Thursday 27 October 2016

#98 TOM WAITS - Postaula, Bremen, Germany April 26, 1977 (Flac)




This show was volume one of the Wolf HQR Remasters but that source was from an FM broadcast.
This is the pre-fm upgrade.

Tom Waits
Bremen, Germany
Postaula
1977-04-26

01 Step Right Up
02 Semi Suite
03 Fumblin' With The Blues
04 Midnight Lullaby
05 Emotional Weather Report
06 Nobody
07 I Can't Wait To Get Off To Work
08 New Coat of Paint
09 Grapefruit Moon
10 Diamonds On My Windshield
11 The One That Got Away
12 Small Change
13 Spare Parts
14 Invitation To The Blues / Eggs And Sausage
15 Depot, Depot
16 The Piano Has Been Drinking
17 Pasties And A G-String

Tom Waits (p,voc)
Frank Vicari (sax)
Dr. Fitzgerald Jenkins III (b)
Chip White (dr)

CDR (preFM) - xACT
Support the artists by buying their records.



corrected artwork for back cover





LINK

Wednesday 26 October 2016

#97 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - The Complete Nebraska Session (Flac)





BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
The Complete Nebraska Session
Colts Neck, New Jersey
December 1981 - January 1982 

from THE LOST MASTERS I:
Alone In Colts Neck
Labour Of Love  LOVE 001


Volume 1, was the gem of the Lost Masters set for many people. The long-awaited original acoustic version of Born in the USA can finally be heard, and the true meaning of the song cannot be ignored in an arrangement somewhat similar to the solo acoustic tour version, albeit a bit faster. One has to wonder how differently the song would have been received had this version been released.

Downbound Train was another song supposedly recorded for Nebraska, and, it must be said, was done a favour when Bruce and the E Street Band later recorded it for Born in the USA.

Child Bride is essentially Working on the Highway but slowed down tremendously, and some say that Child Bride is better than it's album counterpart; a friend said that if the entrepreneurs behind the Lost Masters were ever tried, they could play Child Bride back to back with Working on the Highway and they would be acquitted.

Another interesting note is the song Losin' Kind about a couple who commit a crime before crashing their car in the snow, essentially the same song as Highway 29, released almost 14 years later on The Ghost of Tom Joad album.
 

1.Nebraska (4:27)
2.Atlantic City (4:02)
3.Mansion On The Hill (4:00)
4.Born In The U.S.A. (3:04)
5.Johnny 99 (3:32)
6.Downbound Train (2:26)
7.Losin' Kind (4:52)
8.State Trooper (3:07)
9.Used Cars (3:01)
10.Open All Night (2:49)
11.Pink Cadillac (5:24))
12.Deputy (5:30) - aka "Highway Patrolman"
13.Reason To Believe (4:01)
14.Child Bride (5:27)
15.Dream Baby (0:34)
16.Precious Memories (1:11)
17.Nebraska #1 (1:15)
18.Nebraska #2 (1:13)

Total Time: 60:01 



Notes:
Solo acoustic demos for "Nebraska"
Taken from the original 4-track cassette mixes of the "Nebraska" acoustic home demos
Tracks 15-16 Location(s)/date(s) unknown

Original Labour of Love disc---EAC(secure)---SHN   (7-2003)
(Re) post newsgroup ABMS > Traders little helper verified SHN > WAV > FLAC Level8   (11-2006) Info taken from Brucelegs


Further information on the sessions can be found at Brucebase, the bootleg title 'Complete' being a bit of a misnomer see:

 http://brucebase.wikispaces.com/Nebraska+-+Studio+Sessions

Tuesday 25 October 2016

#96 JIMI HENDRIX - Berkeley 1st show, May 30, 1970 (Flac)



Berkeley Community Theatre, 
Berkeley, CA.
Saturday 30 May 1970 
(first show)

Complete Soundboard (ATM-0256/257)



Jimi Hendrix arrived in Berkeley - a town that, in 1970, was synonymous with radical political thinking and protest. A week earlier, a riot over Peoples Park left one man dead and others wounded. The previous month, anti-ROTC demonstrators battled police on the University of California campus, and the destruction was so extensive that the campus had been shut down completely. 

