If vinyl is impractical in a given situation, my ‘go to’ would be high definition FLACs. CDs are generally 44kHz/16bit while high definition FLACs are generally 96kHz/24bit (some are 192 kHz/24bit or even better). Lots and lots and lots of detail in those extra samples and bit depths. Not quite vinyl quality, but much less hassle. And FLACs are more portable than CDs. And you can edit the metadata on FLACs to tailor, for example, gain/volume levels for each track.

Well, fair enough -- but it can be fun to not let (Newtonian) physics get in the way of active imagination. 🙂

I remember (probably 45 years ago, now) hearing that reverberating guitar panned to the right side in the opening of WWL and how the bass then suddenly appeared on that side (with killer tone), and with my youthful imagination I thought the slider was up for the microphone on John Paul Jones’ bass amp and it was picking up Jimmy’s guitar from somewhere across a large recording studio -- as if my ear were next to the bass amp, and I got a little echoey sense of what was happening some distance away until the bass started and gloriously filled that side. Still sounds that way to me, even if the effect was actually "simulated" with a plate reverb.

Based on what I hear in those companion tracks: A mix-down of existing tracks to use as a framework to work out additional parts, solos, and melodies for vocals - and to consider what you might want to do with the final mix and to re-consider and determine whether & how to change or fix existing tracks. Basically a working copy of the song as it currently stands (that you can take home, for example, to use as backing for noodling experiments).

According to my copies of the DVDs (a 1999 DVD of the film and the 2007 Collector's Edition), the copyright in the film is owned by Swan Song whereas the copyright in the bonus materials (deleted scenes, omitted songs, etc.) is owned by Warner Bros. This suggests that Page et al. own and control only the original film and probably only the soundtrack to that original film and that Warner owns whatever was left over and not used in the film. My original vinyl (purchased new many many years ago) of the "soundtrack" says the copyright was owned by WEA Records. Ltd. Assuming WEA is basically Page et al., this is consistent with ownership of the film and the soundtrack to that film by Page et al. My copy of the 2007 CD remaster of the audio "soundtrack" album indicates copyright ownership by both Atlantic Recording Corp. (identified as a Warner Music Group company) and an entity called "Mythgem, Ltd." Because there are extra tracks on this edition (e.g., OTHAFA, MMH, etc.) the copyright ownership information here is consistent with ownership of the film and the soundtrack to that film by Page et al. (assuming Mythgem is basically Page et al.) and ownership of the left-overs and unused stuff by Warner. So, in summary: Copyright notices indicate that Page controls the original film and the soundtrack to that original film and that Warner owns everything else associated with the film (including audio tracks). My best guess is that the revenue-sharing agreement for the audio album, between Warner (Atlantic) and Page et al. (Mythgem), splits right at the line between "soundtrack" to the film and "live performances" recorded in connection with the film. Thus, to ensure maximum value of the copyright in the audio album (and therefore the maximum revenue share from sales of the album), Page might have had an incentive to ensure that there was no dispute that the bulk of the audio album was Page-owned "soundtrack" versus Warner-owned "live performance." In theory, that might translate to editing some songs to ensure that they are viewed as "soundtrack" to the film under current copyright law and practice (which may have changed a bit since 1976).

Yep, only a theory (I might call it a mere hypothesis). The prior shows at the Sports Arena without similar issues cast doubt on it, for sure. Those prior shows are not perfect "controls," however, since there are other relevant variables unaccounted for - e.g., the PA equipment, monitor system, physical layout/positioning of speakers, and how the stage was set up within the venue all might have been different on these various occasions. In any event, I concede that the simplest explanation is likely the correct one . . .

Regarding June 19, 1977: The acoustics at the Sports Arena in San Diego are horrendously bad. Notoriously so. Huge, deafening echos that go on and on and on, with an almost subwoofer-esque enhancement of low end. I wonder if Bonzo was slowing down in an effort to hear himself and the rest of the band, perhaps to separate the monitor sound from the echoes of the arena by ensuring the tempo of the song (variable, by him) was different than the tempo of the echoes (fixed, by the acoustics of the arena). Especially at the beginning of the show as the front-of-house sound folks worked to tame the Sports Arena using 70's-era PA technology. (Afternoon sound check gets you part way, but the acoustics are different in a full house so there's always adjustment in the first few songs of any show).

Below is a link to a piece I put together for my legal website about Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin. Like my other case reviews, it is directed to junior and mid-level intellectual property lawyers (or more senior lawyers looking for a high-level, bullet-point summary) and is a bit "legalistic." Nevertheless, it might, in whole or in part, be interesting and helpful to non-lawyers seeking to understand what the allegations actually were and what the court of appeal actually decided. For example, on the first page I show the infringement allegations visually using a reproduction of the relevant portions of the Taurus and Stairway scores, with explanation bridging pages 1 and 2. On page 3 is a brief summary of the key points in the 9th Circuit decision. For those curious, the remainder reviews the relevant basic ("black letter") copyright law, how that law applied to the facts of this case, and how the law was changed by this case. Archetype IP - Federal Circuit Friday (March 2020) If for any reason the above link does not work you can go to my landing page and look near the bottom: http://archetype-ip.com

Mendenhall Glacier, near Juneau, Alaska - July 2019.