Random movie review, The Song Remains The Same (1 Viewer)

[Yatman]

Attention, rockers: this movie is long and bizarre. If you're looking for a pure concert flick, skip this. If you're interested in the basis for Spinal Tap, this might be worth your time.

Either way, I suggest strong drink or other mind alterers for maximum enjoyment. I had neither and suffered through all the awful "cinema" to hear LZ's ancient, tasty licks.

Concert footage from 1976 at The Garden, at the height of their powers. They leave it all onstage.

Felt sorry for Page shouldering that double SG; looks like it weighs half as much as him. He kills it throughout, as does Bonzo.

Unless you're a real Zephead, skip the movie and listen to the record. That is all.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

I had the (double) LP and played it tons (“does anybody remember laughter?”)

Anyway, Pink Floyd’s The Wall - that’s the movie to watch

 

[moe1967]

No Quarter =

 

[moe1967]

Attention, rockers: this movie is long and bizarre. If you're looking for a pure concert flick, skip this. If you're interested in the basis for Spinal Tap, this might be worth your time.

Either way, I suggest strong drink or other mind alterers for maximum enjoyment. I had neither and suffered through all the awful "cinema" to hear LZ's ancient, tasty licks.

Concert footage from 1976 at The Garden, at the height of their powers. They leave it all onstage.

Felt sorry for Page shouldering that double SG; looks like it weighs half as much as him. He kills it throughout, as does Bonzo.

Unless you're a real Zephead, skip the movie and listen to the record. That is all.

Concert footage was from a series of concerts (3) in 1973 at MSG. The film was released in 1976.

Side Note: John Bonham was full of awesomeness

 

[superchuck500]

The stage stuff is awesome but I always thought the fantasy sequences and goofy special effects were insufferable.

I have never been able to watch in a single sitting.

 

[Saintman2884]

As a Floyd fan, Ive always been amazed at Zeps musicianship of Page, Bonham, and rocks greatest most underrated multi-instrumentalist, John Paul Jones but I've found their attempts at sci-fi, Tolkien-inspired LOTR fantasy occult inferences a bit silly, sophomoric, and corny compared to the Floyd's laser, high-bean psychedelic light shows that began at London's UFO Club and then eventually morphed into concert halls, arenas, and later stadiums. Despite Floyd's drug-burn out image, they were more alcoholics then LSD trippers certainly Roger Waters and David Gilmour were. Nick Mason and Rick Wright especially did develop nasty cocaine addictions in mid-late 70s that eventually forced Wright to be kicked via a Waters ultimatum that if Wright didn't resign from the band and become a salaried employee while the Wall was being mixed in Nice, France, Waters would essentially torpedoed the whole album. Since Floyd were in a financial crisis at the point due to their accounting agency collapsing, taking the Floyd's investments with them, Wright knew he couldn't afford to say no and risk the rest of the bands financial ruin. Waters was and still can be a vindictive SOB.

After Zeppelin's 1973 US tour, which they broke the single-concert rock attendance record at Tampa Stadium, they never really reached those Everest-esque levels although they did close with Physical Graffiti double album and tour, but ultimately it was cancelled when Robert Plant and his family got into a car wreck near a cliff holidaying in Greece. The band's cohesion, tightness as a musical unit and overall chemistry started to fracture, Plants personality began to assume more monstrous form as he believed he was just as much the creative and artistic genius as Page was. Until the mid-70s, most rock fans, critics, and others familiar with the band perceived Led Zeppelin as Jimmy Page's rock band, about 1976 Plant, with some justification, felt his lyrics and musical talents were as crucial to the bands success as Page was. Jimmy was abusing herion really bad by the late 70s, Plant uses this a way to argue to the rest of the band that he isn't pulling his own weight, Jones, IMHO, is a saint and should be eulogized because he kept Led Zeppelin together 2-3 years longer then it would've otherwise. Presence and In Through the Out Door are his albums, with contributions from Plant, Page, and Bonham. John Bonham liked to party in the studio and on the road, but he was a very different, ordinary family guy who would go to his local pub or local grain stock market and ask about stock prices. He owned a large farm in English Midlands and grew crops while not on tour. When a long tour was over, he immediately pack up his bags and go home and the others wouldn't see him for maybe another year-and a half. His son, Jason Bonham, believes his father probably would've retired from Zeppelin and rock altogether by the early 80s if he hadn't died, he's even suggested that Zeppelin s aborted late 1980-81 European/USA tour would've been his father's and bands last together. Plant had already threatened to quit several times after the 1977 US tour ended, and wanted to start what would become a very successful, albeit artistically different solo career.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Plant, with some justification, felt his lyrics and musical talents were as crucial to the bands success as Page was..

well he was half right
that man could sing

 

[sfidc3]

For sentimental reasons, I love the movie. I think it was an earnest interpretation of 70's rock star excesses...it also revealed that Page was a bit of a sloppy guitar player, at least live but rumor had it that he had a nasty heroin addiction...

 

[Joe OKC]

Couple things.. Thank You 2884... You add so much value to this site with your history knowledge. I truely enjoy reading your stuff historically related.

Guido said: That man could sing.

Anybody ever notice that Plants voice seemed to have changed after LZ-IV? I mean.. The first 4 albums he's deep Blues style and then after that he is high pitched girly sounding shrills?

and lastly... I am not a fan of The Song Remains the Same Movie. Just wayyy tooo much of Robert Plant's Penis if you know what I mean. He wore those tight assed pants and the camera shots from the ground up were just too much to take really. Showed a real lack of class and probably fake as well.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Just wayyy tooo much of Robert Plant's Penis ...just too much to take really.

do i even need to TWSS?

 

[Joe OKC]

Well, I figured you'd say something about my comment on his singing.. but nooooooooo.

 

[Goatman Saint]

Always detested the movie and I’m a big Zep fan. The music itself is good, but I much prefer the tight groove of the O2 concert. And while Bonham was incredible I’ve seen in more than one writeup that Jason Bonham’s performance at O2 was perfect as far as the art of percussion. He had his one time to shine and nailed it perfectly.
With the exception of Presence, probably my least favorite Zeppelin work.

 

[Saintman2884]

I've read over the years from more then a few critics that most remaining members of Zeppelin have gone on record saying their dislike of the movie. All have different, variable reasons. It took too long to fund, produce, and distribute 3 years later in the summer of 1976 when the music scene was very different on both sides of the Atlantic, Goat. The summer of 1976 was the year punk rock blew in through UK like a Luftwaffe bomb squadron and Song Remains the Same movie made Zeppelin appear silly, corny, over-indulgent, and irrevelant as a dinosaur band from the 60s. Plant has complained that certain parts of the film took too long to make, presented some band members and manager Peter Grant in a negative light as arrogant, selfish, borderline violent bullies. I've also read in a few articles that none of the band members have seen the movie since it premiered in 1976.

 

[Goatman Saint]

It was silly, overindulged and at that time they had become the opposite of punk music. The 18-20 min tracks didn’t help any either. I mean let’s face it, among Dick in its concert entirety is ridiculous as is Dazed and Confused. For the time it was good and parts are great, but an over indulgent mess, yeah that’s about a perfect description

 

[Bill]

The stage stuff is awesome but I always thought the fantasy sequences and goofy special effects were insufferable.

I have never been able to watch in a single sitting.

I could listen to the album all day, But if they had just done a concert flick instead of all the fantasy scenes, I would have enjoyed the movie a lot more. I still sing the live versions of the songs from this live album more than the original studio versions of the songs. Plant was amazing even though some of his vocals were added later for the 'live' album release. It would have been a great concert to experience live at Madison Square Garden in '73.