It became well known that a feature-length film was to be made from these performances. Not only did this stir even more controversy, but the clamour for tickets was at a near hysterical state. Over a thousand ticketless fans were outside and determined to get in. These elements all combined to create a pressure-cooker atmosphere. Both the music and film Jimi Plays Berkeley reflect all of these things.

Jimi Hendrix - vocals and guitar
Billy Cox - bass and vocals
Mitch Mitchell - drums

Speeches:
1st speaker Bill Graham
2nd speaker unknown

Recorded on 8-track by Abe Jacob with the Wally Heider mobile truck.

This set is an upgrade of ATM-0123/24 The Berkeley Concerts, now presenting the entire show in continuous uniform soundboard quality. Star Spangled Banner & Purple Haze were completely missing from the older versions of the soundboard tape and the ATM discs, as well as the start of both Foxy Lady & Freedom.  The distortion audible on the previous ATM release is gone.

Disc 1
01. Intro (cut at 2.56)
02. Fire
03. Johnny B Goode
04. Getting My Heart Back Together
05. Foxy Lady
06. Machine Gun

Disc 2
01 Freedom
02 Red House
03 Message to Love
04 Ezy Ryder
05 Star Spangled Banner
06 Purple Haze
07 Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

It seems that all copies of the Berkeley soundboard tapes originated from Bob Terry. The Cooper Owen auction listings for the tapes included three reels with the 2nd part of the concert. It is however probable that Terry also had similar reels for the 1st half, for some reason omitted from the auction (like many other tapes he had), so very likely all of his Berkeley multitrack mixdowns were on 15 ips 10" Ampex reels or similar studio quality tapes.

Several different edits of his Berkeley tapes, were circulated. The basis of this set was a low generation cassette originally received from Bob Terry that came into circulation in 2011. Unlike previous versions this cassette came directly from him and includes all of the music but has some cuts between songs.

This set uses a new transfer of that cassette (made on different equipment than the transfer circulated in 2011) as the main source with cuts between the tracks, some drop-outs, noises and the end of Voodoo child (slight return) patched with the dub/edit of the tape that was used for the previous ATM release 0123/24. There's only one cut remaining and that occurs pre-concert before Jimi enters the stage. There's no way to be sure if Bob Terry used his original reels to dub the cassette used as the main source here, it's also quite possible that he dubbed from a safety copy. So the lineage of the main source would read something like this:

Master (multitrack) > 15ips mixdown reel (> reel?) > cassette > wav
The exact lineage of the patch sources is unknown.

The second show has been officially released.


 

LINK



Sunday 9 October 2016

#95 SONIC YOUTH - Walls Have Ears (Flac)

Sonic Youth - Live:
University of London - 30 October 1985
Brighton Beach - 8 November 1985
Hammersmith Palais, London - 28 April 1985


Prepared for release by the band, as a double LP, but hastily withdrawn soon after. Sonic Youth’s most superlative "bootleg" is a perfect example of their breakthrough and live sound in 1985. It was compiled from tracks recorded at three venues. The first seven tracks at U.L.U (the University of London Union), on Wednesday 30th October, followed by one track of lesser sound quality at Brighton Beach on Friday 8th November and finishing with selections earlier in the year, from the Hammersmith Palais on Sunday 28th April. The track listings have been corrected, the notes also mention two further tracks Brother Jam-Z and Killed + Kicked Off, both of these are absent from this CD version. Fully deserving of its status, every Sonic Youth fan should have this one in their collection.


