The Heart of Markness Led Zeppelin Podcast

We hear a sweet recording of Led Zeppelin in Baltimore, on April 5, 1970, and it's awesome. I play a blistering We're Gonna Groove followed by an epic, medley-filled How Many More Times. A good time was had by all.

We listen to a tape liberated by the Dogs of Doom awhile back, Atlanta Motor Speedway July 5, 1969. We have Led Zeppelin stretching into their Les Paul era, nicely. I play Train Kept A Rollin' and a blistering Dazed and Confused.

St. Louis was so good I had to come back for a second helping. Feb 16. 1975 Led Zeppelin played in St. Louis, MO and we gotta show, ya know? It's a good show with really creative choices by our Mr. Page. I play Kashmir and In My Time of Dying. It's good.

We get to enjoy a fantastic remaster, by Liriodendron, of Led Zeppelin playing St. Louis, MO on Feb 16, 1975. This is a make up show for an earlier date in January, which was canceled due to Robert's flu. I play a tight and tactile Trampled Underfoot, followed by an absolutely sublime No Quarter. A good time was had by all. Enjoy.

We hear a gorgeous recording of Robert Plant with Saving Grace w/ Suzi Dian, in Flagstaff, AZ on Sept 25, 2026. Everyone shines in this as we listen to Let the Four Winds Blow, an absolutely sublime Rain Song, followed by the newly added Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. At almost 80 years of age Robert Plant still defines, then redefines, what it means to be an artist. It's lovely.

We listen to two tracks from a fantastic compilation by Zephead315, of Led Zeppelin's legendary 1971 UK tour. Culling the best tracks from the best dates we hear an otherworldly Whole Lotta Love with all the medleys (incl Buddy Holly's Heartbeat) and power in the world. We finish with a brilliant cover of Eddie Cochran's Weekend. Worth a listen for sure.

This show, Sept 4, 1970, is one of the most popular and legendary recordings around. Blueberry Hill. The show with a zillion sources and most of them sound great. This is a demix/remix of the Blimp source by Chi166, and we get to experience this classic show in a new light. I play the encores, Communication Breakdown w/ Good Times Bad Time & more, a raucous Out on the Tiles, and finally a joyous Blueberry Hill to close out the night. Time to revisit an old friend.

We hear a new version (V1.1) of the legendary Badgeholders show from June 23, 1977 at the LA Forum. Chi166 makes some revisions to his prior demix/remix, and we take a listen. I play a frenetic and powerful Over the Hills, a Kashmir that almost (but not quite) went off the rails, and a legendary moment when Keith Moon from The Who played Rock and Roll with Led Zeppelin. A pretty nice one, folks.

We hear a master recording of The Firm playing the Omni in Atlanta, on April 18, 1985. It's a very good show with great energy, and playing from Mr. Page. I play a very cool Satisfaction Guaranteed, a rollicking Full Circle, and we wrap it up with a bluesy Boogie Mama. Enjoy.

We hear an absolute screamer of a show from Jimmy Page/Robert Plant as they play Washington, DC 7/7/98, in support of Walking Into Clarksdale. Jimmy is on absolute fire as we hear him shred through How Many More Times (fantastic), and Most High. A fun time was had by all.

We listen to Tarantura's release of Led Zeppelin in Munich, on July 5, 1980. This is the penultimate performance of Led Zeppelin before Bonzo's tragic passing. It's a fun show with surprisingly good performances by Mr. Page. We hear In the Evening, Rock and Roll, and a very special Whole Lotta Love with Simon Kirke of Bad Company sitting in on drums, alongside Bonzo. It's great. They still had it at the end.

This is a good one! We listen to the demix/remix, by Chi166, of Led Zeppelin playing Vancouver, BC, on March 20, 1975. The sound is incredible. Almost professional sounding. The performance is great with high energy and playfulness. I play a very creative and driven Over The Hills followed by a No Quarter that is nothing short of perfect. I hope you enjoy and much as I.

This is a really cool recording of John Paul Jones with Diamanda Galas supporting their Sporting Life tour, in Portland, Oregon December 8, 1994. This is an intimate performance with just Jonesy on bass, guitars, and keyboards, Diamanda on her eight octave vocals, and Denny Fongheiser on drums. This show was recorded in the ballroom of the Portland Art Museum. It's really cool and spooky, and soulful, and heavy.

This is a very nice recording of Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes, from June 24, 2000 in Tinley Park, IL. The show is a banger as is the norm for this tour. I play a soulful Bad Luck Blue Eyes with tasteful Jimmy licks throughout, the never played live by Zeppelin, In The Light (which shines with all those guitars), and fun and rollicking Out on the Tiles. A good time is to had. Come on in.

We hear from Led Zeppelin playing Zurich on June 29, 1980, which was broadcast on the Westwood One Radio Network in 90's. It's the standard soundboard recording, I believe, but it's been mastered for broadcast, and thus sound better. I play a fantastic Trampled Underfoot and Achilles Last Stand, along with Nobody's Fault But Mine (taken from the standard sbd not broadcast). This is fun and a nice testament to the viability of 1980 Zep.

