Led Zeppelin/VA,USA 1971

The 1971 US tour, which was just before the legendary first performance in Japan, was also a great time, but interestingly, several soundboard recordings have been leaked since the end of August. Considering that there is no sign of soundboard recordings from the first half or the end of the tour to date, it may be that no more sound sources remain. Therefore, it is unfortunate that the famous performances such as the LA Forum, which opened the tour, and the crazy Madison Square Garden cannot be heard on the soundboard recording, but the soundboard recordings of the three performances currently available are all enjoyable enough. After all, it is a record of the 1971 ZEP stage, so there is no reason to be bad. The first is Orlando on August 31st. Of the three sources, the only recording that reaches the “Whole Lotta Love” medley is valuable. The other is Toronto on September 4th. It is unfortunate that this is the shortest recording time, but the performance is still fulfilling as it is in 1971, and “Stairway To Heaven” is one of the great performances. And this time, the Hampton performance on September 9th will be released. It is also famous as a sound source that surprised enthusiasts around the world when several songs were first excavated with an extremely balanced stereo mix. As you can see from the rough stereo image, it was not a multi-track recording of the show, but a special soundboard sound source in which the mixer tweaked the balance and mixed it into stereo when recording the cassette from the mixing desk. However, after a few years, a long version that recorded the show for a longer time while the sound image was fixed in mono state appeared. And above all, it was counted as one of the standard sound sources of the 1971 US tour because it was in a state where you could listen calmly more than the stereo mix. After all, it is a soundboard recording of the 1971 tour, and although it is a sound source that has been released many items up to now, this time, as mentioned above, the best transfer version in which the cassette master recorded from the mixing desk was dropped onto DAT is made into a CD. The cut parts are the same this time, but one thing to note is that the recording time of the opening “Immigrant Song” is slightly longer than the past items. Unlike previous versions, this is the longest version recorded from the point where Plant sings “sing and cry”. Although it is a short recording, you should be able to feel the high purity of this version just from this point. Since the sound source is in such a high purity state, no equalization was applied to this release. The sound board recording of the 1971 US tour does not have the clarity like the 1973 and later, and is characterized by a more analog-chic and rounded texture. In particular, there were several items that were equalized to improve the clarity. However, the big attraction of this day was the vintage sound quality, as if listening to a well-received AM radio, and that is what should be recorded without adding equalization. This kind of sound quality is generally more enjoyable when played from a speaker, so even if you don’t go to a loud sound, you should definitely play it at a loud volume and enjoy the vintage flavor unique to this sound source and the high purity of this time. Of course, the stereo mix that captures Jonesy’s bass sound with a powerful balance is attractive, but the mono mix that can be heard with a stable balance throughout the show is also attractive. And since most of the remaining audience recordings of the 1971 US tour were performed in a tremendous excitement, the series of soundboard recordings, combined with the low sense of realism, tended to be perceived as “calm” or “high level but average”. However, as for Hampton, the fierce performance that is typical of ZEP in the US in 1971 is firmly transmitted from the soundboard. After all, Plant’s scream voice exploded on this day as well. “Black Dog” and others are truly intense plants at full throttle. This is the real pleasure that can only be experienced in 1971 ZEP. Page’s elegant play is added to it. It is wonderful that he can express the phrases he imagines in his head with his fingertips in this era! It’s also a soundboard recording, and you can clearly hear Page playing a little riff from The Yardbirds’ Over Under Sideways Down to make Plant laugh at the end of the long “Dazed And Confused,” and Plant humming “Hi-Heel Sneakers” at the end of the acoustic “Going To California.” Because it’s such a classic sound source, we’ve made sure to carefully convert it to CD, respecting the best version and the state of the sound source. In previous items, the pitch rose in the ending riff of “Moby Dick,” which was probably caused by the recording stopping or the tape running out, and we’ve carefully adjusted it. Here is the best version of the mono mix of the famous soundboard Hampton 71! Live at Hampton Roads Coliseum, Hampton, VA. USA 9th September 1971 Disc 1 (49:22) 1. Immigrant Song 2. Heartbreaker 3. Since I’ve Been Loving You 4. Black Dog 5. Dazed and Confused Disc 2 (46:57) 1. MC 2. Stairway to Heaven 3. Celebration Day 4. That’s the Way 5. Going to California 6. What I s and What Should Never Be 7. Moby Dick