Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same [Blu-ray]

I would like to share something that may help you understand and appreciate this film even more. First, please understand that I am a huge Zeppelin fan. I never got to see the band in concert but I own all of their albums (in LP and CD form) and listen to them often. I received the new DVD about a week ago. I had not seen this movie before so the first time I watched it, I was a little confused about the various non-concert segments. I found a short but effective explanation of the band's "fantasy sequences," which I have copied below. Now that I understand what the band members were trying to achieve, I appreciate the film more. Personally, I would not have included the clips about the money being stolen or the rude scene where Peter Grant cusses out the MSG guys (about some counterfeit posters) BUT I would not let these small things keep you from enjoying the most important part of the film, which are the music and the performances.There are dozens of incredible solos throughout the film but I would like to point out one in particular that blew me away and is very easy to miss. It is Jimmy's guitar work in No Quarter. This is the song that contains John Paul's fantasy sequence. This particular solo comes in the middle of that sequence so you don't SEE Jimmy playing it; you have to listen for it.Anyway, I hope this helps. The older I get the more I appreciate the great music we got during the early 70's. I feel fortunate to have lived during those great years. I also appreciate the fact that we can still enjoy these amazing performances more than 30 years later. Rock on.ABOUT THE FANATSY SEQUENCESWith an intention to give an insight into the individual personalities in the band, several out-of-concert 'fantasy sequences' were shot by Massot for each of the band members, in addition to Peter Grant and tour manager Richard Cole. The sequences are as follows:Peter Grant (left) and Richard Cole Massot originally shot Grant walking a cameraman around a collection of antique cars, but this footage was quickly abandoned. Instead, Grant and Cole were filmed as hitmen driving towards Hammerwood Park estate in Sussex in a 1928 Pierce-Arrow car. Roy Harper also makes an uncredited guest appearance as one of the 'greedy millionaires' portrayed at a business meeting of multi-national corporations. Massot envisioned Grant and Cole in the hitman roles, as it symbolised the tough business decisions they made on behalf of the band. The female passenger wearing a scarf with Peter Grant driving on a country road is his wife, Gloria.John Paul Jones was filmed first at home with his wife Mo, and reading Jack and the Beanstalk to his two daughters, Tamara and Jacinda, before receiving a call to join the band on their American concert. For his fantasy sequence, Jones initially wished to use footage from the original Doctor Syn film, but was prevented from doing so as this film was owned by Disney. Instead, his fantasy sequence involved a reinterpretation of the film. Jones portrays a masked gentleman known as "The Scarecrow," who travels at night on horseback with three others and returns home to Sussex, an ordinary family man. The three other horsemen with him are a reference to the other band members. Jimmy Page's girlfriend, Charlotte Martin, and baby daughter Scarlet Page can be briefly seen during the closing moments of this sequence, which was filmed in October 1973. Thematic music: "No Quarter".In his fantasy sequence, Robert Plant was captured relaxing on his Welsh country farm with his wife Maureen, and children Karac and Carmen. His fantasy sequence involves him being a knight rescuing a fair maiden (played by Virginia Parker), who is a symbolic representation for his vision of the ideal - his personal search for the Holy Grail. Scenes from the sword fight were filmed at Raglan Castle in Wales while the sailing, horseback riding and beach scenes were shot at Aberdovey then Merionethshire and now Gwynedd, in October 1973. Thematic music: "The Song Remains the Same" and "The Rain Song".Jimmy Page is filmed sitting by a lake next to his 18th century manor at Plumpton, Sussex, playing a hurdy gurdy. The tune played is called "Autumn Lake" and the scene was filmed in October 1973. Page's fantasy role involved climbing up the face of a snow capped mountain near Boleskine House, Loch Ness during the nights of a full moon on December 10 and 11, 1973. The act was meant to show man fighting his way to the top, only to be greeted by The Hermit on the untitled fourth album. Thematic music: "Dazed and Confused".John Bonham was shot with his wife Pat and son Jason Bonham on their country estate, Old Hyde Farm in Worcestershire. It is interesting to note that part of his fantasy includes him spending time at home with his family. Bonham was known for falling into deep depressions while on tour away from his family. His heavy drinking, which ultimately resulted in his death, is usually attributed to his homesickness. The game of pool was shot at The Old Hyde Hotel and the Harley-Davidson riding near Blackpool. His fantasy sequence is the most straightforward of all the members, with Bonham drag racing an AA Fueler at 260mph at Santa Pod Raceway, Wellingborough, Northants, UK, in October 1973. Thematic music: "Moby Dick".SOURCE: Wikipedia

This is by far one of the greatest concerts ever captured on film, and it looks and sounds completely amazing on Blu-ray!Let's get the age-old nit-picks that still exist out of the way right now: Yes, the fantasy scenes can get annoying sometimes, but you can easily skip through them (even though the music flows very well with them). Yes, some of the music doesn't sync up with what you see on the screen part of the time, but that's because this concert contains separate footage from 3 shows Zeppelin did at MSG in 73' (they patched the songs together to make it appear that this was all one concert, when in fact you can see the band members wearing different clothes in the footage in different songs). The reason for this: The show originally wasn't released until 1976 (3 years after filming) due to legal struggles the band and their manager (Peter Grant) had with the original director (Joe Massot) regarding possession of the film after Massot was removed from the project. Massot was eventually court ordered to give the film back to the band, but there were visual and audio elements of the show that came up missing (as well as ones poorly recorded because of the camera men's level of intoxication). Therefore, when this show was released (and especially when Jimmy Page remastered it for DVD and Blu-ray release), what you actually see on the screen has both visual and audio elements that are compiled and patched together from the material the band was able to work with.The creation of this concert may sound like it was an exhausting task, but the truth of what is presented as the end product is quite to the contrary. The video quality is top notch to say the least, and the audio is COMPLETELY mind blowing. If at times the audio may not sync up perfectly with the video (aka the opening solo to Since I've Been Loving You) you'll find yourself not even caring because the sound is simply superb (I recommend using the DTS or HD decoding). Every song this night was played much better than the studio version, and in my opinion much better than any of their other live shows captured on film (with the exception of Rock-n-Roll and Whole Lotta Love, I like the ones from Knebworth 79'...another great show). The fantasy scenes are rather weird, but each of them actually plays a solid role in some message the band is attempting to express. An example of such is the opening scene with the faceless mobsters being annihilated by gunmen; gunmen led by Peter Grant. This is representative of the band's feelings toward the faceless British media who constantly degraded them as a worthless band.When all is said and done, just buy this concert. You will not be disappointed, especially if you are a Zeppelin fan. If you already have the DVD and aren't sure if the Blu-ray is worth the cost just for the better picture, trust me when I say it is worth the cost.

A must for Zeppelin fans.

This video has a number of non music segments, sort of fantasies by each of the group members. Then each time, you finally get to the music. Of course you can skip these segments, but they do (especially Robert Plant's) take you back to the hippie life of the late sixties and early seventies. It seems that these segments get less and less as the film progresses, and it's all music in the last part And what music. All the band members play well, although I think Robert Plant's voice at this point could not quite hit the high notes he sang with ease 3 or 4 years earlier. But what a performer! And then there's Jimmy Page. As as guitarist, I was in awe of his total mastery of the instrument, using volume swells, wah wah, delays, softer, smoother bluesy tones, and let's not forget the violin bow! This is one of the greatest guitar performances ever.

very good