Nitpicking Page 1977

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 4/9/1977 Chicago, IL (KRW_CO 2nd Gen- Two Source Merge)

A slightly noisy but close sounding AUD source. Very listenable. 

TSRTS- Good energy to start and the intro sounds spot on. Verses sounding nice. First solo- somewhat choppy playing but not bad. Plant cracking a little on the California verses. 6:05, Plant sounding rough. Outro- 6:44, sticky. Plant is the weakest link this time around as Jim sounds fairly coherent. "B+".

Sick Again- Very sticky fingered intro but no missed notes. 0:40-0:44, nevermind, there they are. Verses sound decent. First solo- not the most fluid playing but it's not bad. Outro- just the usual erratic playing which is normal. The intro certainly brings down the rating but overall not bad. "B".

NFBM- Jim opens with the SIBLY intro mistakenly. 1:28, chord flub. 2:36, wrong note by Jim. Harmonica solo starts excellent. 3:55, Rob stops playing while everyone else goes another round. Solo- decent start. 5:43, very sticky and Jim barely survives the rest of it. Not really a trainwreck, more like a bus or single engine plane wreck. "C+".

SIBLY- The first intro was much better. 0:22, oh God. Plant's opening note is pretty impressive and the verses are solid. Solo- phrasing is actually coherent throughout and the articulation isn't terrible. Last verses are solid enough. Not perfect and it drags a bit. "B".

No Quarter- Solid start. Jones- very dramatic intro with the piano. Excellent flow of phrases as Jones' fingers sound nice and loose. 6:22, small tape cut and source switch. Jim joins in on the blues boogie with some screeching guitar, not sounding good at all. 8:17, very impressive noodling from Jones as he brings it back down nicely. Solo- good start. 11:40, a little loose. 12:05, source switch as Jim does some very strange bends that sound like a whammy bar being used, which couldn't be the case here. 13:30, some bad chords by Jones. 13:48, Page really forcing these last phrases. 14:09, some good aggressive runs. 14:28, the power chord riff finish sounds decent. Not a solo I'd call impressive but not bad considering what we've had previously. 17:20, Page comes alive for some good wah runs but quickly runs out of steam. Jones really shines here but Jim was just too up and down. "B+".

TYG- Excellent intro and verses. First solo- good start but he gets way off track at 2:56 and never fully recovers. Second solo- Jim is clearly struggling. Third solo- very slow to get going. Fourth solo- average. Page does get it together for the outro. Obviously a "C". (Plant mentions Jimmy has "Gastroenteritis" and takes a shot at the firecracker tossers, implying it made it worse. Richard Cole then comes in telling the crowd "Jimmy doesn't wanna do a half-assed show so hold on to your tickets and it will be rescheduled". Might wanna reschedule those first two Chicago shows as well, Richard.)

Final Assessment- A promising start quickly goes downhill. Whether you wanna take the band's word or not about Jim's ailments is kind of moot considering he had other notably bad nights throughout the 1977 tour. One excuse is as good as another. A shame considering the rest of the guys are spot on tonight and the sound quality of the main source is fantastic. 

Edited June 11, 2022 by gibsonfan159

[JohnOsbourne]

I'm always amused that Plant used a technical term ("gastroenteritis") rather than just saying "food poisoning".  Maybe Grant, after consulting with the tour doctor, gave him an impressive-sounding medical term in the hopes of placating the crowd.

[Chicago]

I was at all 4 of the Chicago shows in 1977. I did write ups for them in the Timeline section of this website. Just a quick overview.

April 6 - The longest and loosest of these shows

April 7- The shortest and tightest. There was a time deadline for Zeppelin to play because there was a Chicago Black Hawks playoff game the following night.

April 9- Started out great up until Ten Years Gone. Jimmy collapsed  into a chair in front of Bonzo's drum riser and that was it. Over and done.

April 10- The best of the Chicago run. Very exciting concert and Page's outfit was iconic. People still talk about this show. Indelible. My friend and I filmed the Super 8 footage from this show.

[Strider]

On 6/11/2022 at 8:57 AM, Chicago said:

April 7- The shortest and tightest. There was a time deadline for Zeppelin to play because there was a Chicago Black Hawks playoff game the following night.

 

Yeah, but NOT in Chicago. The Black Hawks had to play their "home" game at Nassau Coliseum, Long Island because of the Led Zeppelin shows. The Islanders swept the Black Hawks, winning Games 1 and 2. But even if Chicago had won Game 2, Game 3 would have been right back in the Islanders stadium. Whatever reason there was for Led Zeppelin's show being short on April 7, hockey was not it.

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 4/10/1977 Chicago, IL (Two Source Merge- Zephead 420)

Slightly distant and noisy main source. Medium bootleg ears recommended.

TSRTS- 1:38-2:06, definitely some bad chording by Jim through here. Verses sound good with Robert in excellent shape. First solo- The bad recording hides a lot here but 3:40-3:50 most certainly has some sloppy playing. Plant more or less just moans through the California section, but he moans in key at least. Outro- 5:30-5:38, Jim straining on these phrases. Good energy for the opener. "B+".

Sick Again-  0:37, chord flub. Otherwise good intro. Verses sounding strong. Solo- Bonzo's snare drum floods the audio but Jim actually sounds decent here. Outro- 5:13, some articulation issues but nothing too major. "A-".

NFBM- Strong start with Robert sounding powerful. Average sounding harmonica routine. Should be noted that Jim's rhythm playing is nearly inaudible on this recording. Solo- A bit sticky on the start. 5:10, articulation nightmare. 6:03, Plant belting out a powerful vocal to end. Overall, "B+".

IMTOD- Page playing the intro just a tad sloppy. 4:25, Jim drops out for a minute and comes into his solo late. First solo- a complete mess. Page sounds like he's having trouble keeping up through the verses. Second solo- obviously the recording makes any true critique impossible, but it's also pretty obvious Jim isn't playing his best slide work here. The outro isn't so bad however as Jim holds on til the end. "C+".

SIBLY- Intro is fairly solid though very relaxed. Verses not bad at all  but there's a certain energy missing from them. Solo- good start. 4:37, articulation here is anyone's guess. Jim winds down for a somber finish. Not terrible. The energy picks up for the last verses to save this sleepy version somewhat. "B+".

No Quarter- Solid intro and verses. Jones- the "lounge jam" is simplistic but well done. The boogie jam has good energy with Jones being a bit more experimental in his phrasing. Jimmy sits this one out. Solo- the recording fluctuates some as Page drops in with some hesitant licks. 10:28, practicing his turkey call. 11:16, awful articulation but his phrasing is flowing along decently. 11:50-12:02, trainwreck. Bad playing throughout as Jim sounds very incoherent. 13:30, turkey gobble. Jim ends with the power chord riff which also sounds awkward, though it has a nice menacing bend at the end. 16:53, wah licks on the outro also sounding strained. 17:15, better here. "C+" at best.

TYG- Intro and verses sounding good. First solo- rough on the edges but not terrible. Second solo- some excellent country bends. Source switch afterwards. Third solo- experimental but not bad. Fourth solo- good. Outro- nothing crazy as they take it out in basic fashion. A surprisingly solid version, just a little loose in places. "A-".

BOE- Very fast intro and tempo. Plant and Jones manage to keep up just fine however and sound good through the verses. 4:07, vocal crack. Has to be the most energetic version. "A+".

GTC- Appropriate tempo here as the audience cheers wildly on the first verse. Plant sounding excellent on the bridge section. A no frills version played with integrity. "A+".

BCW- Also a bit up tempo. 1:27, Jim getting restless and throwing in some extra strums. Solid. "A".

BYAS- Jim's intro is on the erratic side as he quickly jumps through the phrasing. Breakdown- source switch and Jimmy goes on a strumming tirade. Very nice. Good ending. "A+".

