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Nitpicking Page 1977


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Another excellent review. I agree that this show is nowhere near the LA shows, but I don't think it's quite as bad as many make it out to be. Jimmy's erratic yes. Plant is hoarse yes. But Bonham's on fire and Jones (vocals notwithstanding) is solid as usual. And there are some good highlights like NQ, TYG, the acoustic set, and STH. I prefer the audience recordings for this cause they mask a lot of the flaws and the gig actually comes across as being pretty good. What do you plan on doing next? Tempe perhaps? :lol:

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5 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

Another excellent review. I agree that this show is nowhere near the LA shows, but I don't think it's quite as bad as many make it out to be. Jimmy's erratic yes. Plant is hoarse yes. But Bonham's on fire and Jones (vocals notwithstanding) is solid as usual. And there are some good highlights like NQ, TYG, the acoustic set, and STH. I prefer the audience recordings for this cause they mask a lot of the flaws and the gig actually comes across as being pretty good. What do you plan on doing next? Tempe perhaps? :lol:

I can review Tempe for you: 💩

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On 6/13/2018 at 10:19 AM, Bonzo_fan said:

I second that.  And the Cleveland, Pontiac, Birmingham & New York shows...

I am probably in the minority but not a big fan of the Ft. Worth gig, Jimmy is just a mess in places. Now the second Cleveland show, Pontiac, Birmingham, and all but one NY gig are all simply amazing shows. Pontiac is almost flawless as are the four of the six NY shows. I never heard Birmingham but  people have said it is also very good.

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  • 1 month later...

Nitpicking Page 6/7/1977 Madison Square Garden (Treading The Boards- A Group Project)

Another series of shows I've never really listened to- MSG 77. I'm excited to dissect these and hope I find some gems. This version is an improvement on the uneven and dry EV release.

TSRTS- Good energy on the intro. Small chord flub at 1:30. Plant sounds excellent. First solo- Some sticky fingers. Second solo- Not too bad. "B+".

Sick Again- Solid intro. Good verses. First solo- 2:38-3:00, embarrasing. Outro solo- 5:05, bad articulation. 5:20-5:27, sloppy. The energy is there, but Page's fingers aren't. "B".

NFBM- Solid first half. Harmonica solo- Plant rips out a good solo here. Guitar solo- Not a bad start. 5:22, he shoots for the stars but barely leaves the ground. Considering this track is usually played tight rhythmically, I have to judge by four things- Plant's voice, the harmonica solo, the guitar solo, and Bonham's enthusiasm. I'll go "B+".

IMTOD- Good intro. First solo- almost decent, but Page never really gets on track for this. Second solo- decent start but 6:15 gets sloppy. "You Shook Me" verse sounds good. Lots of energy but the solos really bring it down. "B".

SIBLY- A little laid back, but otherwise very nice intro. Plant gets an excellent opening note in. Solo- Not bad at all. A good audience recording would probably make a better impression. "B+".

No Quarter- Jones' opening notes have a slight glockenspiel tone. 2:58, Plant belts out a good extended note. Nitpicking Jones- He puts together an impressive routine off the bat. 6:35-7:30, the "soul" section is especially good. Guitar solo- It's certainly a journey,  not an articulate or fluid one though. He never really goes off the track or anything, but there's absolutely nothing worth pointing out. I actually think the groove Bonzo and Jones are locked into is more noteworthy. 23:49, Percy comes alive and Bonham responds. 24:38, Bonham does some killer fills from here on. Everyone shines here except Page, who brings it down to a "B".

Ten Years Gone- Plant sounds great. First solo- Pretty damn good. Could've used some more enrgy, but not bad. Second solo- Some decent licks with good phrasing. Third solo- Guitar drops in the mix, but sounds good. 8:40, winds down perfectly. Gotta go "A".

Acoustic Set- "A+" overall, with excellent sound and enthusiasm. GTC rivals the studio version. Honestly makes up for the bum tracks thus far.

Kashmir- Guitar up in the mix. Plant still sounding great. Very solid throughout, with Plant giving his all on the outro. "A".

Moby Dick- 12 minutes of snare rolls is more than I can tolerate. No dynamics here, sounds like a warm-up routine.

Guitar Solo- Yep.

Achilles Last Stand- Very solid first half. First solo- Not too bad, but a little sticky. Second solo (7:53)- Haunting. Bonham was solid as a rock on this one. "A".

