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Bootlegs with a perfect balance of sound quality AND performance quality?


ForceofNature

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  • 4 weeks later...

"Bootlegs with a perfect balance of sound quality AND performance quality?" Well, the performance from 3/4/75 may be the one.

Many say Led Zeppelin's performance is average at best, but that's a bunch of BS. Sick Again, Over The Hills And Far Away, In My Time Of Dying, The Song Remains The Same are truly outstanding. The way Bonham, Jones and Page play off each other during this show is incredible.

The sound is probably the best of all the bootlegs in circulation, although the show from 5/25/75 may be just as good.

One more thing, the crowd is brutally bad at the 3/4/75 show. This doesn't automatically mean Led Zeppelin wasn't on! I think people hear how the crowd was during that show and just assume the band didn't play well - this is nonsense. Everyone I've played that bootleg for agrees it's one of the best performances Led Zeppelin did on that 75' tour.

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^^^ I couldn't agree more about Dallas, 75, Amstel. This is THE bootleg I use to "convert" people - casual Zep fans who aren't fanatics. I play it because of the great recording AND performance...and believe me, I've made some converts with it, especially once they hear Over The Hills And Far Away. IMTOD is pretty impressive, too. So yeah, I think this is one of those shows that someone knocked a while back (cough - Luis Rey - cough) and then it went into echo chamber effect, as so often happens. Robert seemed to be somewhat annoyed that the audience was a bit dull that night...but the band was doing great, in my opinion.

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^^^ Sorry Amstel, I felt such enthusiastic agreement when I read the first few sentences of your post, I went ahead and wrote mine without reading the rest. Now I see I repeated a lot of what you said!

Well...great minds think alike? I'll go with that excuse.

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^^^ Sorry Amstel, I felt such enthusiastic agreement when I read the first few sentences of your post, I went ahead and wrote mine without reading the rest. Now I see I repeated a lot of what you said!

Well...great minds think alike? I'll go with that excuse.

Yes they do! LOL

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I'm surprised noone has mentioned 1-22-73 yet. Personally I think this is the best sounding Zep Boot out of all of them. Just an incredible multi-track soundboard. I would go with the EVSD version that was remastered by CMI Music in 2008.

This is the one I play the most, no doubt about it! I can deal with an average performance to hear this fantastic quality (and I assume untampered with) multitrack recording.

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This is an awesome thread. My first bootlegs that got me through the 80s and 90s were Blueberry Hill, Bonzo's Birthday, and what is now the BBC Sessions, DIsc 2. I live in Orlando, FL, and our used CD & vinyl shops occasionally uncover something.. but I'm sure there are much better ways to acquire these gems. If anybody wanted to give me a hint here or via Private Message, I would be most grateful as I would love to build my collection further like some of the other posters are doing here.

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  • 3 weeks later...

when the 71 USA tour multi's get around, maybe one of them. I just have this feeling Orlando is individually tracked for each instrument (a "multi" can be a two track recording, if instruments are separated), mixed down to mono, amplified to hell, and then released on bootleg. If not, Hampton Beach VA sbd might change your mind. one more daze...

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I'm new as a member but been soaking up the "Live" threads for a couple months now. In Oct I had 5 shows (9/4/70, 3/4/75, 4/27/77, 6/29/80 & 7/7/80) in my collection dating back to the early 90's. Now thanks to Tmtomh, Strider and Sue and your amazing wealth of knowledge I have over 40 and counting. You guys have been spot on in your re-caps/analysis and helped me re-discover the greatest band in the world. Thanks again Sue, Strider, Tmtomh and everyone else who contributes to these threads.

:thumbsup:

Isn't it awesome! I got into the Live stuff over the summer a few years ago. I think it's about time to get back to the search for more amazing shows! The people in this forum are great.

On a side note, it's great to have another CT Zeppelin nut in the house.

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  • 2 months later...

I personally enjoy the 1/22/1973 Southampton concert. It has some technical foul ups like during Whole Lotta Love, but nevertheless its a good concert at least the songs I could find.

Yeah, the Southampton show gets a bad rap from a lot of people -it is a pretty loose and sloppy performance. I can totally see why it was passed over for official release in favour of the L.A. '72 shows. I also find it an enjoyable listen, not just from a sound quality perspective, but in spite of the sloppiness it sounds like they were having a blast on the night, maybe that's part of why it's such a loose performance.

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Yeah, the Southampton show gets a bad rap from a lot of people -it is a pretty loose and sloppy performance. I can totally see why it was passed over for official release in favour of the L.A. '72 shows. I also find it an enjoyable listen, not just from a sound quality perspective, but in spite of the sloppiness it sounds like they were having a blast on the night, maybe that's part of why it's such a loose performance.

In my opinion, this is the best sounding Zeppelin bootleg that isn't an official release. Everything was mixed well, even more so when you hear JPJ's bass guitar go out during Whole Lotta Love. I got hooked on this bootleg because of how the drums sounded. Another good bootleg is the BBC Sessions for 1 April 1971 sounds good too. They play very well there as well.

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In my opinion, this is the best sounding Zeppelin bootleg that isn't an official release. Everything was mixed well, even more so when you hear JPJ's bass guitar go out during Whole Lotta Love. I got hooked on this bootleg because of how the drums sounded. Another good bootleg is the BBC Sessions for 1 April 1971 sounds good too. They play very well there as well.

Such is the difference between a full on multitrack recording and a mere soundboard or good audience tape...BBC and Southampton are both multitrack, just like How The West Was Won and The Song Remains The Same.

I know I'm in the minority, but IMO putting out How The West Was Won was the safe choice; Southampton would have been a ballsier release. I listen to Southampton way more than HTWWW.

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I just listened to several tracks from Southhampton. Definitely a high quality recording... and a good show. When compared to HTWWW, it is an excellent example of how much Robert's voice changed/evolved/suffered/was damaged in the short time between the two performances. Robert had many great vocal moments from 1973 and on, but he clearly was a different vocalist from the one who sang for the band from 1968-1972.

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Such is the difference between a full on multitrack recording and a mere soundboard or good audience tape...BBC and Southampton are both multitrack, just like How The West Was Won and The Song Remains The Same.

I know I'm in the minority, but IMO putting out How The West Was Won was the safe choice; Southampton would have been a ballsier release. I listen to Southampton way more than HTWWW.

Yeah I would have loved to see a official release of Southampton. I'll be honest, they shouldn't remaster it, its good as it is. Leave all the mistakes and everything, it makes it even better. I think HTWWW felt more complete and more ready when they decided to find a live show to release. It seems like it, compared to Southampton. The Southampton recording sounds like it was recorded more closely to the band, especially Bonzo's drums sound louder and maybe less hollow. I like that sound than the sound on HTWWW.

I just listened to several tracks from Southhampton. Definitely a high quality recording... and a good show. When compared to HTWWW, it is an excellent example of how much Robert's voice changed/evolved/suffered/was damaged in the short time between the two performances. Robert had many great vocal moments from 1973 and on, but he clearly was a different vocalist from the one who sang for the band from 1968-1972.

I think he got vocal chord surgery sometime in 1973. It might have been after the Southampton show and before the 1973 tour. I'm not entirely sure though. I didn't entirely pay attention to every detail of Robert's voice, but I can tell on the Song Remains the Same you can tell his voice changed, especially if you listen to the beginning of Black Dog.

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