Led Zeppelin: Classic Or Dud?

Nothing will sound as good as hearing them on the FM radio in my long-dead '73 Pontiac Grand Prix.

It's Led Zeppelin. It pretty much always sounds good.

apparently they were "supervised" by Jimmy Page which is a nice way of saying that he's taking credit for someone else's work (again!) apparently it's done by John Davis

^no fucking way. Im shocked. Shocked!

It was actually mastered by Jake Holmes.

Or maybe the record company just figured "Supervised by Jimmy Page" was a better marketing angle than "mastered by some guy."

Sorry "mastered by the guy who did a de la soul record"

Presumably, the final product is approved by one/some/all of the band members, Page among them. "Supervised by" is a better marketing angle than "rubber-stamped by."

My understanding is that Jimmy wanted to do it, and the other guys said, "sure, have fun." So he went through the archives and made the choices and the other guys said merely yes or no.

True, he definitely had a hand in the track selection. But how much he "supervised" the mastering, idk.

Maybe not supervised, but I'd guess he weighed in heavily all through the process.

I'm sure whatever it is it's part of Led Zeppelin's ongoing conspiracy to deliberately fuck over lesser-known artists as much as possible.

No artists should master themselves anyway, they don't know wtf they are doing

not many artists would have any idea how to operate mastering equipment or what the stuff even is, it's a whole different discipline from recording. if Jimmy Page "supervised" the mastering, the most it means is he was in the mastering studio during the week or so it took to master the final mixes and said "yes" or "no, it sounds too ___________" until they were done

I heard he just played the albums in a stairwell then recorded that.

More showings of Zed Zep Played Here doc

Florida Film Festival April 7,12
http://www.floridafilmfestival.com/program/films/led-zeppelin-played-here

Cinedelphia Film Festival in Philadelphia Sunday, April 20
http://www.cinedelphiafilmfestival.com/led-zeppelin-played-here/

Nashville Film Festival April 22, April 25
https://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/news/music-films-music-city-lineup/

Chicago International Movies & Music Festival Friday, May 2
http://cimmfest.org/cimmfest-2014-initial-line-up-announcement/

College Park Arts Exchange (near UofMD, free admission) Friday, May 9
http://cpae.org/node/503

DC Record Fair - Artisphere in Arlington, VA Sunday, June 1
http://www.artisphere.com/calendar/event-details/Film-New-Media/LED-ZEPPELIN-PLAYED-HERE.aspx

A long, detailed documentary film about LZ would be really welcome right about now

How much money would it take for Page and Plant to open up, I wonder

Cameo by John Paul Jones wife

It's sad that the brief moments in the doc with Edge and Jack White is all the footage we're going to get of Jimmy talking recording and playing

It's not footage but this had some decent discussion of recording and playing: http://www.guitarworld.com/new-book-light-shade-conversations-jimmy-page-coming-october-23

first proper sunny day of the year here - "rain song" sounded like the best thing ever today

oh man someone was talking about Immigrant Song on a podcast and I spent the entirety of yesterday trawling through zeppelin -- pinnacle was driving around town with the windows down, zeppelin blasting like a crusty classic rock motherfucker

Got the Barney Hoskyns book yesterday. Am halfway through. Super fun read.

Finished the great Hoskyns book and...it's sad. Plant comes out as the victor in the end - creatively and emotionally. Page is lost in the past, JPJ was the "wise one" through it all, keeping himself professional and aloof and Bonzo...was an asshole when fucked up and just a brilliant lug drummer when not. Have heard Page stories from someone who got to hang with him like 10 years ago and they confirmed the whole "But I'm a ROCK STAR" observations in this. Still - the best Zep book I've read so far.

I know someone who is good friends with Robert Plant's girlfriend in Austin and so he spends a fair amount of time with Plant. Says he is the nicest, warmest guy imaginable, to everyone, completely down to earth

<3 percy

Yeah I"ve heard the same re: Plant from a friend out there. :)

I caught some of the "Celebration Day" concert last night. It was decent. I was surprised Plant had as much gas in the tank to carry the night off. He only really sounded bad when doing some "eastern" vocalisms on Kashmir. Page's tone sounded good though he got a little lost in places. It was cool that they didn't have extra members, etc. Just what was left of the band. All in all a good effort but also clear that they were wise not to tour it.

I saw Page and Plant in 98 and that was enough for me. Page teased with the first few bars of Stairway before going into something else, which was a nice touch

that Hoskyns book is marvelous.

I met Plant once (at a Sunny Murray/Sonny Simmons show, no less) and he was very nice, despite having no reason whatsoever to be nice to me since I said to him, "You know what? I do remember laughter."

What's the name of the Hoskyns book you all like? It looks like he has two about LZ, both pretty recent.

I think it's the same book titled differently depending on where it was released? Mine is "Trampled Underfoot" and was published in 2010.

Amazon has Led Zeppelin: The Oral
History of the World's Greatest Rock Band and Trampled Under Foot: The Power and Excess of Led Zeppelin, both by Hoskyns. Do you think they're the same?

I read somewhere they were. I found mine on Half.com (if you're in the US) for $12 and it was shipped from the Uk

Word. The former is available for the Kindle so that settles that.

http://dangerousminds.net/comments/led_zeppelin_their_very_first_time_on_tv_1969

isn't that on How the West Was Won

God Robert Plant was a handsome man.

