Sure, every Zeppelin fan wanted to see some kind of project happen. Unfortunately no John Paul Jones involved here, but we did get Plant and Page together. However it's acoustic and it's live so would this approach work. I remember being both excited and apprehensive about this one. Excited because of who was involved, but apprehensive because of what it might mean if this album was flat. Honestly I was a bit worried about Page more than Plant just because I certainly preferred Plant's solo albums to the Firm, Page's Outrider album and the Coverdale/Page project. Live acoustic albums are difficult to pull off because there is no room for mistakes. Plant and Page not only pulled it off, but they created some different, interesting version of Zeppelin classics plus a couple of new tracks. Of course they have the advantage of having a large entourage of talented musicians backing them up. Yet the two principle players shine all through the album as well. With Plant sounding very vibrant and he hits most of the notes pretty well for being around twenty years after most of these tracks were first recorded. Page comes across strong as well with playing that is both sharp and fluid. There are many elements of middle-eastern music thrown in here and there. This results in giving the old tracks a new flavor. I remember this being an album that fans of different music enjoyed. By 1994 grunge and alternative had taken over, but there were still hard rock fans around. I remember discussing this album with people who were fans of different styles of music but they all enjoyed this album. My favorite tracks include Thank you, No Quarter, City don't cry, The Battle of Evermore, Four Sticks and Kashmir.
I always thought Led Zeppelin would have stood the test of time better than they have. When I was younger a lot of people considered them to be the best band of all time. Today I don't here that many people saying that at all.
ReplyDeleteKewl:)
ReplyDeleteI remember waiting for WEEKS to see the broadcast of that show on MTV. I loved it when it came out.
ReplyDeleteI got to see them on that tour in '95 and it was a pretty amazing show. They didn't just do an "oldies" show, but played a lot of the old songs in a new way to try to keep them fresh.
Plant was in great voice and Page was playing brilliantly. I've noticed that anytime they call themselves "Led Zeppelin" again, Plant's voice cracks and Page makes all these glaring errors. I saw Page in '85 with the Firm and he was playing very well, then saw him on the disasterous Live Aid show, where he was missing notes left and right. Same with Plant. I saw him live many times and he was always in good voice, but then call it "Led Zeppelin" and he just freaks out and blows it, like the '88 Atlantic Birthday...it's strange.
I absolutely Love Zeppelin... A Huge Comeback would be tasty. :)
ReplyDeleteGood album this. Love Zeppelin...
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a huge fan of the Coverdale/Page album and eventually sold it. Plant has had some good songs, though I haven't heard any full albums. This sounds interesting, I've been enjoying a number of acoustic albums/songs and I think I'll hunt for this one and check it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm probably going to blaspheme here but I really never got into Led Zeppelin. Granted, I've heard every album and I enjoy a lot of songs but that took years of classic rock radio. When I was a kid, Zep was worshipped and now I think they are forgotten.
ReplyDeleteWhen this came out I remember being a little disappointed that John Paul Jones was not involved.
I saw these guys in concert for this album. It's probably the closest thing to a Led Zeppelin show I'll ever see as I was too young to see them when they were active. Almost front row and it was an incredible concert.
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