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1975 US Soundboards "Live Album"


ZepHead315

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Considering how we have so many soundboards from the 1975 US tour (which, not to mention, sound excellent) it is now easier than ever to put together a “best of” 1975 live album. I decided to do my own, especially since I’ve talked about doing it before. This compilation is in no way meant to be definitive or official. It’s just a compilation of some of my favorite versions of songs played on this tour, mixed together to sound like one long concert or live album. I used the following shows and their respective versions:


February 12th – That’s Alright New York (Godfather)
February 13th – Throwing The Wild Seeds - Vol. 1 – Led Faces Over Coliseum (Godfather) [added a touch of reverb for a more “lively” feel]
February 14th – Nassau Coliseum (Grame Remaster)
February 28th – Baton Rouge Rampaging Cajun (Grame Remaster)
March 3rd – Ft. Worth (Liriodendron) [added a touch of reverb for a more “lively” feel]
March 19th – Vancouver (Grame Remaster)
March 21st – One Extreme To The Other (Winston Remaster) [added a touch of reverb for a more “lively” feel]


And here is the track listing with the songs and their respective versions that I picked:
1.    Rock and Roll – 3/21
2.    Sick Again – 3/21
3.    Over the Hills and Far Away – 3/19
4.    In My Time of Dying – 2/28
5.    Since I’ve Been Loving You – 3/21
6.    The Song Remains the Same – 3/3
7.    The Rain Song – 3/19
8.    Kashmir – 2/28 (NOTE: minor patch to audience source just after the song ends)
9.    No Quarter – 2/28 
10.    Trampled Underfoot – 2/14
11.    Moby Dick – 2/28
12.    Dazed and Confused – 3/21
13.    Stairway to Heaven – 3/21 (I could only do the solo on the YouTube upload. See below for a download link that includes the whole song)
14.    Whole Lotta Love – 3/21
15.    Black Dog – 3/21
16.    Heartbreaker – 2/12
17.    Communication Breakdown – 2/13 (with Ronnie Wood)


FLAC Download link (including Stairway): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1aQpmpuzl5-Q_x8V_vRKSEok9Sygh2zFK 

Hope you all enjoy it! :) 
 

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Will definitely give it a listen!  I probably would have used 3/21 again for all of the ones you used 2/28 for, but to each his own.  A little surprised you didn't use 3/20 at all, but maybe no individual songs from it stood out enough to you?

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No March 11, 17, or 20?

I haven't listened to any 1975 in a while, but your list seems close to what I would pick with the exception of "No Quarter".

Nice execution of a great idea.

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7 hours ago, Bonzo_fan said:

Will definitely give it a listen!  I probably would have used 3/21 again for all of the ones you used 2/28 for, but to each his own.  A little surprised you didn't use 3/20 at all, but maybe no individual songs from it stood out enough to you?

 

3 hours ago, Strider said:

No March 11, 17, or 20?

I haven't listened to any 1975 in a while, but your list seems close to what I would pick with the exception of "No Quarter".

Nice execution of a great idea.

With regard to 2/28 versus 3/21, it was very close. Those versions of IMTOD are neck and neck for me. What ultimately pushes 2/28 over the edge for me is that Plant's gritty tone suits the song well. Plus, maybe it's just bias since they were in Baton Rouge, but I get a "swampy" vibe from that version that isn't quite there in Seattle. That being said, both are among my favorites. For Kashmir, I personally prefer versions with the guitar up in the mix. The Seattle soundboard has Page's guitar a bit too buried. For No Quarter and Moby Dick, I find both versions to be a bit "tighter" in Baton Rouge, but of course it's all a matter of personal preference.

I'll admit I haven't listened to 3/11, 3/17, or 3/20 in a while, but I've always found the whole of those shows to be better than the sum of their parts. They're very good shows with some definite highlights, but I never really thought any songs from those shows were definitive renditions. But then again, I haven't listened to them in a while. I'll have to revisit them one of these days. Strider, what would your pick have been for No Quarter? 3/11? 3/19?

6 hours ago, TheStairwayRemainsTheSame said:

Maybe you could do one for each tour !

 

5 hours ago, No Quota said:

I agree with White Summer. Yes one for each tour

I'm actually well on my way to doing just that. I don't know if I'll get around to every tour, but I've already done "best of" compilations for Japan 71, Europe 73, Earls Court 1975, and the 1980 Tour Over Europe. Download links are available in the descriptions/comments for all of them with the exception of the 1980 one (need to upload that one elsewhere):

I also did a US 1973 compilation, but it got blocked cause I used No Quarter from the 7/28 show. I also did two "best of LA 77" compilations: one using only the Millard tapes (with the exceptions of brief patches here and there) and one using all six shows. Don't have a download link yet for these either, but it will be soon! I know...I'm obsessed! :lol:

All of these either contain Stairway from the guitar solo onwards or eliminate it completely due to copyright restrictions on YouTube. The full song is available in the download links.

