Rating: Summary: Oh my goodness, this rocks... Review: After watching this multi-hour marvel of Zeppelinasia, I'm left filled with not only joy, but a bit of sadness--where are today's rock monsters? Am I a doddering old fart, whining about the Good Old Days, or am I correct in thinking that today's bands, while possesing a modicum of talent, fall as short of the Zeps as my golf game does of Tiger Woods? Anyway...As enjoyable as Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same" is, this is far and away superior; it's bigger, badder, more diverse, and its benefitting from modern technology isn't a bad thing, either, in my opinion. Tons of music, of course, is primarily what the DVD's offer, but we also get a number of fascinating promos and interviews. Picture quality ranges from grainy black and white (technology can't, and shouldn't, fix everything) to warm, crisp color. Sound quality is very good, indeed. Highlights? For me, without a doubt, it has to be from the Earls Court section, the 4 song block of "Going to California", "That's the Way", "Bron Yr Aur Stomp", and "In My Time of Dying". WOW. One of the greatest musical entities in the history of mankind, at the absolute peak of their powers. I was panting and soaked with sweat by the time this chunk of heaven was finished ringing in my ears. Beautiful and brutal. Can you tell that I like this DVD??? :-) Good.
Rating: Summary: Zep beats a tie any (father's) day! Review: My kids (daughter 13, son 16) decided to get me a Father's Day present. Guess what it was? The brand new Led Zeppelin DVD. My initial reaction was amusement. It was reminiscent of Homer Simpson buying Marge a bowling ball for her birthday (so he could use it). It seems that my son has recently gotten way into them, so it was his idea to reward me with the DVD(so he can watch it). It never fails. Every male gets into Zep as soon as he turns 16. Bingo! Bonzo! Rite of passage and all that. I found myself quietly snickering at the way he presented the DVD to me with such evangelical fervor. As for me, having lived through them when they were still hammering, I'd gotten to the point of being sick of them (courtesy of non-stop classic rock radio fifteen years hence). And anyway, I was always sort of a casual observer. Don't get me wrong; I like a lot of their stuff, but was never a fanatic ("Stairway to Heaven" can cause me to vomit in the most projectile of ways). But then my son recommended I pop disc 2. As soon as the clip for "Immigrant Song" hit the screen, I began to feel myself getting blown...AWAY. What an amazing DVD. What a great band. Zep were always stingy with their video image, and now we're treated to a whole new dimension: Page's crazy jumpsuits and demonic bow-screeching across the guitar, Plant's swaggering here's-my-package stage moves, Bonham's bombastic yet articulate drumming, and the amazing invisible Jones. Five hours of live concert stuff? Goodness gracious. I particularly enjoyed the clips from Madison Square Garden in '73. I was a junior in high school that year; That's when I should have copped tickets to see them. All my friends went, but I didn't. Now I understand why they came back to school on Monday with that "look" in their eyes. Watching this DVD and letting Zep drip all over me, I find myself wanting to fire up a joint and wash it down with some good ol' Boone's Farm Apple Wine, just like the old days. But I won't, because the Knebworth concert features "Stairway," and uh...that could be disastrous for me (and my couch). And what exactly did YOUR kids get you for Father's Day?
Rating: Summary: Thank you, Jimmy Page Review: An open letter to Mr. Jimmy Page: Dear Jimmy, Thank you, thank you, thank you...I think you get the point. I am writing this review of my now favorite concert DVD ( I have over 20!) as a letter to you to emphasize how grateful I am that you took the time and effort to bring to this new medium that is so perfect for live music something extra special. Led Zeppelin really was THE band of the 70's, and to remind us all of that fact with such a quality package of sights and sounds is really a testament of the power of the band's music. I was fortunate enough to see you twice in the early 70's and was awestruck both times (even though the acoustics of the venue were awful to poor), but until I listened to this DVD, and the new triple live CD, I really had no idea just how great you all sounded. Those of you reading this letter that are Zeppelin fans but never got to see a live show, you must get these two gifts from Mr. Page to really experience what incredible sounds we were witnesses to in the heyday of Rock. The version of "Achillies Last Stand" from the 1979 show in Knebworth is worth the price of the DVD alone, and "Black Dog" and "Heartbreaker" from the CD makes the extra 16 bucks a bargain. The only negative thing I have to say about either item is that I was sadly reminded of how much we all lost the day John Bonham died. The studio really didn't capture his greatness, did it? Once again, thank you for this gift, Mr Jimmy Page.
Rating: Summary: Hide Your Daughter! Review: What I would have given for footage like this back in the stoned 70's! Then, I would have stared tranfixed at what my older, jaded self sees now as icons of boomer self-indulgence. Page bends to his Les Paul, long black hair streaming in front of him, or brings out the bow and goes for rock's answer to George Crumb. Plant caterwauls and struts about like a schoolboy on the make. Jones, bemused, standing by his amp, provides the solidest bottom in rock or keyboard work worthy of one of England's best studio musicians at the time ("Kashmir" from '79 at Knebworth). Bonham lays down endlessly astounding backbeats and fills ("Moby Dick" from the Albert Hall concert is not to be missed!). The audiences boogie or stare. The band runs the gamut from rock pomp to impassioned performance to rote tedium to time-killing to pure magic, pausing occasionally to drag out songs like "How Many More Times" and "Dazed and Confused" (in the Albert Hall concert in 1970) with clever quotes or overdone call-and-response between Page and Plant. Back then, these four enjoyed worldwide status as rock gods, living at the absolute pinnacle of popular stardom. Bombast and pretentiousness notwithstanding, there was extraordinary virtuosity in the live Zeppelin. In "White Summer" (again from the Royal Albert Hall concert) Page showed he could pick his a** off when he wasn't engaging in theatrics; there was no voice quite as electric as Plant's back then; and Jones and Bonham prove again and again on this DVD that they were world-class players. The extras from TV and promos are also fun. A fortunate aggregation of musicians for the time. A wild ride!
