Firm/London,UK 1985

The Firm, a fusion of Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers, released their first album in February 1985, and then went on a large-scale US tour. The venues were all large venues that Jimmy was familiar with from his ZEP days, such as the LA Forum and the Oakland Coliseum. After that, the group went on a short UK tour in May. Originally, The Firm had done a warm-up tour to mark the formation of the group at the end of 1984, but this time it was also a triumphant return after the release of the album. The upper version of the sound source that represents this tour has become a best-seller as a soundboard recording, and is now almost sold out, “EDINBURGH 1985: DIRECT MASTER”. Items have been released in the past due to the characteristics of the soundboard, but this is a quality that will sweep them away. The Edinburgh performance took place on May 20th, but two days later, a performance was held at Wembley Arena in London to conclude the short UK tour, and also to conclude The Firm’s live activities in 1985. For The Firm, who began their activities in the latter half of 1984, this day was a turning point in their activities. It was recorded there by a multi-track recorder. Unfortunately, no official release was ever produced from this, but fortunately a rough mix tape of the entire show was leaked. In addition, the sound quality was extremely good, so the title “RADIOACTIVE” appeared 20 years ago. In the first place, it was highly rated by enthusiasts as an item that boasts outstanding high sound quality among the live sound sources of The Firm in 1985, where soundboard recordings are frequently leaked. After that, an item called “UNITED KINGDOM VOL.1” was also produced, which was coupled with the familiar 1984 Hammersmith as another standard sound source of The Firm. However, the Wembley recording is multi-track. To be honest, it is of official class quality. It even surpasses Edinburgh, where they released their first album and revealed the structure of the stage at the most hopeful period of The Firm’s activities. While Edinburgh was mostly a PA-out soundboard recording, this one boasts a good balance that allows it to be released as a live album. In other words, both boast the fastest speed, but Edinburgh is a rally car and Wembley is F1… This is the first release of the 1985 Wembley Arena in a long time, and of course the fact that it contains a great upper feeling cannot be overlooked. After all, it is a copy from the master, so it is a clearer sound than the previous release (which cannot be avoided due to the era). That alone is worth mentioning, but above all, the recording time has been greatly improved. First of all, the background music before the band appears, the part where “Jupiter” from Holst’s suite “The Planets” flows into the venue is long. However, this is a part that has nothing to do with The Firm’s performance, so it is true that the editing sense of past items that kept it to a minimum is also ant. More than that, the highlight of this release is the complete recording of the R&B cover “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” from the finale. It’s a high-speed arrangement reminiscent of the version incorporated into the “Whole Lotta Love” medley on ZEP’s 1973 Euro tour, but in The Firm’s case, the band stopped playing and had the audience sing along while saying “Thank you everyone,” and then went off stage, pretending to finish, and then returned to the stage and played again. However, the labels that released the past items did not know the circumstances, and all of them faded out when the band left the stage after the chorus. Or perhaps the person who leaked the sound source thought it was over without knowing the circumstances and stopped copying. In any case, all of the past items were incomplete versions up to the chorus. However, this time, the complete version of “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” is finally recorded to the end for the first time. On the contrary, the BGM for the closing of the show was played in the venue after the song ended, and it was surprising that they even recorded the multi-track recorder being turned off. This is what a master is! And because the sound quality is crystal clear, the image of Page giving his all to the final stage of The Farm in 1985, which was his first full-scale band activity since the breakup of ZEP, is also engraved in reality. As Mrs. Paul Rodgers later testified, after ZEP broke up due to unforeseen circumstances, Page, who had been like an empty shell, formed a unit with Rogers, with whom he hit it off during the ARMS US tour, and this project had a strong rehabilitation meaning. In the words of Mrs. Rodgers, “Just getting Page to hold a guitar again was a big deal.” Indeed, various sound sources, including this one, prove that Page’s lead playing from the ZEP final tour to the time of The Farm went into a steady decline. Especially during his time with The Firm, he often used a Telecaster with a string bender instead of the arm, trying to somehow accentuate his monotonous playing style. However, Page’s role in The Firm was something else. Robert Plant testified to this. He saw the NEC Birmingham performance on the 18th, which was the show before Edinburgh and the first day of the short UK tour. His impression there was accurate: “His solos were dry, but I was blown away by his skill in transforming a common Bad Company-style song.” In other words, Plant sensed that Page’s outstanding ability as a songwriter had not diminished. In fact, the Wembley recording clearly conveys that all of the songs that Page was involved in composing on The Firm’s first album were rich in melody. On the other hand, songs like “Money Can’t Buy,” which Rogers wrote alone, have a lack of melody and lack the catchiness that the 1980s were looking for. When it comes to “Closer,” which is played at the opening and also features Page, it’s really exciting. This is where his innate talent lies. On the other hand, when Rogers sings “Midnight Moonlight,” which has been in the works since the ZEP days, the song’s perfection as a song is suddenly improved, and the song’s release is finally realized. And on the PA-out cassette recording “EDINBURGH 1985: DIRECT MASTER,” the two songs “Radioactive” and “Live In Peace,” which were incomplete due to tape changes, are also included here in their entirety. This is an upper version that is beyond reproach in every sense and has been promoted to a representative live recording of The Farm at Wembley in 1985! Live at Wembley Arena, London, UK 22nd May 1985 STEREO SBD(UPGRADE & LONGER) (from Original Masters) Disc 1 (64:16) 1. Jupiter Intro 2. Closer 3. City Sirens 4. Make Or Break 5. The Morning After 6. Together 7. Cadillac 8. Prelude 9. Money Can’t Buy 10. Satisfaction Guaranteed 11. Radioactive 12. Live In Peace 13. Midnight Moonlight Disc 2 (65:26) 1. You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling 2. Bass Solo 3. The Chase 4. Guitar Solo 5. Drum Solo 6. I Just Wanna Make Love To You 7. Band Introductions 8. Someone To Love 9. Boogie Mama 10. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love Paul Rodgers – Lead Vocals, Guitars Jimmy Page – Guitars Tony Franklin – Bass Chris Slade – Drums, Percussion STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING