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Mr_K

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Posts posted by Mr_K

  1. On 9/17/2020 at 6:48 PM, SteveZ98 said:

    I'm glad your enjoying the 9/29/71 remaster. The performance is just amazing. I'm not sure if or when the rest of it will come out. I'd prefer for Jimmy to release it officially, but if that doesn't happen I'll settle for EV or another boot label putting out the rest so we get to hear all of it from the soundboard.

    Regarding 3/21/75, I'd only release a show if I thought my version was different enough from what's already been released to be worth my time to work on it and other people's to listen to it. As far as I know, no one else is doing the type of stereo remixes that I am so my version of 3/21/75 will be unique in that regard. Whether anyone likes it better than other versions is up to each person, which is why I provide samples of the remasters so everyone can hear them first to see if they like them enough to download them. And even if someone else released a stereo version of a show right before I released mine and it was better than what I was going to release, I'd happily shelve mine. The only reason I do the remasters is to hear Zep in the best possible sound quality, so if someone else puts out a version that's better than mine then I'll gladly listen to theirs instead.  Winston's "The Great Love Affair" is still my go to for the 9/4/70 show even though I've done my own remaster of it, and Liriodendren's matrix of the 7/7/80 show is my favorite version of the last show with Bonzo.

    Just listening to the show again. It really holds up well. A balanced and clear production.

    My vote would be for a completion of the show.

    As you wrote above, there are other boots. But none I've heard have the quality you have done.

    Thanks.

  2. On 9/27/2020 at 3:40 AM, rm2551 said:

    I think the '75 Seattle matrix, and even just the SB release showcases the bass very nicely. Sick Again and OTHAFA specifically, it is crystal clear in the mix which is brilliant given Jonesy was ON FIRE (along with the others for that particular night). I'm sure others could point to similar SB's...

    I'm listening to IMTOD from Seattle 1975 March 21, a soundboard. Darn, I just him to be louder on the mix. He's so good.

  3. On 9/25/2020 at 6:40 PM, Bonzo_fan said:

    I agree that Lesh's bass is more consistently well presented, but there are some Zepp boards where Jones' bass sounds similarly wonderful -- 3/19/75 Vancouver is a great example.

    P.S.  If you want an even better Scarlet > Fire, try 5/17/77 Tuscaloosa...nine days after Cornell!

    Thanks for recommending Tuscaloosa!

  4. On 9/25/2020 at 6:40 PM, SteveZ98 said:

    For the studio recordings, I assume his bass sounds however Jimmy wanted it to sound. If it was supposed to be up front like on Ramble On, it was. If it was supposed to be farther down in the mix, it was. Also, the low end of his bass was absent from the original records because it was difficult to encode deep bass on LPs. The grooves had to be so large that the needles would jump out, so the low end was cut as a matter of course to prevent that.

    In concert, his bass would have had a tremendous impact, but the cassette decks on which most audience recordings and soundboards were made don't accurately capture it. The reason bands in the '70s initially started to play so loudly was because the PAs were inefficient and needed tons of power to produce bass that hit you in the chest. Doing that made the low end loud, so everything else had to be turned up to match it. (Eventually sheer volume became a bragging right, but it started out with an actual purpose.) And even if professional multi-tracks from live shows back then captured the power in Jonsey's bass, Jimmy isn't going to remaster them with killer low end like someone today would mix a rap album. He's just of a different era where that couldn't be done for so long that it's not part of his repertoire, even if it's easy to do today with digital technology. 

    Great answer! Thanks.

  5. I'm listening to Scarlet Begonias/Fire On The Mountain, The Grateful Dead 1977, Cornell, a Betty Board Production.

    I can't believe how clear Phil Lesh's bass is in the mix. It's wonderful.

    The bass of JPJ was never so prominent for an entire show like Phil's.

    There are a few exceptions, like the Alembic from a few songs in the 77 tour. But overall, from 69 to 80, the bass was never given a starring role for a whole set. In the monitors or the soundboard he's just not featured.

    I think he deserved more. I always listen for his bass in the live recordings. I wish he was louder.

    Any thoughts on the reason for this?

