Led Zeppelin
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Movie Reviews of Led Zeppelin
Movie Review: Unbelievable, you must witness this DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
Words cannot truly do justice to this collection, which is, simply put, awesome. Before this, I was still a Led Zeppelin fan, however I only truly appreciated them for their riff-laden, harder-rocking stuff. After seeing this DVD, I am now one of the biggest Zep fans out there and now truly realize the musical brilliance of these four amazingly gifted musicians. This DVD is both eye-opening and awe-inspiring, that's what it all comes down to for someone such as myself who was born well after Zeppelin had met its end with the tragic death of John Bonham. There are a million reasons to buy this collection, here are the five big ones, in no particular order: 1.Moby Dick - John Bonham's epic drum solo extraordinaire firmly puts aside any doubts that he truly IS the greatest rock drummer there ever was, and likely ever will be. It's no wonder Led Zeppelin had to disband after his death, there's no replacing "Bonzo". This drum solo is easily the most memorable single section of the collection, it's over 13 minutes of utter freneticism and majesty, as he starts off with the drum sticks, and God, could that man play, but then when he puts the drumsticks down and starts playing a manic solo with his bare hands, you know this is no ordinary drummer... 2. White Summer - whereas Bonzo affirmed his status as the greatest at his instrument with Moby Dick, Jimmy Page proves that he is, if not the best, among the top three guiatarists there ever was, and White Summer is the most memorable showing from him on here, just an incredible guitar solo by Page...not to be missed. 3. Stairway to Heaven - Jimmy Page does an absolutely phenomenal job on the guitar solo here, it far surpasses the legendary guitar solo on the studio version, and that's saying quite a bit, and Robert Plant does an EXCELLENT job singing this one, except for perhaps the last verse or so, but it's still very commendable. 4. In My Time of Dying - improves upon the studio version, if that's even possible. This atmosphere created by the lighting, etc...on stage, creates a epic mood of far more grandeur than if you are not watching it. Also, the memorable riff in the middle of the song is slightly clearer here than in studio. 5. Achilles Last Stand - this is the true gem of the whole package, and worth the price alone. It captures the essence of Led Zeppelin perfectly...inspired drumming from John Bonham, rock solid bass-playing from the much under-appreciated John Paul Jones, charismatic singing from the versatile Robert Plant, and captivating guitar-playing from the incomparable Jimmy Page. Possibly the most epic, the grandest, fieriest song in Zeppelin's catalogue, this is a picture-perfect version of Achilles Last Stand. Of course there are other fine moments on the CD as well, the folk-song trio, with Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp being the highlight of those, and the Dazed and Confused guitar solo, with violin bow, are other great moments, but really, overall, this set is five and a half hours of non-stop magic. Led Zeppelin had a stage presence like no other...Jimmy Page, dancing around with his long black hair, Robert Plant's unimitable strutting around the stage, the tight precision of the music and the grand solos, this was a band that set the bar so high that it is very unlikely any band after them has and ever will come close to holding claim to being as worthy as Led Zeppelin. This DVD collection helps to capture it for a whole new generation such as myself. My only complaint: that this live set of songs isn't also available on audio CD. Yes, How the West Was Won has a portion of them, and I'm sure they are equally admirable versions, however it only captures Led Zep's early half of work, there is no epic In My Time of Dying, or Achilles Last Stand, or Kashmir, or Trampled Underfoot, etc...and it's a shame, so if they would ever come out with a CD version of these live renditions, that would also be a treat for listening on long car trips, etc... Granted, it'd be more like a 4 or 5 CD set, but it'd be worth it for sure. Altogether, there is no knock on the DVD set itself, it is a fantastic chronology of possibly the greatest band to ever rock the Earth. Many a heartfelt thanks to the one and only Jimmy Page and company for unearthing this material so that its magic could be shared with all.Movie Review: Phenomenal.....period.
Summary: 5 Stars
This DVD set is simply amazing. I'm glad they decided to release this concert footage because there isn't anything else out there (except The Song Remains The Same). In their day Led Zeppelin shunned commercialism so there is very limited documentation of them in TV interviews or live concert footage. They felt that in order to truly appreciate the band and it's music, you had to go see them live in concert. These concerts were originally filmed for the band's own personal use and enjoyment. I know it all boils down to money, but Jimmy Page was involved in every aspect of this DVD release (the video was restored and looks sharp and crisp, the music was remastered in stereo and sounds supurb). As a result, they released a superior product. I was too young to see Zeppelin live, so this is the next best thing. When you run this through your TV and stereo system at home, you almost feel as if you are there. The band sounds great live. This is what rock 'n' roll, and Led Zeppelin, is all about. A must own for all fans of Zeppelin.
On DVD 1, The Royal Albert Hall concert from 1970 is great. The highlights of the show include John Bonham's 'Moby Dick' and the band's performance of 'What Is And What Should Never Be'. But the real treat on the DVD for me is the Danmarks Radio performance in 1969 that was caught on film. The band cranks out a live, raw, practically spot-on performance. DVD 1- Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1970 (102 min): We're Gonna Grove, I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, White Summer, What Is and What Should Never Be, How Many More Times, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, C'mon Everybody, Something Else, Bring It On Home. DVD 1 Extras - Communication Breakdown video from 1969 (2:24). Danmarks Radio Performance from 1969 (31:24): Communication Breakdown, Dazed And Confused, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, How Many More Times. Supershow from 1969 (7:31): Dazed And Confused. Tous En Scene from 1969 (9:01): Communication Breakdown, Dazed And Confused.
DVD 2 is really good and features performances throughout the 1970s. The first video on here is just a montage of photos and different concert video clips for the live version of Immigrant Song (I guess they didn't have decent concert footage for it). The DVD also has concert footage from the 1973 Madison Square Garden show that never made it in the movie documentary "The Song Remains The Same". DVD 2 - Immigrant Song (live) from 1972 (4:03). Madison Square Garden concert from 1973 (23:24): Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, The Ocean. Earls Court concert 1975 (49:00): Going To California, That's The Way, Bron Yr Aur Stomp, In My Time of Dying, Trampled Under Foot, Stairway To Heaven. Knebworth concert 1979 (50:11): Rock And Roll, Nobody's Fault But Mine, Sick Again, Achilles Last Stand, In The Evening, Kashmir, Whole Lotta Love. DVD 2 Extras - 1970 NYC press conference (3:27). Down Under 1972 (5:17): Rock And Roll, Interviews with the band. The Old Grey Whistle Test 1975 (3:47): Robert Plant interview. Promo 1 video 1990 (4:49): Over The Hills And Far Away. Promo 2 video 1990 (4:12): Travelling Riverside Blues.
If anyone is new to the band and isn't sure where to start song wise, be sure to check out Amazon's MP3 area for $1 Led Zeppelin song downloads. Start with songs from Zeppelin II like Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, Living Loving Maid, Ramble On or Thank You. Or songs from Zeppelin IV like Rock N Roll, Black Dog or Stairway To Heaven. And then build from there. Zep 1: Communication Breakdown. Zep III: Immigrant Song. Etc.
Here is an interesting site that gives detailed descriptions of Zep songs and the musical influences behind each and why Zep was accused of plagarism and taken to court a number of times, especially on Zeppelin I. www.turnmeondeadman.net/Zep/Originals.php
Movie Review: The mother lode of live Led Zeppelin
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, this 2-DVD set is yet to be released but I'm still rating it at five stars. The press release put out by Atlantic Records describes the set and the accompanying 3-CD live set as the "mother lode of Led Zeppelin live recordings"! Slated for a simultaneous May 27 release, this marks the first-ever official release of rare and legendary performances spanning Led Zeppelin's entire career.
But the DVD and CD sets contain entirely different material so there is no overlap between the two releases.
Clocking in at nearly five-and-a-half hours, The "Led Zeppelin DVD" has been culled from just a handful of performances ever filmed during the band's lifetime.
Guitarist Jimmy Page explained: "We were never really part of the pop scene. It was never what Led Zeppelin was supposed to be about. Our thing was playing live. In that sense, Zeppelin was very much an underground band. The fact that it became as successful as it did was something that was almost out of our control. We actually shunned commercialism, which is why so little official footage of the band has ever been seen before."
