This Fuckin' Kid

[Nitro Express]

The amps I like are the single channel FUCHS Blackjack 21 Mark I. They come up for sale on Reverb and Guitar Center. I found one in Seattle for $500. These are really simple amps but they are made of the best components and are only 20 watts. Only four knobs but they do blues, classic rock and classic VH as good as anything. I have two of them.

[Nitro Express]

I like the foot controller for the 5150 amps. They switch really smooth and it’s built like a tank.

[Nitro Express]

I HAVE asked the guys before if they'd be interested in picking up a 5150 amp...but I don't think they've ever really looked into it seriously.

NITRO, what is your honest opinion of the 5150 amps...based on what it costs and what you get for the money? (And the different versions.)

I assume you are talking about the EVH Gear 5150 amps. They basically are a mass produced circuit board based amp. This keeps the cost down. Build quality is decent and the amp has a usable clean channel. A decent crunch channel and a very hot high gain channel. You can play a lot of different style of music on a 5150. It’s not just balls to the wall.

The 50 watt heads are popular. Easier to carry than a 100 watt and has enough power to work well on a big stage. The EL34 powered 5150 has a darker sounding crunch channel. Eddie voiced it so it would give a classic Marshall sound. I like it. John 5 uses them live. Some people hate it. So you want to try both the 6L6 and EL34 amps and see what you prefer.

The guy who designed the 5150 thinks the 6L6 powered 2x12 combo is the best sounding amp out of all of them. Might be worth trying one of those.

There is also the 5150 stealth. This was the last amp Eddie signed off on. It was designed by James Brown who designed the Peavey 5150 amps. He’s a top notch designer. I’ve heard good things. The amp is a hybrid using both tubes and solid state. This is to keep the price point down since building a all tube amp is more expensive.

[Rikk]

Tons of Great LED ZEPPELIN stuff in my collection now...

When the Zep 1977 Seattle Kingdome pro shot boot started making the trading rounds in a big way maybe 20 years ago, I was pretty psyched. Mostly because prior to that there wasn't much live video of the band from that tour.

I waited many years for that show to finally come out. For years, I had a terrible VHS copy of the 2nd Knebworth concert (August 11, 1979). It was pretty unwatchable. I remember spending like $30 or so for a bootleg VHS I got by mail order around 1994. The ONLY thing I had besides that was THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME. And I'd watched that thing so many times that I was just desperate for a different Zeppelin gig. But not only is the 2nd Knebworth night not really a great Zeppelin gig (the 1st night is actually a much better concert) but my VHS copy looked like it was 10th-generation or something. It just looked so awful, with muddy, humming sound.

Plenty of audio boots of full shows - Chicago, Los Angeles - but here was a full-length Zep concert from 1977.

Yes...around 2003, around the time the official Led Zeppelin DVD came out (in fact, just a bit before), the market was suddenly flooded with a few pro-shot shows that fans had never been able to watch before. We'd seen a few short clips in places like the band's official website (there was a short clip of KASHMIR from one of the Earls Court nights in Real Player format)...or there would be a few quick shots in great quality in the band's official promo videos (remember that music video for OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY that used shots of Knebworth '79 and, I think, a few shots of Seattle '77?). I remember stupidly spending $100 to buy a fucking VHS copy of one of the Earls Court nights (May 24, 1975) maybe a month or two before the official Led Zeppelin DVD came out. It was watchable. It was actually pretty good. It was a helluva lot better than the shitty Knebworth '79 I'd had for years.

But within a few months, a much better Earls Court DVD (same night) started appearing on Torrent Bootleg sites...and that replaced my VHS copy really quickly.

Eventually, the first Knebworth night (August 4, 1979) also started appearing on Torrent sites (in much better quality than my old August 11 VHS).

But (you're right)...the real Holy Grail was the Seattle '77 DVD that finally leaked out onto torrents/boots. What made that disc so special was the fact that there was almost NOTHING from that tour (except for a few audience-shot menu clips) in the official Led Zeppelin DVD set.

...here was a full-length Zep concert from 1977. The Kingdome seated about 65,000, so the entire show was filmed via the venues closed circuit tv system and shown on a large screen inside the venue simultaneously while the band was playing, which is fairly common nowadays but was pretty new back then. It was also videotaped as well, and the tapes remained in Peter Grant and Jimmy Page's private collections for about twenty years before they got leaked and started making the trading circles.

