The Song Remains the Same

If the goal for 1976's THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME was to convince us that Led Zeppelin were rock and roll gods, it succeeds in spades.  Despite a bloated running time of over two hours and some widely ridiculed fantasy sequences.  Also, charges that the guys were not at the top of their game when the cameras rolled in Madison Square Garden in July 1973 for three nights, at the conclusion of a long tour.

Maybe it's those numerous low angles.  The cameramen were squatting or even on their backs as Robert Plant whined and howled in his half shirt, squirming about in curiously effeminate poses.  One unfortunate shot makes us wonder if he is wearing a codpiece.  But he's otherworldly.  The shifting gels over the stage lights give him an aura, but his mere presence is enough.  And that voice, even when he adds cheesy asides between verses of "Stairway to Heaven." (admittedly not the best performance of this I've seen/heard of this seminal tune).  I'm not really a fan of when singers do that.

Then there's Jimmy Page, swinging that double neck like a boss.  Maybe he looks tired in a few shots (some of which were added when the production attempted to mimic the concerts on a soundstage in England when editing revealed there wasn't enough coverage in wide and tight shots from the shows).  But he still owns the strings, the frets, the pickups.  That bow he stretches across the axe.  Sometimes appears sexual.  His legendary status is confirmed over and over, for me especially during a very lengthy version of "Dazed and Confused."  When I read about this movie, I was concerned I would be bored by such playing.  Bullocks! I was mesmerized.

And Jon Bonham! A maniac with the sticks.  I've been a Zep fan since I was twelve or thirteen and always knew he was extraordinary.  There are some moments here that are astounding, seemingly superhuman.  We  get to see him blast through the "Moby Dick" solo.  Watch also for that brief clip of his son Jason as a wee lad twirling a stick behind a kit.

Bassist John Paul Jones doesn't get as much of a showcase, but he's a god, too, even with that silly wig in those inserts.

We get some backstage footage of police activity with friendly and hostile fans.  The "no comment" cop.  LZ manager Peter Grant berates (in language not usually heard in a PG-rated film) one of the crew for not learning about a guy hawking counterfeit memorabilia sooner.

About those fantasy sequences.  They were not as embarrassing or unintentionally funny as reported.  Some involve swords and sorcery.  Others involve race cars.  The opening scene features Grant as a mafioso blowing away other mafiosos with a tommy gun.  One guy's head falls off and a rainbow of colored blood spurts up.  Yeah, you can see why this movie was popular on the midnight circuit.  And with the intoxicated, natch.

I was impressed with the capture of city scapes of NYC and elsewhere. The streets.  The glass structures.  The subway.  Highly evocative. It fits with everything else.  All of THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME is carried by a groovy 1970s vibe, and that always makes up for the film's many indulgences.   But the music is the thing.  All is forgiven.