Can you explain what you mean by this? Is the Davis not a true remaster or is it only an EQ job?

I think A- kind of replaces what I used to call B+. Basically solid performance with maybe a flub or two. With extended songs like Dazed and WLL it's tough to tally up all the different sections, so it really comes down to the average.

Nitpicking Page 6/22/1972 San Bernardino, CA (Welcome Back- Godfather) Excellent audience recording with consistent sound. Tape Drone- Sounds good to me, no missed notes. Immigrant Song- The recording isn't the best on the start and Plant's opening wails sound sickly at best. The energy is there however. Plant squeaks throughout the verses but everything else sounds fine. Solo- Page wastes little time and gets his noodling going quickly compared to the warming up section on early versions. Excellent solo with the usual trills and pull-offs. We all know the vikings loved their trills and pull-offs. "B+" factoring in the squeaks. Heartbreaker- Energy off the charts and Robert isn't quite so chirpy here. 1:52, Page starts a nice pre-solo solo but gets off track some at 2:04. Solo- Jim sets in on an extended rockabilly jam warm up routine, playing fluently. 4:38, the smear section just a hair sticky but mostly smooth. Bouree played well. Fast section- Good start. 6:25, sticky. Overall pretty good. Plant a bit squeaky on the return verses. "B+". Black Dog- Medium paced and heavy. 2:37, slight chord flub. 2:59, another one. Plant's vocals are lacking a lot of passion through the verses. Solo- not the most articulate but his phrasing is excellent and the energy is through the roof. "B" overall. SIBLY- Intro a little hesitant from Page. Plant manages well through the verses. Solo- solid playing with top notch phrasing. Outro has tons of energy as they carry it out in good fashion. "A". Stairway- Intro and verses sounding good although Plant sounds noticeably subdued vocally. 4:07, Rob coming in a little flat on "Laughter". Solo- decent start. 6:48, Page's phrasing starts getting a little off track. 6:55-7:00, not good. 7:35, still struggling. The final phrases are fairly good. Plant barely audible on the climax but he holds it together well enough. This one isn't a trainwreck but it's lacking in a few places. "B". Going To California- Beautiful start. 1:45, some strange sounding notes, intentional or not. The extended instrumental break is played smoothly. Plant's voice is scratchy on the bridge. Overall not bad, but not the most inspired version. "A-". That's The Way- Solid as a rock with Rob sounding more confident. "A". Tangerine- Page's twelve string isn't cutting through the mix for whatever reason and Robert hushes the crowd (there is a brief squelch of feedback). Not bad but has some issues. "B+". (Plant comments "The PA is up to its usual standards".) BYAS- Perfectly played intro from Jim. 1:58, small tape cut. 2:30, Plant seemingly mimics a southern accent by repeating "Y'all" three times. The guitar break is simplistic and Bonham adds some extra nifty percussion on the return. Good energy on this one. "A". Dazed- 2:30, the usually solid intro is marred by a guitar flub. First workout- 5:38, Page launches into a chaotic foray of runs that gets the jam going quickly. 6:03, he gets more on track here with some nimble fingers. 6:55, an interesting series of arpeggios end with an off-putting chord (That Page repeats). Bow section is around seven minutes. Second workout- Page takes off with tons of energy with extra crunchy guitar tone. 15:24-16:01, we get some "Walter's Walk" combined with "Hot's On For Nowhere". 16:12, a bit sticky here. 16:48, some country licks. 17:31, a couple off notes. 18:20, Robert tells the crowd to "Do the crunge" (perhaps forgetting the dance steps were never published). 19:53, small hiccup from Page. Jimmy winds back up nicely on the last section of the workout with adventurous riffing, throwing in everything. Mars is a little loose. The climax hits well and the transition to the last verse sounds good. 26:20, excellent palm-muted riffing. The outro goes on forever with an all out battle between the musicians. Overall very entertaining and dynamic, with just a couple sticky parts. "A-". WIAWSNB- Robert hitting the higher notes with ease now. 1:02, Page wanders around the fretboard seemingly lost but stays within the pocket somehow. Solo- teetering on the edge of sloppiness. 3:14, more strange improvs by Page. The outro is played well. Page sounds a little distracted on this one. "B+". WLL- Solid intro and verses. Theremin section sounding good. Everybody Needs Somebody is instrumental only. Solo- spot on. Boogie Chillen- Plant sounding very good vocally. 6:18, more unusual guitar riffing by Page. Solo- 7:54, not the smoothest playing here. Let's Have A Party- decent playing throughout. Hello Mary Lou- Page noodles away as Robert sings the verses. The solo is gritty and played well. Going Down Slow- 15:05, Page's lead work is slightly erratic as he races through several blistering runs. It's solid guitar work but honestly a far cry from the 1971 shred fest he'd put on in this same section. 19:44, vocal crack. They return to the verses with plenty of enthusiasm to end it. Not bad, not great. Somewhere in between. "A-". Rock And Roll- Page sounding a little unprepared on the intro and Plant is hesitant with the lyrics. Solo- fingers dancing wildly on the start. Excellent phrasing and passion as Jim finally gets in shred mode. 3:20, Page palm muting the ending chords as Plant nails an awesome repeating vocal to end. What started out as worrisome ends up being a dynamite finish. "A-" considering the botched intro. Final Assessment- This show is rougher around the edges than I remember it being. There are no trainwrecks anywhere but Page is inconsistent throughout as if he's having some technical issues. Then again his phrasing is very oddball and experimental in places, so who knows. Plant of course takes a while to warm up here but Bonham and Jones are the usual solid foundation.

