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Soundboard 9.8 (2-12-75) -
Soundboard 9.5 - Magnifique! Love the cool panning during Dazed. -
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) -
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 7.0–7.4 - Muddled, distant and lacking in separation of instruments, this is for completists only. To be fair, the mud does clear somewhat and some remastering has allowed us to hear reasonably clear lead guitar and higher frequencies that are not residing down where the tape distortion is, so for instance songs like Stairway To Heaven are like sun rays peaking through, so I gave this a spread rating which is more realistic. -
Audience 8.8 - What is a rating anyway? When it comes to a gig like this, it’s almost irrelevant. Look, just get this and you will know what I mean. Even the band would probably direct you to grab this one. -
Audience 7.5 - Sounds like this was remastered because there’s a lot more music now to sink your teeth into. Is it great? No, it’s average with a welcomed lean towards upper mid-range allowing for guitars to be prominent and even bass is heard, as if it was a second guitar almost. A good one for 1977 tour completists because quite frankly the band is really playing well here. -
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) -
CD 1 - Audience 7.4 / CD 2 - Soundboard 9.5 / CD 3 - Soundboard 9.2 -
Audience 9.5 - Tremendous and powerful with a great tonality (much better than Frank’s 70’s tone in my opinion). A well rounded set, full of exquisite ensemble playing, tight and nimble riffing and mature, expressive solos. Fantastic!
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Audience 9.6 - Scary good! It would be easy to dismiss this offhand simply because it is 2007 and maybe you are thinking it is not indispensable Megadeth right? Wrong answer. This recording will give you newfound respect and appreciation for this band, with their ultra tight, ultra-sophisticated sense of craft and ability, you will say “yes, time to rediscover this band again” just like I did after listening to this. -
Audience 9.1 - Gorgeous, lush, rich lows and crisp highs. Superb! -
Audience 8.5 - Levels need boosting but it’s clear, and a solid recording, very enjoyable! The bonus material (Pittsburgh 1975) is very good and clear, around 8.6 very, very enjoyable. Show is incomplete. -
Audience 8.9 - An infamous gig, Roger has had quite enough from a fan and spits on him. But the show – the show is a good ‘un, and captured very well here with a very clear and direct guitar sound primarily but solid rhythm section as well and some of the atmosphere does present. Its limitation might be that there are a couple of cuts and other tape related issues (few and far between) and maybe that keys get a little buried at times but really it’s no deal breaker just minor things. Highly recommend this one! -
Audience 9.1 - Excellent, though not quite as spectacular as the April 26 show, still you get loads of beautiful atmosphere (or as I like to call it, immersion) and detailed (if a touch loud) sonics. Get it! (April 27, 1975) -
Soundboard 9.1-9.4 - The mix gets tweaked a couple of times during the show but overall it’s a good one.