Favorite versions of Dazed and Confused?

[mielazul]

I don't know about favorite, but I always think of the one on the "Heart Attack" bootleg. Anyone remember that one? It was a 1973 performance, but I was never totally sure where the D&C was from, because I think there was a mix of performances from Texas and Bradford. Anyway, I was listening to that in a nice "herbal" state of mind...and man, it just transported me in the most trippy way. I'll never forget that.

[mrzinj]

And by the way, John Henry is just smashing his cymbals to smithereens during the post bow guitar solo in this 9/29/71 show!! I don't remember him doing it this aggressively in other shows. Maybe I just haven't noticed.

I can't believe he got to be so portly because he must've burned 5,000 calories a concert.

[pujols05]

The 5-24-75 version from Earl's Court will always be my favorite. I think the inclusion of Woodstock was perfected this night, very dark and moody (love the "back to the garden" right when the bow section starts), and I love Page's solitary noodling just before the Woodstock section. Phenomenal.

I also enjoy:

• 6-2-73 San Francisco
  
• 2-12-75 NYC
  
• 3-11-75 Long Beach
  
• 3-19-75 Vancouver
  
• 3-27-75 L.A. (probably my 2nd favorite)
  

Those are all the performances I rate with 5 stars. There are 22 more with 4 stars.

As you can see, I'm partial to '75.

[Disco Duck]

The Danish TV performance from 1969. The intimate setting and bare bones stage act let me see things I often miss when watching Zep perform on film.

1) It took a lot of energy for John Bonham to sustain that speed and volume. The relief on his face during a brief lull is palpable.

2) John Paul Jones gets a bit more screen time here than on later footage. My previous impression of him was that while he was essential to Led Zeppelin from a musical standpoint, he didn't contribute much to their performances from a visual standpoint. I was wrong. He was animated and he rocked to the beat. That he was also cute was a bonus.

3) There is a great scene at around 7:28 where Jimmy Page tosses his head back to get his hair out of his face. His expression is ecstatic. Then at around 7:44 the camera focuses on him again. You can tell by his eyes that he was stoned.

4) The qualities made Robert Plant one of the greatest rock singers of all time were already present. He already had the Plant hair flick down as well.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Disco Duck

[Disco Duck]

Sorry. I didn't meant to double post.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Disco Duck

[Bonzo_fan]

3/21/75.

That could probably be a +1 for me. I'm also fond of:

3/27/75

3/19/75

7/17/73

3/16/73

[Bonzo_fan]

The 5-24-75 version from Earl's Court will always be my favorite. I think the inclusion of Woodstock was perfected this night, very dark and moody (love the "back to the garden" right when the bow section starts), and I love Page's solitary noodling just before the Woodstock section. Phenomenal.

I also enjoy:

• 6-2-73 San Francisco
• 2-12-75 NYC
• 3-11-75 Long Beach
• 3-19-75 Vancouver
• 3-27-75 L.A. (probably my 2nd favorite)

Those are all the performances I rate with 5 stars. There are 22 more with 4 stars.

As you can see, I'm partial to '75.

What are the 4 star ones?

[chef free]

I've always loved the Texas Pop version. The way Page just can't shake Bonham off! At one point Jimmy's got the whole thing wrapped up and John starts hitting the cowbell. It's like he's telling Pagey "It's my band too!" But after reading this thread I went back and listened to Berkeley '71 and it is one of the great D&C. That whole show is so out there that I never realized how great that song is, Jimmy's kicks into overdrive at the end! And a perfect, if short, acoustic set too. This site keeps me digging deeper into live Zeppelin! Thanks for all the tips and hints everybody!

[tictac]

The Song Remains The Same is my favorite version. Also, I'm a big fan of the Danish TV performance from 1969.

http://youtu.be/wqdgWh3d9oQ

+1

[JLee93]

Either the one from SRTS or the one from RAH 1970. Love those versions. Also, I happen to really like the bit from Tous En Scene. Im just kind of attached to it for some strange reason.

[Geezer]

1971:Sept. 29, 1971 Osaka, Japan

That performance is stellar. All four members on fire? Edited April 27, 2013 by Geezer

[Flyingzepp]

Vienna 73

[pujols05]

What are the 4 star ones?

Well:

1-11-69

3-16-69

8-31-69

1-9-70

3-7-70

10-2-72

10-4-72

1-22-73

3-16-73

5-13-73

5-18-73

5-19-75

5-26-73

5-31-73

7-17-73

2-14-75

2-16-75

2-28-75

3-4-75

3-5-75

3-14-75

3-17-75

3-24-75

5-25-75

(Upgraded a few in the last month )

Edited May 1, 2013 by pujols05

[Guest Shenouda5252@gmail.com]

It's hard to pick the best version of dazed and confused because different versions have the best parts I'll break down my opinion

1. Bbc sessions has the best wah wah intro section because it sounds really cool

2. The song remains the same has the best verses because of the blues licks jimmy plays in the background to Robert playing

3. Royal Albert hall has the best riffs because they play it really fast and powerfully and bonzo hits drumrolls during them and it's awesome

4. March 21st, 1975 has the best part in between the main song and bow solo (I'm not sure what to call it some people call it the sanfrancisco/Woodstock part but it's got a lot more than that) because it's really long almost 10 minutes and has parts of for what it's worth in it

5. Not sure what the best bow solo is you guys let me know what you think

6. March 27th, 1975 has the best solo because it is 16 minutes long and very good

7. The song remains the same has the best outro jam because it's not very long and annoying, only about 3 minutes where as some 75 versions have 6 minute ones and has a drum solo at the end