    Thanks.

  6. On 9/17/2020 at 6:48 PM, SteveZ98 said:

    I'm glad your enjoying the 9/29/71 remaster. The performance is just amazing. I'm not sure if or when the rest of it will come out. I'd prefer for Jimmy to release it officially, but if that doesn't happen I'll settle for EV or another boot label putting out the rest so we get to hear all of it from the soundboard.

    Regarding 3/21/75, I'd only release a show if I thought my version was different enough from what's already been released to be worth my time to work on it and other people's to listen to it. As far as I know, no one else is doing the type of stereo remixes that I am so my version of 3/21/75 will be unique in that regard. Whether anyone likes it better than other versions is up to each person, which is why I provide samples of the remasters so everyone can hear them first to see if they like them enough to download them. And even if someone else released a stereo version of a show right before I released mine and it was better than what I was going to release, I'd happily shelve mine. The only reason I do the remasters is to hear Zep in the best possible sound quality, so if someone else puts out a version that's better than mine then I'll gladly listen to theirs instead.  Winston's "The Great Love Affair" is still my go to for the 9/4/70 show even though I've done my own remaster of it, and Liriodendren's matrix of the 7/7/80 show is my favorite version of the last show with Bonzo.

    Hello again.

    You write, "Winston's "The Great Love Affair" is still my go to for the 9/4/70 show even though I've done my own remaster of it... "

    I think there are about 1000 people waiting to hear your version! If it's as good as your 9/29/71, we are in for a treat.

    Thanks.

  7. On 7/1/2020 at 8:40 PM, Strider said:

    To put the 1980 Tour into further context, Led Zeppelin was following the scorched earth 1980 European tour of Van Halen. Van Halen toured all over Europe and the U.K. from May 26 to June 24. Led Zeppelin started their 1980 Euro tour on June 17.

    I can forgive Jimmy Page his lack of fluency and articulation and speed in his playing post-1975. The man suffered two injuries to his fretting hand on two consecutive tours and played through them, causing who knows what permanent damage to his fingers. Speed is overrated anyway. Neil Young can say more with one note than a thousand guitarists can with a thousand notes. It's all about tone.

    That is the one thing I can't absolve Jimmy Page of...his total loss of control of his tone. From 1968-1973, one of the hallmarks of a Led Zeppelin concert was Jimmy's command of his guitar and the incredible tone and range of sounds he coaxed from his guitar.

    After 1975, his mastery of tone became more inconsistent and his lack of proper intonation marred many of his solos. Thank god he had the echoplex and wah-wah pedal to bail him out at times. 

    By the 1980 tour, his haphazard tone really is noticeable.

    And it would especially be noticeable to any European or American serviceman who saw Led Zeppelin shortly after seeing Van Halen on their respective European tours in 1980.

    For whatever you think of Van Halen, one thing is indisputable...Eddie had an incredible tone, especially during those first four years of international touring 1978-1981. 

    Good comment! Thanks.

  8. 18 hours ago, Bonzo_fan said:

    That's funny that you had to come around to it.  It's always been my all-time favourite show actually.  Agreed on the Plantations.  I also think it's a strong contender for Jones' best show of their career, which is interesting because he's so consistent that it's unusual for any one show to stand out as being far above (or below) the rest for him.

    Also, I'm a fan of 2/12 and it's obviously one of the best recordings, but 3/21 is unquestionably better IMO.

    To answer your original question, my opinion of 6/23/77 has actually declined a bit as the years go on.  It obviously has some incredibly high peaks, but is also bordering on too loose/relaxed/jovial at times for me.

    I agree with what others have said about the Copenhagen '79 shows.  Yes, Page is playing with great technical proficiency, but it feels kind of hollow to me compared to pre-1979.  I might be in the minority here, but I'd rather make my way through a few flubs on his part in a decent '75 show because it has more feeling behind it (to my ears at least).

    You write, "To answer your original question, my opinion of 6/23/77 has actually declined a bit as the years go on...." I was always a fan of 6/21/77. That preference has not changed over the years. And I still want a 6/22/77 soundboard. That will be excellent.

