zdr Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I'm glad you put the "half & half" option, cause I could never renounce to one in favor of the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzo2000 Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 I may be in the minority here, but with the possible exception of the SRTS version of SIBLY, I don't hink any live Zep can compare to the studio versions. There is one simple reason for this: Guitar overdubs. On live versions, you only hear the rhythm section durring the solos, and while Jonsey and Bonzo are the best ever, the backing rhythm guitar riffs durring the solos on the albums are ESSENTIAL to the delivery of the songs for me. Zeppelin is by far my favorite band ever, but the only performer whose live stuff is better than the studio is my man Bob Seger!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenguitar Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I don't like the live versions of Ten Years Gone, because they are too loud, whereas the song is supposed to be a ballad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busy91 Posted July 12, 2010 Share Posted July 12, 2010 I'm just a studio version type of gal. Not just with LZ with anyone. But some live LZ stuff I do like, but I can't say Half & Half because I mostly like studio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedcat Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 I prefer their studio work. As kaiser has pointed out about their production, that's what appeals to me the most, their sculpted sound and embellishments. As bright as their live colors are, the studio adds more colors in the spectrum, IMHO. I would agree with the above. Their studio work is what made them legendary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Fills the Air Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 I had to vote half and half because I'll happily listen to either live or studio depending what mood I'm in. I think their studio albums are fantastic and some of the best ever made, but Zeppelin were also one of the best bands to see live (although I'm too young to have ever seen them live myself). Also a lot of great studio tracks were never performed live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMachine Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 I love the studio versions. All the guitars are there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonzo2000 Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 I love the studio versions. All the guitars are there! Amen! that's just what I'm saying. As fun as I'm sure a Zep concert was (I was five when Bonzo died), the music couldn't possibly compare to the albums. Jimmy is great but he can't be in three or four places at once...or can he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danelectro Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Personally I prefer Zep in the studio, though early on they were pretty impressive live at times but more because of the sheer power of the presentation. Like others have mentioned the thoughtful layering of sonic textures in the studio was due to JP's gifted ear and his ability to get his exceptional musical ideas out of his head and on to tape. Live much of that was lost, particularly with combining many guitar parts into something doable by one guitarist. That's one of the reasons I think so many prefer the early live stuff to the later stuff, as the music became more complex in the studio performing it live became more difficult, often resulting in some uneven performances. My opinion of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenman Posted August 21, 2010 Share Posted August 21, 2010 I would agree with the above. Their studio work is what made them legendary. I disagree, the studio work has obviously come to represent them more since the band ended but much of there sucess was based on their concerts, in the early days espeically moreso than the albums. Personally I don't really get the desire to hear/see live recordings of a band just playing the studio tracks note for note, in the flesh it would obviously be enjoyable but even then far less interesting that the improvised and reworked material Zep generally went with. There are certainly tracks I think were the stuidio versions are superior but the likes of Trampled Underfoot and Thank You put the studio versions so much in the shade for me I hardly listen to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedcat Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wifexqe5ldde~T5 Tourning didn't hurt but Zeppelin sold tons of records regardless. I'm not talking about the millions sold since they broke up, I mean at the time of their being a working band. The albums propelled everything else, not the reverse. Zeppelin could have pulled a Beatles and retired from the road and people still would have bought their albums by the millions. Live shows were just a bonus. Thankfully they didn't do a Beatles and remained on the road until their end. So today folks have the best of both worlds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenman Posted August 22, 2010 Share Posted August 22, 2010 http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wifexqe5ldde~T5 Tourning didn't hurt but Zeppelin sold tons of records regardless. I'm not talking about the millions sold since they broke up, I mean at the time of their being a working band. The albums propelled everything else, not the reverse. Zeppelin could have pulled a Beatles and retired from the road and people still would have bought their albums by the millions. Live shows were just a bonus. Thankfully they didn't do a Beatles and remained on the road until their end. So today folks have the best of both worlds. Touring was what first established Zep's sucess, without the endless early US shows and the hype around them I don't think they would have broken though nearly as quickly or as greatly. While they could obviously have been very sucessful as a studio only band after say 71 there live concerts remained a massive part of there popularity. The Beatles are a poor example since creatively there live work was of little importance after the very early days, Zep on the other hand produced much of there best material live, not just improvising but also doing a great deal of rewritting. As I said I think your viewing things from the perspective of the period since the band spilt, even then I think itys noteble that there was such large scale re evalueation of Zep as more than just the #1 AOR rock monster when the DVD and HTWWW were released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babyzoso Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Songs that sounds better live Communication Breakdown Black Dog The Rain Song Since I've Been Loving You Immigrant Song How Many More Times Whole Lotta Love Babe I'm Gonna Leave You Dazed and Confused check out the BBC session and the 1971 Albert Hall live performance they killed it (as in dope as in awesome) lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackDog71 Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 I voted for Half and Half. I love both. As long as it's Zeppelin I am listening to, I am not going to get picky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom kid Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I find myself listening exclusively to live recordings