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

[1975NQ]

On 4/26/2018 at 7:45 PM, gibsonfan159 said:

Whole Lotta Love- 0:49, I love the way Page bends the chord here. Funk sections- Plant with the nimble toungue on "Licking Stick". Ozone Baby riffs galore. Theremin- Everything from a broken Atari to whale's screwing, with Jones putting down some RHCP bass lines. I can't imagine anyone on acid for this would've walked away sane. A cool version, but no "Crunge". "A".

This has to be my favorite nitpick description of all time lol. This WLL is my fav from 75, hands down.

[1975NQ]

On 5/26/2018 at 8:56 AM, gibsonfan159 said:

That Dazed, to me at least, sounded like they were really tired of doing it. Add the fact that Page really wasn't "on" for this one like he was some others, his second solo lacked energy. He was much more fluid on the first two. I guess that's opinion though.

I really wanna do 7/17/77 to see if it's as bad as I remember. I downloaded the SB/Audience matrix.

I actually think you can hear that tiredness for much of the D+C from 75. The 5/24 version sounds fantastic to me up through Jimmy's bow solo. I can watch or listen to it anytime and be mesmerized. However, after the bow solo ends, it becomes a pretty typical (boring) 1975 version. But just that first half elevates it for me as my fav of the year. The Dazed from 2/7 and 3/20, in comparison, are hot all the way through. I also think the Dazed from 5/17 has a lot to offer.

In terms of the show as a whole, it's a mixed bag for sure. I think once it gets to Rain Song, it gets really nice. Jimmy is still struggling a bit and is being quite careful with his playing on RS - it gives the song a more vulnerable feel which I think suits it. Plant's vocals on this one are some of the best of the year imo. Kashmir is somewhat anemic instrumentally but has a great vocal performance from Robert. The acoustic set is fantastic, Tangerine is my favorite, and Stairway is one of my fav versions ever - and this is coming from a guy who prefers 71 STH versions.

Anyway, yeah a strange night that gets more praise than it deserves but the "high highs" of the show are fantastic. Whenever I feel like listening to EC, I just watch 5/25 up through RS then switch over to 5/24. 

[BobDobbs]

4 hours ago, 1975NQ said:

I actually think you can hear that tiredness for much of the D+C from 75. The 5/24 version sounds fantastic to me up through Jimmy's bow solo. I can watch or listen to it anytime and be mesmerized. However, after the bow solo ends, it becomes a pretty typical (boring) 1975 version. But just that first half elevates it for me as my fav of the year. The Dazed from 2/7 and 3/20, in comparison, are hot all the way through. I also think the Dazed from 5/17 has a lot to offer.

In terms of the show as a whole, it's a mixed bag for sure. I think once it gets to Rain Song, it gets really nice. Jimmy is still struggling a bit and is being quite careful with his playing on RS - it gives the song a more vulnerable feel which I think suits it. Plant's vocals on this one are some of the best of the year imo. Kashmir is somewhat anemic instrumentally but has a great vocal performance from Robert. The acoustic set is fantastic, Tangerine is my favorite, and Stairway is one of my fav versions ever - and this is coming from a guy who prefers 71 STH versions.

Anyway, yeah a strange night that gets more praise than it deserves but the "high highs" of the show are fantastic. Whenever I feel like listening to EC, I just watch 5/25 up through RS then switch over to 5/24. 

So far I am extremely impressed with 2-8. One of the highlights is possibly the best D&C from 75' and the last 10 min alone could make it the best D&C ever. Pages goes full Miles Davis in his playing around 4 min toward the end, really avante garde, Bitches Brew style and incredibly psychedelic. Then he ends it with an interesting phrasing plus and extra bar on the endling riffs. It really is a spectacular version. Then Page goes full EVH about 4 min into the STH solo. Funny thing about this STH solo, IMO it starts out kinda wrong. Not bad just something is a bit off the first 2 min of the solo and then BAM! Something fires inside of Page and he is 73' Essen level playing but with even more interesting and creative phrasing. Now an amazing Black Dog with again, a white hot Page and a shit-hot JPJ, JB, and especially Planty! He even hits the legato phrase in the Heartbreaker solo after a false start and Page rarely nails the legato phrase in HB in any year. The smear solo pretty much has no smear, he is articulating every note perfectly. This is one of the best Heartbreakers I have heard post-Euro 73'. I say, when Page is "ON" in 75' he really is on, just cannot understand WTH is going on in 75' with Page. If it were his finger why is he fluid and articulate in the several of the early Jan shows? Is Page simply trying to push songs like D&C to places the song is simply not capable of going and then losing momentum and interest?

