Led Zeppelin/London,UK 1972

If Plant hadn’t had a bad cold in early 1973… I can’t help but feel that his shouts would have lasted a little longer. The 1972 Japan tour was a transitional period for both his voice and the band, but the UK tour that began at the end of November was the time when ZEP’s new live sound, which would reach its peak in 1973, reached a state of perfection all at once, and above all, it was the time when Plant’s voice had its last “youth”. That’s why, if Plant hadn’t been out of shape at the start of the UK tour that continued after the new year… I’m well aware that there are no “ifs” in history, but the perfection of the sound at this time and Plant’s vocal footwork were forming an exquisite combination. This tour was also the last live activity in 1972, and many great performances were left behind, but the most famous performance was at Alexandra Palace on the final day of the tour. Both gigs were held over two days, and both were excellent performances, but this release was realized on the second day, the final day of the tour, December 23rd. Unlike the previous day, when many items had been produced since the LP era, this was the CD era, and items have appeared here. If you are a long-time career enthusiast, you would have been ecstatic about the performance of another day at Alexandra Palace, which was not heard on LP. It is an audience recording with a sound quality that has a sense of analog, which is typical of 1972. Although it does not reach the clarity and on-sound image of the famous sound source from the previous day, which captured only the final part of the previous day’s show, the sound quality is good enough to be heard on this day. Another great attraction is that the plant’s voice is captured loudly as the show progresses. Many of the past items released to date were recorded from a generation-dropped cassette, or even if they were recorded from the master, they were equalized, but this time no equalization was applied. In addition, the unstable pitch deviation that is inherent to vintage audience recordings is thoroughly adjusted throughout the entire sound source. After all, the performance was outstanding that day, so I wanted to enjoy it in a natural and stable state. On the other hand, it could be said that the instability was a disadvantage and the gig did not receive as much praise as the previous day. Anyway, the performance was really great on this day too! First of all, listen to Page’s guitar playing in the second half of “Over The Hills And Far Away”. This is a high-tension play with a strong feeling of “playing it hard”. Many recordings of Page’s aggressive playing in the United States in 1973 and 1975 were recorded, but here it feels like his fingers are naturally wrapped around the neck and he is spinning out phrases with a lot of notes with ease. This is why it reaches its peak on the European tour in 1973. In “Since I’ve Been Loving You”, Page is still playing hard, but Bonzo, who is hitting it as if he is about to push it down, is also intense. Of course, when these two people engage in a fierce battle, it is “Dazed And Confused”. First of all, Bonzo’s intense drumming behind the “San Francisco” part is unique to this time of year. Then, after about 15 minutes, the hard and heavy playing exchange, the two of them are already on the stage. This also reached its peak in Europe in 1973, and the most thrilling rhythm and playing exchange has already begun. In contrast to such a thrilling scene is “Stairway To Heaven”. As usual, even when Page starts playing the intro, the audience does not quiet down, and Plant, who is fed up with the noise, tries to quiet the audience, and then the performance starts again. Perhaps because of this, the atmosphere felt a little rotten from the way he sang. It is rather a rare scene on this day where you can hear overwhelmingly sharp performances. And as the live show comes to an end, Page and Bonzo’s rampage is unstoppable! It was interesting that the unreleased “The Crunge”, which had been inserted into “Dazed And…” until the fall, was transplanted into the medley part of “Whole Lotta Love”, but what’s more, Bonzo started hitting hard after it ended abruptly, which was a very thrilling development. The explosive performance with Page’s participation was free to change speed, and even in “I Can’t Quit You”, which became a familiar development until 73 Europe, Bonzo’s explosive drumming, which was as intense as it was, was spectacular. There is no doubt that 73 Europe is a legendary tour that produces a lot of great performances, but the big appeal of the last tour of 1972 is that it is already playing an intense performance comparable to that time, yet it is played in a certain unrestrained and free atmosphere. Among them, the second day’s Alexandra Palace was a shocking performance that was as shocking as the previous day. After all, Plant consistently let us hear his hoarse but energetic voice, and on top of that, the other members showed off their explosive play with very light footwork. It was a wonderful day. This is definitely a masterpiece! Live at Alexandra Palace, London, UK 23rd December 1972 Disc 1 (55:01) 1. Intro 2. Rock And Roll 3. Over The Hills And Far Away 4. Black Dog 5. Misty Mountain Hop 6. Since I’ve Been Loving You 7. Dancing Days 8. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp 9. The Song Remains The Same 10. The Rain Song Disc 2 (75:04 ) 1. Dazed And Confused 2. Stairway To Heaven 3. Whole Lotta Love (incl. The Crunge, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Let’s Have A Party, Heartbreak Hotel, I Can’t Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow, The Shape I’m In) 4. Heartbreaker (incl. Bouree, Mama’s Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread)