Re[2]: Zep By Numbers (again)

[danderso@xxxxxxxxxxx (David Anderson)]

O'Reilly:

>It does have some good musical moments, yes.  It also has what I think are
>a lot of uninspired and lethargic moments.  TSRTS is good, "The Rain Song"
>is very good, and "No Quarter" is excellent (even if it is an edit job).
>The medley section of WLL is also very good.

These are exactly the moments I was referring to.

>For the most part, however, the rest of the playing doesn't strike me as being 
>particularly special. "Rock and Roll" and "Celebration Day" are o.k., but they 
>aren't anything to get excited about.

Rock and Roll is lame compared to '71 and '72, partly because of Plant's voice 
and partly because it opened the show.

I like the solo at the end of Celebration Day on TSRTS quite a bit, but the 
versions of this song from '71 absolutely put any from '73 to shame.  They just 
barnstormed through it back then, Jones and Bonham cooking up a furious groove. 
Check out Tokyo Sept. 24, '71, where Jimmy throws in a few bars of "Bitch" after
the second guitar solo.

>And I've never liked that version of "Stariway;" it's too schmaltzy and 
>"arena-rock"-ish for my tastes.

Performances of Stairway did get schmaltzier as time went on but Page's solo is 
masterful, with loads of tension and release.

>Plant's voice being in better shape might have helped, but I don't think it 
>would elevate the performance that much; it certainly wouldn't put it in 
the >league of 8/21-22/71 or 3/21/75 or 6/23/77.

No it wouldn't.  I agree that all of these are more "special" performances 
than any of the '73 Garden shows.  Would be very nice to hear them in the 
same quality as TSRTS, but I'm not holding my breath.  At least all were 
captured on clear audience tapes.

- --Dave