Trampled Underfoot- Verses sound good with plenty of energy. Jones' solo sounds decent but the recording is murky. Solo- some very aggressive playing and letting the delay effect work its magic. Not bad. Outro verses sound good. "A".

WS/BMS- 0:38, struggling to get going. 1:44, Page experimenting with the phrasing either on purpose or accident. Once Bonham joins in it pushes Jim along a bit better but he's still playing loose. 3:24, more unusual phrasing. BMS starts out smoothly. The entirety of the latter track is played exceptionally. I'll give this a dual rating- "B/A".

Kashmir- some slightly botched chords on the beginning. 1:23, maybe a Jones flub. 2:28, possible small tape cut. The energy is excellent throughout. 3:53, Bonzo pounding away. 4:34, some wrong chords by somebody. 6:10, several small cuts through here. Page nails down some decent Arabic phrases on the outro, albeit played loosely. Exciting version with some noticeable flubs. "B".

ALS- First solo- Decent intro and verses. Jim almost plays ahead of the rhythm throughout this energetic solo, but still keeps the expressive and somewhat sticky phrasing on track. Second solo- good enough. Third solo- no delay comes through but it sounds ok. This entire performance sounds a little disjointed in its sense of urgency, but altogether it's a competent version that holds its own with ample energy. "A-".

STH- 0:34, not sure who's at fault but the guitar and mellotron are definitely not in key with each other. Plant sings in key with the guitar so I'll blame the mellotron. Verses sound good throughout. Solo- 6:21, some strained notes out of time with the beat. The playing on the softer section sounds kind of lazy. 7:56, strummed chords are decent. 8:16, struggling some on the last phrases. Climax- pretty good. Solid outro. Jim seemed to struggle through the solo which brings this one down. "B".

Rock And Roll- Intro sounds a little disjointed. Verses are just ok. Solo- 1:38, Page's phrasing is suspect here. 2:05, also here as he seemingly gets off track a bit. 2:00, God awful phrasing. 2:29, bad guitar notes. Decent last verses. Not great, "C+".

Final Assessment- Ups and downs. The acoustic section is a standout as Page seems to be feeling excitable and pushes the songs through with lots of energy. TYG and ALS are surprisingly solid for Jimmy. Overall it's not a top tier show but it's certainly worth a listen.

[Chicago]

14 hours ago, gibsonfan159 said:

Nitpicking Page 4/10/1977 Chicago, IL (Two Source 

 

No Quarter- Solid intro and verses. Jones- the "lounge jam" is simplistic but well done. The boogie jam has good energy with Jones being a bit more experimental in his phrasing. Jimmy sits this one out. Solo- the recording fluctuates some as Page drops in with some hesitant licks. 10:28, practicing his turkey call. 11:16, awful articulation but his phrasing is flowing along decently. 11:50-12:02, trainwreck. Bad playing throughout as Jim sounds very incoherent. 13:30, turkey gobble. Jim ends with the power chord riff which also sounds awkward, though it has a nice menacing bend at the end. 16:53, wah licks on the outro also sounding strained. 17:15, better here. "C+" at best.

 

Having been in attendance at this concert, I remember Jimmy playing guitar in the boogie section. Not a solo, just some rock and roll rhythm guitar. You can hear him around the 7:10 mark. During Page's solo,  he's wearing the white fedora and playing licks behind the nut of the guitar at 11:39. During the peak of Page's solo at 12:11 he breaks the high E string on his Les Paul. He threw his hands up in the air and proceeded to reconstruct the solo until it's conclusion. Indelible memories.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Chicago

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 4/23/1977 Atlanta, GA (2nd Gen cassette)

A fairly distant and muffled AUD source requiring some bootleg ears but clears up a little by No Quarter.

TSRTS- Excellent start with Robert sounding decent on the first verses. First solo- phrasing sounds good but the articulation is anyone's guess. Plant strains on the California sunlight verse. 5:23, some rough chording. Outro- 6:17, sounding just a little loose. Not a bad start however. "B+".

SA- Intro sounds ok to my ears. 1:32, guitar riff here sounds a little off. First solo- murky recording aside it sounds fairly solid. Outro- Jim works his usual chaotic phrasing until 5:34, where he drops out for a couple seconds. "B+".

NFBM- Solid intro. 1:32, possible minor chord flub. 2:57, incredible drum fills. Harmonica- sounds good. Verses sound flawless throughout. Solo- 2:21, phrasing and bends sounding excellent. Nothing off track here. Nice ending. The vibes and energy on this one are also excellent. "A+".

IMTOD- Keeping the lively energy going. Verses are flawless throughout. First solo- Page takes off on some speedy slide licks, playing fairly safe but safe is better than sloppy. 5:40, Page gets a little ahead of Bonham here. Second solo- sounds like some solid playing. The outro has tons of energy with everyone grooving, unfortunately the tape is cut right before the ending. One of the better versions I can remember. "A++".

SIBLY - Jim's intro is played in a subtle but effective fashion. 2:55, Jim throwing in some nice improv riffs. Robert sings convincingly through the verses. Solo- Jim starts out with some energetic runs, slows it down, and finishes with a soulful set of phrases. Well played solo. The last verses are played in an extremely moody fashion. Solid version. "A".

No Quarter- Intro and verses sounding very good. Jones- the first few minutes are honestly a little mundane as Jones runs through a number of arpeggios that sound like warm up routines. 8:19, finally some phrases with character as Jones prepares for the boogie jam. The jam is pretty straightforward as Jim riffs on some basic blues licks in the background. Not bad but not the most exciting set from Jonesy. Solo- Jim comes in decent enough but some of the bends are strained and his phrasing is overly basic. 15:00, he finds a better flow here. 16:15, much better groove as the three instrumentalists play off each other. 18:20-18:45, Page starts playing aggressively but some of it is on the sloppy side. 19:30, Jim plays more fluidly here for some nice runs. A tape cut takes us to Jones' return. The outro features some much needed energy as Plant wails away. I'd go "B+" considering nobody really seemed eager to impress on this one.

TYG- Solid intro and verses. First solo- Decent start. 4:30-4:40, many of the B bender bends sound forced and overdone. 5:20, Jim using the harmonizer. Second solo- 6:12, some off notes. Not a good flow on this phrasing. Third solo- better playing here. 8:24, Plant singing passionately. Fourth solo- 8:43, the delay effect clashes with Jim's phrasing and creates some weird tones. Outro- Jimmy's final set of phrases are on the choppy side. If you can ignore the guitar noodling details and look at the big picture this one is very solid. But that's not the intent here. "B+" at best.

BOE- 2:06, Plant sounding good. Jonesy not half bad either. 4:23, Robert adding some nice vocal work. Very good version. "A+".

GTC- The guitar is practically inaudible but Jones comes through well on the mandolin. 1:46, sounds like someone got off track with the phrasing here as the verse comes back in awkwardly. Excellent mandolin work towards the end. "B+" considering the mishap.

BCW- Tremendous energy for this short version. "A".

BYAS- 0:21, slight flub on the intro and Page spends a couple bars trying to get back on track. Verses sounding lively. Page keeps an excellent flow going through an extended breakdown. Very nice and the intro flub wasn't anything off-putting. "A+".

WS/BMS- The warm up is played on the loose side. The fast section takes off with more nimble fingers. BMS is played fairly solid throughout. Only some slight sticky parts in this overall good version. "A-".

Kashmir- Excellent intro and verses. 5:00, Bonham switching the rhythm up nicely. 5:09, mellotron sounding off. Outro- 7:13, more massive drum fills. Jimmy's outro noodling is on the erratic side but not bad. "A-".