I play almost the entire acoustic set from April 27, 1977, when Led Zeppelin played Cleveland, OH. The only track I omit is the Jonesy sung Battle of Evermore. You're welcome. Going to California, Black Country Woman, and Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp are played in one fell swoop, preserving the flow. Then, because it felt too short otherwise, I included the oddly placed encore performance of Trampled Underfoot.

I play songs from a nice 2nd Gen recording of Led Zeppelin during their second night in Seattle, June 19, 1972. This is a marathon show, running more than three hours, and they even played Dancing Days twice! I play the most epic Jonesy organ solo, going into Thank You, and I finish up with a rousing cover of Money (That's What I Want). This is a good one.

This week we listen to a matrix made by Ryan Newton, of Led Zeppelin in Landover, MD on May 28, 1977. The Landover run is the Jan Brady of runs on this tour, overshadowed by LA and NYC, but it's a solid set of shows. I play Sick Again, Achilles Last Stand, and show closer Whole Lotta Love/Rock and Roll. A good time was had by all.

We hear from a nice new transfer of the master cassette, by KRW_CO, of Led Zeppelin playing Newcastle City Hall on November 11, 1971. This is a nice clear recording in which the band is wonderful. I play the entire acoustic set of That's the Way, Going to California, and Tangerine in one fell swoop, then wrap it up with a raucous and funky Communication Breakdown. As most of them are, this is a good one.

We hear a spectacular performance by everyone involved in this master recording of Page/Plant in Frauenfeld, Switzerland on July 8, 1995. This show hits hard. It's more on the level of 1998 than 1995 to my ears. It's awesome. I play a medley filled Calling to You (with Light My Fire, Break on Through, Dazed and Confused, and more) which is just 10/10 from everyone. Then on to Four Sticks which glides into In the Evening, which is also 10/10. A great one.

Led Zeppelin played the LA Forum on John Bonham's 25 birthday, May 31, 1973. It's a great show with multiple sources, and I play Celebration Day from the soundboard, and Heartbreaker and Whole Lotta Love from the Source 1 Audience tape. It's a fun show with a wild audience. Robert leads all 15,000 people in a round of Happy Birthday for Bonzo, and we go from there. Good stuff.

We listen to a delightful remaster and matrix of Led Zeppelin playing Brussels, Belgium on June 20, 1980 It's a good show with a lively band, and audience. The matrix of soundboard and audience recordings breathes life into the dry soundboards. It's a joy to hear. I play Achilles Last Stand, Since I've Been Loving You (very good), and Whole Lotta Love. Eye Thank Yew! NOTE: Because I'm an idiot I keep saying this is Bremen, but it's Brussels.

We listen to an excellent new remaster of the legendary 2nd night in Copenhagen, of Led Zeppelin. They were warming up for the titanic Knebworth shows days later, and their playing is out of this world. 1973 level proficiency and clarity found in 1979. It's magic for many reasons and the improvements made in this remaster are substantial. I play Nobody's Fault, an INCREDIBLE No Quarter, and my favorite (imo the best) performance of Ten Years Gone, ever. Don't sleep on this one.

I play two tracks from Led Zeppelin's Aug. 22, 1971 show at the LA Forum. I play What Is And What Should Never Be, and a nice 1971 flavored Dazed and Confused. A good time was had by all. Hurrah!

We hear songs from the first night of Led Zeppelin's legendary run at the Boston Tea Party. This is from Jan. 23, 1969 and shows a band so powerful they almost combust. Tight but loose (and heavy on the loose). Robert's voice is almost wild in the wonderfully chaotic affair. I play As Long As I Have You and Dazed and Confused, both long jams with lots of improvisation. You can hear the audience being blown away but what they witness. A good one.

We listen some tracks from the master transfer (thanks JEMS) of Led Zeppelin in Seattle, WA on June 18, 1972. This tape, while excellent, is incomplete with on 45 minutes recorded. What was captured is wonderful. I play a serene Going to California, a sublime Since I've Been Loving You, and a sensational Stairway to Heaven. Good vibes. Good times. Great show.

We hear a nice punchy tape of Page/Plant in Cleveland, on March 28, 1995 on their Unledded Tour. Robert's voice is strong and powerful as he sings, Nobody's Fault But Mine, Calling To You (w/ Boogie Chillun and Dazed), and a potent Shake My Tree. A nice early tour show.

This is a lovely recording of a short set performed in tandem with an interview with David Fricke, which happened March 25. 2026 in Nashville, TN. This is the night before their performance at the legendary Ryman. The band are brilliant, Robert is in good voice, and spirits, and the show is sublime. I play It's A Beautiful Day Today, Everybody's Song, and Ramble On.

We take another dive into May 30, 1977 and Led Zeppelin's powerful performance on their last night in Landover, MD. Using Liriodendron's remaster of the soundboard, I play Achilles Last Stand, Kashmir, and Nobody's Fault But Mine. It's a fun gig.

