ears" for most of this one. Sounds like the tapers were standing outside the venue for a while. But while still in search of a solid Page performance from 75, I needed to give this one a nitpick. Thanks to user Pluribus for the suggestion.

 

Rock And Roll- No flubs, fluid and powerful solo.

 

Sick Again- Energetic start. First solo- Pretty much flawless. Fluid pull-offs and pitch perfect bends. Outro solo- The phrasing is a little frantic, but his fingers are still very nimble. Hell, he's playing this like it's the Dazed workout section. Bonham misses the ending.

 

OTHAFA- Flawless intro. Plant is sounding decent now. Solo- Starts off very solid. Nothing spectacular, but still good. 3:24-3:32, what a run! It finishes up with excellent riffing. The tempo now seems to be a bit faster lol. Jimmy is feeling good so far tonight.

 

In My Time Of Dying- The audio clears up a little. Solid guitar work. Solo 1- He seems to lose his flow a little at first, but still plays on point. Solo 2- Better phrasing on this one, but still a different approach for what he would play for other shows. Energetic outro with Bonzo beating the shit out of his drums. A soundboard for this would be amazing.

 

TSRTS- Up tempo and exciting. Plant sounds excellent now. Solo- Audio drops a little, but sounds perfectly fluid. Something happens at 4:19, maybe a dropped pick as you can hear Page stop for just a second and then come back in fine.

 

The Rain Song- A solid performance.

 

Kashmir- Excellent phrasing with the arabic scales. A solid version.

 

No Quarter- Nitpicking Jones, he doesn't really seem to go anywhere with the organ solo. Page comes in with nice funky chording. Solid phrasing and fluidity, he's stealing the show here. 8:54-9:02, this is the Page fluidity we should've heard for the whole tour. He had it in him, but couldn't access it for most of post 73 for some reason. 10:10-11:25, Page absolutely leaves the earth. Unfortunately, it sounds like Jones failed to transition to the appropriate rhythm, so the awesome solo sounds almost out of place. THE best No Quarter solo I've heard for 75 and one of the best period, in my opinion. Outro solo- Here he goes again. Jesus, those bends. He's playing like he's got something to prove again. This is undoubtedly some of the best playing I've heard from post 73.

 

Trampled Underfoot- Another speedy take off. Solo- An off start, but he jumps on track quickly and starts shredding. Fingers get a little sticky at 3:40, but good lord listen to that pick hand. Sounds like "Eruption" for a second lol. He switches phrasing up and ends nicely, straining ever so slightly but not very noticeably. 6:10 and on, listen to those little accented notes. Page ate his Wheaties this morning.

 

Moby Dick- An excellent version, I must say. Not much dragging at all. 

 

Dazed And Confused- I'm expecting big things for this based on what I've heard so far. He's sticking to the basic formula throughout the first part. A solid first lead section, with Bonzo and Jones laying down a hectic groove. 5:32/San Francisco, other than a string slightly out of tune, this is absolutely stunning. Very beautiful and delicate. Imagine hearing this on a multitrack. 7:55, the transition to the bow section takes forever, roadie must've been playing with it backstage. A little mundane, but a good bow solo. 14:53 and on, a good solid workout section. Nothing amazing, but very fluid. 21:16/Mars, Bringer Of War- Nailed it. Even brings the bow back out for the outro. Overall, nothing spectacular, but a very solid version that could easily be an official release with very little editing.

 

Stairway To Heaven- Tapers are still trying to figure out what happened to their buddy lol. Plant sounds fantastic for this and very inspired. Solo- He gets a good flow going but it seems to lack some emotion and is slightly erratic, but not really in a bad way. 8:18, excellent double note bends. 9:01, a slight flub. A great solo with good phrasing. A soundboard might really bring it alive.

 

Whole Lotta Love (Partial)- The guitar drops in the mix and is barely audible. Sounds like the taper went out for a smoke.

 

Black Dog- Plant is sounding very hoarse now, but there's still a lot of energy. 1:45, 1:51, Page is throwing some nice accents in there. The solo- That Van Halen right hand appears again at 3:51. Straining a little on the big bends, but still managing. His phrasing moves along nicely and never sounds forced (like so many other versions). A solid version and solo.

 

Heartbreaker- Bonham's drums sound like a giant robot walking down a hallway. The solo- The taper says "We need to stand up for this" lol. You're damn right. Sounding good, but he sounds a little lost. 4:47, the speedy part- articulation is fairly good, a little sloppy, but his phrasing seems to have taken a dive. He sounds like he doesn't know what he wants to do. 5:47, his fingers aren't quite as nimble here, but he's moving along okay. 7:32, he flubs the chords. Not a bad version at all for 75.

