New Orleans - 5/14/73

[hf21]

I've been listening to The Witch Queen (New Orleans 5/14/73). If you are not familiar with this boot, it is 6CDs with the first 3 being an audience recording with soundboard patches. The other 3 are soundboard with audience patches.

I usually go for the soundboards but the audience portion of this show just blows the soundboard out of the water. On some songs it's not even close. I know there are some stellar audience recordings out there (esp Millard's work), but I usually prefer the soundboards. I am just blown away at how good this audience tape sounds. Are there any other shows that have much better audience sound than soundboard?

I have all 6 cds on shuffle right now and I can tell instantly which is which. The audience is near perfect and the soundboard is a little flat. I've read some negative comments on here about audience recordings - and I've agreed with some of them - but this show is really making me want to seek out some other audience boots.

What are some of the best audience boots?

[EzyEric]

I've been listening to The Witch Queen (New Orleans 5/14/73). If you are not familiar with this boot, it is 6CDs with the first 3 being an audience recording with soundboard patches. The other 3 are soundboard with audience patches.

I usually go for the soundboards but the audience portion of this show just blows the soundboard out of the water. On some songs it's not even close. I know there are some stellar audience recordings out there (esp Millard's work), but I usually prefer the soundboards. I am just blown away at how good this audience tape sounds. Are there any other shows that have much better audience sound than soundboard?

I have all 6 cds on shuffle right now and I can tell instantly which is which. The audience is near perfect and the soundboard is a little flat. I've read some negative comments on here about audience recordings - and I've agreed with some of them - but this show is really making me want to seek out some other audience boots.

What are some of the best audience boots?

Easy explanation. Like Millard the guy who recorded this show: Freezer. Is known for outstanding recordings.

But to fully answer your question:

04-24-1969 - Dancing Avocado Supreme Edition (mics on stage so instruments, especially drums are loudest, vocals less so)

09-04-1970 - Blueberry Hill

09-29-1971 - Osaka (Fatally Wanderer I prefer). (This is often mistaken as a soundboard, its actually mic on the stage which is why the vocals are not loud when the instruments are. Maybe not technically Audience then either)

02-28-1975 - New Orleans (another freezer recording) [soundboard just released, which is not flat]

04-28-1977 - Cleveland (Day after destroyer)

And of course all Millard recordings.

Others should suggest more.

[ally]

9/14/71 Berkeley - 9/23/71 Budokan - Montreux 70

[Nutrocker]

Seattle, 17/21 March/75

New York, June 7/77 ("Rawhide" source)

Seattle, July 17/77 ("Sea Of Screams" source)

Though I agree, Millard and Freezer are pretty much the gold standard. Their master tapes must sound magnificent, considering everything of theirs in circulation is more or less "unknown generation"...

As for the version of Freezer's audience tape they used on the boot, IIRC Empress Valley or whoever it was who put it out made a mess of the sound via digital processing, etc. There are better versions of the audience recording circulating than what has been used on the commercial boots, for what it's worth. The same story applies to his 1975 Baton Rouge recording- a non-bootlegged version of that just popped up on a torrent site a little while back that kicks even the soundboard's ass! I get the idea Freezer was more or less goaded into sending out a better sounding copy of his recording than what has previously circulated due to the shitty sounding "matrix" the MOTB guys did of the '75 show days after the soundboard came out. Avoid that version at all costs!

Edited April 6, 2010 by Nutrocker

[3hrsoflunacy]

July 24, 1979 Copenhagen.

[beetleron]

i thought millard did the "eddie" show

what was it.......6/21/77 in L.A.

thats an all time fave in anybody's book..........soundboard or audience

[greenman]

7th of March 1970 Montreux - The classic case of an audience recording outdoing a soundboard, the audience cuts out during HMMT but is alot better.

4th April 1970 Raleigh - Again doesnt have the end of the show but a very powerful and pretty clean recording of a brilliant show.

As much hype as Millard gets people always seem to focus on his 77 shows, 25/5/73 is for me his best ever recording(even if the PA has some problems) and that show plus 27/3/.75 still get more play from me than any of the 75 SB's.

[greenman]

Though I agree, Millard and Freezer are pretty much the gold standard. Their master tapes must sound magnificent, considering everything of theirs in circulation is more or less "unknown generation"...!

While I can buy that we don't have copies of the 1st gen I don't buy alot of this "127th gen" talk, I'd be supprized if theer much difference between what we have now and the masters.

[beetleron]

let's face it,,,,,,,,,,,,who cares

try the eddie show when you're "in the mood" for a 77 show

the only thing i remember from n'orleans in a great "communications breakdown"

quite nice

[hillsy]

I've been listening to The Witch Queen (New Orleans 5/14/73). If you are not familiar with this boot, it is 6CDs with the first 3 being an audience recording with soundboard patches. The other 3 are soundboard with audience patches.

I usually go for the soundboards but the audience portion of this show just blows the soundboard out of the water. On some songs it's not even close. I know there are some stellar audience recordings out there (esp Millard's work), but I usually prefer the soundboards. I am just blown away at how good this audience tape sounds. Are there any other shows that have much better audience sound than soundboard?

I have all 6 cds on shuffle right now and I can tell instantly which is which. The audience is near perfect and the soundboard is a little flat. I've read some negative comments on here about audience recordings - and I've agreed with some of them - but this show is really making me want to seek out some other audience boots.

What are some of the best audience boots?

Im really on an audience kick at the moment, give me audience over sbd anyday when it comes to USA73!