We listen to nice AI demix/remix of this legendary Led Zeppelin concert from March 7, 1970, when they played Montreux, Switzerland. We listen to Rice Pudding/Heartbreaker, and How Many More Times (with 8 million medleys). It's a titanic show and Ia nice clear stereo recording and. Enjoy.

I return to Led Zeppelin at Ipswich 11/16/71 after a five year gap, to play more tracks from this glorious show. Use a source mix recording I play Going to California, What Is and What Should Never Be, and Celebration Day, and they're all wonderful. This is a great show.

We listen to a Mike Millard master recording of Robert Plant in Irvine Meadows, August 10, 1990. This is on his Manic Nirvana tour and it's a good one. I play a rip roarin' Wearing and Tearing, his hit from this album Hurting Kind, and we wrap it up with Tall Cool One. Nice and tidy and very enjoyable.

We remain in Japan 1971 and listen to a new matrix by Not Oscar, of Sept 29, 1971 in Osaka. This is a legendary show and we all know it's awesome, so this is about the sound and the mood of this new matrix. Not Oscar utilizes several sources to form the best sounding recording, song for song, as possible. I play the gorgeous epic Going To California, a sublime Thank You, and a tight as a drum Rock and Roll. Have fun.

We have been blessed not once but twice in the last week by, first, a lovely close stereo stage mic'ed recording of Tangerine from 9/24/71 (which I covered last week). This one includes stage banter and it's absolutely lovely. Then a few days later Led Zeppelin Boots drops a truly incredible holy shit rehearsal of Since I've Been Loving You from May 1980. I know. But it's ridiculously great. Tight but loose. Bonzo sounds incredible as does Jimmy. Jimmy sticks every landing in this insanely sophisticated rendition. My gasts are flabbered. It's so so good.

This is a good one. Sept. 24, 1971 is the when, Tokyo is the where, and Led Zeppelin is the who. Not The Who (the band). This show is part of the glorious 1971 tour of Japan, and as such it is bonkers good. I play a thirty minute Whole Lotta Love in which is sandwiched Ramble On, Your Time Is Gonna Come, Rave On, and How Many More Times, as well as the kitchen sink. Just pure joy and celebration. Then I wrap it up with a tender and sublime That's the Way, with very sweet mandolin from Jonesy, and some beautiful vocal harmonies. Enjoy

This week we listen to an out of this world show from Jan. 25, 1969 featuring a young and still unknown Led Zeppelin rocking the Boston Tea Party. This show is amazing. I play howling versions of As Long As I Have You (with medleys) and How Many More Times (with medleys). Fantastic performance from the halls of legend.

We listen to a few songs from Nov 6, 2025 at the Schubert Theater in Boston, where Robert Plant and Saving Grace played a delightful show. I play Gallows Pole, Everybody's Song (cover of a Low song), and Black Dog. Good times. Good show. Good voice. Enjoy.

We hear 3 tracks from Led Zeppelin's afternoon performance at Madison Square Garden on Sept 19, 1970. I use three different sources to provide the best sound for each song. Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, and What Is And What Should Never Be are played. Just before What Is... Robert talks about the recent death of Jimi Hendrix, as it had occurred the day prior. Enjoy.

This week I play songs from Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes show at Great Woods in Mansfield, MA on July 2, 2000. I play Hots on for Nowhere, Gone (BC tune), and The Lemon Song. This is a great performance with great energy and I hope y'all enjoy it.

We dip back to May 26, 1986 when the Firm held their final concert ever, in Seattle. It was a great show with incredible energy from the band, and audience. I play scorching versons of Tear Down the Walls, Live In Peace, and Phil Carson even sits in on a rollicking performance of Money. It's awesome.

We hear a fantastic recording of Robert Plant with one of his lesser known projects, The Priory of Brion, playing the Copredy Festival on August 11 , 2000. This is a cover band playing beloved songs from Robert's pre-Zep days. I play This House is Not A Hotel, If I Were a Carpenter, and a haunting Darkness Darkness. A good time was had by all. Hooray!

We hear a very nice matrix of Led Zeppelin in Long Beach on March 11, 1975. The sources are the exquisite Mike Millard audience recording, coupled with the soundboard to create a truly glorious sounding concert. I play Sick Again, Trampled Underfoot, and a sweet marathon Dazed, all of which sound fantastic. A very nice show indeed.

This week hear a gem from JEMS; a wonderful recording of Led Zeppelin at the LA Forum on May 31, 1973 (Bonzo's Birthday), from Barry Goldstein's excellent master tape. The atmosphere is brilliant as are the performances. I play a chill and evocative No Quarter, followed by a flawless Dazed and Confused. A great upgrade!

