Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won
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Free Music Notes for How the West Was Won
Free Music Review: EXTRAORDINARY, SUPBERB, PHENOMENAL, ETC...
Hit: 5 Stars
I was fortunate enough to find a fellow Zeppelin fan on the absolutely terrifying first day of grade 9 who actually had this album, and knew something about Led Zeppelin. I tended to shy away from live albums, mostly because I thought all bands were dreadful live, so when I read on the back that it was "performed," I wasn't as excited. I listened to it anyways, of course, and I was blown away... THIS album is what turned me into an absurdly die-hard Zeppelin fanatic. It starts out with a bunch of screaming fans, ("L.A. Drone") and then goes right into "Immigrant Song." The vocals on the part of Plant are, as always, amazing, and Page's guitaring is phemonenal. After that, you have "Heartbreaker," one of my favourites. I actually like the live version better than the regular one. "Black Dog," the next song, is absolutely, and I say this without hyperbole, the SINGLE BEST SONG EVER. You have Page's extremely rock-tastic riffs, and Plant wailing "oh yeah, oh yeah." What could get better than that?! Once again, I thought it was better than the regular version. Sure, the lyrics aren't amazing or deep or anything, but it's a great song. "Over the Hills and Far Away" is another classic, the guitaring is still (and always will be) terrific, and Plant's singing brings it all together. "Since I've Been Loving You," is mellow and soulful and mournful and everything else a Zeppelin song should be... I particularlily thought Page did a great job here (as always). Next, we have the classic. "Stairway to Heaven" is just as it should be... Especially the amazing solo. A classic, to be sure. "Going to California" is next... This isn't one of my all-time favourite songs, but I still enjoy it. "That's the Way" ...I don't have much to say about this song, other than that it's alright... Just alright. "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp!!!!!!" Oh my this is a great song. It makes you want to dance around, (This may be the crazy 14-Year-Old girl talking) and it's so... Gripping. I don't think thats the correct word but I always listen to it all the way through. "Dazed and Confused," is another classic. Great bass line, unique song, and Plant's crooning is the icing on the cake, if this song were a cake. This song also has "Walter's Walk" and "The Crunge" in it, but I can't recall much singing, just a lot of guitaring and such.
Oh dear... "What is and What Should Never Be" is so extraordinary that only people with Acute Die-Hard Zeppelin Fan Syndrome should listen to it. You have great guitar, bass, vocals, and drumming... What more could you ask for?! "Dancing Days" is next, and yet again an splendid song. This album is so good I am running out of positive adjectives; therefore, it is very...er...SUPERB. "Moby Dick" is next. This song is pretty substantial at 19 minutes... but it has some great guitaring, and Bonham's drum solo is very memorable.
Almost done... Four more songs so analyze! "Whole Lotta Love" is next. WOW! What a great song! If you get this album, and listen to "Whole Lotta Love" fir the first time, the opening guitar will blow you away! As well as the awesome guitaring, you of course have Plant's voice, Bonham's percussion, and Jones' bass all molded into some sort of super-fantastic song. There are other little songs on this 23-minute track. You also have Boogie Chillun/Let's Have a Party/Hello Marylou/Going. They consist of a lot of guitar solos, a lot of bass, and lots of other good stuff like that. "Rock and Roll!!!!!!!!!" Well, if there was ever a song that made you want to get up and do some sort of humiliating dance, this is it. Do not take this album to work and play it, because you will dance to this song... As well as doing some embarassing air-guitar... Not that I would know, of course. I'm far too cool for that. i just sing up high in a Robert Plant-esque voice. The nest song is "The Ocean." It's not too long (in Zeppelin terms) And the guitaring is once again great, as well as the singing, the bass, percussion... EVERYTHING. "Bring it on Home/Bring it on Back" is good n' bluesy. It's a grand finale to a grand album. I thought the harmonica was surprisingly great! After all everyone knows that the Beatles got immeasurably better after John learned he was not a skilled harmonica-ist... But not in Zeppelin's case! After a while, this song becomes more rock-like, not that it's a bad thing.
Sorry for the rather long review, but I'm quite passionate about this album. I hope you'll go out and buy it, or if you don't like the price just convince your friend to get it and then just snatch it and commit a bit of piracy music-wise.
