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Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same Actors: John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant Directors: Peter Clifton, Joe Massot Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Dolby, Widescreen Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 136 minutes Studio: Warner Studios Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 1999-12-21 Buy from Amazon |
 "Legends"My initial thought of these four phenominal artists, to say the least are "legendary".This unique band was a head of there time when it come to writing,and making this music.There is no doubt in my mind,they paved the way for many musicians and song writers in the industry.Individually,they were the best at what they did,and that was making kick ass music.  "ALMOST, BUT NOT QUITE FANTASTIC"I first saw this movie back in '77, and being a huge a fan of the group, I was both delighted and disappointed. The group performed predictably well over the 3 nights at the Garden when they were filmed, but the live footage of the band was mediocre with too many close-up shots and not enough of the band performing as a whole. (There's amateur bootleg video available of the group from '75 in Chicago that has the vantage point that I wish this movie had - single camera from the first row.) With the exception of Plant's fantasy section during "The Rain Song", the others were distracting and disjointed, and only stole away from the performance. (Fans may care to seek THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME outtake bootleg video, which has the "damsdel in distress" role played by Plant's ex-wife, Maureen.) Another major problem with the movie from an historical perspective is the somewhat outdated nature of the live material shown. Back then, the group had the classic PHYSICAL GRAFFITI album out for 2 years when the movie was released, but none of that material was covered. If they included footage from the '75 tour, that would have helped tremendously. Also, if the band had performed an acoustic set during those shows, that also would have given the overall performance more flavor. The addition of some offstage footage of the group (in their famous Starship jet, for example) would have added interest to the film. One major plus with the movie is the inclusion of "Since I've Been Loving You", with didn't make it to the soundtrack album (but that's another review). In summary, the movie would have been more enjoyable if it was longer and without the peripheral "fantasy" sequences. It's unfortunate that so little quality film footage is available from this legendary band, which by default makes this film the best live document available. It's too bad that the group never performed at Woodstock, because their performance in that film would have been awesome. (Note: The band was actually in the region during that week in August '69, performing in Canada. DAMN!) But, save for a few decent bootleg videos (Danish TV, Staines, Paris '69; Chicago, Inglewood '75, etc.), this film will unfortunately remain the best historical concert film document of Led Zeppelin, and as such should be regarded as indispensible. "Classic concert flick."This was possibly the first concert film I ever saw. (Or maybe it was Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. I can't remember.) But let me tell ya, I used to worship this film. I'd watch it every day. It's got tons of great music, great guitar-playing (even with a violin bow), great singing, and it's all wrapped up in a great package. It's simply great.  "Led Zeppelin rocks, this DVD does not"During the 70's Led Zeppelin were the kings of rock, not only that, but they put on a good show. Now I'm a huge Zeppelin fan, so when I give it 2 stars, you know it sucks. When I purchased this DVD I frankly expected more. I (being a guitarist) expected to see Jimmy Page in all his glory thrashing out riffs for everybody. Instead, i get Jimmy playing at his sloppiest. Robert Plant keeps saying "push, push" during every song which is, quite frankly, disturbing. John Paul Jones and John Bonham sound great, but stand behind Robert and Jimmy like statues (which I guess is okay). Robert, Jimmy, John, and JPJ all look tired and worn out. To put it, they look lazy. Add to this the annoying "dream sequences" and there you have it. I expected a Zeppelin concert, not a freaky LSD trip. "I have never seen anything so grand."I blame this movie for being what I am today. I played guitar for about 2 years when I first saw this movie. I had been a zep fan even longer, but not really as much as I could have been. Upon seeing this movie, I went into my room and sat down with the 10-disc box set of all their songs, and listened to it all the way through. More than half of those songs I had never heard. I liked them before, but after that, it was unmistakable, I knew at that moment, they were the greatest band I ever heard of, indeed, the greatest band ever. Now, I can play almost any Zep tune you could want to hear on my guitar, and they have inspired me to play more than anything else. Now I play all the time. I write a lot of music now too. This is clearly the most inspirational thing I have ever seen. If I'm feeling a little down, or having trouble getting into a groove, I'll put this DVD on, and just let myself go, and then music will come out of me, it's an amazing thing. This is the greatest band doing what they do best. Highly recommended. |
