Led Zeppelin

Among the many swipes Led Zeppelin has endured over the years, their rep as a boring live act is one new fans might understand. After all, what kind of stage antics can you be expected to pull off when you're busy making what will go down in history as the greatest blues/hard-rock combo ever, and is anything but simple (isn't "Black Dog" in 13/8 or something?)? The DVD that accompanies this bears that idea out a bit, but without the visuals you are left with the sonic power Page and Co. were capable of, which remains unmatched. You do have to listen to all of "Moby Dick" once, though.

What has been the Achilles' heel in Led Zeppelin's otherwise formidable catalog? The lack
of a killer live album -- something on par with the Who's Live at Leeds or the Rolling Stones'
Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The soundtrack for Zep's 1976 concert documentary, The Song
Remains the Same, doesn't hold up without the movie's trippy visuals, and 1997's BBC
Sessions captures the band on its ascent rather than at its peak. The wait is over... More >

Solid live versions, curious guitar extravaganza, dire drum solo, ace covers ("Bring It On Home," "Whole Lotta Love").