AND...the only reason they didn't bother including anything from Seattle '77 in the official DVD was because they DON'T have multi-track audio to go with it. There was (especially in 2003) not much they could do with the audio to give it that big 5.1 DTS Surround mix they were able to do with the Royal Albert Hall '70 show, the Earls Court '75 material or the Knebworth '79 video footage.

JPJ has, like, a ten-minute piano solo during No Quarter. Bonham does what feels like a twenty-minute solo, immediately followed by a ten-minute Page solo. And the video is just shots of the musicians playing: without all the other accompanying visuals a la The Song Remains The Same, listening to a twenty-minute John Bonham solo is an endurance test even for the most avid Zep fan.

Yeah...since everything in Seattle '77 is close-up shots (and the sound is all mono soundboard), it's definitely something for which you have to have more endurance than some of the more-polished pro-shot footage. I will say that I do like Jonesy's keyboard solo during the 1977 Tour. When my wife & I saw THEM CROOKED VULTURES in 2010 (right up near the stage in the Avalon Ballroom in Chicago), I was blown-away realizing that Jonesy was basically following the exact format of his 1977 keyboard solo arrangement (I had just watched Seattle '77 a few nights before seeing VULTURES). Definitely a cool NO QUARTER in the Seattle show...but it still isn't as magnificent and flawless as the Earls Court '75 rendition of NO QUARTER (especially the May 24, 1975 version...overall that the May 25 show is the better one, but the May 24 rendition of NO QUARTER is, in my opinion, the very best NO QUARTER Led Zeppelin ever played).

In the years since, we've definitely been spoiled when it comes to unauthorized Zeppelin releases (like the recent audio of Bloomington '75, a killer soundboard boot, which has some of the crispest, fullest sound imaginable, plus rare performances of WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS and, I think, THE WANTON SONG).

As for visual stuff, in addition to what's on the 2003 official DVD (and THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME re-release), I now have the following:

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. Earls Court, May 24, 1975: I have a killer downloaded with custom cover Blu-Ray of this entire show in pretty crisp picture-quality and quite good sound (NOT as good as the official DVD...but still a great watch).
. Earls Court, May 25, 1975: A factory-printed Blu-Ray of this show on two Blu-Rays in amazing quality (even better than the May 24, 1975 show)...this is an almost FOUR-HOUR CONCERT!!! And it's majestic.
. Seattle '77: Haven't found a factory Blu-Ray of this gig...but I found a great downloadable Blu-Ray for which I printed a nice cover...picture really cleaned up. (Only downside is this is not one of the best '77 gigs.)
. Knebworth August 4 & 11, 1979: Amazing, factory-made Blu-Ray I got years ago, BOTH gigs in the best-quality ever (except the official DVD)...great sound, picture. Amazing cover (whole thing in a brown bag!).
. FILM ARCHIVES Compilation: Really-sweet factory-made Blu-Ray set, with tons of the best 8mm Zep footage from all eras, plus T.V. clips, interviews...great history of the band. Most of the 8mm stuff is in real hi-def!
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[Nickdfresh]

Good because Tor needs to be oiled up, much like Wolfgang:

[Rikk]

I HAVE asked the guys before if they'd be interested in picking up a 5150 amp...but I don't think they've ever really looked into it seriously.

NITRO, what is your honest opinion of the 5150 amps...based on what it costs and what you get for the money? (And the different versions.)

[Rikk]

I have a FUCHS Train 45 I run some NOS Soviet 6v6’s in and I run through a Fryette Power Station into a FUCHS offset 2x12 loaded with one Classic 30 and one Greenback. It sounds fabulous. More touch sensitivity than a Marshall. I can run EL34’s but the 6V6 tubes sound the same and break up quicker. Those old Soviet tubes are cheap and can take a beating. I probably have 30 of them in stock so I’m set for life.

The funny thing is: BOTH of my guitar players are always getting all sorts of new gear...sometimes buying new gear, other times trading it for new stuff...and I'm not even always aware of what they're using on certain tracks.

Yeah, I write a MAJORITY of the material...but I'm not some sort of prima-donna through which they need to run through me what amp they want to use for something...which pedal(s) they want to use...even which guitar (though, at least with the guitar, I sometimes have more of an opinion of what I might want for a certain overdub or solo: "This would probably sound better with the Les Paul" or "This needs something cleaner with more edge...maybe the Strat?" or "Do you wanna try the Telecaster for this one?"

