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3/12 best show of 1975?


Dirty Work

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I don't know how I've overlooked this one, Millard recording and the 3 source mix I have sound great, but damn! This has to be my favorite 1975 performance. They come out the gates on a mission! Phew!

 

Just listen to Sick Again, through No Quarter, and when Jimmy gets off on the fat riff of the final solo in No Quarter, and he sounds like '72 Jimmy there for a minute. 

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I'm inclined to agree, this a truly an all-time great show.  Don't forget the killer Rock 'n Roll opening, and the smoking versions of Over the Hills and Heartbreaker.  NQ is just spellbinding, unlike any other version.  Of course, Trampled and Stairway live up to their billing as well.  I have no problem saying it's the best of '75, although I vacillate;  if the 2nd night in Seattle is better, it's not by very much.

And great news:  this show is almost certainly part of the SB "revolution", although sadly probably still a few years away from release.

 

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Certainly a great show and mostly a decent recording. The 75 SBDs, great as they are, tend to thin out Jimmy's tone, which is not what the audience would have heard, so a good AUD recording like this one scores well.  3.21.75 is probably a bit better overall, and has the more interesting set list, but it's not head and shoulders above the shows around it. We had the 3.11.75 SBD a couple of years ago, so this one could well be in the pipeline. 3.11 is a good show too, bit shorter and more urgent than most, and the AUD is well worth listening to as well as the SBD.

I love the false start to TSRTS on 3.12.75. It's funny and when they restart it's like a hurricane.

There's lots to enjoy throughout 1975. OK, it's not Robert's finest hour, but the other three are on it almost all the time. I documented every 75 show in detail for TBL over the past year or two, and what quickly struck me was how inaccurate so much of the accepted opinion is. Just because some doofus wrote a book 30 years ago saying how bad it was, doesn't mean we can't now listen to these shows and make up our own minds.

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I have the Mike Millard snippet of this show, we know MM missed most of the show and made it in time for the finale and encores.

I have the complete  mono show the Millard noted on the cover of that disc is not Mike Millard. Who is this guy?

I can only imagine what a full Mike The Mike tape of this show would have been like. 3/11/75 is one of my favorite shows (shaky start and all) but the 3/12 show is clearly a better performance.

The March run of 75 is actually my favorite live period. If you count 2-28 (it had to past midnight when the show ended :) ) some of the best shows in the Live Canon are during this month. 3/3 3/4 3/5 (or 6 still confused) Texas , The Seattle, Vancouver, Long Beach, San Diego and The Forum shows all capture The Band in consistently amazing form.

It's probably the last time the band went on such a consistent run like that. However, I think 3/27 /75 (  was a harbinger of what was to come in 77). Excellent show but some fat could have been trimmed and IMO it would likely have been more enjoyable. 3/21 was a Marathon but it never feels like an almost four hour show.

Im surprised one of the labels haven't released a 90 disc set dedicated to March 1975.

.

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I forgot that the other audience recordings sound really nice too. Only a step or two below the Millard recording of the end. Plant and Page are on FIRE. And it has a very clear front-of-board type sound to it. Not much worse than the Millard recording at all. Trying to locate a .flac version of the lossy 3 source mix i have that has the nearly complete show. B)

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You're correct about this one being an awesome show.  Both Long Beach "75 shows are great.   

The 3/11/75 Millard recording was one of my very first tapes back in 1986 or 1987 and I could not believe how good the sound quality was.

3/11 thru 3/27 is a highlight period of the bands live shows.   Although I love 3/21 there are so many high lights from all these shows I could not live with having to pick a single favorite.   

 

 

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1 hour ago, Sticks of Fire said:

You're correct about this one being an awesome show.  Both Long Beach "75 shows are great.   

The 3/11/75 Millard recording was one of my very first tapes back in 1986 or 1987 and I could not believe how good the sound quality was.

3/11 thru 3/27 is a highlight period of the bands live shows.   Although I love 3/21 there are so many high lights from all these shows I could not live with having to pick a single favorite.   

