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1977 North American Tour - 40th Anniversary


ZepHead315

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2 hours ago, Strider said:

I respectfully disagree. "Kashmir" sounded amazing on the 25th. Bonham is not plodding, he is measured...it's tempting for lesser drummers to want to speed up but Bonham was a master at keeping that steady whomp. It is not the longest "Kashmir"...Led Zeppelin Database has it wrong. It is not over 11 minutes long...it is 10:15. Most of the other "Kashmir"s on the L.A. run were over nine minutes. The extra length on the 25th is all in the closing coda, as Bonham does a few more rounds of fills. 

However, the pace and speed of "Kashmir" on the 25th is exactly the same as the other L.A. dates. You can tell this by the fact that Robert Plant's long scream "Where I've beeeeeeeen" that ends the middle section comes at exactly the same spot as the others: 4:22.

What really made the Kashmir on the 25th so epic was that all four elements were clearly heard. On some nights, the keyboards would overshadow the guitar or vice versa. Or Plant would struggle with the vocals. But on the 25th, Jones' mellotron and Jimmy's guitar were in perfect balance. That made the middle section especially hypnotic with Jones' keyboards whirling and swirling around your head. Bonham was laying down a deep and heavy beat. And Plant sang his arse off and used his vocal effects masterfully...his voice echoing and reverbing around the hall.

 

Hmm...I never really thought of it that way. I'm currently listening to it now and I must say it sounds better keeping the above in mind. I'm still bothered by the flub Page does around the two minute mark, especially since it comes after such a cool moment (Plant's "oh! oh! ooooohhhhh!" with Bonham doing a cool fill).

I guess the reason why I always thought Bonham plodded was because I've listened to the 6/21 version so many times and he seems more "busy" there for lack of a better word. My ears were probably so used to that version that when I heard this one, I mistook his more measured "heavy" approach with plodding. Listening to it now while keeping what you said in mind, it occurs to me just how loud he sounds here. Not to say he wasn't loud before but he seems to be putting an extra "oomph" behind his hits here.

I never even considered the instrumental balance issue, but you're correct. Both Page and Jones are prominent in the recording. I may have to listen to it a few more times (since I'm so used to the LTTE version), but this may grow on me more. Of course, seeing and hearing it in person must have been a revelation (I read your account today btw. Great stuff)! Thanks for the analysis! :)

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i want that you know that i want know where i can find a site that have the flac file to download the 6/21/77 listen to this eddie xmas edition empress valley and

really i have interest of get this now

and thank you.

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I think something else to consider about the 25th is that it probably has the most sterile sounding recording of the six nights, which could negatively affect our opinion of it, certainly on some songs more than others, and depending on what method you're using to listen (e.g. earbuds vs. good speakers).

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2 hours ago, Bonzo_fan said:

I think something else to consider about the 25th is that it probably has the most sterile sounding recording of the six nights, which could negatively affect our opinion of it, certainly on some songs more than others, and depending on what method you're using to listen (e.g. earbuds vs. good speakers).

I like to put on scuba gear, drop my speakers into the pool, crank up the volume and pretend I am listening to Posideon's Fish Fest Boonaroo 2000.

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10 minutes ago, IpMan said:

I like to put on scuba gear, drop my speakers into the pool, crank up the volume and pretend I am listening to Posideon's Fish Fest Boonaroo 2000.

Lmao :lol:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Bumping this thread since we're a few days away from start of the ill-fated third leg of the tour: Seattle. I've sampled the audience source a bit, and it doesn't sound too bad. It also seems to mask some of the flaws that the video brings out. I think I'll listen to that for the 40th anniversary of the show. Question: has anyone ever synced the audience source with the video?

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^I've suggested the same thing before, and others agreed. Would be the best representation of Seattle '77. First of all, the soundboard sucks, it doesn't sound as good as the 5/30/77 soundboard by any means. Second of all, its a rough performance, so an audience recording would show what the audience heard, and kinda show what was meant to be heard.

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I tried doing a matrix of the Seattle '77 audience recording (Bill B source) and the "soundboard" (which isn't really a soundboard, simply the video soundtrack) but had to give it up- I just don't have the time or the patience to dedicate to a project like that. It wasn't like the Steely Dan show I matrixed where the audience recording and soundboard synced up exactly. Ah, if only they were always that easy :lol: 

Matrixing Seattle? This sounds like a job for Sue Dounim! Years ago some guy named "Slumpy" tried to matrix an inferior sounding audience source to Bill B's with the video soundtrack with some pretty dreadful, out of sync results.

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21 minutes ago, Nutrocker said:

I tried doing a matrix of the Seattle '77 audience recording (Bill B source) and the "soundboard" (which isn't really a soundboard, simply the video soundtrack) but had to give it up- I just don't have the time or the patience to dedicate to a project like that. It wasn't like the Steely Dan show I matrixed where the audience recording and soundboard synced up exactly. Ah, if only they were always that easy :lol: 

Matrixing Seattle? This sounds like a job for Sue Dounim! Years ago some guy named "Slumpy" tried to matrix an inferior sounding audience source to Bill B's with the video soundtrack with some pretty dreadful, out of sync results.

Yeah, that's a major time chewer. I had checked out a couple of Slumpy's matrix jobs and always felt like it was a noble effort but the overlapping / out of sync sources became annoying real quick. I am by no means skilled in matters of sound editing but I recently did a matrix of New Orleans 73 using the Tarantura Witch Queen audience and board sources. I think it turned out ok, and it's an improvement over the dry board tape to my ears. If you're curious to hear a sample let me know. I would value your opinion, or Sue Dounim, or Winston. BlueCongo matrix of NY 2/12/75 is excellent as well as the 5/24/75 Earl's Court matrix (not sure who did that one) . Was that you , Nutrocker? 