Stairway To Heaven- Well paced and Plant is singing with drive. The guitar is distorting the tape a little.  Great verses. Solo- 6:37-6:45, a little sloppy. The soft part sounds good, but some of Bonham's fills throw the vibe off. 8:20, sloppy. Page flubs the final build-up lick. Plant delivers on an excellent climax. The mood for the solo was there, but Page was just a little too subdued and sticky-fingered. "B+".

WLL- Very fuzzy guitar tone. Plant comes in like he's looking for a fight. I love the aggressive attitude on this. "A+" for what there is of it.

Rock And Roll- The fuzzy tone doesn't sound as good on this, though Plant is still energetic. First solo- Played and phrased well, though the muffled tone doesn't help it. Second solo- Has more of a Chuck Berry feel and played well. Not bad, "A".


Final Assessment- First, Plant sounds as good post-72 as ever and sings with vigor. Page never really gets above average for 77. His ability to chord perfectly but fall apart on solos will always boggle my mind. Bonham is lively and Jones is flawless. Highlights are a very solid Ten Years Gone, an amazing "must hear" acoustic set, an epic Kashmir, a driving Achilles, and an excellent one-two punch encore. I'm rather surprised by this show, though I'd recommend ignoring everything prior to Ten Years Gone, but that's me.

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5 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said:

Final Assessment- First, Plant sounds as good post-72 as ever and sings with vigor. Page never really gets above average for 77. His ability to chord perfectly but fall apart on solos will always boggle my mind. Bonham is lively and Jones is flawless. Highlights are a very solid Ten Years Gone, an amazing "must hear" acoustic set, an epic Kashmir, a driving Achilles, and an excellent one-two punch encore. I'm rather surprised by this show, though I'd recommend ignoring everything prior to Ten Years Gone, but that's me.

I'm sure muscle memory had alot to do with his chording. It's a shame this New York run isn't as well recorded as the Inglewood shows. Considering it was also a six-day run in a major venue.

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7 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said:

Final Assessment- First, Plant sounds as good post-72 as ever and sings with vigor. Page never really gets above average for 77. His ability to chord perfectly but fall apart on solos will always boggle my mind. Bonham is lively and Jones is flawless. Highlights are a very solid Ten Years Gone, an amazing "must hear" acoustic set, an epic Kashmir, a driving Achilles, and an excellent one-two punch encore. I'm rather surprised by this show, though I'd recommend ignoring everything prior to Ten Years Gone, but that's me.

When you say you're surprised, do you mean it more in a positive or negative way? The soundboard shows that this is actually a fairly sloppy performance, although slightly above average for 77. Are you planning on doing all of the NY run? The sound quality the next night isn't very good unfortunately.

I'm surprised you didn't seem to notice how the boys lose track of one another during Kashmir.

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17 minutes ago, ZepHead315 said:

When you say you're surprised, do you mean it more in a positive or negative way? The soundboard shows that this is actually a fairly sloppy performance, although slightly above average for 77. Are you planning on doing all of the NY run? The sound quality the next night isn't very good unfortunately.

I'm surprised you didn't seem to notice how the boys lose track of one another during Kashmir.

Surprised in a positive way. After the first few numbers I thought for sure it was gonna be a cringefest, but they straightened out half way through for some solid numbers.

I have a tendency to lose focus on Kashmir considering it's so damn repetitive, but I guess that knocks it down to a "B". 

Gonna knock out this NY set and maybe do a best of.

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Nitpicking Page 6/10/1977 Madison Square Garden, NY (The Garden Tapes- Empress Valley)

Skipping 6/8 because of the bad source, though it sounds like a decent show. The EV release is the most listenable version of this good audience source unless there's a Winston I don't know about. The sound clarity starts a little muddy and clears up some a few numbers in, but remains distant.

TSRTS- Booming intro and good verses. Rob doesn't sound half bad. First solo- Hard to make out, but sounds spot on. Second solo- Sounds tight as ever. Page is seemingly in sound mind so far. "A".

Sick Again- 0:05, half time. This intro is lethal. Unfortunately someone bumps the recorder mic at 0:33. First solo- Maybe not the most fluid, but it's phrased and played well. 4:41, sounds like Bonham is putting in some extra snare roll on this part. Second solo- A few hang-ups, but nothing too detrimental as far as I can make out. "A".