You know, I think the problem in 75' was Satan. Rat bastard got jealous of the ultra-funkadelic awesomeness of Zep and decided to step on their collective dicks here and there in certain songs and / or shows just to be a dirty prick. Old Scratch was pissed Jimmy was getting all the ladies while the Butter Queen would not give Little Nicky the time O' day 😉 

[ZepHead315]

22 minutes ago, BobDobbs said:

I say, when Page is "ON" in 75' he really is on, just cannot understand WTH is going on in 75' with Page. If it were his finger why is he fluid and articulate in the several of the early Jan shows? Is Page simply trying to push songs like D&C to places the song is simply not capable of going and then losing momentum and interest?

My guess is that the broken finger actually made him more focused and forced him to concentrate more on his playing. Most of the January and early February shows are very good from him. But as the tour wears on, he actually gets more inconsistent (starting with the next show in Landover which, in a cruel twist of irony, is where the soundboards all start popping up). I think after this show in Philly, he probably got overconfident and felt that he didn't need to concentrate as much. I think this is also where the Jack Daniels starts affecting his playing substantially. 

[1975NQ]

2 hours ago, BobDobbs said:

So far I am extremely impressed with 2-8. One of the highlights is possibly the best D&C from 75' and the last 10 min alone could make it the best D&C ever. Pages goes full Miles Davis in his playing around 4 min toward the end, really avante garde, Bitches Brew style and incredibly psychedelic. Then he ends it with an interesting phrasing plus and extra bar on the endling riffs. It really is a spectacular version. Then Page goes full EVH about 4 min into the STH solo. Funny thing about this STH solo, IMO it starts out kinda wrong. Not bad just something is a bit off the first 2 min of the solo and then BAM! Something fires inside of Page and he is 73' Essen level playing but with even more interesting and creative phrasing. Now an amazing Black Dog with again, a white hot Page and a shit-hot JPJ, JB, and especially Planty! He even hits the legato phrase in the Heartbreaker solo after a false start and Page rarely nails the legato phrase in HB in any year. The smear solo pretty much has no smear, he is articulating every note perfectly. This is one of the best Heartbreakers I have heard post-Euro 73'. I say, when Page is "ON" in 75' he really is on, just cannot understand WTH is going on in 75' with Page. If it were his finger why is he fluid and articulate in the several of the early Jan shows? Is Page simply trying to push songs like D&C to places the song is simply not capable of going and then losing momentum and interest?

You know, I think the problem in 75' was Satan. Rat bastard got jealous of the ultra-funkadelic awesomeness of Zep and decided to step on their collective dicks here and there in certain songs and / or shows just to be a dirty prick. Old Scratch was pissed Jimmy was getting all the ladies while the Butter Queen would not give Little Nicky the time O' day 😉 

2-8 is amazing ,,, but I'm confused, II thought you heard that show before? Satan is def to blame for all their problems, including Jones's wardrobe, 

[1975NQ]

2 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

My guess is that the broken finger actually made him more focused and forced him to concentrate more on his playing. Most of the January and early February shows are very good from him. But as the tour wears on, he actually gets more inconsistent (starting with the next show in Landover which, in a cruel twist of irony, is where the soundboards all start popping up). I think after this show in Philly, he probably got overconfident and felt that he didn't need to concentrate as much. I think this is also where the Jack Daniels starts affecting his playing substantially. 

