Rating: 
Summary: The Blues Never Made Me So Happy
Review: I'm 33 years old, and was a huge Zep fan from my mid teens to mid 20s. Buying this DVD set brings it all back into focus for me now and reminds me why Zepplin -- hands down -- was the greatest blues rock band ever created.Listening and watching what they threw down in the late 60s and 70s in 2003 makes you realize just how devoid of power and passion the music industry in general is today. Today's music is marketing. Zeppelin flies in the face of that -- they were all about the music and playing live. I wish I could have been at one of these shows -- the DVD comes damn close to making you feel like you were there. I can only hope that the DVD set and the 3CD live package will start another blues/rock groundswell that refocuses the music buying public's attention on the music -- not the marketing.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: I've been a Zeppelin fan since nearly the "beginning" (70's), always wanted to see them live, but came of "concert age" just as Bill Graham announced Zeppelin coming to town (SF Bay Area), only to hear shortly after of Bonham's untimely demise. . . . At the time, it was a huge let-down/tragedy. So I've been waiting for something like this for over 20 years. Realizing my particularly acute anticipation, I was a little fearful of being disappointed. Sure, the DVD promised to get me/everyone as close to a live show as possible . . . Yet, given 20+ years of anticipation, how could this video/recording of Led Zeppelin live up to such high and perhaps unrealistic expectations? Well, quite simply, they exeeded all expectations; more than I could have known, it's been worth the wait. The DVD is truly stunning. When I put it in, switched to DTS surround, and sat down to just quickly take a look/hear at Disk 1, it took me by complete surprise, even in light of my palpable anticipation. The whole thing just hit me like a freight train at full power. I actually felt the adreneline kick in, as their performance from the moment they started playing just took off from a standstill to 100 mph in a heartbeat. Everything was surprisingly striking: the power of Bonham's drumming, the strength of Plant's voice, the intensity of Page's playing . . . it was all there, and more. Even though I never saw these guys live, I have to think that this DVD has captured the overwhelming energy that made this band so successful. It's been a long time since a movie/concert has impacted me with this much excitement, emotion and pure enjoyment (usually attainable only at live performances). I still regret never seeing Zeppelin live. But now, having seen/felt what is the most "live"-like performance of any band I can think of, I regret it a lot less. If you like/love Zeppelin (and especially if you have even a passable home theater speaker system), this one's a no-brainer. ...
Rating:
Summary: In the Zeppelinverse -- Warp 10 IS Possible.
Review: I watched the Zeppelin DVD on the weekend. Absolutely amazing. You MUST get it. Of all the mind bending things on these discs, one of the most amazing has to be the Danish TV gig. It opens as a group of maybe 40 teenagers are ushered into a bare hall with no chairs in sight. The band is set up in a tight configuration in the middle of this empty room. The kids sit cross legged on the floor -- like in a high school gym. Imagine what must have gone through their minds. Having no idea whatsoever about what to expect. No frame of reference. Nothing. Here's this new band, been together for a few months...they are going to play you some songs from their new album. Then it comes, in a cascade, no, an AVALANCHE --- Communication Breakdown, then Dazed and Confused, then Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, then How Many More Times. At one point the guy on guitar whips out a violin bow and you start hearing sounds you've never heard in your life -- that you never thought were possible. And the guy on drums, he's hitting his toms harder than you thought it possible to hit a drum...to hit ANYTHING. And the bass player, lord god above, he's playing a melodic line in tandem with the guitarist which means that the guitarist can peal off at warp 9.99, no, let's just admit it, at Warp 10, into these solos where his left hand seems to do more playing than his right ("Captain, she can't TAKE warp 10. Yes, Scotty, she can -- it IS possible -- for we are in a universe where the normal rules of physics don't apply -- the "Zepellinverse"). Any sane person would have sat there and cast a thankful eye heavenward thinking -- "There IS a god after all...a benevolent god...a god who LOVES humanity...a god who has a little present for us..the greatest band EVER." The rest of the DVD is as brilliant, but I thought this little vignette might be helpful. BUY THIS DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Completely sick...
Review: The legend is a legend for a reason. Insane talent, creativity, artistry, showmanship, beauty... You WILL be transported to another time & place with this DVD set. Had to laugh when I read another reviewer's comments about getting with the 90s and buying a DVD player...right on target. I'm pushin' 40 and began my Zep fascination at age 12. This set is PURE GOLD to me. I found myself watching dumbfounded, jaw hanging open, as Jimmy played what appears to be an extension of his own body in the form of a guitar. Or Bonham, on Moby Dick (on the whole DVD, actually), hands flying faster than the eye can follow. Or Plant, at his vocal peak, commanding that all bow down to their Celtic master. Or the low-profile John Paul Jones, the steady, consumate musician, providing the necessary glue that brings the whole sound together. The performances are like some addictive drug, filling a need, yet creating a strong desire for more. It is so satisfying to hear the tunes we all know by heart, only refreshingly new and filled with improvisation. THIS DVD SET IS ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC, revealing subtle nuances and exchanges between bandmates as they work together creatively. Its a pure experience that is a wonderfully refreshing change from the overproduced MTV video-style we've been subjected to for the last few decades. I could go on and on, but stop wasting your time reading this and just go buy the darn thing and be transported to the Church of Zeppelin. THANK YOU JIMMY & CO.!
Rating:
Summary: Makes the wait well worth it
Review: The More I watch it the I more I love it. The Pictures the sounds not one thing to say bad. Only shows more the talent of Mr Page and company.
Rating:
Summary: A rare look at some musical legends in action.
