I recently had a chance to review The Who - Live in Boston, a subpar performance from a once-vital rock act that's spent too much time flogging their legend. It's fitting, then, that I now have a chance to review No Quarter - Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded, the long-awaited DVD release of the 1994 MTV special that reunited half of Led Zeppelin. Like The Who, No Quarter finds only the voice and guitar of a classic rock act still intact (Drummer John Bonham died in 1980, causing the dissolution of the band, while bassist John Paul Jones, still very much alive, wasn't invited to take part), but unlike the Who, Page and Plant haven't spent the last quarter century reuniting every few years for overpriced farewell tours. They even held out much longer than most artists in the race to sell classic songs to car commercials (although apparently they've given in). With only a couple of reunions before No Quarter (Live Aid, the Atlantic Records anniversary concert), Page and Plant attack the material here with passion and energy. They play some of their most famous music but they're also not afraid to dramatically reconfigure a few songs and offer a couple of interesting new tunes.

One of the most unusual aspects of the show, which started as an episode of Unplugged, is the variety of locations used. Many of the songs are culled from a pseudo-Unplugged performance recorded in front of a studio audience. But some tunes are shot in far-flung locations, sometimes in front of street audiences, often with no audience at all. This unique concept gives the impression that this is what the music means to the musicians and isn't just another promotional show staged to sell records. Zeppelin classic "No Quarter" is played by Page and Plant without any additional accompaniment in the middle of a Welsh forest. The setting, coupled with their haunting, ringing rendition of the song creates a beautiful atmosphere. Later they play "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and a revamped version of "When the Levee Breaks" on the side of a craggy mountain. Their band includes traditional instruments like mandolin, banjo and hurdy gurdy and the folky, driving sound helps the band escape the significant shadow of Zeppelin and create their own style.

The new songs won't replace anyone's favorite Zeppelin classics but they reflect the open attitude and experimental tilt of the entire production. "City Don't Cry" is a gentle chant performed by Page and Plant sitting in a Marrakech courtyard accompanied by a couple of traditional Moroccan musicians. "The Truth Explodes" (curiously renamed from "Yallah") finds Page and Plant accompanied only by a drum loop and playing to a Moroccan crowd gathered around them in an open-air circle. The distorted, abrasive style of this song mixes local influences with rock bombast and comes up with something new.

The traditional concert segments still manage to mix some new elements in with the hits: Plant doesn't try to hit the high notes in "The Battle of Evermore" but, instead of just dropping an octave, brings in Najma Akhtar for a duet that makes the song sound new and mysterious. In fact, the list of collaborators is quite diverse: An Egyptian string and percussion ensemble share the stage with the London Metropolitan Orchestra as well as various other musicians but the whole thing blends seamlessly thanks to the passion of the musicians and Led Zeppelin's culturally diverse sounds, ranging from the folk of "Thank You" to the blues of "Since I've Been Loving You" to the mysticism of "The Battle of Evermore" to the Middle East-meets-metal of "Kashmir." "Four Sticks" starts out simply, with acoustic guitar and some hand-percussion, but builds to an orchestral climax. The show climaxes in a complex rendition of Zeppelin's epic "Kashmir," retrofitted with an atmospheric opening and built to a feverish peak with all the band's collaborators playing together, various styles, cultures and influences all blending perfectly. As far as televised reunion concerts, go it's a powerful moment that caps off an impressively complete performance.

Track Listing:
No Quarter
Thank You
What is And What Should Never Be
The Battle of Evermore
Gallows Pole
Nobody's Fault But Mine
City Don't Cry
The Truth Explodes
Wah Wah
When the Levee Breaks
Wonderful One
Since I've Been Loving You
The Rain Song
That's The Way
Four Sticks
Friends
Kashmir

VIDEO:
The full-screen video is colorful, if not too terribly sharp. Video compression is evident and the overall look is a little less than optimal.

AUDIO:
The audio is available in Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS and Dolby Digital 2.0. The multichannel tracks sound clean and clear, especially considering that much of the program was recorded in unusual locations. However, this is one concert disc where I might prefer the stereo mix. The isolating of certain percussion elements in the rears for the multichannel tracks led to some psychoacoustic confusion for me: Why would the drums be behind me when the rest of the band is in front of me? It may be to some people's taste, and is well-produced for what it is, but I thought it was a bit distracting. The Stereo track is perfectly acceptable and is almost as crisp and clean as the other tracks. It's a question of preference rather than any option being unlistenable.

EXTRAS:
There are a few interesting extra features. The first is a 13 minute interview with Page and Plant, talking about the genesis of the project. This sequence is padded out with clips from the concert but it's nice to get to hear the musicians talk a little bit about getting back together. Plant also talks quite knowledgeably about both Moroccan and Welsh music and culture and it's interesting to see a popular musician who actually has some legitimate interest in the cultures that have inspired him. Interestingly at a few points in the interview a graphic appears on the screen that acts as a sort of "white rabbit"-style button to jump you to another feature that illustrates what they're talking about. (The features it jumps you to are the same as the ones listed below.)

There is also a short performance of "Black Dog" from the American Music Awards. There is no audience other than the film crew, but it's still a great, energetic performance. You get the sense that these guys love playing so much that they don't even need to feed off a crowd anymore. They're inspired by their fellow musicians and their love of music. This particular clip features their band enhanced by a couple of dijeridoos.

There's also a montage of footage from the Morocco shoot, including performances of traditional Moroccan music and other local sights.

Finally, the disc includes the video for "Most High," the single off the pair's 1998 album Walking Into Clarksdale. The video is nothing special (standard music video random images) but it might be the first chance a lot of fans get to hear music off that underrated album.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
One of the more unusual concert DVDs out, No Quarter actually adds to the depth of the Led Zeppelin catalog by giving Page and Plant the chance to expand on some of the musical themes that they infused in their earlier recordings. This disc definitely deserves space on any Led Zeppelin fan's shelf. Anyone else with an interest in music should also give it a listen. It's compelling stuff.