Led Zeppelin was originally formed in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page under the name “The New Yardbirds,” based on Page’s previous band, The Yardbirds. While The New Yardbirds arose at first simply to fulfill some performance commitments booked in Scandinavia before the original band’s break-up, Page attempted to create a rock-supergroup out of the new band, which would have been composed of the Yardbirds’ own Page and Jeff Beck, The Who’s Keith Moon and John Entwistle (who were considering leaving their band), and possibly Steve Winwood or Steve Marriott.

Presented by the late rock legend Tommy Vance, this is the ultimate critical retrospective of the band hailed by many as the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band in history.

Concert Led Zeppelin in the Kingdome, Seattle, Washington, USA July 17, 1977.
Tracklist:
01. The Song Remains The Same
02. The Rover Intro / Sick Again
03. Nobody's Fault But Mine
04. Over The Hills And Far Away
05. Since I've Been Loving You
06. No Quarter
07. Ten Years Gone
08. The Battle Of Evermore
09. Going To California
10. Black Country Woman
11. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp
12. White Summer
13. Black Mountain Side
14. Kashmir
15. Out On The Tiles / Moby Dick
16. Guitar Solo
17. Achilles Last Stand
18. Stairway To Heaven
19. Whole Lotta Love
20. Rock And Roll

 

 For Led Zeppelin fanatics, this 1976 feature The Song Remains the Same is a treasure of searing live performances, particularly welcome in light of the sad scarcity of such visual material from the band's great decade. Despite the group's road weariness after a long tour, their final, three-night stand at Madison Square Garden in 1973 was full of the old power. Performances of "No Quarter," "Whole Lotta Love," "Black Dog," "Dazed and Confused," and "Stairway to Heaven" underscore Zep's charisma. Trouble is, you don't get an unbroken performance here. Viewers have to wade through a mishmash of documentary insight into the lives of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones, as well as fantasy sequences supposedly inspired by the thoughts and fantasies of the band's individual members. It's mostly garish and silly, but there are some nice elements, especially insights into the late Bonham's life. The DVD doesn't offer much in the way of add-ons (a theatrical trailer is about it), but there is also enhanced viewing for 16 x 9 televisions. --Tom Keogh