In conclusion, I shall end with a quote. As Otto, the school bus driver from the Simpsons once said: "ZEPPELIN RUUUULLLLES!!!!" (As well as How the West was Won)
Free Music Review: Long overdue, but well-worth the wait
Hit: 5 Stars
Those who lived through the 70's (and still remember it), have been positing, for a long time, the following claim: Led Zeppelin were one of the greatest live bands in the history of rock 'n' roll. As their officially-released catalog bears it out, however, this has been perhaps a little hard to believe for many who weren't there -- even so for latter-day Zepheads. The Song Remains The Same, the band's first live album, has always had a spotty reputation, while BBC Sessions, though great, was not a true live album in the sense that it wasn't recorded in front of a live audience.Finally, at long last, the wait is over and the claim has been proven. How The West Was Won ranks among the great live records of all-time, faithfully capturing all that was great and thrilling about a Zeppelin concert: the jams, the grandeur, the band interplay, the solos, the indulgences. Culled from two California shows in mid-'72, the album captures the band between two of their greatest albums, Untitled and Houses of the Holy. The tracks collected here comprise a great overview of their first five albums, including most of the best-known ones, and a few others as well.
As listening to the discs makes clear, the band truly shined in a live setting. They were great at improvisation, as few bands before or since have been. This is in evidence all throughout the discs, from the very long numbers to the shorter ones. New life is breathed into every song: numbers that have been driven into our consciousnesses for years through constant album-playing and on rock radio sound newly fresh and invigorating. For myself, a Zeppelin fan for years who began to grow somewhat tired of the band due to repeated playings, this was a revelation. Page and Plant always like to talk about "light and shade": the alternate soft and heavy sides of Zeppelin's music. Sans the acoustic section, this is mostly missing in the live setting, where the vast majority of the songs go straight for the gut. Stairway To Heaven is entirely electric, and Page seems to be hurrying impatiently to get through the soft, slow opening part of Over The Hills and Far Away. All of this is apropos, of course. Some of the shorter songs really come alive in a live setting: Black Dog, which features a wonderful, ripping guitar solo and a great percussion outro from Bonham; Heartbreaker, which benefits exquisitely from an extended Page solo; and The Ocean, which rocks harder than it would on its forthcoming album debut. That said, the band also proves its eclecticism here, absolutely storming through two very long numbers: Dazed and Confused, and the Whole Lotta Love medley. The former finds the band tearing apart one of their first great songs -- jamming to great avail, improvising, while also incorporating bits and pieces of other songs here and there. The latter mixes old blues and early rock 'n' roll songs with one of the signature Zep songs, with Plant doing very well on some of the covers while the rest of the band rocks out. These two tracks, long as they are, are perpetually interesting -- often great, occasionally indulgent, but never boring. Last but not least, an acoustic set is thrown in for good measure; it features a beautiful version of That's The Way.
Throughout the years, many people, including industry insiders such as Eddie Van Halen, have denounced Page's live playing as somehow sloppy or inconsistent. Here, he truly gets the last laugh -- proving all of them wrong, and improvising in a wondrous way that Van Halen himself could never hope to achieve. He truly cements himself here as one of the great rock guitarists of all-time. And John Bonham, of course, simply shines, even more so than he always did in the studio. These classic songs would be worth listening to anew, if only to hear how he absolutely drives every song to the limit with his thunderous elephant beats and titanic fills. Plant alternately screams and whispers, God-like, through the entire set, while the sometimes under-appreciated Jones drones on, sans spotlight.
My only complaint about this album is the overlong drum solo. It becomes exhausting somewhere between the 5- and 10-minute points -- and then goes on for another 10. As great of a drummer as Bonham was, he worked best in the band setting -- where he could land his killer fills -- and does not necessarily shine as a soloist. Still, it would be unjust not to include the track -- and, after all, there's always the "Skip" button.
All in all, simply an indispensable live document, for everyone from the diehard Zepp addict to the casual rock fan. It is truly a live album for the ages.
Free Music Review: How Mott Was Won
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the Rock Album release of 2003 by a country mile. This collection of songs stands head and shoulders above anything else during the last twelve months. The only disappointment being that it was not released thirty-one years ago, at the time of its recording. Over the last thirty years the Led Zeppelin live selection available to the public has been extremely slim pickings. The best of them was some recordings from the dear old B.B.C., which, while not exactly bad, did not contain the excitement of a real in your face concert. The only official release during the band's `oh too brief' lifespan was 'The Song Remains The Same'. This was, if you like, a recording of the best band in the world playing one of the worst concerts they ever played. Other than that you had to rely upon bootlegs and sorting the good from the bad was not always easy. But with this release all has been put to rights.
This is a compilation of two concerts from June 1972, put together in the correct running order to show off an entire show of Led Zeppelin at the height of their powers playing in front of their rabid fans. Led Zeppelin was the finest rock band to ever tread the boards, and `How the West Was Won' catches them at their peak. Not only is this the rock release of 2003, but it also makes it the best live rock album ever. Full stop here - no arguments.
