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Soundboard 8.8 - Deep and rich lows, and nicely detailed highs are the hallmarks of what I consider to be one of the better 1980 shows the band performed. -
Audience 7.5 - Kind of middle of the road as far as dynamics in the recording, but the big plus is that every instrument is heard, with nothing rising above or falling underneath the mid-range ceiling. Pushing volume up really high will bring some of the inherent sonic limitation into the picture, which is lurking about but not intruding until you push it. What you can really get into here is the absolutely packed set list, and a more extended Good Times Bad Times than was typical at the time. Really, this is something even the average Zep fan might find interesting. -
Audience 9.0 - This is a brilliant live document, captured during Zep’s “Back To The Clubs” Tour of 1971. A sort of intimate atmosphere and a very jovial and chatty Robert Plant. The band sounds loose and genuinely having a great time. -
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 - 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. -
Stockholm 1968 - Audience 8.7 / London 1968 - Audience 8.2 Both fantastic considering the time period, and the significance cannot be understated. That being said, the London material suffers from some artifacts present either in the master or in the transfer to digital. My guess is that it probably originated from an acetate or from an AM Radio Broadcast taped onto a cheap cassette deck but it is still decent enough to get into. -
Audience 8.2 - This is a good recording, clear and pretty strong when the levels are right, but there’s the rub. The sound levels occasionally drop a notch lower throughout the course of the set, ultimately they do settle into a predictable place which is fine, think of it like listening along when suddenly they hit the overdrive pedal. When that happens, it gets VERY good for a while. Well worth having this despite that. -
Audience 8.1 - A very decent and clear recording from maybe midway back of the hall. Show is fantastic, and the recording sufficiently documents this event. -
Audience 8.4 - This is a special recording, mainly because it reveals another element to the live experience – a really rocking band with a rocking bassist. What do I mean? Well, you actually hear John Paul Jones CLEARLY defined notes, and I don’t mean it is a bass heavy recording. It’s actually more mid range, but man, what a revelation to actually hear every note from the bass and very raunchy, dirty guitar tone from Jimmy Page. A clear and strong, but a little crispy in the upper mid to high frequencies, recording. Still, everyone should really get this one. Total electric excitement! -
Audience 8.3 - A good and clear tape for the time period. Might be struggling to get the separation of instruments during really intense moments but you can really get into this one for sure. -
Audience 7.5 - This tape is not nearly as bad as what it used to sound like before we had high end re-mastering tools. So, it’s got some noise issues that kind of keep it from really opening up but the amazing thing now is you really can hear the whole band, and Jimmy is just on fire. Collectors really praise the band performance from this show, and it is obviously much improved now, so yeah, I recommend it. (3-27-70) -
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) -
Audience 7.8 - Bonham is the star of this show, he sounds great. The recording, while not offering too much in the way of dynamics, does present enough separation of instruments to appreciate the performance. -
Audience 8.3 - Good and clear. -
CD 1 - Audience 7.4 / CD 2 - Soundboard 9.5 / CD 3 - Soundboard 9.2 -
Audience 7.8 - Wonderful recording if just a touch on the compressed side (maybe FM radio?), still this is lovely! -
Pro Pre-Broadcast Master FM 9.7. It’s hard not to be drawn in to this performance; actually it’s Linda who does all the heart stealing here. Wow, I’d consider collecting all of the live shows at this point because I never knew how much genuine charm and warmth this lady had, and transferred to audiences effortlessly. Oh, and the songs are good too! -
Audience 8.7 & Audience 9.7 - The first part of the disc is electric and the rest is an acoustic in-store, and it is very intimate and excellent! I prefer it to the electric set in fact. -
Soundboard 9.3 -
Soundboard 8.3 -
Soundboard 9.3 - Crisp highs, great mid tones are what define this tape. -
Soundboard 9.7 - Just about as good as you’d ever want. -
Soundboard 9.0 - Some tape hiss but it doesn’t bother. -
Soundboard 9.2 - The band was really up for this show, it’s pretty hot. -
Soundboard 9.3 - Sweet mix here, with a great band once again allowing Reed ample room to do what he does and at the same time, show off their own chops. -
Audience 8.7 - Recoded on professional equipment and it shows. Crisp highs, and a good, lively atmosphere. You get a little bit of that big hall cavernous ambiance here that keeps vocals just behind the stage sound. -
Audience 8.1 - I would call this a fine recording, it captures every performer on stage as it happened, although not in the clearest fidelity, but you can really still enjoy this because it is not the kind of problem that distracts. It’s a good, not great, recording. -
Audience 9.1 - Clear and sharp, right up close and full of electric atmosphere. Lovely! -
Audience 8.0 - Sounds a little subdued, but it’s clear for the most part. Needs a kick in the highs. -
CD 1 - London 1975 - Audience 7.2 - Sound is a little muffled but vocals and guitar cut through the murkiness, taper seems to also be moving to find a better spot and sometimes he catches a sweet spot and the sound clears a little. Overall I think fans will appreciate this recording for what it is, a good solid performance. CD 2 - Salisbury 1975 - Audience 8.0 (solid) - Sounds a lot cleaner and brighter than disc 1, so enjoy! -
Audience 8.8 - Spectacular live presence and good clear vibrant recording. -
Audience 7.4 - Suffers from large stadium boominess, lack of distinction and separation of instruments. As the show goes on, the ear gets tuned in and you begin to actually kind of get into it. The thing is, it does have a certain “realness” to it. -
A superbly put together set! Looks positively spectacular. The recordings are all generally pretty decent. CD 1 Audience 7.7 - CD 2 Audience 8.7 - CD 3 Soundboard 9.0 - CD 4 Audience 8.4 - CD 5 Audience 8.4 (these last two discs you MUST turn the volume up loud because the levels are low but the fidelity is decent. The louder the better, and it does NOT distort because there is a ton of headroom here to play with). -
Paris 1974 - Audience 7.6 - Slightly better than average but you gotta wonder what those Europeans thought of Southern Rock. Paris 1975 - Radio Broadcast 8.5 -
Audience 8.8 - One of the best from this period. Very clear, and close and wow, what a show! Pretty intense is all I can say. -
Audience 8.7 - A good clear recording! -
Soundboard 8.6 -
Audience 8.8 -
Soundboard 8.9 -
Soundboard 8.5 -
Audience 8.7 - Proper live recording from the audience, probably authorized by the band, sounds professional (may be a Soundboard but very hard to tell). -
Soundboard 9.4 -
Audience 7.8 - Too bad this is not better quality because certainly it demands the attention of music collectors being one of the few times Jeff Beck jammed live on stage with John McLaughlin. I mean, you have to believe Jeff was pushed to try things he hadn’t even thought of yet, so to get to hear all that is a real treat regardless of the average audio quality. I should be specific and tell you that indeed you will hear all the guitars reasonably clear as those instruments thankfully come through the best. -
Radio Broadcast 8.5 - This is a big upgrade to what you may have heard before. Music is total mind frying acid induced psychedelia ala Hendrix. KILLER MAN! -
FM Radio Broadcast 8.7 -
Audience 8.3 - Tape limitations, some occasional phasing, but far out stuff and enjoyable!