This is my thought as well. After Philly, the inconsistency becomes much more of a thing for the rest of the tour. And I also blame Satan for starting the soundboard train with Landover. I want Philly, the Chicago shows, MSG 2-7, and Nassau 2-4 dammit! 

[JohnOsbourne]

Probably issues with the finger flared up periodically, so some nights were better/worse than others (and "self-medication" was more or less effective at addressing it).  It may have not just been the train door accident, there seems to be some evidence that he suffered from tendonitis, and that this stared to appear as early as '73.  Look at some of the May shows, e.g. Dallas vs Ft Worth, where one night is rather sticky-fingered (by '73 standards) and the next night is clean as a whistle.

[1975NQ]

56 minutes ago, JohnOsbourne said:

Probably issues with the finger flared up periodically, so some nights were better/worse than others (and "self-medication" was more or less effective at addressing it).  It may have not just been the train door accident, there seems to be some evidence that he suffered from tendonitis, and that this stared to appear as early as '73.  Look at some of the May shows, e.g. Dallas vs Ft Worth, where one night is rather sticky-fingered (by '73 standards) and the next night is clean as a whistle.

That theory makes a lot of sense to me.

[1975NQ]

12 hours ago, BobDobbs said:

Pages goes full Miles Davis in his playing around 4 min toward the end, really avante garde, Bitches Brew style and incredibly psychedelic. Then he ends it with an interesting phrasing plus and extra bar on the endling riffs. 

This is why I love this forum lol. You get to hear someone appreciate something amazing in real time, post about it, and then I get inspired to go back and re-listen .. it's pretty fun, and the excitement is contagious. I just listened to the whole Dazed from Philly just now. Granted, a lot of these 75 shows are relatively new to me (just discovered Philly August of this year) so that's a part of it.

[gibsonfan159]

5 hours ago, JohnOsbourne said:

Probably issues with the finger flared up periodically, so some nights were better/worse than others (and "self-medication" was more or less effective at addressing it).  It may have not just been the train door accident, there seems to be some evidence that he suffered from tendonitis, and that this stared to appear as early as '73.  Look at some of the May shows, e.g. Dallas vs Ft Worth, where one night is rather sticky-fingered (by '73 standards) and the next night is clean as a whistle.

I can see tendonitis for some of the stickiness but not for his incoherent phrasing throughout 75. I'd out my money on his self medication.

[1975NQ]

12 minutes ago, gibsonfan159 said:

I can see tendonitis for some of the stickiness but not for his incoherent phrasing throughout 75. I'd out my money on his self medication.

If the theory is true - and again, we will never know - then it could be a combo of self-medication along with tendonitis or some other physical ailment. It's definitely a mystery to me how on some nights in 75 he actually gets better as the night goes on. I've read a number of interesting theories on here about that. Not being a guitar player myself, or ever having a finger injury (knock wood), I find it al interesting but am doubtful we'll ever know the full story.

[goodstudent]

Would be very thankful for possible Long Beach, CA March 11th, 1975 (Grame Remaster or Matrix version) review.

[JohnOsbourne]

On 12/24/2021 at 1:36 PM, gibsonfan159 said:

I can see tendonitis for some of the stickiness but not for his incoherent phrasing throughout 75. I'd out my money on his self medication.

But wouldn't alcohol have been mainly a problem later in a show (as he got drunker)?  Do you say, e.g., that his phrasing got worse as the show went on?

[gibsonfan159]

19 hours ago, JohnOsbourne said:

But wouldn't alcohol have been mainly a problem later in a show (as he got drunker)?  Do you say, e.g., that his phrasing got worse as the show went on?

People are quick to assume alcohol, which was very evident, but quaaludes were also making the rounds in those days and were probably just as much to blame for his incoherent, erratic phrasing.

Of course on shows like baton rouge he quite obviously gets more incoherent as the show goes on. But if it were the finger or any other physical ailments, he'd have been playing poorly from the start I suppose.

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 1/24/1975 Cleveland, OH (Hedrick 1st Gen)

A slightly distant though very listenable audience recording. This is 1975 Plant so his raspy vocals won't affect the ratings much.