Setlist:
01. Anouncement (2:03)
02. Green Light (4:14)
03. Brother James (3:42)
04. Kill Your Idols (4:05)
05. I Love Her All The Time (5:06)
06. Expressway To Your Skull (8:50)
07. Spahn Ranch Dance (Death Valley ’69) (7:15)
08. Blood On Brighton Beach (3:40)
09. Burning Spear (4:19)
10. Death Valley '69 (6:58)
11. Speed Jamc (1:29)
12. Ghost Bitch (4:54) >
13. I’m Insane (5:40)
14. The World Looks Red (4:51)
15. Flower (aka The Word (E.V.O.L.)) (2:52)

Silver CD rip
Running Time: 70:06

 Note that the artwork has some incorrect song titles.

Saturday 8 October 2016

#94 CURTIS MAYFIELD - Keep On Keepin' On (Flac)

Original uploader notes:

This was a "dream release" for me when I found it at the same traveling record convention I bought the Funkasaurus boot at. I had been listening to Curtis a lot at the time, since the Curtom label had re-released a bunch of recordings with bonus tracks in 2000 after his death.  I had never seen any boots of him, let alone any of this quality.  I first seeded this show at STG back in the fall of 2003 and thinking that relatively few people were familiar with him, I penned an introduction to persuade downloaders to check him out.  Little did I know, there were over a thousand fans waiting to grab it.  Since others who've re-seeded the show since have seen fit to reprint my words, I'm including them once more.  The man truly inspired me during his lifetime and continues to today.  I hope he inspires you all too.

"If you haven't heard of Curtis Mayfield, do yourself a favor and give him a listen.  If his superlative songwriting skills, smooth guitar licks and sweet falsetto vocals aren't enough to grab you, consider this; his messages of love, compassion, perseverance, and temperance are just as socially and politically relevant today as they were during the civil rights movement.  Curtis, we miss you." -- bcc32065 (Fall '03)


Curtis Mayfield
Keep On Keepin' On
(Live & Studio Rarities)


01. Keep On Keepin' On
02. We Got To Have Peace
03. Stone Junkie
04. Pusherman
05. Freddie's Dead
06. Eddie, You Should Know Better
07. We People Who Are Darker Than Blue
08. Give Me Your Love
09. Superfly
10. Freddie's Dead
11. Superfly
12. Back To The World
13. Give Me Your Love

14. Curtis on Discovery (interview)
      Curtis on Songwriting (interview)
      Curtis on Superfly (interview)
      Curtis on Politics (interview)
      Curtis on Curtis (interview)

Source: "Keep On Keepin' On" Big 'Fro Bootleg (BF-005)
Lineage: SBD > CD (Original Silver) > EAC (secure mode/offset correct) > WAV > FLAC (A)

t01-02 Old Grey Whistle Test - London England, January 1972
t03-04 Radio City Music Hall - New York NY, July 6, 1972
t05-06 In The Studio - 1972
t07-08 The Push Expo - Chicago 1972
t09-10 The Midnight Special - Los Angeles CA, 1972
t11-12 The Midnight Special - Los Angeles CA, June 8, 1973
t13 1st Annual Black Caucus Benefit, Washington DC, September 25, 1974
t14 Various Interviews

Musicians:
Curtis Mayfield - guitar
Master Henry Gibson - bongos & congas
Scott Harris - drums
Lucky Scott - bass
Craig McMullen - guitar

"Now is always the right time,
With something positive in your mind,
Whenever something pulls you down,
Just get back up and hold your ground."

Curtis Mayfield (June 2, 1942 - December 26, 1999)


LINK

Friday 7 October 2016

#93 NEW ORDER - Reading Festival 1993 (Flac)

Reading Festival, England
Sunday 29th August 1993
BBC CD pre-FM


New Order put in a performance to match the quality of this, which has better sound quality than many officially released live shows. No shrill or dynamics squashing sound here. If you are a New Order fan, get this, it's a must have. Never heard their music before take a listen, you will forget you are listening to a live concert, it includes the big hitting singles, Blue Monday, Temptation and True Faith


Original notes:
At the time, this gig was regarded by many as New Order's swansong; the fact that a good proportion of the audience thought this might be the group's last-ever gig added a special frisson and atmosphere for those of us who were there. Basically it's the same set as the rest of the (fraught) '93 tour but with, I think, a bit of extra fire.