But with amps, I'm not even always aware what they've used for certain overdubs. If they're doing stuff at my studio, they often bring one single amp for a full weekend's full of sessions. BUT...with overdubs (done remotely)...I don't even always know what amp (or pedal) they've used for something when they send the raw audio files back to me to add to the multi-track.

The only thing I know is if I think it sounds good or not. BUT...since they have to live with their guitar solos, I usually let them make the final call on that.

[Terry]

Exactly.

John Bonham is my favorite drummer in the world. And I've listened closely to hundreds and hundreds of drummers. He's simply the most perfect rock drummer who ever lived (in my opinion).

AND EVEN THEN...when I watch The Song Remains the Same (I love that movie), the only part in the film during which I kind of shift in my seat, waiting for the scene to be done, is Bonham's drum solo.

When I listen to bands, I listen to the drums sometimes more than anything else. I play drums!! But drum solos are just rarely interesting.

When the Zep 1977 Seattle Kingdome pro shot boot started making the trading rounds in a big way maybe 20 years ago, I was pretty psyched. Mostly because prior to that there wasn't much live video of the band from that tour. Plenty of audio boots of full shows - Chicago, Los Angeles - but here was a full-length Zep concert from 1977. The Kingdome seated about 65,000, so the entire show was filmed via the venues closed circuit tv system and shown on a large screen inside the venue simultaneously while the band was playing, which is fairly common nowadays but was pretty new back then. It was also videotaped as well, and the tapes remained in Peter Grant and Jimmy Page's private collections for about twenty years before they got leaked and started making the trading circles.

Long show, too. 2 and 1/2 hours or so. JPJ has, like, a ten-minute piano solo during No Quarter. Bonham does what feels like a twenty-minute solo, immediately followed by a ten-minute Page solo. And the video is just shots of the musicians playing: without all the other accompanying visuals a la The Song Remains The Same, listening to a twenty-minute John Bonham solo is an endurance test even for the most avid Zep fan.

[Nitro Express]

Soldano’s are real reliable amps. All the distortion is created with the preamp tubes. The power tubes are biased so cold they will last a long time especially if you are running Russian military grade ones. The Mesa Dual Rectifier was a rip off of the Soldano and the 5150 is a variant of it. You do get a lot of sustain with great touch response but I never liked the tone.

[Nitro Express]

I have a FUCHS Train 45 I run some NOS Soviet 6v6’s in and I run through a Fryette Power Station into a FUCHS offset 2x12 loaded with one Classic 30 and one Greenback. It sounds fabulous. More touch sensitivity than a Marshall. I can run EL34’s but the 6V6 tubes sound the same and break up quicker. Those old Soviet tubes are cheap and can take a beating. I probably have 30 of them in stock so I’m set for life.

[Nitro Express]

One of my guitar players used to swear by his Soldano, but I never loved the sound for some reason.

I'm not sure if this fully relates to what you're saying...but sometimes, if I'm getting one of the guys to overdub a guitar solo onto a pretty thick backing track, I prefer to keep the amp at a very low volume and turn the mic level up. It compresses better and cuts through the sound better. And there are certain amps that really can still sound really good at a lower amplitude.

Mike Soldano is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet but I’m not a fan of high gain preamps. I don’t like the compressed sound. I’m more into a crossover/power distortion sound. With the great attenuators they have now you can get that at bedroom levels.

[Nitro Express]

Well music is nice but there are other professions that pay better for the skills. Especially now.

[Nitro Express]

Anything with Sammy in it sucks in my opinion. The best punch is ruined when there Is a turd in the bowl.

[Nitro Express]

That was changed within hours of the original being posted - I suspect it was because the algorithm was suppressing it due to the swear word, i.e., it was before everyone started slagging Dave for it (well, those that slagged him. I congratulate him)

Edit - it is still called 'This F***in Kid' on Apple podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcas...w/id1112289029

Spot on!

[Nitro Express]

Wolfgang is a member of the lucky sperm club. He is a creation of his mom. He acts just like her. He does have some of the Van Halen musical talent but I don’t give him any special treatment because of his last name. I appreciate Dave throwing some reality on the Wolfgang thing. The kid thinks he’s special, puts on a nice act but is one nasty fuck. That fucking kid!