Rock And Roll- Plant starting off with his distinct 1975 scratchy voice. Verses and energy are good. Solo- phrasing is a bit unusual but seems to be played well. Good start. "A".

Sick Again- Good tempo and energy. First solo- fluid playing and phrasing. Outro solo- Page plays coherently with seemingly good articulation, though this audience source could be masking some details. "A".

OTHAFA- Solid intro from Page. Plant only sounding slightly better. First verses sound good. Solo- good start with fluid phrasing and playing. 3:53, articulation on this run could be questionable. A soundboard might reveal some problems but it doesn't sound too bad. Plant still not warmed up on the last verses. Decent outro. No reason not to go "A".

IMTOD- 3:55, hard to make out but Bonham and Page sound out of sync here. First solo- Page stays between the ditches but the phrasing doesn't sound the best. Second solo- Lots of repeated phrases but not terrible. 8:58, Bonham doesn't seem to play the cue correctly and just joins Page. Energy is great but I'd be skeptical as to how articulate everything was behind the recording. "B+".

TSRTS- Good start. First solo- Page seems to struggle a bit on the first parts. He comes alive on the last measures though the articulation sounds off. Bonham and Jones push the energy level on the outro. Outro solo- Page is giving his all here and it doesn't sound bad at all. "B+".

The Rain Song- Perfectly good verses. Rock section- Tremendous energy as Bonham wrecks his kit. Solid outro. "A+".

Kashmir- Nothing too notable but sounds good throughout. "A".

The Wanton Song- Verses sounding good. 1:10, Page sloppy here. Solo- played well. Pretty straight forward but not perfect. "A-".

No Quarter- Verses sounding good. Jones' section, still reminiscent of the 1973 routine, is done well. Solo- Page drops in with the usual phrasing, playing seemingly fluid. 8:45, speedy run. 9:15, really pushing this phrase. 9:36, some unusual phrasing but it works. 10:40, nice 73 level run. Very creative solo mostly played well. The return is good and Page's outro wah licks sound excellent. Very solid version though a better Plant would've improved things. "A".

Trampled Underfoot- Plant informs the audience that Page has a broken fingertip. Energy sounds good. Jones' routine is simple but sounds decent. Solo- Page does a couple introductory phrases before going all out aggressive. 5:05, small hang up. Very erratic phrasing but not necessarily bad. They finish up nicely. I'll give that solo the benefit of the doubt and go "A-".

Moby Dick- 0:35-0:42, sounds like Page flubs these phrases. Bonham gets off to the races quickly, sounding very much identical to his 1973 versions. Outro is done well. Excellent solo from Bonzo.

How Many More Times- First verses sound good as Plant has finally warmed up some. 3:05, some interesting phrases by Page. Jim's noodling leading up to the bow section sounds good. In all seriousness the bow section itself sounds rusty in places, like Jimmy can't remember which parts go where. The Hunter- Plant's lack of vocal power just makes this sound odd, but it's otherwise played well. The return is good but boy is Plant rough. Unfortunately the tape cuts out. I know I said his vocals wouldn't affect things much but it leaves this one flat considering this was once his vocal powerhouse performance. "B".

Stairway- Some tape issues on the intro. Verses are decent but overly relaxed. Solo- 6:39, not the smoothest start. 7:04, some strained phrasing. 7:42, sounds like a small flub. 8:50, 9:02, playing these phrases loosely. The final phrases sound good. Page's phrasing sounded on point but his execution seemed to be off. I can only imagine what a soundboard would reveal here. Plant actually sounding good on the climax. Outro is done well. A cautious "B+".

WLL- Partial.

Black Dog- Playing with plenty of attitude and Rob still sounding good. 1:54-2:00, something happens here as Jimmy loses traction (or his pick) for a measure. Solo- 3:16-3:27, sounds like the articulation, or lack there of, is borderline disastrous. 4:13,playing aggressively. I'd be afraid to hear this solo on a better source. "B".