The show was broadcast in part by the BBC and other networks round the world. However, this BBC CD, taken straight from a broadcast quality CD has the songs in the right order. "BLT" and "Dream Attack" are particularly rare, not appearing on the well-known "Electronic Ecstasy" boot,, and will probably not have been heard in this quality before. This is a cracker. Sound quality is superb. All in all, one of my favourite-ever NO gigs. (there are a few references that are missing in the between-song comments )


Tracklist:
01. Ruined In A Day
02. Regret
03. Dream Attack
04. Round And Round
05. World
06. As It Is When It Was
07. Everyone Everywhere
08. True Faith
09. Bizzare Love Triangle
10. Temptation
11. The Perfest Kiss
12. Fine Time
13. Blue Monday

Lineage: BBC Archives CD > iTunes (.WAV format) > SHN (Carbon Shorten) > TLH > WAV >Flac, level 8, align on sector boundaries

Running time: 73:17




Thursday 6 October 2016

#92 JANIS JOPLIN - The Early Years (1963-65) (Flac)

"The intense community of musicians staying at the Chelsea then would often find their way into Janis's suite with their acoustic guitars, I was privy to the process as they worked on songs for her new album. Janis was the queen of the radiating wheel, sitting in her easy chair with a bottle of Southern Comfort, even in the afternoon. Michael Pollard was usually by her side. They were like adoring twins, both with the same speech patterns, punctuating each sentence with man. I sat on the floor as Kris Kristofferson sang her 'Me And Bobby McGee," Janis joining in the chorus. I was there for these moments, but so young and preoccupied with my own thoughts that I hardly recognized them as moments...............          PATTI SMITH 1970

(taken from the book "Just Kids" .............available at all good book stores)



These recordings date back some seven or eight years before Patti's comments. The Joplin estate thinks these are not worthy of release, you be the judge of that.
If you have only heard the standard studio releases by Janis, this may come as something of a revelation.

Janis Joplin: The Early Years (1963-65)
including:



Coffee Gallery, San Francisco, CA. (1963)
01. Leaving' This Morning (K.C. Blues)
02. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy
03. Careless Love
04. Bourgeois Blues 
05. Black Mountain Blues
06. Gospel Ship
07. Stealin'

These seven tracks have previously circulated as late 1962 and also August 1962. This is an upgraded tape and is superior to all versions that originally circulated including the fan set 'Blow All My Blues Away' It is marked as 1963 and I have used this as the date.





The Typewriter Tape, Santa Clara, CA. (1964)
08. Talk & Tuning
09. Trouble In Mind
10. Long Black Train Blues
11. Kansas City Blues
12. Hesitation Blues
13. Down And Out
14. Daddy, Daddy, Daddy

The ‘typewriter tape’ was recorded at Jorma Kaukonen’s house on Fremont Street in Santa Clara, California at the end of June 1964. The tape got its name because Jorma’s wife, Margareta can be heard in the background typing a letter home to her parents in Sweden. The recording was made because Janis and Jorma were rehearsing for a benefit show at the Coffee Gallery, Grant Street in San Francisco. (Source used was the upgraded ten disc set ‘Blow All My Blues Away’)



This is Janis  (1965)
15. Apple Of My Eye
16. 219 Train
17. Codine
18. Down & Out
19. Turtle Blues
20. I Ain't Got A Worry
21. Brownsville

The final seven-tracks come from an audition before Janis joined Big Brother & The Holding Company. The location is unknown but we know that the tapes originated from Big Brother guitarist - James Gurley.

The original recording was just Janis and her acoustic guitar, but Gurley has embellished it with a full band to make it sound like a Big Brother session.

"It's unheard Janis Joplin material, probably the best album she's done since 'Cheap Thrills. It was a work of love, I wanted it to be something, if she was looking over my shoulder, she would be proud of. I tried to keep her first and I didn't change what she did. This is what she was doing before Big Brother. I wanted to bring out that innocence before she got crazy from rock 'n' roll."