    Thanks!

  9. On 8/26/2020 at 7:56 PM, SteveZ98 said:

    I worked on it a long time ago. I'll take a listen to it to see if it's any good. It was before I was able to remix shows into stereo, so it will need some fixing up even if it sounds decent. For now, the 3/21/75 show is the next one I'm doing from '75. I spent some time on it today and it's going pretty well.

    Howdy.

    The 3/21/75 has recently been released in a pretty good version. Any reason you choose to work on this one? 

     

    Also, any chance we get the remainder of the 9/29/71 show, like the full WLL. I'm listening to it as I write and appreciate your work. Darn, it's so... well... professional! I like it.

     

    Thanks.

  10. On 9/13/2020 at 2:07 PM, hummingbird69 said:

    No soundboard for this show as of yet (lets keep our fingers crossed that it does exist and will be released before we all die!) 

    There are two recordings of this show both from the audience. One that sounds like it was recorded with a tape deck with an internal mic but still listenable and the more widely known source for the Boot Custard Pie which sounds (to my ears) like it was recorded on a good deck with external mics on two separate booms one for each channel. It's too bad that one of the channels cuts out quite often, not all the way out but enough to muss the sound. Had this not happened I say this would be one of the most atmospheric recordings of Zeppelin you could find. Dazed And Confused is worth listening alone.  

    The only drawback for this show is that No Quarter wasn't performed. Just think how intense it could have been.

    Good info! Thanks.

  11. I'm listening to the soundboard of Seattle 1975 03 21 as I write.

    When it first came out I thought it was over-rated. A bit sluggish compared to say, 4 Blocks In The Snow. And not as consistent.

    Today, well, I think it one of the best shows of 75, combining performance and recording. Everyone is on. Relaxed. And clear. Even the mellotron is sweet and in tune. And the Plantations - great. "John Paul Jones is a very easy way of being an orchestra." What a nice thing to say.

    What do you think? Thanks.

  12. 54 minutes ago, SteveZ98 said:

    I believe I'm the one who did the 1971/09/29 show you mentioned. While Burn Like a Candle (BLAC) is good for an audience recording from 1972, it's not suitable for remastering like the 1971/09/29 was. I just tried it and it wasn't even worth posting a sample, that's how bad it came out. Granted, it took me the better part of two years to finish the Japan show, but I could tell immediately that it could be chiseled into shape given enough time. With BLAC, it can definitely sound better than it currently does, but the ceiling for how good it can sound with current technology is relatively low.

    My hope for shows like BLAC is that software gets to the point where we can have a computer listen to the show and create midi files of the various instruments. We could then take an existing professional recording and split the instruments on it into samples (e.g. the individual chords and notes played on a guitar), then use a software to play the appropriate samples back when the midi files says a particular note or chord was played. In the case of BLAC, we could have the computer figure out what was played and then use samples from HTWWW when it's time to create the show. That sounds far fetched, but it already exists in rudimentary form for guitars (and I haven't researched the state of the art in a while, so it may be more advanced than I realize) and there are already drum replacement programs that let you take a drum hit in a song and replace it with a drum hit from another kit. I'm not sure how long this will take to come together, and some people may not even consider the result a true representation of the performance, but I think it's the direction that will produce the most listenable results. At least for instruments. I'm sure you could do something similar for vocals, but I'm not certain the results would be acceptable because we're so attuned to the sound of human voices that anything that's not perfect may sound too odd to be acceptable.

    "I believe I'm the one who did the 1971/09/29 show you mentioned... "

    Yes, that was the one.

     

    This is an interesting reply. I sure hope technology comes so a computer program can make their old shows sound good, like you did with 9/29. Of course it will still take good ears, like yours, to make it in the mix right.

    Thanks.

  13. HTWWW in its remastered form is better than the original HTWWW over a decadel ago. Bass stronger. Drums not as compressed. But it still feels over-produced and incomplete. Wish someone would work on Burn Like A Candle and make a clean, clear version. We have the technology. If I just had the equipment....

    Read the recent post on 1971/09/29. Listen to the snippet. Nice job on an old rough recording.