NFBM- Robert sounds good. Harmonica solo is decent. Guitar solo- Page opens up with a surprising flurry of fluid notes, then gets some good bends in. A little sloppy at 5:12, but he wisely moves on to another phrase. Bonham is on point. "B+".

OTHAFA- Good intro except for the major firecracker explosion. Page goes missing at 1:30, exposing how dreadful Jones' bass sounds on this. Solo- Good noodling at the start, slowly ascending to the sky with a nice stretch of runs and bent notes. This almost sounds like it's going the way of the 6/22 solo, but Page jumps back into the return riff, leaving us wanting more. Good exit. "A", despite Page dropping out for a few seconds.

SIBLY- A song that always sounds better on an audience recording. Solid open. Page does some wicked palm mutes at 2:50 and 3:00. Solo- Opens with a good scream from Plant and a blazing run from Page. Incredible phrasing and emotion. Excellent refrain at 4:34. Quick hammer-ons at 4:40 are perfect. 5:05, this slow released bend sounds wonderful. 5:17, he ends with a nice little speedy lick. Nimble fingers be damned, this rivals any 72/73 version in my opinion. Possibly the best I've heard from 77 so far. "A+".

No Quarter- Good first quarter. Nitpicking Jones- A little too spastic and unstructured. Page joins for a good jam at 10:00. Solo- Slow start but gets a good bend at 13:56, then eases off again. 14:38-15:18, a good aggressive series of noodling. 17:20, haven't heard this lick since August of 73. 17:51, yes sir. 19:37, impressive staccato chording. 20:00, intriguing chording here. The return is good and Page goes wild again on the wah-soaked outro. Great showing by Page, but Jones failed to impress with his part. "B+".

Ten Years Gone- Solid intro. First solo- Some bends sound slightly forced, otherwise very good. Second solo (4:38)- Some solid pedal-steel bends at the start and finishes with some good phrases. Plant comes back in for some fantastic vocals. Solo three (6:22)- More pedal-steel bends. 6:50-6:54, absolutely love how he ends that phrase on the rooted fifth. Solo four- The delay effect sounds pretty good. The epic journey comes sliding home for a perfect finish. Definitive performance? "A+" anyway.

Acoustic Section- Really hard to beat the clear soundboard from the 7th, but this set sounds very solid performance wise. I don't know if the tape is running fast or not on GTC, but Plant hits some high notes that sound unnatural for 77 (2:17). An excellent vocal  at 1:44. BCW/BronYaur Stomp has the crowd jumping in their seats and once again Plant is singing in a higher range. 

Kashmir- A driving, mid-paced version with Plant giving his all. "A".

Achilles Last Stand- Fast paced with Bonham and Jones sounding like a machine. First solo- Well phrased and articulate for the most part, though some of the final runs sound strained. Second solo- Hard to make out, but sounds ok. Sounded like a great, energetic version, but the boomy recording makes it a tough listen. I'll go "B+".

Stairway To Heaven- The vocals drop pretty low in the mix, but everything sounds good. Solo- Page's fingers sound quite nimble on some runs but his phrasing isn't as smooth as usual. 7:44, Bonham makes an excellent choice to bring the rhythm to a halt and allow Page to create some tension and build-up. The final four bar section of the solo is one of the best I've heard, with the final pull-offs screaming like a banshee. Excellent climax. "A".

WLL (Partial) 

Rock And Roll- A inferior source kicks in on the solo. Solo- Sounds good but has an unorthodox ending phrase. "B+".

Final Assessment- Very hard to judge based on the distant recording, but this sounds on par to any L.A. show and better in a lot of areas. That's not to say that a soundboard wouldn't expose a different side to the ears, but this has definitely made its way to the top of my SB wishlist. SIBLY and Ten Years Gone are the highlights.

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The final four (10th- 14th) of the MSG run are all on par with the best of LA if not better IMO. Jimmy did not show well at all the 7th or 8th but after a days rest he came back with a vengeance.

I would kill for a official release of any of the final four or a best of from the NY 77' run.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 8/13/2018 at 2:43 PM, Bonzo_fan said:

Any reason you didn't mention Heartbreaker in your review?

Ha, it appeared at the top of the tracklist for some reason and I forgot about it.

Heartbreaker (6/10/1977)- Lively intro with the band sounding determined. Solo- Page gets some muscular runs going for a good solo section. Plant sounds excellent on the return and lacks just a hair of hitting the original vocal range. "A".

