Day 87: 9/28/1971 Osaka, Japan

9/28/1971 Osaka, Japan  Osaka Woman

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, That's the Way, Going to California, Tangerine, Down By the Riverside, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, C'mon Everybody, High Heel Sneakers, Communication Breakdown

Led Zeppelin's first night in Osaka begins with the thunderous battle cry of Immigrant Song. The sonic assault doesn't let up during Heartbreaker. Page is on fire, blazing through an amazing guitar solo. Plant declares "tonight you will be happy" before Since I've Been Loving You. Bonzo attacks his drums with incredible force. Plant mentions that his shoes won't stay tied before introducing Dazed and Confused, only to find that the next song is actually Black Dog. Plant's vocals are drowned in echo.

Page hints at Communication Breakdown before Plant introduces Dazed and Confused. The lead-in to the bow solo is growing longer and more complex every night. Page is very improvisational, playing anything that comes to him, with Bonzo and Jones close behind. The improvisation continues during the excellent guitar solo/workout section. Unfortunately, the song fades out during the outro as Page starts playing some 3rd Stone From the Sun-esque licks. An amazing performance, one of the best thus far.

There is a cut during Stairway to Heaven that loses most of the guitar solo, hindering an otherwise great performance. Plant tells the crowd "you are too quiet... dishonorably quiet" before leading the band in a mini medley of Please Please Me and From Me to You. Celebration Day is a cacophonous explosion of energy. The acoustic set begins with the first complete performance of Bron-Y-Aur Stomp. An alternate source provides That's the Way before the original source returns for an absolutely beautiful Going to California, the best yet. Plant leads the crowd in a tongue-in-cheek We Shall Overcome sing-along before Tangerine. They close the acoustic set with a foot-stomping rendition of Down By the Riverside with Jones joining in on organ near the end.

Plant introduces Bonzo as "your old friend" before Moby Dick. The theramin freakout section during Whole Lotta Love includes yet another impromptu jam before the guitar solo. The medley features an excellent Boogie Chillen' followed by a great run-through of Cliff Richard's D in Love. The band gets into a rare waltz rhythm for Bachelor Boy, followed by a riotous rendition of Maybellene. Unfortunately, the tape is cut just as the band finishes another excellent Hello Mary Lou.

An inferior source takes over as we join C'mon Everybody already in progress. Plant introduces tour manager Phil Carson, roadie Clive Coulson, and a third person whose name is indecipherable on backing vocals before a great rendition of Tommy Tucker's High Heel Sneakers. The show ends with a raucous version of Communication Breakdown, which features an extended boogie jam during the breakdown. A truly amazing performance. Must hear.

The tape is fairly clear and well-balanced with the atmosphere intact.

Day 69: 3/6/1971 Dublin, Ireland

3/6/1971 Dublin, Ireland  I Can't Believe It!

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Dazed and Confused, Going to California, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, C'mon Everybody, Rock and Roll

The tape begins with Plant requesting the house lights be turned off before the band launches into Immigrant Song. Some equipment trouble causes the PA to emit a loud hum at the beginning of Heartbreaker. Bonzo attacks his drums with incredible force. Someone near the taper loudly mimics Page's guitar during the into to Since I've Been Loving You. Plant's voice is powerful. There is a slight cut near the end of the song.

There is quite a bit of shouting near the taper before Black Dog. Plant tries to get the crowd to quiet down before Stairway to Heaven. Plant's Valhalla cries after the guitar solo echo over the crowd with incredible raw energy. It's only the second performance of the piece and it's already driving the crowd mad. Someone near the taper shouts "take it away Jimmy!" as Page begins the bow solo during an epic Dazed and Confused. His bow slaps are echoed by whistles from the crowd. Page's wild soloing is accompanied by Plant's shouts of "I want you to sweat!" 

The taper fiddles with the microphone during Going to California before a cut in the tape about a minute and a half in, leaving us at the very end of What is and What Should Never Be. The medley during Whole Lotta Love features Suzie Q, Some Other Guy, Muddy Waters's Honey Bee after and awkward funky interlude, and Walter Davis's I Think You Need a Shot. The band gets a bit disjointed during Plant's lemon squeezing. After a breathy interlude, Plant get the band into a lightning-fast rendition of That's All Right. Communication Breakdown includes a fast-paced jam during the breakdown. Road manager Phil Carson joins the band onstage for C'mon Everybody. Unfortunately, only the first few moments are present before the tape cuts to the last couple minutes of Rock and Roll.

The tape is a bit muffled and distant with a fair amount of crowd noise ear the taper.

Day 39: 2/28/1970 Copenhagen, Denmark

2/28/1970 Copenhagen, Denmark  The Nobs!

Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, C'mon Everybody, Something Else, Bring it on Home, Long Tall Sally

The tape starts just as Dazed and Confused is beginning, Plant adopts a delta blues drawl during the third verse. The crowd rhythmically claps along to Page's string slapping during the bow solo. Bonzo sounds like an earthquake during the guitar solo, the return to the main descending riff is absolutely devastating. Page's intro to Heartbreaker is explosive and angry. Bonzo's thunderous pounding is unrelenting. Page shreds wildly through the guitar solo. A very heavy and powerful rendition.

The crowd's incessant rhythmic clapping between songs is overwhelming. White Summer/Black Mountain Side is repeatedly interrupted by a man in the crowd talking loudly very close to the taper. Bonzo thrashes his way through Thank You, destroying the delicate facade. The beginning of How Many More Times is a wild ruckus. Plant gets into the "oh baby, pretty baby" chant he'll later use for Black Dog during the intro to the medley. Communication Breakdown features a funky bass solo from Jones during the breakdown. Plant comes in early at the beginning of the song, repeating the first line to right himself after Bonzo crashes into action. The crowd's rhythmic clapping works to the band's advantage during Bring it on Home, Page even gets into a call and response duel with them during the guitar solo. The show ends with a raucous Long Tall Sally, with Bonzo destroying anything within reach. A riotous performance.

The tape is fairly clear, if a bit distant.

Click here for an audio sample courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 37: 1/9/1970 London, England

1/9/1970 London England  Royal Albert Hall Multitrack

We're Gonna Groove, I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, Heartbreaker, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times*, Bring it on Home, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, C'mon Everybody, Something Else, Long Tall Sally^

*-The Lost Mixes EP Vol. 7

^-Royal Albert Hall 1970 Master Edition

The famous Royal Albert Hall show begins with a brief introduction of the band before they launch into We're Gonna Groove followed by I Can't Quit You Baby, both of which saw official release (misattributed and in altered form) on Coda. Page is in excellent form. The bow solo in Dazed and Confused is eerie and dynamic. He shreds through an excellent extended guitar solo. Bonzo and Jones are like an out of control locomotive. Plant is locked onto Page, echoing his licks at every turn until the thunderous finale. An epic indeed.

Heartbreaker is unfortunately cut short just as the guitar solo is beginning. Page delivers another impressive White Summer/Black Mountain Side, followed by an excellent What is and What Should Never Be. Plant is enthusiastically engaging the crowd at the beginning of How Many More Times, trying to make the vibes reach all the way to the back of the room. The extended Bolero section includes wild soloing from Page as well as an impromptu jam, complete with lyrics. Plant is full of bravado as he declares himself during The Hunter section. The medley includes a great Bottle Up and Go jam as well as an excellent fast-paced That's All Right. Plant quips "I couldn't make it that time" after his voice breaks during the final "gun!"

The first appearance of Bring it on Home has all the power and intensity of the album version and then some. Whole Lotta Love is ferocious, the crowd can't get enough. A quick and dirty Communication Breakdown is followed by quicker and dirtier renditions of C'mon Everybody and Something Else. Bonzo attacks the latter at full force. The show ends with an explosive Long Tall Sally medley including Move on Down the Line and Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On.

The tape is a copy of Kevin Shirley's multitrack working mix that was being prepared for Led Zeppelin DVD. The two supplementary sources are of lesser quality, but they are more complete in the songs they are used for. The film on Led Zeppelin DVD is simply amazing. To be able to see the band interacting with one another on stage at one of their peaks. And with a superb 5.1 surround sound mix. Must see.

Day 34: 11/6/1969 San Francisco, CA

11/6/1969 San Francisco, CA  Final Winterland: The 1st Night

Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown, I Can't Quit You Baby, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, C'mon Everybody, Something Else

Good Times Bad Times/Communication Breakdown is played at breakneck speed with an excellent funky groove during the breakdown. Every band member is in good form, I Can't Quit You Baby is pure electricity. Page's fingers get a bit sticky during the guitar solo in Heartbreaker, but it doesn't detract from the energy of the performance at all. Bonzo is assaulting his drums during an amazing Dazed and Confused. Page leads the band through an excellent fingerpicking interlude during the ever-extending guitar solo. 

White Summer/Black Mountain Side is followed by a cut in the tape and the final minute and a half of What is and What Should Never Be. The crowd cheers and claps along with Bonzo during a thunderous Moby Dick. Page improvises a new riff at the beginning of How Many More Times before Plant's band introductions. He continues to improvise licks through the Bolero section, including a bit of Over Under Sideways Down. The medley includes an aggressive Boogie Chillen. Plant has the crowd repeating every line of the drawn out "got you in the sights..." section. His voice breaks down again during the final "gun!" The show ends with high-energy, in your face renditions of C'mon Everybody and Something Else.

The tape is clear and enjoyable with a bit of hiss at times.