Achilles- Jim plays the intro hesitantly (likely due to adjusting his equipment on the transition) but the main riff kicks off nicely. Verses sounding perfect. First solo- Jimmy starts with some speedy phrases that are played very well. Not a sign of sloppiness as Jim is impressive throughout on this one. Second solo- good energy and coherent phrases. Third solo- the delay effect isn't audible but Jim still sounds excellent. A thunderous finish to this rock solid version. "A+++".

Stairway- Intro and verses played very well. Solo- the tempo picks up noticeably. 7:12, Jim usually plays this phrase toward the end but it works ok here, although Bonzo wasn't quite ready for it. Good playing on the soft section. 8:54, Jim does an excellent released bend at the end of the fast strummed part. Final phrases sound good. Very solid playing throughout. Climax- Plant sings the lyrics in a quick fashion but effectively. Outro sounds good. "A+".

Rock And Roll- Booming energy and solid verses. Solo- surprisingly good playing from Jimmy. Final verses played well and Jim gets in a nice ending phrase to finish. "A++".

Trampled Underfoot- Steady tempo and lively energy. Jones' phrasing on his solo is on the choppy side. Solo- Page's guitar howls out like a wolf caught in a bear trap as he plays some aggressive/expressive phrases aided by the wah and delay effects. Interesting and not bad at all. Last set of verses keep the energy at a high level and Plant does his signature karate yells at the end. A better routine from Jones would've really boosted this. "A+".

Final Assessment- 1. I remember this recording being a much harsher listen but it's really not that bad and is quite listenable. 2. This is possibly the most surprising show I've heard from 1977. Jim is coherent for the most part and Robert sounds very good once he warms up. They hit a bit of a slump for NQ and TYG but get back on track afterwards. Jonesy oddly sounds like the least impressive person tonight. There's lots of solid versions on this show but ALS really stands out as it's some of Jimmy's most inspired and nimble fingered soloing I've heard for the song. A must listen show and one I'd love to have a SBD for. 

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 4/19/1977 Cincinnati, OH (First Gen Master)

Good AUD source. The actual audio is very distant at first but gets closer later. 

TSRTS- Some looseness on the intro but not bad. Verses played decently and Rob sounds good for the opener. First solo- Jimmy sounding ham-fisted but the phrasing is ok. 3:26 and 3:46, Jim struggling with the chords. Outro- more extremely choppy playing. Energy is good but Jimmy is clearly suspect on this first song. "B".

Sick Again- Jim botches the intro a bit. 1:41, flub. First solo- Jim's first phrases sounding very wonky but he pulls it together some on the last bits. Verses all sounding fairly good. Outro- more messy than usual. "C+".

NFBM- 0:46, either Jim breaks a string or his guitar came unplugged. Or he's out of it, which is the more likely situation. 2:20, Page playing off time. Harmonica solo is very good. 3:34, Jim gets confused and plays the guitar solo ending phrase. Solo- energy is superb but he's very sticky in places. Last verses are good. "C+".

SIBLY- Not the most impressive intro but it's solid overall, except for that disastrous run at 1:33. Verses are as good as usual for 77. Solo- nothing off the track but boy is it loose in places. Phrasing is surprisingly decent. Last verses are good but might put one to sleep. "B".

No Quarter- The usual solid intro and verses. Jones' routine isn't bad but sounds very directionless. The boogie jam has a better flow and good energy as Jim blends in with some rhythm guitar. 11:20, more impressive playing by Jones here. 12:40, Jimmy decides to drop in while Jones is still in the zone, forcing him to suddenly stop these wonderful piano phrases. Solo- 12:25, decent run. 14:35, some unique phrases. 15:47, Jimmy playing safe, carefully not overdoing it. 17:05, straining some here. 17:42, excellent timing between Jim and Bonzo for this riff. Not a bad solo at all with Jim playing mostly coherently. Last verses sounding good. Outro- Jim plays expressively on the wah licks. Pretty solid playing overall but not one I'd brag about. "A-".

TYG- Good intro and verses but Plant seems to be lacking some energy. First solo- 3:31, a bit loose here but otherwise very nice playing from Jim. Second solo- 5:31, minor hang up here but overall good. Third solo- nice string bends throughout. 7:30, tape cut takes us to the end. Which is a shame considering Jim was very coherent on this version. "A-" for what we have. 

BOE- 1:28-1:32, some stickiness on the mando. Not terrible but this one is lacking some magic. "B+".

GTC- 2:28, Plant sounding good. Solid version. "A".

BCW- Just a tease at less than two minutes. 

BYAS- Bonzo's vocals coming through loudly. Plenty of energy through the verses. The guitar breakdown is nearly inaudible but sounds about average. Solid ending. "A".

WS/BMS- The warmup section is slow going and loose. 1:50, Jim starts the fast part with a different phrase. Bonham's drum are drowning out the guitar. 4:18, interesting phrase on the slower part. BMS sounding loose in places as Jim seems hesitant to let his fingers fly. I'd call this slightly below average. "B".

Kashmir- Solid verses throughout. 7:06, the mellotron faintly sounds off here. Very solid version on the surface but who knows what a SBD would reveal. "A".

Final Assessment- A very rough start gets better as it goes. Unfortunately the last few tracks are missing, but I'd be willing to trade the first few for them considering how much Jim straightened up as the show moved along. Plant starts good and ends good, but he's never really above average, just good not great. 

Edited August 8, 2022 by gibsonfan159

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 4/20/1977 Cincinnati, OH (Eddie Edwards)

TSRTS- 1:06, Page getting off track a little but recovers. Excellent verses with lots of energy. First solo- some stickiness but really not bad overall. Plant sounding strong on the bridge.  4:13, sloppy chording. Outro- 4:40, very sloppy playing as Jim struggles to get his fingers to work. That last section brings it down quite a bit. "C+".

Sick Again- Jim struggling with the intro, barely able to get the chords down. Verses sounding good. First solo- decent start with ok phrasing until he hangs up badly at 2:45. 4:12, sticky. Outro- Jimmy gets into turkey gobble territory to start but he does manage to finish ok. The energy is there so far but Jim is taking a while to warm up. "C+".

NFBM- Jim and Robert seem to be horribly out of sync on the intro but manage to get through it. 2:30, some looseness though these phrases. Harmonica- not bad. 4:30, sounds faintly like Plant doing some harmonica licks before Jim's solo. Solo- decent start. 5:16, a bit loose on the last phrases. Nothing too impressive but Jimmy survives it. Good energy on the ending. Very rough on the edges. "B".

IMTOD- Some loose playing through the verses but sounding very good overall with Jimmy playing confidently. 3:03, Page improvises some slide licks. 4:05, blazing tempo. First solo- Bonham is crowding the mix but sounds like Jim gets a solid set of licks in. 5:49, tape cut. Second solo- already in progress as Jimmy winds out the last phrases. 8:23, Bonzo putting in some extra accents. They finish strong. Not the most technically precise version but the energy is through the roof. "A-".

SIBLY- Only a snippet of the intro is available. 

BOE- Sounds like Jimmy doesn't quite play the intro correctly but it works out. 3:28, hilarious vocal crack. Verses are fairly good with Jonesy doing a decent job on backup. "B+".

WS/BMS- After a choppy warm up section Page once again starts the fast part with a different phrase. 2:27, odd phrasing. 4:08-4:18, sloppy. BMS is rough on the edges but not bad. "B".

Kashmir- 0:35, slight guitar flub. Verses are decent but Rob doesn't sing as powerfully as usual. Maybe it's the recording but this one doesn't have a strong impact. "B+".

Achilles- Good start. 2:37, sloppy. 3:06, Bonham throwing in some unusual fills. First solo- Jim's phrasing and playing is good throughout, maybe just a tad sticky. Second solo- a little stickier and choppier this time around but not terrible. 6:44, excellent playing by Bonham as Jim drops out for a few seconds. Third solo- Page is clearly frustrated with his equipment as he drops out again near the end of the solo and plays overly aggressive on his return. All in all it's still not a terrible version as there's plenty of energy and attitude. "B+".