Each member of the band is brim full of confidence, skill, and comfort in their own abilities and those of their partners. Hard to believe they had only been together for just over three years, but had released five classic albums from which there is a selection from each here. These concerts were recorded on the `Houses of the Holy' tour. (The Songbook list was already overloaded with Cannon, and they still had to release `Physical Graffiti' and `Presence'. Listening you wonder what they are going to drop to put in 'Kashmir', etc.)
Robert Plant shows off confirming why he was the ultimate front man. With his unique voice with its yelps, yells and none too subtle innuendo, he was often copied, but never bettered.
Jimmy Page is not only the finest and most versatile guitarist, but leaves you in no mind, who the leader was of this crew.
John Paul Jones often does not get the credit he deserves, but as well as being such a jolly useful chap with his multi-instrumental talent, he also helped co-write many of Zeppelin's classic tracks.
John Bonham is awesome. His drumming throughout is superb and his stamina breathtaking. His almost twenty minute drum solo in 'Moby Dick' leaves all other drum solos in the dirt. (Not forgetting that the opening guitar lick of `Moby Dick' most bands would make a career out of.)
What you get, spread over three discs; ten songs on disc one, four on disc two, and four on disc three. That may sound a bit unfair, but then on disc two you get 'Dazed and Confused' clocking in at over twenty-five minutes and 'Moby Dick' at just under twenty minutes. Led Zeppelin go through the full range of their material from the acoustic songs that come at the end of disc one, the cosmic blues of 'Since I've been Loving You'. The majestic 'Stairway to Heaven' (I know you've heard it a thousand times, but only these four guys can get it right) to the let your hair down let's all go mad of 'Rock and Roll'.
Highlights over the three discs are far too many to mention, but for this dog the complete twenty-three minutes of the 'Whole Lotta Love' medley, and directly after the storming opener of `Immigrant Song', when Jimmy Page goes directly into the guitar riff of `Heartbreaker', `DANG DANG DANG DANG DA-DA-DANG, DA-DA-DA-DA-DA DANG DANG DA-DA-DANG' are the absolute pinnacle of Rock and Roll bliss. (Skip back and read the DANG DANG bit again and you know I'm right.) During happy hour at Tahitian Queen, when `Heartbreaker' slams its way out of the speakers, look around and you can see everybody is reaching for their air guitars as their heads rock back. One listen to this collection and you can hear `How The West Was Won' by Led Zeppelin in the early seventies. If this is not enough for you, don't forget there is an accompanying DVD simply titled Led Zeppelin with over five hours of different unreleased material, which is spread over Led Zeppelins entire career. Happy Daze indeed.
Mott the Dog.
Free Music Review: Finally a live album that counts
Hit: 5 Stars
Around 20 years ago my typical Saturday morning activity consisted of going to the local record shops and/or to the flee market of my home town. There I was looking for rare recordings of bands like the Mothers of Invention or the Velvet Underground or I was checking out the newest releases of independent bands. One other main priority for me at that time was to get a hold of Led Zeppelin live bootlegs, as I had become a fan of the band since I had heard "Black Dog" for the first time at the tender age of 15.In those days the life of a Led Zeppelin addict like me was tough, as the band didn't exist anymore and the only official live recording, "The Song Remains The Same" from 1973, was rather uninspiring. After having bought every studio album, including rare cover editions and singles, the only thing left for me to do was to hunt for the various unofficial live recordings to satisfy further the addiction for my favorite band: "On Blueberry Hill" from 1970, the Osaka concert from 1971, Seattle from 1973, Earl's Court from 1975, Roskilde from 1979, etc. At the end I found myself with dozens of live albums (including 21 different versions of "Stairway To Heaven") but still with an unsatisfactory feeling, as the sound quality of most bootlegs were either poor or fair and the true quality of the music could often only be anticipated.
More than 20 years later and after having abandoned my vinyl collection for good long time ago, the album that I had been desperately looking for has been finally released. "How The West Was Won" features absolutely great live moments of the group, which I regard as the best rock band that has ever existed. The album consists of 18 songs recorded during two concerts on June 25th and 27th in 1972 at the LA Forum and the Long Beach Arena in California. While the material stems mostly from the first four records, three songs from the then not yet released "Houses Of The Holy" album are also included.
In contrast to the later concert at the Madison Square Garden from 1973, which provided the material for the album and the film with the title "The Song Remains The Same", the band was truly inspired and the sound quality of the recording is just superb. Each instrument and the voice of Robert Plant are perfectly integrated in the overall sound. One highlight of the sound aspect is the amazing powerful quality of John Bonham's drums.