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Nitpicking Page 6/11/1977 MSG, NY (Long Live Led Zeppelin Remaster)

Hopefully this is even better than the previous night. There's about ten versions of this available so I just went with this one, which is a remaster of a four source mix. All the sources vary in quality but they're all fairly listenable, though either too bright or too murky in places.

TSRTS- Good energy on the intro and decent verses. First solo- Page's fingers sound nimble. Plant sounds a little rough on the return, maybe he overdid it the night before? Second solo- Not bad. "A".

Sick Again- Solid intro and the verses sound good. Plant has smoothed out some. First solo- Straining very slightly, but otherwise well played. Outro solo- Spastic and unstructured, but it always is. "A".

NFBM- The slow tempo makes this sound extra heavy. Harmonica solo- a little uninspired. Guitar solo- 6:32-6:38, very sloppy. Again at 6:50. Some decent bends, but overall not a good solo. Plant sounds good but Bonham doesn't show off much. "B".

IMTOD- Slow paced and heavy. Excellent drum fill at 1:43. 2:18, Bonham's kick drum echoes for miles. First solo- The mix is very muddy here, but the phrasing sounds rather dreadful to my ears. Second solo- A little more inspired. Bonham and Plant sound lively on the outro, which features some You Shook Me. "B+".

SIBLY- Decent intro, but the run at 1:50 is extremely sloppy. Plant's vocals are rather unconvincing and lacking real emotion as he spurts out every verse as fast as he can. Solo- Page bursts into a frantic run, but then slows down and gets some solid leads down. Far from the best solo. The mood is here for the song, but the performance isn't. "B".

No Quarter- Much better sound quality now. Solid first quarter. Jones gets a good routine going for his solo. The "Silent film" section is actually quite intriguing. 11:07, Page and Bonzo come roaring in for an excellent boogie jam, with Jones letting loose with some superb key work. Page is low in the mix, but he also gets in some good old-school rock riffs. 17:01, Page's sloppy intro to the solo is a sign of bad things to come. Bear with me. 17:54, Inarticulate slop. 19:08-19:25, the bedroom jammer returns. 21:15, he barely stays together on this phrase. 22:37, Page attempts to liven things up with a series of improv riffs, but they just don't work well. 24:50, the "Yallah" riff. Page sounds a little better through here, but not good enough to rescue this solo. The return sounds great as Page unleashes some nice wah riffs and Bonham fires off the snare-machine gun. Page brought this otherwise good performance way down. "B".

Ten Years Gone- Good intro and first verses. First solo- Page's opening runs just don't flow well. He fudges the riff at 3:18. Plant's vocals aren't as inspired here. Second solo- Once again, Page fails to get any decent phrasing down. Third solo- A step up, but also lacking. Fourth solo- Decent. 7:59, the guitar signal gets crossed with Plant's vocal effect. A listenable version, but I wouldn't recommend it. "B".

Acoustic Set- Very good sound. Battle Of Evermore- The Plant/Jones vocal duel actually sounds quite good here. GTC sounds good, but is frequently interrupted by the tapers. BronYaur Stomp sounds lively but Page fudges the guitar breakdown a little. WS/BMS sounds energetic. "B+".

Kashmir- Extremely epic version but the sound goes south near the end. "A".

Achilles Last Stand- Poor sound. Good first half. First solo- Takes a while to get going, but he ends with a nice fluid run at 4:31. Second solo- sounds good as far as I can tell. The source may sound terrible, but Bonham's explosiveness can still be felt. He's drumming his ass off. Third solo- Sounds ok. Really too murky to judge, but I'll go "A".

Stairway To Heaven- 1:20-1:31, this stretch sounds especially magical to me. The verses progress nicely to an excellent build up. Solo- Murky, but sounds decent at the start. 7:37, very nice fluid run. Another one at 10:00. Last four bars are played well. Despite some good noodling, this solo made me quite drowsy. "B+".

Heartbreaker (Partial)- Sounding good. Solo- A little lackluster. Not sure what Page attempts at 3:44-4:00, but it sounds pretty rough. He gets some interesting arpeggiated chords in before the tape fades out. 

Final Assessment- The show starts off promising but the band fail to get back on the level of the previous night, especially Page. Highlights are a solid Sick Again, a refreshing Battle Of Evermore, an adventurous White Summer, and an epic Kashmir. No Quarter is excellent if you ignore the solo.