At the screening of the Mekons movie I saw last night, Jon Langford revealed the inspiration for the band's awesome "Rock and Roll" album was he and Tom reading "Hammer of the Gods" in the tour van and wanting to make an album that sounded the way the book describes Led Zeppelin (as opposed to how Zeppelin actually sounds, which they considered a let-down after the book).

isn't that on How the West Was Won

― PLATYPUS OF DOOM (Shakey Mo Collier), Thursday, May 1, 2014 2:25 PM (44 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's on the DVD released at the same time (just called "Led Zeppelin DVD," I think).

As is this, which is my favorite Led Zeppelin thing Led Zeppelin ever did in the history of Led Zeppelin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC6SwzXvyzw

^^What Tarfumes said. Plus: But now it's on Youtube! In a great rip!

On a semi-related note, I recently got to hear Jimmy Page/Black Crowes live set from 2000--it's fantastic! And probably more interesting re:set list than we'd have gotten from a proper Zep reunion at the time: loads of deep cuts ("Celebration Day"! "Out On The Tiles"! "Your Time Is Gonna Come"! motherfuckin' "SICK AGAIN"!!!!!), good blues covers, nods to peers (the Mac's "Oh Well", the JBG arrangement pf "Shapes of Things"), and a handful of the big hits/radio staples. Chris Robinson is Chris Robinson, which is good because he never tries to be Plant. The band provides nice, fullbodied accompaniment with due reverence.

The biggest issue I have is it does oversell the Blooze aspect of Zep. They throw in a couple folky numbers and I wish they'd gone further in that direction to present a more well-rounded portrait of the bands music--which we did get at the Celebration Day show, but still was within the Crowes wheelhouse when their Page union was happening.

Chris Robinson is Chris Robinson, which is good because he never tries to be Plant.

Plus, Page finally got to find out what Zep would've sounded like with Steve Marriott!

I almost saw Page/Crowes; they were supposed to open for the Who's 4-night MSG stand in October 2000, but Page got sick or hurt his hand or something. Rumor had it, though, that he backed out because he refused to open for the Who.

I remember seeing them on Leno doing "The Wanton Song", and Page was doing all these kicks and other rock star moves...it was like the next day that news broke that he'd fucked up his back and the rest of the tour was cancelled. Surprise surprise.

Okay, Jimmy wasn't quite as animated as I remembered...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzjt-lEZ8uY

Perhaps appropriate story I heard once, 100% true. A friend was supposed to interview Neil Young, flew out to LA and everything. Then, at the last minute, the interview was cancelled because Neil hurt his back. Days later the interview is re-scheduled as a phoner, and my friend asks "Hey Neil, how's your back doing?" "Oh," replied Neil with a laugh. "Is that what they told you?"

Back then the Crowes/Page tour appeared to me as the epitome of desperate hackery. Well, maybe not as bad as Coverdale/Page, but still bad. Me, now? I would see the hell out of that show. Crowes/Page. Not Coverdale.

timely revive! i just got word from the powers that be @ work that we're getting Robert Plant here as part of Nonesuch Records' 50th anniversary festival! i saw Page and Plant yearrs back at Jones Beach but this is still pretty cool.

I love the sequencing on the first box set (1991?) It's back and forth, but generally forward.

Disc 1
1 Whole Lotta Love (5:34)
2 Heartbreaker (4:14)
3 Communication Breakdown (2:28)
4 Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (6:40)
5 What Is and What Should Never Be (4:43)
6 Thank You (4:46)
7 I Can't Quit You Baby (4:15)
8 Dazed and Confused (6:26)
9 Your Time Is Gonna Come (4:14)
10 Ramble On (4:23)
11 Travelling Riverside Blues (5:09)
12 Friends (3:54)
13 Celebration Day (3:28)
14 Hey Hey What Can I Do (3:55)
15 White Summer/Black Mountain Side (8:01)
Disc 2
1 Black Dog (4:55)
2 Over the Hills and Far Away (4:46)
3 Immigrant Song (2:23)
4 The Battle of Evermore (5:51)
5 Bron-Y-Aur Stomp (4:17)
6 Tangerine (2:57)
7 Going to California (3:32)
8 Since I've Been Loving You (7:23)
9 D'Yer Mak'er (4:23)
10 Gallows Pole (4:58)
11 Custard Pie (4:13)
12 Misty Mountain Hop (4:38)
13 Rock and Roll (3:41)
14 The Rain Song (7:39)
15 Stairway to Heaven (8:01)
Disc 3
1 Kashmir (8:32)
2 Trampled Under Foot (5:35)
3 For Your Life (6:20)
4 No Quarter (7:01)
5 Dancing Days (3:42)
6 When the Levee Breaks (7:07)
7 Achilles Last Stand (10:23)
8 The Song Remains the Same (5:28)
9 Ten Years Gone (6:32)
10 In My Time of Dying (11:04)
Disc 4
1 In the Evening (6:50)
2 Candy Store Rock (4:07)
3 The Ocean (4:30)
4 Ozone Baby (3:35)
5 Houses of the Holy (4:03)
6 Wearing and Tearing (5:29)
7 Poor Tom (3:02)
8 Nobody's Fault But Mine (6:27)
9 Fool in the Rain (6:13)
10 In the Light (8:45)
11 The Wanton Song (4:06)
12 Moby Dick/Bonzo's Montreux (3:50)
13 I'm Gonna Crawl (5:31)
14 All My Love (5:51)

I think marking Stairway as as the end of one phase of the band and Kashmir as the beginning of the next is somehow spot on