Ranking The 1975 Shows

[JohnOsbourne]

I used to like the Landover show because of the wintery vibe the audience tape gave off, but the soundboard revealed a ton of slop, the show's come down quite a bit in my estimation.  (Still a decent NQ, however.)  The run of shows from the 6th-8th are indeed outstanding (I've recently revised my assessment of 2-7 after 1975NQ's recommendation).

[jsj]

Someone recently posted on here quoting a show where Page was drunk on black dog after moby dick, and said it was the worst version of the song he’d heard. I’ve looked for that post but can’t find it now which is a shame as I want to check it out

can anyone direct me to the show? Thanks 

[1975NQ]

4 minutes ago, jsj said:

Someone recently posted on here quoting a show where Page was drunk on black dog after moby dick, and said it was the worst version of the song he’d heard. I’ve looked for that post but can’t find it now which is a shame as I want to check it out

can anyone direct me to the show? Thanks 

It's possible they may have been referring to the infamous "Jack Dog" from the Baton Rouge show.

[JohnOsbourne]

8 minutes ago, jsj said:

Someone recently posted on here quoting a show where Page was drunk on black dog after moby dick, and said it was the worst version of the song he’d heard. I’ve looked for that post but can’t find it now which is a shame as I want to check it out

can anyone direct me to the show? Thanks 

That could describe a lot of '75 Black Dogs, and I can't recall the exact post you're referring to, but I believe the general consensus is that Baton Rouge's "performance" is noteworthy for its train-wreckability (it is bad).  

Edited December 23, 2021 by JohnOsbourne

[1975NQ]

28 minutes ago, JohnOsbourne said:

I used to like the Landover show because of the wintery vibe the audience tape gave off, but the soundboard revealed a ton of slop, the show's come down quite a bit in my estimation.  (Still a decent NQ, however.)  The run of shows from the 6th-8th are indeed outstanding (I've recently revised my assessment of 2-7 after 1975NQ's recommendation).

John, have you listened to 2-7 recently since making your revised assessment? I'm asking because on Heartbreaker, Jimmy sounds drunk off his ass to me lol. But you liked it, and it's given high praise on "The Year of Led Zeppelin" website. But to me he sounds drunk!! I'm not a musician, but man that thing is sloppy and erratic and all over the place. I didn't notice it before, but I was listening to the whole show with headphones last night, and it was like night and day compared to how he was playing earlier in the night.

Edited December 23, 2021 by 1975NQ

[bluecongo]

11 minutes ago, 1975NQ said:

It's possible they may have been referring to the infamous "Jack Dog" from the Baton Rouge show.

Yep Baton Rouge, you can hear Jimmy passing in and out of consciousness onstage lol

 

 

[1975NQ]

Just now, bluecongo said:

Yep Baton Rouge, you can hear Jimmy passing in and out of consciousness onstage lol

 

 

Is it wrong that I now feel the desire to give that one a listen lol?

[JohnOsbourne]

1 hour ago, jsj said:

Someone recently posted on here quoting a show where Page was drunk on black dog after moby dick, and said it was the worst version of the song he’d heard. I’ve looked for that post but can’t find it now which is a shame as I want to check it out

can anyone direct me to the show? Thanks 

Is this the post in question?

 

[JohnOsbourne]

56 minutes ago, 1975NQ said:

John, have you listened to 2-7 recently since making your revised assessment? I'm asking because on Heartbreaker, Jimmy sounds drunk off his ass to me lol. But you liked it, and it's given high praise on "The Year of Led Zeppelin" website. But to me he sounds drunk!! I'm not a musician, but man that thing is sloppy and erratic and all over the place. I didn't notice it before, but I was listening to the whole show with headphones last night, and it was like night and day compared to how he was playing earlier in the night.

I'll try to give it another listen tonight to review, I do recall liking it (generally the show was a very pleasant surprise after years of dismissing/ignoring it).  I can handle drunk and sloppy as long as there's good improvisation, so these aren't mutually exclusive to me.  