Stairway- Plant's vocal projection through the verses is very subtle as he almost whispers in places. Otherwise flawless so far. Solo- Excellent start. 7:03, some very nice released bends on the soft section. 7:23, timing sounds great. 7:57, just a hair loose on the final phrases but still sounding good. Climax- Plant struggles a bit but hangs on. Had Plant been a bit stronger this would really stand out. I'd still go "A".

Rock And Roll- Tempo and energy are good but Jim's playing is on the jangly side. Solo- 1:55, very odd phrasing. 2:02, listen carefully here and you can hear some type of vocal-like effect come through, suspiciously sounding like Plant's vocal harmonizer. Page a little rough on this. 2:30, vocal crack. 2:43, guitar hang up. 2:54, again. "C+".

TUF- 1:24, Jim drops out and sounds like he's having equipment issues. 1:58, still struggling. 2:50, Page drops out again as Jones gets a solid routine in. Solo- some spacey riffs to start then he goes all out with lots of aggressive phrasing. I know Plant often jumbles the lyrics to this song but with my attention focused on the instrumentals I dare not nitpick actual words. Technical issues obviously bring this down but I really liked Jim's solo here as it sounded like he was taking out his frustrations. "B".

Final Assessment- Another very rough start for Jim but it evens out some later. Overall it's still not a great showing from the guitarist as he's struggling both with playing ability and equipment. Plant's problem isn't necessarily his voice but more his confidence as there are several instances of him putting in minimum effort vocally, but that's just a judgement from a bootleg recording. I did notice Bonham is feeling more lively tonight than usual. 

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 4/25/1977 Louisville, KY (Source Merge)

A good AUD source with some slight mic clipping, especially on Plant's vocals.

TSRTS- We start with crowd problems right off the bat as the stage announcer tries desperately to convince people to back away from the stage. Six minutes in we get to the opening number. Page's twelve string sounds unusually twangy as if the wah pedal is engaged. 7:50, I'm now 100% certain the wah effect is on or something is interfering with the guitar signal. Plant sounding excellent on the verses. 8:40, Jim's tone sounding more normal here. Solo- Page jumps off to a confident start but it's on the sloppy side. The last half is played much better. Robert seems to jumble the "sunlight" lyric. Outro- Page much more coherent here as he drives it home nicely. 11:10, just a tad sticky. Apart from the strange sounding guitar tone it's not a terrible start. Not great either however. "B+".

Sick Again- Perfect intro until a slight chord flub at 0:50. 2:11, interesting lead improv by Page. Robert's vocals sound harsh and distorted through the verses but he's singing well. Solo- not the worst I've heard but lacks some fluidity. Outro- 5:20-5:24, sticky. 5:38, straining badly on these runs. The energy is there at least. "B".

NFBM- Solid start. 1:46, Plant yells "Cool it" to warn the out of control crowd. 2:35, a little confusion before the harmonica section. Jim's playing throughout teeters on looseness but he's holding it down fairly well. Solo- full of energy and played surprisingly well, with just a bit of choppy articulation. Not bad. 5:53, Plant a little raspy for the ending. I honestly can't take too much away from this mostly solid run through. "A-". (Plant again scolds the crowd for pushing forward too much).

IMTOD- 0:58, Jones ends on the wrong note. 3:50, we lose Jim for a few seconds. First solo- very straightforward, almost like he just sticks to the main riff. 5:56, Jim getting off track. Second solo- rough start as he struggles to get going. 6:33, much better from here on out. 9:07, masterful slide phrase here but he hesitates on the transition and gets out of sync. 9:40, some obvious confusion for the ending. A taste of You Shook Me before wrapping it up. This is a strange one as there's clearly some very rough spots but the energy still carries it along. I'll meet half way with a "B".

SIBLY- Page plays the intro with low energy, maybe an attempt to chill out the crowd. Solid verses with a very moody feel. Solo- Page bursts into some good energetic runs to start. 5:05-5:27, very nice playing from Jim as he phrases and articulates perfectly, even nailing the finish. Top tier solo for 77. Also noticing Bonham's energy through this. Strong finish. "A+".

No Quarter- 1:10, slight note flub, otherwise excellent start. Verses sound solid. Jones- nice transition to the piano. 6:02, nimble fingered on some beautiful classical phrases. 7:05, we have a Nutrocker. 7:44, Jim improvises some licks but doesn't seem sure where to go. Very nice routine. Solo- 10:23-10:35, sloppy. 10:48, Page rushing this a bit and losing some fluidity. 11:20, Jones steps in with some nice phrases to settle Jim down. 12:06, the power chord riff played very loosely. 13:20. Jimmy going all out with some bad articulation. 15:34, some aggressive licks that flow much better. Not Jim's best. The return verses are played well and Jimmy's wah licks are adequate. 19:30, Jim hesitates on the riff and flubs a bit. A good piano section and a sloppy, erratic guitar solo. Seems like a repeating theme in 1977. "B" overall.

TYG- 0:42, some loose chording on the intro. Verses sound good throughout. First solo- Page launches with some loose chords. 3:17, sloppy. 3:30, Robert waits for Jim to finish up and comes in a little late. 4:10, off notes. 4:33, Plant's vocal delivery is on the weak side. Second solo- some equipment trouble as Page struggles to stay in tune. Oddly enough he's back in tune for the verses. Third solo- only slightly improved as Jim's phrasing is very choppy. Fourth solo- no delay effect is audible but it's played well. The lack of bass is also noticeable and affects the listening impact. Outro- probably the best set of phrases out of all. This one seems to drag on forever. "C". (10:10, does Plant yell "Hot Dog" here?)

BOE- 0:20, Jimmy is all alone on the main riff as Jones jumps in late, seemingly being cheered on by the audience. 2:30, Plant's vocal delivery is impressive on this one, singing confidently. Jones also holds his own. "A+", lots of character for this.

GTC- Excellent instrumentals. Plant is scratchy in places but otherwise very good. "A-".

BCW- Just realized Plant sometimes opens with "Hey hey baby" instead of "Hey hey mama". No deduction for that though. 1:33, nice drum fill. Good vibes on this short version. "A".

BYAS- Good energy and verses. 2:25, minor guitar strumming flub. Page gets creative on his breakdown but a tape cut takes us to the end of it. "A-".

WS/BMS- 1:30, Page losing track of the phrasing. The faster part flows nicely. 3:43, slowing it down in an effective manner and keeping the phrasing on track. BMS comes in nicely but some looseness at 5:18. 5:47, a bit sloppy. 6:08, small hang up. Obviously not the best version of either. "B".

Kashmir- Verses sounding good but Page's guitar sounds just slightly out of tune. 1:55, unique drum fill. 3:40, the out of tune guitar makes the bridge section sound uneven. Plant sounds powerful throughout and frequently distorts the microphone with his screams. Outro- very energetic with massive drum fills. "A-".

Achilles- 0:12, flub on the intro. 0:34, Page's chording on the opening riffs sound very rough. 2:28, vocal squeak followed by some loose guitar chords. Verses sounding decent but a bit sluggish. First solo- inferior source used for a few seconds. 3:27, Jimmy plays a long, speedy run that's in the sloppy realm. The last phrases are good however. 5:28, Jim sounding slightly off key. The energy picks up significantly on the last half of the song. Second solo- much better phrasing and articulation here. Third solo- a little loose. 8:32, one of Plant's better ending screams. The intro and first half was definitely subpar but there's some good stuff later on. "B+". (Plant actually mentions the Presence album, which oddly seems to rarely happen on this tour.)