Review: This DVD is long overdue. Led Zeppelin was famous for having a very distant and strained relationship with the press and media, and as a result very little is available of their live performances. Other than the "Song Remains the Same", there have been some bootlegs, but nothing official. This set is worth the wait, although it just really whets the appetite for material not included here. Disc one contains some rare early footage, including some rather weak TV spots. The highlight of the first disc for me was the encore section of the Royal Albert Hall show in 1970. The blues inspired and feel of "Bring It On Home" is captured flawlessly, as are the two covers that proceed it. They really could play blues and '50's rock and roll with the best of them. Despite some classic recordings and performances from the very early days on disc one, the best of the set is disc two. Disc two is amazing. The songs left over from the Madison Square Garden show that is the center of their previous DVD release "Song Remains the Same", are truly gems. In particular the slow and burning blues of "Since I've Been Loving You" are played perfectly, as is "The Ocean" a lively rock and roll single. The set that follows, Royal Albert Hall in 1975, contains one of their all time great songs in my opinion, "That's The Way", done in an acoustic set, and another classic rendition of "Stairway to Heaven". The disc builds to the 1979 Knebworth shows, the last tour for them. My only complaint is that the 7 songs from that show are not nearly enough. The highlight for me is the (then new) song "In The Evening". Also of interest are the music video's, listed as "promo's. Included is one of the rarest and best of their recordings, "Traveling Riverside Blues". If you are at all a fan of Led Zeppelin, then this DVD set is worth every penny. One hopes there is enough material remaining to produce at least one more of these.
Rating:
Summary: LED ZEPPELIN LIVE AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Well all I can say is AWESOME!!!!!!! I am watching it as I write this, "Thats the Way" from Earls Court(1975) is playing and it makes feel like crying because its so beautiful.....Plant looks like a flower child with those golden locks flowing around his shoulders... Page is a god with that acoustic guitar, plucking out chords and smiling. JPJ is a hell of a bass player and his mandolin is crying into my ears..... John Bonham is a drumming machine thats never ending, Moby Dick is a thunderous wall of sound smashing my eardrums and I love it..... No doubt these guys were kings in the 70s.... If I had children I would make them watch this DVD till they knew every song by heart.... I know they would never listen to rap music after seeing this musical phenomenon...... BUY THIS DVD AND ENJOY MUSIC AT ITS BEST..... LONG LIVE THE MIGHTY ZEPPELIN!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A DREAM COME TRUE
Review: I WASN'T EXPECTIING THIS DVD SO SOON. I DIDN'T THINK THE BAND HAD SO MANY QUALITY SHOW TO MAKE THIS DVD. BUT IT'S WAS A SURPRISE TO SEE THE QUALITY OF THE PICTURE AND SOUND ON THOSE 4 SHOWS. IT'S A LITTLE BIT DARK ON THE FIRST CONCERT IN LONDON, BUT IT'S IMPROVING WITH THE OTHERS SHOWS. THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL FROM THE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN SHOW IS VERY GOOD. BUT THE MAIN ATTRACTION IS THE SHOWS THAT INCLUDE SOME PHYSICAL GRAFFITI SONGS.I GIVE 5 STARS BECAUSE OF THE QUANTITY OF MATERIAL HERE DESPITE THE INCONSISTY OF THE QUALITY SOMETIMES(MAINLY IN THE EXTRA FEATURES). A MUST FOR LED ZEPPELIN FANS AND FOR THOSE WHO WANTS TO DISCOVER ONE OF THE GREATEST ROCKN' ROLL BAND.
Rating:
Summary: gratitude and love
Review: Profound gratitude to Jimmy Page for his painstaking work, retrieving and in some cases rescuing this material. Both this and "How The West Was Won" are of an uncompromised level of quality both technically and artistically. And it's clear from the promotional materials that this was a gruelling undertaking. What a gift to listeners now and in the future that Page has offered this stirring, gorgeous compilation in all its glory!
As a viewer I find the early material the most compelling. The nearly hypnotic mystery of Jimmy Page's playing is more attainable when he is newer to the stage. Robert Plant as a younger man also seems closer to the wellspring of his inspiration. As the later footage unfolds, I have a sense of people who are in some sense removed from their art, perhaps because the World itself has dragged them, (as John Lennon said of the Beatles' live performance years,) through an experience resembling Fellini's Satyricon! It also appears to me that in their thirties, they became interested in more technical levels of musicianship, revving up their sound into a jazz-inspired frenzy, (the material from Presence), which seems a departure from their early fascination with mysticism and trance. Viewing the changes in the band members themselves, and the energy of their presentation, raises more questions than answers for me. But all are questions worth deep consideration, I feel.
The predominant feeling that comes up for me, watching this material, and knowing that I'm experiencing it simultaneously with fans the world over, is love. Yes, hero worship and admiration, yes excitement and passion! But also a sense of love for the amazing places our culture went thirty years ago, and for the human beings that come together spiritually in the search for transcendance through music.
Power, mystery, hammer of the gods! Live on!
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing!!
Review: I could not wait for mail order to come in so it took me 5 stores to find the DVD...I have spent 10 hours the past few days watching in awe how mighty this band was. I have seen numerous concert videos of other bands and nothing can compare to what these 4 men did on stage. The sheer force and energy that came from the hands of page, jones, and bonzo is extraordinary. Pending on what type of zep fan you are and what songs you prefer, I think any song will demonstrate what kind of performers they were. The power numbers are great, featuring trampled under foot, nobody's fault but mine, kashmir, or achilles last stand. The rhthym section of jones and bonham blow you away. The bluesy nuumbers of since I've been loving you and i cant quit you baby are great as well. The video quality can be shaky at times but hey, its old and has been lying around for years. But the sound quality is amzazing, I dont know how they were able to pull off this kind of quality. For the pure fan, you must listen through a home theatre system and crank the volume. Thank you Jimmy Page for your work to put this together and allowing your fans to enter into the vision of the greatest band to ever live.
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