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Very entertaining, love listening to these.

Nitpicking Page 5/4/1971 Odense, Denmark (DADGAD Remaster) Slightly muffled audience recording but very consistent. Immigrant Song- Plant's opening wails sound on point and the energy level is steady, medium paced. 1:19, incredible scream. Solo- 2:17, extended series of bends to launch the more intense series of runs. 2:28-2:40, superb playing from Jimmy. 3:10, some menacing low notes to usher in the finale. Very good, "A++". Heartbreaker- Verses sound excellent and the tempo is nervously fast paced. Solo- 2:07, not hard to hear what inspired Eddie Van Halen here. 2:28, some awkwardly phrased notes but he makes them fit. The smear section is played very smoothly. The short Bouree is faint and 59th St sounds fine. The fast section crashes in like a semi truck through a house. Page's phrasing starts good and gets a little disjointed halfway through as he meanders toward the end, certainly not bad though. The return verses are solid for the finish. "A-". Since I've Been Loving You- Excellent intro. Robert forgoes the big scream for a very subtle vocal intro. 1:49, makes up for it here. 2:15, and here. Plant sounds powerful throughout the verses. Solo- 3:35, unique phrasing here that works very well. He softens up a bit toward the end but the phrasing is still great. 5:40, Plant pours out some emotional moans. 5:53, Page throws in an odd sounding trill. Tremendous energy toward the end before winding it down. "A+". Dazed and Confused- Good start with Bonzo playing energetically. The first workout is still in very early development, almost nonexistent. Bow section lasts around six minutes. Second workout- 10:48, Plant lets out a powerful howl to match the guitar. 11:23, maybe not the most articulate descending run. 11:42, unique phrase. 14:50, Mars section is especially haunting with Plant singing along. 15:15, Page usually does an ascending run here to provoke some screeching feedback to bring in the climax but fails to do so, making it sound somewhat less impactful. The outro gets experimental around 17:58 and the big finish is nailed perfectly. Solid playing overall, but maybe less enthusiastic than the previous night's performance. "A". Black Dog- Tempo at a breakneck speed with the verses sounding great. 2:50, lyric mixup as Plant gets the last verses switched. Solo- Page just killing it from the get-go. 3:50-4:00, supremely smooth articulation as Jim ascends to God mode. 4:14, Plant attempting to bring in the finish but Jimmy is having none of it and keeps shredding. Page finally puts the baby to bed to end one of the best solos I've heard for this. "A+" ignoring the lyrical mishap. Stairway to Heaven- Plant's vocals are low in the recording but the verses are solid as a rock. 3:50, now there's an unusual vocal as Plant ad libs a unique melody. Once the drums enter the tempo gets going unusually fast. 5:55, powerful vocal. Solo- good phrasing out of the gate. Page plays steadily and passionately throughout, again jumping into the finale out of nowhere (akin to other early versions). Plant's climax vocals are nailed perfectly and the outro has a mystical feel to it. Excellent version. "A+++". Going To California- Plant sounding excellent through the verses with the mandolin cutting through the mix. 2:47, a single wrong note by Jones but that's severely nitpicking. 3:11, excellent high note by Plant. Beautiful. "A+". That's The Way- Solid verses. 3:03, some loose mando phrasing. Outro played well. 5:32, some powerful vocals to bring it to a close. "A-". What Is And What Should Never Be- The subtle verses are contrasted violently by the energetic verses. Solo- Jim just a tad sluggish on the opening phrases but no wrong notes in sight. Plant sings with power on the returning verses. Outro- raucous and lively playing to end this solid version. "A". Four Sticks- Intro sounding a bit like Bo Diddley, the tempo slightly faster than the studio version. Plant as solid as ever through the verses. They hold it together well through the bridge. 5:01, Page throws in some lead licks right before the abrupt ending. Not bad at all, "A". Gallows Pole- Excellent intro, setting the perfect mood. Verses sounding nice. 2:08, Jonesy drops out for a few seconds which seems to put the song at an awkward pace for the remainder as the playing becomes disjointed in places. 3:50, Jim frantically tries to keep up with the tempo on the outro, getting some decent lead runs in. 5:05, air raid "pole". It's understandable why they dropped this one from the setlist, it had excellent potential for the live setting but they never seemed to get a solid structuring down. "B+". Whole Lotta Love Medley- Plant's vocals still reigning supreme on the energetic opening. 1:24, and as soon as I say that there's a vocal crack. Freakout section sounds freaky enough with Plant's eerie vocal input. Solo- spot on. Boogie Mama- solid showing from Plant. Page's soloing as good as ever. 7:15, flawless articulation as he sets a speed record on these phrases. That's Alright Mama- 8:19, perfectly extended bend with Jim just showing off now. 9:27, mixing up the guitar technique a bit. Mess Of Blues- maybe a little rushed but it fits the energy so far. Honey Bee- Plant nails down some solid, bluesy vocals over this gritty rhythm. Page's solo starts off steadily as he runs through the usual pentatonic licks. 14:03, here's where it gets interesting as he ascends to shred mode. Perfect phrasing from Jimbo. 15:05, cool guitar lick. Plant just destroying the microphone on the last verses. 16:10, Plant's air raid scream on point as they carry the coda out effectively. "A++". Communication Breakdown- Plant misses the opening verse and is a little hesitant for the next few. Solo- Jimmy continues on his path of guitar perfection as he knocks down an excellent extended set of runs. 2:19, absolutely flawless timing on this final ascending run. "It's Your Thing" jam is simplistic but good. 4:21, here comes master shredder Jim again melting people's faces. The song cuts out before the ending but it's not missing much. "A+" for for guitar awesomeness. Final Assessment- Highlights are everywhere as it's a very solid performance throughout. The only letdown (which really isn't major) is the awkward Gallows Pole, a shame considering this is the clearest recording of the song. Plant is insanely powerful and Page really hits some peaks for many solos. Dazed could've been more dynamic in my opinion but is solid as is. The band are continuing with their 1971 confidence after the excellent Copenhagen show. A must listen.

