HOW THE WEST WAS WON

Were you disappointed by Sound Remains the Same? Trust me, you're not alone. However, after three decades, Jimmy Page has unearthed a concert from the House of the Holy tour that was recorded with good equipment. The result: a killer live album that proves to younger fans like me what a live monster Zeppelin was. Plant sounds great, JPJ lays down his rock-solid rhythms, Jimmy Page plays every stringed instrument he can get his hands on, and the thunder god John Bonham cements his status as a drum god.

Picking highlights on this massive three disc set is very difficult. Whereas the long improvs of Sound Remains the Same dragged on and were quite boring at times, these extended jams are mesmerizing. Bonham unleashes on his kit during a 20 minute rendition of Moby Dick. At one point he actually tosses away his sticks and hits the kit with his bare hands! What stamina! "Stairway to Heaven", the "Whole Lotta Love" medley and "Dazed and Confused" are Page showcases through and through. "Immigrant Song" and my favorite Zep tune "Since I've Been Loving You" give the spotlight to Plant. Jones, in my opinion, shines throughout; he never hogs the potlight yet he holds the band together.

HTWWW shows how well the band played with one another, and how they didn't get lost in their jams (liek they did on SRTS). Very rarely does a live album stay fun over three discs. The only other two I can think of are Bruce Springsteen's Live 1975-85 and Iced Earth's Alive in Athens. The stunning instrumental prowess is sure to please prog fans, but any fan of good rock should adore this album. I'd rank it up with The Who's Live at Leeds and Allman Brothers' At Fillmore East as the greatest live album of all time.