Re:MORE LIVE ZEP TO COME

[Michael Shannon <michaels@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve wrote:



>We shall see. By releasing the BBC sessions , Zep has effectivly covered
>it's first 4 albums , with TSRTS they covered Houses , so that's the first
>5 out the way. That only leaves PG plus a couple of tracks off the last two
>albums.

>We could get a '75 show (PG stuff) -  they still sounded good in '75. It
>could be a '77 show (covers PG and Presence) , but it's gonna be hard to
>find a good one where Percy can sing and Page can play on the same night.
>Then there's Knebworth - plenty of material from the 2 shows to make one
>release and covers all their albums. That leaves the '80 tour (covers the
>last albums) but an "on" night ... not really.

>So what live Zep is still to come ... my guess would be a '75 show -
>probably an Earl's Court mish mash of songs from 5 nights on one release
>(That would keep Eddie Edwards busy for a while !!) followed by a mish mash
>of Knebworth and that's all.

>It's just not commercially viable to release the same stuff over and over
>again , so I think the most we can hope for is 2 more live releases
>covering the stuff not already covered in official live Zep.
>Also with  EC and Knebworth , they have the Video as well.

>Steve.


I don't agree.  I understand what Steve is saying about not repeating
songs.  But the way Zep played, many of the live versions of the same
songs sounded different and new.  And even though BBC '69 and '71 has
been released and the performances are good, there are a ton of live
versions of these songs from '69 and '71 that blow the BBC away (I do
like the BBC sessions and I'm glad they put it out).  I hope they manage
to put out at least one show from the early years where the Zep weaved
their magic spell over the audience (Bath '70, Boston '69, whatever...).

As far as later shows go they are not as adventurous because all their
tours kept getting cut short.  Zep toured from '68 to '73, playing many
shows, and got to know each other so well that they could have attempted
almost anything and succeeded.  The '75 tour would have continued had it
not been for the car accident.  Much of the '75 tour is slow and
sluggish and Plants voice is so low (Isn't this where Pagey hurt his
finger and they dropped Dazed for a while in favor of How Many More
Times?  Someone had posted a while back that he hurt his finger on a
different tour).  I can't see an entire '75 show being released.  I do
love Seattle 3-21-75 though.  The '77 tour was cut short with Robert's
son dying and the 80's were just basically a handfull of shows with
Bonzo then passing away.  Maybe they really were cursed.  I do love the
LA '77 shows and I like Zurich '80, Rotterdam '80 and Brussels '80.  But
I don't see complete shows being released from these tours either. 
Actually there is no way a complete '80's show could be released because
Black Mountain Side would have to be dropped (horrible, why did they
even let Page go on playing it on this tour?)

I hope that Page is able to put out some complete shows but I keep
seeing the chronological box sets as the only way to please Mr. Plant. 
Perhaps two or three box sets covering the early, middle and late period
Zeppelin.

Another possibility is doing a "best of '69" set, a "best of '70" set,
best of '71,'72 etc...

I have babbled and rambled long enough.  Time to eat turkey.

Michael Shannon