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Nitpicking Page 6/13/1977 Madison Square Garden (2 Source Mix)

A day off after a not so hot show on the 11th. Maybe they got it back together. I'm using the "Alt Source" from the LongLive site. The recording has decent clarity, but it also has a lot of audience noise, so you've really gotta picture yourself in the audience to enjoy it.

TSRTS- Impressive energy out of the gate and Bonham rips a monster fill at 0:38. I can't tell if it's Jones or Bonzo's foot, but there's some nice bottom end thumping going on. Plant is sounding excellent. First solo- Not too bad, but sounds like he's having trouble keeping up with Bonzo. 3:33, there's the bottom end and it's definitely Jones' fingers running a marathon. Second solo- Page sounded a little more prepared this time. Pure energy. "A".

Sick Again- Bonham destroying his kit on the intro and Page playing nicely. First solo- Page gets some nimble runs in and the exit is good. Second solo- Murky, but sounds like the usual unstructured set of leads. I think Bonzo keeps this at an "A".

NFBM- Excellent start with Bonham again beating the daylights out of his kit. Harmonica solo- Plant belts out some impressive...whatever sounds a harmonica makes. Don't let Bonzo's drumwork go unnoticed, working the snare like Buddy Rich on crack. Guitar solo- Maybe not the most articulate, but he's playing with some serious fire. 5:50, snare work. I gotta go "A", with Bonham stealing the show a little.

OTHAFA- Intro sounds good, with the firecrackers keeping time. Oooh, Plant trips up on the first verses. Is he actually trying to sing in the original key? Surely not. Is the tape running fast? Solo- Page gets in the spaceship for this one, keeping a steady flow of bends and staccato notes going with heavy reverb and delay. Not quite 6/22, but fairly good. Plant comes back in hitting the notes a little better. Nice fade out. A solid performance but I don't know what to make of the vocals. "B+".

SIBLY- Solid intro. Plant cracks slightly on his opening vocal. Solo- Page takes his time and gets some excellent runs down. Fairly solid version. "A".

No Quarter- Plant singing with conviction on the first verses. Nitpicking Jones- The phrasing all sounds a little forced and unenthusiastic. The boogie jam with Bonzo is also a little bland, and Jimmy comes in with some decent boosted leads that follow no sense of purpose. Solo- Already better than the last show. He's chilled out some and phrasing things well. 15:28, some unique noodling. He keeps a steady stream of notes flowing throughout, with nice interplay with Bonzo. Nothing spectacular, but a vast improvement over the last show. The return and ending is good, but Jones brings this one down. "B".

Ten Years Gone- Good beginning and Plant sounds excellent, delivering thorough emotion in his vocals. First solo- Murky, but it sounds well phrased with good bends. The part at 3:51 sounds like it might've been fudged. Plant sounds really good on this one, especially 5:15. Second solo- He gets some decent licks in, good bends. Third solo- Sounds good to my ears, well played. Fourth solo- Very murky, but I'd say it's alright. Bonzo gets some good drum rolls in to bring this to a stop. I really want a soundboard, but it sounds quite excellent as is. "A".

Acoustic set- Battle Of Evermore- One of the best harmonies I've heard from the band at 4:16. GTC- Plant sounds as good as 1971 here. Black Country Woman- Page takes off with a fast tempo and when the others join in, it makes for one of the most hard stomping versions I've heard. BronYaur Stomp- Good energy and the breakdown is nicely done. WS/BMS is pretty solid, slightly bland in places. I'd still rate the set overall an "A".

Kashmir- Plant's enthusiasm hasn't faded a bit. Sounds like a perfectly solid version to me with a good, up-tempo. "A".

Heartbreaker- Unique false intro. Good beginning. Solo- Page can't really get his fingers to let loose. Even Bouree sounds half-assed. The sloppy part is a little too sloppy. He sounds very unconfident on the rockabilly jam. 4:57, returning to the aggressive picking, he masks it a little better this time. Unfortunately my source switches here to a less inferior one. "B".

Achilles Last Stand- Insane tempo. First solo- Not bad, a little loose. Second Solo- Good, accented nicely by Bonzo. Third solo- Sounds alright, none too impressive. Jones at 8:36 literally sounds like a freight train hauling ass down the track. The ending is a little lackluster. Excellent energy, but performance wise I gotta go "B+".

