Day 61: 9/2/1970 Oakland, CA

9/2/1970 Oakland, CA  (master cassette>reel>dat)

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, That's the Way, Bron-Yr-Aur, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, Train Kept a Rollin', Blueberry Hill, Long Tall Sally

Plant's voice is powerful during Immigrant Song. Page displays some virtuoso fingerwork during the solos in Heartbreaker, hitting each note with precision. The bow solo during Dazed and Confused is haunting. Plant tells the crowd the next song "needs you more than it needs us" before Bring it on Home. He manages to get the crowd to quiet down for a beautiful That's the Way. Bron-Yr-Aur is dedicated to the wild ones in the crowd. 

Since I've Been Loving You is a bit more subdued than usual, but Plant still manages a few moments of inspiration. Plant recounts a story about the unruly American woman in the crowd at an Elvis concert before Thank You. Bonzo's thunderous pounding during Moby Dick gets the crowd on their feet, with many shouting their approval toward the end of the song. One particularly enthusiastic fan repeatedly yells "c'mon motherfucker!" quite loudly as Bonzo plays the drums with his hands. 

The band's energy picks up during Whole Lotta Love. The riotous medley includes Carl Perkins's Boppin' the Blues, an excellent Lawdy Miss Clawdy, For What it's Worth (making its first appearance with lyrics), Muddy Waters favorites Honey Bee and Long Distance Call, I'm Movin' On, Fortune Teller, and That's All Right. Communication Breakdown once again features Good Times Bad Times during an especially funky breakdown. After Plant bids the crowd goodnight, the band returns to the stage for the first appearance of Train Kept a Rollin' in over a year, followed by the first appearance of Blueberry Hill (one of my favorite Led Zeppelin covers). The show ends with an incredibly fast, riotous Long Tall Sally, which includes Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey. A taste of things to come.

The tape is clear and well-balanced, if a bit distant. Highly enjoyable.

Day 55: 6/28/1970 Shepton Mallet, England

6/28/1970 Shepton Mallet, England (? gen)

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, That's the Way, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, Long Tall Sally

The band's legendary performance at the Bath Festival begins with a brief soundcheck before launching into the first appearance of Immigrant Song. Still in its early stages (Plant sings different lyrics with a slightly different melody and structure), the overall pounding intensity remains intact. Page shreds through the solos in Heartbreaker, Plant's voice echoing over the thunderous attack. Dazed and Confused is an epic workout. Bring it on Home features some excellent harmonica work from Plant. Since I've Been Loving You is epic, Page's playing is soulful and Plant's wails are spine-chilling.

After a source change, singing birds can be heard as Page tunes his guitar. The original source returns for an excellent dynamic performance of Thank You. Page's frenzied soloing soars above Bonzo's thunderous pounding. The definition of light and shade. Our first glimpse of the acoustic side of Led Zeppelin comes in the form of an early version of That's the Way, introduced here as "Boy Next Door". Page's tone is dirty and raw during a ferocious What is and What Should Never Be. Bonzo's drums sound like relentless machine gun fire during a frenzied Moby Dick.

Plant tells everyone in the crowd to smile before the band launches into an explosive How Many More Times. Plant sings a few lines of Down By the River during the Bolero section. His voice echoes out over the crowd as he starts his boogie intro. The band joins in for slow and heavy renditions of Muddy Waters's Honey Bee and Long Distance Call. The pace picks up for Boogie Chillen' and Sweet Home Chicago. After Plant's lemon squeezing, he gets the band into excellent renditions of Elvis Presley's I Need Your Love Tonight and That's All Right. Page is in top form, playing anything Plant can throw at him. The return to the main riff is crushing, the finale a devastating explosion of energy. It's amazing the crowd survived.

After the one-two punch of Whole Lotta Love and Communication Breakdown, the band returns to the stage one last time to satisfy the crowd's demands for more. Long Tall Sally frames a raucous medley including Johnny B. Goode, That's All Right, and other classics from the annals of rock history. A riotous end to one of the most legendary Led Zeppelin concerts ever recorded. Definitely a must hear.

The tape is a mix of at least two sources, both similar in quality. Noisy and distorted, but fairly clear. The sound deteriorates considerably during the encores.

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 21: 7/6/1969 Newport, RI

7/6/1969 Newport, RI  Zeppelin Digital Vol. 5

Train Kept a Rollin', I Can't Quit You Baby, Dazed and Confused, You Shook Me, How Many More Times, Communication Breakdown, Long Tall Sally

Our introduction to the summer festival circuit begins with members of the audience telling others to sit down. Plant's long, wailing intro to I Can't Quit You Baby causes someone in the crowd to remark "he's good." Page plays a bit of Joe Cocker's With a Little Help From My Friends during the last verse. 

Bonzo is going wild during the guitar solo in Dazed and Confused. Plant fights with the volume of his mic throughout You Shook Me. Plant's introduction of Page at the beginning of How Many More Times is met with a big cheer from the crowd. Plant is almost completely absent from Communication Breakdown. The set ends with a nasty Long Tall Sally played at breakneck speed.

A mix of two sources. The first has Page in front and is quite bright. Plant sounds like he's singing through a transistor radio and is less audible as time goes by. This source is used until the end of Communication Breakdown. The second source which finishes the show is more muffled, but Plant is loud and clear.