Various sundries

[Trent Thornton <blisstrent@xxxxxxxxx>]

01- Well.  It's Fall now.  That means it's time to start spinning LZIII.  That 
always seemed like a very Fall album to me.  Maybe early winter, but fall.  Ya 
know?  And really, the transition works pretty well with LZIV being such a 
winter album.

02- Those of you who actually saw Zep in concert or are otherwise possessed of 
a better imagination than I can claim won't likely be surprised by this... but 
it's really surprising how much Led Zep moved around onstage when they played 
shows.  I mean, yeah, it stands to reason that they would.  But since my 
principal exposure to visuals of them are still photos (and TSRTS, which 
doesn't help matters), well, you kinda subconsciously think they must've stood 
stock still when they played.  Like Oasis.  But you watch the DVD or maybe some 
clips from, say, '77 on YouTube and you see Jimmy running around the stage like 
he's being chased by the devil and you get a finer insight on things.  I mean, 
it's like you can appreciate an otherwise mediocre performance more when you 
see Jimmy hitting 90% of the right notes while also seemingly trying to qualify 
for a marathon or something.  I dunno.  Maybe it's just me and I'm stupid, who 
knows?

03- Maybe I'm the one with the problem here but I've never seen the fascination 
some people have with audience recordings.  I freely admit I could be missing 
something here but I never saw the allure of listening to a show that sounds 
like it was recorded through a coffee can in a wind tunnel.  Not all soundboard 
shows are of perfect audio quality, I would never argue otherwise, but the 
average soundboard blows the doors off the average audience tape.  Little 
things like, y'know, actually being able to hear Jones count for a lot in my 
book.

04- As I suspect many of you will understand, I'm a huge fan of the Concert 
File.  It's been a priceless asset in helping me sift through my mini-archive 
of FLAC'd Zep shows.  Lewis + Pallett could've charged $100 for that MF'er and 
it STILL would've been worth every penny.

05a- That being said, it's sadly out of date.  I could acknowledge some things 
being left out of sheer space/volume issues.  I'm totally down with that.  But 
many quite a few shows have surfaced since Lewis + Pallett put fingers to word 
processor.  Or maybe complete shows have surfaced which could flesh out some of 
their other remarks.  I admire the sheer BALLS in putting the book together in 
the first place but I can't shake the feeling that it could use an update to 
reflect the myriad newer releases, the '98 P/P tour, the absolutely sick JPJ 
solo tours and such.

05b- One such new(er) release is the pristine-sounding 01.22.1973 gig.  I just 
*LOVE* it!  Not bashing on L+P but I happen to think that the show is worthy of 
more than a one sentence summary about the carpeting of the stage!  But then 
that's just me.

06- I have a tremendous affection for the '69 through '72 tour shows/period.  
Is there an out-and-out bad show anywhere in the bunch?  If so, I've never 
heard it.  That being said though, basically any 1975-era D&C blows the hell 
out of any previous version.  The San Francisco/Woodstock interludes, the 
extended bow and guitar solos, the meandering explorations, etc.  I'm always 
ready to listen to D&C but if I could have my druthers, it'd typically be a '75 
era performance for sheer QUALITY.

07- By way of contrast, NQ never really recovered after 1975.  Again, maybe I'm 
the one with the problem here but I find it hard to maintain an interest in a 
10 minute classical piano solo... as seemed to frequently be the case starting 
in '77.  Oh sure, the song itself was as strong and tight but loose as ever, 
but something seemed to get lost a little bit with NQ starting in 1977.  Before 
that, NQ could be jazzy or it could be spacey or sometimes just SPOOKY.  It was 
always interesting.  I'm a bit of a '77 tour apologist but even I can't defend 
NQ on that tour.

08- It'll be 09.25 before you know it.  Cheers, Bonzo.  Your work, your legacy 
and your music all live on in our hearts.  Rest in peace.

09- Did Page seriously empty his archive back in 2003 with the DVD and HTWWW?  
I mean, you sit there listening to the Earl's Court shows (pretty much any of 
'em) and you can't help drooling at the idea of a Page-approved EC boxed set of 
some kind.  Preferrably a dual CD and DVD release (although I'll understand if 
the latter is a logistical impossibility).  Or maybe a '77 comp CD mixing and 
matching the best performances from the best concerts (a la Pearl Jam's 'Live 
On Two Legs' CD).  It just seems like Page would have a whole lot more goodies 
in the ol' vault than he's yet released.  I mean, seriously, if RAH, MSG '73, 
EC and Kneb were all he ever had... yeesh!

10- Number ten's just here to pad things out a little bit.

- t