Communication Breakdown- The murky recording is masking Rob's vocals and it's probably a good thing. Solid amount of energy however. Solo- Page ascends to wah pedal heaven for some good phrases until...1:55, where he doubles down on a riff that sounds completely out of place (and key). The "It's Your Thing" jam is good. 4:04, Page missing the chord. 4:16, again. "C+".

Final Assessment- What started to be a surprisingly coherent show turned out to be another another 50/50 1975 performance. I will say however that the first 9 songs were done quite well despite a rough Plant. This being a murky audience source undoubtedly hides some details but I'd still say this is one of the most solid starts for a 75 show, especially considering the unique setlist. Whether Page's finger started acting up or whether he hit the bottle backstage during MD is anyone's guess, but something threw him off in the last half. 

[1975NQ]

On 4/30/2018 at 5:26 AM, gibsonfan159 said:

Nitpicking Page 3/21/1975 Seattle (Deus Ex Machina/Matrix)

A redo of this review was in order since I mainly only pointed out the negatives originally. Jumping between the matrix and Deus Ex Machina because the EVSD soundboard is dry as hell and the matrix has the guitar low.

Rock And Roll (Matrix)- Page's extra light strings are noticeable again, especially on that D5 chord. Solo- Not the smoothest he's played it, but still really good. Flub at 3:08. The energy and no squeaks from Plant make it an "A". 

Sick Again (Matrix)- Bonham is a wild man on this, throwing fills in almost every bar. First solo- Excellent start, good fluidity. Small hang up at 1:55. 3:50, Plant yodels. Outro solo- 4:02, bad notes. 4:26, slight straining. 4:48, slight hang up. Not too bad, "B+". "A+" for Bonzo.

OTHAFA (Matrix)- Intro flub at 0:16. 1:17, slight flub. Plant's voice sounding very smooth. Solo- Pretty good noodling on the lower octave. 4:14-4:22, good speedy run. A very solid solo without the turkey gobbling it usually has. 5:56, a flubbed chord which sounded surprisingly good. "B+" because of the intro flub.

IMTOD (Deus)- A rare chord flub at 3:30. First solo- Not bad, some sloppy phrasing. 5:40-5:44, Page isn't playing as precise with the slide on this one as he usually does. Second solo- Repetitve in spots, not a great flow. 9:10, nice little riff. Some lackluster slide work holds this to a "B".

TSRTS (Deus)- Smooth opening. Small flub at 1:31. First solo- Pretty solid. Second solo- Not as precise, but still good. "A".

The Rain Song (Deus)- Plant sounds great. The mellotron, although in tune, is so choppy it almost sounds like a tape being played backwards. Rock section- Page chokes the chords a little which takes away from the impact. An adequate version that almost seems too relaxed, "B+".

Kashmir (Deus)- 3:21, someone misses a chord. 3:47, the guitar and mellotron really aren't gelling through here. There's some harmonic dissonance between them. 7:32, Page flub. Not bad, but enough flubs to make it a "B".

No Quarter (Matrix)- 1:31, Jones flub. 2:36, flubbed notes? Something sounds weird anyway. 6:05-6:37, Ladies and Gentlemen, JPJ. 7:29, got me shouting "Halleluja praise the lawd" over here. Again at 8:38. Bonham comes in for a spectacular jam. Enter Page- 13:33, good run. 15:30, decent run. 15:48, good aggressive run. I think Page feels pressure to match what Jones did. 22:49, some fine guitar work with an excellent outro. A top tier version, "A+".

SIBLY (Deus)- 3:14, Maybe he meant to, but Jones hits a major chord instead of a minor which sounds interesting. Solo- Pretty solid. "A".

Trampled Underfoot (Deus)- 0:27, what are those lyrics, Plant? 0:54, wrong bass pedal note. Jones seems lazy on the solo. Page- 4:07, turkey gobbling supreme. Page slows down and focuses on the phrasing, which isn't great. 6:04, fooling around. Right hand comes alive at the end. Outro is just ok. Nothing exciting here, "B".

Moby Dick (Deus)- A good version with lots of change ups.

