HOW THE WEST WAS WON

I have been such a huge ZEPPELIN fan since I bought my first LP of theirs at "Sam The Record Man" located in downtown Toronto. It was around 1978 and I was 17 years old. I bought "Farewell To Kings" by RUSH the same day. It's funny how LED ZEPPELIN have lost the shine for me over the years, I suppose i've played them to death for too long. I can't say the same about RUSH though. Anyway back in 2003 when I heard Jimmy Page had unearthed some live material there was a real buzz about it including some excitement from yours truly. When the three disc set from the 2 concerts in California from June 1972 saw the light of day I bought both the CDs and the DVDs. It was like re-living my youth for a few months as I saw and heard my four heroes blaze their way through all these songs I knew and loved.They were in their prime and there was Bonham (God bless him) showing what a force he was behind the kit, and Page the guitar god who seemed to have no end to his talent as he showed off his diverse skills. And Jones on keys and bass who may have been the most obscure member, yet watching him live it shows how valuable he was. And Plant who had a swagger that could make the girls blush, and a voice that every guy tried to mimic.

There are so many highlights that it's hard to pick out just a few."Black Dog" is one I have to mention if only because it was one of the few ZEP songs I wasn't crazy about back in the day. Well the version here is my favourite by far. I first heard this version on the radio and that's when I knew I had to have this. Page offers up some blistering guitar after 4 minutes and check out Bonham 5 minutes in ! "Over The Hills And Far Away" reminds me of high times in the summer. "I live for my dreams and a pocketful of gold". Jimmy's on fire 3 minutes in. Oh and "Since I've Been Loving You" is so well done, this straight up Blues number where Plant and Page really shine. Disc one ends with three acoustic songs in a row of which "Going To California" is my favourite. Disc two features the 25 minute "Dazed And Confused" where we see ZEPPELIN get experimental and proggy. The crowd roars when Page gets out his bow 6 minutes in. Page is ripping it up before 12 minutes and later after 13 minutes.

They break into a new song after 16 minutes called "Walkers Walk" followed by "The Cringe" before coming back to "Dazed And Confused" 21 minutes in. Some nice bass from Jones in the song "What Is And What Should Never Be". Plant introduces "Dancing Days" by saying "...it's from our new album (Houses Of The Holy"), it's about summertime and good times". A song us Canadians can appreciate. The third disc opens with "Whole Lotta Love" a 23 minute version and one of the highlights of this recording.They break into a medley as well around 6 minutes and do 4 different songs before coming back before 21 minutes.There's a bit of a BLACK SABBATH vibe with the last song they cover in the medley called "Going Down Slow". "Bring It On Home" is the final track and it might be my favourite of the bunch. Plant's playing his harmonica and the song kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes. When it's all over Plant says "See ya".

Back in the day I would have given this 5 stars for sure, but now 4 stars seems the right rating, anything less would be a crime.