Rating: 
Summary: Five stars for the concept, 3 for result
Review: Now, let's be really honest with ourselves. I'm a Zeppelin fan and guitarist, but Jimmy Page has always left me cold with his sloppy playing (well in evidence if you'd just use an objective ear). Had I never heard them live and only had the studio experience to go on, I would think he was one of the greats. But his stumbling on In the Evening, his ridiculous chordal embellishments on Stairway live, overall sloppy soloing...Even in the Earl's Court shows he was starting on his pathway to the Atlantic 40th Anniversary performance (cringe). **CASE IN POINT: Jimmy OVERDUBBED (repaired?) the very last notes of his solo on Stairway 1975 for this dvd. Guitarists take heed and watch! He's playing at the 5th fret (3rd and 4th string?), but what you hear is from the 17th fret.
John Paul Jones was the only real musician in the band anyway, and this dvd proves that. It's good to hear Robert from back when he could actually hit the high notes, however.
Of course I'm thrilled to see these rare shows, but just think of what has been left out: Dazed and Confused at Knebworth with the laser show! That alone would have been worth the absence of at least 2 of the 3 or 4 times D & C is on here. The earliest shows on Disc One are definitely the best of the bunch, but the promo videos from 1990 are ESSENTIAL pieces of art. Heck, I'd like to have seen perhaps a second Moby Dick replace one of the Dazed performances.
Would've been nice to see maybe some backstage footage from MSG instead of those mis-editted travesties from The Song Remains.... The artsy video touch-ups to Trampled Underfoot are cool, and the acoustic set is superb, even though the cameraman has a definite case of Page-o-philia, since Jimmy is the most prominent figure on the show. (Where's Jonesy?)
I was looking forward to this as much as any Zep head, but I am not going to let my emotions cloud my judgement. They made some of the best hard rock songs ever...in the STUDIO. But aside from the drum solo, the violin bow, and Page's dramatic posturing, there's really not alot on offer that, for example, a non-Zeppelin fan could get turned on about. The band's essence was as a live act only in the early years. Jimmy's obsession with his "guitar army" made the later songs virtually impossible to pull off live. Nope, I didn't buy this expecting to see "great performances", but to see Led Zeppelin. Period.
I expect most of you to be unhappy about my opinion, so condemn me all you want. But I DO NOT DOUBT that you will understand exactly what I'm saying if you would just lend a critical eye and ear instead of the usual starstruck glassy-eyed stare.
Rating: 
Summary: My Jaw is on the Floor...
Review: Well, its been said how great this was enuf already. I just got it today and intended to just sample it but didn't get off the couch for 6 hours. The video quality is superb, audio as well.I play guitar in a Zep cover band in So Calif. and am so stoked to see Pagey up close in new material. Very nostalgic trip thru their career; so much produced in 11 short years, bittersweet in a way. I've been praying for a reunion tour but now wonder if its best kept as is (I hope the lads don't read that!). I'd like to think that it wasn't that long ago they ruled, but my 20 year high school reunion is next week so who am I lying to?! Good Lord, these guys rocked the f'ing planet and now we have the historical document to prove it.
Rating:
Summary: Finally a concert record worthy of Led Zeppelin!
