Every two years or so I retreat from my new music discoveries - recently, thanks to some good advice on this forum, Ella & Louis, MJQ, and a host of others ( particularly,The Fall & Bruce Springsteen at present) - to Led Zeppelin. This season's sojourn in Zep land has been prompted by all the hoo-ha surrounding the O2 Arena gig and the Mothership compilation. My rather rambling point here is, when all the dust settles and all prejudices or pre-conceptions are put to one side, just how good is this music? I've loved it since I was a pre-pubescent sat on the stairs outside my brothers bedroom whilst he rocked the rafters with ZepIV. Now, thirty years on I'm just as thrilled, awed and startled by their thing. The blues, the rock, the pastoral, the drums of the mighty Bonham, the raw sweet, sweat of Robert Plant's vocals, that non-specific production magic whereby layer upon layer of guitars sit beautifully enmeshed with the sheer viscera of drums and bass. Subtle AND bombastic. The weft and warp of ancient forms drawn anew. Like The White Stripes. Only better.