Description
Page and Plant released the album “NO QUARTER” in 1994, and their world tour from 1995 to 1996 was a great success with a wide selection of songs that were like a “reproduction of ZEP”. After a year of production, they created a completely new studio album “WALKING INTO CLARKSDALE”, which surprised fans all over the world. There were certainly some new songs in “NO QUARTER”, but from then on, it had the feel of a group of new songs that were made with the purpose of not ending up as a simple collection of self-covers, but in a sense to appeal to their current status. It was only natural that the selling point of “NO QUARTER” was the self-covers of old ZEP numbers. That’s why I was really surprised by the appearance of the album “WALKING INTO~”. Because Page and Plant loudly declared that they were not just a project unit, but a unit that created music. Having completed a new album that was proof of their status as an active musician duo, the two embarked on a European tour without waiting for its release. It was a tour that was largely a warm-up, but warming up in Europe before touring the US has been a favorite pattern of Page since his ZEP days. The best version of the gig at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, a classic sound source from this period, was released a year ago as “SHEPHERDS BUSH 1998 MULTITRACK MASTER”. However, this time, the first stereo soundboard recording just after the start of the European tour was unearthed. Since the tour started for the first time since 1996, many audience recording items were released in rapid succession during this period, and the Prague performance on February 25th was also heard at the time through audience recordings such as “MOST HIGH IN PRAGUE” or “PRESENCE NOW” boxes. The soundboard recording of the Polish performance the next day was later released on EV’s “L’Evolution de Led Zeppelin Continue II”, but the Prague performance was the first to appear on SBD. Of course, the quality is superb stereo. In the first half of the show at Shepherd’s Bush, the performance was a bit stiff, but the Prague performance, which was revealed by the clarity of the first SBD performance, showed the hard work that can only be expected right after the start of the tour. In songs such as “Bring It On Home” and “Heartbreaker,” Page’s playing was smoother than at Shepherd’s Bush, and you could really feel the hard work. As for Plant, he was in a similar mood to Shepherd’s Bush, and his singing was not very good in the first half of the show. In particular, he had no voice in the three songs up to “Heartbreaker,” and even sang in a monotone. It was like a re-appearance of ZEP’s 1970 Phoenix performance. Fortunately, he gradually improved his tone from around “No Quarter,” the highlight of the first half of the set on the 1998 PP tour. The arrangement, which was more conscious of the album version of “HOUSES OF THE HOLY” than the live version of ZEP here, is still fresh. Thanks to this, the performance gets better and better as the show progresses, but after “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”, the audience will be shocked by the soundboard recording, wondering if they could have played such a hot performance just after the start of the tour. The reliability of the rhythm section of Charlie Jones and Michael Lee, who have been friends since “NO QUARTER”, is without any exaggeration. In particular, Lee’s wonderful drumming is overwhelming with the clarity unique to SBD, just like Shepherd’s Bush. Rather than running on Bonzo taste or imitating him, the drumming with a full nineties rock taste fits PP seamlessly, which is amazing. And when it comes to “How Many More Times”, the biggest highlight of the 1998 tour, where each member’s characteristics are fully demonstrated, the tension is so high that it is hard to believe it was just after the start of the tour. Not only does Page show off his bow playing reminiscent of the past, but the development of the inclusion of “In The Light”, which was familiar on this tour, is impactful enough. You can’t miss the fact that Plant has completely regained his form here. Although it is a completely official level of wonderful stereo soundboard recording, it was not intended for release (it’s only natural since it was just after the start of the tour), so there are some recording gaps. The audience recording of “MOST HIGH IN PRAGUE” mentioned at the beginning was remastered and used to compensate. In particular, the sound source of the cut part that seems to be the tape change in “Gallows Pole” is connected very naturally. If you just listen to it, you may overlook the editing. The PP 1998 tour is now almost completely ignored, but this excavation has renewed the existence of the earliest SBD of the tour, and the sound quality is the best! It is more satisfying to listen to than the standard Shepherd’s Bush, so let’s say that it is a sound source that you will want to listen to carefully. Live at Mala Sprtovini Hala, Prague, Czech Republic 25th February 1998 STEREO SBD(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (49:00) 1. Egyptian Intro 2. The Wanton Song 3. Bring It On Home 4. Heartbreaker 5. Ramble On 6. Walking Into Clarksdale 7. No Quarter 8. Going To California 9. Tangerine 10. Gallows Pole (PA sound drops) Disc 2 (53:36) 1. Burning Up 2. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You 3. How Many More Times 4. Most High 5. Whole Lotta Love 6. Thank You 7. Rock And Roll STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.