Some of my fave audience tapes..

Boston tea party 69

MSG 70 Evening show

Berkley 71

Japan 71 (23rd, 29th)

Adelaide 72

LA 72

Vienna, Essen, Offenburgh 73

LA 73

Seattle 73

Providence 73

Seattle 75

LA 75

All examples of Zep at the top of their game with ok to excellent sound.

You cant fall off with these hf21!

[johnlennon696]

What are some of the best audience boots?

Was going to ask this question myself at some point!!

One great sounding AUD boot is definetly Auckland , NZ 1972, brilliantly clear, just a shame it isnt complete...

Edited April 9, 2010 by johnlennon696

[Deborah J]

let's face it,,,,,,,,,,,,who cares

try the eddie show when you're "in the mood" for a 77 show

the only thing i remember from n'orleans in a great "communications breakdown"

quite nice

Hello beetleron,

I was at this event and let me say sound board, audience tapings....cannot come close to seeing them live.

Were you there?

Edited April 9, 2010 by Deborah J

[beetleron]

i wish.............i'm a huge zep fan

we did have robert sing in the mood to us back in 88 though

[Walesdad]

Much prefer a good audience recording myself to some of the more 'dry' soundboards.With the audience being picked up as well on the mic,you can really get a sense of being at the show.Two of my own favourites are 'Going To California' and 'V1/2'.Both audience,both not sonically perfect,both terrific gigs that show how powerful Led Zeppelin were.Happy hunting.

[beetleron]

call me the hunter walesdad.....

my first ever vinyl zep boot was this......

yeh..........a very very very well worn copy of what is now commonly known as V 1/2

and i hear ya bout the "dry" soundboards.....but these 75 boards are really well done

its the 73 boards that are quite dry, and most of them came out in the very late 80's, early 90s

and yes.........i have to say it for all you "spoiled brat intenet audiophiles" out there

bite me

we didn't sit around the computer analyzing which wavelength looked best ............man

we just rocked

Edited April 10, 2010 by beetleron

[Nutrocker]

and yes.........i have to say it for all you "spoiled brat intenet audiophiles" out there

bite me

we didn't sit around the computer analyzing which wavelength looked best ............man

we just rocked

Truer words have never been spoken, Ron. We have been spoiled by the internet. Vinyl is my musical medium of choice. And the idea of attaching the term "audiophile" to bootlegs is just fucking ridiculous in itself. I'm not picky about sound quality; shit, some of my favourite boots from any given band sound like crap. Bottom line: Does the performance get you off? That's all that counts!

As far as I'm concerned, I don't care if the fucking gig was recorded with a Nakamichi deck like Millard's or on a goddamn Fisher Price tape deck- I'm just grateful somebody taped the damned show! And let's face it, back in the old days, dudes like Freezer and Millard were more or less the exception to the rule for taping. Nowadays just about any idiot can press record on a digital machine and are pretty much guaranteed at least a half decent sounding recording. No challenge there. Hell, the only reasons I don't tape myself are a: I don't get to attend many concerts that aren't like a six hour drive away (we live out in the sticks) and b: admittedly I'm paranoid that I'd get busted...wouldn't want to shell out the bucks for a decent recorder only for the damn thing to get confiscated or something. That, and on the rare occasions I do get to take in a concert I like to sit back and enjoy the show without having to worry if the recorder is working properly...

And, yeah- gimme an audience recording of whatever quality over a soundboard any day. Unless it's a SBD of a show where there is no corresponding AUD recording, of course. I love how audience tapes capture the vibe of the show. You don't get that from a soundboard. They just don't have the "live" atmosphere I love.

Edited April 11, 2010 by Nutrocker

[Walesdad]

call me the hunter walesdad.....

my first ever vinyl zep boot was this......

yeh..........a very very very well worn copy of what is now commonly known as V 1/2

and i hear ya bout the "dry" soundboards.....but these 75 boards are really well done

its the 73 boards that are quite dry, and most of them came out in the very late 80's, early 90s

and yes.........i have to say it for all you "spoiled brat intenet audiophiles" out there

bite me

we didn't sit around the computer analyzing which wavelength looked best ............man

we just rocked

Thanks for showing that cover Ron and I agree 100%.A boot is on vinyl,cd or tape,something downloaded from the internet,even though they are all out there,just does not interest me.Good luck.

[chef free]

we didn't sit around the computer analyzing which wavelength looked best ............man

we just rocked

That's it mate! I just want to hear the hottest Led Zeppelin shows no matter what the sound quality. Like my good friend asked "Bottom line: does it rock?"

[Ludwig_Paiste]

02-28-1975 - New Orleans (another freezer recording) [soundboard just released, which is not flat]

This was not New Orleans. It was Baton Rouge.

[Hammersmith]

call me the hunter walesdad.....

my first ever vinyl zep boot was this......

yeh..........a very very very well worn copy of what is now commonly known as V 1/2

and i hear ya bout the "dry" soundboards.....but these 75 boards are really well done

its the 73 boards that are quite dry, and most of them came out in the very late 80's, early 90s

and yes.........i have to say it for all you "spoiled brat intenet audiophiles" out there

bite me

we didn't sit around the computer analyzing which wavelength looked best ............man

we just rocked

LOL! My jacket for that same bootleg lp looks at least as rough as yours, if not worse! The actual vinyl is still in great shape though and made for a nice transfer to cdr. Like others here, I enjoy it more than the soundboard recording of that show.