In 1996, Gurley made 100 copies and gave them away or sold some through eBay. These seven tracks later appeared on the nine-CD fan compilation Blow All My Blues Away (the source used here) that collected everything else Columbia saw fit not to release. He owns the master reel-to-reel tape but feels Joplin’s family would have something to say about any release.

Janis’s pre-fame vocal is pure blues phrasings unblemished by alcohol and drug abuse. Her original composition ‘Turtle Blues,’ is here alongside an ad-libbed own lyric version of Buffy St Marie’s ‘Codine’

----------------------------------------------------------------------
original notes for the upgraded tracks 1-7


1963-xx-xx  San Francisco, California  Coffee Gallery  (M1*-SBD)
1353 Grant Avenue, North Beach

Excellent SBD recording for the era. Check samples for yer own judge & jury ear trial or jubilation anticipation. Lower generation, better quality, clearer & less distorted than what circulates on "Blow All My Blues Away" & "1962-08-10".
Circulates as late 1962, early 1963 & 1962-08-10, but this version is simply labeled "1963".

Recording Information ::: unknown mono reel-to-reel recorder -> master mono reel-to-reel -> DAT x1or2 generations -> 1st(*) analog generation TDK SA-XG 90 cassette, Dolby off. (* call it what you will).

Line-up (unconfirmed - my tape had musician information added later from another source) :
Janis Joplin - vocals
Larry Hanks - acoustic guitar, vocals
Billy Roberts - acoustic guitar, banjo, vocals, harmonica. 
(OR possibly: Roger Perkins - acoustic guitar & vocals instead of Roberts).

NOTHING here is on the "Janis" soundtrack (OST) "Early Perfomances" disc (which is clearly labeled with different years anyway) - Totally different live versions, but here's a breakdown to check easily:
"Stealin' MUCH slower than the OST & has harmonica from the start.
"Black Mountain Blues" has no piano & horns - The OST does.
"Leaving This Morning" ("K.C. Blues") MUCH slower than the OST with some lyric differences. Check the last 2 lines.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" OST has NO harmonica whereas the OST has it right through.
"Careless Love" has different guitar arrangements right from the intro & ends on different words than the OST.

CoolSonics 151 ::: Thanks to the original taper & traders
---------------------------------------------------------------




compiled for: 100 greatest bootlegs
the basement67, January 2014)

LINK

Wednesday 5 October 2016

#91 LED ZEPPELIN - Earl's Court, London 1975 (Flac)

Earls Court Arena
London, England 

May 24, 1975

He Must Be Dazed And Confused
Soundboard



Led Zeppelin at Earls Court - May 24, 1975

Led Zeppelin's fourth concert at Earl's Court back in 1975 can't be described in any other way than sheer brilliance. For three hours and thirty-three minutes, they pounded a thirsty British audience who'd been starving for their return to England with a salvo of cuts from their double album 'Physical Graffiti' interspersed with their catalog of hits. Introduced by Nicky Hopkins with "your mother  wouldn't like it", it was evident right from the start of the show that the band were going to captivate their mostly youthful audience despite the fact that the cameras were rolling.

The band settled into a tight groove from the opening track 'Rock And Roll' and they never let up. Lead singer Robert Plant, with his Indian arrowhead necklace, belted out all the songs with ease with just a few hints during the show of his recovered flu from the U S Tour that ended just two months prior. Alongside Plant was Jimmy Page, dressed in a black dragon suit that made him appear at times as if he was literally on fire on either of his sides and musically, that was definitely apparent as well. With his bell-bottom cuffs engulfing his entire shoe legnth whenever he bent his legs, he fingered off a blazing guitar solo during 'Over The Hills And Far Away' all the while coming dangerously close to getting hit in the face by his own necklace. This iconic image had every male kid in 1975 wanting to get a pair of the widest bell-bottoms possible!