Rating: Summary: A Must-Have Set Review: A great set to own if you like Led Zeppelin. Great footage. A lot of stuff that hasn't ever been seen before. It's great to see Led Zeppelin live, since I didn't have the oppurtunity back in the day (since I'm only eighteen).
Rating: Summary: ZEPPELIN AT THEIR BEST Review: Pay no attention to the Cranky Reviewer, she knows nothing (I assume she's a teenage girl, judging by the music she does like). This DVD set is fantastic, as is the CD set HOW THE WEST WAS WON. The picture and sound quality are both excellent. The rare footage was a treat to see, also. Having attended several Zeppelin concerts myself, I could only see these images in my memory, until now. I highly recommend both the DVD and CD sets.
Rating: Summary: KINGS OF ROCK RETURN**********************************!!!!! Review: Led Zeppelin is a name and talent which will still be selling CD's into the year 3000... With all that off my chest: Zep is the best, these guys have influenced just about everyone and the price on this DVD is killer. ...Every year Jimmy Page seems to be voted the greatest guitarist to have ever picked up the instrument, second only to Hendrix of course ... and that's the name of that tune! 50 STAR RATING FROM SCRAGGY'S TOMB OF DVD'S, USA.
Rating: Summary: It will bring tears to your eyes Review: I only became aware of this DVD about a month before it's release. I went and bought the one copy that didn't blow out of the store for $. What a deal for 5+ hours. First of all, both DVDs have their own liner note booklets. Reading this makes you appreciate how lucky Jimmy was to acquire and restore much of this material. The first DVD starts with the complete 1970 Royal Albert Hall show. I was immediately stunned for several reasons. You could tell this was the beginning of their superstardom. Of all the footage I've seen, this is the most intimate as they weren't in the stadium venue yet. All of the songs are raw and powerful. The audio mix is incredible. Who hasn't heard Whole Lotta Love on the radio more than they need to? However, when you listen to this fresh performance with Plant's old voice, it blows you away. During the break on that song where Bonham is is doing his thing, Jimmy is playing with an Echoplex to get all sorts of wierd sounds. The really cool part is the sounds are panning all around in surround mode. Incredible. You also get clear instrumental separation between Jimmy (right Speaker), Robert (center) and Jones (Left). There are concerts out there from last year that don't take near the advantage of DTS as this one does. The Earl's Court and Knebworth shows are great as well. The TV appearances are interesting and really show what they sounded like just before they started to really peak around the Royal Albert show. The acoustic and electric sets at Earl's Court gave the best live versions of Stairway and Going to California yet. The Madison Square Garden clips added some goodies no ton TSRTS. The Knebworth Show is the best version of several In Through the Outdoor Tune. In the Evening and Kashmir both sound powerful and full. For those that were disappointed with The Song Remains the Same, this makes up for it in spades.
Rating: Summary: GREAT!! I was a big fan... NOW I AM BIG,BIG FAN AGAIN!!! Review: I don't know what happen to previous reviewer, but what he/she said about didn't happen to me. This DVD is marvelous, beyond my expectation. Thank you Jimmy!! The only LedZep concert I ever watch was "The Song Remains The Same" video which I didn't enjoy very much. But this DVD is different. You expect concerts, you'll have it. Some friend said I can not have LedZep playing in concert as good as their records, but since I saw this DVD, I can prove they were wrong. LedZep can play good and clean in 1970's Royal ALbert Hall. They're exciting. I never see them playing trio so good (if you compare it with "the song remains the same") with Robert Plant on vocal. Robert also perform excellent and look like real man (compare it with 'the song remains ..' when he's playing finger). They're young, strong, good looking, and have charisma. Bonzo's also in his ultimate performance. On second DVD we can see they performed Immigrant Song (the first Led Zep song I heard when I was just 7). I always wonder how they perform this in concert, but this DVD give the answer. We can see this as video montage, when they're not really filming it when they're playing. This is maybe the previous reviewer talking about. Some scene just grainny, but the sound is good. Still on the second disc, we can see the songs not included in "the song remains...". What make me happy, I can see them playing Black Dog. Man, they've done it well. I wonder this not in "the song remains..". We can also see their (last?) performance in 1979 Knebworth concert, when they played some last classic like "in the evening", "kashmir", etc. Surprised when I saw Bonzo's still energetic when he close "Rock'n Roll" with his great drumming roffel. This DVD also provide clips (Oh, I like it), promo, TV concert (Denmark & France TV where audience so neat and calm incl. kids?), and interview (Man, why they'd being quetioned about The Beatles?). The one I complain is... to much "Communication Breakdown" (almost in all concert and promo). But it's great. As long as we're talking about DVD, the most important is, the pic is clean and bright (not like what previous reviewer said) and I'm happy with it. Great Jimmy, great!!. I'm interested in 'How West Was Won'. Btw, today local newspaper in my place, have an article about this DVD and LedZep. I'm happy to be one who have seen this. To Amazon : I've ever seen DVD call "LedZep: Their early concert" (or tittled close like it) in local store (but they're gone very fast) which I've never seen sold in your store. Do you have any information about this?
Rating: Summary: I've got two things to say: Review: 1. Great, fabulous, and a real treat to finally see these films in a format other than 5th gen. video. 2. One problem for me: not enough Jonesy.
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