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Cosmic_Equilibrium

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Everything posted by Cosmic_Equilibrium

  1. 9/28 has to be the best rendition of GTC ever I think.
  2. ^ Not really. The EC gigs are memorable for their spectacle more than anything else. Britain in the mid 70s was not like North America and there were very few large arenas to play in. For a long time EC was THE large scale concert venue in London - only Wembley Stadium surpassed it, and bands didn't really start playing there until the 80s I think. The Who played shows at The Oval cricket ground and Charlton Athletic's The Valley football stadium in the 70s, but those were something of an exception to the rule. Playing, say 10 nights at Hammersmith might have produced better shows, but for sheer grandiosity it had to be EC. Empire Pool (now Wembley Arena) was a decent size but nowhere near as big, and although the Royal Albert Hall has the history and atmosphere and status it still doesn't have the scale. The EC gigs aren't the best of 1975 (the 18th is possibly in the top 10 for the year perhaps), but those concerts have entered legend because to fill 5 nights at Earls Court in those days was in British terms something like doing 10 MSG or LA Forum shows. It's the sheer 'wow' factor and epicness of it all - that's what really impresses. As mentioned above, 10 nights at Hammersmith might have produced better performances, but I'm not sure that they would have become part of the Zeppelin legend like EC did.
  3. I agree on the Copenhagen shows, there's just no bass to the recording at all from my perspective. They sound really thin and tinny. I don't understand why people sometimes cite those as being in the upper echelons of Zep live recordings - there are tons of other audience tapes that sound way better. Also I don't think there's that much difference in performance level between them and the first Knebworth show, which I think is one of their classic performances actually.
  4. Good list, I agree with most of it. I can't necessarily rate every show as there are still some I need to listen to, but here are my top picks in rough order: 1) Cleveland 04/28 = this is a monster of a show with an unreal vibe, enhanced by the audience tape. Best version ever of Achilles Last Stand with a sombre and mysterious intro and frantic playing, followed by one of the best post-75 Stairways around. Kashmir and the opening numbers are great too. 2) Los Angeles 06/21 = deservedly ranked highly. Fantastic audience recording (and the alternative source discovered a few years ago is also pretty cool for an alternative perspective listen), and the band are really revved up to be back in LA again, especially Bonham. The first three songs are probably the best renditions ever of each of them - I like that in Sick Again Page's guitar cuts out briefly then roars back into action as the song kicks in properly. Incredibly powerful concert topped with all-time great versions of Kashmir, Achilles Last Stand and Stairway (the performance of which is in my top 3 renditions list). 3) New York 06/13 = agree with you that this show is a seriously good one. Very powerful and intense all the way, the band are taking no prisoners here. I often judge 77 shows by the performances of Kashmir and Achilles Last Stand and both sound brutally uncompromising on this night. Again, like the Cleveland show, a dark and mysterious aura to the set. 4) Los Angeles 06/27 = An epic closing show, not as good a performance as some of the other LA nights and with the band sounding sloppy on a couple of songs, notably Stairway where Page gets rather lost on the solo, and on Achilles Last Stand and Sick Again which skirt the edge of falling to bits in places. Page pushes it too far on the noise solo as well. But the vibe of this show is incredible, notably the acoustic set. The performances feel much more relaxed and free form than previous nights, which gives an interesting aura to the songs. No Quarter here is one of my favourite versions, just something about it that flows effortlessly. A really good show to just put on and soak in, helped by the superb audience recording which may well be the best one of the band ever captured on tape. Even the drum solo is good here, and I normally skip it on other shows. 5) Los Angeles 06/22 = I haven't listened to this in ages, but I agree with the consensus that it's a really strong show, and had Millard captured it it might well be regarded as the best show of the tour. Very tight and intense all the way through, a barnstormer. Other shows I rank: all the other LA performances, Pontiac 04/30 (I agree with the theory that the band are playing at normal tempos because they're being filmed, btw) Birmingham 05/18, Landover 05/30 (another fantastic Achilles Last Stand and Stairway), also soft spot for Houston 05/21 which starts off well and is nowhere near as bad as some say - unusual version of No Quarter too. Despite the fact that some criticise it bluecongo also mentioned the 05/26 Landover show as a good one and I agree, although it's very, v e r y, v e e e e e r r r r r r y laid back - the entire band seem stoned - but that makes for an intriguing listen.