We hear three songs from Led Zeppelin playing in Liverpool on Jan. 14, 1973. I use the second source of this show and I play a medley filled, bluesy Whole Lotta Love, a frenetic Heartbreaker, and a gut punchingly powerful performance of The Ocean (which the audience was hearing for the first time, as it'd not been released yet). Fun fun fun. Enjoy.

We finish up with the exquisite audience recording of 4/24/69 with Led Zeppelin at the Fillmore West. I play the last two unplayed songs on the recording, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, and White Summer/Black Mountainside. Both are hungry young Zeppelin on the rise. Good stuff.

This show was a suggestion of a listener, April 24 1969 at the Fillmore West. Led Zeppelin put on a powerhouse performance captured on an incredible stereo recording. I play As Long As I Have You, Killing Floor, and an unbelievable Pat's Delight. The quality of the sound is matched by the quality of the performance. Top Tier.

We listen to a 20 minute Whole Lotta Love with a screaming theramin section, as well as a bass heavy, almost funky Communication Breakdown, from Led Zeppelin's performance in Tulsa, on August 21, 1971. This is a fantastic show with incredible interplay and energy from the audience. Not one to miss!

This is a more quiet, pastoral, episode. I play three(four) tracks from Led Zeppelin's Aug 21, 1970 concert in Tulsa, OK. It's a very nice recording and a great performance. I play That's The Way, Bron-yr-Aur, Jonesy's Organ Solo, right into Thank You, which finishes with a flourish. Very nice indeed.

We return to the well for a third time (the last 2 being 5 years ago) with Led Zeppelin in Detroit, July 13, 1973 with an amazing, blazing show. I play a beautiful Since I've Been Loving You along with a powerful twofer of Heartbreaker into Whole Lotta Love. There's a lot of funk involved and Jimmy, Jonesy, and Bonzo are in the zone the entire time. A good one.

Led Zeppelin played the Schaefer Music Festival on July 21, 1969 in Central Park, NYC. This is early into the Les Paul days and the band were already recording their second album while on the road promoting their first. I play the three opening numbers, back to back, Train Kept A Rollin, I Can't Quit You, Baby, and Dazed and Confused. Even though they're still making a name for themselves they're already famous. They'll keep rising throughout the decade to heights unimagined.

We revisit the master recording of Led Zeppelin in Charlotte on June 9, 1972. It's a great show and on this episode I play virtuoso performances of Since I've Been Loving You, Dazed and Confused, and a truncated but still powerful Whole Lotta Love. You can't go wrong with a June 1972 show by Zep and this is no exception.

I choose an easy one this week with a Winston Remaster of 3/17/73, Led Zeppelin in Munich, at their musical peak. I play Over the Hills, a sublime SIBLY, and of course an epic Dazed and Confused. Can't go wrong.

Them Crooked Vultures are a super group's super group, with John Paul Jones, Josh Homme, and Dave Grohl (from Led Zeppelin, Queens of the Stone Age, and Foo Fighters/Nirvana respectively) playing insanely well together. I play Elephants, Caligulove, and Warsaw from the April 17, 2010 show in Las Vegas. This is good stuff from a band who should have released more music, imo.

The 1996 tour of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page is universally regarded as being amazing. Great energy, great performances, and great setlists. All these conspire to create great gigs. This show in Nagoya on Feb. 17, 1996 is one such great gig. So great in fact that I'm focusing solely on the three encore songs performed. All three are awesome and completely tight and glorious. I play a tender and delicate acoustic Rain Song, a breathtakingly poignant Tea For One, and an absolutely perfect and amazing In The Evening. Magic is a word which would apply to this show.

I play a couple of tracks from the Source 1 stereo tape of Led Zeppelin playing the Alexandria Palace, on Dec. 22, 1972. This is the first show of their UK tour and it absolutely rocks. I play a rapturous Whole Lotta Love (with many medleys thrown in) and one of the sweetest Stairways I've heard. Very beautiful solo from the Zosophonic one.

We listen to the incredible Winston remaster of this iconic show. Led Zeppelin at the LA Forum June 23, 1977, in all their scandalous glory. I play what may be the best No Quarter ever. 31 minutes of off the charts improvisation and tight but looseness. I also play Sick Again because it's awesome.

We hear a banger of a show from Jimmy Page/Robert Plant from March 11, 1995 in New Orleans. This show had some unique performances and great energy. I play House of The Rising Sun/Good Times Bad Times, a lovely Thank You, and a super groovy Dancing Days. A good one!

This is a North Bridge remix/remaster of Led Zeppelin playing Frankfurt on June 30, 1980. This is a fun, very good show with flashes of magic. North Bridge did a hell of job fattening up the soundboard recording, and making it sound almost professionally recorded. I play In the Evening (which benefits the most imo from the North Bridge treatment), Trampled Underfoot, and a glorious, fun, joyous, playful Whole Lotta Love with Jimmy playing sweet blues licks in the Boogie Mama section, along with a spontaneous performance of Frankfurt Special. This is a good one.

This is a show I covered in a two parter about 5 years ago. Led Zeppelin in Cleveland, Ohio on April 28, 1977. I'm revisiting it now because it's an amazing show, worthy of another listen. The band is on and the power and mystery are on display. Bonzo seems locked in a little tighter, Jonesy seems a bit more front and center, and it makes for a glorious show. I play The Song Remains the Same, Achilles Last Stand, and a rare encore performance of Trampled Underfoot. This is a fantastic gig and a very nice recording.

This is a fantastic Two of Us recording of Lou Reed at NYC's St. James Theater, on March 21, 1989. He plays the entirety of the New York album before playing a second set of Lou faves. It's glorious.

You may be wondering about Part 1 of this series. No worries, I don't blame you. Part 1 was a couple years back, Ep. 188. I play different songs so there's no overlap if you want to 1, 2 it. This is June 28, 1972 in Tucson Arizona (such a fine sight to see) which was the last show of the US 1972 tour. They're playing Houses of the Holy material to an audience completely unfamiliar. Can you imagine hearing Over the Hills for the first time ever, and it's live? I play Over the Hills and Far Away, Dancing Days, and an epic Dazed and Confused which imo rivals the 25th (officially released).

This podcast has introduced me to some wonderful and amazing people. One of them provided this recording of Robert Plant and Saving Grace with Suzi Dian, in Malmo, Sweden on May 9, 2025. I play a strong acoustic Four Sticks, a lovely Down to the Sea (off Fate of Nations), and a haunting Gillian Welch song, Orphan Girl. It's nice to hear Robert out and about and enjoying himself.

This is a very enjoyable recording of Bad Company playing the Boston Garden on August 6, 1977. They were on tour supporting their album Burning Sky and KRW_Co did an excellent job digitizing the 1st gen reels. I play Burning Sky, Ready For Love, and a powerful Deal with the Preacher. Paul Rodgers sings like room temp butter spread on toast. Glorious. Enjoy.

Radiohead played an outdoor festival in Switzerland on July 2, 2016, which was broadcast on tv and radio. This recording is a matrix of three different sources of this show, giving us a complete, intro to outro, concert. I play Nude, Lucky, No Surprises, and Exit Music (From a Film). Each one of those songs is brilliant and I think you'll be very happy hearing them.

You can imagine my delight when I saw that Led Zeppelin Boots had created an updated edition of the 1975 soundboard compilation that'd been around for a bit. Choosing tracks from the extant soundboard tapes, Boots crafted a very enjoyable listener. You can think of it as a sampler. You get a taste of each show represented. I play Sick Again from 3/21 Seattle, Levee from 1/18 Bloomington, and Kashmir from 2/28 Baton Rouge.

North Bridge has released a new remix/remaster of Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden on June 7, 1977. This is the first night of their multi night residency in NYC. Jonesy's bass is very well represented, with a fat tone missing from many 1977 boots. I play Achilles Last Stand (Jonesy's bass dude...) and an epic, eternal No Quarter with the Nutrocker included. It's nuts. Then Bonzo and Jimmy go primal on the festivities, and we have another 1977 No Quarter in the books. Good stuff. I like the instrument separation North Bridge attains through his remixing the stems extracted from the raw recording.

This is posted one day after the 52nd anniversary of this wonderful show. Led Zeppelin playing to 58,000 people outside, in broad daylight, at Kezar Stadium on June 2, 1973. This show is famous for the photo of Robert Plant holding a dove in his hand. I play a very nice 31 minuted Dazed and Confused followed by the show closer, The Ocean. It's a really nice show overshadowed by the shows directly before and after.

This is a very cool look at Jimmy Page's music mere months before the formation of Led Zeppelin. May 29, 1968 at the Concord Colosseum had The Yardbirds playing a very cool bluesy/psychedelic set to a very lucky audience. Given that Clapton, Beck, and Page all gestated within the Yardbirds, it's safe to say the Yardbirds were a guitar band. Unfortunately, they were marketed as a pop combo, so as the 60's evolved into the wilder, more improvisational psychedelic areas, the disconnect between their record company and the band became unsustainable. The band folded shortly after this gig, leaving Jimmy with the Yardbirds name. I play Mr. You're a Better Man Than I, Heartful of Soul, and a wild and improvisational I'm A Man. I find it interesting that I'm a Man is the song in which the band stretches out and jams, rather than Dazed and Confused, which was also in the setlist. This a very cool snapshot of a very cool time in music, as well as the future of Led Zeppelin.

I can't believe the Earl's Court shows are 50 years old! Jesus. For this episode I am featuring an audience compilation of the best of all five nights. I play In My Time of Dying from the May 25th, Tangerine from the 18th (great harmonies from all 4 gents), and Heartbreaker & Communication Breakdown, both from the 25th.

This is an amazing send off for Robert Plant's higher range. December 8, 1972 at the Hard Rock in Manchester, UK is a great performance of a great band reaching their peak. The recording is clear and nice, and the instruments are all well balanced and represented. I play Since I've Been Loving You, and a raucous 27 minute Whole Lotta Love, with jams and medleys aplenty. It's great. It's 1972 Led Zeppelin. You should get the whole recording.