It is very difficult for me to point out any outstanding performances of the band as there are virtually no dull moment or lapses in the musical quality throughout the 150 minutes of the CD. If I had to name my personal highlights for each musician, I would choose John Paul Jone's bass work on the "Immigrant Song", Robert Plant's vocals during the acoustic "Going To California" and "That's The Way", Jimmy Page's solo on "Stairway To Heaven" and, last but not least, John Bonham's solo on "Moby Dick" (until I heard this CD I had been sure that rock drum solos were always boring).
The CD also has reminded me again why I always preferred Led Zeppelin in comparison to other bands who played in the same league. Where the Jimi Hendrix Experience consisted of one towering guitar player and two mediocre sidemen, Led Zeppelin was composed of four equally talented and equipped musicians. Where Cream was rather a loose association of three egocentric individuals, Led Zeppelin was indeed a *band*. In that respect the live versions of "Rock And Roll", "The Ocean" and "Black Dog", which are included on this album, are one of the finest moments in live rock music: Great songs presented in a raw but condensed form through an absolutely powerful wall of sound. It is still amazing to me that only four people could produce such force.
The only minor minus point is the packaging of the CD. The cover looks not too great, and more liner notes, information about the concert and photos would have been appreciated. But then, who really cares - the important thing is the music.
This CD is absolutely mandatory for every Led Zeppelin fanatic and I also recommend it to every person who is not intimately familiar with the music of the band.
Hopefully this was not the last old Led Zeppelin live release by Jimmy Page.
Free Music Review: The Best of the Best
Hit: 5 Stars
I love Led Zeppelin. I have all the Official releases of LZ, both DVD and Boxed Sets, Live recordings. Also have some bootlegs of Zeppelin (over 40 to be precise) many are audience recordings, superb audience records, dry soundboards and excellent soundboards of their best performances through the years. Also have all the authorized or official discography (The essential, because I stopped to buy compilations from the Hendrix Family that claimed to have unreleased tracks that appeared on other released materials from them) of Jimi Hendrix and The recommended Live and compilations albums of The Who.
People often to watch Jimmy Hendrix at concerts to see and hear what Jimmy will do that day or night with his guitar. Would he burn his guitar and smash the amps after the star spangled banner? Sadly, no performance of himself was performed with confidence. He was shy and nervous time by time. But there are great performances of him out there. Too little time to wasted such great talent, but I think that he couldn't be such a great guitar player through the 70's. His over-overdosin of drugs was burning his neurons and creativity was lost. I really enjoy him from 66-68...
The Who was a really great live band... but sadly only 2 Live albums are recomended to Who and non Who fans. Live At Leeds is just a perfect performance, better than a studio live take. It's just perfect. Isle of Wight, well... a memorable concert, but not great. I don't know any bootleg of the who that claims to be better than those two releases. I've been looking for it, but did not found one.
But Led Zeppelin is another story. Great live acts. Just check out The Song Remains The Same (Soundtrack). It is not their best, but is great. The sound is great, the performance is good, and the mix is far better than the Motion picture. Sadly, the motion picture is not a live concert, but 3 concerts cutted-and-pasted to present the "best" (according to Page). I've heard great performances of Zeppelin in bootlegs. Great Audience recordings that are clear and even better than some soundboard recordgins. Awesome performances. Also I heard unbelievable cristal soundboard recordings of AWESOME live concerts of Zeppelin. I say Led Zeppelin has at least 20 more Soundboard concerts that needs to be oficially released, not to move away this "How the West Was Won" concert, but to strength the Zeppelin Mania and provide more than "enought" artistic document to the fans and to the history of music. Some complete concerts that undoubtely deserves to be published are COMPLETE: Madison Square Garden (1975), Earls Court 1975, LA Forum material from 1977 (they played almost 4 or 5 days in only a week, and one of the shows Keith Moon joined John Bonham on drums), and more Knebworth 1979.
For this release, I must say that, in 1972, Led Zeppelin performed a lot of their greatest and best performances ever. I can compare this 2 shows with the Australia, Japan, and Seattle bootlegs, and this is their best performance for the 72 tour. The other bootleg shows present their explosive and hardest performances, but sadly, sound quality of these shows are not their best. I bet that Page doesn't have Soundboard tapes of those shows, or they are horribly bad sounding. If you watch the Sydney footage in the Led Zeppelin DVD, the song played is a bootleg source.
This material of HTWWW has survived 30 years in a vault where some people entered and stealed soundboard recordings, outtakes, and other media where not carefully treated through years.
Jimmy has more Zeppelin material, but I bet he will not released any other material of Zeppelin. He is old, and he will not wait another 30, 20 or even 10 years to release any other material. This is the LAST thing we will hear to be officially released by Page.
As a gift of Led Zeppelin to fans, please yourself hearing again and again something you would wish to be their and something your generations will learn from music, from rock, from Led Zeppelin, the greatest rocking live band ever.