Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Day 72: 7/5/1971 Milan, Italy

7/5/1971 Milan, Italy (master>cassette>cassette)
Since I've Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed and Confused

Led Zeppelin's ill-fated first and only concert in Italy. The tape begins with Since I've Been Loving You already in progress. Plant drowns the band out at times with his primal screams. The sonic assault continues through Black Dog. The raw power in his voice is amazing. As the second verse of Dazed and Confused is beginning, the band seems to stop playing as someone in the crowd shouts "bastardi!" The verse continues after a cut in the tape, but it's obvious something is wrong. There are a few dropouts at the end of the bow solo. Unfortunately, the recording ends during the guitar workout. Soon after, chaos would erupt as the police began throwing tear gas into the crowd, causing the show to be cut short. The band found themselves running for their lives while a riot raged around them.

The tape is noisy, overloaded, and a bit muffled at times. Interesting for its historical significance.

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