No Quarter - Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded

Well, Sir Robert and James Page have done it again! This time, in a re-release of MTV's 1994 Special UnLedded Page and Plant video, the full beauty of Robert's voice, and Jimmy Page and his mastery of guitar legend abound. It is replete with wonderful moments, such as Gallows Pole, featuring Jimmy playing one of his own BlackMountainside Brand custom acoustic guitars, Friends, a fabulous, exotic song from Zep III, and a heavy version of THE song, Kashmir, replete with cello phenom Caroline Dale, her entire ensemble of British cellists, Giles, Milne, et al, an Egyptian string ensemble, (with monstrously talented Egyptian violin soloist Wael Abu Bakr) doing lead violin solo, and Jimmy playing the 50,000$, multi computerized GIbson Les Paul Transperformance guitar - capable of instantaneously moving and retuning to nearly 100 different modal tunings real time- with relish. Jimmy has that device down to a science. Kashmir is simply still astonishing and brings tears to the eyes delivered like this. Power and glory abound here. There is EVEN Page/Plant/Jones and Lee, doing a parody of Dred Zeppelins' (Nobody's Fault) doing a parody of Led Zep. How about that for turnabout? All in good fun of course. It's even dumbed down to Dreds level for extra gusto. The other piec de resistanc' is No Quarter, the beginning song, filmed outdoors, in the woods, in Wales, with Jimmy doing a totally re-worked No quarter in modal 12 string, acoustic, and Robert handling his own array of black boxes (on his lap) through which he does misty mountain hopping special FX for his voice, in real time. THIS is priceless. There are a few (very few) weak spots here and there, but after all, these guys are middle aged fellows, like many of us, here, and none of us are what we were when we were 25. And Bonham's presence is noticable at times. Thank You could have been a better take. But on the whole, this is thrilling music, with enormous scope, big time arrangements, TOP talent doing backup roles. The hurdy gurdy, rich mandolins, and violas and Bodhran add especially flavorful ethnic mixes to the final product. It is exciting, fresh, and full of new twists. I loved the jam with the musicians in Morrocco. And in Marrackech, that anthem, with Pagey doing the moonwalk, is just plain loud fun. Where Pagey gets these special effects is anyones' guess. He never runs out of new ideas, or new gear. No one, save perhaps Gilmour, knows more about the technical end of guitar, electronics, FX, cutting edge tech, and the like. These two fellows have pushed the state of the guitar ahead 100 years... if only there were people behind them picking up where they left off. As long as that is not the case, WE need JP showing us the way.. SIBLY is again, great. If you liked Led Zep, I dare say you will probably love this video. It is worth watching and keeping. You won't find another live rock band like this for another hundred years or more. And with this high calibre of musicians backing them up, you won't see a show like this again. That much is assured. Guaranteed.

JIMMY PAGE and ROBERT PLANT have once again, put together a musical MASTERPIECE. I am watching this DVD "NO QUARTER - JIMMY PAGE & ROBERT PLANT UNLEADED" absolutely THRILLED with the talent, unique versions of classics, and how genuinely EXCEPTIONAL this DVD truly is. This was recorded in 1994 and if you loved Page and Plant back in the 70's you are going to LOVE this DVD. I'm actually AMAZED at how EXCEPTIONAL the music is! Their performances, along with the addition of extremely talented people filmed on location from Morocco and Snowdonia are such a gift to watch, *****THIS DVD IS AWESOME***** The rich cultural musicians and added scenery truly make THIS DVD the most unique I have EVER seen. *****I LOVE IT***** I'm watching this with the biggest smile on my face. There is not one boring moment - every song is phenomenal - it's the quality of the music, ALL of the additional elements - watching it all takes my breath away. One thing is certain, the incomparable talent of Page and Plant has only GROWN richer, deeper, more unique and passionate over time - they are TRULY TIMELESS AND LEGENDARY GIFTS. I'm loving every nanosecond of this DVD. NO QUARTER - JIMMY PAGE & ROBERT PLANT UNLEADED IS A MUST BUY, MUST OWN, MUST ENJOY AND TREASURE GIFT you will be giving yourself. The orchestra back-up in "The Rain Song" is superior, but it's not fair to single out one song - they are ALL so touching, each in their own unique way, which is what makes THIS DVD so special. The digitally mastered sound and video quality is amazing. I only gave this DVD 5 stars because I couldn't give it 5 Million Stars. It IS TRULY PHENOMENAL, and I mean this with all of my heart. Barbara Rose, Ph.D. author of If God Was Like Man, Stop Being the String Along, and If God Hears Me, I Want an Answer! PS: The personal interviews after the music are very interesting, bringing a great perspective to their musical choices - which are truly outstanding. The footage filmed in Morocco is just a delightful gift to watch. It's really a whole lot more than just a DVD - this is a real experience, and a great one that I'll be watching many, many more times. Outstanding!