I was delighted to come across this wonderful recording through Led Zeppelin Boots' amazing YouTube channel. April 14, 1970 had Led Zeppelin playing Ottawa, Alberta in a brilliant, exciting, explosive kaboom of awesomeness. The tape itself in fragmentary and incomplete, but what's here is gold. I play Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, and an incredible White Summer/Black Mountainside. This show was a delight!

Boston was always a big Led Zeppelin town, starting back at the very beginning with the marathon Tea Party gigs, through this show right here. July 20, 1973 is the last time Zeppelin played Boston. The crowd is wild at this gig, so much so that the band eliminate Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, and Moby Dick from the setlist. All to keep the crowd from going Chernobyl. No encores either. I play Celebration Day, a smokin' Stairway, and a brilliant No Quarter that presages the brilliance about to be recorded in NYC a week later.

This is nice stereo FM master recording of Aerosmith in Detroit on April 7, 1974, broadcast on WABX back in the day. The band is rapidly ascending to the top of Rock Mountain with Get Your Wings, the album they're supporting here. I play Mama Kin, Dream On, and Same Old Song & Dance. It's good ol' dirty rock and roll a la The Faces or The New Barbarians. Good stuff.

Eight days after the shambolic Live Aid reunion Jimmy Page joined Robert Plant onstage at the Brendan Byrne Arena, in East Rutherford, NJ. The contrast between the two gigs couldn't be greater. Robert's voice is virtually perfect and Jimmy's guitar (and Jimmy himself) are in tune. I play an aching beautiful Young Boy Blues from his then current Honeydrippers EP, and then I play the two encores Jimmy played with the band; the first being a standard blues number (I don't know if it has a name), and then a fiery run through of Treat Her Right, which calls back to when they jammed the same tune two years earlier. This is a great performance and a shining testimony to the viability of a Page/Plant collaboration even back then, when they sniped at each other in the press.

This show, February 27, 1996, is the third to the last for Page/Plant's No Quarter tour, and it is smokin'! The band hasn't lost a step since their legendary Japanese shows of a few days prior. This is an excellent audience recording which maintains the high bar set in Japan, quality-wise. I play a ridiculously hot In The Evening, and the two encores which took the roof off the place. Black Dog and Rock and Roll. The latter two are sung with Robert Plant going alllllll out; hitting notes one doesn't expect. The band are in a great mood and the audience is locked in all the way. A great show with top of their game performances.

This recording was liberated by the Dogs of Doom back in the day, and boy oh boy is it cool! Cream playing Dallas State Fair Music Hall just 7 months before they called it a day. The recording is rough. The bass is super loud and overloaded. The vocals are buried behind the music, but that because that's how they sounded, basically. PA systems hadn't yet been developed to keep up with cranked Marshall stacks. That would be a year later. I play a blistering Sunshine of Your Love, and and even more blistering I'm so Glad. Jack Bruce's sick bass chording during Sunshine foreshadows the evil Dio era Black Sabbath sound by more than a decade. All three of these musicians are absolute virtuosos and amazing with every measure played.

This is a very nice stereo recording (AUD patched w/ SBD) remastered by Winston, of Led Zeppelin playing New Orleans on May 15, 1973. This is a fun performance which is one of the best of their May shows. I play the final trifecta of the night; Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love (with medleys aplenty), and Communication Breakdown. All performances are great and you will enjoy them. You will enjoy them.

Led Zeppelin always seemed to bump it up a notch when touring the West Coast/PNW, and this is no exception. March 19, 1975 in Vancouver, BC is one of the better shows from this tour. I have covered this show before, but it's been almost 5 years since then, so.... fair game. I play Sick Again, Kashmir, & In My Time of Dying; all of which new songs for this tour.

On July 1, 1980 Santana played Frankfurt, Germany at the same venue in which Led Zeppelin played the night before. Jimmy Page hung around and attended the show, and even joined the band for a couple of tunes. What is noteworthy is how good the jams are. 1980 Jimmy can be very hit or miss. This is a hit. A hit out of the park. First of all Santana is an incredible band as is the recording (Master Soundboard) which was remastered by Dario Romero. They did a great job. I play a raucous and extremely tight Shake Your Moneymaker where Jimmy easily matches Carlos lick for lick. It's great. I then play Evil Ways which says it has Jimmy on it but I'm not too sure. Still a great performance from a great band.

June 17, 1980 is the first date in Led Zeppelin's Tour Over Europe, and on that date we find the band in Dortmund. They come out of the gate with something to prove, and they deliver. The show opens with an intense and dangerous Train Kept A Rollin' followed without a breath by Nobody's Fault But Mine, which now is truncated as the intro guitar is eliminated going right into the song. I like it. The Rain Song is perfection as it usually is with Bonzo bringing fury and bombast, which will diminish tragically as the tour progresses.