Featured on the DVD are performances from London's Royal Albert Hall in January 1970, just a year after the release of their debut album, their five-night run at London's Earl's Court in May 1975 and their record-breaking shows at England's Knebworth Festival in August 1979, just a year before drummer John Bonham's death led to the band's dissolution.
Also included are songs from New York's Madison Square Garden in July 1973 that were not included in "The Song Remains The Same" concert film, the only previously released live Zeppelin footage.
Other highlights on the DVD are extremely rare television appearances, among them a performance for Danish television in March 1969; promotional clips; TV interviews; behind-the scenes material and even a bit of bootleg footage shot by fans.
The DVD has been painstakingly restored, remixed and remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, DTS, and PCM two-channel stereo under the personal supervision of Jimmy Page and director Dick Carruthers.
Carruthers recently told reporters that the DVD set is intended as a definitive statement of all that is fit for release, though that quality threshold was set very high by surviving Led Zeppelin members.
While Carruthers collected film and video material, Jimmy Page and Kevin Shirley assembled surround mixes from Page's huge archive of live recordings.
The DVDs present the material in chronological order and the supplementary material consists of early European TV appearances on the first disc, and interviews and 1990-vintage promos on the second, including the only decent interview footage of the late John Bonham.
The Albert Hall footage is from a two camera 16mm shoot and the second disc reportedly has a stunning version of "The Immigrant Song" for which footage could not be found. So some Super 8 footage from Australia has been edited promo-style to accompany it.
Track listing:
Disc 1
Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1970) 1hr 42 mins
We're gonna groove
I can't quit you baby
Dazed and confused
White summer
What is and what should never be
How many more times
Moby Dick
Whole lotta love
Communication breakdown
C'mon everybody
Something else
Bring it on home
Disc 2
The immigrant song
Madison Square Garden (1973) 23:24 mins
Black dog
Misty mountain hop
Since I've been loving you
The ocean
Earls Court (1975) 49 mins
Going to California
That's the way
Bron Y Aur stomp
In my time of dying
Trampled underfoot
Stairway to heaven
Live at Knebworth (1979) 51:41 mins
Rock'n'roll
Nobody's fault but mine
Sick again
Achilles last stand
In the evening
Kashmir
Whole lotta love
Movie Review: Rock History in a Box Set
Summary: 5 Stars
Although they have sold millions and millions of albums worldwide, Led Zeppelin never released a legitimate live release in their catalogue. The live albums released prior to this DVD collection - THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME (1976) and THE BBC SESSIONS (1997) - were dismal examples of what Zeppelin truly must've sounded like on stage during the '70s. It's been a long time coming, but Jimmy Page and company have come back full force with a titanic two-DVD box set simply titled LED ZEPPELIN. These two discs contain over four hours of never-before-seen live footage of the band that captures every period of their career, as well as fascinating bonus material like interviews, rare TV appearances, and even two music videos from 1990. It also goes without saying that these are, by far, the best-sounding and best-looking DVDs I've ever seen. Not even a regular movie DVD sounds as great as the concert footage does here. We have Jimmy Page and his collaborator Dick Carruthers to thank for that. These old and once worn-out images have been painstakingly remastered and restored for our viewing pleasure, and the sound and picture quality are so good, you actually feel like you're there at these concerts. Add to the fact that these performances showcase Zeppelin at their absolute best, which really brings life to the proceedings.
The first DVD contains the entire (almost) performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970. Since the band only released two albums by this point, most of the set is comprised of songs from those albums as well as cover tunes and long improvisational jams. This was a band that were still young and hungry. The rollicking opener "We're Gonna Groove" kicks things off to a frenzied start, and segues into the slinky Otis Rush blues of "I Can't Quit You Baby," followed by the extended version of "Dazed and Confused" with Jimmy Page making sounds with a violin bow never heard before coming out of a guitar. "White Summer" is a lovely 12-minute instrumental with just Page and his guitar and Bonham adding percussion where needed. Speaking of Bonham, he really goes off the wall during his famous lengthy drum solo "Moby Dick." The fact that Bonzo can do all these rhythms on such a small kit is astonishing, and when he puts the drum sticks down and starts beating the drums with his hands, I was in awe. The closing medley of "C'mon Everybody," "Something Else," and "Bring It On Home" brings the concert to a fiery end. A truly great early performance, but it can't compare to the goodies found on DVD 2.