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43 minutes ago, ZepHead315 said:

I'll admit I haven't listened to 3/11, 3/17, or 3/20 in a while, but I've always found the whole of those shows to be better than the sum of their parts. They're very good shows with some definite highlights, but I never really thought any songs from those shows were definitive renditions

3/17 IMTOD might've been the best had it not been for the flubs.

 

45 minutes ago, ZepHead315 said:

I prefer Kashmir with the guitar up in the mix

+1, though that 3/17 is also good with the loud mellotron.

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To each his own, but NQ from the 28th is easily the worst from all the shows you picked from.  In fact of all the soundboards I'd probably only put it ahead of Landover and maybe tied with the 2nd Dallas show.  I've always thought the Baton Rouge was overrated.  St Louis NQ vs 2nd Seattle, now that would be an interesting controversy.  

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13 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

 

With regard to 2/28 versus 3/21, it was very close. Those versions of IMTOD are neck and neck for me. What ultimately pushes 2/28 over the edge for me is that Plant's gritty tone suits the song well. Plus, maybe it's just bias since they were in Baton Rouge, but I get a "swampy" vibe from that version that isn't quite there in Seattle. That being said, both are among my favorites. For Kashmir, I personally prefer versions with the guitar up in the mix. The Seattle soundboard has Page's guitar a bit too buried. For No Quarter and Moby Dick, I find both versions to be a bit "tighter" in Baton Rouge, but of course it's all a matter of personal preference.

I'll admit I haven't listened to 3/11, 3/17, or 3/20 in a while, but I've always found the whole of those shows to be better than the sum of their parts. They're very good shows with some definite highlights, but I never really thought any songs from those shows were definitive renditions. But then again, I haven't listened to them in a while. I'll have to revisit them one of these days. Strider, what would your pick have been for No Quarter? 3/11? 3/19?

Fair enough.  Actually, now that I think of it, 3/3 & 3/5 are very strong contenders for Moby Dick as well...

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14 minutes ago, Bonzo_fan said:

Fair enough.  Actually, now that I think of it, 3/3 & 3/5 are very strong contenders for Moby Dick as well...

The FW MB is one of my all time favorites.

But I love that version from Baton Rouge as well.  When I got "Bon Soir, Baton Rouge" back in the mid 90's it was all I listened to for weeks.  I fell in love with that recording and that version of Moby Dick because Bonzo's drums sounded absolutely GIGANTIC.

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15 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

Strider, what would your pick have been for No Quarter? 3/11? 3/19?

For the Fender Rhodes version, the 2.12.75 is my pick.

For the piano version, 3.17 (the best Bonham-Jones groove part ever...Jones sounds like Thelonious Monk) or 3.21. Of course, if a 3.27 soundboard ever gets released, then that goes to the top.

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Wow, thanks so much for this! Like many others, I agree with most of your choices. I immediately found myself nodding "Yes" at several of them: Rock and Roll/Sick Again has to be from 3/21 Seattle since it's virtually the only soundboard from '75 where Plant doesn't start out really hoarse.

Similarly, while reasonable people can disagree, I've always thought Baton Rouge 2/28 and In My Time of Dying is always where I really thing, "Man, they are intense on this night!" I also agree about Over the Hills from 3/19 (although the solo break on 2/12 is amazing), and of course Communication Breakdown on 2/13 is a no-brainer. Heartbreaker from 2/12 also intuitively makes sense, as it seems this song, especially Page's guitar, got more and more erratic as the tour progressed (I am guessing from Jack Daniels during the encore break). And of course TSRTS from Fort Worth - underrated show, and Bonham is the star of it both performance-wise and sonically, so TSRTS is an ideal track to use from it,

I also agree almost entirely with your sources: Godfather's That's Alright NY is my favorite for 2/12, and Lirio and Grame have the best fan remasters when it comes to '75. The only modification I'd make - and it's not a big deal since it's only one song - is that Pseudonym did great fan remasters of 2/13 and 2/14. But the sources you used still are very good.

21 hours ago, Strider said:

No March 11, 17, or 20?

I haven't listened to any 1975 in a while, but your list seems close to what I would pick with the exception of "No Quarter".

Nice execution of a great idea.

I hear you on that, but March 11 isn't a top-tier '75 show IMHO, and March 20, while a great performance, unfortunately is a super compressed clipfest as released by EVSD. Dadgad has done a remaster where he basically declipped it, but still, the sonics leave a bit to be desired and the extended thereamin freakout in WLL is the only somewhat unique feature of this show that comes to mind. March 17 definitely would be a candidate for inclusion here, although I can't say off the top of my head which specific song(s) from that date actually are better than the equivalent songs included by ZepHead315.

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Thank you all so much for the feedback! I'm so glad to hear you all enjoy it. This is far beyond what I was expecting!