No point in saying I agree with most of the reviewers who found this DVD excellent, but the first time I listened to it, I picked the Dolby Stereo and put it on the big audio-rig and speakers -- the heck with five-channel sound when the stereo is this good. I then sat back and closed my eyes to focus on the music at its best. I have been a LZ fan for years, and I own many of their albums in original LP form, but this is amazing. The "Rain Song" has always been my favorite number . . . along with Kashmir, and I can say I never really heard them until this DVD. After listening to CDs, this was sheer ear-ecstasy. The DVD audio quality is simply superb -- the best live recording I have ever seen/heard on DVD . . . and at last the medium lives up to its promise. The combination of watching the picture and listening to the gorgeous music is informing -- I figured out some things. Stereo imaging was highly synchronized with what your eyes see on the picture of the stage. EDIT -- the one glaring exception is "Black Dog", which is like listening to a "boom box" in a 55 gallong drum cranked up to unintelligible and frighening gains. I checked it out on a waveform analysis. There are no peaks; there are no valleys. This is a disappointment to a great song -- what you can credibly hear of the performance "in the drum" sounds as if it could have been a fine performance. Sure, Robert Plant has lost some of the top end of his vocal range, but his unique phrasings and modulations are excellent, emotive and uniformly on key. He certainly is not shy of showing off that he is still quite a showman. And as for Jimmy Page, for the first time to me he shows he was not only a great innovator of the past, but he is still a consumate guitarist. The imagination and reach of the arrangements left me awestruck at the extension of the creativity of Plant and Page. The choice of instrumentation and the superb blending of the various elements is among the most amazing recordings of a live performance I've ever heard. This is the audio fulfilment of my years of fandom of LZ. Sure, I think it's a tragedy that Bonham is no longer with us, and it's a disappointment if they slighted Jones, BUT this is a DVD I will use to demonstrate what great sound can be. I thought the soundstage was beautiful and effective. The alternative recording sites and landscape interludes were pleasant and soothing, and they did not repeat the self-indulgence that mars "The Song Remains the Same" DVD. EDIT: To rehash, I'd like to see whoever engineered that recording of "Black Dog" shot -- the gain and compression are so high that the average loudness is universally at the clipping point. It sounds horrible, and the better your sound system, the worse it sounds. Plant's vocals are muddied and some interesting Moroccan or Egyptian accompanyment is totally buried. It is the worst version of an LZ song I have ever heard by a member of the band, and is guaranteed to really iritate anyone quickly, if you can stand it that long.

I have to agree with everything written above about the amazing performances on this DVD which also led me to HAVE to also purchase the CD for my car. I'm a little late finding this but so glad I did. I'm a huge Robert Plant solo fan, along with Led Zep. No Quarter makes me wish so HARD that some day Robert may decide to do more similar solo work such as this masterpiece, with or without Jimmy, along with the other amazing musicians from India, Egypt, Morrocco, etc. that he loves so much and has brought me to love so much. It's so wonderful to hear Robert's softer, more melodic, sexier, romantic side while still showing all of his powerful vocal talent. OMG I just cannot get enough of him! And the songs "City Don't Cry" and "Wah Wah" with the Gambri are just mesmerizing. And what about "The Truth Explodes"!!!! OMG! Put that on the radio NOW!!!!! It's way better and way ahead of its time even today! Jimmy's hard, dirty, grungy, sexy guitar puts other "grunge" artists to shame and Robert! Kill me now. I'm breathless.

I lost my 1st one so I bought another and it's fabulous the delivery was fast and ordering was quick and easy.

You will never regret buying this DVD. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at their best is what is is. What a collabration of raw talent. I really enjoy the scenes from Marrakesh. The blend of the worlds best rock and roll artists with tribal musicans is a most wonderful combination of sounds and tones. Very enjoyable. A couple of their songs are recorded in Wales one of which is "Nobodys Fault But Mine." Just plane fun, fun, fun. The rest of the DVD is in a venue backed by London Metropolitan Orchestra. Fabulous combination I would have never thought would happen. The best part is "Four Sticks" and "Kashmir" with the Egyptian Ensemble. This is the most exciting preformance of Kashmir I have ever heard. Blackdog is included as an extra treat. One of the most memorable member is the drummer, Michael Lee. May he rest in peace. Oh what a drummer he was! Overall, I highly recommend this DVD for any music lover. It is magic and I can't say enough good things about it.

I bought this for my mom for Christmas, and then when I returned home from visiting, had to buy myself a copy. If you're a fan of Led Zepplin or Robert Plant, just buy it, you won't regret it. If you're not a fan, buy it for someone who is.

If your a fan of the hard rocking Zep days, then you may not love this DVD like me. Interesting takes on Zep classics, but it doesn't always work (see Nobody's Fault But Mine). It doesn't seem to pick up until the halfway point with The Rain Song and That's the Way. If your a fan, then definitely worth a look and listen, but I wasn't as impressed as others with the Mid-East flavor. Also, am I the only one that still feels embarrassed for Page and Plant that they didn't bother involving John Paul Jones? Shame on them and their egos!