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What is the best bootleg?


porca41

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Great point! I often wonder if some of the legendary shows - LA Forum '77, but also the '75 Forum, and 03 21 '75 Seattle, among others - would be so highly regarded if they came out in soundboard form. The audience noise and venue ambience can really cover over some glitches, and in particular smooths out problems when Plant's voice isn't in good shape.

And thanks for the detailed info on Birmingham!

Perhaps to some degree but my dislike for alot of the 73, 77 and 80 SB's has less to do with there hilighting mistakes and more to do with them simpley not sounding very good.

With the 75 boards that do generally sound alot better I think its clear that the best shows are being hoarded in order to keep demand going for aslong as possible.

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I think its clear that the best shows are being hoarded in order to keep demand going for aslong as possible.

Agree 110% - this is the single most important issue in understanding why certain SBDs are out there and others aren't. It simply can't be a coincidence that the best date of the '77 Landover MD run isn't available as a SBD but two of the less impressive dates are; or that 3 17 75 Seattle is now out but 3 21 isn't; or that June 7 NYC is out but the other June NYC dates aren't (except for the June 11 fragment); and so on...

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There's a 7.13.1973 Live Detroit video on youtube that's friggin sick. Unfortunately though I don't think they have a full video of the whole concert on youtube.

But If you want here's the link to the vid:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhuyoqv-yb8

(starts with Moby Dick drum solo)

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I encourage everyone to check both versions out. You won't be disappointed.

I'll have to check out the Godfather's version, but I was left feeling disappointed with Four Blocks in the Snow. For one, the volume was a tad high for me...I've always prefered the EVSD Flying Circus release to its alternatives.

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I love the 1980 zurich matrix by blue congo. Just finished listening to trampled underfoot....By far the best Trampled they ever played...Achilles Last Stand is superb as well as the rest of the set. My fav post 77 show. Not to mention superb audio quality.

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Also if i may, don't go straight to 75 for zep boots. That is imo their most boring setlist they ever played.

I would have to agree - with the exception of the Earls Court dates, where they restored the acoustic set, making the selection much more interesting.

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+1.

As a PG-ophile, it hurts me to say so...but I will never understand why they played all those snore-athons when they had all the new PG material to draw from.

Have to say that I'm becoming more of a 77 fan with every show - until recently I'd only heard about five 77 shows. Sure there are a few hiccup shows, but all those folks who say JP was fucked in 77 are full of shit, basically.

After 75's setlist, 77 is like a breath of fresh air, with ALS, NFBM & TYG. Now, if only they'd dropped that pointless drum solo & played a few more songs...but at least they fixed that for Knebworth :bravo:

Yes, you are right on so many counts. I will say that many of the '77 shows are wildly inconsistent, and some are just bad. But the set list is wonderfully diverse, and the best dates - The Forum June 21-27, and Landover MD May 30, for example - are fantastic.

I also love the Black Country Woman - Bron-Y-Aur Stomp medley - it's got a very different feel from the acoustic set of any other year.

Also, the performances of TSRTS and Sick Again (on good nights) are better than in '75.

And finally, Robert's voice was in the worst shape of Zeppelin's career in '75; in '77 it's in better form.

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  • 1 month later...

Yes, you are right on so many counts. I will say that many of the '77 shows are wildly inconsistent, and some are just bad. But the set list is wonderfully diverse, and the best dates - The Forum June 21-27, and Landover MD May 30, for example - are fantastic.

I also love the Black Country Woman - Bron-Y-Aur Stomp medley - it's got a very different feel from the acoustic set of any other year.

Also, the performances of TSRTS and Sick Again (on good nights) are better than in '75.

And finally, Robert's voice was in the worst shape of Zeppelin's career in '75; in '77 it's in better form.