[1975NQ]

11 minutes ago, JohnOsbourne said:

I'll try to give it another listen tonight to review, I do recall liking it (generally the show was a very pleasant surprise after years of dismissing/ignoring it).  I can handle drunk and sloppy as long as there's good improvisation, so these aren't mutually exclusive to me.  

That's a great point. He sounds like he's having fun, and he and the fantastic crowd are feeding off of each other. I should also add that the energy level of SRTS from this night is absolutely through the roof. The energy level is high the whole night, but other versions of SRTS from 75 sound downright sluggish compared to this one.

[JohnOsbourne]

29 minutes ago, 1975NQ said:

That's a great point. He sounds like he's having fun, and he and the fantastic crowd are feeding off of each other. I should also add that the energy level of SRTS from this night is absolutely through the roof. The energy level is high the whole night, but other versions of SRTS from 75 sound downright sluggish compared to this one.

I was able to listen to it just now, and I stand by my initial assessment, I think it's very good.  Definitely benefits from Bonham's frenzied drumming during the solo, it's clearly a group effort.  And no doubt Page was well lubricated by that stage, but it doesn't seem to hamper things.  BTW, improvisation is why I like the 3-3 Fort Worth show a lot, even though it's not as technically sound as (most of) the later West Coast shows:  it's got a real spontaneity that's often missing from '75 shows.

[1975NQ]

3 hours ago, JohnOsbourne said:

I was able to listen to it just now, and I stand by my initial assessment, I think it's very good.  Definitely benefits from Bonham's frenzied drumming during the solo, it's clearly a group effort.  And no doubt Page was well lubricated by that stage, but it doesn't seem to hamper things.  BTW, improvisation is why I like the 3-3 Fort Worth show a lot, even though it's not as technically sound as (most of) the later West Coast shows:  it's got a real spontaneity that's often missing from '75 shows.

Boy, there sure is a lot of love for 3/3 on here this week. I gave it another listen today while working up through Kashmir. Bonzo sounds fantastic, and it sounds like Jimmy is having a good night. Robert's vocals aren't as bad as I remember - he actually starts sounding ok around IMTOD. It's a solid show with great energy, and I can see why people like it.

Edited December 24, 2021 by 1975NQ

[BobDobbs]

7 hours ago, 1975NQ said:

Nice, let me know what you think! The run of shows they did 2-6 through 2-8 are hot Page shows for sure. They all kind of bleed together for me, and I still need to get my arms around the 3, as far as comparing apples to apples. It takes several months for me to fully appreciate just one Zep show. I started listening to these shows casually August - October of this year while putting together the NQ rankings and began listening more closely October - now. My fav NQ of the 3 is Montreal  2-6 with MSG 2-7 being a very close second. And fav Dazed is from MSG 2-7, one of the few D+C from 75 I actually find listenable start to finish. Most D+C from 75 just feel tedious to me, and I usually skip em.

Beyond that, my brain is still in "processing" mode lol. 2-7 has a quality to it that keeps pulling me back and so far is the one I listen to the most, start to finish. Philly 2-8 might be Page's best night for 75 and is also one of Robert's best nights of the year (to my ears). But sometimes the sum of parts doesn't always equal the whole. Anyway, a few months from now I'll have a better idea how I'd rate them - all 3 shows are inconsistent, per 75.  Wait until you hear the HB from 2-7 ... he sounds drunk off his ass 🤣

Landover is a show I partially listened to but wasn't blown away. I should give it another listen for sure.

The Landover show is one which requires serious bootleg ears, unless there is a remaster out there I am not aware of.

You right about the 75' D&C's, most are rather meandering and sluggish IMO. Almost sounds like Zep is trying to be an evil-Yes but without the cohesion of Yes. Page has a tendency for many of the D&C's to play with an idea, trying to work something out and almost falling asleep mid-phrase and then...SQUIRREL! He goes off on something completely unrelated and even if executed properly just sounds disjointed and weird. Especially the part pre- San Francisco / Woodstock break and again after the bow solo about 5 minutes in. 