  5. On the subject of Houston, is it really that bad a show? I personally think it's decent. It was the first 77 soundboard I heard so got a soft spot for it.
  6. Standout shows for me: Feb 12th New York - a very well known show, and possibly the first bootleg that I heard which made me sit up and take notice. Great recording quality - my favourite is Keeper Of The Seasons which I think is a matrix of some sort. Great performance too despite Plant's voice being a bit ragged here and there. Feb 14th Nassau - a very good vibe to this show, as evidenced by the Plantations. I did wonder if the SB ran slightly fast on the Throwing The Wild Seeds boot I downloaded, so switched to the St Valentine's Day Massacre one. March 3rd Fort Worth - good SB and a really good fun show March 19th Vancouver - possibly the best sounding SB ever, Jones is well up front and really clear, top 5 version of No Quarter, very consistent performance May 18th Earls Court - the best of the EC shows that I've heard, possibly an even better version of NQ than Vancouver. Go to for this is Black Dragon WIth Blue Axe. Whole band very much on it and assured. Other ones worth checking out are St Louis, Baton Rouge and Seattle. What I've heard of the LA Forum shows didn't impress me a great deal, they seemed to lack energy in comparison to the ones listed above. Baton Rouge I've always wondered if the SB runs too fast as Sick Again is notably faster paced than the versions from the rest of the tour, but I've never read any complaints in this regard about the recording. Finally Feb 3rd New York is a good one, albeit not so much for the performance but the recording of the tapers and the general audience. Really gets the ambience and vibe of what going to a Zeppelin show was like back then.
  7. Bron-Yr-Aur (twice) Travelled past the sands at Aberdovey (this is I think where Plant does some of his fantasy sequences in TSRTS) Site of King's Hall, Aberystwyth (Zeppelin played here in 1973) (now demolished). The band apparently played in the old bandstand on the seafront once (now replaced by a modern structure) The Angel, Aberystwyth (apparently Zeppelin drank here, can't confirm rumour though) Dolgoch Falls (where Page and Plant filmed and recorded some of No Quarter in 1994) Earl's Court (now demolished) Knebworth
  8. Can someone confirm if this release runs at the correct speed? I seem to remember that the original EV release of the 9/29 SB ran about 2% too fast and ledsox corrected it when they released their SB/AUD merge. Does the new 9/28 SB EV release run fast as well? If so I'll wait for the speed corrected version that someone will probably do. Thanks.
  9. Early club shows from 69ish Back To The Clubs tour 1971 - we only have the first two shows and the BBC Paris Theatre one, but it was a pretty legendary tour. More shows would be amazing. Salisbury City Hall 1971 - last show of the year I think, rescheduled from earlier on in the British winter tour. Apparently a very good show, interesting venue and city choice. Aberystwyth King's Hall 16/01/1973 - this show was played the night after the good Stoke performance, so there's a chance it was pretty decent. Apparently a thank-you show to the local area (Aber is only about 15 miles or so from Bron-Yr-Aur) which had inspired them. Spent a year at uni in Aber recently therefore this show has a personal connection for me. The King's Hall is now demolished (the original plan had been to play the Great Hall at the University) but there's just no recording, film or video of this performance at all - only personal accounts. (For some time a few tracks circulated purporting to be from this show but they have since been proven to be from the Preston date). Fascinating because even back then few big bands played Aber, and the contrast of Zeppelin playing there and at MSG in the same year seems wild to me. Agree with the shout for the shows of 1975 where WTLB and TWS are apparently in the set but which haven't made it to release. Definitely agree with the remaining missing shows from the 1977 tour too, Baton Rouge being the obvious one.
  10. Those Moonchild releases are good. Got LTTE and FBO and can't complain.
  11. The Pseudonym remaster is the one to go for as far as this show is concerned. I must admit that I have never really given this show much of a chance as IMO the recording just sounds far too thin and tinny. There is just no bass or power to it. I genuinely can't understand why people acclaim it as one of the best audience recordings ever, to my ears it's really lacking for the reasons I just gave. However the Pseudonym remaster does go some way towards giving it more weight.