Dazed And Confused (Deus, sounding less dry now)- Plant is cracking a little and Page has a string sounding flat. 3:49, Page stops for a second to tune up maybe. First workout- Good jamming by Page. 6:24, articulation is a little rough, but his phrasing is on point. Woodstock- 8:17, guitar is still outta tune. 9:08, how is Jones making that bass note sustain so well? 9:24, very cool riff and jam. 10:51, Plant crack. 11:12, good riff. 12:00, Plant does some good stuff through here. Bow section- good amount of creepiness without dragging on too much. Second workout- 22:35, Page comes alive with a good aggressive run. 23:15, sticky fingers. 23:25-23:41, nice series of runs. 24:40, I don't think he played that right, but it still sounded ok. 25:26-25:50, excellent phrasing and good fluid runs. 27:02, Bonham can be heard saying "Do it again!" to Page. 29:43, Bonham gets impatient. 30:05, a little sloppy. Mars- pretty solid. 32:50, I love this little riff. 33:38, the climax gets miffed a little bit. Finale- 38:35, Plant lands his spacecraft. 39:53, I love how Jones matches Bonzo's kick here. Page's playing was surprisingly better than I realized for this and unlike a lot of versions, there were no boring parts and very little bedroom jamming. Although this is a very entertaining version for 75, I don't think it was explosive enough to stand out in any real way. It's a very solid "A" performance.

Stairway To Heaven (Deus)- 2:18, Jones ends on the wrong note. Solo- Very average until 8:08, when Page starts a nice intricate flow. 9:18, a good series of descending runs. 10:41, a little sloppy sounding. A good climax to end the song. Edit the solo from Montreal into this and it would have been superior. "A".

Whole Lotta Love (Deus)- Good aggressive start. Funk section- The Crunge is held together quite nicely. 3:20, Page gets off track a little but jumps right back on with some good riffing. Plant tries Licking Stick, but Page moves on. Theremin- Goes on way too long, although Bonham and Jones are tearing it up. 9:00, Page finally jumps back in with some more funk riffs. Excellent finish leading into Black Dog. "A".

Black Dog (Deus)- Page's guitar has some good grit and is less twangy than other 75 versions. Solo- 3:59, sticky fingers. 4:20, he catches those tough bends nicely. Not a lot of fluidity on the solo, but fairly good phrasing. "B+".

Communication Breakdown (Deus)- 1:20, guitar and vocal in perfect unison. Solo- I don't like this with the chorus effect he's using, but he's playing like a madman, very good flow and articulation. Why didn't he play the Black Dog solo like this? "A".

Heartbreaker (Deus)- 0:26, caught a Jones flub. It's like spotting an animal thought to be extinct. Solo- Good phrasing and playing throughout with lots of energy. 

Final assessment- The initial nitpick because I got tired of people saying "Page was on fire" when I knew, from a technical standpoint, he really wasn't. He was just "ok" for the most part. He played like he should have as a pro musician, nothing really exceptional. Although Page wasn't as on as some other shows, this is still maybe the most solid show overall, with the rest of the band sounding very good with Plant not cracking much at all. "No Quarter" and "Dazed" are certainly standouts as some of the best of the tour. Plus surprisingly good versions of "SIBLY" and "Communication Breakdown". Another strange performance where Page seems to improve as the show went on.

I liked your original review of this show better. 😂

You know what I like about the nitpicks? You remove your own opinion/feeling of the show from the equation and just look at it from a purely technical/analytical perspective. To me, that's fun and interesting. Music is highly subjective, and we all like what we like but it's cool to see something from different perspectives. It gives us a clearer view of the "whole". And it's fun to hunt for the gold with some of those overlooked shows, as you've pointed out before.

Having said all that, this show has never really clicked with me and I've had it since the 80s. It's always sounded like they're trying too hard or maybe are too coked up or something. Like that scene in Boogie Nights where Mark Wahlberg and the other guy are convincing each other how much they rock lol ("All day, all night, you FEEL - my HEAT Feel-feel-feel feel my heat")

I think when you first did your original nitpick, you received a lot of backlash from the forum because it's such a massively popular show. And when I saw the revised one, I was like "aw man, he capitulated to popular opinion" lol.