[1975NQ]

4 hours ago, BobDobbs said:

The Landover show is one which requires serious bootleg ears, unless there is a remaster out there I am not aware of.

You right about the 75' D&C's, most are rather meandering and sluggish IMO. Almost sounds like Zep is trying to be an evil-Yes but without the cohesion of Yes. Page has a tendency for many of the D&C's to play with an idea, trying to work something out and almost falling asleep mid-phrase and then...SQUIRREL! He goes off on something completely unrelated and even if executed properly just sounds disjointed and weird. Especially the part pre- San Francisco / Woodstock break and again after the bow solo about 5 minutes in. 

An evil version of Yes lol, love that. And yeah, for most D+C 75 I just check out the Woodstock section due to all the issues you mention. Speaking of, 3-10 which we both love has a killer Woodstock break in it. 

Edited December 24, 2021 by 1975NQ

[jsj]

Thanks for the replies. I listened to the Baton Rouge Black Dog, I didn’t think it was too bad, until the solos, then it became obvious that Pages was “distracted”. Brilliant

[1975NQ]

On 12/22/2021 at 4:27 AM, bluecongo said:

I listened to the Ft Worth 3/3/75 show and gotta say, it’s one of best from 75

great energy throughout, especially from Bonzo

There are some ups and downs as usual, but overall, you can tell crowd and band are both into it, and it’s a fun energetic show 

And Jimmy doesn’t do one of his post Moby Dick ugh I indulged too much collapses 

Re-listened to this one recently. NQ is fun, reminds me a bit of the Baton Rouge version. They're just fucking about and having fun. Jonesy even does a piano gliss, Jerry Lee Lewis style lol

[Strider]

On 12/22/2021 at 4:27 AM, bluecongo said:

I listened to the Ft Worth 3/3/75 show and gotta say, it’s one of best from 75

great energy throughout, especially from Bonzo

There are some ups and downs as usual, but overall, you can tell crowd and band are both into it, and it’s a fun energetic show 

And Jimmy doesn’t do one of his post Moby Dick ugh I indulged too much collapses 

Bonham's energy makes the theremin jam from the Ft. Worth show one of the best ever as Jones and Bonham lay down some serious groove.

[Strider]

On 12/23/2021 at 6:33 PM, BobDobbs said:

The Landover show is one which requires serious bootleg ears, unless there is a remaster out there I am not aware of.

You right about the 75' D&C's, most are rather meandering and sluggish IMO. Almost sounds like Zep is trying to be an evil-Yes but without the cohesion of Yes. Page has a tendency for many of the D&C's to play with an idea, trying to work something out and almost falling asleep mid-phrase and then...SQUIRREL! He goes off on something completely unrelated and even if executed properly just sounds disjointed and weird. Especially the part pre- San Francisco / Woodstock break and again after the bow solo about 5 minutes in. 

Try enduring those D & Cs on quaaludes, which I had to do on two of the four nights I saw them in 1975. Good god, those D & C/Moby Dick combos were death...they seemed to last for hours.

[BobDobbs]

5 hours ago, Strider said:

Try enduring those D & Cs on quaaludes, which I had to do on two of the four nights I saw them in 1975. Good god, those D & C/Moby Dick combos were death...they seemed to last for hours.

All of a sudden visions of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas come to mind, the casino bar scene in particular. 

[1975NQ]

I have a tough time ranking 75 shows as they're so wildly inconsistent song to song, sometimes within the actual songs themselves. Each show def has something to offer, and NQ is the song that is consistently listenable for me. At the moment, the shows I enjoy listening to all the way through are:

1-22-75 Chicago

2-7-75 MSG

2-8-75 Philly

For whatever reason, these are the shows I connect to and find the most enjoyable as a full listen. I've been listening to 5/17 lately and could see that one being added to the list as well. It's a lot better than I remembered from previous listens! 