  14. 53 minutes ago, Tainted cheese said:

    The '73 European run is the most intense series of concerts they played throughout their careers, AND Offenburg (in my opinion) is the best from those 5-6 shows. Page, Bonham, and Jonesy are just ferocious during that run, especially Page in the show you mention; and Plant sounds better too, compared to the previous nights. I don't know which bootleg you have, but there are some excellent sounding releases of this night. I've never heard of any soundboard for Offenburg, but many of the previous nights have partial soundboards---(give a listen to Vienna's Heartbreaker intro for a sample in-case you've missed it thus far) out there, so never say never.

    Thanks for answering. I will be looking for other bootlegs of the show.

    What I'm interested in is who did the taping for the show? What equipment did they use? Thanks.

  15. 1 hour ago, SteveZ98 said:

    Thanks. I sent you a link for the show. I did some preliminary tests on a few of the '73 German shows. Sometimes things work out immediately and I can tell I can finish a show relatively easily. That didn't happen for any of those shows. I'll definitely revisit them because they're such good performances, although I'm not sure when I'll get to them. I've got a bunch of stuff about 85% done. Unfortunately, the last 15% is where the magic happens, but it's also the part that takes the most time. 

    Bless you, sir! 

  16. On 8/1/2020 at 7:46 AM, SteveZ98 said:

    I'm still figuring out what to work on next. Current candidates are 5/26/73, 7/28/73, 3/21/75, and 4/27/77. What I normally do is make some trial runs on each one and then keep going on whichever one is working out best.

    You'll notice there are no 1980 shows in that list. I've tried to remaster multiple shows from that tour and I can't make them sound any better, no matter what I do. They don't respond to the things that work for the other tours, so I'm not sure I'll ever get one to the point where I'd consider it worthy of release. 

    Hoping for Offenburg 73 remix. Your 71 snippet was great.

  17. I'm listening to a boot of Offenburg 1973 as I write. Rough recording but wonderful performance.

    What is the back story on the boot? I've heard better but this ain't bad from the audience.... yes, it really isn't bad.... I can hear JPJ bass on TSRTS.... quite nice.

    This may be their best show of 73. No flaws. Everyone was on tonight.

    Any news for a soundboard for the show? Thanks.

  18. "March 19 - Vancouver -- The 5/24/75 Dazed was my introduction to live Zepp, but I'm pretty sure this was the first full show I listened to.  Other shows (like the two above it) might have slightly higher peaks, but this one is just rock-solid, good to great versions all the way through, including my all-time favourite version of "The Rain Song."  One of the coolest, best, most concise (22 minutes and change) versions of "No Quarter" as well.  It helps that it's probably THE best sounding soundboard of them all. ..."

    This one really grows on me. Maybe the best D and C of 75. Jimmy's guitar is consistently good throughout. And Jonsey's bass is so clear and prominent. What a fine player he was.

    For the band in this half hour plus - Not an off moment in the whole.

    Thanks for posting the topic so I could relisten to this great show.

     

  19. On 3/30/2020 at 1:40 PM, Bonzo_fan said:

    Interesting.  I can't argue with choosing 3/20, it's definitely a great show, and Robert is very strong.  It sounds like he's going for his "Immigrant Song" Valhalla cries during WLL!

    That's funny that you feel that way about 3/21.  To me, if you listen to the four Pacific Northwest shows chronologically, each one sort of builds on the ideas of the previous one, finally culminating in Seattle on the 21st.

    Glad Strider passed along the link for Ft. Worth for you -- enjoy!

    Can't believe that you enjoyed a live "Moby Dick"?

    That's an interesting perspective as far as them not having to conquer anymore.  I can see what you mean; there is a sort of relaxed deliberateness to the '75 shows.  Sometimes it results in sounding a bit flat, but when they mix in a bit of the old energy, it can be pretty great IMO.

    This forum. Great music. Great discussion.

    Call me a crazy Zep Head but I think they ran out of steam on March 21. At least compared to Vancouver.

    I'm listening to Ali Akbar Khan, the great sarodist. The Indian Jimmy Page. Maybe that will clear my head.

    Thanks.

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