Let me start off with the normal criticisms that will be thrown in the general direction of this live album. If you don't like Robert Plant's voice (I don't mind it, but I can see how someone can hate it), take off 2-3 points. If you don't like songs/solos that seem to go on FOREVER, take off 2.5-3.5 points. If you took off six or more points, you are obviously not a Zeppelin fan, will not check this out, and probably have already judged the album.

This live album, in a word, is stunning. It is a treasure chest for all the hardcore fans who have wanted a live Zep documentation of any kind, aside from the BBC sessions and The Song Remains the Same (because claiming that Zep was a great live band and citing TSRTS as a reference would probably result in a justified ass-kicking). This here 3-disc set does the trick, piecing together two heavily-bootlegged Zeppelin shows to form a super-show of sorts.

Anyway, hardcore fans will probably (and should) eat this thing up. An excellent version of "Immigrant Song" opens the first disc with a bang. Following it, there's an excellent version of "Heartbreaker" with a solo that shows JUST what Jimmy Page is capable of. The classic "Black Dog" follows, and the first live version of "Over the Hills and Far Away" to be officially released, plays after that.

"Since I've Been Loving You" and "Stairway to Heaven" were always concert stand-outs, and these versions are no exception. Personally, this version of "Stairway" may replace the Song Remains the Same version as my favorite version of the most overplayed song of all time. As a side note (and a place where you can take off even more points if it bothers you that much), "Since I've Been Loving You" will suck if you dislike Plant's rambling during shows at all.

The first disc closes with a 3-song acoustic set that shows that Zeppelin can play gentle folksters/balladeers just as well as they can play "the gods of rock." "Going to California" is not changed much from the studio version (good thing). "That's the Way" beats the version from the BBC sessions and the studio cut. "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp" has a certain energy to it that neither of the other acoustic songs has.

The next two discs are only 4-songs long. The version of "Dazed and Confused" here is shorter than the one on The Song Remains the Same… by one minute. However, it is far more exciting than that version, featuring a lively jam and solos-a-plenty from Mr. Page. The band even goes into "The Crunge" (or an instrumental version of it) in the middle of it! How about that? "What Is and What Should Never Be" is fun, and "Dancing Days" is unremarkable (other than the fact that this is the first live issue of "Dancing Days" to be released). The second disc closes with a crazy drum solo, courtesy of John Bonham, on the track "Moby Dick." If you like drum solos, this track is for you.

The third disc opens with a 23-minute version of the classic "Whole Lotta Love" and a medley of old blues numbers. The entire affair shows the looser, fun side of Zeppelin that sometimes gets lost in the hype and pretension. "Rock and Roll" does what that track always does… rocks… and rolls. Simple enough. "The Ocean" is a fun song from Houses of the Holy, and the whole shebang closes perfectly with the bluesy cover "Bring It On Home."