Edited December 27, 2021 by 1975NQ

[Strider]

On 12/27/2021 at 8:59 AM, 1975NQ said:

I have a tough time ranking 75 shows as they're so wildly inconsistent song to song, sometimes within the actual songs themselves. Each show def has something to offer, and NQ is the song that is consistently listenable for me. At the moment, the shows I enjoy listening to all the way through are:

1-22-75 Chicago

2-7-75 MSG

2-8-75 Philly

For whatever reason, these are the shows I connect to and find the most enjoyable as a full listen. I've been listening to 5/17 lately and could see that one being added to the list as well. It's a lot better than I remembered from previous listens! 

It's the Moby Dick Conundrum. I find, for the most part, the 1975 shows to be mostly enjoyable and consistent up to "Moby Dick". After "Moby Dick", things get a bit dodgy and it was never certain on a night-to-night basis whether Page would retain his concentration and coordination through the last hour of the concert. That is why 1975 is full of nights where "In My Time of Dying", "TSRTS", "Rain Song", "Kashmir", "No Quarter", "Trampled Under Foot" sound killer and "Black Dog" and "Heartbreaker" sound like amateur hour.

[1975NQ]

35 minutes ago, Strider said:

It's the Moby Dick Conundrum. I find, for the most part, the 1975 shows to be mostly enjoyable and consistent up to "Moby Dick". After "Moby Dick", things get a bit dodgy and it was never certain on a night-to-night basis whether Page would retain his concentration and coordination through the last hour of the concert. That is why 1975 is full of nights where "In My Time of Dying", "TSRTS", "Rain Song", "Kashmir", "No Quarter", "Trampled Under Foot" sound killer and "Black Dog" and "Heartbreaker" sound like amateur hour.

Yes indeed 💯

[1975NQ]

If I were to put together a set list of "best of"s it would look like this. Granted, I would never listen to it because it would be jarring, but these are my favs all put together for one show:

Rock and Roll -  3/12 Long Beach

Sick Again - 2/8 Philly

Over the Hills - 5/25 EC

IMTOD - 2/28 Baton Rouge

SRTS - 2/7 MSG**

Rain Song - 5/24 EC

Kashmir - 5/24 EC

No Quarter - 5/18 EC

Acoustic Set - 5/24 EC

Dazed - 5/17 EC

Stairway - 5/24 EC

WLL - 3/20 Vancouver

HB - 2/8 Philly

CB - 2/13 Nassau

*Bonus Tracks: Wanton Song and HMMT from 1/22 Chicago

** SRTS was a close call between 2/7 and 2/8 but I  just love the feel of 2/7 version. Also, if 3/10 SB ever surfaces, I could see it being a winner

[Strider]

58 minutes ago, 1975NQ said:

If I were to put together a set list of "best of"s it would look like this. Granted, I would never listen to it because it would be jarring, but these are my favs all put together for one show:

Rock and Roll -  3/12 Long Beach

Sick Again - 2/8 Philly

Over the Hills - 5/25 EC

IMTOD - 2/28 Baton Rouge

SRTS - 2/7 MSG**

Rain Song - 5/24 EC

Kashmir - 5/24 EC

No Quarter - 5/18 EC

Acoustic Set - 5/24 EC

Dazed - 5/17 EC

Stairway - 5/24 EC

WLL - 3/20 Vancouver

HB - 2/8 Philly

CB - 2/13 Nassau

*Bonus Tracks: Wanton Song and HMMT from 1/22 Chicago

** SRTS was a close call between 2/7 and 2/8 but I  just love the feel of 2/7 version. Also, if 3/10 SB ever surfaces, I could see it being a winner

Why do you say 'jarring'?

[1975NQ]

It would be a FRanKenSTein mix-up, sound-wise. So, wouldn't flow too well if I actually tried to put that list together and listen to it