Stairway To Heaven- A solid first half. Solo- Page plays very relaxed, but he keeps a steady stream of notes going and matches the mood perfectly. No real flubs that I can hear as he gets some excellent lead work in. Good ending and the crowd goes absolutely insane. "A".

Whole Lotta Love- Still some energy left for the encores. They get lost on the transition into Black Dog and Plant steps up and leads them in. Solo- Some inarticulate runs, but tremendous energy. I've never liked Black Dog as an encore personally, but they did a fairly good job here. "B+".

Final Assessment- I think this stands toe to toe with 6/10, especially the first half. The highlights are a solid acoustic set and certainly the first three numbers, featuring a frenetic TSRTS,  hard-hitting Sick Again, and a brutal NFBM. A very nice Stairway solo as well. The only real ball drop was Heartbreaker, which was played between the drum solo and the guitar solo for some reason. This is yet another one that gives a punch in the gut to anyone who criticizes the 77 tour. Plant sounds as good as ever (though I don't know what he was doing on OTHAFA), Jones and Bonham are locked in throughout, and Page stays focused and articulate for the most part.


 

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Been enjoying your reviews of these shows. I know you have one more to go, but how do you think the NY shows compare with the LA shows as a whole? The only surprise to me was that you didn't like No Quarter from the June 11th show. That's actually one of my favorites. In fact, Nutrocker, the guru of the 1977 tour who sadly seems to have become inactive, said that that was his favorite version of the whole tour. Idk, maybe I need to pay more attention to Jimmy's playing, but it sounds pretty solid to me.

What do you plan to do after you finish the NY run? To quote Plant, are you taking requests? :D

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16 minutes ago, ZepHead315 said:

Been enjoying your reviews of these shows. I know you have one more to go, but how do you think the NY shows compare with the LA shows as a whole? The only surprise to me was that you didn't like No Quarter from the June 11th show. That's actually one of my favorites. In fact, Nutrocker, the guru of the 1977 tour who sadly seems to have become inactive, said that that was his favorite version of the whole tour. Idk, maybe I need to pay more attention to Jimmy's playing, but it sounds pretty solid to me.

What do you plan to do after you finish the NY run? To quote Plant, are you taking requests? :D

As a whole? I know I skipped a show and have one more to go, but I think the L.A. run is just more solid and energetic overall. Page really only got sloppy on the last L.A. show.

That No Quarter is quite remarkable, except for Jimmy's solo. Sounds like he got a bad start and couldn't steer it out of the ditch. Everything else was an A+ though.

I'll probably do a few other notable 77 shows, like the two Clevelands and Pontiac if the audio isn't too bad. Requests are welcome. I think someone wanted a review on Ft. Worth.

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15 minutes ago, gibsonfan159 said:

As a whole? I know I skipped a show and have one more to go, but I think the L.A. run is just more solid and energetic overall. Page really only got sloppy on the last L.A. show.

That No Quarter is quite remarkable, except for Jimmy's solo. Sounds like he got a bad start and couldn't steer it out of the ditch. Everything else was an A+ though.

I'll probably do a few other notable 77 shows, like the two Clevelands and Pontiac if the audio isn't too bad. Requests are welcome. I think someone wanted a review on Ft. Worth.

I'd tend to agree re LA being the better run overall, but they're pretty damn close imho.

I can PM you with some recommended versions of shows to get if you want. Not saying you have to do all of them of course, but they can just be ideas for what you can do next. :) 

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I’ve always interpreted that Robert was going for the original melody and he doesn’t sound half bad, I really wish we had a Millard quality tape for the 13th I really like how Robert seems to be really going for it on that specific song and then Black Dog at the end of the show. 

 

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Nitpicking Page 6/14/1977 Madison Square Garden, NY (Net Source)

The final show at Madison Square Garden. Do they carry the momentum from the previous night and go out on a high note? My source is the "NS-Net Source" that's available on Black Beauty, as it has much more clarity than any other version I've heard. It's slightly distant, but still listenable. 

TSRTS- Excellent tempo shows they've come to conquer tonight. First solo- Not very articulate (Though it's awfully hard to tell), but he's keeping good time. 4:04, monster drum fill. Second solo- Hard to make out, but sounds pretty awesome anyway. "B+".