Stairway- Verses are good apart from a severely twangy guitar. Bonham's entrance takes the energy up a level. 4:48, nice vocals. Solo- 6:18, sloppy articulation. Jim is playing with ample energy through some slightly choppy phrases. The soft section winds down to where Jim is playing almost by himself. 8:13, excellent timing on the strummed section and the energy is through the roof. The final phrases are just a tad loose. The climax is breakneck speed as Rob tries to keep up. Outro is played well. One of the more dynamic versions. Jim's solo isn't technically flawless but it holds up well enough. "A-" and definitely worth a listen. 

Rock And Roll- Solid verses. 1:11, loose drumming. Solo- Page opens with some unhinged but decent playing. The last phrases are just unhinged though. 3:27, either Plant or an audience member hits an air raid, hard to tell. Energy aplenty but that solo was borderline slop and too much loose playing overall. "B".

Final Assessment- Highs and lows throughout this typical April show. A solid SIBLY and very dynamic BOE (How often do we get that?) are the main standouts but there are some runners up with NFBM, Kashmir, and STH. The lows however are extremely low with Page barely hanging on or having equipment trouble. The crowd is also hugely responsible for some nervous playing as you can tell Plant can't focus on his vocals in areas. Not a terrible show overall.

Edited August 8, 2022 by gibsonfan159

[gibsonfan159]

Nitpicking Page 6/3/1977 Tampa, FL (Source merge)

An unfortunate abbreviated show due to lightning and rain. Several good AUD sources for this.

TSRTS- Before the start someone with a megaphone screams what sounds like "Robert Plant you can party here". The intro is played well as everyone's fingers are in perfect time. Verses sounding good. First solo- Bonham switching the beat up ridiculously while Page hammers down a smooth set of phrases played blindingly fast. Plant nails the California Sunlight verses. Outro- one would think Page should be struggling to keep up here, but he's doing just fine. Remarkable. "A++".

Sick Again- Solid intro. Thumping tempo and plenty of attitude. 2:03, excellent country style bends from Jim. First solo- 2:48, fluidity is pretty good and phrasing is spot on. Plant sounding phenomenal throughout the verses. Outro- Jim shreds along nicely with more focus on the phrasing compared to most other versions. Top tier version. "A+++".

NFBM- Intro and verses are excellent, everyone in perfect sync. During Plant's harmonica solo it sounds like both source 1 and 2 tapers take cover from the storm (and of course source 3 is inferior). Solo- Page is still fairly audible as the source 2 tapers make their way to shelter and it's a surprisingly solid run of phrases from Jimmy. Another round of sonic perfection as the storm approaches. "A++".

Final Assessment- Lucky to have what we have, but this is the band's luck at it's finest.  

[badgeholder]

I always thought it was "Robert Plant you have curly hair!"  

[William Austin]

I thought it was “Robert Plant, you have great hair!”

[cubby73]

6 hours ago, William Austin said:

I thought it was “Robert Plant, you have great hair!”

This is the one

[Strider]

On 8/8/2022 at 2:17 PM, gibsonfan159 said:

Nitpicking Page 6/3/1977 Tampa, FL (Source merge)

An unfortunate abbreviated show due to lightning and rain. Several good AUD sources for this.

TSRTS- Before the start someone with a megaphone screams what sounds like "Robert Plant you can party here". The intro is played well as everyone's fingers are in perfect time. Verses sounding good. First solo- Bonham switching the beat up ridiculously while Page hammers down a smooth set of phrases played blindingly fast. Plant nails the California Sunlight verses. Outro- one would think Page should be struggling to keep up here, but he's doing just fine. Remarkable. "A++".

Sick Again- Solid intro. Thumping tempo and plenty of attitude. 2:03, excellent country style bends from Jim. First solo- 2:48, fluidity is pretty good and phrasing is spot on. Plant sounding phenomenal throughout the verses. Outro- Jim shreds along nicely with more focus on the phrasing compared to most other versions. Top tier version. "A+++".

NFBM- Intro and verses are excellent, everyone in perfect sync. During Plant's harmonica solo it sounds like both source 1 and 2 tapers take cover from the storm (and of course source 3 is inferior). Solo- Page is still fairly audible as the source 2 tapers make their way to shelter and it's a surprisingly solid run of phrases from Jimmy. Another round of sonic perfection as the storm approaches. "A++".

Final Assessment- Lucky to have what we have, but this is the band's luck at it's finest.  

Nobody's Fault But Mother Nature's. Depending on what sound system I use, I usually hear the shout from that guy in the audience at the beginning as "Robert Plant, you've got curly hair" or "Robert Plant, you've got girly hair".

[gibsonfan159]

Considering these L.A. shows were some of my earlier reviews (and less detailed) I thought I'd go back through them and add some info, and adjust the grades accordingly. Now that I've completed 1977 I have a much better calibration for the performances. I'll also change the time stamps to match the improved sources I use.

*REVISION Nitpicking Page 6/21/1977 Los Angeles, CA (Listen To This Eddie-LedZepFilm Source Mix) 

Excellent audience recording by the legendary Mike Millard.

TSRTS- Undoubtedly the best intro of this song that I know of. Up-tempo and Bonham destroying his kit on the first few measures. 1:50, this massive drum fill played loosely. Plant sounding excellent on the first verses. First solo- Good start. 2:53, Page maybe a bit loose here. Bonham matches Page's vigorous riffs. 3:05, Plant scratchy on the last verses. Second solo- Guitar is a little murky, but playing sounds good to me. 4:42-4:50, Jimmy a tad sticky through these phrases. This is "energy" defined musically. Not the most fluid Jimmy or the strongest Plant, but it's hard not to leave this as an "A+" just for the energy alone.

Sick Again- Almost a mathematical fact that bad things always seem to happen when there's a chance at perfection for a song. 0:44, Page either breaks a string on the intro and swaps guitars or has a cable issue. Solo- Missed note at 2:40, almost unnoticeable. Jimmy struggles with fluidity but he manages alright. Bonham still keeping up the energy on the last verses. Outro solo- 5:00-5:12, good fluid run. 5:27-5:50, this last stretch of runs is on the sloppy side. Not a great flow, but good enough. "B+" still seems fair.

NFBM- Pretty much flawless first half, though this is a song that's hard to screw up (*how little I knew at the time). 3:02, Bonham again providing over the top drumming to accent the harmonica section. Harmonica- I'm not the best judge of the instrument but sounds like Plant knows his stuff. Solo- Pretty solid, maybe could've used a little better phrasing. (*Actually very loose in places). "A-" for a sticky solo.

OTHAFA- Minor flub at 0:18. Plant seems to have some of his high range back. Solo- 3:04-3:12, absolutely love these bends. Superb phrasing. Articulation is a little hard to make out, but sounds pretty good (*4:10 is a bit sticky). Top notch solo for 1977. Page slightly out of tune on the outro. 6:05, Page plays the out of tune string repetitively as to let his tech know. This is how this solo should've been played all through 75. "A-" considering a couple mishaps.

SIBLY- 0:42, yes sir. Rob with a nice extended opening vocal. Page's noodling through the verses sounds good. 3:07, Page matching Robert's vocals here makes me realize how sound his mind was for this show. Plant isn't overly impressive on the verses but he's not bad. Solo- "Suck it". Awesome start. Hangs up a little at 4:20. Mostly fluid with good phrasing. 7:33, Robert pouring out his heart. A very solid "A" version.

