Product Description

Performing with the London Metropolitan Orchestra in 1994, Unledded documents the much-heralded reunion of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Among the songs performed are reworked versions of many Zeppelin favorites, including "The Battle of Evermore," "Gallows Pole," and "Kashmir," along with four new songs, such as "Yallah" and "Wonderful One." The platinum-selling Unledded cd heralded a new era or renewed popularity. Released now for the very first time on DVD, Unledded is the DVD Led Zeppelin fans have been waiting for.

Track Listing:
No Quarter
Thank You
What is And What Should Never Be
The Battle of Evermore
Gallows Pole
Nobody's Fault But Mine
City Don't Cry
The Truth Explodes
Wah Wah
When the Levee Breaks
Wonderful One
Since I've Been Loving You
The Rain Song
That's The Way
Four Sticks
Friends
Kashmir

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18102 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-26
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Live, DTS Surround Sound, Dolby, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, German, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Amazon.com
Decades after the death of drummer John Bonham and, for all intents and purposes, the demise of the group, Led Zeppelin's popularity continues unabated--and why not, as long as they keep coming up with offerings as worthy as No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded. Originally released on CD in 1994 and then in a remastered version simultaneously with this DVD, the 115-minute program (including bonus footage) was recorded on a London soundstage, in the hills of Snowdonia, Wales, and outdoors in Marrakech, Morocco. It finds guitarist Page, vocalist Plant, and an array of other musicians performing some new material, but for the most part, the repertoire focuses on their Led Zep legacy--not a surprise, considering that what they did together in that group was better than anything they've done separately, including some pretty good Plant solo efforts and Page's regrettable stint as a member of the Firm. Yet instead of simply parroting their Zeppelin period (and relying on tired warhorses like "Stairway to Heaven" and "Whole Lotta Love"), they've given the music new life, adding exotic instruments like the bodhran (an Irish drum) and the hurdy-gurdy (played by cranking a rosined wheel against a set of strings) to less familiar fare like "The Battle of Evermore" and "Gallow's Pole." Add to that three brilliant new songs performed with a quartet of Moroccan players, a full complement of strings from the London Metropolitan Orchestra (on "Since I've Been Loving You" and others), and a host of Egyptian percussion and strings on an epic version of "Kashmir" (also from the London session), and you've got a world music blend that is at times genuinely thrilling--especially for those with 5.1 Surround Sound capability. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Unledded...and unequalled
Ex-Led Zeppelin vocalist and lyricist Robert Plant always said that the true spirit of Led Zeppelin as represented within a single song was more evident in "Kashmir" than it was in AOR standby classic tracks like "Rock & Roll" and "Black Dog"; the notion that a hard rock blues-based band of English white boys who practically invented the heavy metal music genre could in fact be considered the godfathers of "World Beat" music a full generation before Peter Gabriel came along is conveniently overlooked by Western rock music fans, as is the notion that the principles of Eastern music (in terms of Indian and Arabic theories and applications) were far more prevalent within Led Zeppelin's work than that of the Beatles, typically more associated with Indian music thanks to George Harrison's association with Ravi Shankar.

This outstanding live performance recorded 10 years ago as of this writing is a fantastic example of Plant's opinion and the Led Zeppelin vision of musical exploration gloriously realized. As detailed within the interview included with this DVD's bonus features, Plant and guitarist/co-songwriter Jimmy Page chose a set that lent itself well to a broad interpretation and that reflected less the brute force of the riff-driven heavy metal classic tracks that permeate albums such as "Led Zeppelin II" and their self-titled 4th album (although "Four Sticks" and a wild reinterpretation of "When The Levee Breaks" are included) and more of the songs crafted as introspective compostions from "Led Zeppelin III" and "Houses Of The Holy".

This is not Led Zeppelin in their prime; that would be "How The West Was Won". And in truth John Paul Jones' absence is much lamented by this listener as he may well have been the best musician in the band and was the unifying force keeping them together during their last years...but the musicians filling in for him and the late John Bonham are certainly competant and their absence tugs at the sentiment of the heart rather than the sensitivity of the ear.

But for me the accompanying musicians are what really makes this set go. This is not a case of adding an extra guitarist (i.e., Pat Smear from the "Nirvana: MTV Unplugged" concert); the musicians added to this performance play every thing from banjo to hurdy-gurdy to native Arabic lutes, in addition to both Western and Eatern string sections as well as Arabic percussion specialists. The culmination of the meshing of musical talents and the melding of musical sensibilities is no better realized than in the epic performance of "Kashmir", my personal favorite Led Zeppelin song (and perhaps my favorite song by any performer). The song is hardly recognizable as the 8-plus minute classic rock radio staple; it has instead become the living embodiment of the spirit of the band and with its new energy surpasses the original studio recording whose orchestral sounds were generated from an early synthesizer (by John Paul Jones); the energy and the determination exhibited by the lead and supporting musicians during its performance is thoroughly inspiring and worthy of one of the finest performances in contemporary rock history.

This is a tremendous sampling of a band broken down to its most musical elements. Not specifically rock, folk, or even acoustic. Just evidence of the work of one of the finest bands to ever record. All the elements are there; you owe it to yourself to partake of them.

Page and Plant should be ashamed of themselves
First off, this is a must have for fans of Zepp as this DVD includes near perfect renditions of all of the classics that were not included on the recent 2 DVD set. Great acoustic stuff here. Not to be missed...

Secondly, Page and Plant should be ashamed of themselves for not inviting John Paul Jones' participation. It goes against everything that Zeppelin stands for. Not only did he contribute his solid bass and keyboard skills he was also the single entity that kept the band together in their later years. Explainable for no other reason but sheer Greed.

Shortly after this was filmed, Zepp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Page, Plant and Jones all accepted the award together along with Bonhams son. Jones approached the mike and made the public comment when accepting "I'd like to thank my mates(looking at Page/Plant) for remembering my phone number this time." Page and Plant immediately look at each other with embarrassment and shame. Plant then glances back at Jones while mimmicking that he was searching his jacket and trouser pockets for a pen. An all time low for this mighty band and their stellar reputation...

Amazing Music
I'm very surprised that no has rated this DVD yet. This is one of the best live concerts I have ever scene. Plant and Page are masters and work together like two soulfull, deep and invested musicians at the top of how real musicians should make music. The Arabic touches are mesmerizing. This combination of Middle-Eastern music with rock breathes a fresh spin on the classic rock genre that, unfortunatly, is not done by too many other bands today. I can't understand why either - these styles can compliment each other so nicely if done right like they way it's done here. What a great sound. Stand out traks - "Friends," "Kashmir," "Four Sticks," "Scince I've Been Loving You," "The Rain Song" and one of my other favorites, "Nobody's Fault But Mine." I can't say how much of an impact this made on me the first time I saw it. My dad bought it on VHS and we watched it when I was about 16. That was it for me. I discovered real music. I'm 21 now, and Led Zepplin still remains on of my favorite bands including Talking Heads and Jethro Tull. I always wondered why this concert never went on DVD, so to finnally find it was great. This music started it all for me. It's deep, powerful, fun and emotional music. Note - People who like "The Backstreet Boys" will, more then likely, not like this music. It's not pop, just great music.