Christopher Lees Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 10 hours ago, zep41 said: This is not just your opinion. It is fact. Jimmy in 1998 is in no way even comparable to Jimmy at the o2. The o2 was very much calculated and planned. His soloing was just good enough to get by (well, for the most part). 1998 Jimmy was getting back to what he was all about in Zeppelin - those bursts of supreme virtuoso greatness, spontaneously mixed in while he completely holds down the fort. Totally loose and focused. The o2 was Jimmy doing what needed to be done to get the point across. But technically on more solo breaks than not, he simply wasn't hitting on what he was trying to do when he wasn't playing it safe. And here alone lies the reason I cringe when people today say "they should have one more go at it" or a one-off reunion performance "for the 50th." The o2 was 11 years ago and Page just barely got by. How do you think it would go today?? We would likely be displeased. Well said. Although, to be fair, we don't really know what Jimmy in 2007 would have sounded like if he were allowed to let it rip. I have to agree about 1998 though. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the 98 bootlegs. Jimmy hadn't played that well since a hot night in 75 or 73. I was in the 8th grade for the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary bash and the build up was incredible. I couldn't believe that Zeppelin was going to play again. I was reading Hammer of the Gods at the time and couldn't wait for the mighty Zeppelin to come out, romping and stomping like gods, blowing everyone away, but it was not to be. It was more like hoping Muhammad Ali would regain his old form and beat Larry Holmes! Then they had this Knebworth 90' thing where they played Wearing and Tearing, Rock and Roll and maybe another one. Nothing good there really. Then I saw them on UnLeaded on MTV doing their acoustic stuff and it was fun to see them, but more of the same. It was like the Atlantic Records let down going on for years and years. Then I saw some footage of them in 95 or 96 doing the Egyptian thing. Jimmy was playing on par with the 1980 tour. It was during this time that I started to really accumulate a lot of bootlegs due to meeting people on the internet. I learned that Jimmy's playing went downhill from 75 on, instead of getting better. Unfortunately, I had to come to terms with the fact that there was no magic left in his fingers and Plant couldn't sing like he did in the early days. Then I started seeing and listening to the 98 stuff and it blew my mind. You could put some of those jams on tape, label it "Some night in 1975", give it to a Zep Head and he'd say, "Hey! This a good night for 75!". I think when Jimmy isn't on hard drugs and getting shit faced all the time, and he's actually playing guitar, he can get the magic back anytime he wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 8 minutes ago, Christopher Lees said: Then I started seeing and listening to the 98 stuff and it blew my mind. You could put some of those jams on tape, label it "Some night in 1975", give it to a Zep Head and he'd say, "Hey! This a good night for 75!". A casual Zep Head perhaps. Charlie Jones/Michael Lee '98 were no John Paul Jones/John Bonham '75. Not even close. So about the 02 show... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Lees Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 4 minutes ago, SteveAJones said: A casual Zep Head perhaps. Charlie Jones/Michael Lee '98 were no John Paul Jones/John Bonham '75. Not even close. So about the 02 show... I was talking about Jimmy's playing ability. He was fast, clean and coherent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaceFrogYum Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 (edited) I believe it is disingenuous to write Page off as a has been or not capable of excellent playing live due to age or whatnot. Unless Page has an undisclosed physical malady such as arthritis or other structural issues, all he needs is practice, nothing more, nothing less. Jimmy could easily play at his 73' or 98' level right now (again barring undisclosed health issues) if he commits to a diligent practice routine daily. As a guitar player myself it is not rocket science, you practice, you gig, you don't get on stage wasted, etc. Page may be 74 but Segovia was playing publicly into his 80's and many of Page's contemporaries are still going strong (Beck, Springsteen, Lofgren, Blackmore) performing in top form. Unless Jimmy has a physical ailment, the only thing preventing Jimmy from jumping on stage or into a studio and play at peak level is Jimmy himself. Page's playing at the O2 was reserved but excellent, he played it safe. If they had gone on and toured it is very, very likely he would have been back to 96' form and possibly 98' form very quickly, just as long as he stayed away from the temptations of the road. Edited December 11, 2018 by PeaceFrogYum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaize86 Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 This Zep material is not easy to play for one guitarist. We all know that. When Clapton plays, he has assistance, Townsend has a second guitarist, Richards always had. If you notice Jimmy at the 02 he played a lot of heavy distorted rhythms because the modern sound made it sound monumental. When it came to his fine picking leads, he was much better in 88 through 96. The only one that’s gets away with it is Beck. However , Jeff plays totally different type of music where the other musicians play for him as Jimmy needs to play for the song. There is a lot of stuff gong on and one guitar player at seventy something years old today cannot handle. When he first came on with the blistering GTBT solos ( best of night ) , I thought , wow holy hell does he sound good. But he went back and resorted to some apprehension and sloppiness by the time SIBLY was played. What made Jimmy stand out that night is that it seemed like he had some real pro audio techs for a change not like the stoned out ones back in the day that would hand him a guitar ( techs) that was out of tune in front of 25000 fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningson Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 On 12/11/2018 at 5:57 AM, SteveAJones said: A casual Zep Head perhaps. Charlie Jones/Michael Lee '98 were no John Paul Jones/John Bonham '75. Not even close. So about the 02 show... Bit harsh on Michael Lee. He wasn't Bonham, but who is? But he was a very, very good drummer. As for Charlie Jones.......................