The Zeppelin Earl's Court marathon was full of drama and pent-up tension. Page extended his arm horizontally across the audience from left to right after he fired off the first slide guitar note verse to 'In My Time Of Dying' and he's backed up by the best rhythm section in rock that can best be described as a well-oiled machine. In fact the rhythm section was so hot I expected bass player John Paul Jones to loose one of his onions that dangled from his shoulders who's purpose is perhaps to
ward off vampires. Blood sucking vampires? No. Perhaps the press? Maybe.

As the crowd was still trying to recuperate after the first four tracks, Plant settled into a playful mood with both his band and the audience, making the comment "Well, alright Johnny Bonham!" Plant introduced the next song 'The Song Remains The Same' by commenting "if you give it, you get it back" and the adrenaline rush then flew right off the scale. The audience had been giving and so got it right back! The barrage of electrifying double-necked chords and notes peeled off by guitarist Jimmy Page throughout the song were enough to leave any of their nearest competitors decimated. This song has enough power and energy to move mountains with it's relentless sound waves and again Page has the backing band to help hammer it all home. This version is thunderous due to the ambience of the hall and Bonham's wrists.

But Zeppelin also have the ability that few other band's possess to slow it all down a bit without boring their audience (or pissing them off) while at the same time still make it exciting as in the next track 'The Rain Song'. Plant's voice echoes both naturally due to the hall's ambience and with special vocal fx. Bonham adds his signature touch by smashing his Paiste gong and Robert Plant licks his finger and forges on with the next verse of lyrics. Plant purposely stutters "Just...just...just a little rain" now and then to emphasize certain words in the song lyrics for maximum effect. This is why
a Led Zeppelin concert becomes an event. Dynamics. Light and shade. From a whisper to hell-fire.

The powerful 'Kashmir' was next after a Bonham "2...3...4" count in, with it's far east trappings that ensnare the listener throughout the song's length with it's hypnotic, addictive beat. Plant again stutters with "bbbbbbb....baby! Star Delight!" before he unleashes an echoed "Where I'll be!" It's worthy of note to mention the tight interplay between Page and Bonham before Plant set's about moving the track near completion with "Sure as the dust that blows high in June.....when moving through Kashmir". Although the song moved along a tad slow, it still was breathtaking as hour one finished. Plant jokes with the audience that "If you take the A449 past Droitwich and take the third turnoff on the right, it's just up the road a little with a white fence."

To kick off hour number two was the ever solid John Paul Jones who is featured on 'No Quarter'. You easily get a sense for how good he really is when the dry ice machine get's a little carried away and Mr. Jones is unable to see his piano yet still somehow manages to come away without playing a single sour note. Things only get better when he stands up and switches to another piano which ushers in a wonderful jam exchange between him, Page and Bonham which ends with the crowd going nuts. As Plant starts the final brooding verse, he stomps three times on the stage with his right foot for added drama and then belts out "They choose the path where no one dares.....oh, what misery without quarter." Plant again belts out a 'natural' repetitive echoed "Give it to me" with the entire sentence sung real fast about ten times as Page waves his arm laterally along the crowd on the last played chord. Fantastic! Talk about drama!

Up next was the wonderful 'Tangerine' as Jimmy Page played the song on the upper twelve string electric guitar and this gets a huge round of applause from the audience and they more than readily will enjoy the acoustic set which was brought back from the past but wasn't played on the 1975 U S Tour which is what makes these Earls Court shows even more intimate. The wonderful 'Going To California' was next with the multi-talented John Paul Jones on mandolin and any Zep fan can see why the band always ran to Jonesy when they couldn't quite work out how they were going to polish off a track and he's more than reliable. The joyful 'That's The Way' was next with as Plant worded it 'stage chairs supplied by habitat'. The acoustic set comes to a close with 'Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp' after Plant introduced it with "the blues as in 'clichés, toupees and three plays'. John Bonham clearly wants to sing on the track and Plant quips with "Can we have some blues from Bonzo?" Plant tells of the song's story about his blue eyed dog who 'keeps his mouth shut'. When the acoustic set is over, Plant slips out the joke "Are ya' alright, Wally?"