Sick Again- Keeping the fast tempo for this. Excellent intro. It's almost going too fast. 1:34, almost sounds like Page starts the chorus riff by mistake. First solo- A good set of runs. Plant is singing this with a different, inspired attitude and it sounds good. Second solo- 4:58 sounds rough. He's struggling at 5:14. Hope he gets out of this rut soon. "B+".

NFBM- Good beginning. Harmonica solo- Plant gets some good hoots in. 3:38, "Sitdown!" Guitar solo- Some sloppiness in places, but lots of attitude. Not bad at all. Fairly solid and very energetic. "B+".

OTHAFA- Page keeps that uptempo going. He gets hesitant on the intro, but stays alive. Plant cracks a little on the first verse. Cracks badly on the second verse. Solo- Heavy reverb engaged and he takes off. Very good build-up phrasing, though it's lacking some articulation. Pretty good. Nice return and ending. Despite the energy, a raspy Plant and some rough picking knock this down to a "B".

SIBLY- He launches into the intro quickly, missing the usual emotion that puts you in the mood. 0:26-:33, excellent phrase. 0:45-0:56, he's rushing this big time. Not sure what to think of this spastic playing. It's not necessarily bad, but it's over-expressive. Solo- The beginning sounds good, the aggressiveness works better here to create a serious sense of drama when combined with the organ. Thank goodness this is an audience recording, as I'm afraid a dry soundboard would make the aggressive picking a little overbearing. "B+" for uniqueness anyway.

No Quarter- Good energy on the first quarter. Second quarter- Jones' solo fails to take off in any defined direction, but not bad by any means. 7:22, he gets startled by some firecrackers. Bonzo and Page come in for a decent boogie session, featuring some Chuck Berry riffs. 13:28, good interplay between Page and Jonesy, reminiscent of the TSRTS version. Third quarter- Page comes roaring in with some nice, expressive lead licks. 15:16-15:28, very good set of pull-offs. This solo is building nicely. Not great articulation, but his phrasing and attitude are top notch. 17:55, most times I would seriously berate Page for using these frustrated sounding bends, but he makes them work well here and are accented by Bonham. 18:57, getting a little sticky. The extended jam goes on steadily, with Bonham and Page bouncing off each other like thunder and lightning. Fourth quarter- 22:49, my source cuts to the outro. Page comes in with some blistering wah licks, then chills out for a while. Plant tries to bring it back up with some screams, but Page keeps the chill going until the return. Good ending. Despite a mediocre showing from Jones, I still have to keep this at an "A" because of Page's inspired solo.

Ten Years Gone- Solid intro and Plant sounds good. First solo- 2:38, sounds like Bonham switches beats for a second and Page gets off track a little. The phrasing is questionable, but he nails the last few notes. 4:20, my favorite vocal line of their live set and goddamn does he nail it here. Second solo- Passionate and well played. Third solo- Absolutely tears this one up. Fourth solo- Some repetitive bends but still solid. Nice ending. This is a tough rating. Omit the first solo and this is easily an "A++". But the average brings it to an "A".

Acoustic set: Battle of Evermore- Takes off fast and Jones sounds good. Plant is very expressive and the percussion isn't overwhelming like it usually is. Literally like sitting around a campfire telling druid ghost stories. Going To California- The performance is good, but the guitar is very low in the mix. BCW- sounds like Pinball Wizard on the intro. BronYaur Stomp- Plant can barely keep up with the tempo. Excellent guitar breakdown. WS/BMS- 8:04, awesome. Could easily be from 1970. Truly magical with excellent sound. Overall an "A".

Kashmir- Fast paced, of course. Plant sounds lively. Page gets a little twangy on the outro riffs. Monsterous drum fills throughout. "A".

Alas, this is all there is. With the momentum they had going I can only imagine what Stairway and Achilles would've sounded like.


Final Assessment: One word- Impatient. Most hurried Sick Again, SIBLY, and BronYaur Stomp I've ever heard. Makes for some interesting moments. Page gets off to a rough start but straightens out after a few numbers. Highlights are an excellent No Quarter solo section, a near perfect Ten Years Gone, a magically organic Battle Of Evermore and WS/BMS, and a frantic Kashmir. The lowlights are the constant shouts of "Sit down!" It's a rock concert, not your kid's dance recital.

Next up, I'll compile a "Best of" and maybe pit it against the L.A. "Best of" for a deathmatch.

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