Review: After years of bootleg audio ranging from murky to almost passable, and the band's official if generally self-dismissed The Song Remains the Same, Led Zepplin have culled through their archives and given the fans a true audio-visual glimpse of their live power. And what a blinding and deafening glimpse it is! Spanning their entire career, we are treated to marvelously sharp film and video matched with absolutely crystal clear audio that will literally slam you back into your livingroom couch. The balance between the instruments so lacking in the numerous bootleg CDs floating about is replaced with Jone's tight basslines, Bonzo's crackling drums, Plant's soaring vocals, and Page's trancendent guitar tones. At points, this could be mistaken for stripped down studio basic tracks, but the spontaniety of Zep's live performances assure us that this is the real deal. TSRTS was a mediocre testament, that was always obvious. For any other band to be playing at the level depicted in that film, it would be a great document of their live act. But this is Zeppelin, and we always knew that they were at their very best live. Sure, there are moments in that film that pushed the blood through your veins like no other concert film before (the unbelievable sprawl of Dazed and Confused, for instance, and the title song), but when compared to this new DVD, it pales, pales, by comparison. Here you will find far superior versions of many of the songs included in that film. The new version of Moby Dick alone, with Bonham playing at blistering speeds that, even when seen and heard, cannot be believed, is worth the price of this DVD. What makes these discs special for me are the versions of some of the less frquently heard songs. Trampled Under Foot, Sick Again, these have always been favorites of mine, and to hear them live, well... As for a tried and true classic, the 1980 version of Kashmir from Knebworth is crunchingly heavy with it's huge lurch of a riff. It shows a band that, despite signs of age in the lines of Plant's face and Page's painfully thin drug wasted physique, was as good, if not better, then they had ever been. Absolutely. The albums have always testified that Led Zeppelin was the most powerful rock band ever. Memories, especially 70's ones, fade and die away. This DVD set is the band's legacy as the greatest live act ever. Immortal Gods, live at last!
Rating:
Summary: The Zeppelin flies again!!
Review: Aahh, Finally...The live DVD set that us true Zeppelin fans have been waiting for!
It's apparent that a lot of thought & tedious work went into choosing the performances, and making it all sound great! A collection of career-spanning live clips, plus bonus features which include interviews & promo music videos... it CAN'T get much better than this!
We can only pray that they'll release another similar set in time.
Meanwhile, I'll be wearing these DVDs out! Buy your copy today!! Peace from Cleveland,
~~Michael
Rating:
Summary: Finally... the magic of Led Zeppelin and the DVD medium!
Review: This DVD is a mindblowing release and an incredible value for anybody remotely familiar with Led Zeppelin's music and mystery. I finally found a store where I could purchase it on the May 27th release date (it was sold out the first three places I looked), and I have not been able to turn it off for the last three days. Highlights are too many to note, but here are some of the features and moments that Shook Me, left me Dazed and Confused, and took me on the Stairway to Heaven: 1.)The progression of the band from the 1970 Albert Hall performance to the 1979 Knebworth show (their last as a band - you are watching history of footage that only a few hardcore fans ever even knew existed!)truly documents their progression as a band... the early performances strike me as raw and outerworldly... the later performances are more refined and charismatic - true rock gods strutting their stuff; 2.)The sound and audio quality FAR exceed my expectations. 3.) These performances once and for all prove that Zep (when they were on like they are here)were a devastating live act. Most of the songs played live in these performances, especially many of the songs from Physical Grafitti on, are far superior to the album cuts due to the incredible interplay and improvisation of the band. 4.)The oddities and extras -- some of the TV performances are fascinating and bizarre. The audiences at these shows just didn't know what to think of this band. 5.) My favorite cuts are the "White Summer" guitar solo spot from Albert Hall, the entire segment from the black and white Danish TV special, "In My Time of Dying" from the 1975 Earl's Court show, and the reworked version of "Whole Lotta Love" from the Knebworth show.
When DVDs debuted in the 1990s, the possibilities seemed endless for what this new medium could do in terms of sound and content, but the promises have been largely unfulfilled (in my opinion) by the movie and music industries. Huge credit goes to the band and the engineers for not teasing us with incomplete material and hoping we would settle for [for less than the best]audio, but instead creating a DVD crammed full of 5+ hours of great entertainment and quality. I just hope the rebirth of Led Zep this product will surely inspire does not result in a misguided "reunion tour." Even with the best intentions, Plant, Page, and Jonesy could never come close to recapturing the magic of these performances... not to mention that no drummer could provide the 20 ton whallop of Bonzo's drum kit so majestically on display on this DVD. This DVD is what I've been waiting for for over 20 years, and the most amazing thing is that I didn't even know I've been waiting for it. What a gem!
Rating: 
Summary: Why No Song-By-Song Menus?