It's at this point in the show that one really learns just how captivating and sensational Led Zeppelin are when they unleash the next song 'Trampled Under Foot'. Guitarist Page keeps bending his left knee in order to press down on the wah wah pedal while Plant preens across the front of the camera, all the while with stage bathed in kaleidoscopic twirling lights in six different colors. It's a far-out spaced-out colorful journey. So good that you don't even want the song to ever stop! Plant fires off another natural echoed "Give it to me....give it to me.....give it to me....yeah!" followed by several senetences of 'Gallows Pole' lyrics and it fits in well with the songs driving beat. The crowd goes bonkers and are overcome with emotion when it's finished. And Zeppelin have by now surely pummeled their audience all of hour number two! No let-up.

Then it was time for the 'master of the skins' to demonstrate his proficiency at the drum stool. John Bonham pounded out another great 'Moby Dick' performance. The drum solo contains about five parts and gets rolling with snare drum and floor toms all played with sticks. But then Bonham alternates with his left hand by hitting different floor/rack toms all the while complicating the beats by stopping and then starting up the snare drum. He then cleverly places his left-hand stick on the snare drum at a 45 degree angle and then taps on it with his right-hand stick all the way down the legnth of that stick while keeping pressure on the snare head before a sudden outburst of floor toms! The next part of the solo involves knurling up his left thumb and pressing down on the top of the snare drum followed by bare-handed strikes of the rack toms and gong! For the next part of his solo, Bonham plays two tympani's with sticks and a phaser effect is added while he presses on their foot pedals. He even taps on the tympani rims and their side mounting brackets. I even caught him playing 'Whole Lotta Love' with the drums and finally Page joins him on stage as he unleashes a flurry of strikes while criss-crossing his arms! As the band wait for him to finish with a last drum strike, he stands up and twirls his sticks at them and brings the drum track to a close! What a climactic ending!

The crowd, already 'dazed' by Bonham's drum solo then find themselves at Jimmy Page's mercy in what will become a 31 minute guitar extravaganza in 'Dazed And Confused'. This half-hour plus opus has everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. It includes plectrum scrapes, wah wah, hammer-ons, pull-offs, power chords, violin bow, echo, crypton lasers, dry ice, lightening-fast high-pitched in-your-face guitar notes and enough dance moves that will seal the deal for all-time as to who the best rock guitarist in rock is. This nice spacey version includes many exploratory excursions causing Plant to comment afterwards about all it's plots and time signatures and a very eerie and lively 'Woodstock' insertion highlighted by Plant's "We are star dust. We got to get ourselves back to the Garden" (Of Eden or Madison Square perhaps!). There is nothing else in rock that compares to it whether it's the '72, '73 or '75 live versions and even all previous versions from the late 60's and early 70's. There will be one more showing next show before it is retired. Zep were looking toward the future.

The show ends with the melodramatic 'Stairway To Heaven' and this has got to be the best live version of the song ever recorded. For me the jury's still out on that one as I have yet to finish listening to every live show there is but it will probably top them all! The guitar solo is Jimmy Page at his brilliant outstanding best and it leaves one asking why this show still sits in the vaults. After three hours of no bullshit opening acts, Led Zeppelin slayed their audience and now, at the three hour plus mark, they close out this marathon with their most beloved track. The fans scream and stomp for over seven minutes before the band return to the stage for two encores. The heavy-hitting 'Whole Lotta Love' kicks off the first encore with it's James Brown 'Sex Machine' middle medley and a very striking Plant/Page theramin battle leaving all wondering whether Plant or Page won the battle. The show closes out with 'Black Dog' which was filled with energy both in the rhythm section and Page's soloing. Wow! If you're like me and can't stand watching a boring movie and only watch academy award winners or nominators, then you go ahead and apply the same with music and music videos. Who wants to waste their time watching a boring act? Then you're best directed to watch a show like this. If your co-worker or neighbor says to you "You need to get out of the 70's man", simply respond "For what? Poodle rock"? This is why Zep fans never get enough. Outstanding! Tops! (review by Kenneth Winovich)


