• From: Benicia, Ca.
  • Registered: 2006-05-08
  • Posts: 5,828

Topic: Zep II Oct. 22, 1969

43 years ago today myself and a few high school buddies drove into Berkeley to our favorite record store, Discount Records on Telegraph Ave. and purchased Led Zep's second LP. We went home and spun it over and over on my buddies Dads Macintosh/Kliptsch system. We then realized that Zep was playing @ Winterland in San Francisco that night, so back to Berkeley to the same store that sold tix to all Bill Graham shows and onto the City. As much as we were overwhelmed with the new album we were as much underwhelmed by the performance that night. Don't know if Page & Co. were road weary or too high(a common occurence in those days), but the live versions didn't live up to the studio. Never bothered to go outta my way to see them live after that, but loved all the LP's that followed.

                                                                                                        Time Flies!

                                                                                                        J Dawg

What is success? Is it do yo' own thang, or is it to join the rest?   -Allen Toussaint
  • Registered: 2008-06-16
  • Posts: 4,021

Re: Zep II Oct. 22, 1969

That sounds about dead on as to the date, I was living in Huntsville,AL and of course went right out and bought it. Then started searching high and low for Zep I, but would not find until about 6 months later. I'm very glad not to have seen them early on, got to catch them on the Presence tour in '78 and must say they were fairly excellent. There was a good bit of white noise in that civic center, but we were pretty wasted and it didn't bother anybody. I still think that Zep II and Houses of the Holy are their best of all. By the time we got to In Through the Outdoor I was done with them, and they were done with themselves.

As corn through a goose, so are the days of our lives

3 Reply by Curby (edited by Curby 2012-10-22 15:30:28)

  • Curby
  • Curby
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2008-12-19
  • Posts: 2,606

Re: Zep II Oct. 22, 1969

I saw them early, I think in December '70 or early '71.  They were promoting III which would be one of their weaker albums.  The band was very good, but far from a favorite performance. I think it would be very difficult to not put IV as their best, but Houses of the Holy is a standout album.


Boy...back in the day a release from them was an EVENT!  I remember going to the record shop in Bloomington, Indiana at 10am sharp to be the first to buy IV.  Got all my friends together at the dorm and after a ceremonial doobie the record was played.  After "Stairway To Heaven" I nodded to my buddy Scott and told him they'd never top that song.  Four decades later I'm still right.