Review: Excellent quality and value overall, but with one significant oversight - I couldn't find a navigation menu to jump around song-by-song. The navigation menu lets you jump by section; i.e., from Earl's Court to Knebworth, but they don't make it easy to jump ahead to Stairway to Heaven, or skip over Dazed and Confused or Moby Dick. Failure to include such basic function on a modern DVD is an oversight that will detract from enjoyment on repeated listens. I'd still recommend this highly, however, since you get a lot of great material and a welcome alternative to the high-priced ... bootlegs that were the only source for so many years.
Rating:
Summary: No One Goes Down Heavier Than Zep!
Review: Being a Zep Head for about a year now, I have to say this is amazing. Just being able to have all of this rare footage in one convienient package is enough in itself, but with all the extras.....it's just amazing. I understand that some people will b**ch and moan about it having most of the same tracks as The Song Remains the Same (which I also own), but the preformances are different. Zep just has a way of varing their live stuff to make it different and enthusiastic. It's kinda hard to put into words....you know? Anyway, it's a must for even the occasional Zep fan. w00t!
Rating:
Summary: Very, Very Good (but falls a bit short of the hype)
Review: As a long-time Led Zeppelin fan, I looked forward for months to the release of both _DVD_ and the new live 3-CD set, _How The West Was Won_. Accordingly I bought both on Tuesday when they hit local stores and watched the entire DVD immediately... Disc one starts off with 142 minutes from a performance at Royal Albert Hall on January 9,1970 during which a young Led Zeppelin (Plant and Bonham are only 21 years old), fresh off the remarkable success of their first two LPs, pound out the bulk of their early live repertoire with astounding raw energy, not to mention remarkable confidence and poise for their age, to an very enthusiastic young crowd. The set begins like a freight train with "We're Gonna Groove" and moves like a tour de force through most of the early Zep classics as follows: I Can't Quit You Babe/Dazed and Confused/White Summer (so far, my favorite from this gig)/What Is and What Should Never Be/How Many More Times/Moby Dick (complete with long drum solo)/Whole Lotta Love/Communication Breakdown/C'mon Everybody/Something Else/Bring It On Home. This actually the entire show less "Heartbreaker" which was omitted as some footage was missing. Originally filmed for a BBC documentary, this performance was pro-shot on two 16mm cameras and features rather good camera work overall. Disc one concludes with the 1969 promo for "Communication Breakdown" and three 1969 TV performances. First is a Danish show called 'TV-Byen' where the band performs solid renditions of "Communication Breakdown," "Dazed and Confused," "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" (all electric) and "How Many More Times" to a small studio audience of seemingly shell-shocked young Danes. This is followed by a strong performance of "Dazed and Confused" on the British variety show 'Supershow'. Finally, we see the boys on the French variety show 'Tous En Scene', again performing "Communication Breakdown" and "Dazed and Confused," but this time to a crowd of folks that seem mostly unable/unwilling to appreciate what they are seeing and hearing. Disc two begins with a version of "Immigrant Song" that matches the audio from a 1972 performance in Long Beach, CA (this is the same version that starts out the new live CD) with a collage of video from the group's performance in Sydney, Australia earlier that year. The musical performance is strong (very high energy) and the edited Super-8 video is fine. _DVD_ continues with four numbers (Black Dog/Misty Mountain Hop/Since I've Been Loving You/The Ocean) from the now infamous Madison Square Garden shows, originally filmed for the movie _The Song Remains The Same_, that took place July 27-29, 1973 at the conclusion of the 'Houses of the Holy' tour. In this set, the standout is "Since I've Been Loving You" during which Page delivers a strong and passionate solo. (The film TSRTS contains parts of this tune and of "Black Dog," but here they are presented in their entirety.) As maligned as these performances have been by some over the years, to see four guys (essentially a power trio with vocals) command the Garden crowd of 20,000 at this level, especially under the circumstances, is truly awe inspiring. (Personally, seeing this quality of presentation of this material makes me wish someone would go