Day 107: 6/14/1972 Uniondale, NY

6/14/1972 Uniondale, NY  (2nd gen>dat>cdr)

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, That's the Way, Tangerine, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Dazed and Confused, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Rock and Roll, Communication Breakdown, Weekend, Bring it on Home

The tape begins with Plant telling the crowd "it's nice to be back again." Immigrant Song is a sonic assault. Page blazes through the inspired solos during Heartbreaker. During a long pause after Black Dog, Plant explains that Jones's keyboard is the cause of the delay, adding "it's a nightly problem, it's cool." Plant is in good form during Since I've Been Loving You, his interplay with Page building tension until the climactic release of the guitar solo. High drama at its finest. 

Stairway to Heaven includes the first appearance of Plant's famous "do you remember laughter?" ad lib. That's the Way is beautiful. Plant speaks to the crowd about King Arthur and chivalry before Tangerine. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp is dedicated to Dion and the Belmonts after Plant sings a couple lines from Runaround Sue. Page is absolutely on fire during the guitar solo/workout section in Dazed and Confused. He plays Walter's Walk at lightning speed, causing the rest of the band to race just to keep up. A frantic rendition of The Crunge is followed by another blistering guitar solo. The band is in an intense race to the finish, creating a vast sonic wall until everything peaks at the explosive return to the main riff. A truly amazing performance.

Moby Dick is cut after seventeen minutes. The medley during Whole Lotta Love features Boogie Chillen', John Lee Hooker's Bottle Up and Go, Hello Mary Lou, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, and Goin' Down Slow. The long string of encores begins with the riotous one-two punch of Rock and Roll and Communication Breakdown. The band returns to the stage for another great rendition of Eddie Cochran's Weekend followed by Bring it on Home, which is cut just before the instrumental battle section, ending the recording. An epic performance.

The tape is fairly clear, if a bit distant and hissy.

Day 91: 11/16/1971 Ipswich, England

11/16/1971 Ipswich, England  Feelin' Groovy: Definitive Edition

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Rock and Roll, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, That's the Way, Tangerine, Dazed and Confused, What is and What Should Never Be, Celebration Day, Whole Lotta Love, Weekend, Gallows Pole

The tape begins with a brief introduction from Plant before the explosive one-two punch of Immigrant Song and Heartbreaker. Plant is in top form, belting his lungs out with incredible power during Black Dog. Bonzo's pounding is like cannon fire during Since I've Been Loving You. The crowd is oddly quiet between songs. Rock and Roll is a raucous explosion of energy. Plant tells the crowd "the finest thing in the world is to smile" before Stairway to Heaven.

Plant's speech about San Francisco is repeatedly interrupted by feedback before Going to California. Page plays a bit of Black Country Woman after That's the Way. Plant acknowledges the unusual circumstance of the concert being held on temporary flooring over a swimming pool, jokingly telling the crowd "just think of the drop beneath you and the drop that might come eventually... we're all of one mind." The lead-in to the bow solo in Dazed and Confused continues to develop as a venue for heavy improvisation. Page, Jones, and Bonzo jam on The Crunge theme during an excellent guitar solo/workout section. Page is highly improvisational, with Jones and Bonzo locked in close behind.

Plant gives a rambling introduction about New York before a blistering Celebration Day. Page solos wildly during the extended theramin freakout section in Whole Lotta Love. The medley features an extended Boogie Chillen' jam, another great Hello Mary Lou, Elvis Presley's A Mess of Blues, and Muddy Waters's Honey Bee followed by an excellent blues jam. The band closes the show with Eddie Cochran's Weekend followed by the second and final appearance of Gallow's Pole, as requested by someone in the crowd. Similar to the heavy electric arrangement from 5/3/1971, it's a shame this wasn't played more often. An excellent performance.

The tape is a combination of at least two sources. Clear and well-balanced with a good sense of atmosphere.

Click here for an audio sample courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 90: 11/13/1971 Dundee, Scotland

11/13/1971 Dundee, Scotland  The Road and the Miles to Dundee

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Rock and Roll, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven, That's the Way, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Tangerine, Dazed and Confused, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, Weekend

The tape begins with Immigrant Song already in progress. Plant again rushes the early verses during a crushing Black Dog. The tape is cut between songs. Since I've Been Loving You is powerful, Plant's screeching wails soar above Bonzo's thunderous pounding. The beginning of Stairway to Heaven is missing from the tape. There are a couple slight speed fluctuations during the guitar solo. The tape is cut during the final line, leading us into a series of speedups/cuts at the beginning of That's the Way. There are more speed fluctuations near the end of the song.