Can you gimme an "Amen?" :lol:

I can throw on a '77 show -a good '77 show- at the drop of a hat and enjoy it no matter what. I actually have to be in the mood for '75. "Tedious" is the term that comes to mind when it comes to the 1975 concerts IMO, and especially the Earls Court gigs (to remain in the context of bootlegs, 'tedious' is also the word Clinton Heylin used to describe the Earls Court gigs in his classic book Bootleg). It's funny to think that by and large the '77 shows were longer than the '75 ones but when it comes to 1977 those three hours fly by when listening, whereas I usually have to psyche myself up to sit through a 1975 recording (I usually pack it in after the second disc...fourty minutes of decidedly sloppy "Dazed And Confused" is generally too much for me!)

This analogy might not make much sense to those who haven't seen the films -like maybe ten of you- but I equate '77 to The Godfather and '75 to The Godfather Part II. The first film is a tad under three hours, and feels like two. Part II is three hours twenty minutes and feels like five, you feel like you've been hit over the head with Maxwell's Silver Hammer afterwards. And, yeah, I suppose you could equate the 1980 shows to The Godfather Part III :lol:

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I love the 1980 zurich matrix by blue congo. Just finished listening to trampled underfoot....By far the best Trampled they ever played...Achilles Last Stand is superb as well as the rest of the set. My fav post 77 show. Not to mention superb audio quality.

Agreed...Zurich kicks ass in spite of the fucked up "Kashmir" :lol: Other than Berlin, which I mainly listen to for sentimental reasons (my first first Zep bootleg ever) Zurich is the only 1980 show I come back to on a regular basis. Compared to most of the other '80 performances -some of which IMO are absolutely dreadful, almost embarassing to listen to as a diehard Zeppelin fan- I didn't think they were capable of pulling off a show like the one in Zurich.

And the BlueCongo version is the way to go IMO...that dude sets the gold standard for matrices, total opposite of Slumpy's work on the May 26 and July 17 '77 shows where the audience and soundboard sources are constantly out of sync :lol:

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Zurich has an awesome Trampled Under Foot! I keep going back to Frankfort, the end of the show is raging; Page's solo in Money, Plantations referring to their senility, JPJ's bass during the Whole Lotta Love jam, cool thermine section, etc. Frankfort Special indeed!

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Zurich has an awesome Trampled Under Foot! I keep going back to Frankfort, the end of the show is raging; Page's solo in Money, Plantations referring to their senility, JPJ's bass during the Whole Lotta Love jam, cool thermine section, etc. Frankfort Special indeed!

+1. I absolutely enjoy the Frankfurt show. Money sounds good, and Robert pushing boldly into Frankfurt Special actually reminds me of the great LA June 25, 1977 show when Robert pushes for Little Richard's Rip It Up towards the end of In My Time of Dying (powerful vocals on both).

I'm also a fan of the 1980 Brussels show, in addition to Zurich (and hey, Zep screwed up Kashmir as well on the great Badgeholders '77 show).

Haven't heard Rotterdam yet, but that is supposedly a good show, despite the boring audience.

There certainly were many bright spots in Europe 1980, enough to think that they would have dominated the States that Fall if Bonzo hadn't passed.

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+1. I absolutely enjoy the Frankfurt show. Money sounds good, and Robert pushing boldly into Frankfurt Special actually reminds me of the great LA June 25, 1977 show when Robert pushes for Little Richard's Rip It Up towards the end of In My Time of Dying (powerful vocals on both).

I'm also a fan of the 1980 Brussels show, in addition to Zurich (and hey, Zep screwed up Kashmir as well on the great Badgeholders '77 show).

Haven't heard Rotterdam yet, but that is supposedly a good show, despite the boring audience.

There certainly were many bright spots in Europe 1980, enough to think that they would have dominated the States that Fall if Bonzo hadn't passed.

Frankfurt and Zurich are easily the best 1980 shows, no question. I prefer the crazy energy of the Zurich show even though Frankfurt is the technically superior performance.

