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live songs you prefer to the studio version...


paul carruthers

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Forgive me if this has been done before, but I'm kind of new here... so....

What Zeppelin songs do you prefer to hear live over the studio version.

My List:

Black Dog

Stairway to Heaven

Black Mountain Side

I Can't Quit You Baby

In My Time of Dying

Since I've Been Loving You

No Quarter

Trampled Under Foot

Celebration Day

Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

Achilles Last Stand

:stereo:

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Song (the best live version)

White Summer/Black Mountain Side(04.08.1979)

Kashmir (04.08.1979)

Black Dog (TSRTS)

No Quarter (TSRTS)

Whole Lotta Love (HTWWW)

Dazed and Confused (RAH 09.01.1970 and HTWWW)

Communication Breakdown (Danmarks Radio 1969)

Stairway to Heaven (TSRTS)

In the Evening (04.08.1979)

In My Time of Dying (all five Earl's Court shows, 1975)

Heartbreaker

Thank You (BBC Sessions)

Edited by Taro
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In The Evening. Knebworth version owns ITTOD.

Communication Breakdown. I always thought the studio version was really weedy. Like JP's playing through a practice amp.

Its a well known fact that Com BD was recorded with a small amp.... As was most of Zep 1 And I never thought id hear the word weedy, used to decribe anything from Zeppelin !

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Probabley missing a few tracks that were done live but I'd say...

Better live

I Can't Quit You Babe

Dazed and Confused

Black Mountainside

Communication Breakdown

How Many More Times

Whole Lotta Love

Heartbreaker

Thank You

Moby Dick

Bring It On Home

Immigrant Song

Celebration Day

Since I'v Been Loving You

Bron Yr Stomp

Black Dog

Going to California

The Song Remains the Same

No Quarter

The Ocean

The Crunge

Trampled Under Foot

In My Time of Dying

Nobodies Fault But Mine

In The Evening

Better studio

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

You Shook Me

What Is And What Never Should Be

Thats The Way

Gallows Pole

Tangerine

Rock and Roll

Stairway To Heaven

When The Levee Breaks

Four Sticks

Battle of Evermore

Misty Mountain Hop

Over The Hills and Far Away

The Rain Song

Kashmir

Ten Years Gone

Bron Yr Aur

Sick Again

Achilles Last Stand

All My Love

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For me it is The Ocean. The album version sounds like Robert toked up and sucked on helium right before he recorded the song. I love it on TSRTS.

I'm so glad you wrote this. I feel the same (though I wouldn't mind hearing a toked up Robert)!

I would also include:

Stairway to Heaven

Going to California

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Are you kidding?

Why would I be? preffering the studio version of a track does not of course mean that I dislike the live version.

Those tracks and indeed the majority of tracks where I favour the studio version are ones where recording techniques and arrangements were used that were difficult or impossible to reproduce live.

I preffer the studio Thats The Way for example because Page's subtley layered electric backing couldnt be reproduced live where as Going to California has a much more easily replicated arrangement which benefited from the superior live interplay of Page and Jones.

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I agree with your choices.

Live, STH ended up meandering aimlessly for far too long. The studio version is far more compact and effective. Plus all that 'Does anybody remember laughter/forests' stuff...just silly, IMO.

Kashmir was hampered by Plant's weakened vocals in 75...they were better in 77, but by then JP & Bonzo were starting to lose the plot. After that, forget it.

The studio version of Stairway doesn't hold a candle to the TSRTS one.

And I don't understand why you think that the 77 versions of Kashmir are better than the 79 ones.

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The studio version of Stairway doesn't hold a candle to the TSRTS one.

Again I don't dislike the live versions and it was one of the closest choices on that list but I'd agree with Major that the studio version has pretty much the perfect compact solo plus a beautiful tone for the twelve string that the live versions never quite equaled bespite being longer.

And I don't understand why you think that the 77 versions of Kashmir are better than the 79 ones.

Melotron > Synth I'd guess.

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You Shook Me

Communication Breakdown

We're Gonna Groove

WLL

WIAWSNB

Immigrant Song

Celebration Day

No Quarter

Kashmir

ALS

For Your Life

Edited to add... Over The Hills And Far Away

Edited by ally
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Song (the best live version)

White Summer/Black Mountain Side(04.08.1979)

Kashmir (04.08.1979)

Black Dog (TSRTS)

No Quarter (TSRTS)

Whole Lotta Love (HTWWW)

Dazed and Confused (RAH 09.01.1970 and HTWWW)

Communication Breakdown (Danmarks Radio 1969)

Stairway to Heaven (TSRTS)

In the Evening (04.08.1979)

In My Time of Dying (all five Earl's Court shows, 1975)

Heartbreaker

Thank You (BBC Sessions)

You need to listen to some more live Zeppelin if those are your picks for the "best" live versions..."Black Dog" from TSRTS?!? Seriously? The song is practically gutted in the middle thanks to Jimmy's editing...nearly all the lyrics are missing. And anyone can hear that the 1970 RAH "White Summer/BMS" destroys the Knebworth version.