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23 minutes ago, Nutrocker said:

I tried doing a matrix of the Seattle '77 audience recording (Bill B source) and the "soundboard" (which isn't really a soundboard, simply the video soundtrack) but had to give it up- I just don't have the time or the patience to dedicate to a project like that. It wasn't like the Steely Dan show I matrixed where the audience recording and soundboard synced up exactly. Ah, if only they were always that easy :lol: 

Matrixing Seattle? This sounds like a job for Sue Dounim! Years ago some guy named "Slumpy" tried to matrix an inferior sounding audience source to Bill B's with the video soundtrack with some pretty dreadful, out of sync results.

I'm actually all the way up through Ten Years Gone. Syncing is all I've got left to do and I stopped for a while cuz the acoustic set was proving to be a real challenge. I'll finish it someday.

Download the file in this link to hear it in lossless quality:

 

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13 hours ago, Sue Dounim said:

I'm actually all the way up through Ten Years Gone. Syncing is all I've got left to do and I stopped for a while cuz the acoustic set was proving to be a real challenge. I'll finish it someday.

Download the file in this link to hear it in lossless quality:

 

?

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Reliving 7/17/77, 40 years and 1 day gone...  This show gets better with age, imo, and I was just listening to 7/17/73 in the car today.  Up to No Quarter right now.  JPJ's piano in the theatre room is very nice! :yesnod: 

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23 hours ago, Sue Dounim said:

I'm actually all the way up through Ten Years Gone. Syncing is all I've got left to do and I stopped for a while cuz the acoustic set was proving to be a real challenge. I'll finish it someday.
 

Excellent!

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23 hours ago, porgie66 said:

Yeah, that's a major time chewer. I had checked out a couple of Slumpy's matrix jobs and always felt like it was a noble effort but the overlapping / out of sync sources became annoying real quick. I am by no means skilled in matters of sound editing but I recently did a matrix of New Orleans 73 using the Tarantura Witch Queen audience and board sources. I think it turned out ok, and it's an improvement over the dry board tape to my ears. If you're curious to hear a sample let me know. I would value your opinion, or Sue Dounim, or Winston. BlueCongo matrix of NY 2/12/75 is excellent as well as the 5/24/75 Earl's Court matrix (not sure who did that one) . Was that you , Nutrocker? 

No, the Earl's Court wasn't me (wasn't it Andy Winston's work?). Only matrix I've done is that Steely Dan (Boston, July 22 2009) and I've only given that out to a few select folks given the Dan's status as premier members of the "not allowed bands" list for online trading (not that that stops their recordings from circulating :lol: )

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On 7/18/2017 at 0:43 AM, Sue Dounim said:

I'm actually all the way up through Ten Years Gone. Syncing is all I've got left to do and I stopped for a while cuz the acoustic set was proving to be a real challenge. I'll finish it someday.

Download the file in this link to hear it in lossless quality:

 

Thanks for sharing this , I look forward to hearing more someday.  RP's voice was a bit rough on this one. 

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On 7/18/2017 at 5:43 PM, Sue Dounim said:

I'm actually all the way up through Ten Years Gone. Syncing is all I've got left to do and I stopped for a while cuz the acoustic set was proving to be a real challenge. I'll finish it someday.

Download the file in this link to hear it in lossless quality:

 

Sounds great Sue! Good job, sounds a lot more filled and rounded out.

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And so we come to this...from the peak of the MSG and Forum runs of June 6-June 27, surely one of the finest stretches of concerts in the band's history, to the nadir of July 20, 1977.

While Seattle wasn't bad, it wasn't the Forum, either. That, coupled with the Tempe egg a few days later begs the question: What the hell happened during the layoff between Leg #2 and Leg #3?

Jimmy Page is somewhat accounted for...he was deeper in the grip of Lady H. But a major hallmark of the 1977 tour had been how strong Plant had been vocally...miles and miles above his vocals in 1973 and 1975. And in these opening shows of the third leg, for the first time Plant was below par. 

It's quite shocking to hear, especially coming after the triumphs of NY and LA.

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3 minutes ago, Strider said:

And so we come to this...from the peak of the MSG and Forum runs of June 6-June 27, surely one of the finest stretches of concerts in the band's history, to the nadir of July 20, 1977.

While Seattle wasn't bad, it wasn't the Forum, either. That, coupled with the Tempe egg a few days later begs the question: What the hell happened during the layoff between Leg #2 and Leg #3?

Jimmy Page is somewhat accounted for...he was deeper in the grip of Lady H. But a major hallmark of the 1977 tour had been how strong Plant had been vocally...miles and miles above his vocals in 1973 and 1975. And in these opening shows of the third leg, for the first time Plant was below par. 

It's quite shocking to hear, especially coming after the triumphs of NY and LA.

I've asked this question several times over the past few years and I still have never gotten a straight answer

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On 7/17/2017 at 10:43 PM, Sue Dounim said:

I'm actually all the way up through Ten Years Gone. Syncing is all I've got left to do and I stopped for a while cuz the acoustic set was proving to be a real challenge. I'll finish it someday.

Download the file in this link to hear it in lossless quality:

 

Another Gold Star for you, Sue. I'd buy a silver disc of your work.

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