No Quarter- Bonham energetic on the super heavy intro. Nitpicking Jones- Very moody piano work that wanders on like the music to a silent film. Very good noodling from Jones that doesn't get boring. Gets his Ray Charles going at 9:28. Boogie section- Page comes in with some steady lead work and his tone is easy on the ears compared to other versions. 12:06, Jones playing lively. 12:15, some Johnny B Goode notes. 12:35, Bonham loses the beat for a second. Solo- 15:13, Page replays the intro phrase. 15:35, fluid run. 17:03, Jones dropping off the piano for a while. 19:15, Bonham and Page having fun. 19:46, absolute mayhem. 20:46, Jimmy launches an aggressive series of phrases. 22:50, dramatic finish with Jones doing the transition perfectly. Very dynamic, jazzy solo with Bonzo blasting away. 27:04, Plant gets in some final screams. Good outro. An extremely solid version for 1977 with a coherent Jimmy, incredible Bonzo, and inspired performance from Jones. "A++".

Ten Years Gone- Good solid start. First solo- Articulate, fluid, perfect phrasing. A very minor flub at 3:11. Second solo- Pretty good with some nice country bends. 3:54, source switch. Third solo- a couple strained bends and Bonzo switching up the beat, not bad. Fourth solo- sounds good. Good playing on the outro with Jimmy and Bonzo in perfect sync. "A+".

BOE- Fast tempo. 1:40, Page feeling the energy. Jones sounding good on backup. Strong finish. "A".

GTC- Jones' mandolin sounding a bit twangy on the beginning. 2:07, Plant attempts an off sounding "Whoo". I don't think the energy works well on this song but it's a good performance. "A".

BCW- Short and sweet. "A". 

BYAS- 0:40, Page hits some strange chords on the intro either by design or accident. 2:28, slight mix up on this transition. Breakdown- intricate and well phrased. Good finish. Lively performance, "A-" for a couple flubs. 

WS/BMS- Intro/warm up section isn't the smoothest from Jim but isn't bad. 2:32, hang up. 4:30, phrasing a little erratic but nothing off track. BMS- 7:01, just a tad loose. 7:16, flubs a bit. 7:44, Page takes a break from the main phrase to run through some ascending riffs. "B" overall.

Kashmir- Medium tempo similar to the studio version. 0:57, Jones and Bonham flub simultaneously. 6:02, an excellent vocal that appears to be someone other than Plant unless my ears decieve me. 7:00, Page's lead noodling on the outro is lacking articulation. Bonham does some cool, unorthodox fills at the end. A mostly solid version with the mellotron virtually absent in the last 2/3rds. "A". (Stay tuned afterwards for some excellent Plantations)

Heartbreaker- Thunderous intro. 0:55, sounds like Jones gets off track for a couple notes. Solo- Pacing himself nicely to start. 4:10, I know this is supposed to be somewhat intentionally sloppy, but this was almost a trainwreck. Rockabilly and Bouree sections sound good. 5:50-5:57, that's what I'm talking about. Good playing at the end of the solo with a nice extended jam. It's nice to hear this played with vigor again, unlike the 75 encores where it just sounds like they were legally obligated to play it. "B+" overall.

Achilles Last Stand- Good intro and energy. 1:08, minor guitar flub. First solo- slightly sticky in places but mostly well played. 4:30, Robert slurring the lyrics. Bonham's drumming is explosive throughout. 4:41, minor chord flub. Second solo- Basically playing lead runs between the main riffs, very nice. Third solo- excellent. Not enough to overturn the "A" grade. (Robert alludes to the title being about his being in a wheelchair in 1975/76. Also mentions Phil Carson playing bass with them in Japan)

Stairway To Heaven- Intro is played with some unorthodox nuances by Page. Solid first half. Solo- a little rough on the start but he soon gets going smoothly. Jones and Bonham are feeling very energetic. The quieter section has decent noodling from Page. 8:42-8:50, this improvised series of phrasing sounds a little off. Jimmy being low in the mix lessens the impact of the solo but it's still solid playing. Plant sounds very strong on the climax, which is played with passion. An "A-" at the least for some stickiness in the solo.

Whole Lotta Love (Partial)- The Alembic bass just doesn't work with this, in my opinion. Good performance for what there is.

Rock And Roll- Booming energy. There's a high pitched hum of feedback throughout. 0:46. Bonham fires the tommy gun. Solo- smooth phrasing from Jim. 2:10, flubbed chord. Slightly disjointed ending but they make it work. Jimmy is loose in areas but not bad at all, "A-".

Final assessment- Bonham was feeling his oats (or coke) for most of this show. Page was quite impressive, playing with energy and a sound mind. Plant is above average for the year but not at his peak vocally. This one still holds up in my opinion as the must listen show of 1977.

Edited January 14, 2023 by gibsonfan159

[JMH]

As it happened was listening this today until OTHAFA and then Kashmir + Heartbreaker. If you beeeend it a lot it is like pre 75 Zep appeared on the stage and Bonzo had his balls in a vice.

 

edit: so correct about Heartbreaker

Edited January 14, 2023 by JMH

[gibsonfan159]

*REVISION Nitpicking Page 6/22/1977 Los Angeles, CA (LedZepFilm 4 source merge)

Some bootleg ears required as the sources for this boot alternate.

TSRTS- Frenzy of an intro. 2:47, drum fill slightly off time. First solo- Hard to make out articulation, but sounds ok. Plant strains a bit on the last verses. Outro solo- 5:37, something sounds strange as he starts playing this very differently. Some parts sound really off, like at 5:52-6:05. A decent start but that outro solo keeps this at a "B".

Sick Again- Perfect intro. Plant sounds better here but still scratchy. Very energetic first verses. First solo- Some nice bends and fluidity, decent noodling from Jim. Outro solo- 5:03, some turkey gobbling. 5:25, I really like this riff he throws in. 5:47, straining a little. The outro is fairly par for Jim on this section. "A-".

NFBM- Solid intro and verses. Harmonica- pretty straight forward. The source here is very murky and bass heavy. 4:05, vocal crack. Solo- really hard to make out, but sounds about average. There are some parts where articulation is suspect. Good outro. "A-".

IMTOD- Good beginning with a medium paced, heavy tempo. First verses sound excellent and Bonham's energy is through the roof. 5:35, Page lagging behind a little. First solo- Jim doesn't go wild here but stays very on track. Second solo- again it's barely anything other than some basic slide routines. Not even really a solo. A good ending with Page and Plant playing off each other, doing some You Shook Me and "Squeeze my lemon" blues. Despite the lack of a confident sounding solo I'd go "A" just for how solid it all is. (13:00, "Mr. Page's trousers are falling down")

SIBLY- Good, solid intro with Page sounding very nimble, and Plant hitting that opening note perfectly. Solo- We get another "Suck it". A good aggressive opening run into an elegant flow of blues phrases. Superb solo. Robert comes alive on the return singing passionately. Excellent ending accented by Bonham. 6:29, massive drum fill alert. A solid version, though I was yearning to hear that solo go another four bars. "A+".

No Quarter- Nice heavy intro. Nitpicking Jones- 4:25, the initial mellotron phrasing sounds like a haunted castle soundtrack. Starts a unique little melody at 6:58, which transitions into the "Silent movie" phase. Personally I think 7:05-11:00 could be removed and nothing would be missed as it's extremely repetitive. Some audience members seem to get bored and strike up a convo. 11:20, finding his inner soul before launching the blues boogie. 13:00, Page comes in with some muted riffs, then launches into a good set of runs. 15:00, it's fun to hear Page do these Chuck Berry style riffs. 15:35, bends sound a little off and the others seem to take off and leave him. 16:22, good finish to that section. 18:30, Jim goes into a foray of improv riffing, most of it sounding good and some not fitting so well, 19:37-20:01, a nice series of legato sounding runs and phrasing. 21:30, Jimmy comes back from the dead with some raucous playing. 21:54, articulation a little sticky. Also at 22:13. 22:30, Jim finds a neat phrase to groove with. 23:10, getting extremely experimental here. 26:00, God only knows what he's actually playing here. 28:10, Yallah riff. 31:40, going insane with the wah. 32:30, Plant gets a good dogs scream in. This is the longest recorded version of the song, and possibly the most experimental on Jim's part. Is this peak Jimmy on a technical level? Certainly not. It's not the smoothest playing but he does hold it together reasonably well. Jones' uninspired piano routine leaves a lot to be desired. I'd give an "A++" for uniqueness but minus the extended jamming it's realistically an "A-" overall.