It's interesting to read how No Quarter seems to be the most controversial choice. That version has always been one of my favorites, and I always thought the general consensus was that it was one of the best versions of the tour. Part of the reason why I picked it is because I see it as a good balance between the shorter Fender Rhodes versions from the first leg (which resemble the 1973 versions) and the lengthy jazzy workouts from later on in the second leg. The Baton Rouge version is still (reasonably) compact while pointing the way towards the evolution the song was undergoing that year. Idk, maybe I need to listen to other versions from this tour once again, but I've always loved that version in particular. Oh well, to each their own I suppose. 

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21 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

 

With regard to 2/28 versus 3/21, it was very close. Those versions of IMTOD are neck and neck for me. What ultimately pushes 2/28 over the edge for me is that Plant's gritty tone suits the song well. Plus, maybe it's just bias since they were in Baton Rouge, but I get a "swampy" vibe from that version that isn't quite there in Seattle. That being said, both are among my favorites. For Kashmir, I personally prefer versions with the guitar up in the mix. The Seattle soundboard has Page's guitar a bit too buried. For No Quarter and Moby Dick, I find both versions to be a bit "tighter" in Baton Rouge, but of course it's all a matter of personal preference.

I'll admit I haven't listened to 3/11, 3/17, or 3/20 in a while, but I've always found the whole of those shows to be better than the sum of their parts. They're very good shows with some definite highlights, but I never really thought any songs from those shows were definitive renditions. But then again, I haven't listened to them in a while. I'll have to revisit them one of these days. Strider, what would your pick have been for No Quarter? 3/11? 3/19?

 

I'm actually well on my way to doing just that. I don't know if I'll get around to every tour, but I've already done "best of" compilations for Japan 71, Europe 73, Earls Court 1975, and the 1980 Tour Over Europe. Download links are available in the descriptions/comments for all of them with the exception of the 1980 one (need to upload that one elsewhere):

I also did a US 1973 compilation, but it got blocked cause I used No Quarter from the 7/28 show. I also did two "best of LA 77" compilations: one using only the Millard tapes (with the exceptions of brief patches here and there) and one using all six shows. Don't have a download link yet for these either, but it will be soon! I know...I'm obsessed! :lol:

All of these either contain Stairway from the guitar solo onwards or eliminate it completely due to copyright restrictions on YouTube. The full song is available in the download links.

That's my summer soundtrack sorted.

Endless Zep points for you sir.

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16 hours ago, strombringer101 said:

I for some reason have always thought the version of Kashmir done during the 1980 tour was hard to listen to because of those keyboards. 

Agreed - the keys need some serious reverb to sweeten them up.

In addition, the band screwed up Kashmir with alarming frequency in '77 and '80, especially '80. In fact, I compiled my own Best of 1980 a few years ago, and I had a lot of trouble finding an error-free rendition of Kashmir.

So for these reasons of performance quality and sound quality, almost the only post '75 live Kashmir versions I listen to are the fantastic one from Knebworth on the LZ DVD, and the version from the 2nd night of the July '79 Copenhagen shows. (There's also a version from either June 21 or 23 '77 that's great - I always forget which night. I only know that one night is great and on the other night they ran into trouble with it.)

 

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2 hours ago, tmtomh said:

Agreed - the keys need some serious reverb to sweeten them up.

In addition, the band screwed up Kashmir with alarming frequency in '77 and '80, especially '80. In fact, I compiled my own Best of 1980 a few years ago, and I had a lot of trouble finding an error-free rendition of Kashmir.

So for these reasons of performance quality and sound quality, almost the only post '75 live Kashmir versions I listen to are the fantastic one from Knebworth on the LZ DVD, and the version from the 2nd night of the July '79 Copenhagen shows. (There's also a version from either June 21 or 23 '77 that's great - I always forget which night. I only know that one night is great and on the other night they ran into trouble with it.)

 

I think your thinking of the 21st the 23rd is the one they mess up.

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32 minutes ago, wordev1977 said:

I think your thinking of the 21st the 23rd is the one they mess up.

Yeah, the 23rd is really the only bad LA '77 version of Kashmir--21st, 22nd & 25th are all all-time great versions!

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I believe there are several great versions from 77', plus every 79' version is stellar. Unfortunately, the keys Jones used during the 80' tour were horrendous. It sounded like Ray Manzarek was playing Kashmir - welcome to the carnival.

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4 hours ago, TheStairwayRemainsTheSame said:

I honestly haven't stopped playing your Europe 73' comp.

I'm smitten with this.

I know we've all probably had brainwaves to do this sort of thing before but all been too lazy to get round to it

Raises hand. Yep...count me as one of the lazy ones. And I don't really have the technological capability to do these upgrades and Youtube comps that y'all acccomplish. I haven't bothered getting a computer since my last one died. Just get by with my phone.

I still have three or four Led Zeppelin writing projects that I want to do and post to the forum. The older I get the lazier I get.

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