Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won
|
List Price: Our Price: $13.54 You Save: $13.44 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $8.19 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for How the West Was Won
Free Music Review: Finally...The Definitive Live Album From Led Zeppelin
Hit: 5 Stars
It's official...you can now throw out your copy of THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME. After more than 25 years, Atlantic records has released the definitive concert album from the premier heavy metal band. Culled from two 1972 California concerts, this is two-and-a-half hours of primo Zeppelin.And while it would not be until spring of the following year that HOUSES OF THE HOLY, their fifth studio album, would be released, four songs from that album were debuted during their 1972 concert tour: "Over the Hills and Far Away," "Dancing Days," "The Ocean" and "The Crunge," the latter as part of the 25-minute "Dazed and Confused" medley.
In addition to highlights from their first five albums, the band shows us that their musical roots weren't exclusively the blues. In the 23-minute "Whole Lotta Love" medley they cover early rock 'n' roll songs "Let's Have a Party" and "Hello Mary Lou," as well as "Goin' Down Slow."
As enjoyable--and indispensable--as this album is, I do have a few quibbles. [Get ready to hit the "Not Helpful" button, folks!] Some of Page's noodling on the first half of "Dazed and Confused" is a bit bombastic. Also, was it really necessary to expand the studio version of "Moby Dick" from under five minutes to nineteen minutes? [I played in a band in high school and we never gave our drummer more than five minutes--long enough to have a smoke.] And what was the point of listing the 14-second "LA Drone" as one of the tracks? In addition, there are virtually no liner notes, and there is no booklet or concert photos. If they were trying to cut costs, this would have easily fit onto two CDs instead of spreading it out over three.
With that said, this documents Led Zeppelin at the top of their game and the peak of their creativity. This is a must-have purchase for any Zeppelin fan. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Free Music Review: Led Zeppelin Won The West Without A Single Shot Fired!
Hit: 5 Stars
Wow. As a young pup not that was not around during the 1970s, I can tell you just how much the music of years gone by, and the music from today that draws so much from years gone by, sounds so much better than a lot of the crap out today. People like Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and ZZ Top consistently hold up so much better than Britney Spears, Blink 182, and Good Charlotte. This great live album by Led Zeppelin proves just that. Here, they blister through a set of great classic songs. It plays to the band's strengths: Plant's howling, Page's fantastic fretwork and arrangements, JPJ's versatility, and Bonham's lightning and thunder. This set has given life to some songs, namely Stairway To Heaven and Rock And Roll, that have been worn out by Classic Rock radio stations spinning them three times a day. These live versions just have so much energy. The sound quality is also really great, especially for the time period. The drums can be heard very well. There's not as much hiss as you would normally hear. My only complaint would have to be Moby Dick. A great drum solo is always appreciated, but at 19 minutes? By the way, the extended medley versions of Dazed And Confused and Whole Lotta Love are awesome, and just kick my ass everytime. It's just that Moby Dick is too much for me to stomach, and I love longer songs like Skynyrd's Freebird and Stevie Ray Vaughan's 13 minute rendition of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) on the Live At Montreux discs. How about Communication Breakdown instead? Or When The Levee Breaks? But that's a minor quibble. Overall, a great set from Zeppelin's best period, the first five albums. After that, they lost a bit, but were still great nonetheless. Hey, bands of today, instead of trying to be like Green Day or Nirvana, try to be like this band, or the other great bands of this time, like Hendrix, Cream, Pink Floyd, The Doors, ZZ Top, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Be more like Los Lonely Boys, and the music will be a lot better.Free Music Review: Bootlegs aside - this is Led Zeppelin's best live recording
Hit: 5 Stars
No comparison. "How The West Was Won" released by Atlantic in 2002 puts "The Song Remains The Same" (1976) to shame. Page, Plant, Jones & Bonham are all in top form.WHAT YOU GET: 17 songs on 3 discs - that probably could have fit on 2 discs - recorded in 1972 from shows at California's LA Forum and Long Beach Arena. OK - there are really 18 tracks listed, but I'm not including the 14 second waste of an opening track "LA Drone". 17 songs compared to "Ths Song Remains The Same" and it's 9 tracks. Better, tho not superior sound quality (remember this is 1972). Great song selection tho I must say that only one song ("Dazed & Confused") is featured from Led Zep's brilliant 1st album; 5 songs from Led Zep II; 4 songs from Led Zep III; 4 songs from Led Zep IV; and tho not released yet, 3 songs ("The Ocean", "Over The Hills & Far Away" and "Dancing Days") are featured from their soon to be released "Houses Of The Holy". Anyone else notice how quiet the audience was after these songs ended? You get 4 marathon songs with "Moby Dick", "Whole Lotta Love", "Bring It On Home" and "Dazed & Confused"... each containing some medleys within (assorted early rock covers, blues, and a small taste of "The Crunge").