This show has been around forever in lower quality but this is transferred from the reel master. Heinz Esser is the taper of this awesome Free concert, and he also taped Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple (and more). He caught a great performance by Paul Rodgers and Co. for sure. Paul Kossof is a master of tone and technique at only 19 years old. Andy Fraser's thicc bass and Simon Kirke's tight drumming create a powerful engine, with Paul Rodgers at the controls. I play The Hunter (Zep fans will recognize this song) and Fire and Water which are both incredible.

The very last time the Firm played publicly was May 28, 1986 in good ol' Seattle. Everyone in the band knew it was the end of the project, and they all play their hearts out. Paul Rodgers outdoes himself with delivery and passion. Jimmy is very upbeat and talkative. This show is really good. You know how I am at best lukewarm on the Firm, overall, but the Mean Business tour sounds streets ahead of the 1985 tour. You're going to enjoy the energy, the music, and the balls of this show. I play an incendiary Spirit of Love, a furious Midnight Moonlight, and a very heavy and dark bluesy I Just Wanna Make Love to You. Even if you're not a big Firm fan this one is the exception. Enjoy.

The 1996 Page/Plant tour of Japan has been extremely well regarded, and documented, for close to 30 years. Thanks to the fantastic audio and video captured, with the ok of the band, by Third Eye, we have a magnificent full stereo recording of February 12, 1996 in Tokyo. We hear a tender Tea for One (only ever played on this tour) with orchestra, a brilliant and bombastic Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, with a nice Stairway tease, and a supremely tight and cool af Whole Lotta Love, which contains the original, the Knebworth version, and new sections exclusive to the Page/Plant partnership. It's awesome. The whole show.

I once again revisit one of the finest Zep concerts, at least of the post 1973 era. July 24, 1979 at the Falkoner Theater in Copenhagen is absolutely brilliant concert by the biggest band in the world, playing a 1200 seat venue, as a warmup to their 200,000+ Knebworth shows the next month. I play Trampled Underfoot, In The Evening (2nd time played), and a raucous Whole Lotta Love with a new arrangement for a new era. All this in anticipation of the newly discovered live film from this show, to be released with synced sound by LedZepFilm, on 2/18/25 on his youtube channel. So cool.

Only the first two songs of this show are publicly extant, and I always have love for the runt of the litter, so here we go! Led Zeppelin played Wallingford, Connecticut on August 17, 1969 and we are able to hear Train Kept A Rollin' and I Can't Quit You Baby, at least. Thank god for tapers!

There's a good reason I'm coming back to this show, after almost 5 years. Watchtower has released a version of this show in fantastic quality, without the noise reduction that muffled prior releases. It's also one of the best shows from one of the best years of one of the best bands around. So there's that. This is band's first night of their first Japanese tour and they're out to impress the people of Tokyo. I play a superlative Since I've Been Loving You, which you should listen to right now. I also play an exceptional Stairway to Heaven with an amazing solo, and I finish with the small acoustic set of Bron-y-Aur Stomp, That's the Way, and Going to California. The sound is fantastic as is the performance.

On August 19, 1971 Led Zeppelin began their North American tour in Vancouver, BC and we have the pleasure of hearing peak Zep, thanks to an intrepid taper. Last time I touched upon this show we featured the first few songs; this time we're back for more. I play a scorching Black Dog (sung like the record), a powerful (better than the European ones, imo) Gallows Pole (on the doubleneck 12 string), and a raucous and frenzied cover of Eddie Cochran's Weekend. Each performance is pure fire, as is the rest of the show. Truly awesome.

May 11, 1986 is the date The Firm played the Cleveland Colosseum for concert which was broadcast on the Westwood One Radio Network, back in the day. Thus the quality is professionally mixed stereo. The fantastic sound quality brings out the virtuosity of the band. Tony Franklin and Chris Slade are a beautifully solid rhythm section, fluid enough to let Jimmy weave in and around the beat like a dervish. I play fantastic performances (I mean it) of Prelude/Money Can't Buy, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling, and Live In Peace. This is a really fun and enjoyable concert and I hope you liked it as much as I did. I covered this show awhile back, but after listening I decided it needed a redux.

"It's not the side effects from the cocaine. I'm thinking that it must be love" David Bowie struggled a bit in the late 80's/90's, in a comparative sense, after the stratospheric success of Let's Dance with the MTV generation. In the tour he is partnered with King Crimson/Zappa alum Adrian Belew, with whom Bowie had recorded Pretty Pink Rose (a minor hit and an awesome song). On July 23, 1990 the band played Hartford, CT. This is the show we're listening to in this bonus episode. I play Ashes to Ashes, Pretty Pink Rose, & Station to Station. It's a very high energy gig and Belew's signature sound really suits the material.

