Rating: Summary: The best....ever. Review: All I can say is that the epic rendition of "How Many More Times" captures the true essence, power, and magic of the band. That performance alone is worth the price of the DVD.
Rating: Summary: The ultimate Zeppelin experience Review: This 2-disc DVD set contains 5 and a half hours of Led Zeppelin live, and a few interviews w/ the band. The performances are of the highest calibre, and it shows why Led Zeppelin is so legendary and influential. They were enigmatic, as they were fun. They were exciting as they were unbeliveable. Simply put: music would not be the same w/out Led Zeppelin.The first DVD contains the Royal Albert Hall performance (1970), a promo of "Communication Breakdown," and several live television performances. This was the band during their primitive stages, but even then, you knew that they were amazing and would go on to conquer the world. The second DVD, containing performances from 1973-1979, shows a band already established, having every album go platinum, having every show sold out, still performing their greatest songs live with the same charisma and passion as they did during their 1968-1969 era when they first formed. Since their breakup, their live shows only chronicled by the Song Remains the Same, at least legally, their live performances have become the fodder for myths and legends. This DVD set brings the legend to life, and still inspires many who weren't born when Zeppelin was around or never got a chance to see their prowess in concert. This is a must own for any Zeppelin fan.
Rating: Summary: Blown Away Review: I started listening to Zeppelin in the mids 80s while I was in high school. Being too young to experience Zeppelin live, I could only hear the stories about how great they were in concert. These DVDs will make any Zeppelin fan respect their work all over again and will no doubt spawn a new generation of fans. If you think you have experienced Zeppelin from the albums, these DVDs are a must have so that you can more fully appreciate the music and the band.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Led Zeppelin Retrospective! Review: Like many I picked this up along with the new 3 cd set "How The West Was Won". The sets contain different material. The first disk contains a 1970 concert from Royal Albert Hall. The footage is pretty good considering how old it is. However, at times it seems that the footage may not match the actual song. My guess is that some of the footage had deteriorated beyond repair. Occasionally still shots will appear instead of live footage probably for the same reasons. Some of this material has been available in bootleg form. The performance is good and contains many of the early favorites. Especially impressive is Page's version of "White Summer". I was also glad a version of "Bring It On Home" was included. "Dazed And Confused" proves to be more interesting on the DVD than on the new 3 disk set as you can actually see all of the tricks Page is using to get the sounds out of his guitar. It still goes on perhaps a bit too long. "Moby Dick" is also a revelation because the viewer can actully see what a monster John Bonham actually was on the drums. The version of "How The West Was Won" becomes tiresome after about 5 minutes but proves to be more valuable here as you can actully see what Bonham is doing." I found the second disk more interesting personally because it included later period songs not included on the "How The West Was Won", "BBC Sessions" or "The Song Remains The Same" disks. The 1973 outtakes from the "The Song Remains The Same" are absorbing. Especially impressive is the emotional version of the slow blues "Since I've Been Loving You". The acoustic material from the Earls Court concert in 1975 comes off rather well. I also enjoyed the live versions of "Trampled Underfoot" and "In My Time Of Dying" two of my favorites. "Stairway To Heaven" is well played. The Knebworth material from 1979 includes live versions of favorites like "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "In The Evening" and "Kashmir". The funky version of "Whole Lotta Love" contrasts greatly with the sledgehammer version from Royal Albert Hall on the first disk. One criticism I have is that the camera tends to focus on Jimmy Page and Robert Plant more than John Bonham and John Paul Jones. Jones in particular is almost nonexistant. Guitar fans will no doubt delight in the footage of Page. Many of his guitar techniques are easily seen. The extra material and interviews tend to be both amusing not only for the fashions but also the press conferences. In summary this is a great 5 hour DVD tribute to a legendary band! Perhaps they will eventually release some of the later period live material on compact disk in the future. We can only hope!
Rating: Summary: Awesome! Review: Well, get ready to play it again and again. From the progressive Immigrant Song to some very interesting and revealing interviews, this product rocks. Page can play and Plant can perform.
Rating: Summary: Finally, Led Zeppelin LIVE! Review: The audio and video production quality is spectacular. The lineage of concert footage, which includes performances from the early days to the last days, including the Presence and In Through The Out Door albums, the quality of the phototography and the sound truly does Led Zeppelin justice. If you buy only one Led Zeppelin DVD - this is the one to get.