 

Final assessment- This is definitely the hottest Page I've heard so far in 75 and is easily comparable to previous years. It's a shame the audio is lackluster and Plant's voice isn't 100%, but let's hope for a soundboard anyway. After doing 2/6 (Good) and 2/8 (Great), I think I'll go straight to 2/10 to see if the momentum kept going in Maryland.

Edited September 8, 2021 by gibsonfan159

[Zep Hed]

Thanks, gfan. So this one is MSG 2/7/75? ^^

[gibsonfan159]

1 hour ago, Zep Hed said:

Thanks, gfan. So this one is MSG 2/7/75? ^^

Whoops. I added the dates. 2/6 and 2/8. 

[Sted]

Are you no longer adding ratings to each song?

[JohnOsbourne]

Landover (2-10) sounded like a really good performance on the (mediocre) audience tape, but the soundboard shows a lot of sloppiness.  

[bluecongo]

The 75 Tour has an interesting feature not found on other Zep Tours, and that is late gig Jimmy disintegration.

it seems like at several shows, after Moby Dick and especially during encores, it’s really obvious Jimmy has over indulged in, well, SOMETHING.

Not during 73, not 77, not even the 80 Tour did this happen.

He partied hard we know this, but why does it seem to get to him more during this tour ?

I mean, Baton Rouge for example.  Listen to Jimmy first half of show, then jump to Black Dog.   WTF 

many other examples on this strange tour 

 

 

 

[BobDobbs]

38 minutes ago, bluecongo said:

The 75 Tour has an interesting feature not found on other Zep Tours, and that is late gig Jimmy disintegration.

it seems like at several shows, after Moby Dick and especially during encores, it’s really obvious Jimmy has over indulged in, well, SOMETHING.

Not during 73, not 77, not even the 80 Tour did this happen.

He partied hard we know this, but why does it seem to get to him more during this tour ?

I mean, Baton Rouge for example.  Listen to Jimmy first half of show, then jump to Black Dog.   WTF 

many other examples on this strange tour 

 

 

 

I just assumed his finger really began to hurt after 2 1/2 hours of playing, then went backstage during Moby Dick, drank a bottle of Jack, then came back on-stage. By the time of the encores the Jack has majorly kicked in and he forgot he was a guitar player. 

If any tour should have been the "cut the waffle" tour it should have been 75'. Page had his broken finger, Plant had the flu and could barely sing on a good night. If they had kept the 75' tour shows to 2 hours, played D&C and NQ at under 15 min each, I bet the 75' tour would have gone off better, at least regarding Page.  

[Blaize86]

Montreal Montreal Montreal. Period. Lightening 1971 speed in DAC. STH solo is better than any EC solo. Heartbreaker is furious. Moby Dick post tympanic part is just incredible. He’s going nuts at the end. Wonderful. TUF has the best solo of 1975. 

 

Plant ruins the show with his “flu” but boy are the other three on. 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Blaize86

[gibsonfan159]

On 9/8/2021 at 2:43 PM, Sted said:

Are you no longer adding ratings to each song?

These were some of the first reviews I did, before I started rating them. I just moved them into the appropriate thread.

[Sted]

On 9/15/2021 at 12:20 PM, gibsonfan159 said:

These were some of the first reviews I did, before I started rating them. I just moved them into the appropriate thread.

Oh that makes sense. If you don't mind telling me, I'm curious of what your ratings would be for sick again, imtod, and stairway for 2/6 and no quarter for 2/8.

[1975NQ]

On 9/13/2021 at 2:16 PM, Blaize86 said:

Montreal Montreal Montreal. Period. Lightening 1971 speed in DAC. STH solo is better than any EC solo. Heartbreaker is furious. Moby Dick post tympanic part is just incredible. He’s going nuts at the end. Wonderful. TUF has the best solo of 1975. 

 

Plant ruins the show with his “flu” but boy are the other three on. 

100%

[Bob B]

To put it briefly and succinctly, the final two nights at Earls Court on 5/24 and 5/25 were representations of the band at their most confident, tightest yet relaxed, and had setlists that neatly summed up the diversity of the band musically.  For the American portion of the tour, either the Seattle show on 3/17 or the final Los Angeles show on 3/27 would be my choices.

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Bob B

[1975NQ]

On 9/7/2021 at 10:51 PM, gibsonfan159 said:

Whoops. I added the dates. 2/6 and 2/8. 

Thanks very much for doing these. I've read all of them, and as a non-musician find them interesting and hugely entertaining. Would love to hear you nitpick any or all of the following: 2/3, 2/4 and 2/7 (if you're so inclined).