Ten Years Gone- Intro sounding pretty decent. 0:47, minor flub. 1:55, vocals drop low in the mix. First solo- pretty solid phrasing. Flub at 3:11. Second solo- The phrasing is there but he struggles to play fluidly. Third solo- 6:28, hanging up a bit. 6:44, struggling to nail these bends. Fourth solo- much better here with the delay smoothing it out. Outro- not bad as Bonzo switches up the beat some. Not the best Jimmy here. "B".

BOE- Plant has tons of energy wit his vocals throughout, belting away. Jones is even good. Very solid and lively version. "A++".

GTC- 1:35, superb vocal. Plant again is very lively and sounds strong throughout. "A+", but it's almost too energetic for the song.

BCW- Bonham's kick drum threatens to level the building. Short as always but good as is. "A+".

BYAS- Keeping up the energy. Page's first guitar breakdown is smoothly played with fluid strumming. 3:14, Jimmy drops out, likely a broken string. The back up guitar is obviously a bit out of tune as he adjusts on the fly. Jimmy continues on with the second breakdown which doesn't have the flow it should have because of the circumstance. Good ending. "A-" even with the mishap.

WS/BMS- The warm up section sounding normal. 2:08, just a little loose. The fast section gets going nicely with smooth playing. 3:45, for whatever reason Jim slows to a dead stop and loses his flow. 5:34, loose. The final few measures of WS are erratic and unconfident, leaving me to wonder what happened after a good start. BMS- maybe a little sluggish but honestly not bad. "B+" at best.

Kashmir- Bonham's fills are massive through out the powerful verses. The first interlude is played solidly. The mellotron is coming through just enough to make this sound truly epic. Plant's yell at 4:09 almost sounds fake it's so good. The second interlude has Jimmy doing some decent Arabic improv. A very good version with no flaws. "A++".

OTHAFA- 0:38, flubs the intro a bit. First verses sound good. 2:32, straining on this bend a little. Solo- 3:19-3:37, excellent playing. 3:53-4:07, articulation honestly sounds pretty rough although he's playing is inspired. 4:55, nailing those bends. 5:02, sounds like he does the pick tap thing he did in 73. 5:46, the best I've ever heard him come out of the solo, putting emphasis on the last note as to say "And that's how it's done." An absolute shame he flubbed the intro and the quality isn't better. Much like the No Quarter solo Jimmy plays with abundant enthusiasm but I wouldn't call it the most fluid and I think the murky recording hides a lot. Gonna go with an "A-" overall as it's not flawless and there's certainly some turkey gobbling (sloppy articulation) during the very dynamic solo. So close to perfection here though.

Achilles- Intro is good and sets the frantic tempo, I don't know how these guys keep up with it. 3:13, Page swaps out guitars here and Jones awkwardly fills in the gap. Luckily they straighten out next measure and Page launches into an incredible first solo, played very well. Second solo- just a little loose but still quite good. 7:22, can't tell if that's Jim or Jonesy doing the frantic riffing. Third solo- solid playing with the delay effect. 8:33, wonderful yell by Plant. 8:54, Jesus, what an ending. The flub really doesn't hurt this incredible version, "A+++".

Stairway To Heaven- Majestic intro with Jones setting the mood with the mellotron. Minor flub at 1:47. 2:09, Jones doesn't come out of this right. Bonzo picks up the tempo considerably upon entering. 4:34, "Bonnng". 5:04, some bad notes played by someone. 5:41, again and it appears to be Page's 12 string knocked out of tune as he chords strangely. Solo- Sounding good to start. Pretty straight forward up to the soft section, which is played elegantly. 8:30, nailing the tremolo strumming. 8:37, that piano key slide got me rigid. 9:02, choosing to go into a chording groove here. Final phrases are played well. Not a bad solo at all, HOWEVER, there's nothing really impressive about it. The structuring and melodic phrasing are about as basic as I've heard Jimmy play and it's boosted quite a bit by Jones and Bonham's passionate playing. Then again there's a lot to be said for Jim just staying on track for all of it. Staying with a "B+" considering a few mishaps and looseness.

WLL- Back to a murkier source. Partial.

Rock And Roll- Still lots of energy left. Solo- Sounds decent but is almost completely drowned out by the boomy bass/bass drum and delay effect. Bonzo finishes up like an elephant falling down some stairs. Jimmy could be suspect on the solo but the recording is what it is. I'll stay at "A".

Final Assessment- An excellent balance here between solid performance, energy, and experimental playing. Although it's not a flawless show the highlights truly make up for everything else. SIBLY, OTHAFA solo, Kashmir, Achilles, and the excellent acoustic section are the standouts. No Quarter is about as unique as you're likely to hear it. 

[gibsonfan159]

I also did a remaster of sources 1 and 4 used for this merge (Sick Again through Ten Years Gone) in which I attempted to fix the boomy recording and add clarity, which I think makes these particular tracks much easier to listen to. If anyone would like a link just DM me. 

Here's a comparison sample - https://mega.nz/file/mDoxAaKa#HO9CQwmM7HqQ-29h7yjciJqmsyjeETUclfrinW55MAM

Edited January 20, 2023 by gibsonfan159

[gibsonfan159]

*REVISION Nitpicking Page 6/23/1977 L.A. Forum, CA (For Badgeholders Only/Mike The Mike- Winston Remaster)

Sources alternate but the majority is a crystal clear AUD recording by Millard.

TSRTS- This one seems a little more relaxed, especially through the first verses. First solo- Not bad, articulation isn't the best, but still very adequate. Plant sounding strong on the outro vocals. Outro solo- Sounds a little sticky, especially around 6:25 and 6:38, but the murky sound hides a lot. "A-". (Page swaps out the EDS for the Les Paul before Sick Again due to strap issues).

Sick Again- Absolutely perfect intro with some of the best drum fills I've heard for it. First solo- Nimble fingers at 2:40. Cool, weird phrase at 2:53. Nails the ending. One of the best I've heard. Verses sounding very solid. Outro solo- 5:15, maybe a flub but not sure. Very erratic phrasing, but it always is. 5:25, some sloppy articulation and the ending phrases are all over the place. A mostly flawless performance here if you just accept that all of the outro solos are a slop fest. This one stays in the "A" range.

NFBM- Intro and verses played heavily with a perfect tempo. Harmonica- Pretty basic, not great. Solo- Page comes roaring in with excellent phrasing. Articulation isn't the smoothest but he stays between the lines. Very nice. 6:10, Jones drops out for a second and if he'd stayed out for those last two bars I think it would've sounded hella cool for an ending. No real flubs here, "A".

OTHAFA- Intro played well. Verses start off sounding good. 1:48, a common chord flub for Page. Solo- Bonham amps it up and plays with dynamics. 2:56-3:04, plays some very mean sounding low notes. This builds nicely. 4:09, some bad articulation for this entire stretch. Great phrasing throughout however. 5:02, Jones flub (for shame, Jonesy). Outro is good. Another great solo and a fairly solid version. "A-" considering some minor issues.

SIBLY- Nimble fingers and great phrasing on the intro. Plant hanging onto the opening note for eternity. Page's background phrasing through the verses is excellent, matching Plant's intensity. Another "Suck it". Solo- Page jumps back to 1971 with serious intensity. Well done. Outro is dramatic and permormed nicely. 8:02, Bonham goes all Moby Dick with the ending. Gotta be "A+".