I thought it was weird that no one else on the forum was like "yeah this show IS kinda overrated". People get touchy about things they're very attached to tho - be it music, religion, politics, whatever. 

Anyway, I hope this message is coming across the right way. I greatly enjoy the nitpicks and am glad you're doing them. I just thought I'd throw my own voice into the mix. The solo on OTH IS a mess, and I think the show in general is overrated. Not a bad show at all but certainly not as killer as everyone seems to think (imho of course). I think Robert being in great voice influences a lot of peoples opinion on this tbh.  

[gibsonfan159]

7 hours ago, 1975NQ said:

I liked your original review of this show better. 😂

You know what I like about the nitpicks? You remove your own opinion/feeling of the show from the equation and just look at it from a purely technical/analytical perspective. To me, that's fun and interesting. Music is highly subjective, and we all like what we like but it's cool to see something from different perspectives. It gives us a clearer view of the "whole". And it's fun to hunt for the gold with some of those overlooked shows, as you've pointed out before.

Having said all that, this show has never really clicked with me and I've had it since the 80s. It's always sounded like they're trying too hard or maybe are too coked up or something. Like that scene in Boogie Nights where Mark Wahlberg and the other guy are convincing each other how much they rock lol ("All day, all night, you FEEL - my HEAT Feel-feel-feel feel my heat")

I think when you first did your original nitpick, you received a lot of backlash from the forum because it's such a massively popular show. And when I saw the revised one, I was like "aw man, he capitulated to popular opinion" lol.

I thought it was weird that no one else on the forum was like "yeah this show IS kinda overrated". People get touchy about things they're very attached to tho - be it music, religion, politics, whatever. 

Anyway, I hope this message is coming across the right way. I greatly enjoy the nitpicks and am glad you're doing them. I just thought I'd throw my own voice into the mix. The solo on OTH IS a mess, and I think the show in general is overrated. Not a bad show at all but certainly not as killer as everyone seems to think (imho of course). I think Robert being in great voice influences a lot of peoples opinion on this tbh.  

My original nitpick was solely pointing out the flaws so this one was necessary to balance out the criticism. I still consider it a top 3 75 show although I do think Robert being in great shape and the setlist influences that a great deal. Page certainly isn't flawless here though and isn't close to his better 75 performances.

[1975NQ]

21 minutes ago, gibsonfan159 said:

My original nitpick was solely pointing out the flaws so this one was necessary to balance out the criticism. I still consider it a top 3 75 show although I do think Robert being in great shape and the setlist influences that a great deal. Page certainly isn't flawless here though and isn't close to his better 75 performances.

Gotcha. For me, listening to a Zep show begins and ends with Pagey. Him being "on" certainly isn't the only metric, but it's the primary one for me. So my top shows for 75 all have Page having a great night. But they do sound like they're having a good ol time, and that in itself makes it fun for lots of fans I'm sure.  

[JohnOsbourne]

42 minutes ago, gibsonfan159 said:

My original nitpick was solely pointing out the flaws so this one was necessary to balance out the criticism. I still consider it a top 3 75 show although I do think Robert being in great shape and the setlist influences that a great deal. Page certainly isn't flawless here though and isn't close to his better 75 performances.

I respect this judgment, but it's just hard for me (not any kind of musician) to think of when Page was considerably better in '75.  Since (by necessity) these reviews are detailed, could you put together a summary sheet of sorts, ranking his individual performances by year/tour (perhaps with short commentary)?

Edited February 7, 2022 by JohnOsbourne

[BobDobbs]

50 minutes ago, 1975NQ said:

Gotcha. For me, listening to a Zep show begins and ends with Pagey. Him being "on" certainly isn't the only metric, but it's the primary one for me. So my top shows for 75 all have Page having a great night. But they do sound like they're having a good ol time, and that in itself makes it fun for lots of fans I'm sure.  

