a few minutes late, but still...

the end.

"We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend, and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."

-Led Zeppelin, December 4, 1980

25 years ago yesterday, one of the greatest bands came to a sad end. at the time, i wasn't quite old enuff to understand who Led Zeppelin was or were, or how they fit into the musical landscape i have come to care for rather deeply. fortunately, i managed to back myself into the legacy that is Led Zeppelin. these days, i am glad that i have the collection of bootlegs that i do, so that i have the opportunity to hear Led Zeppelin at its most raw. most people get to experience Led Zeppelin through the studio albums (and few live releases), but listening to the bootlegs, you truly get to appreciate just what we now miss. soemthing i'll never have the opportunity to see.

John Paul Jones said something to the effect of how at their best, no one could touch Led Zeppelin, and even on their worst nights, they were still better than most. their worst can be painful to listen to, but his statement holds true. even on those bad nights, they were still good. tight but loose.

listening to them now, Led Zeppelin still stands high above the music of today. there will be very few bands that can be that influential, that timeless, or that powerful. so i'll just end this here and say:

Thank you Robert.

Thank you Jimmy.

Thank you Jonesy (The Coolest Man on Earth (tm))

and Thank you John Henry Bonham.

(and thank you to all of you who braved getting your asses kicked by Peter Grant to tape and share the shows i (and many others) now enjoy.)