these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmypage4ever Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 I find myself listening exclusively to live recordings these days. +1 Although its the studio work that got me into zep, the live material takes it to another level. There are so many covers they played, your always hearing something new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckman Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 As much as I dig the live recordings, I must admit for my taste the majority of the Zep studio legacy beats their live cousins. Jimmy's production skills are simply sublime. Not only 'Levee' or Whole Lotta Love are a testimony to that, How Many more Times studio is incredibly menacing, There are a few exceptions, however -Communication Breakdown (studio version is a tad too poppy) -Nobody's Fault but mine (this one was made for the stage) -Trampled Underfoot -No Quarter (This just makes me realize, most of Houses of the Holy works better Live; Over the Hills, The Song remains,…)<BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matjaz1 Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Well I voted for both!! The live versions are fantastic, because of the arrangements that start to develope after a song enters a live setting and because of great jams in the solos, which are never boring to me, no matter how long they get!! On the other hand, sometimes there are songs, which are just so perfect on studio albums, but i still love the live versions. In my opinon there are three categories of songs, that work particulary well in studio setting for Zeppelin, even if as i said, the live versions are still great, just for different reasons!! First categories are songs, which might not be as developed arrangement wise and in terms of solo sections as latter live versions, but which just seem to have everything combined so perfectly in the studio version!! Since I've been loving you might have great guitar arrangements and solos latter on and Plant's early performances, as well as some of the latter ones might be fantastic, but in the studio version, Plant just boils everything to the maximum, like I never really heard him sing in any live version and I have heard a lot and Jimmy's solos are just absolutely perfect, and the guitar arrangement in the verses might seem empty, compared to live versions, but I feel they are perfect, because Plant did such a great job. Latter on I feel Jimmy compensated Plant's changing vocals a bit. And the drums and organ are more fantastic, than in any live version!! I have never heard Bonzo drum like that in any live version and there are many, many fantastic versions!! Other such songs are: You shook me, Rock and roll, In my time of dying, Kashmir, Nobody's fault but mine, Hot dog. Second category are songs which just have so many overdubbs! They are great live, but lack of guitar and sometimes keyboard overdubbs, makes it seem like sometimes there is just something missing! Such songs are:Baby I'm gonna leave you, Celebration day, Kashmir, Ten years gone, Achilles last stand and a few others(In the light, Tea for one,..) which would also be ''problematic'' in this manner if they would be played live! The last category are songs that have this special intimacy in the studio version: That's the way, Thank you, Tangerine, Going to California, Stairway to heaven, All of my love!! Again the live versions are great, but not that intimate, because you have huge stadiums of people and Stairway played on electric and so on. The BBC sessions versions of some of this songs are very intimate though, because of the studio setting and Stairway at the time was also very close to the studio version arrangement wise, so it's quite intimate! So for me, Zep are perfect on stage and in the studio!! I should also mention, that the studio versions are also great, because of Jimmy's great production, which made the songs sound so alive!! And I'm certainly not talking just about the overdubbs, because there are tons of magic he did in the studio!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedcat Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I would agree with the above. Their studio work is what made them legendary. Having listened to a lot of Zeppelin live boots recently.............nothing has changed my original opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoSo1960 Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 I love the live stuff but I have to say I like Whole Lotta Love studio version better, no way they could have replicated the sounds Jimmy layered in the studio, the back and forth from one speaker to the other, brilliant. Jimmy's skills as a producer outta this world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 One off the top of my head is "Misty Mountain Hop". I've never ever liked the live versions of that. Others where I think IMO that there is NO comparison that the studio versions are better: "Kashmir" i think this version of "kashmir" destroys the studio one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N32KwtsfU7U Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutrocker Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I must say, for the longest time I thought Zeppelin was the greatest fucking live band in the world...I've now heard enough of their shows -particularly from '75 to '80 (my favourite era of the group)- to lean heavily toward their superiority in the studio. That said, though, Jones and Bonham were the killer live rhythm section, no question. Exhibit A: "Achilles Last Stand". I've heard every live version out there, and IMO not one comes close to the grandoise drama of the studio version. Either they played it too fast live, making it sloppy as hell or the fact of being a three piece instrumental group w/ vocalist just couldn't do justice to the "guitar army" arrangement of the studio take ("Ten Years Gone" is another good example of this problem IMO) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Exhibit A: "Achilles Last Stand". I've heard every live version out there, and IMO not one comes close to the grandoise drama of the studio version. Either they played it too fast live, making it sloppy as hell or the fact of being a three piece instrumental group w/ vocalist just couldn't do justice to the "guitar army" arrangement of the studio take ("Ten Years Gone" is another good example of this problem IMO) Live performances of "Achilles" would've been much better had Page hired an additional rhythm guitarist. Anyway, the Knebworth 1979 version really holds its own with the studio one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Led Zep Girl Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I voted for both. Some songs sound good live & some, studio. It's weird, on my iPod I have a studio version of a song then after that I have the live version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock Historian Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Live performances of "Achilles" would've been much better had Page hired an additional rhythm guitarist. Anyway, the Knebworth 1979 version really holds its own with the studio one. That's my favorite live version of Achilles'. A little faster paced than the studio cut, but it's well done and Page does an excellent job of taking on all the major parts of the song.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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