Description
Led Zeppelin’s 1971 US tour began with an aggressive schedule that included two consecutive nights at the LA Forum right after the start of the tour. Considering that the Blueberry Hill show the previous year was only one night at the same forum, this shows how successful the tour was. Among them, a new sound source from August 21, the first day, suddenly appeared on the Internet, causing a stir among enthusiasts around the world. Until now, many items have been produced on this day because there were two types of audience recordings, but all releases have basically used “recorder 1” as the main source, and “LA FORUM 1971” released in 2016 was one of them. The sound source “recorder 3” unearthed this time is close to the recording state of “recorder 1”, and the sound image is slightly distant but clear. Moreover, it is more fresh than “recorder 1”, and it can be said that it is the sound source with the best sound quality among the existing audience recordings (all mono) on the first day of the 1971 LA Forum. It is surprising that such a fresh state was maintained despite it being a new source capturing a famous performance. However, this first appearance sound source is an incomplete recording of only the first half of the live performance, where the recording ends at the end of “Black Dog”. It is a pity for the sound quality, but there was a reason for that. When the performance of “Black Dog” was approaching the end, the taper of the original sound source was discovered by manager Peter Grant, and the recording was stopped. In other words, it has a different meaning from a simple incomplete recording. There has long been an urban legend that Grant stopped the audience recording or smashed the tape recorder on the 1970 US tour, but this sound source was recorded exactly as Grant stopped the recording, so it was surprising. However, it was not an aggressive tone as had been handed down until now, but a surprisingly calm tone like, “You are not allowed to record at the concert. Are you sure?” Even though it was Grant, I was surprised that he didn’t intimidate the audience with a fighting attitude from the start, but treated them politely in his own way. In addition, the recording was stopped for “Black Dog”. In other words, it is well known that a large cut occurred in the famous sound source 929 board produced one month later during the first visit to Japan, and the legend that the recording was stopped because Grant approached… has been passed down as a fact. This is not a coincidence, and the excavation of this sound source confirms that Grant was checking the surroundings around “Black Dog” when the live performance started and the venue calmed down on the 1971 tour. Therefore, ironically, because the sound source this time was incomplete, it was a very valuable excavation that proved that one of the Peter Grant legends that has been passed down until now was true. A version combining this short but shocking excavation with the conventional sound source by a maniac immediately appeared on the Internet. It is natural that it is the first appearance sound source of the 1971 US tour. For the parts other than the new sound source this time, the discomfort is kept to a minimum by using “recorder 1” as the main source. Also, the “recorder 1” used in “LA FORUM 1971” was a copy called 2nd gen, but this time it has been upgraded to 1st gen, which clearly improves the sound quality. Furthermore, even with the same “recorder 1”, the branching copy is used to thoroughly record the longest concert. It is also impressive that the pitch of all the sound sources was adjusted while using multiple sources. And this sound source and “recorder 1” have in common the recording balance in which Jimmy’s guitar is pushed a little further back, which makes it even less uncomfortable to listen to. More than that, I think the big appeal is that this unique balance captures Robert’s fierce scream voice on this day. And because “Celebration Day” was not included in “recorder 1”, the song was not included in “LA FORUM 1971” either, but this time, by compensating for it with “recorder 2” (also using the best copy), the live performance itself was also fully recorded. Robert was in top form from the previous “Black Dog”, which was a new song before release at the time. Although he had already performed on stage since spring, the 1971 phenomenon of his singing lyrics being ad-libbed everywhere can be seen, but even that is reflected strongly. Similarly, “Stairway To Heaven”, which was in a position before release, was in a situation far removed from the later standardization, and even when Robert announced the name of the song, the audience hardly got excited. Therefore, it is also a big attraction that the band’s careful and hard work to play the song is captured. What’s more, even though “Moby Dick” was omitted, the show was still over two hours long, which shows how ZEP was hustling at the LA Forum, which they love, but the way they played “Whole Lotta Love” in the second half of the show was strange. The pattern of Bonzo playing while Jimmy was playing the Theremin in the beginning was unusual for that time, as if it foreshadowed Europe in 1973, and above all, Robert screaming despite the firecrackers being set off was amazing. In the midst of all this, the oldies medley also showed a very long development, but as if they still hadn’t sung enough, the encore started with a rare cover of “Weekend”. Robert’s voice there was also amazing. Among the Eddie Cochran covers that ZEP covered, unlike “C’mon Everybody” and “Something Else”, this radical arrangement and singing style has not retained its original form. That was also possible because it was 1971. From here, they continued with “Rock and Roll”. This was also a new song before release, so it wasn’t as exciting as expected, but Robert’s reliability as he sings the high-tone melody line as if he doesn’t care about that. It’s also impressive that he ends with a scream. The new definitive version of the first day of the LA Forum, which has long been known as a great performance of the 1971 American tour! The Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA 21st August 1971 PERFECT SOUND (UPGRADE) Disc 1 (78:16) ★ The first 25 minutes of the new source have a spectacular high quality sound. If Peter Grant hadn’t complained about the taper and the equipment hadn’t been confiscated… I’m really sorry to think that Jimmy Page would have been able to release an unprecedented super title that made him smile (at the sound and performance). 1. Intro * 2. Immigrant Song * 3. Heartbreaker * 4. Since I’ve Been Loving You * 5. Black Dog * + ** ★Switch at 4:55 Eddie Vincent says “This is a direct dub from my cassette recording, never before released. The tape cuts off just before the end of ‘Black Dog’. (Manager) Peter Grant must have noticed the stage lights reflecting off the microphone under my seat (I was in the first row, first floor, stage right). The last thing you can hear Peter say before my microphone is cut off is, ‘You’re not allowed to record the concert.'” 6. Dazed And Confused ** 7. Stairway To Heaven ** + *** 8. Celebration Day *** 9. That’s The Way *** + ** 10. Going To California ** 11. What Is And What Should Never Be ** Disc 2 (57:41) 1. Whole Lotta Love (medley) ** 2. Weekend ** 3. Rock And Roll ** + **** 4. Communication Breakdown ** 5. Organ Solo 6. Thank You * * – source 3 (Eddie Vincent) (main through Black Dog): Cass(M) > wav (lossy) > flac (revised) ** – source 1 (Jeff Allen) (main): Reel(1) *** – source 2 (Dave Melton) (patching): Cass(M) > **** – source 1 (Jeff Allen) (patching): Cass(1) > DAT >
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