WHAT YOU DON'T GET: No expansive liner notes (what they give you is the bare minimum here), no history or roots of the band, no booklet with cool pictures. The song selection is top notch, but for me personally I miss some of the stuff from Zep's debut (even the really short songs like "Good Times Bad Times", or "Communication Breakdown" would have been cool), as well as from Zep's second "Ramble On" or "Thank you". The ONLY song I miss from "The Song Remains The Same" is "Celebration Day" - this was probably my favorite song from this one.
Overall a great recording and a definite must-buy for even the slightest of Led Zeppelin fans and any rock & roll fan who grew up in the 1970's. Essential? Hell yes.
Free Music Review: FINALLY!! The Live Led Zeppelin Album We've Been Waiting For
Hit: 5 Stars
This is an awesome live album. Recorded while on their 1972 tour, Led Zeppelin was white hot in these two performances from Long Beach Arena and their personal favorite American venue, the LA Forum. Now Zeppelin can lay claim to the mantle of one of Rock's greatest live acts with this three CD set. The Rolling Stones own live recording from their '69 tour "Get Yer Ya Ya's Out!" (a great album really) seems almost stiff in comparison. The nearest competitor is The Who's own "Live at Leeds" and even Townsend and company weren't as explosive as Led Zeppelin. Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham had a telepathy that borders on the scary. Musically, they could reach each other's minds and the results were bold explorations. Page himself once said that the songs on their albums are really going to take off on stage. "It's the bud that's going to blossom onstage," he said. "Like it or not, it's a fact about Zep." Yet while Zeppelin experimented with their songs, lengthening them and launched off on rave ups, somehow, they never changed the originals tempo. In short, a song like "Whole Lotta Love" would still retain it's menacing riff though the band was well known to use it for their rock and roll medleys and later, incorporating a scorching version of "You Need Love" (like at Knebworth on the DVD). In short, the band was able to maintain the difficult balance of pleasing the audience, but they were also able to please themselves as well.
"Houses of the Holy" is some months distant, but that didn't stop the band from including "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "Dancing Days" into their set. One can only wonder what the audience was thinking, hearing these songs for the first time in their lives. Oh, to have been there!
Led Zeppelin.
A Great Band.
How the West Was Won.
A Great CD.
Buy it.
Free Music Review: Silently Ravaging America
Hit: 5 Stars
"Silently Ravaging America" was one of the alternate titles that Jimmy Page could have chosen for this 3 CD Live Set. This was one of the bootleg titles of the show from the LA Forum that appears co-mingled with the Long Beach concert two days later in this release. For all fans of Led Zeppelin this CD set fills a "Live" void that other classic rockers were able to placate during their tenure. I listened to all three CD's through head phones blaring. The quality of the recording is first rate but more importantly the live improvisations and variations of Zep classics make this CD set worth the investment. One of the criticisms that has carried through with Led Zeppelin is that they could not replicate in concert what they released in the studio. Jimmy Page was well known as a fanatic studio mixologist that would create multiple complex guitar tracks over one another. It is said that in concert John Paul Jones helped play some of the guitar parts to compensate. On this CD, in songs such as "Heartbreaker" and 23 minutes of "Whole Lotta Love" Jimmy proves his real world worth and lays to rest any doubt about his raw talent. Robert Plant also shows his voice was loud and strong in 1972. However, true strength is displayed in John Bonham's drumming. There is a story that when Led Zeppelin recorded studio albums at Headley Grange they would put John Bonham in another room away from the microphones because he hit the drums so loud and hard. One listen to this live version of "Moby Dick" and you will understand what they meant. This is definitely Led Zep at it's best. This snap shot in Zeppelin history will dispell the old so called faults. If you enjoy live music from classic rock bands this 3 CD set is a must have. It's posthumous release will help spawn new fans and help the mighty Zep ravage again.