Mr_K Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 It seems that most soundboards give more prominence to Bonham's drums than Jonses' bass. It was the best rhythm section in rock, but whenever I listen to the band live, I'm usually straining to hear the bass. And the interplay with Bonham is muted. A few exceptions - such as Millard's 77/06/21 recording, where I can hear the dynamic melody of the bass. And the best interplay with the drums. Some people might not like the Alembic, but at least it's not a "second fiddle" so to speak, in the mix. When I hear other bands' recordings - I'm thinking of Phil Leah with the Grateful Dead - I can clearly hear his excellent bass line through years of live music. It's almost like Jones' bass is snubbed, even by the professional engineers. Any thoughts? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Work Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Never heard JPJ compared to Phil Lesh, but I like it. A lot. Neither were were second fiddle, neither were low in the mix, I could go on. The 6/21/77 Millard recording does wonders for JPJ and Bonzo, and Page too. Also, bass in an arena or concert hall can echo like forever. So the acoustics of the arena (if you were there) probably helped JPJ and Bonzo really come through and more audible. 6/23/77 6/25/77 and 6/27/77 are great ones too. If you've ever been in an old school concert arena with bad echo, and a poor mix, its usually (in my experience) because the bass is drowning everything out because its echoing like crazy. Just like boooooooooooooooom... On top of everything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZepHead315 Posted May 9, 2017 Share Posted May 9, 2017 Have you heard any of the '75 soundboards? Jones is pretty prominent in those, sometimes more so than Page IIRC. Seek some of those out if you haven't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Work Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Jonesy's on 11 for 3/17/75 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 Try Danish TV and Royal Albert Hall. Danish TV in particular sports an amazing bass sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rm2551 Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 RAH is epic. The best thing ever captured on film. Not only for Jones (which it definitely is) but for the everyone. It is an unbeatable recording. How it was never released in full in it's own right is astounding. Same for EC for that matter - but more so for RAH. It does not get any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted May 10, 2017 Share Posted May 10, 2017 another one to try is June 7, 1977 New York "Magical Sound Boogie". Listen to IMTOD and enjoy Mr. Jones in all his glory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Work Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 11 hours ago, John M said: another one to try is June 7, 1977 New York "Magical Sound Boogie". Listen to IMTOD and enjoy Mr. Jones in all his glory. That was the best sounding '77 board when it came out, IMO. Since then they've all had more Jonesy and Bonzo, and in recent '77 soundboards you really hear that the alembic wasn't that bad. I prefer it on the opening numbers, Over the Hills, IMTOD, especially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 On 5/9/2017 at 2:42 PM, Mr_K said: It seems that most soundboards give more prominence to Bonham's drums than Jonses' bass. It was the best rhythm section in rock, but whenever I listen to the band live, I'm usually straining to hear the bass. And the interplay with Bonham is muted. A few exceptions - such as Millard's 77/06/21 recording, where I can hear the dynamic melody of the bass. And the best interplay with the drums. Some people might not like the Alembic, but at least it's not a "second fiddle" so to speak, in the mix. When I hear other bands' recordings - I'm thinking of Phil Leah with the Grateful Dead - I can clearly hear his excellent bass line through years of live music. It's almost like Jones' bass is snubbed, even by the professional engineers. Any thoughts? Thanks. I keep saying this and I guess I'll have to keep saying it until I die. A "soundboard tape" is not mixed or equalized for your home stereo listening pleasure. It is simply a tape recording from the mixing board feed at the concert hall. As such, the mix of the soundboard is determined by what equalization and balance is needed in the concert hall for the band to sound good for the audience. In one concert hall, that may require the drums and vocals to be pushed higher than the guitar and bass. In another, the guitar and vocals may need a boost more than the drums and bass. In sports arenas like MSG and the LA Forum, it usually didn't require much for Jones' bass to be heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John M Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Here's another good one for listening to Mr. Baldwin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Quota Posted May 27, 2017 Share Posted May 27, 2017 4/24/69 Jonsey up front and killin it. The amp that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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