 

 

The West Coast '75 run is great, even if it's not as consistently sound as '73 or before.  The first San Diego show on the 10th doesn't get enough love in my opinion, the audience tape adds a cool, gloomy vibe to it, sadly that will be lost when the soundboard comes out.  Not a huge fan of the 1st Long Beach show, however;  it really pales in comparison to the 2nd night.  But it definitely has its moments. 

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3.12.75 Long Beach always gets high marks from me. Its reputation suffered from that distorted audience tape with the overloaded bass that makes up most of the bootleg versions of this show. If Millard had recorded the entire show, I believe it would be more prominent in people's minds.

Many 1975 US shows had the same setlist, but this was one of the few with SIBLY and "Heartbreaker". Best "Heartbreaker" of the tour, in my opinion...better than the "Heartbreaker" at the Forum. The entire stretch from Rock n Roll to Trampled Under Foot was a delight. Even Dazed and Confused seemed to breeze by, and you could not say that about most 1975 D & Cs. The "Crunge"/funky jam is off the charts...Jimmy and Jonesy do a riff at this show they never did before or since. 

Of the 1975 shows I saw, 3.12 Long Beach is my favourite. If it isn't in my Top 10 alltime LZ boots, it is in the top 20.

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27 minutes ago, Strider said:

3.12.75 Long Beach always gets high marks from me. Its reputation suffered from that distorted audience tape with the overloaded bass that makes up most of the bootleg versions of this show. If Millard had recorded the entire show, I believe it would be more prominent in people's minds.

Many 1975 US shows had the same setlist, but this was one of the few with SIBLY and "Heartbreaker". Best "Heartbreaker" of the tour, in my opinion...better than the "Heartbreaker" at the Forum. The entire stretch from Rock n Roll to Trampled Under Foot was a delight. Even Dazed and Confused seemed to breeze by, and you could not say that about most 1975 D & Cs. The "Crunge"/funky jam is off the charts...Jimmy and Jonesy do a riff at this show they never did before or since. 

Of the 1975 shows I saw, 3.12 Long Beach is my favourite. If it isn't in my Top 10 alltime LZ boots, it is in the top 20.

I don't believe SIBLY was played at either Long Beach show.

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11 minutes ago, JohnOsbourne said:

I don't believe SIBLY was played at either Long Beach show.

Hokey smokes! You are right. I guess SIBLY was at the Forum...I know they played it at least once in their run of L.A. shows. I guess I better put my memories down on paper before my memory completely fails me. :rolleyes:

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5 minutes ago, Strider said:

Hokey smokes! You are right. I guess SIBLY was at the Forum...I know they played it at least once in their run of L.A. shows. I guess I better put my memories down on paper before my memory completely fails me. :rolleyes:

No worries, it was definitely played at the Forum on the 27th and the 2nd Seattle show (the 21st).  Only other night in '75 I'm aware of is Long Island on 2-14 (I actually think this was the best version that year).

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have a few shows from 75 that I consider my favorites and get played a lot.
75-02-12 - Led Zep

75-02-14 - St Valentine's Day Massacre (EVSD)

75-02-28 - Rampaging Cajun (EVSD)

75-03-19/20th - Snowblind 1 & 2 (EVSD)

I find it's not just the quality of the recording but the performance that really make these shows for me

PS: Just listening to 3/12 3 source and I see what you mean, it is pretty ferocious. On me list now!! :)

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2 hours ago, Jukkin said:

I have a few shows from 75 that I consider my favorites and get played a lot.
75-02-12 - Led Zep

75-02-14 - St Valentine's Day Massacre (EVSD)

75-02-28 - Rampaging Cajun (EVSD)

75-03-19/20th - Snowblind 1 & 2 (EVSD)

I find it's not just the quality of the recording but the performance that really make these shows for me

PS: Just listening to 3/12 3 source and I see what you mean, it is pretty ferocious. On me list now!! :)

What do you think of the 2-13-75 show?  IMO that's the best of the New York run, one of the best of the tour.

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14 hours ago, JohnOsbourne said:

What do you think of the 2-13-75 show?  IMO that's the best of the New York run, one of the best of the tour.