Rating: Summary: Mindblowing! Review: Fantastic collection of incredible footage from throughout the history of one of the greatest bands to ever walk the face of this earth. If the Beatles were about flawed idealism, the Stones rebellion and raunch, and The Who blind anger, Zeppelin were all about getting themselves and their audiences off in as massive a way as possible, while blazing down musical trails heretofore uncharted. This DVD gets all of it and then some, with brainmelting rock, beautiful acoustic performances from Earl's Court on disc two, and a grand performance from Knebworth that caps off with the most supercharged version of Whole Lotta Love that is worth twice the price of the disc on its own. The extras are phenomenal, don't miss anything shot in black and white, the two segments are stunning. For all the flak they took for their indulgences, this DVD shows four full-grown, unrepentant MEN playing their guts out, and loving it. No one these days has this kind of overwhelming force and skill of musicianship. What a time the 70s must have been, with Zep, The Who, and the Stones (Mick Taylor!) all on the road. For five and a half hours, this seems like it's over before it's begun. A landmark of music DVD, and a model to be followed (Mick, Keith?,come on lads). Zeppelin finally gets its due, and thank you Page for putting this wonderful monster out. First music to actually physically arouse me in a long time. Growl!
Rating: Summary: "In Daze gone by..." Review: Well, technology comes through once again. I can't remember being this gratefull for modern technology since I stumbled across the wah-wah pedal in times of old! But seriously here's an opportunity not to be missed for so many who never had the chance to experience live what is possibly the greatest hard rock band in history, to have a time tunnel encounter with LZ. via this two disc set, put together by Jimmy Page (one of the most Creative electric guitarists to ever strap on a Les Paul, The Standard of the rock age, by way of his studio work),is an essential item for any "Classic rock" fan. This 2 disc set gives a pure representation of Page and his live playing style of flowing abandon that is both savage and smooth at the same time. However he will be criticized for being "sloppy," (Shocking wot? :o!) But alas, an honest performance is what he gives on stage. He "dances" thru the tunes, reveling in the very soul of each song. Truely something to be appreciated by any rock fan worth his salt :)! The chance to see John Henry Bonahm play is worth the price of admission alone. The "overlooked one" John Paul Jones will be appreciated to new levels by oceans of fans thanks to this release...."FINALLY!!" And last but certainly not least, The Voice is young again!!! The "Tall Cool One" is an Icon of Rock and there are few questions as to why from anyone even slightly familiar with the bands studio catalog. So few shows were filmed that the appearance of this 2 DVD set came as a very pleasent surprise! So check it out and see the big unit perculate! Although imperfect, there are some slightly dissapointing moments,(few cudos to The Beatles...ha-ha) it's a kickin' little window into those times of old and Daze gone by that any rock fan will enjoy and LZ fans, well.... :o! So put away your copy of "The Song Remains The Same," This one's "DA BOMB!"
Rating: Summary: Robert Plant Should Be [Angry] Review: This really hurts! Robert Plant's awesome vocals are buried in the mix. One can easily imagine that this thing has been re-mixed by the guitar player! A more appropriate title for this DVD would be "Guitar Virtuoso Jimmy Page, Accompanied By Others." The guitar is mixed so loud that there is no appreciable variation of volume when Page takes a "lead" (hell, it's ALL lead)! Jimmy I loved your guitar playing but it was the incredible singer Robert Plant who was your FRONT man! The camera work is just terrible. The people you hired didn't even have the ...competence to realize that,... when someone is taking a lead THE CAMERA SHOULD STAY ON THEM! And so we have countless moments of Page burning up his Les Paul while the camera lovingly rests on Plant putting his vocal mic back on the stand, close ups of the bass, etc. And this kind of inept camera work was apparently never corrected over the years. Or did Page select these shots deliberately? Was Page afraid that someone would steal his chops by photographing his LEFT HAND (the one on the guitar neck)? We got lots more shots of his pick hand--which for a guitar player is dullsville. What a pity. I was really looking forward to this. The sound quality is so good--as is the photographic quality of the footage. But the film editing and the sound mix [are] just[terrible]. Robert Plant should be really [angry]. You've been buried alive by the guitar player, man.
Rating: Summary: Great Stuff! Review: Much, much superior to what I thought possible. The Editorial Review above summarizes it so well, and I second the Editor's opinion. I especially liked the early recordings from Royal Albert Hall, Madison Square Garden, and Earls Court. Each presented a different set of songs, and each looked like the best from a recording studio, yet fully alive and kicking. I couldn't help being struck by the hard-core blues basic of the band, the transition to hard rock, and the evolution full-scale through blues, rhythm and blues, rock-and-roll, to heavy metal. I would even state that almost everything in modern hard rock is really a footnote to Led Zeppelin. Another thing I really liked in the early footage is the camera work and editing--you actually get to see the members playing. Unlike so much modern editing, where the editor feels required to change the camera angle for every single beat. Gives you a headache! Bravo to Jimmy Page and and Dick Carruthers--you guys did most excellent work! Led Zeppelin I and II were among my very first recordings (on 8-track tape) when I first got my own car and in-car stereo--so this music really brings old memories. Yet the video footage has a brand-new feel to it. In summary, I was not disappointed. If you are in any way a Led Zeppelin fan, I don't think you will be disappointed either.
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