[Guest Shenouda5252@gmail.com]

It's hard to pick the best version of dazed and confused because different versions have the best parts I'll break down my opinion

1. Bbc sessions has the best wah wah intro section because it sounds really cool

2. The song remains the same has the best verses because of the blues licks jimmy plays in the background to Robert playing

3. Royal Albert hall has the best riffs because they play it really fast and powerfully and bonzo hits drumrolls during them and it's awesome

4. March 21st, 1975 has the best part in between the main song and bow solo (I'm not sure what to call it some people call it the sanfrancisco/Woodstock part but it's got a lot more than that) because it's really long almost 10 minutes and has parts of for what it's worth in it

5. Not sure what the best bow solo is you guys let me know what you think

6. March 27th, 1975 has the best solo because it is 16 minutes long and very good

7. The song remains the same has the best outro jam because it's not very long and annoying, only about 3 minutes where as some 75 versions have 6 minute ones and has a drum solo at the end

[Adrian Ernesto Cepeda]

HTWWW is the best for me. And for all that matters I think that Dazed and Confused's best period was 1970.

I agree, the HTWWW is my favorite.

I also think, track four from the first disc of the BBC Sessions is very underrated. John Paul Jones bass is booming at the beginning of this one. Love it but not as explosive as the L.A. Forum version from HTWWW.

[Eternal Zeppelinite]

Not much beats 3.19.75, 3.09.70, or 6.27.72 for me...

[blindwillie127]

This one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCwYfOvxBs

[Bonzo_fan]

Digging up an old thread...I think March 25, 1975 gets unfairly lost in the shuffle sometimes.  4th-longest version at 39:10, has an excellent "lead-in to the bow solo" as it's referred to on TYOLZ, one of the coolest "San Francisco"/"Woodstock" sections--"Spanish Harlem" in this case, one of Jimmy's best/most fluid performances of '75 in the main jam in the middle, and one of the best outro jams at the end.

Not my favourite, but definitely deserves mention.

[johnlennon696]

I love a lot of them but a big favorite of mine is the 05/24 Earls Court.

Jimmy is wonderful on the solos. Fast, fluid with a great melody. The bow solo is also great and I love Plant's "We are stardust" bit.

[JTM]

1 hour ago, johnlennon696 said:

I love a lot of them but a big favorite of mine is the 05/24 Earls Court.

Jimmy is wonderful on the solos. Fast, fluid with a great melody. The bow solo is also great and I love Plant's "We are stardust" bit.

Fyi, the "We are stardust" bit is Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock"..

[johnlennon696]

41 minutes ago, JTM said:

Fyi, the "We are stardust" bit is Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock"..

Yeah I know mate. Just love the way Plant does it on this version. Comes across extra eerie, esp with the visuals too.

[ZepHead315]

It's a close tie for me between Vienna 3/16/73 and Hamburg 3/21/73. Those versions are both absolutely amazing. The Page/Bonham interplay was never better than it was on this Euro tour, and these two versions capture it at it's peak imo. It's as if the stage has become a battleground, a war zone if you will. The jams are just explosive from beginning to end. Imagine being in the front row hearing that in person!

I keep going back and forth between them and I honestly can't decide. Vienna has Page slightly more "on" while Hamburg has Bonham slightly more "on". Vienna has better sound throughout, but Hamburg has a bigger portion of the song in soundboard. Vienna has that incredible interplay prior to the bow solo, while Hamburg has that jaw-dropping outro jam. Vienna has that fantastic moment where Page shreds acapella, while Hamburg has Plant singing "got a cold sweat!" while Bonham throws in mind-melting fills, and then has him doing those Tarzan wails.

Well, regardless, these two for me are the greatest live songs that Zeppelin ever did. Dazed would never be bettered (as a whole anyway) than it was here imo.

[Bonzo_fan]

2 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

It's a close tie for me between Vienna 3/16/73 and Hamburg 3/21/73. Those versions are both absolutely amazing. The Page/Bonham interplay was never better than it was on this Euro tour, and these two versions capture it at it's peak imo. It's as if the stage has become a battleground, a war zone if you will. The jams are just explosive from beginning to end. Imagine being in the front row hearing that in person!

I keep going back and forth between them and I honestly can't decide. Vienna has Page slightly more "on" while Hamburg has Bonham slightly more "on". Vienna has better sound throughout, but Hamburg has a bigger portion of the song in soundboard. Vienna has that incredible interplay prior to the bow solo, while Hamburg has that jaw-dropping outro jam. Vienna has that fantastic moment where Page shreds acapella, while Hamburg has Plant singing "got a cold sweat!" while Bonham throws in mind-melting fills, and then has him doing those Tarzan wails.

Well, regardless, these two for me are the greatest live songs that Zeppelin ever did. Dazed would never be bettered (as a whole anyway) than it was here imo.

I love those too as well.  What do you think of 3/24/73 Offenburg?  Might be Jimmy's best Dazed ever...

[ZepHead315]

11 hours ago, Bonzo_fan said:

I love those too as well.  What do you think of 3/24/73 Offenburg?  Might be Jimmy's best Dazed ever...

Offenburg is indeed a fantastic performance from Page and probably the best overall show of the tour. That being said, I really like Dazed (especially the "Machine Gun" tease before the bow solo), but it's not quite as good as the other two. The band skips the Mars: Bringer of War section, and it feels somewhat hurried and rushed (even though Page in particular is playing his ass off). Vienna and Hamburg have that little something extra, the "X factor" if you will. But Offenburg is a great rendition as well, just a 9 or 9.5 out of 10 rather than a 10 out of 10.