Haven't listened to that date for some time so will take a listen tonight. I have four versions of it and looking at the titles, I recall that I really enjoyed Kings Of The Stone Age and No Audio Fatigue. Will let you know what I think after listening to the date again.

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Hey John, well I listened to 02/13 and I must admit, it is an excellent show - MSQ the night before and another class show on the 13th. I realized as I was listening to my various copies that in both of the releases I mention above, Jimmy's guitar seems a little further back in the mix. I had never registered this before until listening carefully tonight, I heard it. I have two other release for the 13th - Fighting Back at the Coliseum (EVSD) and Led Faces Over Coliseum (Godfather). Both of these versions are mixed with Jimmy's guitar more forward in the mix and makes for a much better balanced mix. Both ESVD and Godfather's versions are excellent although ESVD's has been mixed quite loud but great if you really need to sink a few and just freak out for a few hours. The Godfather version has been mixed with a lower volume and is probably the best balanced of the four, a very enjoyable listen. It will be my goto version unless I have a real need to kick out the jams in which case EVSD will hit the spot. As I say, terrific concert, thanks for the heads-up John.

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2 hours ago, Jukkin said:

Hey John, well I listened to 02/13 and I must admit, it is an excellent show - MSQ the night before and another class show on the 13th. I realized as I was listening to my various copies that in both of the releases I mention above, Jimmy's guitar seems a little further back in the mix. I had never registered this before until listening carefully tonight, I heard it. I have two other release for the 13th - Fighting Back at the Coliseum (EVSD) and Led Faces Over Coliseum (Godfather). Both of these versions are mixed with Jimmy's guitar more forward in the mix and makes for a much better balanced mix. Both ESVD and Godfather's versions are excellent although ESVD's has been mixed quite loud but great if you really need to sink a few and just freak out for a few hours. The Godfather version has been mixed with a lower volume and is probably the best balanced of the four, a very enjoyable listen. It will be my goto version unless I have a real need to kick out the jams in which case EVSD will hit the spot. As I say, terrific concert, thanks for the heads-up John.

Glad you liked the show!

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2 hours ago, IpMan said:

What do most consider were the best performances, vocal wise, in 75'? The shows where Robert's voice and sound are the best.

 

Although all and even parts of this one are uneven ... 3/21/75 Seattle is the only one where he doesn't croak out the opening line of Rock and Roll... Almost wrecked my car first time i listened as I was so elated it actually comes out clean... He's still a bit sketchy the rest of the song but throughout the show he really has some nice vocal points

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8 hours ago, cosmic_juice said:

Although all and even parts of this one are uneven ... 3/21/75 Seattle is the only one where he doesn't croak out the opening line of Rock and Roll... Almost wrecked my car first time i listened as I was so elated it actually comes out clean... He's still a bit sketchy the rest of the song but throughout the show he really has some nice vocal points

I have to go back and listen to that!

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  • 1 year later...

knew this show had a great reputation and after listening to it today, it certainly lives up to it.

The recording is also one of the best AUD tapes I've heard and most of it had nothing to do with Millard either. The 3 source mix is obviously the only version to have until a SBD appears.

There is one bit I noted in TSRTS where Plant sings "And it really grows". His voice cracks in such a way that he inadvertently hits a great high note on "grows". Sounds great tho lol. Also, at the start of the song the guitar seems to dropout and they have to start the song again, but when they first started the song I thought Jimmy was just trying something different and giving Bonzo some fills.

The false start really got me and it worked even though it obviously wasn't planned.

No Quarter smokes here too. Jimmy is on fire for the main soloing middle and Bonzo is great too, as he is the whole show.

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The thing that shocked me the most about this gig when I first heard it was the high energy level. Considering how weak Plant's voice was in 75, not to mention Jimmy's sticky fingers, it often took a couple of songs for the band to truly warm up. Here, they're hot right out of the gate, and aside from the TSRTS screw-up, the band stays white hot throughout the whole show. To me, the only other real contender for best show of the year is the 3/21 Seattle show. If/when a soundboard comes out for this show, I think one could easily assemble a killer "best of 75" compilation based just on these two shows.:)

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