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningson Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 The one song I keep coming back to from the 02 is For Your Life. I thought that was absolutely brilliant. Page was excellent, Plant loved it and they all had a ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hummingbird69 Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 1 hour ago, morningson said: The one song I keep coming back to from the 02 is For Your Life. I thought that was absolutely brilliant. Page was excellent, Plant loved it and they all had a ball. Too bad he couldn't manage those high notes during the solo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hummingbird69 Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 (edited) 🎅 Edited December 17, 2018 by hummingbird69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithril46 Posted December 17, 2018 Share Posted December 17, 2018 That solo was surely meant to be much a sound poem, not a "regular classic rock" guitar solo. The rehearsal version(s) gel a bit more.to the point. Above all, Jimmy is a sound sculptor, he is not to be roped in with other very competent but boxed in players in the 70's. I myself when I heard that "weird" solo, it sounded like Page suddenly fell of a 10,000 foot cliff. Which I'm sure he intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADK-Zeppy Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 (edited) I have the O2 concert on my tablet and I viewed it a number of times last year. “For Your Life” is a highlight for also. Jimmy's solo is another example of a Page and his supreme confidence in his playing and his adventurous trip into including some “outside” playing much like some Jazz guitarists would. The Immigrant Song is another example; on the two-DVD Zeppelin one. His performance was put on that collection and was derived from splicing two outdoor concerts together. ADK- Zeppy Edited January 13, 2019 by ADK-Zeppy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strombringer101 Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 Having just my eyes and scores of listening to bootlegs and seeing Page and Plant twice (walking to clarksdale tour) I would say Jimmy was in top form at the O2 concert. Jason Bonham did ok, I personally think he isn’t that good of a drummer. Robert Plant did ok but was way better in the 98’ tour. JPJ was the key. Page & Plant tour didn’t have the right feel, the groove, it didn’t have Jones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LurksReturnington Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 1 hour ago, strombringer101 said: Having just my eyes and scores of listening to bootlegs and seeing Page and Plant twice (walking to clarksdale tour) I would say Jimmy was in top form at the O2 concert. Jason Bonham did ok, I personally think he isn’t that good of a drummer. Robert Plant did ok but was way better in the 98’ tour. JPJ was the key. Page & Plant tour didn’t have the right feel, the groove, it didn’t have Jones. John Paul Jones made the case for why he should have been invited with his musicianship at the O2.. Charlie Jones didn't seem to ever unlock the key to Jimmy's mind, and he had years to figure it out. The best thing that band did was Shake my tree. I used to blast the san jose 95 fm simulcast of Shake my tree like it was the latest Zep trak. In my mind I refer to the O2 as the John Paul Jones Supershow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AchillesLastBand Posted March 17, 2019 Share Posted March 17, 2019 On 10/3/2018 at 9:44 AM, LurksReturnington said: I think Jason wins Trampled Underfoot. Yes, yes he does. He actually plays the album kick-drum groove (which is fucking hard). To my knowledge even Bonzo himself never did that live. Jason's playing on this one puts it right up there with "Destroyer" as my favorite live Trampled Under Foot. ALS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 On 3/17/2019 at 3:22 PM, AchillesLastBand said: Yes, yes he does. He actually plays the album kick-drum groove (which is fucking hard). To my knowledge even Bonzo himself never did that live. Jason's playing on this one puts it right up there with "Destroyer" as my favorite live Trampled Under Foot. ALS Jason was using a double bass drum pedal at the O2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hummingbird69 Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 4 hours ago, Mook said: Jason was using a double bass drum pedal at the O2. Plant even makes a remark about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AchillesLastBand Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 13 hours ago, Mook said: Jason was using a double bass drum pedal at the O2. 9 hours ago, hummingbird69 said: Plant even makes a remark about it. I didn't know that, thanks. Are you suggesting that detracts from Jason's performance on the song? (I honestly don't know if that's what you're suggesting.) ALS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 It doesn't detract from his performance at all but it's easier to play some of those parts with a double kick pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirchzep27 Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 In regards to Plant and Jpj , it would have been cool to hear in the evening or carouselambra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordev1977 Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 1 hour ago, kirchzep27 said: In regards to Plant and Jpj , it would have been cool to hear in the evening or carouselambra. I've always thought it was odd how nothing was represented from In Through The Out Door something like I'm Gonna Crawl or All My Love would've been neat additions but I do at least think they should have played In The Evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirchzep27 Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 On March 20, 2019 at 11:19 PM, wordev1977 said: I've always thought it was odd how nothing was represented from In Through The Out Door something like I'm Gonna Crawl or All My Love would've been neat additions but I do at least think they should have played In The Evening. Yeah i agree, the keyboard, vocal and band sound was so great that night with kashmir...so that ya can imagine how good anything else would sound. Kinda torturous actually Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirchzep27 Posted May 4, 2019 Share Posted May 4, 2019 Recently listened to the show and enjoyed good times bad times and ramble on the most...there was something about the uncertainty and yet adventurous spirit of those first 2 songs that kind of reflect the whole show in a way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reids Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 So many highlights to seeing this one: 1) GTBT 2) Kashmir 3) For Your Life R😎🎸👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timothy5151 Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 On 7/23/2019 at 7:53 AM, reids said: So many highlights to seeing this one: 1) GTBT 2) Kashmir 3) For Your Life R😎🎸👍 These are the top 3 right there. For me... Nobody's Fault But Mine is a close 4th, followed by Trampled Under Foot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reids Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 5 hours ago, timothy5151 said: These are the top 3 right there. For me... Nobody's Fault But Mine is a close 4th, followed by Trampled Under Foot 😎🎸👍 R😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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