back and redo TSRTS as a straight-up concert film, but that's likely a pipe dream.) Next we are taken to Earls Court Arena, London, England for six numbers (Going To California/That's The Way/Bron Yr Aur Stomp/In My Time of Dying/Trampled Under Foot/Stairway To Heaven), shot with video, from Zep's historic 5-night, two weekend stand from May 17 through 25, 1975. All the performances are solid, as Led Zeppelin has by now clearly developed into a juggernaut live band, but particularly enjoyable are the three acoustic tunes. These are intimately shot and the band is clearly having lots of fun. Finally and poignantly we are treated to seven tunes (Rock And Roll/Nobody's Fault But Mine/Sick Again/Achilles Last Stand/In The Evening/Kashmir/Whole Lotta Love) from the band's final U.K. appearances of August 4 and 11, 1979. These performances were pro-shot with video in front of crowds of approximately 200,000 each night! Again, all the numbers are strong, and are highlighted here by an evocative rendition of Kashmir and a powerhouse performance of Achilles Last Stand. Almost uncannily, Robert Plant's last words to the audience are "Thank you for eleven years." Disc two extras are a Page/Plant NYC 1970 press conference, footage from 1972 of "Rock And Roll" and a "band" interview (with rare commentary from Bonzo (RIP)), another interview (just Plant), and finally two 1990 "Box Set" promos (Over The Hills And Far Away/Travelling Riverside Blues). On the overall the audio quality is good (I listened to the DTS mix), though I honestly think some of the mixing could have been better. While the video, particularly Earls Court, has some glitches (always the result of the source material), it is clear that the digital restoration and transfer for this project were done painstakingly. The material from the Garden shows looks spectacular in its matted widescreen presentation. All the other material is 4:3 full-screen. Compared to the film elements, the video is a bit grainy, but not bad. Where the software is concerned the stereo mix is the default audio track, which is a bit annoying and you can't do things like play all the extras at once, but like my comments on the audio mix, this is just nit-picking. When one considers the vast undertaking this project must have been, it is really a testament to modern technology that Led Zeppelin fans can time travel through some of the highlights of the decade that the band dominated in the comfort of their own living room. Years ago Jimmy Page often talked about a comprehensive chronological live album. _DVD_ is at least a partial realization of this vision, but with added dimensions that no Zep enthusiast could have dreamed of 25 years ago. If you are a Zep fan and you own a DVD player, What are you waiting for?
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Music Dvd Ever...
Review: I purchased the Led Zeppelin DVD the day it came out and let me assure you, it lives up to all the hype. The sound is truly amazing considering it was recorded between 1970 -1979. It just blows me away each time I have sat down to watch it. I grew up in the late 70's and Zeppelin was one of my favorite bands back then, but I never had a chance to catch them in concert.With this new dvd set, I feel like I have made up for it, it is that good!! Never before or since has so much talent been on one stage. After watching this dvd, you will realize that no band today comes close to measuring up to Zeppelin. Just go out and buy it and you will see what I'm talking about.They were the REAL DEAL!!Thanks to Jimmy Page and Dick Carruthers for putting this DVD set together,you did a wonderful job.
Rating:
Summary: excellent companion to the studio albums
Review: For anyone that's even a casual Zeppelin fan, this DVD set is certainly worth purchasing. Fantastic footage and incredible sound abound on both discs. The highlight for me being the Royal Albert Hall footage and Kashmir from Knebworth. Personally, I really enjoy the 'early' Led Zeppelin period (1969 - 1973) when compared to the later years, but it's nice to have a varied setlist from the complete period on 2 DVDs. A live set by Led Zeppelin has been LONG overdue -- while the studio albums themselves are excellent, I've always wanted to see AND hear what a live Zeppelin show would be like. Don't let the price of this set intimidate you -- it's much cheaper than a concert ticket -- and it puts you right up front with the band. Highly recommended for the Led Zeppelin fan, or anyone that enjoys watching a terrific rockin' band at the peak of their powers.
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