Almost nothing ever is unless it's a DOD release.

On the topic of little details, it's funny how the track cuts were botched on the 1994 remaster of the second album. You can hear about half a second of the last track at each beginning.

Maybe we can determine how far away that plane was on Black Country Woman.

Exactly what I thought.

Just realized the same reverb effect is on the beginning of Gallows Pole, panned almost exactly like WLL.

3:46 on MMH is the only thing I hear that could be misconstrued as a wrong note, as he does a weird sounding descending riff. But doesn't sound "wrong" to me.

Considering this, did you notice the "click" at the four second mark of Heartbreaker was removed on Davis' remaster? It's on every other source. I know Davis worked very hard to make these remasters the "final and ultimate" versions and there are several other instances where he cleaned up and masked small things like this. But God help me if I can remember them all now lol.

Yep, right after the "guitar army" and during Robert's first verse you can hear an electrical hum. It's not noticeable anywhere else because the instruments ring out as Robert sings each verse, masking it. But as woz70 stated you've gotta be listening very closely with quality headphones, so it's not like it's distracting. And yeah, it's on Battle Of Evermore as well, same sound and same volume except for the deluxe version, where it appears Davis has attempted to reduce/hide it.

Interesting, I'll take a listen today and see if I notice them.

Not what I'm talking about. There's electrical hum being picked up.

So it's not an "artifact"? Interesting. That would explain why it's panned right when the guitar is left. Also I totally forgot about those multitracks.

But which track is it on? The more I listen the more I think it's page's slide overdub track picking up the echo. But I could be wrong.

Recently noticed a loud electrical ground hum at the beginning of Black Dog, which wasn't even removed on the deluxe version.

Regarding mixing errors and whatnot, I've always wondered what the deal is with Marino's 1994 mastering of the first album with the stereo pan being flipped. Wonder if that was a final mastering/pressing "oops".

Whoops, correctomundo.

No secret that Page has a "Leave it in" approach towards production. He's literally heard saying "Nah leave it in" at the beginning of Black Country Woman regarding an airplane appearing on the track.

I suppose it's also possible that it's Page's slide overdub track picking up the playback.

Ah, the "echo" in the right channel? Sounds like some reverberation from the guitar being picked up on the bass track. He's being recorded though he's not playing yet (waiting to jump in on the second bar). Why they didn't clip that out I don't know.

Can you give us a timestamp?