tom kid Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Why did they drop this from the setlist? I'm listening to the version from Brussels 12/1/75 at the moment. It sounds awesome, I just wish the recording was a bit better. Imagine a '75 quality soundboard with When The Levee Breaks in the set! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagemccartney95 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 It was too complicated for Zep to perform. Here's some further information:When the Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin Songfacts. Hope it helps. , Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dawg Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Cryin' wont do you no good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross62 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 http://www.answers.com/topic/when-the-levee-breaks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagemccartney95 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Cryin' wont do you no good. , Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieshoes Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I obviously can't speak for the band themselves, but from listening to the two existing live versions, I think it's fairly easy to see why the song was dropped. It may have sounded good in rehearsals, but when played live it kind of went on and on and on with no "oomph" like it has on the record with all of those production effects on it... And, remember, one of the key criteria for a live Zep song was always to showcase a solo of some sort. Levee has no real solo in the song. The only other song in Zep's repertoire that they played in similar style was "Misty Mountain Hop". But the rhythm and energy of that song is totally different, much more upbeat than Levee, and the Hop always segwayed into Since I've Been Loving You, which is pretty much all solos. There was also Kashmir. But that song was a hypnotic monster live. Levee, on the other hand, wasn't. So, it's no coincidence I think that the two numbers that didn't feature any solos in them (Levee and Wanton Song) were the first ones to go from the 75 set. What's more is that they already had "In My Time of Dying" in the set, which had the slide guitar similarity thing going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kashmiran Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I have searched and searched for an in-era live version of this! All I've been able to get my hands on is the wacked version of it from their R&R hall of fame induction...what would be agood boot to grab with this on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom kid Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 I have searched and searched for an in-era live version of this! All I've been able to get my hands on is the wacked version of it from their R&R hall of fame induction...what would be agood boot to grab with this on it? I actually just listened to it on youtube. Here you go: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr E Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Have to say I also think it sounds brilliant from that bootleg. Easily one of their greatest songs and to me it sounds fantastic live. It's the beat and that cool, dirty slide riff that makes it so great. I know the studio track was heavily produced but I don't think that's really an excuse. It's really just down to that great drum beat and riff, which they are quite clearly capable of pulling off live. Robert Plant's howling harmonica sounds fine too. Real shame they didn't play it more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom kid Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 ^ Exactly, hell heaps of songs they played live were heavily produced, just look at Achilles Last Stand and Ten Years Gone. There are so many more, most Zeppelin tracks have a lot of different guitar tracks etc. on them. It's astonishing how many parts Jimmy would have recorded for a single song let alone and album! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickZepp Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 They played it at such a slow tempo in the studio that you have to be extremely tight when they played it live. And their shows were a little higher tempo. It's a shame that the only times they played it Plant's voice was poor at best. When the song is played by Page and Plant or just Plant alone in the 90s or later it's at a much faster tempo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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