  12. On a related note, do most recordings of the 08/21/71 show run fast? (as someone above recommended getting a speed corrected version of it). I have TDOLZ 'Wild Weekend' but to my ears I think it runs correctly? Thanks
  13. Interested in canvassing people's opinions on this particular show. This is generally the least mentioned of the Forum run, I think mainly because of the recording quality being rather ropey. What intrigues me is that I've seen a few opinions stating it to be a good show but with something intangible missing, or just nothing that stands out. Having listened to it recently I don't think I'd agree with that analysis - there's some really good playing and the band is very tight. (I have also seen some people claiming it to be one of the best shows of the Forum run). I found the acoustic set a pleasant surprise - I think it may be the best acoustic set of the six shows after the 27th, there seems to be a lot of energy in it generally.
  14. I can't agree with your assessment of Kashmir for this show; IMO it's an extremely powerful version and at least an A grade.
  15. Can only echo everyone's recommendations above. I would like to add that the Vancouver 3/19 SB is VERY good sonically, even compared to the other shows, as it's noticeably more bass-heavy - you can hear Jones beautifully.
  16. Thanks, much appreciated. Will get a hold of the June 10th show at least. Currently playing the 8th June show on Youtube and it doesn't sound that bad at all really, was wondering if a new source has been uncovered or it's been remastered? Certainly I've heard worse sounding recordings.
  17. Am about to investigate the NY shows and was wondering what the general opinion is on them? So far I have heard the June 7 & June 13 shows, of which the latter is the better performance by some distance, but was wondering how the other four shows compare?
  18. Thanks, will give those ones a go. Pontiac sounds interesting as that's the next show after the second Cleveland performance. Also didn't it get filmed?
  19. I haven't heard enough of the 77 tour in detail to place all the shows in definite categories but I will just echo the opinion that the second Cleveland show is the equal of the LA shows, best version of Achilles Last Stand ever IMO. The Liriodendron remaster of Landover 5/30 is something of a revelation too, really brings the soundboard to life. Not sure if the performance is in the absolute top echelon for 77, but it has some really great moments, No Quarter, Achilles and Stairway being one of them, and some interesting keyboard playing from Jones in Kashmir. Currently listening to MSG 6/13. This has OK sound and seems to be a very good show so far. I've heard some people refer to it as one of the best of the tour (the Year Of Led Zeppelin blog has it as a must hear), what do others think? Wasn't going to check out the other Landover shows but may listen to 5/26 as a couple of people have given more favourable reviews of it. So far I'd say the best shows of 77 I've heard are: 6/21, 6/22, 6/27 and 4/28. 6/27 is a good deal looser than the other LA shows but has an amazing vibe and great sound.
  20. Good review. I've never quite understood the disparagement the Houston show receives from some quarters, to my ears it's a good performance, not the best of the tour, but solid, and Bonham is spectacular on certain songs.
  21. Think I might as well include the Nassau shows from 1972 which are PHENOMENAL, TBH they blow the HTWWW shows away. Cleveland 28/04/77 is an almighty performance too.
  22. ^ Yeah, those two shows are just absolute bangers. I wasn't bothering with 1972 much, but those performances..... oh wow.
  23. The UK winter '71 tour is pretty great, but it would be nicer to have it in decent quality. I do think some of the high points of that tour equal Japan or other more famous 1971 shows, particularly the Manchester show which is a ferocious performance but sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of the ocean. SB wish list, then: 26/04/69 San Francisco 11/11/71 Newcastle 24/11/71 Manchester 02/12/71 Bournemouth 14/06/72 Nassau 15/06/72 Nassau 12/01/75 Brussels (for WTLB in SB quality) 22/06/77 LA
  24. Yep, the Manchester show is good. So too is the one from the Winter 71 tour, although it sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of the ocean. Zeppelin always seemed to play good shows in Manchester. Not sure how underrated this is, but after playing it on Youtube last night I'll throw in Nassau 14/02/75 - a great show and the equal of the MSG one two days earlier. The band were on good form in those mid-Feb shows. The St. Louis one from the 16th is a solid performance too.
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