Even better than the first disc, the second DVD is comprised of three different performances - Madison Square Garden (1973), Earls Court (1975), and the Knebworth Festival (1979) - and grainy footage of "The Immigrant Song" to create one full, non-stop concert. Each concert is segued flawlessly into the next and it works wonderfully. The 1979 Knebworth performance is my favorite of the bunch; it's definitely the most intense in this entire collection. Instead of playing favorites, here are the highlights of these performances: hard and heavy versions of "Black Dog," "The Ocean," and "Rock and Roll"; the poignant acoustic triple play of "Going to California," "That's the Way," and "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp"; the blistering Gothic blues workout "In My Time of Dying"; and the definitive versions of the epics "Achilles' Last Stand" and "Kashmir." Also worth mentioning are the liner note booklets, written by hard rock expert Mick Wall which are a fascinating read into the making of the DVDs.
I don't think I can say enough. This is the best documentation of Zeppelin's live material ever done, before and since. From the sound/picture quality, to the energy, to the performances, and to those great improvs, the LED ZEPPELIN box set is pure rock history, fresh and revitalized once again.
Movie Review: Absolutely Essential
Summary: 5 Stars
It had long been known that a wealth of Led Zeppelin footage existed, making the fact that the subpar The Song Remains the Same was their only live video very frustrating. Led Zeppelin DVD finally corrected this, emptying the vaults to generously give hours and hours of footage containing several dozen songs plus a few rare interview snippets. It will take days for even the most dedicated to go through, including those who have already seen the Mothership teaser. Performances range across the band's career, from very early takes to some of the last. The chronological listing lets us watch the band progress; we see them not only add songs but truly grow as performers, refining solos and ever rearranging and extending old cuts. This is clear even from the array of instruments; on the first performances, Jimmy Page has a few guitars, John Paul Jones sticks to bass, and John Bonham has an astonishingly small drum kit. Soon, though, Page has multiple guitars, Jones a plethora of keyboards, and Bonham an ever-growing kit. Yet the truly amazing thing is that the playing is universally strong; songs became more expansive, but performances were always top-notch. A significant percentage of Zeppelin's catalog is represented, not only virtually all the world famous tracks ubiquitously played on radio but also album cuts like "In My Time of Dying" and "Achilles Last Stand" that are often even better. Zeppelin also proves again and again that they were one of the world's great cover bands. Anyone who has not seen or heard them live is in for a real treat; they are one of the greatest live acts of all-time. Combining stellar musicianship and superb showmanship, they continually outdid themselves. Even those who know the albums none by note will be exhilarated; Zeppelin was one of the great jam bands, adding extended solos and otherwise altering arrangements. Songs typically ranged from a few minutes over album length to nearly ten times as long. Some were truly never played the same way twice, but Zeppelin was no mindless jam band; no matter how indulgent, the jamming was always interesting and often transcendent. Page's solos were absolutely ferocious, some of the best ever - all the more notable in that they were often improvised.. Jones' bass was often significantly heavier than on album, and he truly went the proverbial extra mile on keyboards. However, Bonham may have had the biggest improvement; astounding as his studio drumming is, his live pounding was near-superhuman. He adds fills in places we would never expect, often significantly improving songs by the strength of his playing alone. And of course we cannot forget Robert Plant; his singing almost never disappointed, and he was consistently able to match albums' range and high notes in stunning contrast to the many rock singers who stumble onstage. It is also a tribute to his showmanship and sheer onstage presence that we never forget him even when he is silent for ten or more minutes during long jams. Plant in particular benefits from video; seeing is truly believing. The other members are also entertaining, and actually seeing a band of course always adds a hard to define but very important element. This is especially true here, as sound and picture quality are very high - less so of course on early videos, but this is unavoidable; later ones, though, are truly great. The interviews are also invaluable, especially as they show a nuanced side of the band that is all too often overlooked. It is easy to dismiss Zeppelin as mindless party animals, but they come off as surprisingly thoughtful and articulate; particularly intriguing is one of Bonham's very few interview bits. Led Zeppelin DVD is nothing less than one of the greatest live videos of all-time and absolutely essential for anyone even remotely interested in the band.