Bron-Y-Aur Stomp is interrupted by a loud screech of feedback near the end. A mournful Tangerine is plagued by speed fluctuations and dropouts. After more tape issues, Plant begins the first verse of Dazed and Confused with a spine-chilling wail. A cut during the third verse leaves us in the middle of the bow solo, which is marred with speed fluctuations until the tape cuts off during the guitar solo. Only the distorted intro and outro of Moby Dick survive, completely cutting the drum solo, before Whole Lotta Love. The speed fluctuations add an interesting new dimension to Page's theramin trickery during the freakout section. The medley includes Hello Mary Lou, Elvis Presley's A Mess of Blues, and Muddy Waters's Honey Bee followed by an excellent blues improvisation. 

Plant tells the crowd to stay off the stage before Communication Breakdown, which features a great funky jam during the breakdown. Someone repeatedly shouts directly into the taper's microphone before the band returns to close the show with a riotous rendition of Eddie Cochran's Weekend. A good performance, unfortunately ruined by a bad recording.

The tape is muffled, distant, and plagued by constant speed fluctuations which get worse as time passes, rendering the recording almost unlistenable by the end. The least enjoyable listening experience I've encountered thus far.

Click here for an audio sample courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 73: 8/21/1971 Los Angeles, CA

8/21/1971 Los Angeles, CA  Firecrackers Explosions

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Celebration Day, That's the Way, Going to California, What is and What Should Never Be, Whole Lotta Love, Weekend, Rock and Roll, Communication Breakdown, Thank You

Bonzo dominates the soundscape as screeching feedback punctuates Page's guitar solo in Immigrant Song. Since I've Been Loving You is dramatic and powerful, Plant's howls are spine-chilling. He freely improvises new lyrics during Black Dog. Dazed and Confused is introduced as "one from about thirty-six months ago." Bonzo and Jones are like an out of control locomotive during the guitar solo. Bonzo plays the drum pattern from The Crunge during the guitar workout. Page solos wildly throughout. An excellent performance. Plant flubs the lyrics a bit during the initial verses of Stairway to Heaven. 

After a source change, Plant dedicates Celebration Day to "the bootleggers from last night, they didn't do a very good job of it." He pushes his voice to the limit, screeching and howling the lyrics. A firecracker blast is followed by shouts of "you sit your ass down!" and "get it on!" from near the taper before That's the Way. The initial verses of Whole Lotta Love are punctuated by firecracker blasts. The riotous marathon medley begins with a funky rhythm exercise before Plant starts his boogie, which he's done "many, many, many times before." Another rhythm battle between Page and Bonzo is followed by I'm Movin' On, Elvis Presley favorites That's All Right, A Mess of Blues, and I Got a Lot O' Living to Do, as well as Muddy Waters's Honey Bee. 

The band returns to the stage for another rousing rendition of Eddie Cochran's Weekend. Bonzo's bass drum is like a cannon during Rock and Roll, which is still without a title. Plant puts everything he has into his repeated screams of "time!" during the finale. Communication Breakdown features more blood-curdling screams from Plant during the breakdown. Jones plays a brief organ solo before the band closes the show with the best rendition of Thank You thus far. A fitting finale to an amazing performance. Must Hear.

The tape is fairly clear with the drums front and center. An excellent recording for Bonzo lovers, every nuance of his power and finesse is captured.

Click here for an audio sample courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 72: 8/7/1971 Montreux, Switzerland

8/7/1971 Montreux, Switzerland  Going to Montreux

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, That's the Way, Celebration Day, What is and What Should Never Be, Whole Lotta Love, Weekend

Bonzo can be heard counting "three, four!" before the band launches into Immigrant Song. Plant mentions how nice it is to be back in Switzerland working with Claude Nobs before Since I've Been Loving You. Plant is in good form during Black Dog. The end of an eerie bow solo in Dazed and Confused is punctuated by Bonzo's crashing gong and Plant's ethereal wails. Page's improvisation gets the band a bit lost during the guitar workout. He shreds through the guitar solo, the return to the main riff is explosive.

There are tape issues throughout Stairway to Heaven, the worst during the guitar solo. Plant welcomes "everyone who's come from Milan" before That's the Way. Plant makes a comment about capitalist bootleggers before the first complete performance of Celebration Day. The band misses the cue for the first chorus, throwing Plant off track for a moment. Page botches the beginning of the slide solo in What is and What Should Never Be, briefly confusing Bonzo and Jones. 

Whole Lotta Love is preceded by a heavy jam. Plant gets into a call and response screaming match with the audience during the theramin freakout. The medley includes That's All Right, Ramble On, B.B. King's Gambler's Blues, I'm a Man, Muddy Waters's Honey Bee, as well as an excellent lengthy blues improvisation. The band returns to the stage to close the show with the first rare rendition on Eddie Cochran's Weekend. 

The tape is a bit distant and muffled with a few tape issues in the middle.