Led Zeppelin played Kyoto, Japan on October 10, 1972 on their second (and last) tour of the country. This is a merge of two excellent sources, put together and speed corrected by Dario Romero. The sound is very good as is the performance. You'll like it. Where else are you gonna hear The Rain Song played with a wah wah? The band are now the biggest band in the world and were set on making sure everyone knew it. They play songs from the as yet unreleased Houses of the Holy album. I love hearing audiences hear Zep songs for the first, and this doesn't disappoint. I play The Song Remains the Same (called The Campaign at this point), The Rain Song, and an Over the Hills and Far Away in which Robert sings the original higher melody for one of, if not the last time.

I recorded this in honor of Jimmy Page's 81st birthday. I chose a selection of performances which I first think of when I think of Zeppelin, or Jimmy. I play tracks from 1969 through 1988 and every track is a banger. I hope you enjoy.

1995 was a great year for Zep fans. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant had finally reunited, and were touring with a huge ensemble including (not one, but) two orchestras, and the guitarist for the Cure.... and a hurdy gurdy. It worked out splendidly. This is October 26, 1995 at Madison Square Garden, where Jimmy and Robert played a smashing gig. I play No Quarter (Unledded version), In the Evening/Carouselambra (unreal how good it is), and an incendiary Kashmir, with real strings and not synth or mellotron. It's good stuff, people.

December 20, 1972 at the Brighton Dome in good old Brighton, UK. This is digital transfer of the original master cassette, courtesy of KRW_Co. Being a master recording all the clarity which the recorder could capture is preserved. I play Misty Mountain Hop and a 30 minute, everything but the kitchen sink, rendition of Whole Lotta Love. So many medleys!

The 1998 Walking Into Everywhere Tour is a goldmine for great music. The rhythm section of Michael Lee, and Charlie Jones, had really jelled with Jimmy Page, and were a formidable force live. This show is the penultimate show of the tour, December 1, 1998 in Ghent, Belgium. I play Tangerine, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (great work from everyone on this one), and the final encores of Ramble On and Rock and Roll. Enjoy one of the last performances of the fabled Page/Plant reunion. We shan't see their like again.

This is one of Robert Plant's greatest shows. He's full blast and the rest of the band is right there with him. August 7, 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland right before heading the US for another amazing tour. You can't get better than 1971 Led Zeppelin, and it's so cool to hear them play Zep IV songs to an audience that had never heard them yet. I play what is possibly the first live performance of Celebration Day, an incredible Black Dog in which Robert may very well surpass his album vocals, and one of my favorite encore numbers of theirs, Eddie Cochran's Weekend.

I've been going through a bit of a Brussels period, with 1980 and now 1972 back to back. Led Zeppelin usually played well in Brussels, and this show is no exception. May 28, 1972 has the band in fine form as I play Immigrant Song/Heartbreaker and the entire acoustic set of Going to California, That's the Way, and Bron-y-Aur Stomp. Acoustic Zeppelin is always a treat and this is no different. This show captures a transition period as they become, and then embrace being, the biggest band in the world. I covered Dazed and Whole Lotta Love years and years ago, this is another view with different songs.

I was led to this show by a thread on Royal Orleans (a Zep fan site) in which someone wrote a brilliant essay about 1980 and how it deserves another look, as it's not all dysfunction, addiction, and flat performances. I've gotten to the point where I'd say at least half the 1980 Tour over Europe is pretty damn good, even great. June 20, 1980 the band played Brussels and they completely knocked it out of the park. It's interesting to hear Jimmy's newer 'vocabulary' in his playing. Trampled Underfoot is crazy good, Since I've Been Loving You (not often a high point on this tour) is brilliant, with some nice syncopation and interplay between Jonesy, Jimmy, and Bonzo. It's mature and intelligent and cogent. I am absolutely gobsmacked at how my 1980 bias kept me from hearing the beauty in these early 1980 shows. After SIBLY I play a rock solid version of Whole Lotta Love which brings the old and the new together in a flurry of improvisation. Lots of Jimmy/Robert back and forth. It's good. You'll like it.

We listen to a transfer of Joe Maloney's master mono reel of Led Zeppelin at the legendary Boston Garden, on Sept. 9, 1970. No surprise this is an incredible show with Robert in full power, and Jimmy, Bonzo, and Jonesy just perfectly locked in. I play Immigrant Song>Heartbreaker in all one chunk, and the mini acoustic set of That's the Way and a beautiful performance of the instrumental Bron-Y-Aur (5 years before it appeared on Physical Graffiti) also present in one chunk, to improve flow.

The 1973 UK tour is not to be slept on. Robert's voice is rough as he, as he always has in winter, the flu. So they cancelled and rescheduled to preserve the treasure that is Robert Plant's voice, right? Nope. He pushed himself as always and did his poor larynx no favors. This show is January 14, 1973 at the Empire in Liverpool. The show is a banger as Jimmy is ingenious, Bonzo is frenetic, and Jonesy just is. He stands rooted in the Tao while all around him is chaos. All hail Jonesy. I play Dancing Days, a ridiculous Dazed that has notes of Achilles Last Stand as well as some brilliant funk, and a rollicking Ocean, The.