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Audience 7.4 - A little cluttered in the middle, volume pushed to max – but not that bad and quite historical given the fact it’s the first show in Osaka which was a legendary stand of concerts back in ’71. (first night 9-28-71) -
Soundboard 9.6 - A legendary, and I mean indispensable recording of the mighty Zep in their prime. This particular version of this well-traveled show is actually a matrix of the newly surfaced soundboard and the excellent audience tape. How sweet it is! (Second night 9-29-71) -
Soundboard 9.5 and Audience 7.8 - Well, there you have it. You go from first to worst, thankfully most of the show is the board tape which is stellar. For the sake of completeness, the not so great audience source fills in the missing bits and I for one don’t mind that at all. I’d rather have the whole show. Led Zeppelin 1971-09-28 Festival Hall Osaka, Japan Disc 1: 01 Intro 02 Immigrant Song 03 Heartbreaker 04 Since I've Been Loving You 05 Black Dog 06 Dazed And Confused Disc 2: 01 Stairway To Heaven 02 Please Please Me 03 From Me To You 04 Celebration Day 05 Bron-Y-Aur Stomp 06 That's The Way 07 Going To California 08 We Shall Overcome 09 Tangerine 10 Down By The Riverside 11 What Is and What Should Never Be 12 Moby Dick Disc 3: 01 Whole Lotta Love 02 C'mon Everybody 03 High Heeled Sneakers 04 Communication Breakdown -
Audience 8.7 - Pretty crisp and clear especially Page, who shines in this performance. -
Both Nights Vastly improved because you now get as complete a show as possible with the two source merge using the audience and the soundboard sources. The second show is pretty decent audience, around 7.8 really but it’s very interesting to get the back to back performances to hear the differences. -
Audience 8.5 - Do not judge this show by the first song, just skip past it in fact. Tape gets MUCH better and is rather enjoyable, good presence on the guitar and Plant doesn’t even need a P.A. but show does end prematurely as Robert has a little issue with staying conscience. Led Zeppelin Arizona Coliseum Phoenix, AZ 1970.04.18 Disc 1 01 -We're Gonna Groove 02 -Dazed And Confused 03 -Heartbreaker 04 -Bring It On Home 05 -White Summer - Black Mountain Side 06 -Organ Solo - Thank You Disc 2 07 -Moby Dick 08 -Whole Lotta Love Show ends early. After Whole Lotta Love JP comes out and says that as everyone was leaving the stage, RP collapsed and a doctor has been called and that the show is over. -
Audience 7.7 - Kind of loud and gritty but one heck of a powerful show and recording it is. We're used to pristine boards and this is not that, but there is a lot to be had from listening to such an in your face recording as this. Fun Fun Fun! -
Audience 7.6 - Similar in sound to Pittsburgh 1973. Not terrible, everything is audible, if a bit crammed in the middle. All instruments do have a bit of their own space, in that you do hear each drum beat, and you can hear the actual bass notes! This tape has its rewards. -
Soundboard 9.3 - I love this lively mix, sure it’s a close mic’d slightly compressed board but it’s very kinetic (a lot of that is probably the band). Oh, the band…yeah, they are on fire! Get this. -
Audience 8.6 - With the exception of a little bit of mid range distortion (probably due to taper being right in front of the PA on Jimmy’s side of the stage), this recording can best be summed up as “explosive” - this is an over the top electric and completely wild unhinged show by a lean and hungry band. Essential! -
Audience 7.7 - Distant and hissy, but Plant somehow can still be the loudest instrument in the building. Should you get this? It’s not essential but it’s got its got its moments (such as What Is And What Should Never Be). Led Zeppelin Sports Arena, San Diego, CA September 3, 1970 Disc 1 01. Introduction 02. Immigrant Song 03. Heartbreaker 04. Dazed And Confused 05. Bring It On Home 06. That's The Way 07. Since I've Been Loving You 08. Organ Solo 09. Thank You Disc 2 01. What Is And What Should Never Be 02. Moby Dick 03. Whole Lotta Love 04. Communication Breakdown 05. Communication Breakdown (1970-09-02 Oakland Mono Source) 06. The Train Kept A-Rollin' (1970-09-02 Oakland Mono Source) 07. Blueberry Hill (1970-09-02 Oakland Mono Source) 08. Long Tall Sally (1970-09-02 Oakland Mono Source) -
Soundboard 9.7 - Why this tape isn’t more celebrated I’ll never understand. It’s just mind blowing! The performance is off the charts great, and the sound is very bold and nicely mixed. Lots of good 73 board tapes out there but how many are featuring all four Zeppers on top of their games on every song? Led Zeppelin Sports Arena San Diego, CA. May 28, 1973 Disc 1 01. -Rock and Roll 02. -Celebration Day 03. -Black Dog 04. -Over the Hills and Far Away 05. -Misty Mountain Hop 06. -Since I've Been Loving You 07. -No Quarter 08. -The Song Remains the Same 09. -The Rain Song Disc 2 10. -Dazed and Confused 11. -Moby Dick 12. -Stairway to Heaven 13. -Heartbreaker Disc 3 14. -Whole Lotta Love 15. -The Ocean Salt Palace Salt Lake City, Utah May 26, 1973 16. -Dazed And Confused -
Audience 8.9 - This tape comes from the vault of renowned taper Mike Millard so you know it is gonna be good – and it is. Atmosphere, and dynamics, although not quite to the degree as some of his other works that originated out of the Forum…it is the venue itself that changes certain characteristics. Led Zeppelin Sports Arena San Diego, CA June 19, 1977 Disc 1 01 Intro 02 The Song Remains The Same 03 Sick Again 04 Nobody's Fault But Mine 05 In My Time Of Dying 06 Since I've Been Loving You 07 No Quarter Disc 2 08 Ten Years Gone 09 The Battle Of Evermore 10 Going To California 11 Mystery Train 12 Black Country Woman 13 Bron-Y-Aur Stomp 14 White Summer Disc 3 15 Kashmir 16 Guitar Solo 17 Achilles Last Stand 18 Stairway To Heaven 19 Whole Lotta Love 20 Rock And Roll -
Audience 9.2 - This one deserves a high rating for not only having great sound quality (with some minor taper adjustment in the beginning) but also because, quite simply, this gig is off the charts cool. Plant makes reference to "the vibes" during the show and it's just obvious that the crowd knows they are witnessing something magic, and the best part is - so does the band. When they realize they are all four "in the zone", the show takes off to levels unprecedented heretofore. A stellar No Quarter and perhaps the best Dazed and Confused of the whole tour...you get that and more. One tiny blemish, during the end of The Rain Song, an equipment malfunction destroys what would have been the penultimate version, and Plant himself recognized the disaster. To me, it's not a deal breaker at all, it lasts a couple seconds, but I understand Plant's frustration completely. Get this now! -
Audience 7.2 - Yes a little rough here, but this is so historically important as it represents some of the earliest thundering by the fledgling Led Zeppelin live in the United States. The tape seems to improve in spots, and the re-mastering on it has really helped immensely. * Bonus DVD-A is a real plus, and those with higher end systems will be able to take advantage of the higher resolution audio. -
Soundboard 9.3