No Quarter- Bonzo enters with a powerful intro. Verses sound good per usual. Nitpicking Jones- Starts off with a menacing keyboard phrase, then off to the races with an exciting piano routine. 6:18, loosening up those fingers. The silent film section is intriguing but goes on a bit. 11:10, easing into the soul section and sounding great, 11:55, massive fills like this are why Bonzo is simply the best. Blues jam- The guitar tone is very shrill with tons of feedback and his phrasing isn't particularly the smoothest but he holds it down well enough. The feedback almost makes it sound like a backwards recording. Not bad. Jones brings it back around nicely with smooth piano work. Guitar solo- Finally back to a good tone and better phrasing. 19:06-19:16, damn fine phrasing with Bonzo matching it. Page's articulation is also surprisingly fluid for the speedy parts. 21:22, a little loose through here, but some good riffing. 22:30, Jimmy turning into a groove machine. 23:22, coming to a head like a tsunami crashing. 24:55, Jimmy Van Halen. Tremendous solo routine from from Jim, playing very coherently and being boosted by the insane rhythm section. Outro- Stunning wah soloing. 29:37, love when Plant does these banshee screams. Just a very solid version all around, "A+".

Ten Years Gone- Solid beginning as Jim nails the intro. Plant very strong through the verses. First solo- 4.07, slight hang up here but pretty darn good overall. Second solo- good emphasis on those bends. Third solo, awesome double stop bends (pedal steel bends), very Keith Richards like solo. 7:50, some choppy transitions with the phrasing but he pushes through. Outro- heavy delay action as he rips on aggressively. 9:50, still going. Page's excellent, gritty lead work on this one makes me wanna give it an "A++". This blows the studio version away.

TBOE- A very straight forward version. "A-" for lacking some enthusiasm compared to those previous two.

GTC- 1:56, singing this line in a livelier manner. This performance has a unique quality to it. It's livid and bouncy, leaning more towards an Appalachian folk stomp instead of the reflective English ballad usually presented. "A+".

BCW- Bonzo wastes no time pumping up the energy. Plant does his best Elvis at the end. "A+" for this short snippet.

BYAS- Decent intro and a breakneck tempo. 2:18, Plant seemingly has a vocal harmonizer effect being used as I doubt that is Bonzo. Page's guitar breakdown is smoothly played, featuring some folky phrases similar to Poor Tom at 5:00. Good finish. "A".

WS- Solid warm up section. Page's fingers are very nimble on the fast part, not sounding any different than a 1970 version. 4:58- 5:20, a unique series of ascending/descending notes as Jim stays in the zone. 6:43, just a bit choppy here but not enough to matter. "A++".

BMS- 0:25, not the smoothest here but he stays on track. Not bad at all bit it's lacking some energy, "A-".

Kashmir- Solid start. 2:14, Jones gets caught sleeping as he misses the transition, throwing Jimmy off as well. They get back on track after four measures. 7:20, the vibes get energetic toward the outro. Certainly not as atmospheric as the previous night but pretty good apart from the flub, but alas it's a big one and detracts heavily. "B".

Trampled Underfoot- 0:55, Page gets abducted. 1:43, finally gets plugged back in. 2:50, 3:10, Bonham having fun switching up the beat. Solo- opens up with some blistering runs. 3:51, rough on the edges. 4:19, still sticky but the phrasing and energy is good. Not terrible. 6:02, good wah pedal runs as Bonzo pounds away. Another giant mishap in an otherwise good performance, but don't let that take away from the excitement of it. Page disappearing for almost a full minute keeps this at a "B".

Over The Top- 1:33, enter Moon the Loon, announcing that Bonham is the best drummer "Living today". 

Achilles Last Stand- Beautiful intro without the harshness this time. Bonham is playing excellent on the verses with the usual high energy. First solo- Good fluidity to start. 3:55-4:00, loses the phrasing flow a little. Repetitive on the last bends but a good finish nonetheless. 5:01, some accidental notes being hit. 5:45, monstrous drum fills. Second solo- 6:23, playing gets loose but nothing major. 7:22, Page's rhythmic riffing here is spot on. Third solo- 7:40, the delay effect works against the guitar tone here and causes some feedback. 8:37, Bonzo ends this fill off beat but they still finish up nicely. Not a bad version at all but not quite on the level of the last two shows, and the flubs here are barely worth mentioning. A strong "B+".

Stairway To Heaven- 1:24, the way Plant sings "Stairway" here is magnificent. 1:52, Plant sings "Thoughts are" awkwardly. Bonzo's drumming on the verses is as dynamic as you'll hear it. Solid intro and verses. 5:23, Plant is a little flat on this vocal. Solo- 6:02, Bonham switching up the beat several times. 6:34-6:43, stairway to phrasing heaven. 7:09, a bit sticky on these speedy runs. 7:19, Bonham's refrains here are too good, with Jones accenting perfectly. 7:57, unique sounding phrase. 8:47-9:04, you couldn't do that any better. 9:45, not exactly nailing this last phrase. Plant sings the climax well and the outro is good. Honestly, some of the articulation wasn't necessarily 73 level Page, but it doesn't matter- the groove and passion of the band (especially Bonham) make this an unbelievably good listen. The professional like recording also helps. "A++".

WLL Partial)- Page noodles some before kicking off the main riff. Excellent groove and energy for what there is. "A+".

Rock And Roll- Page's guitar is dangerously out of tune on the start. 1:20, killer drum fill. Solo- Bonham again throwing the beat all over the place. Jimmy is perfectly in tune here as he nails the phrases. Very energetic and downright raunchy with a good solo. 3:18, we can hear the kettle drum being played by who I assume is Keith Moon. 3:51, not sure what happens on this ending but someone is playing some wrong notes.  "A-".

Final assessment- This one falls right in line with the first two L.A. shows, with a strong Plant, coherent Jimmy, and lively Bonham. The overall energy level may be just a bit lower, but the performance is also more stable and less erratic in places. The main standouts are an incredible SIBLY, an epic No Quarter, one of the best Ten Years Gone performances, and an incredibly fluid White Summer from Jimmy as if he'd jumped in a time machine to 1970. Stairway is no slouch either being played spot on with tremendous energy from Bonzo. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by gibsonfan159

[ListenToThis]

I’m interested to hear your upcoming thoughts on 06/25. May have been Plant’s best night of the run - just listen to the vocals on SA. Also Jimmy plays very well. Bonham however is slow on tempo throughout the show (no where near the problems of San Diego, but noticeable nevertheless to a super fan), but it adds a laid back groove to everything and the fills at the end of Kashmir and the longest MD of the run indicate he was very present that night. Interestingly Plant welcomes Bonham back during his comments on 06/26, just like he did on 06/21 after the San Diego debacle, indicating the band knew Bonham was dragging a little. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by ListenToThis

[Dallas Knebs]

1 hour ago, ListenToThis said:

I’m interested to hear your upcoming thoughts on 06/25. May have been Plant’s best night of the run - 

Ditto. 
 

…cappuccino machine is at the ready

[ohjimmy]

Thanks for doing these reviews Gibsonfan. Really digging them. I’m reading Luis’s new book in tandem with your reviews. Looking forward to the 25th night. Cheers

[JMH]

STH from 23rd... yeah, not for Page's soloing but for the sledgehammer from Bonham (& Jones). Page not inventing anything miracular here but just playing OK, which is enouhg as the star of the show is one apparently very coked up drummer.

 

This version really hits you in the face.

[John M]

Gibsonfan159 thank you again for these reviews.  I have listened to this show (6/23/77) many times over the years, but not recently.  Your review encouraged me to dig out No Quarter and listen anew.  Such a great version.  Parts of it I remembered quite, well but other parts were a revelation all over again.  It was your description of the last sections after about 21:00 that had gotten me to listen again.  Amazing stuff.  Cheers.

Edited January 27, 2023 by John M