I agree, the Seattle show is just OK IMO, there are several better shows from 75' such as the Montreal-Phily run in early Feb. Yes, Plant sounds rough in spots but the instrumental machine is hot. New Orleans is a great show until the end when Page shit's himself. San Diego & LA right after are fantastic shows. I love 3-27 simply for D&C alone, one of the best versions but the whole show, though not technically perfect by any means, is wildly experimental and never boring.

But for really solid, overall shows from 75' I think 5-18 & 5-23 are the most solid and consistent from start to finish for all four.

[JohnOsbourne]

13 minutes ago, BobDobbs said:

I agree, the Seattle show is just OK IMO, there are several better shows from 75' such as the Montreal-Phily run in early Feb. Yes, Plant sounds rough in spots but the instrumental machine is hot. New Orleans is a great show until the end when Page shit's himself. San Diego & LA right after are fantastic shows. I love 3-27 simply for D&C alone, one of the best versions but the whole show, though not technically perfect by any means, is wildly experimental and never boring.

But for really solid, overall shows from 75' I think 5-18 & 5-23 are the most solid and consistent from start to finish for all four.

I think you mean Baton Rouge?  I agree that the 3-27 D&C is really good, and some of the best moments of the tour were in LA, but overall (the soundboard reveals this) 3-24 was a hot mess for the most part, and so was the 2nd night in SD (I love the 1st night).  I realize a lot of this is subjective, but to me the 2nd night in Seattle is an all-time great, it's a no-brainer.  The energy and improvisation were better than Montreal or Philly or Long Island from February (all great shows).  If you want to say the 2nd night in Long Beach was better, I probably wouldn't argue it.

[1975NQ]

1 hour ago, BobDobbs said:

I agree, the Seattle show is just OK IMO, there are several better shows from 75' such as the Montreal-Phily run in early Feb. Yes, Plant sounds rough in spots but the instrumental machine is hot. New Orleans is a great show until the end when Page shit's himself. San Diego & LA right after are fantastic shows. I love 3-27 simply for D&C alone, one of the best versions but the whole show, though not technically perfect by any means, is wildly experimental and never boring.

But for really solid, overall shows from 75' I think 5-18 & 5-23 are the most solid and consistent from start to finish for all four.

People love those LA shows for sure. I really, really wanted to when I first heard those shows as a teenager but just couldn't get into them. This is going back to the 80s. The closest I got was with 3-25-75 which is my fav of the 3 nights. At one point in time, some kind soul put up an AMAZING video of that performance on YT and synched audio to it. I think the run of songs SRTS-RS-Kashmir-NQ from that night is solid, and DAC from that night is solid as well. I'm def with you on San Diego 3-10 even tho Robert is cracking all over the place. Hard to argue with 5-18 as well, that was just an amazing night for them. The whole EC run as a whole could be considered best of the year for sure (with Page at his most fluid on the 17th and 18th and Robert being in best voice on the 24th about 30 minutes in). Start to finish, I really like 5-17, 1-22, 2-7 (warts and all) and 2-8 the best.

[1975NQ]

15 hours ago, BobDobbs said:

I agree, the Seattle show is just OK IMO

Finally ... a little solidarity!! 😛

[1975NQ]

On 2/6/2022 at 5:34 PM, BobDobbs said:

I love 3-27 simply for D&C alone, one of the best versions but the whole show, though not technically perfect by any means, is wildly experimental and never boring.

 

I probably should give that one another listen. I've found that sometimes time can change things, as far as listening preferences go. It's weird how that can work. For instance, I always thought 3-27 NQ was just crushingly boring. But recently, it's grown on me. My opinion on Page's playing for that song hasn't changed, but my enjoyment and perspective on the whole thing absolutely has. I got religion on that one lol.  So maybe my opinion on DAC from that night will change as well. 

[Tainted cheese]

I have been reading replies to this post for awhile now and have enjoyed the many ideas and opinions. I have listened to many of these shows mentioned here but I keep coming back to FEBRUARY 14 - NASSAU VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM, NY. when needing a '75 fix! The band is top notch form and Plant especially sounds healthy and strong given his struggles during this tour. This show is easily in the top 5 (top 3 in my rankings) for the '75 tour and my personal favorite.