For me it is The Ocean. The album version sounds like Robert toked up and sucked on helium right before he recorded the song. I love it on TSRTS.

+2 Always like this song live better not only because of the vocals, but because the solo on the album does nothing for me...it sounds like Jimmy hadn't yet figured out what to play there and just came up with something. Even on the 1972 and early-73 tour versions, you can hear Jimmy is still trying to come to grips with constructing the solo. It's the 75 and 77 tour where the solo for OTHAFA finally comes together.

Melotron > Synth I'd guess.

+1 ABSOLUTELY! That's why I will always take a 75 or 77 Kashmir over 79 or 80.

As for my list of songs I thought were better live than on record, most of my choices are similar to most everyone else's: No Quarter seems to be the #1 choice...it appears everybody prefers the live version of No Quarter to the studio one. In fact, I preferred the live versions of many "Houses of the Holy" songs...it might have been those helium vocals of Plant, but also the live versions seemed punchier and more rocking. No Quarter, OTHAFA, Dancing Days, The Ocean.

Anyway, here's a few more songs that I prefer live:

Communication Breakdown...a no-brainer; faster, tougher, more powerful than the studio version. The seed of speed-metal.

Immigrant Song...again, just so powerful live with that great extended jam at the end.

Celebration Day...particularly on the 1971 tour, the way Bonham and Jones cook on this song improves upon in every way the studio version.

Out on the Tiles...don't know why, but although Led Zeppelin III is one of my favourite Zeppelin albums, the guitar tone on some of the rocker songs left me cold. The live versions from 9.4.70 and 9.19.70 blow the studio version out of the water...and I LIKE the studio version. Too bad they didn't play it more often, as it is an effective pile-driver of a song in concert.

Bron-Yr-Aur...I like the little added part Jimmy played in concert; wish he would have kept it for the studio version.

Edited by Strider
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You need to listen to some more live Zeppelin if those are your picks for the "best" live versions..."Black Dog" from TSRTS?!? Seriously? The song is practically gutted in the middle thanks to Jimmy's editing...nearly all the lyrics are missing. And anyone can hear that the 1970 RAH "White Summer/BMS" destroys the Knebworth version.

+2 Always like this song live better not only because of the vocals, but because the solo on the album does nothing for me...it sounds like Jimmy hadn't yet figured out what to play there and just came up with something. Even on the 1972 and early-73 tour versions, you can hear Jimmy is still trying to come to grips with constructing the solo. It's the 75 and 77 tour where the solo for OTHAFA finally comes together.

+1 ABSOLUTELY! That's why I will always take a 75 or 77 Kashmir over 79 or 80.

As for my list of songs I thought were better live than on record, most of my choices are similar to most everyone else's: No Quarter seems to be the #1 choice...it appears everybody prefers the live version of No Quarter to the studio one. In fact, I preferred the live versions of many "Houses of the Holy" songs...it might have been those helium vocals of Plant, but also the live versions seemed punchier and more rocking. No Quarter, OTHAFA, Dancing Days, The Ocean.

Anyway, here's a few more songs that I prefer live:

Communication Breakdown...a no-brainer; faster, tougher, more powerful than the studio version. The seed of speed-metal.

Immigrant Song...again, just so powerful live with that great extended jam at the end.

Celebration Day...particularly on the 1971 tour, the way Bonham and Jones cook on this song improves upon in every way the studio version.

Out on the Tiles...don't know why, but although Led Zeppelin III is one of my favourite Zeppelin albums, the guitar tone on some of the rocker songs left me cold. The live versions from 9.4.70 and 9.19.70 blow the studio version out of the water...and I LIKE the studio version. Too bad they didn't play it more often, as it is an effective pile-driver of a song in concert.

Bron-Yr-Aur...I like the little added part Jimmy played in concert; wish he would have kept it for the studio version.

I agree the Out on the Tiles studio guitar just seemed off as well as Plants vocal sounds somewhat apathetic. However both live versions are killer.
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