Earls Court Arena
London, England 

May 25, 1975

Zeppelin Express Physical Rocket
Soundboard



Led Zeppelin at Earls Court - May 24, 1975

The final Earl's Court show, the final 1975 show, and the last ever performance of Dazed And Confused. The initial string of numbers are high powered and aggressive! No Quarter is a really great jam and the acoustic section is pretty good. Moby Dick and Dazed are rather boring however, which is sad and rather unfitting as it is the last ever performance of the latter. Stairway To Heaven was dedicated to Plant's daughter: "Carmen - this song's to a little girl who sits probably wondering what it all about ... so, where is the bridge? Well, Carmen, were's your chance to find out where the bridge is ... and if you know, please let me know after the show." The solo is wonderful and the encores contain a tortured Theremin solo from Jimmy before the extra songs are played for the last night's sake.

The band's fifth and final night at Earls Court begins with Alan 'Fluff' Freeman announcing "we are here tonight because you and I have great taste" before Rock and Roll crashes into motion. Page blazes through the second guitar solo in Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant announces "good evening and welcome to the last concert in England for a considerable time." Page shreds frantically through an excellent guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. In My Time of Dying is introduced as "an old work chant." Page solos wildly as Bonzo and Jones pummel the crowd. An incredibly powerful performance, one of the best thus far.

Bonzo is on fire during The Song Remains the Same, thrashing at his drums with wild abandon as Page's fingers race across the fretboard. The Rain Song is absolutely fantastic, one of the best in recent memory. Jones's somber piano solo during No Quarter features hints of Concierto de Aranjuez. The instrumental section is an epic journey. The band receives a thunderous ovation as the piece comes to a close. The climax is reached during the blistering outro. An outstanding performance. Page plays a bit of Tea For One as Plant introduces Tangerine. Going to California is delicately beautiful. Jones's mandolin work is fantastic. Plant makes a few references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, asking the crowd "what is a shrubbery amongst friends?" before an excellent That's the Way.

The band gets into a bit of Robert Johnson's If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day before Bron-Y-Aur Stomp. Plant gives the crowd a brief history of Johnson's life before introducing Trampled Underfoot. Page shreds erratically through an aggressive guitar solo. Bonzo is introduced as "our blood brother" before a particularly thunderous Moby Dick. Plant says a few kind words about Peter Grant before introducing Dazed and Confused as "the essence of the early Zeppelin." The San Francisco interlude is hauntingly mournful. Plant's ghostly howls echo through the arena. Page's fingers are like razor blades as he slashes and shreds through the frantic guitar solo/workout section. Plant can be heard exclaiming "amen!" off-mic during the call and response section. Page solos wildly during the outro jam. A somewhat uneven final performance of the band's signature song.

Plant dedicates Stairway to Heaven to his daughter Carmen, saying "this is a song to a little girl who sits there, probably wondering what it's all about." Page delivers an excellent guitar solo despite breaking a string near the end. Plant sings the final line in complete silence. As the band returns to the stage, Plant says "is this our swan song, I wonder?" Page hints at Ozone Baby following an excellent funky jam during Whole Lotta Love. Plant unleashes a series of blood-curdling screeches during the violent theramin freakout. Page's fingers get a bit sticky during the extended guitar solo in Black Dog. As the song ends, Plant announces "good citizens of Great Britain, it's been five glorious days... thank you very much for bein' a great audience, and if you see Denis Healey, tell him we've gone."

Plant exclaims "this is somethin' we never do!" as the band returns to the stage once again, joking "any requests?" Page blazes through the fast guitar solo during Heartbreaker. Plant pushes his voice to the limit during the final verse. The band closes the show with an explosive Communication Breakdown. Plant does his best Jamaican accent during a fantastic funky breakdown. As the band leaves the stage for the final time, he announces "thank you very much for showin' us that England is still alive and well." A fantastic finale to 1975. Must hear.





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