Rotterdam is pretty mediocre IMO; the band is uninspired, the audience is apathetic and Robert clearly does not want to be there. Same as in Hannover the following night; Robert even calls it a 'horrible fuckin' place' during one of the Plantations :lol: Hannover is right up there alongside Tempe '77 and Greensboro '75 as as bad as live Zeppelin can get. For me, the Europe '80 got off to a good start in Dortmund and Cologne; the wheels started coming off by the time they hit Brussels, and arguably reched its nadir in Vienna. Bonham had his '27 bananas' (yeah, right) incident the next night in Nuremburg, but miraculously they pulled up their bootstraps and kicked ass in Zurich and Frankfurt, before starting to backslide in Mannheim. Munich was a slight improvement while Berlin was pretty iffy in places, though the Berlin show has a certain vibe to it, as though Page knew it was going to be the final show and never wanted it to end- he just didn't have the chops to pull it off (as the epic dischordant versions of "Trampled Under Foot", "White Summer", "Stairway" and "Whole Lotta Love" testify)

I think if they'd made it to the States the performances would have been just as erratic.

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I think its quite possible that if they did make it to Chicago in 1980 Bonzo may have passed at the Drake Hotel or shortly there after. Its hard to believe he was only 32 & they had created so much. such a shame

Actually I'd reckon the consensus would be that Jimmy would have croaked somewhere on the road in America in 1980, but that's a whole other discussion topic there!

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Actually I'd reckon the consensus would be that Jimmy would have croaked somewhere on the road in America in 1980, but that's a whole other discussion topic there!

Totally agree with you there (we seem to agree on a lot of things haha). Jimmy's physical condition seemed even worse in 1980 than it did in 1977.

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I remember the good old days. The days when..... this thread was about the best bootleg. Aaahhh, those sure were some good times.

Well, ya coulda tried to get it back on track, instead of just bitchin' :lol: (just kidding!)

Seriously, though- Zurich or Frankfurt -or both- are all the 1980 shows you need; think of them as the Eddie and Badgeholders of the '80 tour. Berlin is a must have as well, I suppose- if only because its the final Zeppelin concert. Berlin was my first Zep bootleg, lo these many years ago now. Imagine hearing that as yer first exposure beyond The Song Remains The Same to unadulterated live Zeppelin...

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Hello,

My favourite bootleg is any that say "Excellent Sound Quality" on the cover and actually delivers on that promise.

On a similar thread, would it be possible to advertise my new guide to bootleg sound quality which is out now on Kindle books? It's got more than 3,000 recordings rated and is very competitively priced (or so I think). Look for "What The Neighbours Say" on the Kindle book store.

And in answer to the question that you just asked yourself, the answer is no, I have no shame........

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Well, ya coulda tried to get it back on track, instead of just bitchin' :lol: (just kidding!)

Seriously, though- Zurich or Frankfurt -or both- are all the 1980 shows you need; think of them as the Eddie and Badgeholders of the '80 tour. Berlin is a must have as well, I suppose- if only because its the final Zeppelin concert. Berlin was my first Zep bootleg, lo these many years ago now. Imagine hearing that as yer first exposure beyond The Song Remains The Same to unadulterated live Zeppelin...

+ 1 for Munchen 1980. The sound of the "Jamming with Simon Kirke!" source really softens the rougher edges of Jimmy's guitar. Also if Zurich and Frankfurt are "Eddie" and "Badge Holders", I would list Rotterdam as their "Destroyer". And Nurnberg is 1980's equivalent of 4/9/1977, lol. Also, I'm sorry that Berlin was your first boot. Mine was 6/23/77, but after the other LA dates, I got Berlin almost right after that.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I tend to listen to my favorite shows on their "anniversary". Yesterday, therefore, I listened to the final Earl's Court show (5-25) and I finally came to the conclusion that, as far as I'm concerned, that show (what I have is "Conquistador") is the best you can get. The performance is top-notch, the "Plantations" are superb ("Bonzo, do you remember your first love?" "No." "It was a pint of mild.") the setlist hard to beat, and the vibe is that of a band that knows it can do no wrong.

Other contenders, in terms of sound quality and performance, include (of course) 2-12-75, 2-14-75, and 3-11-75, but I think 5-25 is it.

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